Chapter 324: Chapter 122: The Hope for Immortality (Seeking Monthly Passes)
The Myriad Buddhas Sect has slain two Defender Envoys, and now the Demon-Subduing Division is going to declare war on the Myriad Buddhas Sect?
In a small city, Shen Changqing’s face was filled with astonishment. He hadn’t obtained this news from the Heavenly Inspection Guard. Instead, he’d learned it while idly sitting in a teahouse, overhearing others discussing it. The news of Fu Yue and Xiao An’s fall had already spread throughout the entire South Nether Prefecture. Even beyond the boundaries of South Nether Prefecture, people had received the news. Shen Changqing immediately associated it with Shimohe.
「In Exiled Immortal Valley.」
He had also clashed with him. With Shimohe’s strength, slaying Xiao An wouldn’t have been much of a problem. What he hadn’t expected was that Xiao An had clearly left Exiled Immortal Valley with Fei Yun, only to die midway. Evidently, Shimohe had ambushed him.
Lost in thought, Shen Changqing approached a table where several people were conversing and sat down. When he arrived, the few people in conversation paused mid-sentence, looking at Shen Changqing with surprise. Then, noticing Tiankui, which resembled the cub of some unknown beast, following behind him, the leading young man coughed lightly. "May I ask who you are?"
"I happened to overhear your conversation and felt a bit perplexed, so I wanted to clarify some details with you, if it’s convenient?" Shen Changqing courteously clasped his hands.
Upon hearing this, the apprehension of the group eased. Although there was nothing remarkable about Shen Changqing’s outward appearance, the faint yet imposing aura he exuded made people instinctively feel a sense of pressure.
"Please take a seat. I am Yang Liang. May I know how to address you?" the young man, Yang Liang, said with a smile.
Shen Changqing readily took a seat and also clasped his fist. "My surname is Shen."
"So it’s Brother Shen!" Yang Liang nodded, looking at Shen Changqing’s somewhat youthful face.
Although the others didn’t introduce themselves, they also courteously clasped their hands.
Then, Yang Liang said, "There aren’t many in South Nether Prefecture with the surname Shen. To be as distinguished as you, Brother Shen, you must be from the Shen Family of South Nether Prefecture!"
There were people surnamed Shen in South Nether Prefecture. However, the Jianghu only truly recognized one Shen Family. In his eyes, the other party was very likely from the Shen Family.
Shen Changqing neither confirmed nor denied this, merely smiling slightly as he changed the subject. "Just now, I overheard your conversation about a Defender Envoy dying at the hands of a Myriad Buddhas Sect expert. Could you tell me what happened? I haven’t been out and about for a long time, so my information is somewhat outdated."
In the eyes of Yang Liang and his companions, this was tantamount to an admission. Instantly, their gazes towards Shen Changqing held even more reverence.
The Shen Family of South Nether Prefecture! That was a true powerhouse. Even though they weren’t a Sect, in terms of strength, they were hardly weaker than those top Sects.
Yang Liang gathered his thoughts and then responded truthfully, "Brother Shen, you may not know, but some time ago, the three major Demon-Subduing Divisions jointly announced that a Defender Envoy from Baiyue City and another from South Sea City had died at the hands of the Myriad Buddhas Sect. Because of this, the three major Demon-Subduing Divisions are gathering experts and preparing to launch a crusade against the Myriad Buddhas Sect. As soon as this news broke, it spread throughout the entire Jianghu of South Nether Prefecture. Hardly anyone is unaware of this matter."
After speaking, he picked up his wine cup and took a sip.
Shen Changqing, his expression unchanged, asked, "Defender Envoys are powerful. Does the Myriad Buddhas Sect have experts capable of slaying them?"
Upon hearing this, the men exchanged glances. Yang Liang glanced around, then adopted a mysterious air, his voice lowering. "I heard that the expert from the Myriad Buddhas Sect is named Shimohe, a top expert from eight hundred years ago. He is the one who created the Sect-Defining Martial Art, the Tathagata Golden Body. That’s why he is also honored as Mahavairocana!"
Mahavairocana! Shimohe! An expert from eight hundred years ago!
Yang Liang’s words were packed with no small amount of information. Shen Changqing’s head lowered, and his hand, hidden within his sleeve, involuntarily clenched into a fist. On the surface, he too showed a shocked expression.
"An expert from eight hundred years ago, Brother Yang wouldn’t be deceiving me, would he? How can a person live for eight hundred years!"
On the surface, he was shocked, but deep down, he was truly astonished. An expert from eight hundred years ago... did that mean Shimohe had lived for eight hundred years? Shen Changqing could now affirm that the expert who had fought him in Exiled Immortal Valley was indeed Shimohe. Moreover, he was the founder of the Tathagata Golden Body. And the Great Sun Golden Body he himself cultivated was based on the Tathagata Golden Body. The news Yang Liang brought had indeed shocked him.
Seeing Shen Changqing’s shocked expression, Yang Liang felt a certain satisfaction, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. "Ordinary people, of course, cannot live for eight hundred years, but it’s said that Mahavairocana has broken the Martial Artist Limit, surpassing the Grandmaster Realm. That’s why he could live so long. It’s also for this reason that he has the strength to slay a Defender Envoy."
"Breaking the Martial Artist Limit!" Shen Changqing raised an eyebrow.
This time, his heart didn’t reel with too much shock. From the beginning, he had suspected Shimohe might be an expert who had broken the limit. Now, having received a definite answer, it validated his inner speculation. Only—even for an expert who had broken the limit, living for eight hundred years seemed too exaggerated. After all, the lifespan of a Grandmaster Peak expert was only around a hundred years. Breaking the limit, even if it truly transformed a person, couldn’t possibly extend one’s lifespan to such an extent, could it?
However, although skeptical, Shen Changqing didn’t completely disbelieve it. After all, he hadn’t broken the limit himself and was unaware of the intricacies involved. Moreover, Shimohe’s continued existence served as indirect proof of something. Besides, breaking the limit could indeed extend one’s lifespan.
For Shen Changqing, this eased a major worry in his heart.
A lifespan of a mere hundred years passed too quickly. In his view, it was very brief. Even if one reached a supreme realm, after a hundred years, one would still turn to dust. But if breaking through could extend one’s lifespan, that would be a different matter entirely. With the panel, Shen Changqing was confident he wouldn’t stop at the Grandmaster Realm. If Shimohe could break the limit, he could too. Even surpassing Shimohe wasn’t impossible. With this, there was hope for immortality. Yes, immortality!
Sparked by the few words from Yang Liang, a fervor ignited in Shen Changqing’s heart.
Overwhelming authority, wealth rivaling nations, or being unbeatable in the world... Those were all merely temporary glories. In the end, they all succumbed to the limits of lifespan. Only immortality was truly eternal. Ever since joining the Demon-Subduing Division, his goal had been to live as long as possible. And what constituted living long? Without a doubt, only immortality was true longevity, true eternity.
His mind stirred, but soon, calmness returned.
Shen Changqing looked at the person before him and asked his next question. "Brother Yang, where did you get this information from? This kind of information should be secret, shouldn’t it?"
He looked at Yang Liang. The man didn’t seem like some deeply hidden, formidable expert. Could it be that he had truly misjudged him?
Yang Liang said, "Brother Shen, you might not be aware, but when the Demon-Subduing Division declared war on the Myriad Buddhas Sect, the Sect itself disclosed this information. Moreover, they openly recruited various Sects and forces from all over the world to join them in resisting the Demon-Subduing Division. With Mahavairocana’s renowned name, they’ve already attracted many Sect Forces, as well as unaffiliated Jianghu cultivators."
Resist the Demon-Subduing Division?
Shen Changqing’s expression flickered slightly. By now, he understood everything clearly. Apparently, the news of Shimohe slaying two Defender Envoys had spread, causing the Myriad Buddhas Sect’s fame to skyrocket. Similarly, it also gave some Jianghu forces and unaffiliated cultivators immense confidence in the Myriad Buddhas Sect’s strength. That was why they dared to board the Myriad Buddhas Sect’s ship, so to speak, and jointly confront the Demon-Subduing Division.
Seeing Shen Changqing lost in thought, Yang Liang smiled. "I hear it won’t be long before the Demon-Subduing Division and the Myriad Buddhas Sect are at full-scale war. If Brother Shen is interested, once the news is confirmed, you could go and observe. However, the chaos of battle carries significant risks. You’ll need to be careful not to get swept up in it."
"Thank you for the information, Brother Yang. This meal is on me," Shen Changqing said, taking out a silver note and placing it on the table. He then clasped his fist. "I have other matters to attend to, so I must take my leave for now. Should fate allow, we will meet again in the Jianghu!"
With that, he turned and left.
Yang Liang had intended to persuade him to stay a bit longer, but when he saw the silver note for one hundred taels on the table, he swallowed his words, his eyes gleaming. The others reacted similarly, their eyes also gleaming. For them, one hundred taels was a considerable sum.
「Meanwhile,」
After leaving the teahouse, Shen Changqing had gained a fair understanding of the current situation in South Nether Prefecture.
Fu Yue and Xiao An are dead. The simultaneous death of two Defender Envoys is indeed enough to enrage the Demon-Subduing Division. But for the Myriad Buddhas Sect to dare openly oppose the Demon-Subduing Division... could an expert who has broken the limit truly be that formidable? He didn’t quite understand what gave the Myriad Buddhas Sect the confidence to oppose the Demon-Subduing Division. Were they relying solely on Shimohe? Indeed, an expert who had broken the limit couldn’t possibly be weak. But no matter how he looked at it, it seemed unlikely they could contend with the Demon-Subduing Division. At least in Shen Changqing’s view, the Demon-Subduing Division was definitely not something a single expert who had broken the limit could contend with. With centuries of history, how many experts had it nurtured? If it could be so easily shaken by Shimohe, then the Demon-Subduing Division would indeed be too weak.
However, these matters didn’t greatly affect him. If the Demon-Subduing Division and the Myriad Buddhas Sect were to go to war, then let them. It didn’t have much to do with him. For Shen Changqing, the most important thing right now was to slay Demon Evil in various places and harvest enough Slaughter Value for himself.