Chapter 1294: This Object Is Fraught with Deadly Intent

Niu Youdao looked startled and uncertain.

"The legendary heartland of Buddhism from the age when the faith flourished, later swallowed by yellow sand—that's the Land of the Buried Buddha?"

"In other words, the Boundless Desert is the place that leads to the Fifth Domain?"

He had spent years in the cultivation world and had never heard even the slightest rumor of a Fifth Domain.

Zhao Xiongge said, "That's what the notes say, so it should be true."

"But after all these years, no one has ever discovered it. I suspect that has something to do with the guiding object."

"If you can't find the guide, you can't enter the Fifth Domain."

"According to the notes, that means you first have to obtain the Heaven-Swallowing Ring and the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron before you can find the guiding object."

Niu Youdao hesitated.

"The Heaven-Swallowing Ring is Wei's state-protecting divine artifact, and the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron is Han's state-protecting divine artifact."

"Whether we can obtain either of them is another question."

"But what kind of guiding object could possibly exist in the Boundless Desert?"

"That I don't know," Zhao Xiongge replied. "The Saintess never mentioned it before she died."

"By all reason, the Boundless Desert is overrun with sand scorpions. It would be difficult for any other living creature to remain there for long."

"And there should be a passage leading into the Fifth Domain."

"I suspect this so-called guidance means the Heaven-Swallowing Ring and Mountains and Rivers Cauldron are needed to open the passage into the Fifth Domain."

Niu Youdao looked doubtful.

"The guiding object is the passage itself? Can it really be interpreted that way?"

"What else could it be?" Zhao Xiongge said.

"Cultivators traveling back and forth couldn't possibly remain in the Boundless Desert forever, waiting for someone to arrive with the ring and strike the cauldron."

"Apart from people, the Boundless Desert has sand scorpions."

"If the guiding object is neither a person nor a passage, what could it be?"

"A sand scorpion?"

"Sand scorpion..."

Niu Youdao suddenly raised one hand as though something had occurred to him.

His eyes flickered repeatedly.

"The Land of the Buried Buddha..."

Zhao Xiongge saw that he had remembered something and waited without interrupting his thoughts.

After a long while, Niu Youdao slowly said, "I remember now."

"Yuan Gang once told me that he rode the Scorpion Emperor deep beneath the Boundless Desert."

"Down there, he discovered Buddhist ruins buried beneath the yellow sands."

"Could the guiding object actually be the Scorpion Emperor?"

Zhao Xiongge considered it.

"Other sand scorpions can travel underground too. It doesn't necessarily have to be the Scorpion Emperor."

Seeing Niu Youdao's expression grow more solemn, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm thinking about something."

Niu Youdao's gaze sharpened.

"If the guiding object really is the Scorpion Emperor, then Lü Wushuang appeared in the Boundless Desert and went straight to Yuan Gang to demand the Scorpion Emperor."

"Afterward, once they reached the Sacred Realm, she rushed to take Yuan Gang away as well."

"Does Lü Wushuang know something?"

He looked up.

"Other than the Saintesses through the generations and you, no one else knows what's written in these notes, correct?"

Zhao Xiongge hesitated.

"By all reason... there shouldn't be anyone else."

Niu Youdao asked, "Then how did Wu Chang learn that the Demon Canon existed?"

At that, a shadow crossed Zhao Xiongge's face.

"He was ambitious from the beginning."

"Once, when the Saintess was praying, he overheard her."

"She didn't realize it at the time."

"It wasn't until Wu Chang later demanded the Demon Canon that he admitted he'd heard her."

"The Saintess's death appeared on the surface to be because of me."

"In truth, Wu Chang drove her to death because he wanted the Demon Canon."

So that was what had happened.

Niu Youdao's gaze dropped to the metal scroll in his hand.

One question had been answered.

Others remained.

He now roughly understood why Li Ge had never explained why the notes had to be handed to the master of the Holy Rakshasa.

He also understood why she had not explained what the Person from the Mirror was.

There had been no need.

Those matters were not things the guardian of the notes needed to know.

The guardian only needed to obey the instructions.

Once the Person from the Mirror appeared and saw the notes, that person would naturally understand what was going on.

To some degree, this was secrecy.

Li Ge had been guarding against the possibility that one of the later keepers of the notes might harbor improper intentions.

She had also been protecting the Person from the Mirror.

As for the warning that if the inheritor disobeyed Li Ge's final commands, the Person from the Mirror would come to execute them...

Was that merely intimidation?

Absolutely not.

That was Li Ge's method.

Anyone who had read the notes and later chose to act against her commands would inevitably fear the appearance of the Person from the Mirror.

And once that person appeared, the disobedient guardian would inevitably become the Person from the Mirror's enemy.

But the Person from the Mirror was someone who had inherited Shang Song's legacy.

Human plans could never fully account for Heaven's designs, but Li Ge truly had possessed a deeply calculating mind.

There was only one point Niu Youdao still could not understand.

Why was Li Ge so certain that when the Person from the Mirror arrived, that person would follow the instructions in the notes?

Otherwise, there would have been no reason to insist the notes be given to the Person from the Mirror.

Was that not clearly telling the person to carry out her plan?

But why?

There was no obvious benefit.

Why would the Person from the Mirror voluntarily sever the path by which cultivators could continue advancing?

At that moment, Niu Youdao felt as though his thoughts had suddenly aligned with Li Ge's.

Seeing all this, he had a faint sense that Li Ge knew the person who eventually read these notes would understand something.

Niu Youdao vaguely felt that Li Ge had left something else behind for him.

And the answer could be obtained only after following her instructions.

What exactly was it?

The question made him itch with curiosity.

Now that he had seen these notes, he felt an impulse to gather the other seven State-Protecting Divine Artifacts and unravel the mystery.

"What the hell was Li Ge doing?"

Niu Youdao muttered.

"What kind of trouble is this supposed to be...?"

After setting aside the darker emotions connected with the Saintess, Zhao Xiongge spoke again.

"You've already seen the Demon Canon. You should understand how important it is."

"If this thing falls into Wu Chang's hands and he starts trying to gather all eight objects, there's no telling what consequences will follow."

Niu Youdao returned to himself and sighed.

"It's not as serious as you think."

"For someone as ambitious as Wu Chang, this thing is actually of limited use."

"So what if he gathers all eight?"

"Would he really destroy the passages among the Five Domains and cut off his own path toward higher cultivation?"

"Could he bear to do that?"

"And before he understands certain things, he won't destroy the eight artifacts either."

Zhao Xiongge fell silent.

After thinking about it, he did not deny the point.

But he still reminded Niu Youdao, "The Demon Canon contains the complete secret method for refining Crow Generals."

"If Wu Chang obtains it, I'm afraid the secret of Shang Shuqing's military tally will no longer remain hidden."

"Have you considered the consequences?"

Niu Youdao lifted the metal scroll.

"I looked carefully."

"The military tally doesn't necessarily have to be planted on someone's face."

"With my craftsmanship, I can alter this part."

"Wu Chang may not be able to see what I've changed."

Zhao Xiongge's eyes lit up.

"You mean you can make a fake Demon Canon for Wu Chang?"

"A fake?"

Niu Youdao looked at him, then suddenly laughed.

"Do you take Wu Chang for an idiot?"

"He'll verify the contents himself."

"Once he tests the methods, he'll know whether they're genuine."

"How could a fake fool him?"

"I can only give him the real thing."

"I'm merely planning to alter a few individual characters."

Zhao Xiongge's expression became grave.

"Since you're the one meant to receive this thing, then by rights, once I hand it over I shouldn't interfere with what you do afterward."

"But think carefully."

"I'll still say the same thing."

"Once the Demon Canon falls into Wu Chang's hands, no one knows what consequences may follow."

"You have always been calm and rational."

"For one Yuan Gang, is this truly worth it?"

Niu Youdao lightly shook the scroll in his hand.

"Some things don't reveal their greatest value when they're kept clenched in your own fist."

"Trust me."

"Li Ge was no simple or benevolent giver."

"What she left behind is no auspicious treasure."

"This object is fraught with deadly intent."

"Only someone willing to obey her final commands is its true master."

"This is not something Wu Chang should possess."

"He does not have the fortune to enjoy it!"

Zhao Xiongge stared at him for a while.

At last, he sighed.

"I hope you're right."

"How do you intend to make the exchange with Wu Chang?"

"Naturally, you'll go."

Zhao Xiongge stared blankly.

"I'll go?"

"If you don't go, who will?"

Niu Youdao answered as though it were obvious.

"Surely you don't expect me to go?"

"No one else is suitable."

"You're the one who has held the Demon Canon all these years."

"If you hand it over, that's naturally the most convincing."

"Once I've finished making the changes, you'll go negotiate with him."

Zhao Xiongge looked incredulous.

"Negotiate what?"

"On what grounds would I suddenly take out the Demon Canon to save Yuan Gang?"

"That hole in the story is enormous."

"Wu Chang would definitely become suspicious."

Niu Youdao replied matter-of-factly, "Yuan Gang was able to leave Small Temple Village without any ties because he was an orphan."

"And the reason Dong Guo Haoran went to Small Temple Village before his death is very simple."

"Yuan Gang is your son."

"My son?"

Zhao Xiongge stared blankly.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means you're trying to save your son."

"..."

Zhao Xiongge's face was full of confusion.

What kind of nonsense was this?

It did not matter that he did not understand yet.

Niu Youdao would naturally make him understand.

From the moment Niu Youdao made up his mind to proceed, the entire plan had already taken shape.

...

After returning to Nanzhou's prefectural capital, Niu Youdao immediately shut himself inside the secret chamber.

He had Guan Fangyi quietly prepare a collection of miscellaneous materials.

Guan Fangyi had no idea what he was making.

Niu Youdao refused to let her watch.

The next day, Yun Ji brought him another secret message.

It had come from Sha Rulai.

Sha Rulai reported that Yuan Gang had killed Lü Wushuang's disciple Hua Meiru.

Fortunately, Granny Xue had intervened in time and saved him.

Yuan Gang had now been taken back to Wentian City, where Misty Pavilion was interrogating him.

This time, the Nine Saints had reached an agreement:

Unless all nine of them agreed unanimously, no one was permitted to remove Yuan Gang again.

"That bastard!"

After reading the message, Niu Youdao angrily slapped the table again.

Here he was exhausting every possible method to save Yuan Gang, and that bastard had killed Hua Meiru.

Now even Niu Youdao did not know how Wu Chang was supposed to settle the matter.

Hua Meiru was the disciple of Lü Wushuang, one of the Nine Saints.

Was that someone Yuan Gang could simply kill without consequence?

Even the other members of the Nine Saints would find it difficult to justify letting such a thing pass.

Niu Youdao simply could not understand it.

Yuan Gang had been a prisoner.

How had that idiot Hua Meiru managed to get herself killed by him anyway?

There was nothing else Niu Youdao could do now.

He had no way to pull someone directly out of the Nine Saints' hands.

He could only pin his hopes on Wu Chang.

He believed Wu Chang would stop at nothing for the Demon Canon.

More accurately, Wu Chang should stop at nothing for it.

This had to be accelerated.

At the very least, Wu Chang needed enough time to react.

The Nine Saints had already reached an agreement over Yuan Gang.

That meant Wu Chang would probably need some sort of excuse as well.

...

At Daluo Sacred Land, inside a secluded pavilion, Wang Zun handed a secret message to Sha Rulai.

Seated behind a desk, Sha Rulai opened it.

Only two characters were written inside:

AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Precisely because the message was so brief, Sha Rulai could feel the weight behind those words.

He drew a deep breath and asked, "How are the preparations for that matter?"

Wang Zun replied, "There shouldn't be any problems now."

"If there are no problems, begin."

Sha Rulai's tone was grave.

"Proceed carefully."

...

At Tianmo Sacred Land, Wu Chang stood on the sheer cliff outside the Demon Palace.

Hei Shi arrived and bowed.

Without turning around, Wu Chang asked, "What's the situation?"

Hei Shi replied, "His mouth is extremely hard."

"They've already tortured him until he hardly looks human, but he refuses to say anything."

"Misty Pavilion is preparing to use the Spirit-Torment Pill."

Wu Chang stared into the distance.

"We can't remove him directly."

"This is troublesome."

"If we make a move rashly, those old ghosts may become suspicious."

At that moment, someone hurried over with a message.

Hei Shi accepted it.

After reading, he looked up in surprise.

"Sacred Venerable, a message just arrived from Demon Ridge."

"Zhao Xiongge says he wants to see you."

"And he wants you there as soon as possible!"

Wu Chang's long hair whipped behind him as he suddenly turned.

His dark gaze flickered.

Then his figure flashed and shot into the sky.

[End of Chapter 1294]