Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 375

Volume 3 - Chapter 90: A Millennium of Glory

Outside Great Yu Prefecture, in a remote and winding mountain range...

The surrounding mist lingered, and the area was sparsely populated.

Two figures appeared silently, like ghosts, landing in the hall of a secluded mountain temple.

"We just got word— the Buddha who had previously sought us out for cooperation... he’s dead!"

One of the figures, a young man in black robes, spoke in a low voice.

Beside him stood a graceful woman with purple markings on her face. If Li Hao were present, he would recognize them as the same duo from earlier outside Qingzhou City, within Great Yu Prefecture...

A strange old man, hunched and seemingly carrying the weight of a large stone on his back, was crouched on the ground. He grasped a crooked cane, gnarled like an ancient tree, with a human face on its top that moved its eyes, occasionally revealing a strange smile. Upon hearing the young man’s words, the old man turned to face him, his deep wrinkles giving his face a drawn appearance. He looked at the young man in black and asked, "Is the news true? What about the demon Luo?"

The young man in black nodded. "Yes, the news comes directly from the hall master. It can't be wrong. The demon Luo is dead too. After we got the information, we investigated. There was residual demonic energy... and the dissipating traces of Dao power. He must have fused with the demon Luo!"

"So, he was killed after entering the Dao Realm?"

The old man’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his wrinkled eyelids seemed to tighten. "That kid didn’t show his full power when he was outside Qingzhou City, or maybe... he broke through to the Dao Realm here. No matter what, for him to kill the Buddha and the demon Luo, and not even leave them a chance to escape... he must have been at the Dao method level at the very least."

The graceful woman with purple markings on her face spoke softly, though her tone was serious. "If we had shown up in Qingzhou City earlier, we might have been in trouble too."

"Are you sure that he was only at the fourth stage when he fought us?" The old man asked again.

"We may have exaggerated that point. According to the information we received, he’s only sixteen years old. That alone is impressive..." The young man in black’s expression slightly changed, but he stopped speaking before finishing his thought. "He could have broken through after our fight!"

The woman with purple markings frowned. "But that seems unlikely. The Buddha had cultivated for a thousand years. How could someone of his age, with just a few days of cultivation, compare?"

The old man leaned on his cane, pacing slowly. "It's hard to say. Such an exceptional prodigy can't be judged by normal standards. A genius can surpass ordinary people in an instant, and one day of cultivation could equal a year of ordinary people’s effort."

"Enlightenment... enlightenment. What is enlightenment? If you don't reach enlightenment, then a hundred or a thousand years are still wasted. But once you open your mind, it could transform you into a dragon in a single day." Hearing this, the young man in black and the woman with purple markings both fell silent. They understood what the old man meant. It’s hard to comprehend enlightenment even if you’ve spent a hundred years outside the gate— entering the Dao Realm is not something you can simply achieve through arduous cultivation.

They had heard from someone else that in this world, there were those who entered Dao after cultivation, and their speed was incredibly fast.

The woman with purple markings frowned. "If the Buddha had chosen to join forces with us, we would have killed that boy in Wuliang Mountain without any trouble. But now... he was too focused on his reputation and only worked with the demon Luo and us to keep his hands clean. Now he’s dead... it’s his own fault."

"Perhaps he was also wary of us. After all, we are now in Wuliang Mountain, and he must be feeling restless." The young man in black spoke up again.

The woman with purple markings raised an eyebrow. "So now that the Buddha’s death has disrupted our plans to disrupt the Buddha Gate, what should we do?"

The old man considered this, then a faint wave of energy rippled in the air. He turned and gazed at the entrance.

"Pay your respects to the Holy Son!" The old man suddenly bowed with great reverence.

At the sound of his words, the young man in black also quickly knelt down.

A figure walked out from the nearby temple. He was dressed in a silver-white robe, exuding a sacred and noble aura. His eyes had a faint silver hue, reflecting endless silver light.

"Greetings, Holy Son," they all greeted.

The young man in silver-white gave them a cold glance but did not let them rise. He spoke in a distant tone, as though used to looking down on others, "The outside world has experienced ten years, but how are things progressing here?"

The three of them exchanged glances and, with a slight gesture from the old man, the young man in black began to report the situation.

"You failed to act when he was in Qingzhou and lost your opportunity to kill him?" The Holy Son’s eyes darkened with killing intent, and he demanded answers.

The young man in black hesitated but then quickly explained, "We had planned to act, but we were cautious, remembering your earlier instructions not to reveal ourselves before our main objective was achieved. Besides, after the Buddha contacted us, he said he could deal with the boy himself, but that the Buddha Gate insisted we avoid harming the common people of the Nine States."

"Such lofty ideals..." The Holy Son sneered. "He wanted to use us to collect incense offerings for himself, but in the end, the real benefits went to him. How foolish."

The woman with purple markings looked confused. "What benefits?"

The Holy Son coldly responded, "That was his plan. And now, how do you plan to proceed?"

The young man in black hurriedly continued, "The Buddha’s plan was to lure the boy and ruin his reputation, causing a rift with the imperial court. The emperor of the Nine States, though affectionate toward the boy, rules with a doctrine of benevolence, unlike the past Emperor of Great Yu, who was an autocrat. If it worked, we wouldn't have to shed blood to solve this issue."

"Now that he failed, it still worked... and even better than before. With his death as a bargaining chip, the Buddha Gate’s millions of disciples will argue on his behalf, and the boy’s reputation with the court will fall apart."

The Holy Son's eyes narrowed. "So you plan to wait until the boy is cursed by the people and no longer has the support of the court. Then, we can move forward, without fear of his interference."

The woman with purple markings remained skeptical. "But that boy can already kill a Buddha! Do you think the Great Yu Empire will just let him go?"

The young man in black remained silent. He wasn’t sure either.

The Holy Son chuckled coldly. "You don’t understand, do you? To become a Saint, one needs incense offerings. If the boy is estranged from the Jiang family, no one will give him incense. Without it, he can never become a Saint."

The woman with purple markings frowned in realization. "So his cultivation will stagnate... and eventually stop?"

The Holy Son nodded. "Exactly. Once he reaches the Dao Realm, that’s as far as he can go. Without incense, he will remain just a mere mortal, unable to advance."

"Meanwhile, our plans move forward. We need to keep an eye on the Jiang family and the Great Yu Empire, and once we’ve neutralized them, we can go after the boy. We will be the ones who stand victorious in the end."

The old man with the cane bowed deeply, his voice humble, "We will do our utmost, Holy Son."

"Good," the Holy Son replied. "Here are three treasures of incense. Take them and make sure they are used wisely."

The treasures were handed to the three of them, and they each accepted them with reverence.

"Do not disappoint me," the Holy Son warned. "If the Divine Gate opens again, we cannot afford any setbacks."

With that, the Holy Son turned and entered the ancient temple. His footsteps left behind a faint golden light that seemed to seal the temple behind him.

Outside, the sounds of the vast crowd echoed in the distance. The Holy Son’s departure seemed to silence the world, and no one dared to make a sound. But despite the tranquility in the air, a storm was brewing.

The royal family had placed a great deal of hope on the Holy Son. They believed that he was the future of their dynasty, the one who would carry the imperial bloodline and lead the empire into a new era. But now, with his actions, a great cloud of uncertainty hung over the imperial court.

There was no denying that the young man’s movements were full of divine grace, but they were also too sharp and too unpredictable. It was said that when he arrived at the temple, there was a heavy atmosphere that enveloped the entire region. But when he left, that same air was filled with dread, as though the divine power had taken root, shaking the very foundations of the realm.

Onlookers whispered amongst themselves, trying to make sense of the situation. However, in the distance, a figure emerged. Dressed in dark robes, he was none other than the head of the royal family. His face was grim, and his eyes were narrowed with a deep, unfathomable look.

“This matter cannot go unresolved,” he muttered to himself, the weight of his words sinking deep into his heart.

After a few moments of silence, he made his way toward the temple. The crowd parted before him, and they felt an eerie stillness spread as if all the air in the world had been sucked out in that instant. The head of the royal family knew that this was not a matter of simple politics—it was one that would determine the fate of the empire.

What had occurred within the temple could not be made public. If it were, the reputation of the royal family would be tarnished, and the Holy Son’s position could be compromised. In that case, the implications for the royal family would be disastrous, as it would destroy the dignity and authority they had worked so hard to build.

The head of the royal family stepped into the temple, his face filled with a solemn expression. He knew that the decision made here would not just impact his family but also the kingdom as a whole. Every single movement of the Holy Son, every decision, would ripple out and affect the empire’s future.

However, no one knew the true reason for the Holy Son’s actions. His choices were mysterious, and his motives were not easily understood. Some believed he was simply asserting his power. Others whispered that he had done this to protect something far greater.

...

That Buddha Master had not been able to do as he pleased, and had only been able to follow the rules set by the Great Yu to develop the Buddhist sect. If the young man’s actions were not severely punished, the face of the royal family and the face of all the people in the world would be completely torn apart!

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