Meng Qianyuan had no objections to Yi Beidou's words. He had come to pay a visit, but he had been the one to attack first and damage the other man's courtyard. It was indeed his fault.
However, while he knew how to till the earth, he had no idea how to repair paving stones. Making a botched job of it would be quite humiliating.
He, Meng Qianyuan, was a man who valued his dignity.
He was about to ask Yi Beidou if he could hire a construction crew to repair the courtyard for him, but the words died on his lips as he suddenly froze.
'A man like him is profound and unfathomable. Every word, every action, must carry a deeper meaning. He wouldn't say something for no reason; it's not just baseless talk.'
He was suddenly reminded of a story from *Journey to the West*. After Sun Wukong caused a disturbance in the lecture hall, the Bodhi Ancestor Master rapped him on the back of the head three times with his ruler.
'If you could grasp the True Intent behind the act, it was a fortuitous opportunity. If not, it was simply a punishment.'
'I almost missed a golden opportunity!'
A jolt went through Meng Qianyuan.
'This man is as gifted as I am—a Celestial Demon Transformation brought into the world. His Demon Tribulation is deeper, and he's younger than I am, yet he's already broken through his shackles and achieved Body Ascension. If I could get some guidance from him, learn from his experience, maybe I could take another step toward the Realm of Ascension!'
"What? You're not willing?"
Yi Beidou's voice reached his ears again, as calm and placid as still water.
"I am! I am willing to accept the punishment. I will do it with my own two hands!"
Meng Qianyuan nodded eagerly, leaping up from the ground to offer a respectful bow with clasped hands.
'Before coming here, I still had the desire to compete with him, since we're around the same age. But now, all I feel is that he's profound and unfathomable. How could I possibly consider myself his equal?'
"Wait a moment. I'll change my clothes, then I'll go with you."
Yi Beidou nodded. He turned and went back to his room on the second floor. A short while later, he came downstairs wearing a loose-fitting tracksuit, looking like a young man heading out for a morning run.
"Mr. Yi! Mr. Yi! The army isn't coming to surround you anymore, so I'm useless as a hostage. Could you please untie me? I don't want to accidentally… defile your Dao Field if I can't hold it in."
He had just reached the bottom of the stairs when he saw a "maggot" wriggling over to his feet, blocking his path.
Seeing Zhou Baiwei in this state, Yi Beidou couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
'A Martial Arts Dao expert at the level of Tonghui Internalization has conditioning that reaches their internal organs. They can control their bodily functions to a certain degree. A seven-day Fasting might be out of reach, but going three days without eating, drinking, or excreting is no problem at all.'
'She just doesn't want to miss the opportunity to witness a meeting between experts who have achieved Body Ascension.'
'Still, a small punishment to teach a lesson is enough.'
SWISH!
Yi Beidou bent down and swept his hand over her. The ropes snapped instantly, the edge of his fingers like a sharp blade.
"You can come along."
Yi Beidou said, then headed for the door.
Zhou Baiwei hastily undid the rest of the ropes, scrambled to her feet, and followed.
「Elsewhere.」
Sun Hanlin and several other members of the Special Security Bureau were waiting outside, their faces etched with anxiety and worry. They had all heard the massive tremor from the villa moments ago, but it had subsided just as quickly. They had no idea what the situation was.
Soon, they saw several figures emerge from the villa's main gate. Meng Qianyuan, who had arrived with such a menacing and astonishing presence, was now walking ahead of Yi Beidou, guiding him with an attitude of utmost deference.
Seeing this, they could more or less guess what had transpired.
'Someone who has achieved Body Ascension... truly an unfathomable being!'
Sun Hanlin and the others felt a surge of awe and reverence.
「A short time later, at the Martyrs' Cemetery in the South Suburb of Wen City, at the foot of Spirit Wind Mountain.」
Two SUVs pulled up to the entrance of the Martyrs' Cemetery. Yi Beidou stepped out of one and, with Meng Qianyuan leading the way, entered the burial grounds deep within the cemetery.
Rows of tombstones stood here, marking the final resting place of the martyrs who had fought and bled on this land to protect their home and country.
While other cemeteries feel somber and grim, this place had a grand and majestic atmosphere.
The head of the Special Security Bureau Headquarters, Zhao Ping, was waiting off to the side. An old man in loose-fitting casual clothes was walking among the graves, holding a bottle of liquor in one hand and incense sticks in the other. At each tombstone he passed, he would place a stick of incense and pour out a cup of liquor.
"Director, he's here."
A staff member came over to report. Zhao Ping immediately looked toward the cemetery entrance.
He saw a young man in a loose-fitting tracksuit walking ahead of the group, approaching quickly.
As he entered the cemetery, Yi Beidou's gaze passed over everyone else and landed on the old man walking among the tombstones.
In his eyes, the old man's body was suffused with a faint glow, a halo seemed to shimmer behind his head, as if he existed in a different space from everyone else.
Seeing this, Yi Beidou couldn't help but chuckle.
"Why do you laugh, sir?"
Meng Qianyuan asked, puzzled.
"I styled myself as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, ready to wreak havoc in the Celestial Palace. I never thought you'd actually find a Buddha to confront me. Interesting, very interesting!"
Yi Beidou clapped his hands and laughed, then strode toward the burial grounds.
"I have some old friends resting eternally here, so I came to pay my respects. Some of them were far more talented and gifted than I, but they sacrificed themselves for the nation. The world is at peace today. Some enjoy wealth and glory, others cling to their own merits, but I would never dare claim credit for a feat of heaven. I know that my ability to reach this point, to achieve Body Ascension, was not through my strength alone. I was forged by the era, carried by the Great Trend. My success was built upon the bones of thousands."
"And you, having been born and raised in Donghua, have also benefited from their sacrifices. Even if you are a living Immortal, you still walk this earth and rely on its sustenance. How can the bonds of fate be so easily severed? Are you willing to join me and offer a stick of incense for them?"
Wei Cheng spoke calmly without turning his head, continuing to offer incense and pour liquor.
"Of course."
Yi Beidou nodded. He glanced to the side, and a staff member immediately handed him three sticks of incense.
'Of course, he understood the deeper meaning behind the old man's words, but he felt no aversion to them. It was, after all, the truth.'
'This society might have its injustices and its hardships, but it was undeniably the most stable and prosperous era for the common person on this land in thousands of years.'
'His own ability to achieve his Dao with a Celestial Demon Body was also a product of this era.'
'If he had been in ancient times—a world of widespread famine, endless war, and skies filled with resentment—and cultivated the Free Heart Technique, his Demon Tribulation would have been far more terrifying. He would have been utterly destroyed.'
'That was why he had always maintained that he held great goodwill toward this era and this country.'
Yi Beidou bent down and planted the three incense sticks in the earth at the center of the cemetery. He then took two steps back and gave a slight bow.
"I understand your meaning. When I first emerged, I said that I hold a great affinity for the people and culture of this nation. Family, country, the world under heaven... I am willing to contribute to their prosperity. But this path is not my true pursuit."
Yi Beidou then turned to the old man and spoke calmly.
BOOM!
In an instant, the old man's peaceful aura transformed. A terrifying power erupted from within him, like a tidal wave.
He spun around to face Yi Beidou directly. Though he was less than six feet tall, his terrifying aura seemed to make him grow, towering like a colossal Buddha statue meant to suppress the mortal world.
SHUFFLE!
The onlookers by the graveside held their breath. They unconsciously lowered their gazes and took several steps back, not daring to look the old man directly in the eyes.
"What is the Dao that you seek?!"
The old man's voice was no longer peaceful. It was majestic and solemn, booming like rolling thunder.
This was the "Great Thunder Sound."
The voice of a Buddha, questioning the Dao, permitting no falsehood.
Yet, facing this torrential pressure, Yi Beidou's expression remained unchanged.
"Since ancient times, throughout all of human civilization, there has never been an empire that lasted for ten thousand generations, only an awakening that can."
"In ancient times, the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree; his Dharma Body remains to this day. Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, the great Greek philosophers—they all sparked an enlightenment that has lasted for millennia. In modern times, scientific principles have taken their place, with countless pioneers pushing forward, transforming heaven and earth to forge the world we see today. Though times change, their names are eternal."
"Today, humanity's thoughts have reached incredible breadths, and the power of our technology can move mountains and fill seas. Yet this physical body has remained unchanged for thousands of years. Even after achieving Body Ascension, one is still made of flesh and blood. Our Divine Powers can hardly compete with technology."
"The Great Dao I seek is one that will shatter the limits of humanity, shatter the limits of biology itself. I will become equal to the heavens, and then I will surpass them. I will push human life into a new era, where a single body can become the law for ten thousand generations to come!"