Free Web NovelChapter 525: Chapter 18: Past and Future, Eternal as One, The Fall of Gouchen
Lu Xuan’s six mouths roared in unison:
"Can I not slay you?!"
The Primordial Dharma Form manifested its great might, once again forming the Heaven-Flipping Seal, the Heaven-Opening Seal, the Yin Yang Seal, and the Four Symbols Fury, while the Path of Great Balance was also silently activated!
Myriad weapons were crushed by the Yin Yang Four Symbols.
The Divine Techniques of the Heaven-Opening and Heaven-Flipping Seals erupted with immense power, silently piercing the void. From the left and the right, they stamped themselves onto Gouchen’s head!
"ROAR!!"
Gouchen’s expression changed as he shrieked in shock. His Daluo Physique actually began to crack, dripping Emperor’s Blood!
"Can I... slay you?!" Lu Xuan asked again.
The qi of all things flowed, the True Fighting Form glowed, the Primordial Dharma Form pulsed with faint darkness, and the Innate Infinite Blood Sea churned with massive waves!
BOOM!!
The two clashed and battled atop the Buzhou Pillar. The entire Divine Mountain trembled violently, looking as if it was on the verge of collapse.
Lu Xuan was wounded. Half his body was shredded by the pure qi of weapons and slaughter.
But Emperor Gouchen was in even worse shape. His Daluo Physique had almost completely disintegrated, and he no longer looked human!
Yet he was still sneering:
"Naïve! Naïve! Naïve!"
Emperor Gouchen took one of Lu Xuan’s palm strikes head-on. He was on the verge of complete collapse, yet he roared with laughter.
"Supreme Profound Clarity, oh, Supreme Profound Clarity, have you forgotten? I am... a Daluo."
"A Daluo roams the Years, existing in the past and present, everywhere at once!"
Lu Xuan smiled.
"Inside the Immortal Slaying Sword Array, you cannot communicate with your [Past Selves]. If this body of yours dies, all your past bodies will die with it. Not one will remain."
"Hah!" Gouchen’s laughter grew louder. "So that was your plan? A pity. Too clever for your own good!"
He said with a smirk:
"A Daluo, once proven, is eternally proven... My Divine Thought cannot directly communicate with my past self, but I can personally return to the past! How utterly foolish!"
"I’m off."
He coughed up a mouthful of blood and his body collapsed with a CRASH, but his True Soul tore through the River of Time and escaped.
"Profound Yellow is Profound Clarity... now this is just too interesting..."
Gouchen said with a smile before he left.
"Is that so?"
But Lu Xuan grinned as well.
"Escaping to the past...? I can do that too."
He thrust a palm into the River of Time, chasing after Gouchen’s fleeing True Soul to kill it!
"Hm?"
The expression on Gouchen’s True Spirit changed, but he showed no fear and grinned.
"You are not a Daluo, after all. After being scoured by the torrent of time, how much of your power will even be left?"
He took Lu Xuan’s palm strike head-on. His own being was wounded again, but he was not annihilated. He was merely knocked into the River of Time, falling into an era of the Late Qin Dynasty.
Late Qin Dynasty. This was the exact moment when the Profound Yellow Emperor was causing a scene at the Peach of Immortality banquet. Emperor Gouchen shook his head, came to his senses, and roared:
"Immortal Mother, watch out for that—"
His voice stopped abruptly.
At the Peach of Immortality banquet, the Profound Yellow Emperor, who was holding the Void Qing Ping Sword against the Immortal Mother’s head, suddenly glanced aside.
"Gouchen. I told you. You can’t escape."
"One proof, eternal proof? You’ve become... Impossible!" Gouchen’s expression changed drastically. His True Spirit tore open the River of Time and fled into the past once more!
Lu Xuan chuckled lightly.
"Where can you run? Where can you run?"
A great palm reached back from the Current World, flowing against the stream to strike Gouchen’s True Spirit deeper into Ancient History. With another thought, Lu Xuan’s own consciousness descended upon his past body.
This was a clear characteristic of a Daluo: past and present are one. Once proven, eternally proven!
"Today, I will slay you!"
Still in the Late Qin Dynasty, when the First Emperor was performing his rites on Taishan. Countless Immortals and Buddhas watched as thunder rolled and a grand aura filled the air.
Suddenly, a man standing at the peak of Taishan, wearing a Bronze Mask and honored by the First Emperor as ’Uncle Zhong’, raised his head and roared:
"Gouchen! Today, I will slay you!"
The host of Immortals and Buddhas looked down in astonishment. Before they could even react, they saw the masked man take a single step into the Nine Nether, crash into the Underworld, and strike at the Emperor Gouchen who was being punished there!
During the Spring and Autumn Years, Lu Xuan, who had charged into the Royal City of the Qi Kingdom to slay Duke Huan of Qi, paused slightly.
At that moment, the Immortal Celestial Venerable Yin Jiao, invited by Duke Huan of Qi, was walking over.
"Today, I shall—"
To the dumbfounded gazes of Kongzi and Duke Mu of Qin, Lu Zi, whose cultivation was supposedly weak, slapped the Immortal Celestial Venerable to the ground with a single palm. He then took a step toward the Western Celestial Court, his smile blooming like a flower.
"Gouchen, I have arrived."
Still in the Spring and Autumn Years, inside the Guardian Storage Room.
Guangcheng Zi watched the nine-year-old child chopping wood and said with a smile:
"This Wood Splitting Form... you learn it very quickly. It’s already starting to look quite proper."
Beside them, Zhang Ling chuckled.
"This Xiaoxuan’s comprehension does seem quite good..."
Guangcheng Zi nodded. With a flash in his eyes, he turned to the old man and bowed.
"Senior-most Uncle, I wish to take this child as my disciple. His perseverance is good, his comprehension is excellent, and in the future, he may even have a chance to glimpse the Immortal level..."
Old Master lifted his eyelids slightly and glanced sideways.
"Xiaoxuan, what do you think?"
The nine-year-old child hefted the axe in his hand, smiled, and bowed.
"I don’t think much of it. First, I have to slay that Gouchen."
Guangcheng Zi: ?
Zhang Ling: ?
Immediately, the two of them watched as this nine-year-old child, who was sweating profusely just from chopping wood, pushed open the doors of the Guardian Storage Room. Gripping the wood-chopping axe, he looked to the sky and laughed.
"Gouchen! Come! Come, let me kill you!"
Before Guangcheng Zi’s stunned gaze, the child swung his axe. The Celestial Vault split in two, the entire West Pole Celestial Court collapsed, and a Daluo Emperor bled!
"This..." Zhang Ling was so scared he fell flat on his rear, completely stupefied.
Guangcheng Zi, however, recovered and gasped softly in amazement.
"It seems the [present] is no longer the ’present’. This child... has he already proven the Daluo path?"
Inside the room, Old Master smiled and shook his head.
"He has not yet reached Daluo, but he has acquired Daluo characteristics ahead of time. He is only one step away."
Zhang Ling was bewildered and didn’t quite understand, but Guangcheng Zi’s expression grew strange.
’Not yet proven Daluo...’
He watched the child charge into the Western Celestial Court and slay Emperor Gouchen with a single swing of the axe, then fell silent.
Through one era after another, in one time and space after another, whenever a version of Lu Xuan existed, that Lu Xuan would strike at the heavens, slaying toward Gouchen.
And in the eras where Lu Xuan did not exist, great hands still reached up from the lower reaches of the River of Time, striking back against the stream to attack the many versions of Emperor Gouchen!
Or rather, striking every single Emperor Gouchen!
Finally, near the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, at the West Pole Celestial Palace.
Lu Zi, who was whipping Gouchen, raised the Ancient Tree Branch high and said with a smile:
"Gouchen, how will you escape this time?"
The Old Nong at his side also smiled, and Emperor Gouchen’s face suddenly turned deathly pale.
"Save me!!"
The host of Immortals and Buddhas was baffled. It was just nine thousand lashes. Why was this great figure...?
Then, they saw that Lu Zi strike down with his palm. It seemed to traverse all worlds and all realms, landing squarely on Emperor Gouchen’s head.
In the next instant, Emperor Gouchen let out a gurgling rattle. His final body in the annals of Ancient History collapsed with a BOOM!
A rain of Daluo blood fell across every era, every time and space.
A Daluo had fallen!
His thoughts returned to the Current World. Standing on the Buzhou Pillar Peak, Lu Xuan dismissed his True Fighting Form and let out a soft breath.
"Gouchen is dead."
This declaration rose from the Demon Country, broke out of the Immortal Slaying Sword Array, and resounded throughout the entire Human World!
Countless people and countless living beings were stunned.
’Gouchen... is dead?’
An Ancient Immortal muttered:
"Emperor Gouchen? He seems to be a Daluo from a distant ancient era. Didn’t he fall long ago...?"
His voice trailed off as the hairs on his body stood on end. He had suddenly understood.
He hadn’t fallen long ago.
’He was utterly slain today, dying in all of time and space...?’
The Ancient Immortal Gods were horrified. Their scalps tingled, and their hearts pounded wildly!
In a daze, an Ancient Immortal came to his senses and murmured to himself:
"Supreme Profound Clarity... can slay a Daluo now?"
The Human World fell deathly silent.
「Meanwhile, atop the Buzhou Pillar Peak.」
Lu Xuan helped Ancient Lamp Buddha to his feet and extinguished the Daluo-level killing intent and shackles within his body.
Instantly, the injuries on Lamp Buddha vanished, and a well-rounded aura appeared about him. But it immediately decayed, and he returned to his state of being on the verge of extinguishment.
"You..."
Lamp looked at the man before him, his expression complicated and slightly dazed.
The image of this child’s first arrival beneath the Stone Stele was still vivid in his mind. Back then, he wasn’t even an Immortal.
But now?
He could already slay a Daluo!
Lamp shook his head and said with a wry smile:
"I never expected you to already possess Daluo characteristics, that ’once proven, eternally proven’..."
Lu Xuan chuckled.
"It was just a fortunate coincidence. That Gouchen feared me too much, giving rise to a demon in his heart. On top of that, he had lost the Western Celestial Court and his power had plummeted, so it was only natural that he would be slain by me."
"If he were at his peak, I’m afraid I could at most be his equal."
Lamp’s eyelids twitched. A thousand words were stuck in his throat, but in the end, they all turned into a long sigh and a wry smile.
"You have yet to enter the Daluo realm, and in his prime, Gouchen was considered among the top tier of Daluos..."
Lu Xuan chuckled lightly.
"Perhaps. But in the end, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
Lamp fell silent. He looked back, gazing upon Ancient History, at the rain of Daluo blood and the corpse of Gouchen falling from the sky. A sudden worry arose, and he asked:
"Like this, won’t your identity be exposed? First it was Profound Yellow striking Gouchen, and then Supreme Profound Clarity..."
"It’s fine. Taiyi and Houtu already know my true identity, though I don’t know why they’ve kept my secret..."
Lu Xuan thought for a moment, then continued:
"Besides, this time, all the wrinkles will eventually be smoothed out."
"What do you mean?" Lamp was surprised. He looked back at Ancient History again and saw an Old Nong, slowly and leisurely walking through the ancient eras.
Wherever he passed, the wrinkles in time were smoothed out. The Profound Yellow Emperor had never struck down Gouchen, and the nine-year-old Lu Xuan had never struck down Gouchen either.
Lamp started to grow dazed. Just as he was about to forget everything, Lu Xuan clapped him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.
"This..."
He was uncertain and alarmed, but then he understood, looking thoughtful.
"Since the Supreme Great Celestial Venerable is helping to cover things up, it naturally won’t be a problem... Speaking of which, how should we deal with that Demon Ancestor Incarnation?"
Lu Xuan glanced at the Heaven-Opening Banner, which was planted atop the Divine Mountain amidst the ruins of the Great Palace, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"It has its own uses. The Demon Ancestor Incarnation is an incredibly dense mass of pure cultivation. If used well..."
Shaking his head, he continued:
"Let’s leave her suppressed in there for now. But speaking of other things, Elder Lamp, I have a request."
Lamp performed a ritual bow.
"If you had not come to the Demon Country, I might have been completely slain... I can never repay the debt of you saving my life. Please, speak freely."
Lu Xuan’s gaze deepened. He raised a hand, grabbing the Heaven-Opening Banner, and his thoughts activated the Immortal Slaying Sword Array.
The Sword Array rotated, and the Heaven-Opening Banner swayed. The area was completely concealed, impossible for any living being to spy on.
Seeing him act with such gravity, Lamp’s expression also grew solemn as he postured himself to listen.
Lu Xuan then said in a low voice:
"Buddha, do you know of... the Grand Aspiration?"
Lamp was taken aback. He thought for a moment and asked:
"Are you referring to the Grand Aspiration made by those two? Of course I know of it. What about it?"
A profound look appeared on Lu Xuan’s face.
"What I want to know is, that Grand Aspiration is built on the foundation of the Buddhist Sect, correct?"
"Naturally." Lamp nodded slightly. "That’s precisely why the conflict between Shakyamuni and Maitreya has not gone too far. Those two are watching, lest they cause the Buddhist Path to collapse and create a huge problem."
Lu Xuan nodded slightly, his eyes growing even more profound.
"The Buddhist Path... What if one day, all the living beings of Spirit Mountain—from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas down to the Arhats and Vajras—all abandoned Buddhism?"
Lamp’s expression changed slightly before returning to normal.
"The impact wouldn’t be as great as you imagine. The Buddhist Sect is more than just Spirit Mountain..."
After a pause, he said softly:
"Spirit Mountain only occupied the [Buddhist Path] for a very brief time at the end of the Journey to the West. It was also then that Shakyamuni condensed half a Dao Fruit, and the Buddha Mother seized that opportunity to swallow Maitreya and steal half a Dao Fruit..."
Hearing this, Lu Xuan’s eyes grew slightly cold.
"Then what would happen if, at that exact time, the event I just described were to occur?"
A chill ran down Lamp’s back.
"The Grand Aspiration might... shatter?"
He issued a warning:
"Do not plot such a thing. It is basically impossible. Xiaoxuan, you..."
Lu Xuan waved his hand, cutting him off.
"I must ask for your help, Buddha."
Lamp fell silent.
After a long while, he nodded and sighed softly.
"I will do my best."
The two spoke for a while longer, and then Lamp walked into the Heaven-Opening Banner. As a Daluo, he was fundamentally unable to enter the Human World. The Heaven-Opening Banner, however, existed outside of heaven and earth, so he could reside within it temporarily.
Before entering the Heaven-Opening Banner, Lamp reminded him:
"This Buzhou Pillar was a piece of Buzhou Mountain’s foundation. It is counted among the Supreme Treasures of the current age. You might be able to take it with you. It could have miraculous uses in the future."
Lu Xuan nodded with a smile. With a wave of his hand, he drew the entire Buzhou Pillar into his sleeve.
He glanced at the Great Sun, which was gradually slanting in the sky.
Lu Xuan let his hands hang at his sides, put away the Four Immortal Slaying Swords, and took a step back toward Taishan.
He had arrived late in the morning. He had slaughtered every demon in the Demon Country and annihilated a Daluo, and yet dusk had not yet fallen.
