Chapter 2176: The True Knife of the Great Jing Imperial Clan

Death occurs in an instant.

At a certain moment in life, the end is suddenly seen. A life originally thought to be very long is abruptly interwoven with its conclusion.

Thus it is understood that everything can no longer be salvaged.

Born into prominence, a lifetime without lack. Young, I learned the Dao, participating in all three脉 (mài). After a hundred years, I achieved the realm of True Person, extensively collecting various laws. After the Myriad Demon Gate was pulled over the city, the Forty-Nine Mansions transmitted immortal traces. For the Great Scene (Dà Jǐng) imperial dynasty of the Central Plains, I exhausted this life...

Such an esteemed, such an arrogant contemporary True Person.

All of the past is like clouds and smoke!

Then who... killed me?

An existence like me...

"I, Ji Yan Yue..."

As her Dao body withered and she leaned back for the final moment, Ji Yan Yue (Jǐ Yán Yuè) opened her eyes wide, howling angrily: "I am Ji Yan Yue of the Great Scene imperial clan! How can I die at the hands of a petty person?!"

She is of the Great Scene imperial clan; she possesses the courage to perish with an enemy.

King Qin Guang (Qín Guǎng Wáng) is certain to die. No阎罗 (Yán Luó) in Hell can escape.

But from beginning to end, she did not know what deity the King of Bian Cheng (Biàn Chéng Wáng), who interfered in the war situation, was. She could not penetrate, could not grasp, and pursuing him after the Mirror World Platform (Jìng Shì Tái) or the Central Heaven Prison (Zhōng Tiān Jiān Yù) would likely be futile.

Where in the world can one act recklessly and raise a fierce bird Yan Xiao (Yàn Xiāo) without being known to the Mirror World Platform's True Persons? Even if the Mirror World Platform doesn't discover it, is the Legalist holy land, the Three Punishments Palace (Sān Xíng Diàn), just for decoration?

The only possibility is that this person raised Yan Xiao outside of heaven, yet put on a false face in the present world.

Then who exactly is hiding so deeply?

Moreover, throughout the observation of the war situation, the interference was so obscure, almost not even counted as an action, and after death, there was no way to track traces.

How could the Great Scene imperial clan die without knowing the cause of death!

How could there be one less person among the accompanying burial personnel in the tomb!

As Ji Yan Yue's Dao body fell, her unwillingness surged—her eyes, in this moment, spun into three colors, green, red, and white, and with this gaze, she penetrated the red moon above.

The Dao path derives techniques, the True Fate Pupil (Zhēn Mìng Tóng)!

Heaven's fate cannot be violated; life meets one.

Her eyes penetrated those layers of barriers and the Yan Luo mask, and with an unavoidable posture, in this instant, she saw the face under the mask—

A face that the high-level of Jing (Jǐng) country would find it hard to forget, a face that almost no strong person in the world would not know!

Jiang Wang (Jiāng Wàng)!

Chief of the Yellow River, the first True Person in blue history, a member of the Tai Xu Pavilion (Tài Xū Gé)...

The most dazzling name of the contemporary era!

She felt unbelievable, but also felt it was as it should be.

Mirror World Platform, through demons, Zhuang Gao Xian (Zhuāng Gāo Xián), Ku Jue (Kū Jué), Qi (Qí) country, Yan Xiao, Tai Xu Pavilion...

Various thoughts arose in her heart, mixed into one place, then exploded into complex, hard-to-describe yet boundless emotions.

Fate indeed has echoes.

"Jiang Wang, it's actually you!" In the last moment of her life, Ji Yan Yue's face was ferocious, and she used her last strength to cry out sadly: "At that time, they should have just killed you and Ku Jue together!"

Rumble!

Clearly, there was no sound of true thunder, yet the heart of the King of Bian Cheng was under heavy rain.

His figure instantly fell from the blood moon and pounced before Ji Yan Yue: "What did you say?!"

King Qin Guang's green eyes instantly put away their madness, and he horizontally blocked with one arm, blocking him behind: "This situation is unrelated to you, you are just a spectator! Don't leave any traces, she is provoking you!"

But Ji Yan Yue... was already dead.

She was already thoroughly dead.

Only thin threads of curse power, like smoke, evaporated from her corpse. They upheld King Qin Guang's early benevolent intentions, capturing Ji Yan Yue's remnant thoughts, staining them with everything about the Jinghai (Jǐng Hǎi) plan—

But the King of Bian Cheng, at this moment, no longer cared.

He stood silently behind King Qin Guang, and under the Yan Luo mask, only a pair of indescribable eyes stared fixedly at Ji Yan Yue's corpse.

You... said what?

His eyes were asking.

But who could answer him?

In the past years, there have been too many doubts.

Where exactly did Ku Jue go? Why did he never appear again?

Why did Jing Li (Jǐng Lǐ) suddenly leave the Dragon Palace? And why did he suddenly go into seclusion, always remaining so until today? Is that Central Saha World (Zhōng Yāng Suō Pó Shì Jiè) so difficult to leave? With Liuli Fuzi's (Liú Lí Fū Zi) nature and talent, what problem could trouble him for so long?

Why is it that every time I go to Xuankong Temple (Xuán Kōng Sì), I can never see him?

Before, I couldn't chase him away, but now I can't even see him...

The bits and pieces that have been wrong over these four years seem to all have answers at this moment.

This answer is like a spear, hitting the heart directly after many years.

"She deliberately said those words to provoke you." King Qin Guang repeated: "After today, there is no King of Bian Cheng in the world; don't be impulsive."

He believed that what Ji Yan Yue said was true because, at such a moment, lying is meaningless. Ji Yan Yue would not waste her last moment on a lie.

With the character of the King of Bian Cheng, he would certainly investigate the truth and certainly seek revenge for Ku Jue.

At that time, the "they" in Ji Yan Yue's mouth could take revenge for her.

Ji Yan Yue's last true fate knife had already been struck! Using cold language as the body of the knife, and cruel truth as the edge.

How could the King of Bian Cheng receive it?

This is a defenseless knife, an unsolvable situation.

With King Qin Guang's mind and methods, he couldn't say anything else for a while.

And he himself, at this moment, is also struggling to protect himself, walking on the edge of a cliff with his head held high; one step slipping means the abyss.

The King of Bian Cheng had already made his decision, his voice indifferent: "I won't be impulsive— you escape with your life."

He stepped out of Yin Cao (Yīn Cáo) with one step, and with another step, there was no distance to Tai Xu, and he had already disappeared without a trace.

"Wait!" King Qin Guang reached out a hand, grasping at empty air.

The thread-like curse power, like a snake seeking grass, climbed over and entwined in King Qin Guang's palm. Everything Ji Yan Yue knew about the Jinghai plan was in it.

But he didn't grasp it for the first time.

Walking out from under the city, every step was on the edge of a knife; he had never regretted it. He only had one life to fight.

But today, he suddenly felt some regret, regretting that he let the King of Bian Cheng come to provide support.

Although the death of Ku Jue is an established fact, the King of Bian Cheng will sooner or later settle this account, and it's the same whether or not he provided support this time. But this day, it should be as late as possible. Time is the King of Bian Cheng's friend.

The tacit concealment of this truth by Jing country and Xuankong Temple necessarily has their reasons.

Exposing it early is a disaster, not a blessing.

Tai Xu Mountain (Tài Xū Shān), Wan Hua Palace (Wàn Huá Diàn).

Jiang Wang, dressed in green and carrying a sword, stood in front of the palace gate.

"Jiang Cabinet member—"

The female guard in front of the hall just opened her mouth, and Jiang Wang had already opened his: "Huang She Li (Huáng Shè Lí)!"

"Present!" Huang She Li stepped out of the hall, her face smiling: "Yo! Jiang Cabinet member! It's not yet time for the Tai Xu meeting to open, why are you free today—"

Jiang Wang looked at her: "Is there something you are hiding from me?"

"There may be many things I'm hiding from you—" Huang She Li stopped her flowery speech, tilted her head and looked at him: "You seem to be in a bad mood?"

"The matter of True Person Ku Jue." Jiang Wang said: "You discovered it early, right? You asked me many strange questions that day."

"Come, let's talk inside." Huang She Li reached out to hug him: "Come in and have a drink. There is no knot that cannot be untied; today we have wine, today we drink!"

Jiang Wang stood in place without moving, and Huang She Li's hand finally did not land.

"I hope to know the truth." Jiang Wang said.

Huang She Li sighed, and finally said: "Time."

"Those letters True Person Ku Jue wrote to you were all written in the same time segment..."

She added: "Moreover, they were all from three years ago—now it should be said to be four years ago."

Cabinet member Huang was somewhat sorrowful: "But what specifically happened, I truly don't know. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding in this—"

"Thanks." Jiang Wang calmly thanked her, turned around, and had already disappeared. In the original place, only a shallow green cloud mark remained, slowly saying farewell.

"Eh—" Huang She Li's hand was suspended in mid-air. She had the heart to use reverse travel to keep this Jiang Cabinet member here, but she understood that no matter how many times she repeated it, this back figure would not change.

Finally, she could only shake her head, carry her hands, and step into Wan Hua Palace with melancholy.

"Today we have wine—alas!"

The Western Holy Land of the Buddhist gate, not seen by mortals.

Only to those who are sincere and pious can one see the treasure mountain among the mountains—of course, this is almost just a legend.

Mount Sumeru (Xū Mí Shān) is hidden in a mustard seed, not revealing its true form when idle, but Jiang Wang naturally knows how to knock on the door.

In fact, he had just arrived by flying horizontally, and the Zen Master Zhao Wu (Zhào Wú), whose features were bright but whose eyebrow was broken, already appeared in a piece of brilliant warm light.

"Zen Master is waiting for me?" Jiang Wang asked.

"Tai Xu Cabinet members are recognized by various parties and have the authority to fly horizontally across the world. Dou Zhao (Dòu Zhào) is arrogant and unrestrained, Chong Xuan (Chóng Xuán) obeys nothing and has no worries, Huang She Li is free and casual... they are often like this. But since you entered the Cabinet, you have become more and more steady, and every time you pass through a border, you want to notify—" Zhao Wu said: "Flying directly from the Tai Xu Mountain gate to Mount Sumeru, without stopping the whole way, almost penetrating half of the present world, this is still the first time you have done this."

Clearly, he had always paid close attention to Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang said: "I have something to ask this time."

"Since you sent the know-hear bell back to the mountain, you have never come to Mount Sumeru again. Mount Sumeru will naturally always open its mountain gate for you..." Zen Master Zhao Wu said, raising his palm and flipping it—

The sea of clouds suddenly opened, revealing the Buddha platform.

A giant Buddha image, with a smiling face welcoming people.

The two rode on the same cloud, traveling in the Zen realm. Zhao Wu said: "The Abbot is waiting for you in the quiet room."

"Did the Abbot calculate that I would come?" Jiang Wang asked.

Zhao Wu was silent for a moment, finally only sighing.

As the sigh ended, the auspicious cloud had already scattered, and Jiang Wang appeared in a Zen room.

Corresponding to the status of Mount Sumeru as the Buddhist gate holy land, this Abbot's Zen room also had a vast and boundless feeling.

But compared to the colorful kasaya-clad, fat body type of the main support of Mount Sumeru, this Zen room seemed to return to ordinary.

Mount Sumeru is a mustard seed, all within a single thought.

The mountain master, Yong De (Yǒng Dé), was sitting on a meditation cushion. Facing the main door, facing all beings. He who always smiled and was brilliantly boundless, today had no smile.

This itself was the answer.

But Jiang Wang still opened his mouth: "Jiang Wang pays his respects to the mountain master... I have come to ask about something, the matter of True Person Ku Jue."

Yong De said slowly: "You are a noble person of Mount Sumeru; no matter when, no matter what you ask, the old monk should know everything. But this matter involves other sects, and since Xuankong Temple has not spoken, the old monk is also not convenient to speak."

He answered everything.

"Is there still... a possibility of salvation?" Jiang Wang slightly lowered his eyes, his voice extremely light.

Yong De was silent for a long time, finally putting his palms together: "This is an established fact, not an unfinished cause and effect."

Jiang Wang also put his palms together, completing the Buddha ritual: "Thanks to the Abbot."

Then he turned around and left the Zen room.

Yong De sat quietly in the Zen room, as distant as that giant Buddha.

Zen Master Zhao Wu accompanied Jiang Wang out of the Mount Sumeru gate, thought for a while, and still said: "Originally, those who leave home should not be further stained by cause and effect. The Abbot also knows that he cannot persuade you, so he said no more... I will not say anything roundabout with you. I feel you still need to think. How many people support you as a Tai Xu Cabinet member? How many people in the entire world sing your name now? You are now walking on the right path, and your future is infinitely bright."

Jiang Wang deeply bowed to him: "Zen Master, stop here. Now it is matters outside the mountain— Your care for me, I engrave in my heart."

The green cloud instantly reached the horizon.

Zen Master Zhao Wu stood among the mountains and still said: "Perhaps some things should just be buried deep in the years. Wait until some years have passed, and when you look back at many things, your mood may be completely different from that time. What is right, what is wrong, perhaps cannot be said clearly at that time."

From the horizon came only a calm response: "One body stands in these millions of layers, heaven outside of heaven, body outside of body."

This was exactly the Buddhist verse that Zhao Wu had initially left.

Jiang Wang kept these words in his heart.

Zhao Wu was silent for a moment, finally only putting his palms together: "Namo... Maitreya Honorable Buddha!"

The seventeenth day of March, in the thirty-nine hundred and twenty-seventh year of the Dao Calendar, was a clear and bright day.

The common people living near Xuankong Temple witnessed a green rainbow crossing the sky.

Before the beautiful rainbow colors could scatter, a figure descended from the sky and fell in front of the mountain.

Then a loud voice rang out: "Jiang Wang— has come to visit the mountain gate!"

A shake of his black monk's robe, and the First Seat of Guan Shi Yuan (Guān Shì Yuàn), Ku Di (Kū Dì), with a cold face, already appeared before him.

His face was customarily stern, and today he was also frowning: "Why is Donor making noise in the empty door?"

"Is this door very empty?" Jiang Wang took a step forward: "It is indeed too empty; someone should stand here... I want to see your temple's Abbot, trouble to lead the way."

Ku Di said: "Donor, if you have any matter, it does not hinder you from speaking directly. If it is urgent, the old monk can convey it on your behalf."

Jiang Wang then said directly: "The matter of Holy Monk Ku Jue!"

"Ku Jue again! He is not a Holy Monk! He has traveled away." Ku Di said: "Haven't you read the letter—"

Jiang Wang suddenly twisted his head and looked directly at him. Inside those peaceful eyes, at this moment, emotions boiled like a deep sea surge.

This young True Person asked almost word by word: "Those who leave home do not tell lies, right? Enjoying the honorable position of First Seat of Guan Shi Yuan!?"

Ku Di's face had almost no expression, but he firmly blocked Jiang Wang: "Jiang Donor, I already have great respect for you. This is a Buddhist holy land; do not enter without invitation."

"Ah..." Jiang Wang shook his head and lightly placed his hand on the sword hilt: "For the sake of Holy Monk Ku Jue, I have always been very respectful to your temple, including you. Your meaning today is, if I want to pass through the mountain gate, I must pass through several obstacles, is that right?"

He was calm at first, but slowly became less calm: "Then let's start with you first! Holy Monk Ku Jue is your senior brother, yet I have never heard you speak a word of respect for him here!"

He flicked his left hand, already brushing aside a crowd of monks and clearing a space in front of the mountain gate: "Please let me experience your iron-faced impartiality and boundless Buddha Dharma."

He then casually pointed at a monk: "Go and call your First Seat of Jiang Long Yuan (Jiàng Lóng Yuàn). Next, I will pass through his obstacle. I heard he cursed Holy Monk Ku Jue! Today, let me ask you all, with this sword of mine— I want to know what evil deeds Holy Monk Ku Jue did in his lifetime, that he was so disrespected by all of you!"

He did not let his emotions flood out; his voice rose and then pressed down: "And whichever other True Person of the same generation as Ku Jue, whichever high monk, wants to stop me, all come, all who don't like Ku Jue, all come! All come before Jiang. Ku Jue swallowed his tears with a heart full of pain, laughing on the surface and not asking anything. I, who received his favor and had my life saved by him, can stand here with a straight spine today... Jing Shen (Jīng Shén) of San Bao Mountain (Sān Bǎo Shān)... today, for him, let me ask."