Chapter 1633: Restraining Desire (I)

Que Liyu was brimming with confidence, but Maha Nuzi grew worried. "My lord, you must be careful..."

Maha Nuzi had originally been a Merciful One under Que Liyu's command. Back then, with Que Liyu and the forces behind him as his backing, he had received tremendous support. Ordinary people dared not offend him, and his status far surpassed that of an ordinary Merciful One. Having enjoyed such privilege for so long, he was naturally reluctant to lose it. Seeing the situation before him, he could not help but worry.

He said, "Accomplishing this is certainly important, but this isn't the sort of matter that can be openly discussed. It all hinges on a bit of intuition. There are no binding agreements to speak of. If that lord truly decides to kill you, I'm afraid there won't be any easy way to deal with it.

"Even if you manage to escape, you'll likely lose a century's worth of cultivation invested in your dharma body..."

Que Liyu's journey south looked impressive on the surface, but Nuzi understood that it was an undertaking where danger and opportunity went hand in hand. It might even be a scheme concocted by several parties to cripple the peacock once more. The Peacock Clan's higher-ups had never responded over the years, and the peacocks had repeatedly run into dead ends, leaving them wary of every move.

Even if Yang Zhuo had only just broken through to the Purple Mansion Realm at most, his true nature was that of Tianwu's Metallic Essence. The three suits of armor Tianwu wielded back then had inflicted devastating losses upon the north, a memory that still haunted them to this day. It was only natural for Nuzi to be concerned, yet Que Liyu merely shook his head with a smile.

He drew a small porcelain bowl from his sleeve, barely half the size of a palm, and held it steadily in his hand. Clear water gently sloshed within, sending ripples across its surface.

"This is..."

Maha Nuzi took one look, and his expression froze.

He blinked in disbelief. The spiritual energy within the bowl was so radiant it seemed almost tangible, so dense that even the great void quivered faintly around it. It contained Purple Mansion Realm spirit water. Six distinct streams of Purple Mansion Realm Valley Water!

"Heavenly Origin, Lauded Cliff, Azure Blaze, White Benediction, Returning Brook, and Matriarch's Grace."

The six streams of Valley Water complemented one another perfectly. They also seemed to be mixed with some other substance overflowing with spiritual energy, nurturing an immense vitality. The concentrated Valley Water nearly spilled from the tiny bowl, threatening to billow outward as rolling gray winds.

"This!"

Although Maha Nuzi held some status in the north, he was still poor as could be. Forget spirit water or spiritual flames, the only Purple Mansion Realm spirit item he possessed was a treasured keepsake he would never dare use. He had never seen so much spirit water in one place, and so stared at it in a daze.

The monk merely smiled and said, "You're mistaken. This isn't about whether someone harbors killing intent. 'Rectify one's nature and restrain desire' is no empty slogan. The moment one steps beyond the prefecture, one is fated to die. Not just die, but perish in both body and soul, with no hope of reincarnation for all eternity."

Nuzi was struck speechless and stared blankly at him. The monk narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled. "That is precisely why this matter can only be handled by the Great Desire Dao, by me. The Peacock Clan possesses the Symbol of Following Desire, while our Great Desire Dao possesses the [Great Benevolent Golden Lotus]...

"Do you think I don't know? Hardly anyone in the north has good intentions. Every last one of them keeps urging me to head south, even saying I might gain an demonic inherent rank. In truth, they're all hoping I'll go there and die. Even our own Great Desire Dao Liangli has never stopped being wary of me!"

Nuzi had no idea why Que Liyu had suddenly brought this up. His scalp tingled with unease as the monk before him began to laugh. "But I have been waiting for this day for a long time. They think I am personally risking my life, but that is not the case. This [Great Benevolent Golden Lotus] planted in Quanwu was blessed by that lord himself.

“My true body remains seated upon the [Great Benevolent Golden Lotus] in the Buddhist land. Only the [Little Peacock Karma] and my karmic root will descend the mountain, taking one step after another until they leave the prefecture. Then, that karmic root will take the Guest Position reserved for rectifying one's nature and restrain desire. It will become the demon that is to be vanquished. It will bring about a great karmic convergence unseen in a thousand years!"

Nuzi shuddered in horror. Turning slightly pale, he exclaimed, "Your karmic root? My lord, you're going to sever the Peacock Clan's karmic root?! This... This..."

Nuzi lowered his head, his face drained of color. Meanwhile, Que Liyu sat serenely atop the mountain, slowly drinking the spirit water from the bowl. The [Great Benevolent Golden Lotus] descended around him, radiating waves of brilliant light.

He said softly, "Back then, our Great Supreme Chan returned to the Buddhist path under that lord's guidance, abandoning the misguided path of Merging Fire. But in the end, he was still the son of the Bin Crow. The Bin Crow was once the master of all flames, possessed of boundless divine might. That karmic connection still remained.

"After cultivating for many years without making further progress, he sought the Dao and only then learned that the Bin Crow's karmic root still remained within him. Unless that karmic root was removed, He would forever remain shackled by Merging Fire and never advance any further.

"That lord severed his karmic root in the sea. Now that I stand as the foremost of the Peacock Clan, I too shall sever mine and thereby attain the Dao."

He raised his head. His face rapidly aged as countless wrinkles spread across it, leaving him frozen like an empty shell. Then flames burst forth from his chest and abdomen, vast and unending, like countless tiny serpents weaving through the air. In an instant, they blanketed the entire mountain range before gathering together in front of him and descending to the ground as a monk.

The monk stood in midair, vibrant and full of life, wearing an eerie smile. Behind him, Que Liyu's chest hung wide open, exposing shriveled, pale organs. His flesh crumbled away, leaving behind nothing but a dry skeleton.

Nuzi's scalp tingled with numb terror. He still had not recovered from the sheer scale of Que Liyu's ambition, and his mind had gone completely blank. He repeated to himself, Using my karmic root to occupy the Guest Position of True Essence...

That True Essence rectified one's nature and restrained desire were matters known throughout the world. That lord naturally required a demon to oppose him. But the moment a demon entered the game, it would become the force standing in opposition to him. Even as a demon, his inherent rank and destiny would rise to that of an immeasurable heavenly demon.

Such overwhelming karma was enough to drive any Buddhist cultivator mad with desire!

The Great Desire Dao had rushed south precisely to become that demon, ensuring that Que Liyu could walk this path before True Essence and establish himself as the demon destined to be vanquished. But the plan was far from without risk. Even though the [Great Benevolent Golden Lotus], capable of gathering back one's true spirit, had already been planted before Simin, there was no guarantee that the Underworld's judiciary did not possess [Banished Essence]!

The [Banished Essence] Dao marked the end of the Ignorance stage. If that lord truly possessed some supreme treasure imbued with [Banished Essence], a single flash of its light would still be enough to kill him!

Even if he succeeded, taking the Tianwu Demon-Extermination Guest Position, becoming the very demon destined to be subdued, and escaping alive, he would obtain an exceptional inherent rank and destiny. Yet it would also be an extraordinarily dangerous position. Who could say when that lord might find himself just one step short of completing His Dao? If that happened, would this demon be pushed back into the fray to finish the unfinished undertaking and complete another's Dao achievement?

The whole world is pushing this matter forward. Those great lords simply cannot afford to wait any longer. The Seven Dharma Forms may appear glorious, but how much influence do they truly wield among those at the very top? If it comes to that, no matter how lofty Que Liyu's destiny may be, he'll still have to go when he's told!

Que Liyu was right. The Great Desire Dao had dared head south so confidently because it possessed the [Great Benevolent Golden Lotus], allowing it to take the risk with some assurance. But every one of the other Dharma Forms that had yielded ground was watching with cold eyes, simply waiting for the day they could shove him into the abyss!

Even the Maha Liangli of the Great Desire Dao, who ostensibly supported Que Liyu, now seemed no different. He, too, feared Que Liyu's formidable strength and the Peacock Clan standing behind him. He too would likely be delighted if Que Liyu died in the south.

Yet Que Liyu's scheme was so ingenious and audacious that ordinary people would never even dare imagine it. He intended to let the Tianwu's Metallic Essence remove his karmic root for him, while also bestowing upon him an inherent rank and destiny!

In that way, once he had obtained both the inherent rank and destiny, this immense karmic convergence would bring him very little backlash. After all, the demon was merely Que Liyu's karmic root. The more thoroughly it was eradicated, the more awe-inspiring rectifying one's nature and restraining desire would be, and the more it would proved the purity and brilliance of his true self.

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