Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 373

Volume 3 - Chapter 88: Resolution of Cause and Effect

"Didn't you cut them all down?"

Jiang Lichen raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw Li Hao stop his actions, as though he were both puzzled and somewhat regretful.

Li Hao shook his head slightly. "Aside from those with great strength... the ones who may have committed evil deeds on behalf of the Buddha, there’s no point in killing the rest—these lowly disciples with weak cultivation. It's meaningless."

The Buddhist sect had stood for a thousand years, unshakable and filled with countless followers across the Nine Provinces, aside from the realms surrounding Wuliang Mountain.

How could it be said to be wiped out?

"If I remember correctly, that old woman from the Divine General’s Mansion is also a devout Buddhist, isn’t she?" Li Hao added.

Li Hao’s goal was to eradicate the physical manifestations of the Buddha, those who had already fallen into demonic ways, not the Buddha as worshipped in people’s hearts.

After all, for many suffering souls, finding the Buddha as a spiritual belief provided them with peace and solace. How could one ever eradicate that?

"You’re still too soft-hearted," Jiang Lichen said with a shake of his head, recognizing the goodness in Li Hao’s heart. "Killing these weak, pig-like mortals is meaningless. The weak do not deserve the blade!"

Li Hao glanced at him, and the prince's shocking remarks made him realize why he was imprisoned.

"Perhaps you'd be better off speaking less. Your life would be much easier," Li Hao remarked.

"There are those who say less but do more. I'm just speaking the truth. The ignorant common people are mere stepping stones for the powerful. Life and death make no difference to them!" Jiang Lichen replied.

Li Hao shook his head slightly, not wanting to argue. His gaze shifted as he spotted something in the distance, and in the blink of an eye, his figure vanished with a flicker.

The peaks beyond surged, and many disciples, having shed their monk robes, were fleeing like ants on the mountainside, rushing towards the edge of the Brahma Pure Land.

...

Some who had reached the fifteenth level of cultivation simply soared into the air and fled at full speed. Li Qianfeng, dressed in simple clothes, blended in with the crowd, frantically escaping, smearing dirt on his face to make himself appear as if he had fallen from the mountainside in a mess.

The guards of the Divine General’s Mansion were nowhere to be seen, and only the old monk remained by his side. Among the crowd, he was barely noticeable.

Suddenly, a figure flashed like a phantom and appeared, cutting off the escaping crowd.

The torrent of people was overturned by a crushing force as everyone looked toward the young man, their faces drained of color in fear.

Some hastily fell to their knees, begging for mercy.

As the larger group fell to their knees, Li Qianfeng’s face turned pale. He, too, knelt in submission, a sense of unwillingness filling his heart. How could he, the disciple of the Buddha and the esteemed son of the Divine General’s Mansion, endure such humiliation? A surge of anger rose in him, but he dared not show it. He only recalled the words of his ancestors, "A true man can endure humiliation and bend before striking." He knew the only way out was to bear this humiliation for now.

Li Hao's gaze pierced through the crowd like a sword. Despite the concealed aura of the young man, there was no way he could hide it from Li Hao, whose cultivation had reached the Tai Ping Dao level.

"Li Feng, aren’t you the Buddha’s direct disciple? Don't you plan to take revenge for your master?" Li Hao asked coldly.

Upon hearing this, the crowd tensed, and Li Qianfeng's face changed dramatically. His disguise had been exposed.

"Master! Quick, run!" the old monk cried out, moving quickly to block Li Hao’s path.

The old monk had once been one of Li Qianfeng’s father’s generals. He had pledged his life to protect this orphaned young man. But before he could unleash his grandmaster’s power, his body suddenly exploded.

Blood splattered onto Li Qianfeng, staining his clothes and shocking him into a daze. The heat of the blood made him freeze for a moment. His knee, which had just been raised, collapsed again.

Li Qianfeng hurriedly bowed his head, kneeling on the ground, his thoughts in turmoil.

When others saw Li Qianfeng, they immediately dropped to the ground, afraid to approach him.

A Buddha’s direct disciple? That meant he was a prince among the Buddhist sect’s disciples. To think such a figure had been hiding among them. Did he intend to harm them all?

Many began cursing him, calling him a traitor, and swearing at him for being an obstacle when trying to escape.

"Get lost!" some shouted.

Li Hao heard their desperate pleas for mercy and frowned.

Hearing Li Hao’s voice, the crowd seemed to hear a heavenly sound, filled with relief, as they quickly bowed and fled.

In the blink of an eye, the area was emptied, leaving only Li Qianfeng behind.

"Please spare me. I may be the disciple of the Buddha, but I am also a member of the Li family of the Divine General’s Mansion. Our relationship with Wuliang Mountain is based on mutual interests, not true loyalty!" Li Qianfeng cried out in panic.

Li Qianfeng’s face turned pale as he realized he was in grave danger. He now tried to use his identity as a bargaining chip, hoping to save himself.

"Don't you recognize me?" Li Hao’s voice was indifferent as he stared at Li Qianfeng.

Li Qianfeng was stunned for a moment, then looked at Li Hao carefully. Gradually, a flicker of recognition crossed his face, though he couldn't fully place it. Suddenly, his pupils contracted as he gasped in realization.

"You... you’re him?" he stammered.

"Looks like you remember now," Li Hao nodded slightly. He then raised his hand, and a force pressed down on Li Qianfeng, crushing his bones until they shattered.

Li Qianfeng was still in his twenties, at the Tian Ren stage, and hadn’t yet reached immortality. His body could only rely on divine pills to mend the broken bones.

He struggled in intense pain, but even his cries couldn’t mask the shock in his heart. His eyes widened as he gasped, disbelief in his voice.

"It's you? How could this be? My master... I was the one who killed him..."

Was it fear or pain that caused him to scream, his body trembling?

He had been told countless times that his master was unbeatable, and yet here he was, facing the person who had killed him. How could this happen?

Li Hao had earned a reputation after the battle in Liangzhou, becoming known as a strong figure at the Fourth Realm. He had even been compared to the strongest fighters of the world. How could Li Qianfeng ever have imagined that the person he had once looked up to was now the one who had killed his master?

“Impossible... No way... My master is the Buddha! He is invincible!” Li Qianfeng continued to shout, blood and tears streaming from his eyes as he coughed up blood and pieces of his internal organs.

Li Hao didn’t bother to listen to his screams. With a flick of his wrist, he gathered Li Qianfeng’s limbs and tossed them into the space of heaven and earth, swiftly ending his life.

Li Qianfeng had been a promising talent, someone whose name had been praised since he was a child. Yet now, here he was, reduced to nothing but a casualty of fate. Perhaps it all started with the poisonous pill the noblewoman had forced him to take, a moment that irrevocably changed his destiny.

With his task now done, Li Hao turned back to the altar where Feng Lao’s soul had been lost. After swallowing a pill, he managed to restore his body, though Feng Lao’s soul remained absent, unable to be reclaimed.

“Well then... let’s return,” Li Hao muttered quietly.

Looking around at the wreckage of the battlefield, the mountains around him scarred by the destruction, he realized that Wuliang Mountain had been practically finished. Without the Buddha, even if millions of followers appeared in the future, they would never be able to revive this place.

As Li Hao prepared to leave, a figure rapidly approached from outside Wuliang Mountain.

Before long, the figure was standing before him.

"Li Hao, my son!" the figure called out.

It was Li Muxiu, hastily making his way from the Li family. Upon reaching the edge of the Brahma Pure Land, he saw the scattered remnants of fleeing disciples and instantly realized the situation within.

Amidst the turmoil, Li Hao recognized the voice. His eyes flickered, and he called out softly, "Second Uncle."

"The Buddha… and Feng Lao?" Li Muxiu’s eyes scanned the surroundings until they fell upon Spirit Mountain, which had been cleaved in two. His pupils constricted as his heart sank in shock.

He had abandoned his identity and rushed here at full speed, not only to quell the storm but also because he anticipated this very outcome. He believed that regardless of Li Hao's strength, facing the Buddha would be a monumental task.

Li Hao's rise had not been easy. He held glory, wealth, and high office, and Mu Xiu knew how much he had suffered to achieve it all. He didn’t want Li Hao’s hard-earned reputation to be tarnished.

If possible, he would have used his own half-step Invincible Dao Realm to save Feng Lao and resolve the conflict peacefully. Even if it meant sacrificing himself, he had been prepared to do so.

But now… "The Buddha is dead, Li Wu!"

Li Muxiu looked at Li Hao, his expression unreadable. He didn’t need to ask; the young man's calm demeanor and the lifeless state of the battlefield said it all.

"Dead?" Li Muxiu muttered, his heart trembling as he turned his gaze to Feng Lao. Seeing the elder's soulless, blank expression, he hurried forward and asked, "What happened to him?"

"His soul is missing," Li Hao replied quietly.

Li Muxiu froze. He inspected Feng Lao's body and found it exactly as Li Hao had described. His face darkened, his fists clenching tightly.

Li Hao, sensing his uncle's anguish, spoke gently, "I will find Feng Lao's missing soul. Second Uncle, it’s not safe for you to be here. Please, return home."

Li Muxiu looked at Li Hao, his expression filled with sorrow. "Child, none of this should have been your burden. It should have been mine."

Pain flickered in his eyes. He remembered his brother’s fall in Dragon City, a moment he had failed to prevent. And now, once again, he had arrived too late.

Though his life seemed carefree, Mu Xiu couldn't help but feel like he had failed miserably.

"Feng Lao was targeted by the Buddhist sect because of me. Naturally, it is my responsibility to resolve this," Li Hao said softly, trying to console him.

Mu Xiu took a deep breath, his emotions calming slightly. After some hesitation, he asked Li Hao about the details of the battle. Li Hao recounted the events briefly, and Mu Xiu listened, his expression growing increasingly complex.

"Child, the Buddha had countless followers across noble families and officials. Your actions… I fear they will bring unimaginable trouble."

"It’s nothing to worry about," Li Hao said with a faint smile.

Li Muxiu looked at the serene expression on Li Hao's face, and his heart ached even more. "What if… you returned to the Divine General’s Mansion? With the prestige of our family, combined with your accomplishments, I could ensure your safety."

Li Hao shook his head. "If His Majesty wishes to strip me of my titles, so be it. It’s merely a return to how things once were. I will still have food to eat and chess to play. It makes no difference to me."

Mu Xiu felt a pang of sadness at his words. But seeing the resolve in Li Hao’s smile, he said no more.

After exchanging farewells, Li Hao mounted the Candlefire God and set off for his next journey.

Though victorious, he couldn’t help but feel that he had also lost. At the very least, things had gone as the Buddha wished. News of this battle would soon reach the capital and fall upon certain ears. Whether that elderly figure could truly understand the implications or not, it was certain to cause more trouble.

Li Hao sighed deeply three times before leaving.

Jiang Lichen trailed behind him, preparing to depart as well. But before leaving, he glanced at Li Muxiu and smirked. "It seems the courage of your Li family only grows bolder—both the young and the old."

Li Muxiu recognized the infamous Mad Ninth Prince immediately. Though he had heard of the man's many wild deeds, he chose to ignore him.

As the prince left, Mu Xiu watched Li Hao's departing figure. His gaze sharpened, a question lingering in his mind, though he didn’t voice it aloud.

Would there ever be a chance for the three of them to stand together again?

...

Time marched forward mercilessly, never pausing for anyone, and certainly never retreating.

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