Longzang

Chapter 1036 If I become...

Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng stayed with the immortals until the banquet ended late at night. Before the banquet dispersed, Zhao Li, the immortal, asked, seemingly intentionally, "What do you plan to do with the Vajra Warrior's finger that you severed today?"

Upon hearing this question, all the immortals fell silent and looked at Wei Yuan.

This Vajra is not the same as the Vajra in the traditional sense; it refers to a state of enlightenment, not a title. When high-ranking Buddhist monks ascend to the celestial realms, they usually enter the Pure Land corresponding to their respective cultivation methods, where they continue their practice. At this time, most monks do not possess any state of enlightenment. Only a small number, with higher cultivation levels or those who have practiced special techniques, directly attain a state of enlightenment and possess the corresponding power.

The ranks of Vajrapani, Vidyaraja, and other demon-subduing protectors possess considerable combat power, with some special ranks even surpassing that of most Arhats.

The attack on Zhang Sheng, launched from afar, came from a Buddhist cultivator who had already attained the Vajra Fruit level. Furthermore, an immortal intervened to shield the cause and effect, preventing other immortals from interfering. However, no one expected that in this direct clash, Wei Yuan, relying on the fortune of tens of millions of people, would shatter the opponent's golden body in one fell swoop.

It may appear that only a finger has been severed, but it is actually part of the Vajra's golden body. As long as Wei Yuan holds onto this part, the corresponding Vajra's state will remain damaged, greatly diminishing its power.

Therefore, whether the other party tries to steal or exchange the finger, they will try every means to take it back.

At this point, it's clear that each of the immortals has their own agenda. Yan Shi and Bai Kai Shui, needless to say, are definitely on Wei Yuan's side, letting him make his own decision.

The Duke Yansheng of the academy and the Immortal Ancestor of the Xiao family both intend to stay out of it. Bodhisattva Baosheng left early, clearly not wanting to get involved in this mess, unless Wei Yuan is willing to go to Mount Ling.

Zhao Li Xianren's question at this moment was intended to be a way of accepting the item, knowing that the other party would naturally come to him later, at which point they would likely discuss the terms of the deal. In essence, Zhao Li Xianren was siding with Wei Yuan, shielding him from this pressure.

Wei Yuan knew what was going on, so he stopped hiding his thoughts and said, "I do have some ideas about this. Although Qingming is a vast and fertile land, it lacks undulations, and its foundation in the Immortal Realm is weak. So far, it has only buried a dog's head, which is far from the style of our ancestors."

Therefore, I intend to implant this treasure into the Azure Netherworld, add some newly comprehended swordsmanship, and forge it into a mountain peak. I believe my talent in swordsmanship is passable, and I have the potential to comprehend the very essence of the sword. Therefore, this peak deserves the name bestowed upon it by Heaven and Earth: Buddha Sword Peak!

Immortal Zhao Li was also stunned for a moment before he came to his senses. He gave Wei Yuan a deep look and said, "This move is too drastic and is probably not the best course of action."

Wei Yuan said, "Senior, you can just say it's a bad idea. Although it is a bad idea, it can make my Dao heart clear and is beneficial to my cultivation. Without cultivating this peak, my Dao heart will not be stable."

Wei Yuan waved his hand and released an image, laughing, "I've even figured out what this mountain looks like, so I'll show it to you seniors first."

In the image, there is a mountain with a shape resembling a clenched fist at its base. Only the finger that was cut off from the Buddha's hand stands tall in the center, like a sword pointing straight to the sky!

The immortals were speechless, since they all knew that Wei Yuan had cut off the middle finger.

The mountain peak formed from the Buddha's finger exuded a chilling sword intent, even causing the immortals to shudder and turn their gazes towards Bai Kaixin. Bai Kaixin hadn't expected that Wei Yuan's elaborate scheme to obtain supreme sword intent would be used here.

All the immortals remained silent. Wei Yuan combined his supreme sword intent with his own understanding of the sword path, refining the Buddha's finger into a sword and placing it between heaven and earth. In effect, he had forcibly occupied a part of the Buddha Sword Heavenly Dao.

After the Buddha Sword descended into the world, it could never be perfected without reclaiming this part of the Heavenly Dao, and naturally, it would be impossible to inherit the Way of the Sword. This is several steps more radical than clinging to the broken golden body of a Vajra!

Wei Yuan forged this Buddha Sword Peak to say four words to heaven and earth, to the world, and to his opponent: Never to fight to the death!
The sight of the plain water stirred his blood, and his swordsman's nature flared up. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Good! This is how swordsmen should act! The path of cultivation is straightforward, why so many twists and turns? I originally thought you only knew some insidious tricks, but I never expected you to have such soaring sword energy! My little bit of sword intent is worth it!"

Immortal Zhao Li chuckled and sighed, "Having pursued profit all his life, he has gradually lost the high spirits he had when he first embarked on the path of immortality. Alas, such a life of striving and scheming will never lead to the pinnacle."

The patriarch of the Bao family nodded slowly with approval in his eyes, then looked at Zhang Sheng and sighed softly.

The celestial banquet thus came to an end, and the immortals dispersed.

Wei Yuan had just seen off the immortals when Bao Yun appeared beside him, her face ashen. Wei Yuan was taken aback and quickly asked what was wrong that made her unhappy. Could it be because Li Zhi had tied for first place with her?

Bao Yun glared at Wei Yuan and said, "Of course I know that the Four Saints Academy spent three million taels of silver to ensure Li Zhi's joint first place. It's just an empty title, so why would I get angry over it? Besides, if we really fought, I might not even be able to beat my two senior uncles, Liu Li and Feng Tingyu, and I definitely wouldn't be able to beat your teacher."

Wei Yuan refused to discuss the topic of death, so he immediately changed the subject and asked, "So what exactly made you unhappy?"

Fortunately, Baoyun didn't reply with "Guess."

Bao Yun beckoned to Wei Yuan and said, "Uncle Xu is reopening old wounds. What do you suggest we do? This isn't the place to talk. Come with me."

The two then went to a secluded spot in the courtyard, where Bao Yun recounted what Xu Henshui had said during the banquet. Seeing her enigmatic smile, Wei Yuan felt a sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, Bao Yun grabbed Wei Yuan's hand and pressed it to her chest, whispering, "You damned barbarian, you stabbed me right here, and then you didn't forget to give me a stab in the right chest too, you really wanted to kill me!"

Wei Yuan quickly explained, "I was young and didn't know any better..."

Bao Yun had already pinned Wei Yuan to the ground and whispered in his ear, "...You were little then, but aren't you grown up now?"

"Ah... here? What if someone comes?"

"Have you forgotten what my Dharma form is?" ...

Bao Yun and Wei Yuan walked out of the courtyard together. Bao Yun was radiant, smiling gently, and her beauty was unparalleled.

After stepping out of the courtyard, she whispered, "Only at times like this do I feel that you are still by my side, that you are still willing to be with me, and that you won't suddenly disappear one day."

Wei Yuan said, "Don't worry, I won't disappear, never."

Bao Yun sighed, "No, I have to keep a close eye on you. Let's move that Buddha Sword Peak you mentioned to Ding'an City. Ding'an is no longer a frontier fortress. Erecting a mountain there would enhance its appearance and also attract more children with sword talent. Ding'an City already has a large population. If we place it near the city, those guys won't dare to use powerful magic anymore."

Wei Yuan praised, "That's what I was thinking too. I plan to relocate some mortals who have been blessed with good fortune to live around the mountain peaks, and then divide the area into several zones to build a large monitoring array, an air defense missile base, an air artillery base, a good fortune operation and maintenance base, and so on."

"That sounds like a lot of job openings, great! Shall we place them in Ding'an City?"

Wei Yuan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What did the ancestor say?"

"She dotes on me so much, she's just a little unhappy at most."

Seeing Bao Yun's insistence, Wei Yuan finally nodded. Buddha Sword Peak was now the most conspicuous target in the entire Qingming realm; wherever it stood, it became the target of everyone's ire. If this happened in Ding'an City, Bao Yun would be walking right into the trap.

Although Wei Yuan had already designed layers of defenses, with these troops deployed around the area, it was as if the sword peak was being concealed by military aura. After further enhancing the luck of mortals, Buddha Sword Peak became a sinkhole, just waiting for someone to jump in.

But this was extremely dangerous, and the Bao family naturally didn't want Bao Yun to put herself in such a risk. However, Wei Yuan knew Bao Yun's thoughts; only in this way could he give her a sense of security. Besides, once this calamity was over, Buddha Sword Peak would bring only benefits.

The Grand Dharma Assembly, the most prestigious Dharma Assembly in the world, has come to a close. Many cultivators were deeply astonished by the prosperity of Qingming, feeling as if they had entered a celestial realm. However, in the days since, they have also fully experienced the arrogance of the people of Qingming.

Now, the people of Qingming not only look down on all outsiders, but they also divide themselves into different classes. For example, Ding'an and Yong'an are considered upper-class areas, while the rest of Qingming is considered rural, only slightly better than other places.

Having experienced it so much, many visiting cultivators have started calling the Qingming people "Qingren" (青人), and some even call them "Master Qing" (青爷).

But Qingye's arrogance was not without reason. For one thing, the daily meals of ordinary mortals in Qingming were better than those of many Foundation Establishment cultivators. The multi-story buildings that were now ubiquitous in Qingming, so bright and clean, were the envy of many rural cultivators who had only ever lived in earthen courtyards. The flush toilets, in particular, were an eye-opener for them, leaving them in disbelief.

Just as the cultivators were reluctant to leave, notices were suddenly posted throughout Qingming, instantly causing a huge uproar among the visiting cultivators! The notice was titled:
"The Daoist Ancestor's Qingming Settlement Plan"

The conditions for settling in Qingming are very lenient. Not only can a Dao Foundation Ancestor settle there himself, but he can also bring several Body Forging disciples and several mortal relatives to settle in Qingming together. One Dao Foundation Ancestor can bring hundreds of people. Once everyone settles there, they can immediately enjoy all the benefits of Qingming, and will automatically become ordinary citizens after three years.

The announcement not only excited the Dao Foundation Ancestors, but also caused many powerful families to secretly plot their next move.

After all, they still had many poor relatives who not only had no status in wealthy families but also lived in poverty. It was better for them to come to Qingming. Many illegitimate sons and daughters who were not successful actually lived worse lives than the mortals in Qingming.

This "Dao Foundation Ancestor Settlement Plan" is Wei Yuan's last resort, aiming to completely eliminate all threats and leave no blind spots.

For two months after the conference ended, Wei Yuan spent almost all his time in Ding'an City, selecting sites, planning, relocating people, and supervising construction. He watched as a new city rose up against the mountain and facing the river, with a large open space reserved on the side facing the mountain, specifically for Buddha Sword Peak.

These days, Bao Yun would often pull Wei Yuan aside to talk about old times, since Wei Yuan was still young back then and hadn't settled in the right place.

Wei Yuan roared the third note, continuing to retreat.

After two months, the massive project was finally completed, and the Buddha's finger had been refined and was ready to be planted. Wei Yuan then came to find Zhang Sheng to discuss setting a date to officially establish Buddha Sword Peak.

Zhang Sheng was tending to her sword when she saw Wei Yuan arrive. She smiled slightly, stood up, and said, "You haven't come around much these days. It seems you've been very busy."

Wei Yuan, feeling guilty, quickly replied, "I have been very busy, but fortunately, the results have been quite fruitful. We will soon be able to establish Buddha Sword Peak, and that is why I came here."

"Oh, you only think of your teacher when it comes to important matters..."

This was yet another question about death, and Wei Yuan felt a deep headache coming on, unsure how to answer it. He had been busy with work these days and hadn't read many stories, leaving him with a lack of strategies.

Zhang Sheng smiled slightly, picked up a brand-new storybook from the table, and said, "You've been having a good time these days, which has made me a little uneasy. I might as well give you a little challenge. There's a very interesting question in this storybook. If you can answer it, I won't be angry, how about it?"

"Ask!" Wei Yuan said, forcing himself to speak.

Zhang Sheng turned the page and read aloud, "If I turned into a caterpillar, would you still love me?"

(End of this chapter)