Sovereign of the Ashes

When the Lamp-Bearing Buddha announced his intention to head to the Magus Civilization’s battlefield, the thousands of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas gathered within the Great Thunderclap Monastery reacted in different ways.

Some were surprised. Some immediately understood. Others approved, while a few remained completely indifferent.

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha held an exceptionally high status within the Buddhist faction.

In fact, in terms of seniority, he stood half a step above even the Thus-Come Buddha before him.

As far back as the Great Investiture of the Gods, which took place several hundred thousand years ago in the Immortal Realm Civilization, the Lamp-Bearing Buddha had already served as the deputy leader of the Western Sect.

Second only to its two founding sages, Jieyin and Zhunti, he had been renowned as one of the top powerhouses of Primordial World.

After the Western Sect was renamed and became the current Buddhist faction, the Lamp-Bearing Buddha became its famous “Past Buddha”, while the Thus-Come Buddha became the “Present Buddha”.

When it came to treasures, Lamp-Bearing Buddha was also exceptionally wealthy.

The Golden Alms Bowl, the Ruler of the Universe, the Sea-Calming Pearls, the Glazed Lamp, and a strand of 108 prayer beads... These were merely the treasures he openly displayed...

No one knew what else this renowned Buddhist cultivator of the Immortal Realm might possess. His foundations were incredibly deep, and he had even attended lectures at the ancient Purple Cloud Palace.

With his formidable strength, vast collection of treasures, immense prestige, and profound cultivation, once the Lamp-Bearing Buddha volunteered to take the field, not a single Buddhist cultivator present dared to object or suggest someone else in his place.

The Bodhisattva of Mercy, who had already stepped forward from her white lotus throne, quietly withdrew her foot.

Indeed, in terms of seniority, the Thus-Come Buddha ranked slightly below the Lamp-Bearing Buddha.

Although the Thus-Come Buddha’s current strength, prestige, and attainment in Buddhist teachings were in no way inferior to his, there was no reason to compete with him over something like this.

More importantly, no one had expected the Lamp-Bearing Buddha to be so proactive.

With him volunteering to lead the expedition, the Buddhist faction had already secured a sufficiently powerful Rank Eight combatant. The next step was to dispatch several Rank Seven overlords to accompany him.

The Thus-Come Buddha swept his gaze across the vast hall. His eyes paused briefly on the sages seated in the front row before he spoke.

“Dragon-Subduing Arhat. Tiger-Taming Arhat. You two shall accompany him!”

“Yes!” The two overlord-level Arhats bowed respectfully, their golden bodies radiating dazzling light.

The Thus-Come Buddha then turned his attention toward the row of Bodhisattvas.

His gaze first lingered on the Bodhisattva of the Great Vow, who possessed peak Rank Seven strength.

After a moment, however, he shook his head slightly and turned toward the Bodhisattva of the Moon, who was dressed in a simple white gown.

She was not particularly outstanding in terms of strength, but she was extremely well-liked throughout the Immortal Realm and even shared a slight connection with the Magus Civilization.

The Thus-Come Buddha nodded to her and said, “Bodhisattva of the Moon, you shall join them as well!”

The Bodhisattva of the Moon was standing atop a green lotus. When the Thus-Come Buddha called upon her, she stepped forward to accept her assignment.

With one Rank Eight overlord and three Rank Seven overlords already preparing to head to the Magus Civilization’s battlefield, the Buddhist faction had assembled enough strength to reclaim the Victorious Fighting Buddha’s honor.

Considering they had not even obtained the Magus Civilization’s permission, sending any more overlords might make them look a little too greedy...

The Thus-Come Buddha continued speaking in a calm and solemn voice.

“Apart from the Lamp-Bearing Buddha, the Dragon-Subduing Arhat, the Tiger-Taming Arhat, and the Bodhisattva of the Moon, our faction shall also mobilize 106 Buddhas, 248 Bodhisattvas, 724 Arhats, 1,242 Guardian Deities, and hundreds of millions of Buddhist disciples to head to the Magus Civilization’s battlefield!”[1]

He looked at everyone and declared, “Go forth. Punish the wicked, eradicate evil, aid the Victorious Fighting Buddha, and restore peace and tranquility to the Astral Realm!”

“How compassionate is our Buddha!” The countless Buddhist cultivators within the great hall chanted in unison.

In an instant, golden lotuses bloomed across the grounds of the Great Thunderclap Monastery. Golden light filled the air, and the radiance of the Buddha shone in every direction.

Faint celestial music and Buddhist chants drifted through the monastery, creating a scene of supreme bliss.

After finalizing the details of the expedition, the Thus-Come Buddha suddenly remembered something. Turning toward the Lamp-Bearing Buddha behind him, he asked, “Aside from the disciples I have selected, do you have anyone else to recommend?”

The direct question brought a faint smile to the Lamp-Bearing Buddha’s face.

“I do happen to have one more candidate in mind,” he replied. “For nearly one hundred thousand years, he has been an outstanding disciple of our faction. He has vanquished countless yao demons while spreading the true teachings of our faith.”

“This campaign on the Magus Civilization’s battlefield will also serve as a trial for our disciples. I believe it would be wise to bring him along,” he added.

“Oh?” A trace of surprise appeared on the Thus-Come Buddha’s golden countenance. “Who exactly are you referring to, Lamp-Bearing Buddha?”

He glanced across the Buddhist cultivators gathered within the Great Thunderclap Monastery, unable to tell whom Lamp-Bearing Buddha had in mind.

Several cultivators, including the Lapis Lazuli Buddha, the Bodhisattva of Great Power, and the Long-Eyebrowed Arhat, unconsciously straightened their backs upon their lotus thrones.

Unfortunately for them, the Lamp-Bearing Buddha had chosen none of them.

“I believe Fahai should accompany me,” said the Lamp-Bearing Buddha.

“Fahai?” The Thus-Come Buddha looked slightly taken aback.

Throughout the hall, a faint commotion immediately arose as the gathered Buddhist cultivators began whispering among themselves.

Fahai was indeed the most outstanding Buddhist cultivator of the younger generation. He was even younger than the Bodhisattva of the Moon, yet his strength had already surpassed hers.

After advancing to the Sage Realm, Fahai made a grand vow to subdue all thirty million yao demons beneath the heavens.

And by now, he had already completed a little more than one-third of that goal...

From ordinary lesser yao demons to yao demon emperors at the peak of Rank Six, none could escape Fahai’s “salvation”.

With so many yao demons sealed inside his Violet-Gold Alms Bowl, one could easily imagine just how fearsome Fahai’s reputation had become throughout the Immortal Realm.

Within the Yao Demon Realm, one of the civilizations under the Immortal Realm, there was even a widely circulated saying: No matter how vicious or wicked a yao demon might be, there were two things it feared most...

The first was the Demon-Locking Tower of the Mount Shu Sword School. The second was Fahai’s Violet-Gold Alms Bowl.

Of the two, Fahai’s bowl was considered far more terrifying.

After all, being imprisoned inside the Demon-Locking Tower merely meant being trapped there for eternity. Powerful yao demons had breached the tower several times in the past and escaped.

Fahai’s Violet-Gold Alms Bowl was different. Once someone was caught by it, they were guaranteed to die.

Either that, or they would be purified by Fahai, stripped of every trace of evil energy, and returned to nature in their most primitive beastly forms. More than ten thousand years of cultivation would vanish just like that in an instant.

The Buddha was always merciful. In recent years, as Fahai’s strength continued to grow and his understanding of Buddhist teachings deepened, he had gradually realized that perhaps he had been a little too ruthless in the past.

As a result, he now tried to avoid killing whenever possible.

But for a sentient yao demon that had cultivated for tens of thousands of years, death was better than being purified into an ordinary beast incapable of even killing a chicken...

Rumor had it that while hunting down a pair of snake yao demons in recent years, Fahai had also been refining a new piece of equipment.[2]

Buddhist cultivators were generally divided into radical, moderate, and conservative parties.

Fahai undoubtedly belonged to the radical party.

Since the Lamp-Bearing Buddha had already picked him, the Thus-Come Buddha could not object.

It was only one additional Rank Seven overlord, after all. As long as they negotiated properly with Magus World, it should not be much trouble.

The Thus-Come Buddha slowly nodded.

“Fine. Summon Fahai.”

Wave after wave of Buddhist chanting spread out from the Great Thunderclap Monastery, reaching deep into the Buddha Realm.

No one knew exactly where Fahai was at that moment.

While the summons was being sent, the Lamp-Bearing Buddha added, “In addition to Fahai, I would also like my Twenty-Four Great Wisdom Kings to accompany me on this campaign.”

The Thus-Come Buddha glanced at him once more.

After a brief pause, he slowly nodded. “Fine.”

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha seemed to have something else he wanted to say. However, after thinking it over, he ultimately held his tongue.

Pressing his palms together, the Lamp-Bearing Buddha said, “Amitabha.”

Translator’s Notes:

1. In East Asian Mahayana Buddhism, the Sangharama (translated as Guardian Deities in this novel) are a class of deities who protect Buddhist temples and monasteries, along with everyone who practices within them. One famous example is the Chinese general Guan Yu, who is widely revered as a Sangharama guardian. Some people also keep altars dedicated to guardian deities in their homes for protection. I have a Guan Yu altar at home too! ☜

2. This is a reference to the Legend of the White Snake! ☜