Eternal God Emperor: Only I Am Emperor One

Chapter 141 West Without Limits

The willow branches on both sides of the mountain path swayed gently, and after an autumn rain, the weather became a bit cooler.

As the old woman carried her umbrella basket down the mountain, she encountered two monks walking briskly, their robes soaked through. However, the rain had stopped, and the two monks were already drenched, so it was impossible for them to have bought umbrellas.

Today, the Zhengyang Tower is full of handsome young men and women. What are these two monks, one old and one young, doing here?

Although the two monks were in a sorry state, it didn't stop them from bickering.

"Following my martial uncle, I haven't had a single good day."

"If you're so capable, why did you have to place bets? You lost the old and the young, and you've truly disgraced the Bodhi Temple."

"I was just having faith in you, Uncle Master. Who knew that you were invincible in the temple, but you lost your first battle right outside? Why are you blaming me? You can't expect me to bet on your opponent to win, can you?"

"You're so stubborn, just like your master. I bet against the old man, and you bet against the young man. You always bet on me to lose, so that no matter whether I win or lose, one of us will always win. Unlike now, you lose everything."

The young monk was greatly shocked, and the old monk's words opened the door to a new world for him.

So that's how it can be done!

"By the way, Uncle-Master, do we really have to come to the Dao Discussion Conference at Zhengyang Tower today? Isn't the Sword Discussion Conference going to be held next month?"

"What do you know? Sword Pavilion is the territory of the Two Elements Sect. If it were a real competition, who would go there? Everyone is just taking this opportunity to study the Nameless Sword Manual. Today's Dao Discussion Conference on Zhengyang Tower is the real Sword Discussion Conference. If there's a disagreement, a real fight can break out."

"I understand. The Sword Pavilion's Sword Debate is all show and no substance, not a real sword debate. Today's Dao Debate is the real deal. Are you suggesting that the Sword Saints participating will start fighting? If Sword Saints clash, can Zhengyang Tower withstand it? If innocent people are injured, wouldn't that be a sin?"

"You don't understand. This time, Zhu San borrowed the 'Ten Thousand Lights' painting from the Painting Sect. The sword duel on Zhengyang Tower is not on the rooftop, but in the painting."

"I see, Uncle-Master, we've arrived at Zhengyang Tower. Shall we go straight to the rooftop?"

The old monk shook his head.

"We can't just go up like this. No one knows that we lost to Zhu San and his disciple and that we can't use our holy energy for the 108,000 li journey. If we go up like this and those old guys see us like this, won't we be completely exposed? Let's go up to the 83rd floor first and figure out a way to dry our robes."

Looking out from the railing, one can vaguely see the scenery of the Book Mountain outside the city through the mist that has not yet completely dissipated.

The two figures, a man and a woman, gradually warmed up, holding hands and getting closer and closer.

In some ways, Luo Shuihan and the talented woman of the Sacred Book are similar, both being reserved and introverted. However, compared to the scholarly air of the talented woman of the Sacred Book, Luo Shuihan possesses a more Taoist detachment.

A woman like her is hard for any man to enter her heart. Di Yi appeared in her life during her darkest time, planting a seed early on. When they met again, the seed quietly sprouted and then grew wildly over time.

"Amitabha, we apologize for disturbing you two."

Upon seeing outsiders ascending the stairs, Luo Shuihan quickly broke free from his embrace, appearing somewhat flustered.

Di Yi frowned and turned to look behind him. There were two monks, one old and one young, in the building. He had been so engrossed in his love talk that he hadn't noticed when they had arrived.

"Esteemed benefactors, could you please help us dry our robes? My uncle and I are only doing this out of necessity, and we apologize for bothering you both," the young monk said sincerely, his hands clasped together.

Di Yi frowned as he sized up the two men. Their robes were soaked and they looked rather disheveled, but they still maintained their composure. Strangely, he couldn't see through their cultivation levels; they were definitely not just half-saints.

"With your cultivation levels, you could easily dry up a whole lake, let alone your robes. Did you come here specifically to make fun of me?"

"You are unaware, benefactor..."

The young monk was about to explain, but was interrupted by the old monk behind him: "No, step back, I will explain to this benefactor."

The old monk stepped forward, a compassionate smile on his face, and clasped his hands together in prayer towards Di Yi and Luo Shuihan, chanting a Buddhist mantra.

“Amitabha, benefactor, it is like this, my nephew and I are both ascetic monks from the Western Regions, living on wind and dew, exposed to the sun and rain, all for the sake of cultivation. If we were to use our cultivation, it would ruin our cultivation. However, we are going to meet some special people at Zhengyang Tower today. If we were to go upstairs in this state, it would be impolite. That is why I have come to ask for your help.”

Upon hearing the word "unable," the Emperor was greatly surprised. He wondered about the identities of the two monks and then examined the old monk's attire.

The radiant purple-gold robe looked nothing like the attire of an ascetic monk.

“Master, monks do not lie.”

The young monk's expression changed slightly, but the old monk's expression remained unchanged.

“Amitabha Buddha, monks naturally do not lie. My nephew and I walked 108,000 li on foot; we are genuine ascetic monks.” The old monk did not seem to be lying when he said this.

Walking 108,000 li (approximately 54,000 kilometers) is not an easy task, even for a saint with profound cultivation. These two monks are truly ascetic monks.
"If you're here to meet people, this appearance is definitely inappropriate."

Emperor Yi was quite interested in the two monks, one old and one young. With a wave of his hand, the yang energy of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm surged out, turning into a gentle breeze that dried the moisture off the two monks in a few breaths.

The old monk's purple-gold robe was dried by the wind, radiating a brilliant light. After a slight adjustment, he instantly transformed into the appearance of an enlightened high monk.

"Thank you very much, benefactor."

The old monk smiled and looked at Di Yi, while the young monk straightened his robe and also thanked him.

Emperor Yi asked, "May I ask which temple you two masters practice at, and what your Dharma names are?"

"This humble monk is Liaoyuan, and this is my nephew Wufa. We are both disciples of the Bodhi Temple in the Western Regions."

The Western Regions are the territory of the Buddhist sect, where eight or nine out of ten people believe in the Buddha. There are millions of Buddhist temples and countless novices.

Among them, the three with the longest history and the strongest influence are Brahma Path, Bodhi Temple, and Life and Death Temple.

The "Xi Fawu" mentioned in the "Ode to Heroes" refers to the Buddhist monk of the Bodhi Temple, which matches the Dharma name of the young monk in front of him.

As for this monk Liaoyuan, he is the senior uncle of monk Wufa, and is probably one of the most powerful cultivators in the Bodhi Temple.

Luo Shuihan looked surprised and said, "So you two are Zen Master Yuan and Zen Master Wufa, the 'Crossing the River on a Reed' masters."

The old monk looked at Luo Shuihan in surprise and said, "This humble monk has not left the Bodhi Temple for 160 years. You still know my name in the martial arts world."

Luo Shuihan was very respectful and bowed, saying, "I come from the Luo Sheng Clan. When the Zen Master was traveling in Tianmo Ridge, he gave guidance to our ancestor Luo Xu. The Luo Sheng Clan has always kept a portrait of the Zen Master."

Emperor Yi was quite unfamiliar with this name. The black market's influence in the Western Regions was weak, and the Western Regions' Wanfo Dao was far from the Eastern Regions. He didn't know much about the Western Regions. Monk Wufa was very famous, but he knew very little about the other experts of Wanfo Dao.

Seeing this, Luo Shuihan introduced from the side: "Sword cultivators of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect in the Western Regions are rare. In the past five hundred years, only three sword saints have emerged. Among them, only one person has mastered the Great Compassion Sword Technique, one of the eighteen ultimate skills of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect. This is Zen Master Liaoyuan, who is also known as Sword Saint Liaoyuan."

Upon hearing this, Di Yi feigned surprise and said, "So you are two eminent monks from Bodhi Temple. My apologies, my apologies. It is truly an honor to meet you at Zhengyang Tower today."

Monk Wufa seemed quite pleased with Di Yi's performance. He loved associating with talented young people. Bodhi Temple had strict rules and never allowed its monks to commit crimes outside. However, he was able to secure a place in the Heroes' Ode because he had secretly run away from the temple sixty years ago to attend Mr. Mei's Heroes' Banquet.

Looking at Di Yi's dignified appearance and the fact that he had used the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm when he dried the water vapor, Zen Master Liaoyuan chuckled and said, "I see that you have an extraordinary appearance and have cultivated the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm to the level of growing scales and transforming into dragons. Could you be a lay disciple of my Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect?"

Di Yi smiled and said, "Why do you need to distinguish the lay disciples of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect by their appearance?"

The monk Wufa seized the opportunity to interject, "Of course, those with dignified appearances have deep Buddhist affinity. The face reflects the heart, and that is exactly what it means."

"Nonsense. How can one judge the depth of one's affinity with Buddhism by appearance? Of course, it is by innate talent. This benefactor is clearly intelligent and has an affinity with Buddhism."

As they were talking, Zen Master Liaoyuan and Monk Wufa were about to start arguing again.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Yi hurriedly asked, "I heard that the sages are discussing the Dao at Zhengyang Tower today. Are you two masters here to discuss the Dao as well?"

Just as the monk Wufa was about to nod, Zen Master Liaoyuan spoke first: "It is true that the saints discussed the Dao at Zhengyang Tower, but most people came here today for news of the miraculous medicine that can bring the dead back to life."

Monk Wufa glanced at Zen Master Yuan and immediately understood. He had been wondering why his uncle would suddenly come to the Eastern Region to participate in the Sword Debate Tournament. It turned out that the Sword Debate Tournament was a pretense; the real purpose was to obtain the miraculous medicine that could bring the dead back to life.

"A miraculous medicine to bring the dead back to life..."

Emperor Yi's expression changed instantly. He hadn't expected that the news from the Death Zen Sect would attract even the eminent monks of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect in the Western Regions.

The head of Yipintang said that as long as the news of the miraculous medicine for bringing the dead back to life spread, whether it was true or not, it would attract saints from the Eastern Region whose lifespans were about to end to come and try it.

It seems that his estimate was too conservative. Not only in the Eastern Region, but probably in all five regions of the Kunlun Realm, a large number of Saints will come.

"By the way, benefactor, you haven't answered this humble monk's question yet: are you or are you a lay disciple of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect?"

"Hahaha, Zen Master Liaoyuan is truly amusing. He actually thinks that the young master of the First-Class Hall in the Eastern Black Market is a lay disciple of your Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect?"

A hearty laugh came from downstairs, and two more monks walked up the stairs.

(End of this chapter)