Chapter 356: 362. Chapter 362: Bearing the Burden

362. Chapter 362: Bearing the Burden

The statue did not respond.

But the three people in the hall could clearly sense that an extremely complex emotion was overflowing from the statue.

Lin Ke couldn't stay long in the palace; this appearance also carried some risk, so he had no choice but to retreat.

Anyway, since we now know that the so‑called apocalyptic calamity was brought by Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke, who somehow became the White Lotus Holy Mother, the follow‑up is easy to handle.

Glancing at the nearly restored Luck Grand Formation and at Governor Wei, who was on guard and ready to attack at any moment, Lin Ke decided to leave first and talk about other things later.

Speaking of this Luck Grand Formation, Lin Ke couldn't help but admire the old supervisor.

Not only did he admire his skill in alchemy, but also his ingenious way of attacking.

Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke's White Lotus Holy Mother, upon descending into the world, immediately suffered severe injury and defilement.

It greatly reduced the difficulty of surviving the apocalyptic calamity.

He is truly a person of great wisdom and great compassion, willing to sacrifice himself.

However, Lin Ke now cannot immediately return to Floating Dawn County.

It's not that he doesn't trust his master Li Shuwen and the martial artists of the Baji Martial Hall.

But rather to guard against the Daoist sect of this world.

Whether forcing him to be the one who undergoes the calamity, or treating him as an accomplice of the White Lotus Holy Mother, neither is what Lin Ke wants to see.

Lin Ke simply went to a low hill west of the capital, using the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed, settled down, and coldly watched the situation unfold.

Since this world's Daoist sect is so formidable, with the teachings of ancient sages before and the old supervisor asking the Holy Mother to sacrifice herself after, there must surely be more tricks up their sleeve.

For example, the Heavenly Gang Daoist, the Boundless Daoist, and the person behind the Tranquil Void True Person…

In the following days, the developments unfolded exactly as Lin Ke had anticipated, and the Daoist sect sprang into action.

One after another, senior Daoists walked out of their respective temples and gathered in Floating Dawn County.

The news that the foreign heavenly demon had been born in the palace also quickly spread throughout the entire realm of Da Yong.

Emperor Kang Qian had died, and the rumor that the empress was a demoness was spot‑on.

In just two or three days, the realm of Da Yong, which had been considered an era of peace and stability, plunged into utter chaos.

Several adult princes fled the capital at once, each returning to their fiefs to mobilize and prepare for war.

Only the crown prince, because he was sorrowful, drunk and unconscious, missed the opportunity, and was imprisoned in the inner palace by Governor Wei's puppet Emperor Kang Qian.

Clans and martial sects from all over were on edge, every sound sounding like an enemy.

The common folk facing the chaos had no other recourse but to stockpile as much grain as possible.

In the palace, the empress was already somewhat disarrayed.

Fortunately, Governor Wei, who had been brainwashed by the Holy Mother's statue into a fanatic, remained calm in the crisis, issuing order after order that barely kept the court and the capital stable.

The capital's garrison army was also undergoing emergency screening, drilling and training to prepare for the unexpected.

However, the empress cared nothing for these; all her thoughts were focused on the infant girl who was neither dead nor alive, and on the statue that had remained silent to this day.

Whether reviving the infant girl or reawakening the statue, both were urgent matters the empress desperately wanted to accomplish.

To this end, Governor Wei's puppet Emperor Kang Qian continued to be exploited.

Two more days passed.

On the seventh day after the old supervisor sacrificed himself to severely wound the White Lotus Holy Mother, this world's Daoist sect, under the leadership of the Heavenly Gang Daoist, set out toward the capital.

Obviously, in order to face the calamity, the Daoist sect had made preparations long ago.

Even though the master of the Tranquil Void True Person, who merely mouthed the recitation of the Yellow Classic and claimed to disregard worldly affairs, still appeared among the ranks of the senior Daoists.

Eight hundred and sixty‑four senior Daoists of the sect exactly laid out a great demon‑suppressing formation.

Besides the senior Daoists, many martial artists were also in the demon‑suppressing troop.

Both the martial arts of human immortals and mechanical martial arts were present.

The Heavenly Gang Daoist, following his master's orders, traveled the realm of Da Yong—not to sightsee, but to strategize and maneuver.

All the painstaking effort of over twenty years went into this troop.

The only regrettable thing is that the person destined to undergo the calamity actually ran away!

Thus, the number of senior Daoist sacrifices will surely increase greatly, which is truly hateful.

The empress and Governor Wei's puppet Emperor Kang Qian received the news at once.

However, the measures they could take were few.

Could they forcibly order the regional commanders to exterminate this troop?

They could.

But they must be prepared mentally for the possibility that the whole world would rise in opposition if they issued that order.

This incident is completely different in nature from exploring the Valley of the Dead and plucking the Longevity Peaches.

The Valley of the Dead incident was the imperial authority displaying its majesty.

Under heaven, there is no land that is not the king's; along the shores of the land, there is no one who is not the king's subject.

In the Valley of the Dead, the longevity peach trees are, legally speaking, truly the property of Emperor Kang Qian.

Therefore, Emperor Kang Qian could do whatever he wished with them.

At worst, it would merely look unsightly and be seen as arbitrary and domineering.

In the face of this incident, all the empress and Governor Wei's puppet Emperor Kang Qian could do was send the inner guards to strangle them.

As long as they could wipe out that so‑called demon‑suppressing troop, freeing their hands, they could easily quell the Da Yong realm that had been unsettled for just a few days.

It was at this very moment that Lin Ke, sitting cross‑legged on a low hill west of the capital, received a request to meet from Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke.

It seemed she had finally composed herself and was willing to confront Lin Ke face to face.

Lin Ke gladly kept the appointment.

He teleported into Dead Person Valley, beneath the Longevity Peach Tree.

The Heaven Shuttle activated under his will.

You're leaving?

Luo Lun. Ben De appeared just in time and asked.

Not yet, just going to see someone.

Lin Ke's gaze fell on the peach tree roots binding the Heaven Shuttle, 'Clear the area.'

Luo Lun. Ben De watched the increasingly powerful Lin Ke, reluctantly answered 'OK', and commanded the roots to make space.

After spending over a month together with Li Shuwen drafting the condensed version of the Primordial Eight Views Skill, Lin Ke naturally also gained something.

Having already reached the peak of the Cave Void Realm in the Human Immortal Martial Dao Realm, he made further progress and smoothly broke through to the See God Realm.

Breaking the void allows one to see the divine.

After the breakthrough, Lin Ke unsurprisingly sensed that the shackles had become much lighter.

Thus, Lin Ke was not limited to following the so-called Void Tranquil Heavenly Master's teachings; refining two Dharma Seals through tribulation was not the only path.

Proving the Dao with strength, cutting the shackles, also offered great possibilities.

Don't worry, I won't go back on my word.

Lin Ke felt uneasy, merely glanced at Luo Lun. Ben De's phantom, and coldly tossed off a sentence.

Then he teleported into the Heaven Shuttle, via the Tower Spirit, commanding this still-operational Hummingbird-class interstellar warship to stealthily lift off into space.

In the squad heading to the Capital City to subdue demons, the Heavenly Gang Daoist and Li Shuwen both looked up.

Your disciple has left.

The Heavenly Gang Daoist watched for a while, then sighed to Li Shuwen, 'I don't know if he'll return, and if he does, which side he'll be on.'

Li Shuwen ignored him, just silently gazing at the sky.

He recalled a discussion from half a month ago.

What direction should one cultivate next after the See God Realm?

Lin Ke bluntly said he believed one should continue following the Dao's natural way, emulate heaven and earth, enrich the inner scene, then envelop the physical body with it to traverse the stars.

No wonder the Old Supervisor likes stargazing so much.

Li Shuwen muttered, suddenly understanding.

Where lies the Dao?

The Dao is underfoot, also in the starry expanse, in the sea of stars.

In the starry sky, the about-to-fall-apart Heaven Shuttle trembled as it reached the appointed place.

Lin Ke turned, glanced down at this world's planet, then flashed off the warship, his physical body arriving in the void.

This is a soundless, tranquil place.

Long time no see, Ai Rui Si.

Lin Ke spoke first, initiating a greeting.

Ai Rui Si...

With a murmur, the soundless tranquil place lit up two stars. Looking against the light, Lin Ke saw hidden within it a super colossus whose eyeball was as large as an ordinary star.

The naked eye could not discern how huge the colossus was.

Only from the colossus could one sense endless tranquility, countless prayers, boundless wails.

Composing this super colossus were, one after another, star systems.

It turned out the so-called apocalypse was exactly this kind of world-ending.

Indeed, it's been a long time, Lin Ke... Linke Grand.

Suddenly, an apparition of Ai Rui Si standing on a lotus platform, crowned with auspicious clouds, holding a jade ruyi, appeared before Lin Ke.

Seeing an Ai Rui Si whose face matched memory but whose demeanor was utterly different, Lin Ke's mood grew dark and obscure; he opened his mouth to speak, yet didn't know what to say.

Shh!

Ai Rui Si raised her right index finger to her lips, making a playful gesture unbefitting her solemn treasure appearance, 'Don't pity me, don't pity me, I don't need pity.'

She playfully winked her right eye, then continued, 'Those who pity me have already been forged alive by me into Guardian Dharma Soldiers. Lin Ke...'

'Lin Ke, Lin Ke, I truly don't want to forge you into a Guardian Dharma Soldier either... So you absolutely must not pity me.'

Saying this, two clear tears rolled from her eyes.

'Look how great I am now. I've become the lord of countless stars, the White Lotus Holy Mother believed in by billions; my breath can enliven all beings, a gesture can destroy an age—how wonderful.'

'Once I claim the final star, my Dao will be complete.'

'Haha...'

'Hehehe...'

Ai Rui Si's face remained the same, but her temperament shifted from playful contradiction to gloomy, resentful hatred.

'When my Dao is perfected, I will be supreme. What Grand Ultimate, what sage, can do anything to me?'

'I will surely shatter the Heavenly Gate and exile the immortals!'

Her temperament suddenly shifted again, from gloomy hatred to arrogant coldness.

'Supreme Council! Supreme Council! I will surely destroy the Supreme Council!'

Then, one after another, different aspects flashed by at light speed.

These are all Ai Rui Si, yet none of them are truly her.

Lin Ke watched this unfolding scene, a faint sorrow flickering deep in his eyes.

If one says that when they first met, Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke was merely trapped by a split personality.

So the current White Lotus Holy Mother is completely mad, and is already about to lose the true essence of Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke.

At the same time, Lin Ke's heart gave rise to enlightenment.

All his many speculations about how to complete the trial, and his doubts about This World Dao Sect, were unnecessary.

This World Dao Sect is This World Dao Sect, and the Void Tranquil Heavenly Master is the Void Tranquil Heavenly Master.

In the end, they are not the same.

This World Dao Sect has its own considerations.

The Void Tranquil Heavenly Master's instructions and arrangements may not have been altered, but they have changed greatly in execution.

Now, there are two different paths to complete the trial, laid out before Lin Ke for him to choose.

First, accept the Void Tranquil Heavenly Master's arrangement, using the Yang Guest Scholar Capital Seal and the Nine Elders Immortal Capital Seal to cleanse the White Lotus Holy Mother before us, purify Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke's soul and spirit, save countless star systems, and billions of mortals;

The benefit of doing so is that Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke can return to normal, Lin Ke can complete the trial, and perhaps gain something else;

The drawback is also clear: one will incur a great karma and fall into a predicament.

Second, do not accept the Void Tranquil Heavenly Master's arrangement, and think of another way to complete the trial.

"What are you thinking about?"

Ai Rui Si at this moment returned to her initial playful yet contradictory state, tilting her head and asking curiously.

"I'm wondering, do you still like explosions?"

Lin Ke weighed his words and replied thus.

"Ah!"

Ai Rui Si let out an exclamation: "Explosions, of course I like them. But..."

"But what?"

"But the explosions I played with before were too small in scale."

"That's right."

Lin Ke glanced at Ai Rui Si's immensely huge true form avatar.

Perhaps only a supernova explosion could enter Ai Rui Si's current eyes and cause a slight ripple.

"Can you close your eyes for a moment? I have a gift for you."

Suddenly, Lin Ke shifted his tone and uttered a very stiff sentence.

"Hmm?"

Ai Rui Si blinked, smiling at the corners of her mouth: "A gift? Are you trying to take the opportunity to kill me?"

"Why would you think that?"

Lin Ke frowned, really wanting to know the answer.

"Because they all do that."

Ai Rui Si lightly waved the Jade Ruyi in her hand, and dozens of images flashed in succession.

Together with Lin Ke, they were thrown by the Wizard World's Supreme Council into the Ninth Dao Trial that was originally meant for Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke to face alone, among the young generation of genius wizards.

From these images, Lin Ke saw the wizards' different developments, as well as the same ending.

That is, in various ways, to exterminate the White Lotus Holy Mother, then be captured alive by Ai Rui Si and tormented day and night.

The endless wailing Lin Ke had heard before came from those genius wizards and those who had once inflicted some harm on the White Lotus Holy Mother.

"I am not like them."

After seeing them, Lin Ke shook his head decisively.

He indeed never had murderous intent toward Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke.

He didn't even have deceitful thoughts.

He truly only wanted to give Ai Rui Si a gift.

"Hmm. You really are not like them."

Ai Rui Si's illusion suddenly stepped forward, standing a fist's distance from Lin Ke, speaking with deep meaning: "Your gift, you'd better not disappoint me, Lin Ke. Otherwise, I will..."

Speaking, Ai Rui Si chuckled, as if thinking of something happy.

After laughing for a while, she calmed down and continued: "Otherwise, I will eat you."

"Don't worry, you will surely like it."

Lin Ke's state of mind had no wavering, full of confidence.

"Good, I am really looking forward to your gift."

As the words fell, the tranquil place returned to a state of lightless darkness.

Lin Ke reached out and summoned, taking two sandalwood boxes, opening their lids, and from them took two Dharma Seals.

Having made up his mind, he would not hesitate.

A drop of blood from his brow fell on the Yang Guest Scholar Capital Seal, and a drop of blood from his heart fell on the Nine Elders Immortal Capital Seal.

In an instant, Lin Ke's essence, energy, and spirit were completely exhausted.

His cultivation in Human Immortal Martial Dao, and his attainment in the secret art derived from modifying the Wizard World's wizardry, vanished completely.

The Yang Guest Scholar Capital Seal and the Nine Elders Immortal Capital Seal, however, had already completed activation.

Each had a wisp of pure qi drifting from the two imitation seals, unknown where it went.

"What are you doing?"

Ai Rui Si's voice sounded in Lin Ke's ear, as if his oil lamp were nearly exhausted.

Lin Ke turned his head with difficulty, grinning: "I'm preparing a gift for you!"

"Ai Rui Si."

"Ai Rui Si is Ai Rui Si."

"Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke and Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke have never been the same person."

How could Lin Ke not recognize Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke?

So...

Go die, Ai Rui Si!