Chapter 1168: Crossing the Sacred Road, Meeting the Buddha Sovereign

“No... I can’t give up here. I must enter the Buddha Emperor Mountain. I must obtain the Buddha Emperor’s inheritance and strengthen the Mara Sect!”

The old woman sucked in a deep breath and produced a pill. After she shoved it into her mouth, she clenched her Dragon Serpent Bodhisattva Seal tightly, gathered her will, and pushed forward once more.

It was at this moment a taunting voice rang beside her ears.

“Yo! I see you’re taking your meds properly, granny!”

A flame person appeared beside the old woman. Specifically, it was a human being who was combusting with blue flames.

“The Mara Sacred Flame?!”

Surprised, the old woman hurriedly jumped away from the flame person. It was only then she noticed that the person inside the blue flame was...

Ye Qing?!

“It’s you?!”

The old woman’s eyes bulged like saucers. She just could not believe her eyes. By now, the Mara Sacred Flame engulfing Ye Qing had become incredibly massive. It was over ten meters tall and so thick it looked like sea water. Forget a normal person, even she felt cold and sweaty just standing in the vicinity of the Mara Sacred Flame. She could not even imagine how painful it would feel to actually suffer it for real.

And yet, Ye Qing was shooting her a sunny grin and looking completely unperturbed. She couldn’t spot a hint of pain or fear on his face whatsoever.

“It’s-a me!”

Ye Qing gave her a wave. “Anyway, I’m going ahead. See you later!”

Having said that, Ye Qing abruptly sped up and disappeared in a flash of wind and fire.

“This cannot be... this cannot be...”

The old woman would not recover from her shock even after Ye Qing had gone completely out of view. She would repeat her words like a madman with bulging eyes and a wide open mouth again and again.

......

“Hah... you can do it, Jinpeng Moyun. You can definitely do it...”

On the Mara Sacred Road, a sweat-covered Jinpeng Moyun was trudging forward with great difficulty. Every time he took a step, he would speak words of encouragement to himself.

“Yo! Giving yourself a pep talk?”

It was at this moment a chuckle came from beside Jinpeng Moyun. “That’s fine, but this is a trial. At the rate you’re progressing, you might as well chug some pills like that granny behind you.”

“Who... who are you?!”

A startled Jinpeng Moyun grew positively shell-shocked when he saw who—or more accurately, what—was speaking to him. It was a giant blue ball that, upon closer inspection, was no ball at all. It was fire; the Mara Sacred Flame. The reason he thought it was a ball at first glance was because the flame was so condensed that it was almost solid.

Ye Qing’s voice came from inside the blue ball. “Tsk. It’s only been a while since we separated, Prince Moyun. Your memory rivals that of Old Wang from next door.”

“It’s you?!” Jinpeng Moyun cried out in shock. “You’re still alive?!”

Ye Qing rolled his eyes. “Rude much? How can I be dead when a weakling like you is still alive?”

Jinpeng Moyun subconsciously replied, “That’s not what I meant. H-how did the Mara Sacred Flame not burn you to death yet?”

“It just didn’t. I wouldn’t be talking to you otherwise.” Ye Qing chuckled. “I gotta admit that your Mara Sacred Flame is something though. It’s quite itchy.”

Jinpeng Moyun: “...”

Is he even human? Or maybe the Mara Sacred Flame is actually a fake?

Of course, Jinpeng Moyun knew better. The Mara Sacred Flame he was looking at must be the real thing because he could feel a deadly threat from it.

That didn’t explain how Ye Qing was still alive though. Not only was he still alive, he sounded far more lively than he was. Just how was this possible?

“Keep it up, youngster. I’m going ahead.”

Before Jinpeng Moyun could react, the blue ball sped up and rolled past him. The Mara Sacred Flame surrounding Ye Qing grew visibly thicker with every revolution, but the ball that was Ye Qing kept speeding up as if it wasn’t affected whatsoever.

Jinpeng Moyun’s mouth fell open, but no words came out. In the end, he fell into deep self-doubt.

......

When Devi Ruyi finished crossing the Mara Sacred Road, the first thing she saw was a gray sky and many statues.

The Buddha statues were floating in the air and aligned on two sides, forming a path. Packed and innumerable, they stretched all the way to the horizon.

The Buddha statues looked nothing like your conventional Buddha statue. Some of them sported three heads and six arms, some had a human body but a snake’s hand, some were shaped like a giant serpent, some were shaped like a heavenly peng, some were one-legged and headless, some were faceless, some were ugly, some were indescribable... Long story short, every single statue was abnormal in some ways.

Still, despite their odd appearances, they all emanated Buddhist light and exuded a noble, dignified aura.

“Boundless Mara Buddhas...”

Devi Ruyi hurriedly bowed her head to the Buddha statues. It was because they were all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas worshiped by the Mara Sect.

As soon as Devi Ruyi bowed her head, the Buddha statues abruptly opened their eyes. And as soon as they opened their eyes, it was as if the statues had all come to life.

Pressure, gauging, indifference. There were all kinds of emotions in the statues’ eyes—all, except malice.

“Come forth...”

Suddenly, a grand, powerful voice erupted from somewhere deep within the sky.

As soon as it appeared, the Buddhas all turned to face the voice and bowed their heads in respect.

“Boundless Mara Buddhas...”

Devi Ruyi remained calm as she strode confidently forward.

The further she walked, the bigger, taller, and more powerful the Buddhas on both sides of the path became. It was because these Buddhas possessed higher standing and respect within the Mara Sect.

Ninety nine steps later, a massive throne suddenly appeared before Devi Ruyi.

Countless Buddhas surrounded the throne like stars guarding the moon.

A single man was sitting on the throne. He looked as tall as the nine heavens and as vast as the sea of stars. He wore an emperor’s crown and a divine robe of myriad Buddhas. He shone as bright as the moon and as all-encompassing as the sun. His left arm was arced upward and pointing at the sky, whereas his right arm was lowered and pointing toward the ground. It implied that he alone reigned supreme above the heavens or below the ground. He, the one true Buddha.

His face was blurry, but his eyes were shining as dazzlingly as the celestial bodies. They illuminated the nine heavens and towered above the human world.

“Mara Buddha Emperor is boundless... the Mara Buddha Sovereign is eternal...”

Although she couldn’t see his face, one name surfaced to Devi Ruyi’s mind the second she saw the man on the throne: The Mara Buddha Emperor.

Of course, she was well aware that the man before her wasn’t the Mara Buddha Emperor. After all, the real Mara Buddha Emperor had passed away a long time ago. The one before her was probably the artifact spirit of the Buddha Emperor Mountain, the one they called the Mara Buddha Sovereign.

When the Buddha Emperor Mountain was still intact, the Mara Sect once addressed its artifact spirit as the Mara Buddha Sovereign. That was why there was the saying, “The Mara Buddha Sovereign is eternal,” which was markedly different from the saying, “The Mara Buddha Emperor is boundless.”

“You crossed the sacred road, but were unperturbed by it. You entered the sacred mountain, but were unimpressed by it. Your Buddhism is pure, and your Buddhist heart is devoted. You deserve my boundless Mara arts.”

On the throne, the Mara Buddha Sovereign said, “What is your wish?”

“This disciple has but one wish.”

Devi Ruyi dropped to her knees and kowtowed to the Mara Buddha Sovereign. “This disciple wishes that the Mara Sect’s teachings will never be forgotten; that the Mara Sect will prosper for eternity.”