First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2284 – The Owner of the Coffin Shop

“Why not intervene in the battle at Cloudy Heights Temple?” the woman asked in confusion.

The Dipankara Buddha smiled. “It was just a test; I didn’t go in person.”

“What were you testing?”

“I sensed that something strange was afoot when the Rahu Yao Ancestor made it out of the Extreme Lightning Demon Cave alive,” said the Dipankara Buddha. “To the best of my knowledge, he was trapped on the ninth level of the Dao Transformation Blood Cave. He should have been doomed beyond a doubt, yet somehow, he made it out.”

He paused, then added, “I won’t lie to you. The Rahu Yao Ancestor and I are on the same side, so I, too, thought of a way to lend him a hand, or at least keep him alive.

“I was going to put it into place, too, but when I tried, I discovered the spacetime node hidden on the ninth level of the Dao Transformation Blood Cave, and the extremely dangerous character hiding there.

“He called himself one of the Five Sovereigns of the Epoch of the Five Sovereigns. His title was Celestial Polarity.” The Dipankara Buddha frowned. “If I’m not mistaken, he’s already touched the threshold of the River of Destiny.

“It was he who captured the Rahu Yao Ancestor alive. Thus, I refrained from taking action recklessly.

“Yet now, the captured Rahu Yao Ancestor returned alive and intact. That’s naturally highly out of the ordinary.”

The Dipankara Buddha paused, then said, “If that were the extent of it, I wouldn’t suspect Su Yi’s identity. The crux of the matter is that one of the Rahu Yao Ancestor’s descendants, Feng Wuji, has a connection to Su Yi!

“I suspect that Feng Wuji requested Su Yi’s aid, and that’s how he saved the Rahu Yao Ancestor from the Celestial Polarity Great Sovereign.”

The woman finally understood. “So you had Cloudy Heights Temple announce their plans in advance to test your hypothesis?”

“That’s right,” said the Dipankara Buddha. “The outcome proves that there is indeed a problem with the Rahu Yao Ancestor.”

The woman sighed. “You sacrificed everyone in Cloudy Heights Temple just to test the waters. Was it worth it?”

“You said it yourself,” said the Dipankara Buddha. “I’m testing the waters and planning the next moves in our chess game. I’m naturally not worried about losing a few pieces along the way.

“Success would have meant a major victory. Defeat meant losing a handful of pawns, that’s all,” said the Dipankara Buddha, as if he were describing something as ordinary and trivial as could be.

The woman fell briefly silent. “When it comes to plotting and scheming, you’re actually rather similar to that useless inheritor of mine, the Tailor.”

The Dipankara Buddha was stunned. It wasn’t immediately obvious whether she was making fun of him or sighing over the Tailor’s death.

After a while, he said, “I remember you bringing up the Tailor on numerous occasions. Every time, you sang his praises and exclaimed over his talent and intellect.

“But as I warned you back then, schemes and authority are ultimately lesser Daos. Those immersed in stratagems will become overly cautious and indecisive. It’s easy to go down the wrong path and lose the courage to charge bravely into battle,” said the Dipankara Buddha.

“Both struggles for power and the competition for the Grand Dao come down to strength, not schemes, in the end.

“That’s the difference between the Dao and mere artifice. One who grasps the Grand Dao can employ all methods toward their own ends.

“But if you fail to grasp the Grand Dao, all tricks and schemes are ultimately just unseemly, petty tricks.”

He made no effort to disguise his disdain for the Tailor.

“Never mind all that,” said the woman, shaking her head. “In my eyes, he was a true, unparalleled elite, and he worked on my behalf for years. He sacrificed too much in his pursuit of the Grand Dao. At the end of the day… I failed him as his master.”

The Dipankara Buddha looked at her but said nothing.

“The curtains have fallen on the battle at Cloudy Heights Temple. You lost. Anyone at all perceptive would realize that,” said the woman, changing the subject. “After all, everyone knows that Cloudy Heights Temple was backed by the Western Paradise Spirit Mountains.

“You might not be concerned about those enormous casualties, but what will the world think of the Western Paradise Spirit Mountains if you don’t counterattack?”

The Dipankara Buddha laughed. “There’s no need for me to counterattack. Someone will naturally go looking for him.”

As he said this, the typically expressionless Dipankara Buddha didn’t just smile; a hint of eagerness appeared on his face.

The woman was stunned. “Who?”

The Dipankara Buddha’s gaze was rife with meaning. “He who most longs to acquire the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing.”

The woman paused, then seemed to realize something. “Him?”

“Throughout the God Domain, only he has truly fearless saber gall!” said the Dipankara Buddha.

The woman looked enlightened, and her gaze shifted inscrutably. “Is this another backup plan you prepared?”

“This is what you call borrowing another’s blade to kill your enemies,” said the Dipankara Buddha.

“This ‘blade’ can kill your enemies, but you risk hurting yourself too. Aren’t you worried that he’ll seize Su Yi’s Dao Fruit for himself if he succeeds?”

The Dipankara Buddha said calmly, “If he succeeds in seizing Su Yi’s Dao Fruit, I’m sure to win this game.”

The woman instantly understood. Dipankara’s been planning for this for a long time. He isn’t at all concerned that someone else will seize Su Yi’s Dao Fruit!

“Fellow Daoist, you should leave. The Western Paradise Spirit Mountains are not a place you should linger in,” warned the Dipankara Buddha.

The woman rose from the banks of the lotus pond, then said, “Before I leave, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

The Dipankara Buddha seemed to see right through her. “If it’s about the Buddhas of the present and the future, don’t bother.”

The woman furrowed her brow. A moment later, she asked, “You can’t say?”

“The Buddha said not to,” the Dipankara Buddha said calmly.

The woman chuckled. “Very well. I won’t ask any further questions. I just hope I won’t become one of your pawns in the future.”

“Everyone in the God Domain knows that I’ve never let down my allies’ trust,” said the Dipankara Buddha.

The woman pondered briefly, but said no more. She simply faded into a shadow and vanished into thin air.

“Dark as an illusion, silent as the void, rising from the shadows, and seeking the Dao amidst the oblivion of emptiness. This Grand Dao is impressive indeed. It’s no wonder it’s one of the few unparalleled Grand Daos that points directly to the River of Destiny!” the Dipankara Buddha said ruefully.

The woman’s title was Silent Darkness. Her title was a clear representation of the profundities and mystical nature of her Grand Dao.

……

The Valiant Profound Realm.

This was one of the thirty-three lesser worlds surrounding the God Domain. It was on the border of the Spirit Firmament Divine Continent.

This lifeless, barren world was ranked last among the God Domain’s subsidiary worlds. They called it “the world the Grand Dao abandoned.”

Its inhabitants were mostly just ordinary mortals. It did have a few cultivators, but none of any significance.

Even heretical and demonic cultivators shook their heads at the mention of the Valiant Profound Realm. None were willing to go there.

It wasn’t that they were afraid. Rather, in the eyes of true cultivators, the Valiant Profound Realm was no more than a smelly mud pit.

The light of the heavens was searingly bright.

Winds carried grains of sand through a tiny city on the border. Buildings of various heights were strewn all over the place, all of them old and worn.

It had just rained the night before, and the ground was muddy and full of holes.

This was a seldom-frequented, tiny city. Its inhabitants were all ordinary mortals at the bottom rungs of society.

The way the people here saw it, anyone with even the barest hint of a cultivation base was like a god or immortal of legend.

Suddenly, the sound of urgent hoofbeats emanated from beyond the city walls. A terrified shriek soon followed. “This is bad! The Thirteen Thieves of Yan Yun are attacking!”

Everyone in the city scrambled to hide themselves. The children wept, the women shrieked, and the men roared in fury.

“Don’t be afraid! We’re thieves, not killers! Give us your valuables, and you’ll live through this!” said a tall bandit on horseback. He rode openly into the city, then swept through it like a fierce gale, sweeping the place for treasure.

No one dared to fight back.

There was a worn-out coffin shop in the city. Its proprietor sat on a coffin and basked in the sun.

His hair and beard were coarse, and his long hair was tangled. His clothing was ragged, and his right arm was nowhere to be found.

He was tall and big-boned. Even just seated there casually, he was taller than most ordinary people, and his very presence put pressure on others.

But when the bandits barged in, the one-armed man just lowered his head and sat there meekly. “This shop has nothing but coffins. If you see one you like, you’re welcome to take it.”

“Feh!” One of the bandits spat and cursed him out. “No more nonsense. Just give me your money! Refuse, and I’ll cut your head off!”

“Forget it. This slovenly old man watches over a coffin shop all day. I feel unlucky even just looking at him! Taking his money would only invite misfortune,” said another bandit. Before long, all of them rode their horses away.

The one-armed old man grimaced and sighed. “The world just keeps getting worse and worse.”

He’d only just said this when a voice emanated from a worn-out black coffin.

“The Blade of Heaven’s Loathing has appeared!”

The one-armed man was briefly stunned. Then, his eyes lit up. He immediately stood up and placed the worn-out black coffin on his back.

Then, he strode out of the store.

Boom!

The cityfolk watched in astonishment as the slovenly coffin shop owner grew with every step he took.

The dome of heaven and the searing sunlight were quickly obscured by dark thunderclouds. An indescribable aura of destruction swept over the entire border city.

The coffin shop owner, meanwhile, seemed to have transformed into a malevolent god. He was over ten feet tall, and he carried a black coffin on his back. His whole body emanated unconcealed, monstrous, murderous intent.

The bandits were just about to leave when they saw this. All of them were instantly wide-eyed, tongue-tied, and overcome with shock. What the hell?

Suddenly, the coffin shop owner stopped in place and clasped his fists in apparent shame. “I’m sorry. I lied just now. I don’t just have money; I’m strong, too. I tricked you just now. Please, forgive me.”

The bandits quivered, all of them frantic with panic and completely flustered.

“We… we forgive you, so… please, leave!” stammered one of the bandits.

The owner of the coffin shop sighed in relief, as if a massive weight had lifted from his shoulders. “Thank you. Now, even if I kill you, I can do so without a guilty conscience.”

No one saw him move, but one by one, the thieves’ heads flew through the air.

It was as if a blade had decapitated all of them at once, leaving stumps as smooth as glass.

The headless thieves toppled over, falling into pools of their own blood.

This bloody scene instantly caused a citywide commotion.

It was on that day that the owner of the coffin shop, a man the cityfolk thought of as simple and honest, vanished.

And when he left, he carried a black coffin on his back.