The Great Dragon River.
Lu Yang had long been curious about this great river that divided the four regions of East, West, South, and North, but he had never seen it with his own eyes. Until now, he finally saw its true appearance.
Looking into the distance, this side was Jiangnan, and that side was Jiangxi. However, what separated them in the middle was not seawater, but waves of [Two Polarities Birth and Destruction Profound Light] annihilating all things. Surging and tumultuous, it seemed capable of swallowing everything. Qi Refining disciples would evaporate just by approaching!
What Great Dragon River... clearly an outer heavens sea of light.
In an instant, Lu Yang recalled the scene he saw when he returned previously... This wretched place was actually stitched together from five World Realms!
But obviously, the stitching wasn't comprehensive enough.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to tell it was stitched... This Great Dragon River is the fissure between the five World Realms, proof that they haven't merged into one.
Just then, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon spoke.
"Past this place, ahead is the Jiangxi Pure Land... I'll trouble you to accompany me this time, and afterward, I'll trouble you to bring my remains back from the Pure Land."
Lu Yang fell silent upon hearing this.
"Master, why must you go to the Pure Land?"
He had harbored this doubt for a long time. After all, strictly speaking, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon had no enmity with the Pure Land, and the Pure Land was strictly considered one of the Righteous Paths.
Moreover, looking at this attitude, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon acted as if he were going to the Pure Land to die. But if that were true, did he not have the confidence to attain the [Sword Dao Fruit]?
Otherwise, what was there to fear? Achieving Perfected Lord stature directly, hacking wildly with his sword—who in the world could stop him today?
"you curious?"
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon chuckled lightly: "Actually, it's nothing that can't be said to others. This is my tribulation... I came to the Pure Land to end this tribulation."
Tribulation? Lu Yang pondered secretly.
On the other side, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon continued:
"With a deep background since childhood, I was also young and frivolous. Achieving Foundation Establishment easily in my first life, I originally aimed for the Great Dao, swearing to become a Perfected Lord in heavens."
Speaking of this, a trace of gloom suddenly flashed in Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's eyes: "Later... due to some unforeseen events, I was forced to switch to cultivating the Sword Dao. At that time, I was resentful and unwilling but dared not show it. Determined to achieve something in the Sword Dao too, I descended the mountain for training, desiring to refine a supreme sword intent."
While speaking, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon had already walked into the Great Dragon River.
Without seeing him use any divine power, just a wave of [All-Slaying Sword Intent] permeated, instantly slashing a thoroughfare through the originally surging Great Dragon River.
Lu Yang hurriedly followed closely behind.
"And it was during my training down the mountain that I met a mortal. He was an ordinary teacher under the rule of a mortal kingdom in Jiangnan."
"At that time, I was suprsed."
"Because as a mortal, he should have been like grass and mustard, yet I discovered [Sword Intent] on him... A mortal actually cultivated sword intent!"
Once these words came out, Lu Yang was stunned.
His first reaction was absolutely impossible. A mortal cultivating sword intent? What was the difference between a small horse pulling a big cart? Even if cultivated, it would only lead to sudden death!
In other words—
There's a pit! No!
Having been beaten up so many times in this wretched place, Lu Yang had long developed the good habit of being jittery at the slightest sound. Anything beyond common sense was worth doubting!
Eighty percent a trap!
Lu Yang's expression changed slightly, but Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon took it all in. He immediately laughed: "You are much more vigilant than I was. back then, I didn't think too much."
"That mortal happened to condense sword intent when I passed by. However, due to the excessive pressure of the sword intent, his mortal flesh and blood could hardly maintain it. Others only thought he had a serious illness and was about to pass away. I took action to save him, and afterward, we chatted happily and became friends."
"And the sword intent he condensed... was [No-Kill]."
Speaking of this, a trace of nostalgia appeared in Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's eyes— "Back then, because my dao path was cut off, resentment filled my chest, so I condensed [All-Slaying]."
"However, [All-Slaying] was too fierce."
"Named [All-Slaying], naturally it slays both friend and foe. Every use killed the enemy but also hurt myself. So that good friend advised me not to use it anymore."
"As a replacement, he taught me [No-Kill]."
Once these words came out, Lu Yang immediately raised his eyebrows slightly. One must know that sword intent is the obsession of a sword cultivator, unique and unparalleled. Could it actually be passed to others?
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon saw Lu Yang's doubt and smiled: "At that time, I only wanted to seek the number one sword dao in the world. Someone willing to gift me a second sword intent—a matter entirely beneficial—how could I refuse? How could I doubt? Naturally, I accepted it gladly, and it indeed helped me a lot afterward."
[No-Kill] and [All-Slaying].
Two sword intents, at two extremes yet inclusive of each other. Each was the other's whetstone. The longer the grinding time, the greater the power naturally became!
"Whenever encountering injustice, [All-Slaying] would stir."
"So I had to use [No-Kill] to suppress it... In this way, [No-Kill] strengthened, and [All-Slaying] also gained accumulation and tempering from it."
Sharp sword edges come from sharpening.
Who in the world could compare to a sword intent tempered by this method? Eighty percent of Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's title as the number one sword cultivator came from this!
However, the logic of the world has always been that borrowing requires repayment.
[No-Kill Sword Intent] was taken from another and nurtured by Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon for so long, just like a grown leek. How could no one come to harvest it?
Thinking of this, Lu Yang already had a guess: "That mortal... came from the Pure Land?"
"Indeed."
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon nodded: "To be precise, that was a Buddha Child, a Buddha Child without a dharma aspect, born specifically for me and descending for me."
After speaking, he opened his storage bag again and took out buddha child Jing Guan's head from it: "As for this one, bringing disaster to Jiangnan back then and dying under my sword, perhaps it was also intentional. It was precisely that one in the Pure Land wanting to see my quality, to see if I met his standards."
"Amitabha."
In Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's hand, buddha child Jing Guan looked solemn, chanting a Buddhist name: "This poor nun said long ago that Benefactor has an enlightened heart and should enter my Pure Land."
"This..."
Lu Yang frowned tightly: "Ancestor, did he also sit and watch this scene?"
Where is the Sword Pavilion Ancestor? Save him! It concerns the [Sword Dao Fruit]; hurry over and save him!
Little friend you're attached to appearances.
Buddha child Jing Guan smiled slightly upon seeing this: "Could it be Little Friend thinks we are seizing by force, snatching food from the tiger's mouth and greatly offending the Sword Pavilion?"
Is it not?
"Exactly the opposite!"
Buddha child Jing Guan explained: "Little Friend, don't you think that without [No-Kill], how could Benefactor Vanquishing-Demon's [All-Slaying] be tempered to its current state?"
"The World Honored One's actions have always been mutually beneficial."
"The [Sword Dao Fruit] governs slaughter and should be based on [All-Slaying]. [No-Kill] came from the World Honored One, belonging to external force, merely an impurity to it."
"This time, Benefactor coming to my Pure Land will inevitably sacrifice his body to the sword. Of the two sword intents, my Pure Land will take not a fraction of the [Sword Dao Fruit] attained by [All-Slaying], only taking back the [No-Kill] gifted back then. We will also reconstruct a golden body for Benefactor Vanquishing-Demon to be a Pure Land Guardian Arhat, and in the future, he will attain Bodhisattva."
"No one gets hurt."
"In this way, the Sword Pavilion gets tangible benefits, my Pure Land also has great benefits, and Benefactor Vanquishing-Demon can also obtain a enlightenment, enjoying eternal bliss and freedom from then on."
"Isn't this to everyone's delight?"
Joyful laughter echoed in the Great Dragon River, yet it only made Lu Yang feel chilled to the bone.
What "everyone's delight"... Clearly, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's life and death have all been booked in advance, eaten clean and wiped dry, leaving not even a crumb for others!
He had to admit, every time he thought he saw the bottom line of this wretched place, the mighty figures here would always use practical actions to tell him.
They had no bottom line!
Boom!
Suddenly, with a loud noise coming from outside the Great Dragon River, Lu Yang realized Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon had led him all the way into the boundary of Jiangxi.
Everything in sight was Buddhist light.
"Amitabha."
On the shore, an old monk with a smile on his face put his palms together. Behind him followed a bustling crowd of mortals, each face written with piety.
Thud!
The next second, the group of monks bowed their heads, performing a grand ceremony of worship:
"Respectfully welcoming [Veda Heaven Vanquishing-Demon Arhat], who after countless eons of transformation and illuminating the wisdom of past lives, has now returned to the Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli".
"So it is!"
"So it is!"