Sovereign of the Ashes

The Buddhist faction’s army had not gone to support the battlefield on Planet Teyran. So where had they gone?

Sure enough, everything had unfolded just as the Great Sage of Demonic Heaven, Li Qingshan, had expected.

Led by the Rank Eight Lamp-Bearing Buddha, the Buddhist faction did not head toward the perilous battlefield on Planet Teyran. Instead, they established their own long-distance teleportation channel across the star domains and arrived directly near the Grand Apocalypse World, one of the Magus Civilization’s main battle zones.

The Magus Civilization could only look at them speechlessly.

It had never formally invited the Buddhist faction to take part in this civilizational war. Even the diplomatic delegation sent from Magus World to the Immortal Realm had failed to reach an agreement with them.

Yet the Buddhist faction had somehow found both an opportunity and a justification to enter the battlefield on its own.

They were even considerate enough not to ask the Magus Civilization to pay a single coin toward the cost of the long-distance teleportation.

On the surface, it almost seemed as though the Buddhist faction had come to practise “Astral Realm humanitarianism”, generously helping the Magus Civilization defeat its powerful enemies without asking for anything in return.

But was that even possible?

“Amitabha.”

Bathed in dazzling golden light, the Rank Eight Lamp-Bearing Buddha was the first to step out of the teleportation portal.

“So, this is the Magus Civilization’s battlefield once again. It has been over ten epochs since this monk last set foot here.”

One epoch was equal to ten thousand years.

It had indeed been an exceedingly long time since the Lamp-Bearing Buddha had last visited a star domain under the Magus Civilization’s control.

At that moment, a Sixth Grade golden lotus bloomed brilliantly beneath his feet.

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha truly lived up to his reputation as a legendary figure of the Immortal Realm civilization, one who had endured from the ancient era when the Dao Ancestor first preached the Dao at the Purple Cloud Temple all the way to the present day.

Aside from possessing the overwhelming combat strength of a Rank Eight being, the Lamp-Bearing Buddha also carried an astonishing number of treasures.

Prayer beads, a lotus throne, a monastic robe, a ritual staff, a golden stupa...[1]

The aura of treasures surrounding him was almost overwhelming.

By the standards of the Immortal Realm Civilization, each of these Buddhist treasures was at least an acquired spiritual treasure—what Magus World would call a world-class secret treasure.

Moreover, the few treasures the Lamp-Bearing Buddha had revealed were merely the tip of the iceberg when it came to his true wealth...

After him, several more sages of the Buddhist faction emerged from the teleportation portal.

The Dragon-Subduing Arhat and Tiger-Subduing Arhat appeared first, their radiant golden bodies shining brilliantly against the dark starry sky.

Next came the Bodhisattva of the Moon, standing upon a green lotus with a crystal vase in her hands.

The final Buddhist sage to emerge was an extremely young-looking monk.

Twelve ritual burn scars adorned his head, and he carried a Violet-Gold Alms Bowl in his hands.[2]

Once these sages had appeared, a vast and imposing Buddhist army began pouring out of the portal behind them. Before long, the surrounding starry sky was filled with Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Guardian Deities.

In terms of overall strength, the forces deployed by the Buddhist faction to the Magus Civilization’s battlefield this time were only slightly weaker than the Insectoid army brought back by the Empress of Blades.

After all, the Buddhist faction had not been formally invited by the Magus Civilization. To avoid causing unnecessary misunderstandings, many of its powerhouses, including the Thus-Come Buddha, could not simply descend upon the battlefield en masse.

The size of the legion led by the Lamp-Bearing Buddha fell precisely within the range the Magus Civilization could reasonably tolerate.

Just as the stated purpose of their expedition suggested, these Buddhist forces had supposedly come to assist the Victorious Fighting Buddha.

“Lamp-Bearing Buddha, could there have been some error in our teleportation? I can’t sense the Victorious Fighting Buddha’s aura of destruction,” the Bodhisattva of the Moon said.

Hearing this, the Dragon-Subduing Arhat and Tiger-Subduing Arhat also turned toward the Lamp-Bearing Buddha.

The true leader of this Buddhist expedition was none other than him.

Before they departed from the Buddha Realm, the Thus-Come Buddha and Sage Zhunti must have given the Lamp-Bearing Buddha detailed instructions regarding this journey.

As for the Bodhisattva of the Moon and the two Arhats, they had genuinely come to support Wukong, the Great Monkey of Destruction.

After all, they shared a good relationship with the Victorious Fighting Buddha.

These three Buddhist sages also maintained decent relations with several high-ranking powerhouses of the Magus Civilization.

The Thus-Come Buddha had clearly chosen them for good reason.

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha replied, “Hmm... It seems there really was a slight deviation in the teleportation. Let me calculate where that monkey is now.”

He raised one hand and began calculating with his fingers. Thanks to the golden Dharma light Wukong had previously released through his protective golden circlet, locating his general position was not particularly difficult.

Before long, the Lamp-Bearing Buddha reached a conclusion. “That monkey is no longer in danger. However, he appears to be extremely far away from us.”

He then turned toward the group before him and continued solemnly, “I believe we should first join the battles nearby. While eliminating evil along the way, we can gradually make our way toward the Victorious Fighting Buddha.”

“Besides rescuing him, we must also uphold the righteousness of the Buddha’s teachings and purify this dark star domain,” he added.

The Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Subduing Arhats exchanged glances, a trace of hesitation appearing on their faces.

The Bodhisattva of the Moon frowned even more deeply. “But before I came, the Bodhisattva of Mercy personally told me—”

“Amitabha!” The Lamp-Bearing Buddha pressed his palms together and interrupted her with the sacred invocation.

“Besides ensuring the safety of the Victorious Fighting Buddha, are the countless sentient beings suffering throughout this star domain not also waiting for us to save them?”

The Bodhisattva of the Moon fell silent, though her expression made it clear that she did not agree with his approach.

However, someone present immediately voiced his support.

“Amitabha. The Lamp-Bearing Buddha speaks most wisely! As the saying goes, If I do not enter hell, who will?

“Spreading the Dharma has always involved great danger and tribulation. When the Victorious Fighting Buddha rushed to the Magus Civilization’s battlefield, he must already have understood the dangers awaiting him here.”

“Moreover, compared to personal gains and losses, this humble disciple believes that saving all sentient beings is the true essence of our Buddhist teachings! All evil must be vanquished beneath our golden light. Only then can the age of great harmony arrive!” the young monk declared with unwavering conviction.

He was none other than Fahai, the most talented member of the Buddhist faction’s current generation.

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha had personally brought him to the Magus Civilization’s battlefield, and Fahai had clearly understood his true intentions.

However, unlike the cunning Lamp-Bearing Buddha, whose thoughts ran deep, Fahai genuinely possessed lofty ideals and a passionate heart.

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha might have merely been paying lip service. Fahai, however, truly believed every word he said!

Fahai truly believed in the teachings of the Buddhist faction. He dreamed of a perfect world where all sentient beings could attain supreme bliss beneath the radiance of the Buddha.

It was precisely because of this belief that he had spent more than a hundred thousand years traveling across the countless worlds of the Immortal Realm Civilization, subduing evil and heretical cults.

He had never been the type to remain quietly inside the Great Thunderclap Monastery of the Western Paradise World, content with merely listening to the Buddha’s teachings.

Hearing Fahai voice his support, the Lamp-Bearing Buddha nodded in satisfaction.

Once again, he felt that bringing Fahai along had been the correct decision.

In truth, the ideals Fahai carried in his heart had caused him to offend countless Yao Clans, ghost cultivators, demonic sects, and even Daoist sects throughout the Immortal Realm.

He was not particularly well-liked within the Buddhist faction either.

After all, many of its powerful figures had once been demons in their previous incarnations. Others possessed mounts that happened to belong to the same kinds of creatures Fahai had slain.

But the Lamp-Bearing Buddha needed precisely such a straightforward and uncompromising powerhouse to assist him with certain matters.

Moreover, even among the Rank Seven sages of the Buddhist faction, Fahai’s strength ranked near the very top.

His support naturally pleased the Lamp-Bearing Buddha.

Just as the Lamp-Bearing Buddha was preparing to take advantage of the momentum and lead the Buddhist legions toward the opportunities awaiting them on the Magus Civilization’s battlefield, Fahai suddenly spoke again.

“Lamp-Bearing Buddha, this disciple has already discovered an evil creature. Moreover, it appears to be extremely powerful. You may need to intervene personally.”

“Huh? Where?”

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha’s eyes widened as he immediately scanned the surrounding starry sky.

When he had performed his divination earlier, he had vaguely sensed that something nearby was amiss. However, he had dismissed it as nothing more than his imagination.

The Bodhisattva of the Moon and the two Arhats also looked around in surprise.

Yet within this dim star domain, none of them could detect anything unusual.

Holding his Violet-Gold Alms Bowl, Fahai pointed toward a shadowy region of the starry sky and let out a thunderous roar.

“Audacious evil being, reveal yourself at once!”

He truly lived up to his reputation as the Buddhist faction’s most renowned yao demon slayer of the past hundred thousand years.

Fahai’s ability to sense these creatures far surpassed that of the other Buddhist powerhouses!

Even when facing an opponent whose cultivation exceeded his own, he could still detect the faintest trace of their aura.

Golden light burst from Fahai’s Violet-Gold Alms Bowl and shot toward the shadowy region of the starry sky.

At first, many of the Buddhist faction’s powerhouses thought he had made a mistake.

Only the Lamp-Bearing Buddha frowned.

A moment later, as Fahai’s golden Dharma light swept across the darkness, a dense aura of death erupted from within and surged outward in every direction.

“Damn it! How did that baldie notice me?”

The voice of the Tenth Pharaoh of the Amenkha Empire suddenly echoed through the starry sky not far from the Buddhist Army.

Even the Amenkha Empire’s self-sealing technique had failed to conceal her from a Buddhist powerhouse.

Indeed, aside from the Luminara Civilization and the lumimancers of Magus World, the Buddhist faction of the Immortal Realm was among the forces best suited to countering the Amenkha Empire!

The Tenth Pharaoh had been hiding on the Magus Civilization’s battlefield for quite some time.

Ever since she had been beaten up by the Immortal Realm’s Dragon Clan, she had completely vanished from sight. The overlords of both the Magus Civilization and the Dragon Clan had searched for her for a long time, yet found nothing.

Who would have thought that today, she would wander straight into the Buddhist faction?

In truth, the Tenth Pharaoh had only herself to blame.

She had sensed unusually intense space-time fluctuations nearby. Yet, she had been unable to resist coming over to investigate.

She never imagined that the Buddhist faction would still detect her even while she remained in her sealed state!

Worst of all, the one who discovered her was not the Buddhist faction’s strongest Rank Eight overlord, but a seemingly young Rank Seven monk.

Were youngsters these days really so terrifying?

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha had never expected such a heretical being to be hiding so close to him!

More surprisingly, the other party was also a Rank Eight overlord.

However, after sensing that there were no other enemy overlords nearby, he quickly regained his composure.

His dignity had taken a slight blow after failing to discover her first, so the Lamp-Bearing Buddha chanted a Buddhist invocation before declaring in a deep voice, “With such a dense aura of death surrounding you, you must be a demonic being that has brought suffering to countless living creatures.”

“Disciples of the Buddhist faction, follow me and slay this evil being!”

With that, the Lamp-Bearing Buddha was the first to charge toward the Tenth Pharaoh.

Fahai followed closely behind.

The other Buddhist powerhouses exchanged brief glances before rushing forward as well.

Seeing the entire Buddhist Army descend upon her, the Tenth Pharaoh turned and fled!

Translator’s Notes:

1. I believe the stupa here is this:

It is a compact, portable, or tabletop devotional object that represents the enlightened mind of the Buddha and the structure of the universe. These miniature shrines are used for personal meditation, home altars, and votive offerings. ☜

2. These scars are known as jieba. They are created through moxibustion and are found in certain traditions of Chinese Buddhism, including Pure Land and Chan Buddhism, as well as in some temples such as the Shaolin Monastery. The practice is part of the ceremony in which fully ordained monastics receive the bodhisattva vows. They look like this:

☜