Chapter 1518: Buddha Emperor's Image

As he spoke, Kui Niu lifted his foot and entered the ancient city's teleportation array. Ye Chen smiled and followed suit.

Over the next ten or so days, the two of them kept appearing in one ancient city after another, heading north.

Kui Niu was going to pick a fight with Xi Zun, while Ye Chen was searching for Chu Xuan and Chu Ling, so their paths aligned perfectly.

In those ten days, they passed through dozens of ancient cities, each one bustling with incense offerings and filled with devout believers. This made the vast lands of Xi Mo exude an air of solemnity and harmony everywhere.

Xi Mo was indeed full of temples, and because of that, places where cultivators gathered were often teeming with monks and Zun. The mysterious power of collective faith made both of them wary—the Buddhist inheritance was truly extraordinary.

The two continued traveling together, like tourists. Whenever they arrived in a city, Ye Chen would take out his scroll to inquire about people, and he would also perform Zhou Tian evolution to search for reincarnated individuals from Da Chu.

Regrettably, after passing through over a hundred cities, they didn't catch a single trace of any reincarnated souls.

"Up ahead is Wang Chuan Ancient City. It's the closest ancient city to the forbidden area of Wang Chuan," Kui Niu said, burying his head in the map to pinpoint their location, speaking casually.

"Since it's on par with Ming Tu, Lian Yu, Huang Quan, and Tian Xu, Wang Chuan must be a place of great danger," Ye Chen replied with a light laugh, his face somewhat pale and blood occasionally trickling from the corner of his mouth.

In recent days, he had performed Zhou Tian evolution too many times, constantly depleting his cultivation and lifespan. Even with his abilities, he couldn't reverse it and had to passively endure the backlash.

Kui Niu put away the map and scanned Ye Chen up and down, furrowing his brows with a puzzled expression. "I say, what's going on with your cultivation? It's not going up—in fact, it's going down."

"Maybe it's because I've killed too much and brought retribution upon myself," Ye Chen shrugged and entered Wang Chuan Ancient City.

Kui Niu furrowed his brows even more. As the boss, he thought he knew Ye Chen well, but the more they traveled, the less he could see through him. Ye Chen seemed enveloped in an aura of mystery.

Unable to figure it out, Kui Niu stopped thinking about it. He scratched his head and followed Ye Chen into the city.

As soon as they entered, both of them stopped in their tracks and instinctively looked up at the massive Buddha statue standing in the center of the city. The statue was enormous, towering like a pillar holding up the sky.

It was a great Buddha, standing between heaven and earth, carved with lifelike detail. Its face was kind and benevolent, its Buddha eyes gentle. Though just a statue, it radiated an aura of harmony and majesty.

At the base of the statue, people knelt in worship. The area within ten thousand Zhang was a sacred, inviolable space, with massive incense burners filled with sticks, each wisp of smoke carrying devout faith.

"This guy's got quite the presence," Kui Niu said, hugging his battle axe and clicking his tongue in admiration. "Reaching this level means you're the real deal. Even in death, you're remembered by the world—it's impressive."

Ye Chen said nothing, quietly gazing up. He knew exactly who the statue depicted—it was Fo Di, the most enigmatic among the 130 emperors of Xuan Huang, identical to the Buddha shadow manifested by the Da Ri Ru Lai Jing Shi Zhou.

Suddenly, he could hear the sound of grand bells and deep Buddhist chants echoing in his divine sea, ancient and mysterious, carrying an irresistible allure.

He frowned and fortified his mind, his wariness growing. It was just as the ancient dragon of Tai Xu had said years ago—once you cultivated the Da Ri Ru Lai Jing Shi Zhou, it was nearly impossible to shake off the karma with Buddhism.

Only after truly experiencing the power of Nian Li did he develop a sense of reverence for the Buddha ancestors. The vast power of collective faith was an immense force; even great emperors of the same level would likely be no match for it.

The Buddhist inheritance, though its origins were unknown, was destined to be an unending lineage. As long as there was even one faithful worshipper in the world, they would endure.

"I'm off to find some fun. Don't wander off on your own. Tomorrow, we'll go check out the forbidden area of Wang Chuan together," Kui Niu said, patting Ye Chen on the shoulder before slinging his battle axe over his back and humming a tune as he walked away.

Ye Chen didn't reply. He turned his gaze away from the Fo Di statue and began observing Wang Chuan Ancient City.

Like the dozens of ancient cities they had passed through, this one was thriving with incense offerings. The presence of the Fo Di statue drew worshippers from all directions, making the city extremely prosperous.

Though it was just a city, it felt more like a Buddhist holy site. The pavilions, taverns, and even the arched bridges on both sides were infused with Buddhist essence, inspiring anyone who entered to kneel in devotion.

Ye Chen kept his mind fortified. Buddhism was too vast; one misstep could turn him into a follower, twisting his own path into just another source of Buddhist incense—he couldn't let that happen.

He performed Zhou Tian evolution again, but after calculating, he found no signs of reincarnated souls in the city.

Helpless, he withdrew his divine ability, took out Chu Xuan's portrait, and approached a stall.

The stall owner was a young man, deeply engrossed in a book about Buddhism, lost in thought.

The items he sold were mostly related to Buddhism, such as Buddhist beads, demon-subduing pestles, sandalwood incense, and Zen staffs, all of them emanating holy Buddhist light.

The young man was likely a devout Buddhist follower, so absorbed in his book that Ye Chen stood at the stall for two or three seconds without him even looking up, leaving Ye Chen feeling a bit awkward.

"Qianbei, have you ever seen this person?" Ye Chen asked, unfurling the scroll. He addressed him as Qianbei because, though the stall owner appeared as a young man, he was actually an old-timer at the Saint King level.

Hearing this, the young man finally set down his ancient book and glanced at the scroll with his clean eyes.

As he looked, he stroked his chin. "This woman does seem familiar. It was probably about a hundred years ago, but as for where I saw her, I've forgotten. It seems she was also searching for someone."

Ye Chen's heart stirred, and he quickly added, his tone humble, "Some time ago, a woman emerged from the City of No Tears that descended on Xi Mo. Do you know where she is now?"

"I don't know," the young man shook his head and picked up his Buddhist book again. "Go ask Shi Jia Zun Zhe. He's the one who knows everything. He'll be at Ling Shan in three days to give a lecture on Buddhist teachings."

"Thank you, Qianbei," Ye Chen bowed and turned to leave, his heart filled with suppressed excitement.

With Shi Jia Zun Zhe as his new lead, he stopped asking others and wandered the streets, his eyes scanning the stalls on both sides in hopes of finding some treasures.

He didn't dare touch Buddhist items lightly. The karma from Da Ri Ru Lai Jing Shi Zhou was unresolved, and he didn't want to add more. Buddhism was not to be trifled with.

After circling around, he did make some gains, picking up quite a few Saint-level artifacts, including some quasi-Saint King ones. He could distribute them to the reincarnated souls later.

It wasn't until sometime later that he turned and entered a small tavern, finding a seat by the window.

Soon, Kui Niu showed up, a string of glittering Buddhist beads around his neck, each one radiant and extraordinary, flashing with Buddhist light and carrying a Buddhist intent—it was a special Buddhist artifact.

Besides that, he had another string of prayer beads on his wrist, and around his waist, he had tied a kasaya robe like a belt, making for quite the bold look.

"Just got these—pretty flashy, right?" Kui Niu sat down, full of swagger, and chugged an entire jar of wine in one go. "That old guy tried to rip me off, but my haggling skills are ancestral."

"It's best not to mess with Buddhist treasures," Ye Chen said leisurely, taking a sip of his crude wine. "Once you tie yourself to that inheritance with karma, you can't shake it off. It's not a good thing."

"Don't worry, boss here knows his limits," Kui Niu grinned. "I heard Shi Jia Zun Zhe will be lecturing at Ling Shan in three days. Are you going? He's a quasi-emperor level Zun Zhe."

"Of course I'll listen to a quasi-emperor level Zun Zhe lecturing. Since we're here, I won't miss it."

"Then you'd better hide yourself well. There'll be some of your old acquaintances there—more accurately, your enemies. Scum like the demon clan's divine child and the god clan's divine child will all show up."

"Seems like trouble follows me everywhere," Ye Chen rubbed his brow, feeling an ominous premonition.

"If Xi Zun goes too, that'd be perfect," Kui Niu said, twisting his bull neck fiercely as his violent aura surged again, with lightning flickering around him. "Saves me the trouble of hunting him down everywhere."