Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing remembered clearly. When he looked at these characters just now, they were ordinary characters, the ones he had learned. So he had no difficulty reading them at all; he read everything clearly without encountering a single unfamiliar word.

But why did Fu Qingping tell him this was Dao language? What he saw wasn’t Dao language at all. What had happened in between? Who was mistaken, himself or Fu Qingping?

Given Fu Qingping’s vast knowledge and experience, he certainly wouldn’t make such a mistake. Yet, Ye Qing was sure he read all the words and understood the contents entirely. What accounted for this discrepancy?

Suddenly, a thought struck Ye Qing, a crucial realization.

Since these inscriptions were left by Guiguzi, they would either be in Dao language or the script of his era. Whether it was Dao language or the ancient script from Guiguzi’s time, Ye Qing wouldn’t be able to read them, as that era was thousands of years ago, and the script was extremely archaic. However, what Ye Qing had just seen was neither Dao language nor from Guiguzi’s era but ordinary script, which was truly the oddest thing.

Why would Guiguzi leave behind script from this era? Even if Guiguzi had heaven-reaching abilities, foreseeing everything of future generations, he couldn’t predict the scripts of future eras. What was really going on?

Ye Qing furrowed his brows, staring at the fragment Fu Qingping held, and a bold guess formed in his mind: These characters must indeed be Dao language. And could it be because he now understood Dao language?

This thought made Ye Qing’s heart skip a beat. If this was true, then the situation was easier to explain. He didn’t know what Dao language entailed, but he had previously heard from the Netherworld Taoist that Dao and Buddhist texts were a type of script only recognizable by highly accomplished Buddhists and Taoists. These scripts couldn’t be learned traditionally; understanding and writing them came naturally with deep cultivation in Buddhist and Taoist practices. Even the Broom Star, who hadn’t begun learning characters, could recognize Buddhist texts, revealing a mysterious aspect of these scripts.

In fact, Ye Qing had always been pondering what Dao language looked like to those like the Netherworld Taoist who could recognize it. Did it appear as disorderly symbols to them, or was it an orderly set of symbols similar to ordinary writing?

At this moment, Ye Qing formed a daring hypothesis. For those who recognized Dao language, it transformed into the script they were most familiar with, allowing them to clearly comprehend its content. Actually, Dao language wasn’t a script; it was a form of spiritual power.

Of course, all of this was simply Ye Qing’s conjecture; he didn’t know for sure. He didn’t even know how he suddenly managed to recognize Dao language. Could it be because he absorbed the power of the Primal Mysterious Body that he gained this ability?

But when he thought about it, it seemed possible. The Primal Mysterious Body was one of the top secret techniques of the Taoist Sect, and mastering it would result in the ultimate mysterious body of the Taoist Sect. Absorbing this power, which was left behind by Guiguzi, had effects Ye Qing couldn’t predict. Although he couldn’t harness the power fully, it could potentially allow him to comprehend Dao language.

With this realization, Ye Qing’s astonishment lessened somewhat. He collected the stone fragment, planning to show it to Old Wang Ba later to confirm if it truly was Dao language. If it was, then it was certain Ye Qing could recognize Dao language.

Fu Qingping watched Ye Qing’s expressions change several times, unsure of his thoughts. However, upon learning that Guiguzi left words here, Fu Qingping was deeply shocked as well.

”Now that the stele is broken, who knows what Guiguzi left here,” Fu Qingping sighed. ”It’s said the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master possibly contains the greatest secrets of the Heaven, Earth, and Man Three Gates. Now that the stele is shattered, it seems this mystery can only be revealed by opening the Heaven, Earth, Man Three Gates!”

Ye Qing coughed lightly, saying softly, ”Master, I actually recognized the writing on the stele.”

”What?” Fu Qingping was astonished again. Despite his stable temperament, Ye Qing’s words caught him off guard. How could Ye Qing recognize Dao language? It was previously known that he couldn’t.

”I don’t really know why, but I suddenly recognized Dao language.” Ye Qing laughed wryly, recounting his experience in the cave and telling Fu Qingping about the stele’s contents.

Fu Qingping fell into silence after hearing Ye Qing’s account, his face filled with surprise and shock. Indeed, such news would stun anyone. Ye Qing was even more shocked initially; such an event thoroughly altered a person’s worldview.

”Master, does God truly exist in this world?” Ye Qing asked softly, having been pondering this query for a long time. Even though Guiguzi left hints of God’s existence, it seemed unbelievable to Ye Qing. How could there be Gods in this world?

”God?” Fu Qingping looked at Ye Qing, took a deep breath, and after a pause, answered softly, ”There are no Gods in this world!”

”Huh?” Ye Qing looked at Fu Qingping in astonishment, not expecting such a firm answer. Ye Qing had already mentioned to Fu Qingping all the inscriptions left by Guiguzi on the stele, which implied the existence of Gods. But why was Fu Qingping so certain in denying God’s existence? What made him speak so assuredly?

”I understand your shock, especially since Sage Guiguzi left records of Gods on the stele. But in reality, there are no Gods in this world!” Fu Qingping stated while looking at Ye Qing. ”I say this not because of personal disbelief but based on evidence!”

”Evidence? What sort of evidence?” Ye Qing asked quickly, as any proof would lend credibility to Fu Qingping’s words. If Fu Qingping’s words were true, then wasn’t Guiguzi’s final message false? But there was even a God sealed within the cave—so who was truthful?

”The evidence was obtained early on by my master from a cave!” declared Fu Qingping, glancing at Ye Qing. ”And this cave was where Ancestor Buddha Shakyamuni attained Nirvana!”

”What?” Ye Qing was again struck with astonishment. The Ancestor Buddha Shakyamuni was a paramount figure in the Buddhist Sect post-Buddha. A single Buddha’s Relic left by him could shatter a Corpse Ghost Dragon’s body, indicating the formidable power of Shakyamuni. Ye Qing currently possessed six Buddha Relics within him but was unsure why they had infused into his body entirely. Now, hearing about Shakyamuni once more naturally left him stunned. Especially knowing about the cave of Shakyamuni’s Nirvana—an unbelievable fact. Surely, Shakyamuni’s cave wouldn’t fall short of the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master in significance?

”Indeed, the cave where Shakyamuni attained Nirvana!” confirmed Fu Qingping. ”However, nothing remained inside the cave except for one phrase from Shakyamuni.”

”What phrase?” Ye Qing inquired eagerly.

Fu Qingping took a deep breath and slowly said, ”What is a God? Merely a group of powerful beings. The conflict between Gods and humans is merely internal strife!”

”Huh?” Ye Qing stared at Fu Qingping, stunned. ”That...is that really what Shakyamuni left behind?”

”Exactly!” affirmed Fu Qingping. ”These words were written in Buddhist Texts, which my master couldn’t read. He brought these texts to a senior monk in the Buddhist Sect to uncover their meaning. And this sentence proves there are no Gods in this world. The so-called Gods are merely powerful beings!”

Ye Qing furrowed his brow, not expecting such information from Fu Qingping. Such news originating from the cave of Shakyamuni’s Nirvana carried great credibility. However, as the only Great Saint in the Taoist Sect over millennia, Guiguzi’s words couldn’t be false either. So which of the two was real, and which was false? This raised an age-old question on the existence of Gods!

Seeing Ye Qing’s expression, Fu Qingping softly remarked, ”Ye Qing, I understand the impact these two events have on you, leaving you uncertain of whom to believe. However, I think these two pieces of information are not contradictory!”

”Not contradictory?” Ye Qing asked, surprised. One suggested the existence of Gods, while the other denied it—weren’t they contradictory?

”Regardless of the existence of Gods, one certainty is that these so-called Gods are enemies of humankind!” Fu Qingping looked at Ye Qing, stating, ”As you mentioned in the Enshrinement War, it was likely a battle between humans and these so-called Gods. Thus, whether they are deities or not, in both accounts, they are enemies of man!”