Embers of Sword

Chapter 387 Fate
The floating clouds broke apart and the lightning flashed.

The monk floating in the air, with his robe blown up by the wind, really looked like a dead leaf.

Because his skin and flesh had all shriveled up.

His life should have ended decades ago... It was this drop of water that saved him. Now that he had taken the drop of water out of his chest, without the source of life, this body began to wither at an extremely fast speed.

The magical powers of Buddhism are all real.

It is also true that by comprehending the three magical powers, one can possess power comparable to that of the Yang God.

But everything in this world is fair.

As an ordinary person, comprehending the three magical powers... may not necessarily be a good thing.

Chen Chong looked at the monk in front of him with a complicated expression.

His spiritual sense could sense the rapid disappearance of the other party's breath.

The three great divine powers of divine vision, divine feet, and divine destiny burned together at this moment, bursting out with unprecedented brilliant flames, but the price of burning was the loss of this life...

Facheng slowly stretched out his hand.

He grasped the spear, and the flames created by the three magical powers passed along the spear.

Chen Chong could have dodged it.

But he didn't choose to hide.

He took a deep breath, ready to meet the "bombardment" of the three great magical powers, but this blazing flame, like the pouring rain of life, did not contain any hostility... Chen Chong's entire mind was enveloped by the flames. He vaguely saw the scene that Facheng's "Heavenly Eye" saw, and also felt the illusory "destiny".

……

……

Rumble!
A long river runs through the years.

In the long river, countless figures are walking back and forth, and billions of people are as small as dust.

The fall of dynasties and the replacement of kingdoms are, after all, just a slightly bigger wave.

Chen Chong was carried by the power of "Fate Passage" and came to the sky above the long river. He fell uncontrollably into the long river of fate. He heard familiar screams and saw the familiar shadows of iron cavalry. The scene around him suddenly changed. He was no longer in the blue thunder clouds, nor in the surging river.

He came to a city that had been completely burned down.

There were corpses lying everywhere.

Time seemed to freeze, the warhorse raised its body, and its four hooves hung in the air.

The long knife flashed with a cold light and cut into the neck, and blood spurted out like a full moon.

"This is?"

Chen Chong stared at the scene in amazement.

"This is Suyang City, the largest city in Yuanzhou."

A gentle voice sounded from the side.

Chen Chong looked to his side and saw the monk who looked like a dead leaf standing three feet away.

Facheng's heart was pierced through the chest, and a huge blood flower bloomed.

But he was smiling: "General, don't you recognize this place?"

"Of course I know him."

Chen Chong frowned.

Suyang is one of the main cities that he values the most. The main force of Yuanzhou cavalry is usually kept in Suyang... But how could this main city become so desolate?

Fa Cheng raised his palm and said, "This is what Suyang City will look like in the future."

"No way."

Chen Chong said coldly: "Eighty percent of the rebellion in Yuanzhou has been eliminated. In three years at most, the rebellion will be completely eliminated. Even though Yuanzhou is poor, such a riot will never happen."

"General, take a closer look. Was it the bandits who caused Suyang's ruin?"

Facheng moved his head slightly.

Chen Chong was silent.

All he saw were the cavalrymen he was riding.

How can bandits be allowed to appear on stage?

"You want to say that it was my cavalry that massacred Suyang?"

Chen Chong found it a bit ironic.

"The first step in Yuanzhou's campaign to destroy Buddhism was to demolish temples in the four counties and massacre the monks who resided there."

Facheng said softly, "It's just that... the Dali Dynasty has been ruled by Buddhism for nearly a thousand years. Tearing down temples and slaughtering monks can only destroy the 'Buddha' in your eyes, but not the 'Buddha' in your heart. It won't be long before you realize this. Then, the 'anti-Buddhism' will begin to escalate."

Chen Chong was silent again.

In his opinion, there is no difference between the Buddha in his eyes and the Buddha in his heart.

Because he and Nalan Xuance had different "political views" on this matter, he now cooperated with Nalan Xuance to destroy Buddhism in Yuanzhou, and the ultimate goal was to meet the Zen master.

"Nalan Xuance, what you want to destroy is the 'Buddha' in the hearts of all living beings."

Facheng smiled and said, "As for you, it doesn't matter."

"It doesn't matter? Buddhism is hypocritical and meaningless."

Chen Chong said in a deep voice, "The Li Kingdom is in a turbulent period. If it weren't for the Fanyin Temple interfering in the struggle for imperial power, this power struggle would have ended long ago... For both public and private reasons, I should destroy Buddhism!"

"Is it?"

Facheng sighed and asked, "Did the Buddhist sect really interfere in the struggle for imperial power in Dali?"

"If Buddhism has no intention of fighting, why would the Zen Master need to meet the Ninth Prince?"

Chen Chong sneered.

This is the turning point of everything.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was about to become the next monarch of the country.

After the Zen master met the Ninth Prince.

A silent war began, with imperial power being divided and two factions struggling. The entire Dali Dynasty was rumored to have chosen the "Ninth Prince" as its supporter. The subsequent changes in the situation also confirmed the rumor. The old emperor, who had been bedridden for a long time, began to favor the Ninth Prince and gave him generous rewards one after another.

With these blessings.

The Ninth Prince stood against the Crown Prince and became an evenly matched opponent.

"Aren't you curious about why Nalan Xuance tried so hard to destroy Buddhism?"

Facheng looked straight into Chen Chong's eyes.

Chen Chong frowned slightly.

In fact… there is another turning point in this struggle.

Nalan Xuance once arranged an assassination, wanting to kill the Ninth Prince directly and end all the chaos.

Unfortunately, the assassination attempt ended in failure.

Nalan Xuance, who was proficient in the art of mystery, was greatly shocked after the assassination attempt failed and he was able to see the secrets of heaven. After that day, Nalan Xuance made up his mind and began to arrange this plan to destroy Buddhism with no retreat!

"The Mysterious Art has some similarities with the Fate-Finding Technique."

Fa Cheng said softly, "Nalan Xuance saw a glimpse of the 'future,' just like you now, and just like me before."

Chen Chong felt it vaguely.

The skinny monk's voice seemed to have changed.

"Life and death follow their own laws. This is the law of nature. Everything will eventually perish."

“But there are always people who want to struggle.”

"So the common people started to practice." Facheng paused, his face showing sadness. "Since the Yuanzhou Iron Cavalry wants to 'destroy Buddhism', then Buddhism will definitely struggle. But the so-called 'struggle' does not mean that when the Iron Cavalry charges, they build a wall with their flesh and blood and die in vain. In fact, the night before the Fanyin Temple saw the news of the destruction of Buddhism, it issued a decree to notify the monks in the temple to flee as much as possible. Some people are willing to leave, while others are determined to stay and defend. Fanyin Temple cannot save everyone, nor can it change the will of these people."

Chen Chong narrowed his eyes.

The task of destroying Buddhism was entrusted to Meng Kejian and Du Yunzhong.

He sat in the rear and checked the battle reports every day.

This campaign of destroying Buddhism went as smoothly as never before… Many monks chose to resist, and all of them died under the charge of the cavalry. But according to this statement, there were many "Buddhist disciples" that he had never seen, and they were not at the center of this storm of destroying Buddhism?
"So, these monks fled back to the Brahma Sound Temple?"

Chen Chong said calmly, "It seems that I have to take back my previous statement. The Fanyin Temple is more efficient than I thought. It's not like you guys are doing nothing."

"..."

Facheng was silent for a moment and said, "No, they did not return to Fanyin Temple."

Chen Chong was stunned for a moment.

He looked around in confusion, seeing corpses everywhere.

and many more……

Shouldn't it?
"Suyang."

Facheng said sadly: "Suyang is the largest city in Yuanzhou, and it is also the city with the richest Buddhist heritage. Even if the temples here are demolished, it doesn't matter. The monks can take off their robes and practice and live in a different way. Yuanzhou was hit by a disaster and a thousand miles of martial law were imposed. These monks have nowhere to go and can only flee to Suyang now."

Chen Chong's eyelids twitched.

Therefore, this future massacre of Suyang...

"As I said, 'destroying Buddhism' is only the first step."

Facheng said: "Although these people have escaped the first disaster, there is still a second disaster. After collecting enough information, Master Hook and Clamp will start a massacre in Suyang. This time, more than just monks will be killed... Monk robes are just a piece of clothing that can be worn by anyone and taken off by anyone. This massacre is aimed at people with a 'Buddha's heart'. Anyone who has collected Buddhist scriptures at home, anyone who has worshipped in a temple, anyone who has had good thoughts and helped monks who beg for alms will become a 'victim' of this second disaster."

"absurd……"

Chen Chong's expression was no longer calm.

He took a deep breath and refuted seriously: "I know Nalan Xuance. At most, he is just extreme in his actions, but he is definitely not so crazy."

"The victims of this disaster include you."

Facheng looked calmly at the blue-robed scholar in front of him.

This sentence caught Chen Chong off guard.

"This is even more ridiculous."

Chen Chong sneered and said, "Nalan Xuance and I are allies in the fight to destroy Buddhism. We have known each other for many years and have fought together. Now we have a common enemy."

"General..."

Facheng shook his head.

The sadness in his eyes never faded: "Yesterday is yesterday, today is today. After today, you may not still be allies."

Chen Chong frowned: "Why?"

Facheng smiled and said, "Because of 'me'."

Chen Chong asked: "Because of you?"

Facheng nodded: "Because I will die in your hands."

"I am already a 'dead man'."

Fa Cheng said this in the calmest tone: "Even if you don't kill me, I won't be able to survive. With Nalan Xuance's methods, it won't be long before he knows everything. By then, he won't care how many people died in Taoyuan, nor will he care about Miyun's whereabouts... He will only care about the 'Immortal Spring' on me."

This is a divine object that is enough to drive every practitioner in the world crazy.

Facheng chose to end his life and dug out the Fountain of Immortality.

Chen Chong had only two choices.

Or, take this drop of immortal fountain.

Or, let it dissipate.

"What do you mean?"

Chen Chong's voice turned cold. "You want to cause a quarrel between me and Nalan Xuance? The Immortal Spring is indeed precious, but I don't have to accept it."

"Of course you can refuse."

Fa Cheng shook his head and chuckled, "But will Nalan Xuance believe it?"

"..."

Chen Chong was speechless.

Facheng suddenly asked again: "Have you ever thought about why Nalan Xuance wanted to destroy the 'Buddha in the heart' of all living beings?"

Chen Chong narrowed his eyes.

He recalled the years he had spent with Nalan Xuance. This Dali State Master was always far-sighted and had a profound vision, but all he wanted was fame.

Everyone has desires in their hearts.

And to leave your name in history and be remembered forever, this is what Nalan Xuance wants most.

"Destroy the 'Buddha' in the hearts of all living beings, and then sit on it yourself."

Fa Cheng simply exposed Nalan Xuance's intention and said, "Nalan Xuance wants to leave a significant mark in the history of the Great Li Kingdom, destroying Buddhism with his cavalry, saving the country from disaster. In this way, he will be the greatest hero and the greatest sage."

Next comes four more words.

"how about you?"

Chen Chong said expressionlessly: "I don't care about fame."

"The Iron Cavalry is yours."

Facheng smiled, "You don't care, but someone else does. Moreover, after today, if we want to discuss the merits of destroying Buddhism, the one who has made the greatest contribution is not Nalan Xuance, but you. Nalan Xuance failed at Mount Qixia, but you successfully wiped out the 'Buddhist evil party' in Yuanzhou and was promoted to Yangshen. The gap between you two over the years has gradually narrowed and evened out, and even your reputation and power are above his. In the next 'destroy Buddhism', can we continue to be allies?"

"The Suyang tragedy happened under this premise."

Facheng looked at the corpses scattered all over the ground and said softly, "This is a massacre against the 'Buddha in the heart' of all living beings, and it is also a purge against the 'thorn in the eye' of Nalan Xuance. In this massacre, a total of 1,143 monks were killed, but there were more than 20,000 innocent people buried alive in Suyang City. The Yuanzhou Iron Cavalry was forcibly divided. After this battle, Chen Chong's name will be cursed by thousands of people in Yuanzhou, and Qianzhou can mobilize at any time. My ability to see destiny is limited, and I can't see the longer-term future, but I'm sure that your position as the 'Common Leader of the Three States Iron Cavalry' may not be kept in the future."

These words are enough to shake a person.

But Chen Chong remained calm.

He just stared at the bleak scene in front of him in silence for a long time.

After a long time.

Chen Chong said quietly, "Is this the method you came up with to stop the destruction of Buddhism?"

Fate runs through the long river.

Facheng sighed helplessly.

"Yes."

This was indeed the only solution he could think of, to use his own death in exchange for Chen Chong's participation.

"I know that everything you have done over the years has been for the peace of Dali."

"You led the cavalry into Yuanzhou to restore order."

Fa Cheng looked at the scholar sincerely and said, "I am just a weed in this chaotic world. Even if I burn my life out, I can only shine for a moment. After lighting up the 'Fate Passage', I saw this hopeless future. After thinking about it, it seems that the only thing I can do is to die."

He saluted again.

"so……"

The images of fate around him gradually changed and dissipated.

The blood of Suyang City gradually became blurred.

"Please kill me, refine this drop of immortal spring, and ascend to the Yang God."

(End of this chapter)