Chapter 751: Unfathomable

Huaqing Palace.

Furong Garden.

Just as Yu Liancheng stepped into Furong Garden, he heard a voice, glutinous yet not cloying, ring out.

"Yuhuan greets the National Master." Looking up, Yang Yuhuan stood amidst a sea of crimson.

Her eyes were filled with smiles, rippling with charm, as she bowed gracefully toward Yu Liancheng.

This simple bow from the peerlessly beautiful Noble Yang Guifei was infinitely enchanting; this charm contained both the lingering sorrow of a boudoir-bound woman and the hazy passion of a maiden, two completely different styles perfectly blended together to bewitch the mind.

Yu Liancheng smiled slightly and said, "Do you know why I came to find you today?"

Yang Yuhuan said respectfully, "Has the National Master come to test Yuhuan's cultivation?"

"Exactly." Yu Liancheng nodded and said, "Although I could see yesterday that your cultivation had improved, I did not yet know to what level it had specifically progressed."

"Does the National Master like flowers?" Yang Yuhuan moved with lotus steps, her jade fingers gently stroking the clusters of flowers planted in the garden. Without waiting for Yu Liancheng to answer, she smiled like a flower and said, "The world loves to compare flowers to beauties; like a beautiful scroll, Yuhuan often wears a peony in her hair. But the chrysanthemum is used to describe men—aloof like a hermit, yet possessing a stubborn strength that does not fear the autumn wind."

Having said this, Yang Yuhuan reached out to pluck a chrysanthemum, walked lightly to Yu Liancheng's side, and raised that jade face, more beautiful than the flower, intending to pin it to Yu Liancheng's temple.

For a man to wear a flower is merely common, but Yu Liancheng did not like it, so he reached out and grabbed Yang Yuhuan's slightly plump yet tender and smooth jade hand.

The delicate hand slipped from Yu Liancheng's grasp, moving from his temple to the center of his brow, then sliding all the way down across his eyelids, bridge of his nose, lips, and neck, until it reached his chest, pressing against that strongly beating heart which injected a continuous stream of power into this body, as if feeling every heartbeat.

"But I am now even more certain that the National Master is not a chrysanthemum, nor any kind of flower. You are a Heavenly Human, carefree beyond the world, reaching the pinnacle of detachment. To describe such a person with a flower seems an insult; imperial power is not to be feared, and heaven and earth are not to be dreaded. So, life is short, why not enjoy it while you can?"

Yang Yuhuan's hand suddenly grabbed Yu Liancheng's hand, pulling it to wrap around her own slightly taut, trembling waist.

A faint smile rippled across the Noble Consort's lips as she said softly, "It is a bit hot in the courtyard; how about the National Master helps Yuhuan loosen her rainbow garment?"

The moment he wrapped his arms around Yang Yuhuan and placed them on her waist, Yu Liancheng felt an unusually soft and smooth tactile sensation, accompanied by an indescribable tingling feeling that went straight to the bottom of his heart. Facing the teasing of this Noble Consort, even he, a seasoned general on the field of romance, felt his heart skip a beat.

However.

In the very next instant, Yang Yuhuan's plain hand flicked, as if manifesting thousands of palms at once, all striking at Yu Liancheng's vital meridians. The scene instantly shifted from bright spring sunshine and gentle breezes to one filled with murderous intent.

It was a pity that with a casual sway of his body, Yu Liancheng dodged all of Yang Yuhuan's attacks.

He rubbed his chin, looked at Noble Yang Guifei, who was panting slightly after unleashing a series of techniques, and smiled.

"Interesting. You have indeed pushed the 'National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance Aspect' to the extreme. Just now, when you attacked me, you used at least several ultimate skills like 'Heavenly Maiden Mei', 'Soul-Returning Fragrance', and 'Red Tender Hand', and all of them achieved good effects. Had it not been me you encountered, I fear any man in the world would have fallen for it."

Yang Yuhuan bowed gracefully and said, "Many thanks for the National Master's praise."

"You are progressing extremely fast, so I am relieved." Yu Liancheng said with his hands behind his back, smiling, "If you have any problems with your cultivation, you can ask me or Xiaoqing and Xiaobai. I shall take my leave now."

"Wait, National Master."

"Hmm?"

"Yuhuan still owes the National Master a dance. I wonder if the National Master could spare some time today to stay a while, allowing Yuhuan to repay the grace of the National Master's teaching and instruction."

Yu Liancheng frowned.

He had originally intended to suppress Pudu Cihang after testing Yang Yuhuan today.

The Capital was his territory; dragons must coil and tigers must crouch here. He had to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys for all the demons in the world.

However...

His gaze lingered on Yang Yuhuan for a moment.

"Fine."

Killing a centipede was nothing; it didn't require him to descend in person, it was just a matter of a single slap.

Daxiangguo Temple.

Daxiangguo Temple was the largest temple in the Capital, and many Fotu leaders had emerged from it, celebrated for a time.

Usually, high monks often held Fotu Dharma assemblies there, spitting out Fotu gathas and guiding the masses; it was a holy site of Buddhism.

Today's assembly was particularly eye-catching, as even the current Emperor had arrived in person, and eight or nine out of ten court officials had also come, waiting early without showing a hint of impatience, all because Master Pudu was going to hold an assembly here today to point out the way and save all living beings.

Before the assembly had even begun, the plaza paved with white jade was already teeming with people; the massive square was packed with believers, thousands upon thousands of them. Yet they were all devout in expression, quietly waiting for the appearance of Master Pudu.

"Namo Amitabha!"

"Namo Amitabha!!"

"Namo Amitabha!!!"

I do not know how much time had passed when bursts of Fotu chants rang out, moving from afar to near.

Immediately following, a group of monks dressed in moon-white robes filed in, holding various ritual implements, either spinning or striking them, yet their expressions revealed a hint of eeriness amidst their indifference.

And when the sound of the chants combined with the turning of the ritual implements, it created a dreamlike illusion; the crowd of believers, and even the Emperor and the civil and military officials, could not help but become dazed, their faces revealing smiles, as if they had entered the world of the Western Heaven.

Whoosh!

Immediately after, Heavenly Flowers Falling in Disorder and golden lotuses sprang from the ground, and the entire plaza became like a Fotu Dao Field. Then, a beam of sacred Fotu light shone down from the nine heavens.

Within the Fotu light was a pure white Lotus Throne, covered by canvas that blocked the gaze of the outside world; inside, golden light surged, and a figure sitting cross-legged was vaguely visible. It was not tall, and was blurry, but just looking at that faint shadow could give one a feeling of solemn Faxiang and compassionate salvation.

In other words, even if passersby did not know that the person on the Lotus Throne was the legendary Master Pudu Cihang, they would still think it was a high monk and involuntarily feel a sense of reverence.

And when the Lotus Throne appeared, countless commoners knelt down devoutly, their foreheads colliding with the dust and mud, their expressions filled with excitement and fanaticism.

"Driving the Daprejna's ferry of compassion, crossing the bitter ford of the three realms, entering the ocean of Samantabhadra's vows, saving the drifting and drowning of the Dharma realm..." A series of ethereal chanting sounds drifted from the Lotus Throne; although the voice was not loud, it resounded throughout the entire plaza, drifting back and forth between everyone's souls.

The entire assembly was truly solemn and dignified, leaving one tongue-tied.

If Yu Liancheng were here, he would discover that a faint cluster of light appeared between the brows of many believers, appearing real yet illusory, slowly drifting toward Pudu Cihang.

In this world, if one wants to ascend to immortality, besides bitter cultivation of magic power, there are many other paths, such as Fleshly Body Sainthood, using an absolutely powerful physical body to break through spatial barriers and ascend to the Dao. Or, harvesting Faith Power to achieve Faith Sainthood. Or even refining the power of a nation to achieve National Fortune Sainthood.

Pudu Cihang was different.

He wanted it all.

Without a doubt, this was a very greedy fellow.

And right now, he was establishing faith.

The assembly had not yet reached the halfway point when the heavens turned unkind; in the blink of an eye, dark clouds rolled in, and the sky turned gloomy and dim.

Boom!! A sudden clap of thunder exploded, as if the God of Thunder above the nine heavens had issued a decree, and in the blink of an eye, a dense drizzle began to fall.

This drizzle turned rapid in an instant, transforming into a torrential downpour; sheets of rain fell like waterfalls cascading from the heavens, incessant, as if intending to turn the world into a watery kingdom.

On the Lotus Throne, Pudu Cihang frowned slightly.

He had long possessed the ability to divine heavenly secrets, and one of the reasons he chose to hold the Dharma assembly today was that the weather was excellent, with no need to worry about rain. But why did a torrential downpour suddenly fall from the sky, and why, with his Dharma power, was he unable to disperse the dark clouds in the sky, as if those clouds were fixed upon the heavens?

Or perhaps, was someone playing tricks?

Whoosh!

The rain poured down in torrents, as if the firmament had been pierced with a hole, and layers of heavenly rivers cascaded down.

Except for the most devout believers, the rest of the pilgrims and believers could only stand up, the previous Zen atmosphere having been washed away completely by the downpour.

At the same time, a peculiar scene appeared.

One could see drops of falling rainwater floating in mid-air, beginning to merge.

When they gathered into water clusters the size of a person, each cluster transformed into a Fotu, a Bodhisattva, or a Lohan, sitting solemnly, thirty-two in total, sitting cross-legged in the void, surrounding Pudu Cihang.

Just as everyone thought this was the method of the Divine Monk Pudu, they heard the thirty-two water figures say in unison.

"Pudu Cihang, you sinful creature, using the body of a Demon to manifest as my Fotu Tathagata, deceiving all living beings, you deserve to fall into the Eighteen Levels of Hell. Lay down your butcher's knife early, and there is still a glimmer of a path to survival."

The thirty-two voices merged into one, possessing a feeling like a mountain collapse or a tsunami, containing great compassion and great Dharma power; the rain falling from the sky was blown away, forming a brief vacuum zone.

Countless people felt their minds tremble, and they could not help but doubt whether Pudu Cihang was truly a demonic sinful creature. Even the most devout believers felt as if their heads had been struck by lightning, instantly waking up.

"What kind of monster dares to be presumptuous before this seat!!" Pudu Cihang also sensed that someone was messing with him, but confident that his Dharma power reached the heavens, he was not worried. With a sharp shout, he struck out a palm from thin air, and a "Swastika" flew out from the Fotu light, circling around and blasting all thirty-two Bodhisattvas and Lohans into sky-filling rainwater.

"Sinful creature! Stubborn and unyielding!"

However, the sky-filling rainwater swirled wildly, and then formed a great Fotu over a hundred zhang tall.

If it were only physically tall, that would be one thing, but it also gave people a sense of spiritual oppression. It made one feel that she was so vast, filling the heavens and the earth. Countless water droplets coiled around her, as if every droplet were a small world. Any person or thing was not even worth a speck of dust in front of her.

In an instant, everyone developed a strong feeling that they had arrived at the center of the universe. Every time this great Fotu inhaled, the entire universe would shrink into a point. Conversely, every time she exhaled, the entire universe would expand, boundless and limitless.

It was simply exaggerated to the point of being unbelievable.

"Hiss—" Pudu Cihang gasped.

At this moment, he finally sensed the crisis.

A fatal crisis.

"Ignorant!!"

The thick lips of the Fotu Tathagata opened and closed, spitting out rolling thunderous sounds, shaking the surrounding buildings until they trembled incessantly; roof tiles fell off in unison, clattering all over the ground.

At the same time, the Fotu Tathagata raised her hand, pinched her five fingers, and grasped the void, as if the heaven and earth and the universe were condensed in her palm.

The great thousand worlds, the sun, moon, stars, and cities, mountains, rocks, grass, and trees—all tangible and intangible, infinite and endless powers gathered into her palm, becoming a part of her power. Turning her palm downward, she struck down toward the Lotus Throne.

This was an irresistible palm!

This was a palm that suppressed all evil spirits!

Boundless power poured down; no one could estimate the true power of this palm, and it even gave people the illusion that even if the true Fotu descended, it would be nothing more than this.

Boom!!

Before the palm even arrived, the violent palm wind had already struck the Lotus Throne from a distance. The Lotus Throne, which had been reinforced by runes, was instantly torn apart, and the surrounding area sank with a roar, revealing a huge palm print, clearly carved into the square as if by a knife or axe. The skin of Pudu Cihang within the palm print was also torn inch by inch, and his whole body was fiercely suppressed, making even every breath become exceptionally difficult.

"Awoo!!"

At this point, Pudu Cihang could no longer care about exposing his true form; following an inhuman roar, he suddenly transformed into a hideous giant creature.

It was truly a massive centipede; perhaps "massive" could not describe it, as its length of over a hundred zhang transcended common cognition, and rolling demonic Qi diffused from its body, making it even harder to glimpse its true appearance.

At this time, two huge red lights within the monster were flickering, and its massive body, even just revealing a glimpse, was as large as a carriage frame, dark brown in color, hideous and terrifying.

"A centipede spirit!? What a huge centipede spirit!"

"I saw Master Pudu turn into a centipede spirit."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!!"

"How could Master Pudu be a centipede spirit? If you say that, be careful not to be able to enter the Pure Land in the future."

The centipede spirit had originally wanted to burrow into the ground to escape, but its body was held by the invisible power of this palm, and there was only death if it tried to escape.

Amidst another inhuman roar, that head, larger and more exaggerated than a locomotive, crashed into the giant palm with a boom, making a final struggle.

Boom!!

A deafening collision sound suddenly rang out between heaven and earth, the void trembled, and a gale rose across the entire square, with hurricanes sweeping through; no one knew how many believers were caught in the aftermath.

When everything dissipated, the boundless giant Fotu and the giant centipede had both disappeared; everyone felt as if they had fallen into a dream, and everything before was an illusion. But the broken square and the many believers who were injured in the aftermath could not be fake.

……

In a palace of Furong Garden.

Graceful figures with lithe postures were singing and dancing.

Yu Liancheng sat in the main seat with a leisurely posture, with fine wine and delicacies on the long table in front of him.

He suddenly moved his expression, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he lowered his head; his palm opened, and in his palm lay a dying centipede.

"Heh, ignorant, running to my territory to be presumptuous."