Chapter 393: The Path I Missed, Walking Together

Chapter 393: The Path I Missed, Walking Together

"What's the matter?"

Golden Canary peeked her head back and looked at Qi Yuan with curiosity, seeing that he hadn’t made a move.

Cough, cough... "I'm too big. It's hard to get in," Qi Yuan said, exasperated.

After illuminating the heavens and with Ning Tao’s help, he had found the coordinates for the Flowing Wind Realm. For a powerful being like him, entering a lower realm only required knowing its coordinates to access through the Dark Void.

However, the issue now was that his strength was too immense for easy entry.

When he thought about the Flowing Wind Realm, he felt a bit helpless. It was like back in the day when he tried to log into a game, and the icon would load only halfway before leaving him hanging.

This was just like those pesky games that tease players. In his case, the game had teased him by sending a wife-like character, Ning Tao, who kept calling him "husband" with each breath, making Qi Yuan restless.

Now it was the same issue—difficult to enter.

"That can't be!" Golden Canary wrapped her small hands around Qi Yuan and tried to pull him in with all her might, but still, nothing budged.

The movement seemed to make her think of something, and her cheeks flushed red. "You handle it yourself."

"Sigh, I get it now. It’s not that I’m too big. It’s because this is a game world, and I’m a real person. Entering a game world is naturally tricky!"

It was like trying to imagine a person on Earth diving into a computer game—how difficult would that be? You’d probably have to smash the screen to shove yourself inside! The game world looks vast, but any sharp observer would notice that it’s all an illusion, hidden inside the screen.

Unless you had a giant computer, it’d be tough to fit a person into the game.

"Time to use my clever brain."

In that moment, Qi Yuan's thoughts swirled, and suddenly, something came to mind.

"Is it because I haven’t disguised myself as a game character?"

He recalled what Great Wisdom True Monarch once said—when a Heavenly-level Yang God descended into a world, they’d be reduced to the Mythic stage. A Lesser Principle-level being would drop one minor realm.

For a Greater Principle-level being, their strength would remain unchanged.

With 4,000 Nascent Souls inside him and combat strength comparable to a Yang God, unless he reigned it in, entering the Flowing Wind Realm could easily shatter the world.

Even worse, if he pushed too hard, the realm would crumble entirely.

"Condense," Qi Yuan muttered softly.

Immediately, the 4,000 Nascent Souls within him withdrew their energy. His own aura began to recede, and his celestial power lowered to the Mythic level.

"What about the strength of the Myriad Martial God?" Qi Yuan wondered.

Would this realm restrict that power?

He gave it a try and attempted to slip into the Flowing Wind Realm. To his delight, the realm didn’t reject him.

Smiling, Qi Yuan exclaimed, "It’s not resisting!"

It seemed the power from his Myriad Martial God state wasn’t detected by the world’s rules. With Golden Canary in tow, he quickly entered the Flowing Wind Realm.

"I should be more cautious. The quality of this game world is a bit fragile..."

Qi Yuan had a sense that if he let his Myriad Martial God power slip even a little, holes would be punched all over the Flowing Wind Realm. It felt like a game character punching a hole in a computer screen.

So, even though the world didn't restrict his Myriad Martial God power, he had to control it carefully. After all, this was Golden Canary's home.

"As expected, my celestial power is limited to the Mythic level."

Qi Yuan observed his energy levels.

Before entering the Flowing Wind Realm, he had deliberately lowered his celestial power to the Mythic level, and after entering, he found it could not be restored. He figured he'd only regain full power after leaving the realm.

No wonder Yang Gods rarely descended to lower realms—having their power stuck at the Mythic level, if they got surrounded by a dozen Mythic beings, dying in a small world would be quite a miserable end.

At this moment, Golden Canary took a deep breath, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"This is the Flowing Wind Realm!"

Ahead of them stood a forest of red maple trees, painting the entire world in shades of red, like something out of a fairy tale.

Ning Tao appeared beside them, standing with Golden Canary, one on each side of Qi Yuan. Her eyes glimmered with nostalgia.

"This was the place where I first heard your voice," Ning Tao said softly.

Dressed in a black gown, with a petite and delicate frame, Ning Tao gazed up at Qi Yuan, her eyes filled with endless memories.

"Is that so?" Qi Yuan smiled.

As the memories flooded back, Qi Yuan looked at Ning Tao’s lovely, cool smile and gently said, "You've grown up, Ning Tao. You're the most beautiful girl in the world."

In the past, a young Ning Tao, with the word "demon" engraved on her face, had been labeled a demon girl and hunted down.

On this very mountain, those hunting her had insulted her as a demon and called her ugly. The young Ning Tao had defiantly raised her head and declared, "When I grow up, I’ll be the most beautiful girl in the world!"

Qi Yuan had heard this vow through a jade slip linked to the game and, in a good mood, casually responded a few words, causing the killer hunting Ning Tao to lose focus, giving her the chance to strike back and kill them.

Qi Yuan gently touched the spot on Ning Tao's face where the word "demon" had once been etched, his gaze infinitely soft.

Ning Tao smiled, her expression radiant like the melting of spring snow or pear blossoms in bloom.

"When I illuminated the heavens, I couldn’t find any trace of the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons. Now, entering this realm, my powers are limited, so I can’t help you, husband. You’ll have to find the gate yourself."

"Alright," Qi Yuan nodded.

Finding something was definitely easier for a Sun God than for a Mythic-level being.

Ling Yayi, the old man, felt indignant.

It was bad enough that he had been captured by the Illumined Buddha, but now they wanted to force him to become a monk?

Naturally, he refused.

But the Illumined Buddha didn’t care about his opinion and subjected him to daily “torture,” claiming that Ling Yayi’s desires were too strong and needed to be cleansed.

The “cleansing” involved spiritual torment.

First, they used Dao techniques to amplify Ling Yayi’s desires several times over, maybe even tenfold.

Then, all kinds of temptations surrounded him—gourmet foods, beautiful fox maidens dancing seductively, precious magical artifacts parading by.

And all he could do was look. He couldn’t touch, couldn’t take, couldn’t eat.

How could Ling Yayi not be furious?

The mental strain was exhausting, akin to engaging in twelve intense battles in one night.

How he knew this so specifically was anyone’s guess.

"You possess the power of reincarnation, which makes you connected to the Buddha’s path. You are destined to become a great Buddha.

"This time, the Great Buddha Assembly is being held. You’ll represent our Tanka Holy Land, and you must claim the top prize," the Illumined Buddha said calmly. "You have too many desires. Without proper cleansing, even with the power of reincarnation, it will be difficult for you to break into the top ten."

"Who asks for help like this?!" Ling Yayi wailed in despair.

This was too cruel!

There were bad people in the Upper Realm!

What kind of test was this?

This wasn’t even physical torture!

If it were actual torture, he might have caved by now!

"Fine! I’ll represent you guys! Just stop torturing me, okay?"

"This is not torture; it’s cleansing your desires.

"Sadly, you’re not the Blood Lord.

"If he were here, he would probably need no cleansing at all and would naturally become a great Buddha."

The power of reincarnation in the Thirteen Northern Demons undoubtedly had a connection to the Blood Lord.

The Blood Lord himself must possess an even more intense reincarnation force.

From reading ancient texts, the Illumined Buddha had gleaned that the Blood Lord was an extraordinary genius.

Unlike the man in front of him, who had too many desires, his spirit too tainted.

"Heh, you’re wrong about that. My master, that old man, was far worse than me.

"He killed without blinking an eye. His robes were drenched in blood! Why do you think he’s called the Blood Lord? It’s because of how many people he’s killed!

"And you think he could become a great Buddha?" Ling Yayi laughed.

Since his master wasn’t around, he felt free to spin a few tales at his expense for amusement.

"He has slain millions, but he’s no longer killing living beings. Instead, he’s cutting down the delusions in his heart.

"A genius like that, why shouldn’t he become a great Buddha?" The Illumined Buddha’s voice was filled with the wisdom of the Buddha’s teachings.

Ling Yayi froze, his lips twitching. "Are you saying I have too many desires because I haven’t killed enough?"

The Illumined Buddha shook his head. "If you kill too much, you’ll become a great demon.

"But once you lay down your blade, your soul will be annihilated, and your body can become a Vajra protector for our Buddhist sect."

"...So, whether I kill more or kill less, I’m wrong!" Ling Yayi was speechless. "And isn’t the saying ‘lay down the blade and become a Buddha’? Why would my body become a Vajra protector?"

"If it were so easy to become a Buddha, the Buddhist Kingdom would be filled with slaughter."

There was a trace of helplessness in the Illumined Buddha’s calm voice.

"Hey, if any of my senior brothers get captured by you people from the Upper Realm, what kind of treatment will they receive?" Ling Yayi asked cautiously.

"With the power of reincarnation, they could become great Buddhas. Generally speaking, they wouldn’t be in much danger.

"Besides, you are disciples of White Supreme, so the Buddhist Kingdom likely wouldn’t harm you.

"But... in all things, karma reigns supreme. Anything is possible." The Illumined Buddha’s reply was measured.

The Buddhist Kingdom wasn’t entirely peaceful.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have spent so many years fighting each other, vying for the title of the true orthodox Buddhist Kingdom.

The chance to claim that orthodoxy had arisen in the Flowing Wind Realm.

That was why all the Buddhist Sons from the various holy lands had entered the Flowing Wind Realm.

The Illumined Buddha wished for the Buddhist Kingdom to unite and stop the fighting.

But... was uniting them really so easy?

"I hope they’re okay," Ling Yayi sighed. "This feeling... isn’t good at all."