Chapter 2521 - Where Is the Buddha of the Present?

As if seeing through Su Yi’s thoughts, the Ancient Aberrant sighed.

“My status is unusual. Before that Karmic Tribulation befell me, several of the Heavenly Sovereigns already saw me as an enemy. There’s no way they’d help me out of the goodness of their hearts.”

Su Yi couldn’t help but be surprised. Heavenly Sovereigns were like rulers of the Eternal Heavens Domain, true hegemons of the Path of Eternity.

Yet now, it seemed that multiple Eternal Emperors saw this Ancient Aberrant as their enemy. It was thus obvious that the old-timer wasn’t simple!

The giant, aged face beyond the celestial gate was now utterly solemn.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“Fellow Daoist, if you’re willing to help me, in addition to giving you the Eternal Key, I can swear by my Daoist title and natal Dao that I’ll never act against you ever again.

“Furthermore, I’ll carve this benevolence into my heart. If you ever need anything going forward, so long as it’s within my power, I won’t refuse!”

The Goddess of Silent Darkness looked stricken once more. She’d thought that the Ancient Aberrant wanted to see Su Yi so as to attack and capture him. Who’d have guessed that she’d completely misjudged the situation?

Su Yi didn’t rush to respond. Instead, he glanced at the Goddess of Ancient Goddess, taking in her flabbergasted expression. “Is she one of your followers?”

“She is.” The Ancient Aberrant nodded.

“And you know everything she did to me?”

“I do.” The Ancient Aberrant didn’t deny it. On the contrary, he was incomparably forthright. “I once wholeheartedly wished to seize the power of reincarnation for myself, just like the other old-timers of the River of Destiny.

“But unlike them, I knew that your past lives never really mastered the power of reincarnation. Thus, I never took action beyond having Silent Darkness arrange a few pawns throughout the various worlds. I used them to keep an eye on your past and present incarnations, Fellow Daoist.”

Here, he hesitated, then sighed. “That aside, I was enemies with your past life in the Eternal Heavens Domain.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “You’re actually quite forthcoming.”

A conflicted look appeared on the Ancient Aberrant’s wrinkled face. “I just know that if I want to negotiate with you, I absolutely cannot afford to hide anything from you.”

He paused, then said, “That said, although I was your past life’s enemy, we were only enemies in our pursuit of the Grand Dao. There was no personal grudge between us. You’ll see that for yourself when you awaken the memories of your past life, Fellow Daoist.”

Su Yi laughed dryly. “Disregarding our enmity in the Eternal Heavens Domain, how could I possibly just disregard our grudge from the Human Realm and the God Domain?”

Most people would have thought an Eternal Key, a promise, and a favor were more than sufficient proof of the Ancient Aberrant’s sincerity, but Su Yi didn’t care about any of that.

If the Ancient Aberrant weren’t being so honest with him, he’d have disdained to converse with him any longer.

The Goddess of Silent Darkness furrowed her brow, but the Ancient Aberrant wasn’t angry. He said calmly, “Fellow Daoist, if you have other conditions, you’re welcome to speak directly.”

Su Yi gestured to the Goddess of Silent Darkness. “What would you say if I asked you to kill her?”

The Goddess of Silent Darkness looked furious. Her pupils constricted.

The Ancient Aberrant shook his head. “She was following my orders. If you want to blame someone... I’m the real culprit. Forgive me, but I cannot agree to that condition.”

“You’d refuse even if it means losing your chance to resolve your negative karma?” asked Su Yi.

“As much as I’d hate to lose this opportunity, I truly can’t,” the Ancient Aberrant said calmly. “Silent Darkness has served me for a long, long time, and she’s like a child to me. There’s absolutely no way I can let my problems implicate her.”

He spoke with incontrovertible determination.

The Goddess of Silent Darkness quivered, then lowered her head. Waves of emotion coursed through her heart.

Su Yi subtly inclined his head. “Understandable. Next, all you need to do is answer a few of my questions, and I’ll naturally consider your request.”

The Goddess of Silent Darkness was stunned. She’d initially assumed that the Ancient Aberrant’s refusal would mean this negotiation had failed, and she’d been prepared for a battle. Who could have imagined that Su Yi would change his mind?

A look of relief appeared on the Ancient Aberrant’s face. He said gratefully, “Thank you, Fellow Daoist. If you have questions, please speak directly. I’ll hold nothing back.”

Su Yi got straight to the point. “Are the Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future from the Eternal Heavens Domain’s Spirit Mountain Buddhist Court?”

“Yes,” said the Ancient Aberrant.

“Where is the Buddha of the Present now?”

The Ancient Aberrant shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Were the three Buddhas originally clones of the same person?” asked Su Yi.

The Ancient Aberrant looked stunned. “The Spirit Mountain Buddhist Court occupies a transcendent position in the Eternal Heavens Domain, but its members live deep in seclusion, seldom venturing into the outside world. Thus, almost no one knows their sect’s secrets.”

“Why ask that question?” the Goddess of Silent Darkness asked suddenly.

“The Dipankara Buddha used me to resolve his Karmic Tribulation for him,” said Su Yi. “I’ve

The Goddess of Silent Darkness said, “I don’t know whether the three of them were originally the same person or not, but if I’m not mistaken, the Buddha of the Present isn’t currently in the God Domain.

“I heard Gu Huaxian say that the Buddha of the Present is the Dipankara Buddha’s greatest trump card. Apparently, he doesn’t need anyone else’s help, as the power of the Buddha of the Present is enough to guide him effortlessly to the River of Destiny.”

Su Yi inclined his head. This response had resolved one of his lingering questions.

Su Yi looked around. “If I’m not mistaken, you two originally planned to attack me here today. Why did you change your mind?”

The Goddess of Silent Darkness immediately fell silent. It wasn’t just Su Yi; she didn’t understand this situation either.

She’d come here prepared for a battle to the death against Su Yi, but the Ancient Aberrant didn’t do as she expected.

Beyond the celestial gate, a hint of self-deprecation appeared on the Ancient Aberrant’s aged face. “Just as I thought, my unseemly little tricks couldn’t possibly fool you, Fellow Daoist.”

He gazed beyond the celestial portal at the black jade box hovering over the bone altar. “Earlier, the Eternal Key reacted strangely to your presence.”

“That’s the only reason?” Su Yi’s brow furrowed.

The Ancient Aberrant inclined his head. “The Aberrant Dao values nothing more than adaptability. There are secrets behind every unexpected development and anything out of the ordinary. I’ve owned this Eternal Key for a long, long time, hundreds of thousands of years, but it’s never once reacted to anything.

“Yet the moment I first laid eyes on you, the key reacted strangely. That naturally means something extraordinary is going on.”

He paused, then looked at Su Yi. “That aside, I lack absolute confidence that I can capture you. I won’t attack you lightly, not before I’ve done everything in my power to convince you of my sincerity.”

The Ancient Aberrant sighed. “After all, once violence breaks out, it’ll be too late to change course, and my Karmic Tribulation... will just have to wait until the next opportunity to resolve it presents itself.”

Only then did the Goddess of Silent Darkness understand the situation.

“You’re not entirely insincere.” Su Yi approved of this answer.

The Ancient Aberrant smiled bitterly. “My life hangs by a thread. How could I dare to be even the slightest bit negligent, Fellow Daoist?”

Su Yi didn’t ask any further questions on that topic. He just said directly, “And what exactly is the nature of your Karmic Tribulation?”

The Ancient Aberrant’s spirits soared. He’d initially assumed that Su Yi would try to pry numerous secrets out of him and that he wouldn’t agree to his terms lightly.

Who’d have thought Su Yi would agree so straightforwardly?

The Goddess of Silent Darkness sighed in relief. She wasn’t absolutely confident that they could have defeated Su Yi, either.

In the present-day God Domain, Su Yi shone as brilliantly as the midday sun. Who could possibly have failed to recognize his terrifyingness?

The Ancient Aberrant instantly made a solemn vow. “I, Xuan Ming, swear on my vital source that from this moment forth, my enmity with Fellow Daoist Su is no more. Should I break this vow, an Eternal Tribulation will surely strike me down, and I’ll die a terrible death!”

His vow boomed throughout the starry void.

As he finished his vow, Su Yi suddenly sensed something, as if an invisible power had landed between Ancient Aberrant Xuan Ming’s eyes, only to vanish without a trace.

A moment later, Su Yi understood.

That’s the power of his oath! It’s a connection between his vital source and Eternal Laws!

Only now did Su Yi finally say with certainty that the old-timer was asking him for help sincerely and not with ulterior motives. Had he been plotting something, he’d never have sworn such an oath.

“Please have a look, Fellow Daoist.” After finishing his vow, the Ancient Aberrant suddenly opened his mouth wide.

Boom!

The celestial portal shook, and the Ancient Aberrant’s enormous face contorted with agony so intense that even his wrinkles smushed together.

An endlessly terrifying pressure filled the starry void, and countless blood-red stars fell with a bang.

Then, a startling scene arose——

Countless figures shot out of the Ancient Aberrant’s mouth.

All of them looked just like him, except that they were the size of a normal person, and there were thousands upon thousands of them.

As soon as they appeared, they attacked like a swarm of bugs, tearing into the flesh of his face like mad. In the blink of an eye, they’d torn open numerous wounds all over the Ancient Aberrant’s enormous face.

The Goddess of Silent Darkness felt her scalp go numb just watching it. Her heart quivered with fright, and her hair stood on end.

What kind of Karmic Tribulation is this!?

“Please, help me, Fellow Daoist—!” The Ancient Aberrant roared in agony.