Chapter 93 - 83: Deterring the World

News of Li Chang’an’s battle with the Buddha at Buddha Light Temple spread like wildfire, and every person in the Jianghu who heard it was struck silent.

If not for the fact that nearly every person from the Jianghu who went to Buddha Light Temple could vividly recount the details of the battle between Grandmasters, the story would have likely been dismissed as a joke.

Although Li Chang’an had only exchanged a single palm strike with the Buddha in their wagered duel, one must understand that the difference between the two Grandmasters was, to put it dramatically, the difference between "heaven" and "man."

For Li Chang’an to clash with "heaven" as a "man" and not be defeated was a display of strength sufficient to leave anyone speechless.

It even redefined what many believed was possible within the Grandmaster Realm.

Having obtained the Bodhi Fruit, Li Chang’an packed his things and immediately began his journey back to the Imperial Palace, traveling without rest.

To ensure the fruit’s safety, he deliberately traveled back to Kyoto separately from the Shadow Guard.

And yet, just as he’d expected, Li Chang’an was ambushed on his way back from Xihu Province to the Great Derivation’s capital, Kyoto.

Six masked Grandmasters, along with an unidentified senior monk at the Peak of Grandmaster, attacked him simultaneously, intending to cut him down on the road.

Li Chang’an was still suffering from serious injuries after his battle with the Buddha. To escape as quickly as possible, he had to use almost every trick up his sleeve, barely managing to break through their encirclement and flee with his life.

...

「Great Derivation, Imperial Palace.」

Li Chang’an’s robes were in tatters, and he looked a complete mess. He cursed as he walked, "Dammit, I knew those damn baldies would stop at nothing. Sooner or later, I’ll send them all to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss myself!"

He had guessed the Buddhist Sect might not honor their agreement and would send people to ambush him.

But he hadn’t expected them to be so shameless. ’If I hadn’t been prepared and escaped as quickly as I did,’ he thought, ’if I’d been delayed just a little longer, the Buddha himself probably would’ve shown up to finish the job.’

’A bunch of empty-headed baldies.’

’Did they really think I wouldn’t recognize them just because they covered their faces?’

After returning to the Imperial Palace, Li Chang’an hadn’t even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.

The old man appeared before him, his face dark. "My little ancestor," he said irritably, "how long were you even gone? You’ve already caused such a huge commotion..."

"A few days ago, to prevent the Primordial Ancestor from going to Xihu Province to rescue you, three of the Grandmasters from the Four Great Upper Sects—everyone but the Buddha—gathered here in Kyoto! They nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"If I let you keep running wild like this, it won’t be long before the Grandmasters of the Four Great Upper Sects decide to tear down our Great Derivation Imperial Palace, will it?"

The old man’s face was etched with lingering fear. It was hard to blame him; no one would be in a good mood after being surrounded by three Grandmasters.

Li Chang’an reached into his tattered sleeve, pulled out a fist-sized, humanoid fruit, and waved it at the old man. "But it was all worth it, wasn’t it?"

The old man stared at the fruit, his expression growing distant. After a long moment, he finally said, "I can’t believe you not only made it back, but you actually managed to snatch the Bodhi Fruit from the Buddha’s grasp!"

A Divine Object from one of the Four Great Upper Sects!

Under normal circumstances, such a thing would almost never find its way to the outside world.

But now, Li Chang’an had plucked a tooth from the tiger’s mouth, forcibly snatching one from the hands of the Buddhist Sect...

Even seeing it with his own eyes, the old man couldn’t help but feel a swirl of complex emotions.

’Sometime, somehow, the quiet child who used to read silently in the Library Pavilion has unknowingly come this far.’

’Truly, time’s passage is always most obvious when you look at children.’

Reining in his complex emotions, the old man asked, "So, what’s your plan now? Are you confident you can break through to the Grandmaster Realm?"

As he asked this, the old man still found the whole situation absurd.

Asking a ten-year-old child if he was confident about breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm felt strange no matter how you framed it.

But for the Li Chang’an of today, it was a perfectly fitting question.

He could not only trade a palm strike with the Buddha but also escape back to Kyoto despite the Buddhist Sect’s relentless, no-holds-barred pursuit. In this world, there was likely no other Grandmaster besides Li Chang’an who could accomplish such a feat.

Hearing his question,

Li Chang’an nodded, then shook his head. "The Grandmaster Realm isn’t a threshold for me," he said. "I can break through whenever I want. But what I pursue is being the strongest, and then stronger still. That’s all. It’s not about the title ’Grandmaster’..."

"So, until I have collected all the Divine Objects, I will not break through!"

Hearing this, the old man was left speechless.

After a long silence, he finally said, "But in your current condition, the moment you step outside of Kyoto, your life will be in danger. Neither the Buddhist Sect nor the other Great Upper Sects will stand idly by and watch our Great Derivation gain another Grandmaster who is so young."

He paused, then sighed heavily. "To stop you, they’re even willing to cast aside all pretense and join forces. Under those circumstances, trying to seize the Divine Objects from the other Three Major Sects... it’s not just difficult, it’s nigh impossible!"

Li Chang’an didn’t seem anxious at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "As long as my fists are strong enough, I’ve yet to meet anyone who values their treasures more than their life."

It was true that he didn’t plan to break through to the Grandmaster Realm until he had collected the other three Divine Objects, but that didn’t mean his combat prowess would stagnate.

He exchanged a few more pleasantries with the old man.

Just as he was about to leave, the old man spoke up. "Since you have returned, and since you’ve made a sufficient name for yourself in the Jianghu, we old-timers have discussed it. We’re preparing to install you as the new emperor of the Great Derivation. What are your thoughts?"