Traveling through countless heavens, an immortal being

Under the outer corridor of the Mingtang Hall,

The King of Zhou was with his younger brother, the King of Yan, while the Grand Secretary Xu Changye and the Minister of Personnel Yang Jian were together.

The chief eunuch of the inner palace, Shen Rong, and Sun Wuxia, the Minister of War and General of the Left and Right Valiant Guards, whispered to Li Zhiping, the Grand Marshal and Prime Minister.

Other officials, royal relatives, and nobles were all detained in their respective residences and kept under guard, awaiting the final winner...

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Inside the hall, Lear, leaning on his dragon-headed cane, stood face to face with the King of Qin, conversing.

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"King Qin, you must understand one thing: the remaining officials in the court have deeply intertwined interests. Now that I have eliminated this scourge, they will undoubtedly fight tooth and nail for the vacant positions in the court."

This humble Taoist priest has a piece of advice for the King of Qin, and I hope the King will remember it.

The King of Qin, dressed in a royal blue brocade robe with cloud patterns, bowed to Lear and said, "Immortal, your words of wisdom are invaluable. I will certainly keep them in mind and humbly request your guidance."

Li Er nodded. "Your Majesty, most of these remaining court officials are devoted to the state. Their usefulness now does not guarantee their future usefulness. You must remember to use them to govern the world, not to share it with them. Does Your Majesty understand?"

"I, Xiao Wang, will certainly remember the immortal's words..."

……

Lear then asked him some questions about state affairs, and the King of Qin answered them all fluently.

Lear was satisfied, but he didn't show it. He then used his magic to create an illusion that made the King of Qin believe he had already seized power. In the illusion, the King of Qin abolished the old king's oppressive policies and appointed the remaining ministers to handle state affairs by selecting the most capable and competent officials.

Watching him encourage agriculture and sericulture, reduce taxes and corvée labor, shrink the scale of his own imperial mausoleum, cultivate the crown prince early and teach him to handle state affairs, eliminate powerful ministers and curb corruption, and when he felt old, he took the initiative to abdicate and become the retired emperor, allowing the crown prince to ascend the throne.

The King of Qin, who had retired to a separate palace, watched his grandson being born and taught him until the grandson, who had grown up, passed away peacefully with a smile during his 80th birthday celebration.

Following the imperial edict, the court officials and the emperor reduced the number of gold and jade funerary objects and abolished the practice of officials and concubines being buried alive with the deceased emperor. They bestowed upon him the posthumous title of Emperor Dacheng Zhide Shengren and the temple name Taizong.

………………

At this moment, the King of Qin had just experienced the governance after ascending the throne and the confusion of his wandering soul after his death in the illusion.

He gradually came to his senses only after hearing the birdsong outside the main hall.

The King of Qin looked at Lear, who was drinking tea across from him, and couldn't help but smile wryly. "Immortal Master."

Lear put down his teacup and looked at the King of Qin.

"It seems like Xiao Wang just had a dream. The experience in the dream was so real. Did the immortal use his magic to show Xiao Wang my future experiences?"

Lear glanced at him before speaking, "The seeds of all flowers are different, each with its own time of growth in the four seasons."

What the King of Qin saw in the illusion may not be what you will experience later, but I believe you will do even better than in the illusion.”

Upon hearing this, the King of Qin lowered his head and muttered to himself, "The seeds of all flowers are different, and their growth varies with the seasons..."

After reading it a few times, he looked up at Lear sitting opposite him and said, "Immortal Master's words of wisdom are well-intentioned and I will remember them well and never forget them."

Lear, however, ordered him to go out and call the King of Zhou and the King of Chu, who were outside the palace, to enter the palace in turn. The old king had only three sons born to his first wife, and the position of the ruler of the country could not be easily decided.

If they don't test each one individually, the remaining people won't be enough for the three brothers to wreak havoc on.

………………

Two hours later...

Having tested the King of Zhou and the King of Chu with an illusion, the King of Qin, being the second son, was confirmed to be the only one among the three brothers willing to implement benevolent policies towards the people after ascending the throne. Only then did he announce in front of a group of powerful ministers that the second prince, the King of Qin, would be established as emperor, and that the reign title would be changed and he would ascend the throne soon.

Regardless of the somber and dejected expressions of the Kings of Zhou and Chu, they declined the invitations from the King of Qin and his ministers to stay and rode away on a blue ox, soaring into the sky.

………………

The demon realm beyond the far north...

The snow-covered, frozen land drifts aimlessly in a black sea that churns and boils year-round.

On the highest mountains are several enormous caves with grotesque appearances, which are the residences of several demon kings who rule this demon realm under the Demon Lord.

At this moment, in one of the caves, several demon kings were gathered together discussing matters.

……

The Golden Wind Cave was filled with overwhelming demonic energy, creating a suffocating atmosphere. These demon kings would only gather together for important matters concerning the demon realm; otherwise, they usually kept to themselves.

It seems something extraordinary has happened today, with all the demon kings gathering together.

……

Inside the deepest part of Jin Feng Cave, a vast cavern was filled with eerie, gloomy flames.

On the high platform near the stone wall, the one with the highest status and the strongest cultivation, the Golden Roc King, sat at the head of the table. Below the platform, on the left and right sides, five tall stone chairs were arranged from high to low.

On the stone chair to the left, from Golden Roc King down, are: White Bat King of Sky-Piercing Cave, Red Python King of Falling Cloud Cave, Flood Dragon King of Yellow Cliff Ridge, Eagle King of Absolute Peak, and Six-Tusked Elephant King of Red Moss Plain.

On the stone chairs to the right are: the King of the Skull Ridge Marmoset, the King of the Blackwater Valley Asura, the King of the Tide Cave Turtle, and the King of the Wind-Returning Valley Fox. The last chair is empty at this moment; it should have been occupied by the King of the Golden Toad Pool.

……

King Golden Roc, seated at the head of the table, spoke first, "The old toad hasn't sent any messages to this realm for a long time. I suspect he's encountered a powerful high-ranking deity and has either been captured or killed."

Either way, this is not good news.

The Fox King, fanning himself with his feather fan, continued, "Since the Jin State's Grand Preceptor began cooperating with us last year, our men from various caves have been buying people from him for a feast, and we have also sold him a lot of medicinal herbs. King Peng, do you think we should send one of our men to him to gather some information?"

"It's not going to work for us to just sit here and guess, is it?"

As soon as it finished speaking, the White Bat King opposite it agreed, saying, "The Fox King is right, I, Old Bat, agree."

Hearing this, the Asura King was displeased.

The Asura King looked at the White Bat King and said in a deep voice, "I told you long ago that the whole clan should go and have a good feast! You insisted on saying something about thinking twice before acting! It's not strange for any kind of person to appear in the human world. Now that the Old Toad is gone, who will help us make connections among the humans?"

"You ugly freak! You insist on going against me, Old Bat?! What are you saying, being sarcastic?" Old Bat couldn't help but get angry after hearing the hidden meaning in Asura King's words.

"Calm down, calm down. Old Asura didn't mean it that way," the Six-Tusked Elephant King said, trying to mediate.

The Asura King, however, was unconvinced. "Old Elephant," he said, "what are you pretending to be, playing peacemaker? You stole the most of those delicate women from Jin, and you were feasting on them the first couple of days ago. Now you want to wipe your mouth and deny everything? Who did you die for, Old Toad? Wasn't it for us? You have the guts to eat but not the guts to fight. I despise you!"

The old elephant's forehead veins throbbed as the Asura King spoke these words. He had come out to say a few words in order to avoid hurting the harmony among the demon kings, but he did not expect the old Asura to be so disrespectful to him, which made him so angry that he kept shaking his long trunk and spitting air.

……

Then the Python King spoke up and was cursed by the Marmoset King, the Fox King spoke up and was countered by the Flood Dragon King. Except for the Golden Roc King and the Turtle King, who did not speak, the remaining demon kings began to hurl insults and accusations at each other.

The atmosphere inside the cave grew increasingly tense, and the Golden Roc King, sitting on the high platform at the head of the cave, looked at the chaotic scene with a darkening expression.

The Turtle King originally didn't want to speak. As the oldest of these demon kings, he usually just went through the motions in discussions and rarely spoke.

Seeing that the Asura King was in a bad mood and everyone was talking back to him, and that the other demon kings were blaming and insulting each other instead of getting to the point of the gathering, and that the Golden Roc King's expression was getting worse and worse, he had no choice but to step forward and speak up to calm things down.

"Everyone! Everyone, listen to this old turtle's advice, even if it's just because it's old and condescending."

You are all leaders of your clans, you're all getting on in years, don't act like little monsters.

The reason we've gathered here today is to discuss whether the old toad lives or dies, how to save it if it lives, and who to send to take care of it if it dies. Let's not waste time arguing and neglecting our important business.

With the turtle king stepping in to mediate, the vast cave finally quieted down again.

King Jinpeng's expression softened a bit. He glanced around at the demon kings on his left and right sides, and seeing that although they were still resentful, they had at least quieted down. Only then did he speak in a calm voice.

"I know what you are worried about. You are afraid of following in the footsteps of the old toad. But you are all the leaders of your clans and the pillars of this demon realm. The little demons below can be afraid, but if we are afraid, how can this demon realm have a future?"

The Demon Lord is in deep slumber and difficult to approach. Since He has tacitly allowed us to use His name to protect ourselves, we must uphold His dignity!

What kind of demon king is one who is afraid of hardship and death?

Cheer up! Everyone, perk up!

"Old Turtle, you are a man of high moral standing. Choose one of us to go east and take over the mess left by Old Toad!"

King Jinpeng's words sounded grand and dignified, but since it was the strongest, it always made excuses to avoid going out on business, so it was easy for it to talk without any real concern for the people involved.

When the King of the Turtle saw that the King of the Golden Roc was letting him make the decision, he couldn't help but curse inwardly.

After a moment's thought, it said to the Golden Roc King, "I, this old turtle, am merely two thousand years older than all the demon kings, and I have no real achievements to speak of. How can I possibly make such a crucial decision? In my opinion, it would be more appropriate to let the Demon Lord decide."

King Jinpeng was greatly displeased to see that the old fellow was not falling for his tricks. He wanted the old man to make the decision? He wouldn't be willing to send anyone to their death.

After talking for so long without making any progress, King Jinpeng was both angry and frustrated, and made an excuse to end the meeting.

……

The Fox King, walking at the very back, waved his feather fan and walked side by side with the Turtle King, who was leaning on a cane, talking quietly.

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"Hey old turtle, do you think the Asura King might leave the demon realm for the Jin Kingdom later?"

The old turtle shook its head. "That's hard to say. The Asura King may look like a brute, but it's actually quite clever. It's impossible for it to jump down into a dead end when it sees it. Among us demon kings, it's one of the smartest."

The Fox King stopped fanning himself. "My clansmen saw a powerful figure fighting the Grand Preceptor in the capital of Jin. In the end, it was actually Dipankara Buddha from the Western Pure Land who struck, shattering the Grand Preceptor's soul."

Old turtle, you're the most accurate fortune teller. When are you going to divine when the Demon Lord will finally awaken?

Upon hearing this, the old turtle shook his head vigorously, "Forget it, forget it. The celestial secrets are chaotic now, my cheat code doesn't work anymore..."

The old turtle stopped after saying just one sentence, turned to look at the fox king, and said, "If you really want to listen to my advice, restrain your own clan members and tell them not to run east. That's all I have to say. Let's see if you listen or not..."

After speaking, the old turtle ignored the fox king, who was standing there stunned, and walked away, leaning on his cane.

The Fox King stood there, his mind replaying the old turtle's words.

……

It thought for a long time before looking up. It wanted to ask the old turtle about other things, but the turtle had already left. It could only gently wave its feather fan, walk out of the cave, and turn into a whirlwind to return to its lair...

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The Western Pure Land of Saha...

Lear was sitting in a waterside pavilion overlooking a cliff, enjoying the view of the waterfall while chatting and drinking tea with the Buddha Dipankara sitting opposite him.

The old Buddha sat opposite Lear. Today, he looked like an ordinary old monk, holding a string of prayer beads in his left hand and wearing a slightly worn, earth-colored robe. There was no halo behind his head. He chatted with Lear as if welcoming an old friend.

Lear was surprised that the old Buddha was quite honest. The old Buddha answered most of the questions he asked. Lear had originally come with the intention of fighting, but the old Buddha was so polite that the fight naturally disappeared.

After drinking tea and chatting for a while, Lear got up to take his leave. The Buddha saw him off out of the Western Paradise before returning to Mount Sumeru.

……

The Buddha walked to the Mahavira Hall, ascended the lotus platform, and manifested a Dharma image with one hand forming a mudra and the other holding a lamp, radiating a halo of light. As soon as the transformation occurred, the voice of the Left Immortal Elder could be heard from outside the hall.

The old Buddha sighed, "Amitabha, what a sin, what a sin. I already know the purpose of the Immortal Elder's visit. Please report back to the Heavenly Emperor. If that Taoist priest defies the Heavenly Laws, I will certainly do my utmost to help the Heavenly Palace."

As the old Buddha finished speaking, the voice of the Left Immortal outside the shop also disappeared.

The old Buddha opened his eyes, gazed intently into the void with his deep golden eyes for a while, and then closed them again.

The sound of chanting sutras began to fill the main hall…

"Dong~ Dong~ Dong~", the bell on the mountain began to ring.

The gentle tolling of the bell carries countless emotions; even those dwelling in a pure land cannot escape the dust of the world.

The chanting of the Buddha of Light was unhurried and slow, like the purple smoke from an incense burner, rising steadily and gently upwards...

The will of Heaven is in motion, and the ways of Heaven are manifesting. The Jin Kingdom on Earth has changed its ruler, and so too will things change in the heavens...

Whether it's good or bad, one must remain indifferent; the Buddha understood this principle well.

First, protect yourself; then consider other things...