From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 391 The Location of the Dao

The Buddha statue is sacred and tall, seemingly connecting heaven and earth, and its every gesture truly conveys a sense of supreme authority.

Amidst the fiery clouds, a space was forcibly opened up by the Buddha's light, allowing the Buddha statue to stand still.

High in the sky, a crimson flame shot toward the Buddha statue. Its momentum was not particularly turbulent, but it was unstoppable and determined, even at the cost of its life.

Countless onlookers already understood that Meng Yuan had absorbed the fire of millions of people, and Qing Guangzi could no longer hide in the shadows and had to reveal himself.

Now that he had revealed his form, as a third-grade Arhat, he was bound to face a fourth-grade martial artist head-on. Their auras were already intertwined, leaving no room for maneuver.

Many people watched the battle from inside and outside the capital. Some had witnessed Li Weizhen slay the Arhat Wusheng with his sword, but most were not so fortunate.

Now that a fourth-rank martial artist has fought his way to the Dao, how could he possibly miss this opportunity? Therefore, countless people rose from the ground both inside and outside the capital, all heading towards the imperial city.

For a time, the high-rise buildings and towering pavilions became the places where masters stepped and landed.

"No wonder it's a rat that became a Buddha. Even after attaining the status of the Holy King of Light, it still seeks to hide in the most filthy place in the world." Dugu Ying couldn't help but sneer when she saw the phantom of the Buddha statue in the imperial city.

However, she was too petite, had an overly sweet face, and wore a red cloak, making her look like a cheerful older sister, which diminished her imposing presence.

Wang Er had already transformed into a blue light and headed towards the imperial city, and Dugu Ying immediately followed.

"Grandpa, please take me with you!" Huanxi grabbed Master Ren's long sleeve, but Master Ren hit her on the head twice with his whisk.

Huanxi had no choice but to grab Mingyue's hand and shake it vigorously when she saw that Mingyue wasn't going with them. "Take me to broaden my horizons, otherwise I won't have anything to brag about when I meet Xiangling!"

The moon paid no heed, and the person remained motionless, it was unclear whether they were unwilling to go or afraid to go.

Huanxi went to see Lin Yan again, only to see Lin Yan nod his chin at Ning Mo and the other two, and the three of them walked away together.

In an instant, both inside and outside the capital, those watching the battle no longer distinguished between Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and martial arts, nor between friend and foe; they all flocked to the imperial city from all directions.

High in the sky, the flames surged and converged, then swiftly touched the majestic Buddha statue.

The Buddha is like spring snow; it crumbles at the touch, turning into dust and vanishing without a trace.

The Buddha's radiant light was no longer visible in the heavens or on earth; only fiery clouds filled the sky.

Wang Er was the fastest, having already crossed the Jinshui River. When she saw that the thousands of guards protecting the towering imperial city were scattered and disorderly, she did not stop. She immediately crossed the high walls of the imperial city and then stopped, standing atop the magnificent golden palace in the imperial city.

Looking down, one could see a middle-aged man wearing a crown, holding a long sword, surrounded by golden-armored guards and black-clad messengers.

The middle-aged man looked up at the sky. After the Buddha image disappeared, he seemed unwilling, yet he remained remarkably calm. However, the madness in his eyes could not be concealed, and the killing intent emanating from his body soared to the sky.

The middle-aged man ignored Wang Er, but upon seeing Dugu Ying in the red cloak, he felt a pang of sadness, followed by a disdainful smile.

Lin Yan also rushed over. Although the armored soldiers ignored him, he still dared not make a move. He was just muttering something incomprehensible, such as "You are a beautiful woman, but you have to join the thieves."

Ning and Mo stood side by side beside Lin Yan, watching intently without uttering a sound.

Although the majestic Buddha image in the sky had turned into smoke and dust, a figure immediately appeared and stood in the sky.

The person resembled the illusory Buddha image from before, also slightly hunched, draped in a magnificent robe, radiating a Buddha-like aura, and carrying a merit wheel behind him.

Only then did everyone finally see the Buddha-like body of this Holy King of Light.

"Amitabha." Qing Guangzi stood in mid-air, but also looked up at the fiery clouds higher above, and sighed, "Why won't this fool turn back?"

Qing Guangzi raised his hand, and the light around him grew even brighter. As the Buddhist chanting ended, the myriad fiery clouds in the sky were dispersed by the great light, and the capital city was no longer scorched by the fiery clouds. Only the light remained unchanged.

However, although there were no thick fiery clouds in the sky, there was still a flame, which then became fainter and fainter, revealing a human figure.

Everyone looked up and saw that the man held a fire blade in his hand, his face was unrecognizable, and he was surrounded by a faint firelight. He stood there between heaven and earth, like a drop in the ocean, not worth mentioning.

As countless people stood there in a daze, they saw the man bring down his knife. In an instant, flesh and blood quickly turned into flames, until his entire upper body was almost devoid of flesh and blood, revealing only gleaming white bones.

Even so, they still used bones as firewood, and the fire grew ever larger. However, the world was vast, and this wisp of firelight was like a lone boat on the sea.

As the sword was swung, everyone watching felt a sense of awe. This was an unparalleled strike, the flames it brought seemed to have come from time immemorial, or perhaps from the future, traversing countless years.

Qing Guangzi was calm on the surface, but when the blade came towards him, he felt that all his methods were useless. Even with the Great Light, he could not move the blade away even a fraction. Even though he could see the future, he could not escape the raging karmic fire.

It seems that even if one escapes to the smaller world, one cannot avoid this blade that has absorbed the fire of thousands of people.

"When will we get there?" Qing Guangzi's relaxed smile vanished, replaced by a snarling grin. His robe ripped apart, revealing his rat-like whiskers and tail, transforming him from a high monk into a gigantic blue rat. As Qing Guangzi spoke, a figure suddenly emerged from the hall.

The man wore a tattered cassock, and although the Buddhist aura emanating from him was faint, it seemed indestructible. "I can only stop him for a while!"

"Your master is exceptionally handsome." Monk Juesheng, standing outside the imperial city, nodded to Jie Kaiping, then nodded to Dugu Kang. "Your master is here as well."

Neither of them paid any attention to Juesheng, but then they heard Qingguangzi respond, "Stop him for ten breaths, and his flesh and life force will be unable to continue!"

The starlight and blades that came from the sky seemed to disregard the schemes of these two third-grade Arhats, and continued to slash down.

The fiery red blade arrived in the blink of an eye. Master Zhitong stretched out his Buddha palm to try to block it, but as soon as he touched it, he could not stop it in the slightest and his body was pierced by the blade.

Immediately, Zhitong felt as if he had seen the past and the future, and then his whole body withered away. "It...it's done?"

Zhitong turned around to look, but saw that Qingguangzi had no intention of fighting and had turned away.

However, the power of the blade light did not diminish in the slightest. Although it did not seem to be very fast, Qing Guangzi could not escape even a fraction of the speed. He was then chased by the blade light, which entered from the back of his head and exited from between his eyebrows.

Qing Guangzi felt that his years of cultivation had been completely drained by this one strike, and that all his life force had been cut off by this one strike. Even his Buddha-nature, Buddha-heart, Buddha-bones, and even his desire to seek the Dao and his ambition had all been completely annihilated under the blade.

The giant rat fell from the sky, smashing the magnificent hall. Qing Guangzi lost all his light and could only watch as the person landed before him.

The old rat looked at the man before him, as if he had something to say but didn't know what to say. Finally, he looked up at the sky and said, "Reciting Buddha's name, I see Buddha and reach the shore of enlightenment; my frail body and weak life are thrown into the furnace..."

Before Qing Guangzi could finish reading, it had already lost its life.

At this moment, Meng Yuan was covered in flames. His body had no flesh and blood, and his bones and tendons were not much left. However, his aura did not decrease but increased. Then, it seemed that he absorbed the energy of heaven and earth and gathered it in his body. Then, his bones extended and flesh and blood grew back, and he was back to his peak.

The world was quiet, and a subtle warmth spread throughout the capital, as if winter had passed and spring had arrived, or as if one were in a warm oven.

On this day, Meng Yuan killed two third-grade Arhats of Buddhism, and proved his Dao by stepping on the Buddha's bones, adding another third-grade martial artist to the world.

The red sun reappeared high in the sky, its rays shining like a waning ember, a strange phenomenon that seemed to be celebrating the emergence of another top-tier martial artist in the world.

In an instant, it seemed that everyone in the world had realized this.

Inside the Moon Palace, Huanxi was holding Mingyue's hand when she suddenly realized that Mingyue was gripping her hand tightly, but her expression showed neither joy nor sorrow.

Far away in a distant land, Suwen, who was still pondering how to become a queen, suddenly felt a sense of unease and looked blankly to the north.

In Lanruo Temple, countless bald monks were also looking towards the capital.

Thousands of miles away, at Chongxu Temple on the banks of the Canglang River, Xuanjizi and Master Liaoxian stood up and looked at the rosy clouds stretching to the north.

Jiang Tang and Nie Qingqing, who were standing behind Ying Rushi, couldn't help but stand up and look at each other. They felt as if their past grudges had been eliminated, but they also felt a sense of incomprehension.

"Junior sister, Meng Feiyuan has succeeded. The Buddha and the demon have been eliminated, and the world will surely be at peace soon," Master Xuanjizi said with a smile.

“That’s not entirely true.” Ying Rushi stood up, gently pressing her lower abdomen with one hand, and looked up at the north. She said, “That night, Meng Feiyuan and I had a long talk. He said that slaying the Buddha and the demon and eliminating the evil spirits is only the first step in a long journey. There are still countless difficulties ahead, and it may take ten or even a hundred years to complete. He said that if we fail to accomplish our great task, our child will be there to do it.”

"Child? Yours?" Xuanjizi and Master Liaoxian looked at Ying Rushi, who was pressing her hand against her lower abdomen, and neither of them knew how to respond.

"Master...Master?" Jiang Tang stared wide-eyed in confusion.

“Third…Third Miss?” Nie Qingqing was also at a loss.

"When did you two start sleeping?" Xiangling was also taken aback, but she was the most experienced. She immediately jumped out of Jiang Tang's arms, climbed into Ying Rushi's arms, put her little ear to Ying Rushi's lower abdomen, listened hard, and frowned as she asked, "Why can I only smell the fragrance and not hear any crying?"

"We'll hear it in about a month." Ying Rushi gently stroked Xiangling's little head. "You're going to be a godmother."

"Become a godmother?" Xiangling was taken aback at first, then became happy. "Oh my! I'm finally going to be a godmother?"

Overjoyed, she was at a loss for words, and in a daze, she untied the small bundle, exclaiming, "I need to start saving money!"

As everyone fell silent, they could hear the roar of the Canglang River rushing down the mountain, and the cheers of countless people.

The sun slowly disappeared, but the afterglow lingered, as if it had existed since time immemorial, and as if it would shine until the end of time.

(End of book)

(End of this chapter)