Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 411: Hunting the Ancient

Maitreya obviously could not withstand such an onslaught.

But at the very least, he was not defeated instantly.

He struggled to fend off the attacks that came from both sides. His internal organs churned violently from the attacks, nearly causing him to spit out blood.

As this mighty figure, fifth on the Ranking of Earth and a formidable leader of a massive cult, staggered to the side, he mustered every ounce of his strength to let out a thunderous roar that echoed for many li.

“Bodhisattva, grant me protection!”

His muscles suddenly bulged as the Bodhisattva bestowed upon him a small blessing that gave him a slight increase in power.

Although it was a hastily given blessing and far from the divine intervention that had been granted to him previously, Maitreya was ecstatic.

In a battle between experts, even the slightest advantage could be the difference between life and death. This small increase in strength gave him a sliver of hope to survive.

The fact that this Bodhisattva could still respond also indicated that those who were invading the secret realm did not pose too much of a threat to the Bodhisattva. Additionally, this small blessing indicated that the entity or entities behind the Maitreya Cult was clearly aware of the situation in all of Kuaiji. The monks defending the city should have begun being granted blessings, something that only required a single thought from the Bodhisattva.

There’s hope! At the very least, I should be able to retreat...

Being lured out of the secret realm by Tang Wanzhuang was undoubtedly the greatest mistake Maitreya had made. If he had remained hidden within the secret realm, he was confident that no matter who the coalition sent to face him, he could remain unshakable.

He believed that those invading the secret realm could not possibly comprehend the terrifying power of the Bodhisattva. He believed that they would soon perish under the boundless might of the Buddhist Dharma.

“Do you really think that breaking through to the third layer of the Profound Mysteries makes you special? Vermillion Bird, you’ll soon discover that the ancient night you seek is a force that will make you bow in complete submission!”

Bang!

Vermillion Bird struck the side of the jiedao with her palm, knocking Maitreya off balance. “How dare you, a mere rat, speak so arrogantly of the heavens? After I kill you, I’ll personally sever the head of your false god!”

Tang Wanzhuang paid little attention to the growing undertones of a religious clash between the two. Her sword strikes continued to grow faster and deadlier, each strike aimed directly at Maitreya’s vital points.

In truth, she was becoming increasingly anxious.

Judging from the fact that Maitreya could still receive blessings, those defending the city were likely to be receiving blessings as well. This thwarted any hopes of easily breaking down the city’s defenses or overwhelming it with their large number of troops.

However, this outcome was not entirely unexpected—Tang Wanzhuang never expected this battle to be easy. She and Zhao Changhe had discussed countless possibilities when they were on their way here, and they had done their best to overestimate the mysterious gods or Buddhas they were up against.

The reason a powerhouse like Vermillion Bird had joined her in attacking Maitreya, which might have seemed overkill, was actually so that they could kill Maitreya as quickly as possible. This would then allow them to turn their full attention to besieging whatever ancient divinity is behind the Maitreya Cult.

Although Maitreya was clearly at a disadvantage, they still needed to finish him off quickly—faster, much faster.

If their battle dragged on for much longer, Zhao Changhe and the others may not have the strength to hold out!

* * *

Ying Five stepped into the secret realm.

The composition of their particular team made him find the situation quite interesting.

Vermillion Bird, the woman he had pursued several years ago before he had broken through to the third layer of the Profound Mysteries, and who had even beaten him... well, she had let him chase her.

Although seeing her now no longer stirred any emotions in him, and his brothers and subordinates often teased him about it, which he did not really mind, he found it feeling rather strange to be team up with her out of nowhere.

Then there was Black Tortoise.

Third Lady Yuan usually did not wear a mask, and when they met, she would address him as fifth lord in a friendly manner while complaining about how poor Huangsha Market was and asking for more support because of the harsh conditions in the northern frontier. But now, with her Black Tortoise mask on, she coldly referred to herself as “the venerable,” and greeted him with a frosty “Fifth Lord, it’s a pleasure to meet you—perhaps we can spar when we have spare time.”

The funny thing was, Ying Five was fairly certain that Third Lady Yuan knew he had figured out her identity as Black Tortoise, yet she still insisted on maintaining this formal charade.

It was both amusing and frustrating.

Compared to this, even the presence of Cui Wenjing and Yang Jingxiu, whom he usually did not care much for, seemed somehow more agreeable to him, evoking a sense of nostalgia. Being in a team with them brought back memories of his adventures with his brothers and sisters back in the day.

There was also an old monk and an old Daoist priest with them. They were not particularly strong, but they were valuable allies in a battle such as this one. They had specific skills that could prove useful in certain situations. He noticed that Zhao Changhe had truly put some thought into assembling this team—though he wondered when he had arranged it.

While the others were solemnly observing their surroundings, Ying Five immediately recognized that there was not much worth analyzing here.

He had seen too many secret realms, and this one was not particularly special.

On the surface, it had an air of the primordial chaos[1], like a mingled mass before the heaven and earth were separated—a state of fusion like an egg, with a lotus pedestal blooming at its center, from which all life seemed to originate.

This fit very well with the White Lotus Sect and the Maitreya Cult’s descriptions of the Realm of True Void. This so-called Realm of True Void did not refer to an absolute void or vacuum, but to the primordial origin or chaos, before chaos was divided, where all life emerged. It was a place that, in their teachings, evolved into the heavenly realm and paradise.

With such a vast and potent life force present, any believer who entered this place could easily be led astray.

Maitreya’s core teachings likely originated from this place.

However, in reality, this was merely a remnant of an ancient Buddhist temple, and what Maitreya had acquired was incomplete. As what he had learned was missing the core of Buddhist teachings, it had led to a distorted understanding of the true doctrine.

All secret realms required some form of powerful artifact to sustain them, allowing them to remain isolated from the collapse of an era and maintain a separate space. Here, the source of this energy was the lotus pedestal—a life-related treasure with an ancient, fragmented soul hiding within it. This soul was attempting to revive itself through the artifact’s properties.

Ying Five looked at the scene with a touch of melancholy in his eyes.

He had come across similar scenes in the past.

In the center of the lotus platform sat a naked celestial maiden. This celestial maiden was likely Maitreya’s Mingfei[2]. It was likely that his so-called recovery was to be conducted with her. She sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, exuding an aura of sanctity and compassion reminiscent of a benevolent Bodhisattva. Yet her nakedness rendered this sense of sanctity disturbingly eerie.

Surrounding her were several protectors who were essentially Maitreya’s generals and had been undergoing their own healing here. Ying Five recognized one of them as a formidable figure from the Ranking of Man, a warrior monk known as Fa Chi. He had single-handedly broken through Tang Buqi’s encirclement at Taihu Lake just over a month ago.

Thirty-eighth on the Ranking of Man. He’s a fighter of no small repute... A figure of this caliber is indeed capable of breaking through the encirclement of an army.

This Mingfei has likely been tending to his injuries. By now, he should have fully recovered.

Although all of this seemed very impressive, it only took a split second for Ying Five to make this assessment. At this moment, the Mingfei within the lotus pedestal opened her eyes.

Her eyes lacked whites of pupils, and were filled instead with a dazzling golden light.

Perhaps in response to Maitreya’s cry for help, the golden light in her eyes intensified, granting Maitreya a blessing. Simultaneously, a golden glow enveloped the seated Fa Chi and the others nearby, who then rose together, resembling a group of Dharma protectors.

With a voice devoid of any emotion, the Mingfei’s red lips parted slightly, “A bunch of ignorant things... Outside, I am still somewhat restrained and unable to act freely... yet you actually dare come here to my Realm of True Void to seek death...”

“Realm of True Void...” Ying Five did not answer, but a voice from behind him quipped, “Is that a reference to your attire?”

A mocking smile appeared on the Mingfei’s face. “The flesh is but a shell; only fools and bandits concern themselves with it. Among all of you, only you seem to care.”

Just as Zhao Changhe was about to dismissively admit to being a bandit, Ying Five interrupted them, “You naturally would not care about another’s body. But I’m quite curious—when you engage in dual cultivation with these men, is your soul actually present within this body?”

“What if it is? And what if it isn’t?”

“If it is, then your realm is indeed higher than ours, Bodhisattva. We, as men, cannot simply enter a woman’s body to engage in dual cultivation should we disregard the physical shell,” Ying Five said with his hands clasped. “Is this the realm of selflessness of a celestial being? Impressive, truly.”

Zhao Changhe: “???”

The Mingfei replied calmly, “It’s rare to find someone in this world with your insight. Since that’s the case, I’ll leave you with an intact corpse. Perhaps your body will prove more suitable than Maitreya’s.”

As she spoke, a lotus flower bloomed at Ying Five’s feet, seemingly about to swallow him up in an instant.

Ying Five smiled faintly and, without any visible movement, effortlessly evaded the attack.

In the next instant, he was already right in front of the Mingfei, his fist imbued with immense power, aimed directly at her brow!

The Mingfei let out a small sound of surprise and raised her hand to meet the blow.

Ying Five flipped backward, retreating slightly, but the Mingfei did not pursue. Her previously calm expression now showed a hint of shock. “Which of the Ranking of Heaven are you?”

Ying Five landed and took half a step back to disperse the force, acknowledging that he had been slightly at a disadvantage in the exchange. Yet, he burst into hearty laughter. “A businessman, Ying Five—eager to experience the power of the ancient gods and demons!”

Ying Five... Eighth on the Ranking of Heaven?

The Mingfei’s expression grew solemn.

She could not easily leave the secret realm, and her understanding of the current world came entirely from Maitreya’s observations. And since Maitreya had never fought with anyone from the Ranking of Heaven, she had no knowledge of what level these figures on the Ranking of Heaven had reached.

Now it seems that, by the power classifications in ancient times, Ying Five’s level was just one level below hers. In her unrecovered state, she was not significantly stronger than him.

And this was only the figure ranked eighth on the Ranking of Heaven—so what about the top three? She had not anticipated the standards of this era to have reached such heights.

Still, she was not too concerned. Although her power was not overwhelmingly superior, her understanding of the Dao far surpassed theirs. If the highest-ranking individual leading this group was only ranked eighth on the Ranking of Heaven, they were still marching to their deaths.

How many figures on the Ranking of Heaven can they possibly have... If they had so many, would they have allowed Maitreya to wreak havoc across Jiangnan for so long?

The Mingfei’s gaze flicked over the others standing behind Ying Five. A lotus flower silently bloomed beneath the feet of the woman wearing the tortoise mask.

Although Ying Five had dodged her attack rather effortlessly, this technique was actually both subtle and highly binding. Anyone slightly less capable would find it nearly impossible to escape even if they noticed the attack.

The Mingfei disliked the sight of this tortoise-masked woman. How could a mere mask conceal anything from divine eyes? She knew well that this woman was an exceptional beauty with an extremely alluring figure. She held such beauty that it sparked envy.

This was why she decided to kill her first.

In the next moment, the lotus shattered into pieces, as if it had struck something as hard as a tortoise shell.

A snake-like whip slithered silently from beneath the Mingfei’s own lotus platform, seemingly aimed at a vulnerable spot on her body.

The Mingfei, somewhat exasperated, flicked the snake away, only for it to return to the hand of the tortoise-masked woman as if it were alive.

“Four Idols Cult, Black Tortoise, here to learn from the ancient gods and demons.”

Black Tortoise... Who said that she’s just ranked second on the Ranking of Earth?!

This is clearly someone with power worthy of the Ranking of Heaven!

As these thoughts flickered in the mind of the Mingfei, a surge of purple qi exploded in front of her.

A divine sword sliced through the void, aiming directly for her throat.

“No need for more probing, Bodhisattva. Cui Wenjing of Qinghe, please enlighten me.”

Cui Wenjing... Ninth on the Ranking of Heaven? Another one from the Ranking of Heaven...

Then, another divine sword descended like a mountain, crashing down upon her, “Yang Jingxiu of Hongnong, please enlighten me.”

Tenth on the Ranking of Earth...

A gentle Buddhist light suddenly flashed, and a golden palm descended from the sky as a soft chant filled the air. “Yuan Cheng of Huayan Temple, here to experience the Bodhisattva’s Dharma.”

Twentieth on the Ranking of Earth...

A sword formed into a Taiji pattern, and the yin and yang rotated. “Gui Chen of the Taiyi Sect, here to experience the Bodhisattva’s Dao.”

Twenty-seventh on the Ranking of Earth...

With these words, Ying Five’s fist and Lady Three’s whip simultaneously shot toward the lotus platform.

Eighth on the Ranking of Heaven, second on the Ranking of Earth.

And surrounding Maitreya are the figures ranked third and fourth on the Ranking of Earth.

Are Ranking of Heaven and Ranking of Earth experts something that Tang Buqi can just casually toss around in bulk?

Then what exactly has Maitreya been fighting this past year?

The Mingfei suddenly realized that this was not merely a battle between leaders in a war.

Rather, these were the top warriors of the new era hunting the gods and demons of the ancient era!

Who could orchestrate such a grand scheme? Could it be the emperor, Xia Longyuan?

The Mingfei’s divine sense swept over the only young man who had not made a move yet. The young man stood far back, craning his neck to watch the battle with eyes full of eager anticipation.

At that moment, Fa Chi and the others seemed to wake from a dream. They had assumed that these people were walking to their deaths, but the names the other party reported brought them more immense shock by the second.

Can the Bodhisattva really handle them?

Boom!

Their energies clashed, sending dust flying from the lotus platform.

Fa Chi could no longer hold back. He led his group in a charge. “Protect the Bodhisattva!”

The eager gleam in the young man’s eyes instantly transformed into blazing battle lust.

With a thunderous clang, a ridiculously oversized broad saber slammed down, blocking Fa Chi and the others’ path to the lotus platform. “Your opponent is me.”

The Mingfei recognized him the moment she saw the broad saber.

Among this group of figures who were either on the Ranking of Heaven or Raking of Earth, this young man was the only one from the Ranking of Man.

Ranked forty-fourth on the Ranking of Man, Blood Asura Zhao Changhe.

1. The exact wording here is 鸿蒙未开, which literally translates to “when the primordial world began.” In this case, when I translate it as primordial chaos, I refer to the world when it was still chaos. ☜

2. This is basically a consort, but this specific term Mingfei (明妃) refers to the companion of Mingwang (明王), at least in Tibetan Buddhist beliefs. Mingwang refers to a Wisdom King or King of Brightness in Buddhism, and these are believed to be warlike and wrathful deities, while their female counterparts are kind and compassionate. ☜

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