Infinite Chimera Creation

About an hour later, Yuan Yuan finally returned to the Fourth Special Research Institute.

"Is there something wrong with your health?"

Frowning, Yuan Yuan looked at Josephine, who was lying on the stone bench and asking for a hug, and asked in confusion.

He understood Josephine's physical condition; after all, he had recently given Josephine and the others a comprehensive check-up to ensure a 100% success rate in breaking through the enemy's defenses. Moreover, Yuan Yuan hadn't forgotten the necessary checks after the break-through was complete.

He was certain that these little guys were in perfect physical condition, all at their peak.

Seeing that her attempt to act cute had failed as expected, the blonde girl got up in disappointment and proved that there was nothing wrong with her body before Yuan Yuan threw her into the laboratory.

After confirming that Josephine was alright, Yuan Yuan sat down in the main seat, looking at the people below with a satisfied expression in his eyes.

These are all his works, his children.

"Karim, go back to Hueco Mundo now, find Ikkyu, take him to the mortal realm, and then go through the mortal realm to Hell to wait for me. Once you arrive in the mortal realm, remember to send Signal Number Five, and Banja will open the gates of Hell for you."

"Yes, Father."

He parted the black cavity and silently stepped inside.

Chapter Sixty-Four: The Humanoid

"Master, how have you been doing in Hueco Mundo lately? Do you feel that you have taken a step closer to Buddhahood?"

Faced with this problem, Ikkyu could only shake his head and smile wryly. Although the scene of all five heads shaking together was a bit strange, it clearly expressed the meaning that "the progress was not going smoothly".

"Oh? Developing [firm belief], possessing the power to shake and influence the beliefs of others, isn't that a step towards Buddhahood? Isn't Buddha's main ability [conversion] about changing the beliefs of others and making them have faith in him? Even those monks who practice Buddhism, aren't they learning various sophistry methods in order to influence others through language?"

Yuan Yuan frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled by Ikkyu's meaning. Even when Ikkyu was still human, he was already called "Buddha" by humans. Now, having gained spiritual power and developed the [Firm Belief] that could influence the thoughts of others, why was he stagnating on the path to Buddhahood?

For a fleeting moment, Ikkyu seemed to feel anger rising within him, but he suppressed it instantly. He gave a helpless, bitter laugh and spoke softly.

“Benefactor Yuan Yuan, it would be best if you did not say such things again. Although ignorance is no excuse, even I, a humble monk, cannot help but feel anger upon hearing such insults to the Buddha.”

If the Buddha's abilities are truly as Benefactor Yuan Yuan claims, then what difference is there between the Buddha and the demons who lead people astray? The Buddha's ability should be to guide people towards goodness and grant them liberation.

Rubbing his temples, Yuan Yuan stared at Ikkyu, his expression gradually becoming strange.

“I think I know why you haven’t been able to take a step toward Buddhahood for so long. Think back to what you just said, ‘Buddha,’ ‘this humble monk,’ ‘should be.’ You’re a smart man; you should understand by now.”

After listening to Yuan Yuan's words, Ikkyu immediately fell into deep thought. Just as Yuan Yuan said, he was a smart man. With just a slight hint from Yuan Yuan, he understood where his problem lay.

A person who aspires to Buddhahood still refers to Buddha as "My Buddha" and refers to himself as "This humble monk." What does this signify? It signifies that in his understanding, he is still not a Buddha, but a monk. Buddhism emphasizes the mind; if one cannot be truly certain in one's heart that one is a Buddha, then even if one possesses the power to destroy the heavens and the earth, one can only be considered a monk, not a Buddha.

"One thought of Buddha, one thought of demon. Isn't that exactly what describes your state? [Firm belief] can allow you to use your own thoughts to assimilate the thoughts of others."

When you attain liberation, freedom, and joy, those influenced by you will also attain liberation, freedom, and joy. At that moment, you are a Buddha.

When you are angry, hateful, and jealous, those influenced by you will naturally also become angry, hateful, and jealous. At that moment, you are the devil.

Don't worry about what Buddhism should be. Just do what you want to do and say what you want to say; then what you do and say is Buddhism.

Seeing the look of sudden realization on Ikkyu's face, Yuan Yuan rubbed his temples harder, but this time not out of distress, but out of helplessness. Feeling the slight tingling in his temples, Yuan Yuan chuckled and spoke...

“I said, this question is very simple and easy to figure out. How could a master who has studied Buddhism for a long time be stumped by such a question?”

Ikkyu gave a helpless, bitter smile, and all five heads smiled bitterly at the same time, creating an echoing effect.

"Since I was fortunate enough to receive guidance from Benefactor Yuan Yuan and develop the [Buddha Power], which is what Benefactor Yuan Yuan called [Unwavering Faith], I was blinded by the sudden power I gained, to the point that I failed to see through even such a simple question, which is truly shameful. Fortunately, Benefactor Yuan Yuan enlightened me today, preventing me from going further and further astray."

I am deeply grateful for your guidance, Benefactor Yuan Yuan.

Nodding casually, Yuan Yuan made no attempt to be polite or modest, and naturally accepted Ikkyu's thanks.

"Now that the master's problem has been solved, I will begin to talk about my problem."

Looking at Ikkyu, a seductive light flickered in Yuan Yuan's cold, serpentine eyes, making him resemble his kinsman who had tempted Eve to eat the fruit of knowledge.

"I wonder if the master would be willing to become the king of Hueco Mundo."

Even Ikkyu, who had cultivated his mind for a century, was taken aback upon hearing these words, and unconsciously performed a movement he hadn't done in over a hundred years. He raised his hands and began to rotate them on either side of the head facing forward.

“Benefactor Yuan Yuan, your words contain a lot of information. Please allow me some time to process them.”

With his hands still twirling on either side of his head, Ikkyu looked at Yuan Yuan with a slightly troubled expression.

"Benefactor Yuan Yuan, I truly cannot fathom what makes you believe I am capable of becoming the King of Hueco Mundo. Leaving aside the current King, even the newly crowned Vasto Lorde, Ulquiorra, is beyond my capabilities. [Buddha Power] is useless against opponents stronger than myself."

Furthermore, even if I could eliminate all the Hollows in Hueco Mundo and become its king, it seems I have no reason to do so.

Yuan Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, a cryptic smile playing on his lips, and spoke softly.

"Is there really no reason? Master, you want to become a Buddha, don't you? As a Buddha, you don't even have your own place of practice. Is that really okay? Master is currently contemplating the path to Buddhahood and living the life of an ascetic, which is not wrong. But what about after you become a Buddha? Are you going to lead your followers to wander the world?"

Ikkyu paused for a moment, then shook his head helplessly and placed his hands back on his knees.

"I must admit, Benefactor Yuan Yuan, you have successfully aroused my desire to take Hueco Mundo under my control. However, the most fundamental problem remains. I am currently incapable of conquering the entire Hueco Mundo."

Yuan Yuan nodded slightly, ignoring Ikkyu's words, and instead asked a completely unrelated question.

"Master, you must already know who brought you here."

Ikkyu was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant, nodded, and chuckled softly.

"Although I find it hard to believe, judging from the spiritual pressure, it is indeed Benefactor Karim who has come to receive me."

"So, what does the master think of Karim's current strength?"

Seeing the increasingly enigmatic smile on Yuan Yuan's face, Ikkyu couldn't help but frown.

“Very strong. Although Benefactor Karim’s strength already put a lot of pressure on me, Benefactor Karim, who has regained his human form, is undoubtedly even stronger. He feels even more dangerous to me than the King of Hueco Mundo.”

Without explaining to Ikkyu that Karim wasn't a human transformed into a Hollow and therefore couldn't be considered to have regained human form, Yuan Yuan smiled slightly and slowly extended his right hand. In his palm, a pale white orb floated silently.

"If I told you that I could help the Master regain his human form and greatly increase his strength like Karim, would the Master be confident in taking Hueco Mundo?"

Choose the sixty-fifth option, Ikkyu.

Ignoring the pale white pearl, Ikkyu stared intently at Yuan Yuan, his face grim. After a long while, he finally spoke in a deep voice.

"Benefactor Yuan Yuan, I heard quite a bit about Hell when I was in Hueco Mundo. If my senses are not mistaken, the chain on Benefactor Karim's wrist must be the Chain of Sin. Although the color and other aspects are different from the legends, after entering Hell, I could easily sense that the aura of the chain was surprisingly similar to that of Hell itself."

"Then, may this humble monk conclude that as long as one accepts your suggestion, Benefactor Yuan Yuan, and transforms into human form like Benefactor Karim, one will inevitably be bound by the chains of blaming others?"

Yuan Yuan showed no embarrassment at being exposed; on the contrary, he smiled very naturally.

"You have to pay a price for what you want to gain. And the price of becoming stronger is to fall into hell."

With a soft chuckle, Yuan Yuan revealed a genuine smile.

"Actually, emotionally speaking, I really want to be friends with the master. But, it's really hard for me to trust people I can't control."

Although I am confident that even if everyone betrays me, it won't bother me at all, I don't intend to experience the feeling of being betrayed by someone I trust.

So, Ikkyu, as long as you accept my gift and wear an insignificant chain, you can gain my trust and become my friend.

Now, choose, Ikkyu.

The expressions on all five faces turned grim, and Ikkyu stared intently at Yuan Yuan. This gentle monk, who always maintained a smile, revealed an expression that chilled to the bone for the first time. He slowly spoke, uttering words devoid of any emotion.

"If I reject Benefactor Yuan Yuan's suggestion, will my path to Buddhahood come to an end here?"

"of course not."

Seeing Ikkyu's instantly stunned expression, Yuan Yuan revealed a smile that was anything but benign.

"What, does the master think I'm so petty that I'd resort to force to coerce you into submission? If so, I can only say, master, you've truly hurt me."

Staring intently into Yuan Yuan's eyes, and confirming that he truly had no intention of using force, Ikkyu breathed a sigh of relief and gave a wry smile.

“Benefactor Yuan Yuan, has anyone ever told you that you have a really twisted sense of humor? I haven’t seen a single sad expression on your face.”

Yuan Yuan narrowed his eyes, his lips curving into a wider smile, and he spoke softly.

"No, Master is the first person to dare say that to my face."

Instantly, Ikkyu's expression turned strange again. "Judging from what you're saying, quite a few people are talking about you behind your back."

After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, Ikkyu bid farewell to Yuan Yuan, citing the reason that he had recently subdued a new batch of Killian, but their discipline was not strict enough, and he needed to hurry back to take care of them to prevent them from fighting. Yuan Yuan did not try to stop him, and casually opened a white gap to send Ikkyu out of hell.

“Father, Ikkyu has recently subdued 213 Killian, and they have all been completely brainwashed. They will absolutely not attack each other.”

The moment the white gap closed, Karim suddenly appeared in a corner of the reception room, which had previously been empty except for Yuan Yuan. Judging from his posture, he probably hadn't just arrived, but had been waiting there all along, only that Ikkyu hadn't noticed him.

"The development method of '[Firm Belief]' was given to him by me, and I also awakened 'Arrogance'. How could I not know that what he said was just an excuse to leave? But..."

Even if I let him go now, what difference will it make? He'll still end up begging me for help anyway.

Yuan Yuan picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, glanced at the untouched teacup in front of Ikkyu's seat that was now completely cold, and tapped the table with a cold laugh.

"So, Ikkyu, just how much do you underestimate me that you would think I would use poison? Law, put this cup of tea away and keep it safe. Next time the King of Hueco Mundo comes, let him drink it again."

As the host, I need to let my guests know that I haven't poisoned them.

As soon as Yuan Yuan finished speaking, the emerald green wallpaper, which had brought a touch of life to the pure white reception room, began to wriggle. In a short while, several tentacles emerged from the wallpaper, steadily picked up the teacup in front of Ikkyu, dragged it into the emerald green wallpaper, and disappeared.

At this moment, Luo, who appeared to be just like ordinary wallpaper, revealed a hint of his aura as a peak Adjuchas modified body. In fact, the entire reception room was inside the body of this peak Adjuchas named Luo. If anyone in the reception room made the slightest movement, Luo could tear them to shreds in the shortest possible time, without Yuan Yuan even needing to intervene. Moreover, the blood and corpses would be dragged into the wallpaper, that is, into Luo's body, ensuring that the reception room would not be soiled at all.

With his eyes gently closed, Yuan Yuan rubbed his temples, seemingly lost in thought. Behind him, Karim stood silently, like a statue, without uttering a sound.

"Karim, when you were still in scorpion form, I didn't force you to do the difficult 'sit' pose because your body structure couldn't do it. But, on the first day you became human, I told you not to stand like a servant, but to sit properly."

This is the second time, and I don't want to say the same thing to you a third time. Now, sit down across from me.

Unlike those traditional scenarios where he makes excuses or says things like, "How dare I sit in front of you?" Karim, who never doubts or disobeys his father's orders, sat down opposite Yuan Yuan without hesitation.

Even while sitting, Karim's body was in a posture that seemed ready to spring up at any moment, as if he could immediately get up and carry out any order given by Yuan Yuan.

Shaking his head helplessly, Yuan Yuan stopped pressuring Karim to change his tiring posture and spoke softly.

"Even if parents love all their children, there will definitely be some they like the most, and others they only like. Of all my creations, my favorite should be Josephine. The reason is simple: she is a collaborative product of Lolo and me, so her significance is different."

But Karim, you used your actions to forcefully push Josephine aside and become my favorite child.

Seeing the excitement appear on Karim's previously cold face, Yuan Yuan smiled slightly and raised his hand to stop him from speaking.

"I'm saying this not because you're the strongest among these children, nor because you're the most obedient. It's because you're the one who trusts and admires me the most. That unconditional trust and admiration makes me feel like a father."

I really, really like this feeling.

With a rare warm smile on his face, Yuan Yuan continued speaking.

"Of course, trusting me doesn't mean erasing your own thinking ability. I've been worried that if you listen to everything I say, you might gradually lose your ability to think for yourself."