Upon the azure, cleansed expanse of the sky, the great Sun hung high, threads of sunlight piercing through the mists, shining directly upon Dayu, bestowing upon him an air of enigma.
Xiao Tian and Xiao Di, who had followed Li Qianqiu the longest, were moved to tears by the familiar aura emanating from Dayu, bowing down to the ground, exclaiming: "Master!"
Dayu cracked a slight smile and said, "Let’s go. Follow me back to the Yin Yang Realm, and let’s see those old brothers!"
"Of course, of course! Master, you have no idea, the brothers have been missing you to the point of madness!" Xiao Tian and the others wept with joy, their voices laden with reminiscence.
Dayu nodded slightly and, with a group of Great Demons, turned to leave. From the beginning to the end, he never deigned to glance at Emperor Shun.
Witnessing Dayu’s departure, Emperor Shun wished to reprimand him but did not dare to speak out due to being inferior in strength. His face turned ashen with awkwardness, standing on the high platform watching them disappear into the distance.
Below the platform, a group of humans watched as if observing a monkey show.
The Human Clan’s Shared Ruler, publicly belittled by his own people, not even taken into consideration at all – how could he not be furious?
But what good would anger do? With lesser strength, influence, and backing than others!
East Kunlun Mountain, Three Pure Ones Hall.
Li Qingming, who had just made a breakthrough to the Early Stage of Daluo Golden Immortal, looked at the scene in the Water Mirror before him, smiled slightly, and said, "Master, this Emperor Shun is still quite talented. He knows when to bend and when to stand tall!"
Primordial Venerable, wordlessly observing Li Qingming, spoke: "Qingmingzi, now that Qinglingzi has returned to his original form, is it no longer suitable for him to be the last of the Five Emperors?"
"Ah, Master!" Taking a sip from his teacup, Li Qingming replied, "That’s a completely different matter! Although the little brother had his memory sealed, in the end, he is still a Soul Avatar, ultimately belonging to the Human Clan! Besides, Dayu is the Heavenly Determined Human Emperor. If not him, then who?"
"Hahaha, I believe so too!" Clapping his hands, Tongtian, who was sitting beside Li Qingming, chuckled and said, "You worry too much, second brother. We should rather consider where this last breaker is!"
"The last one, heh heh..." A sudden tremor in Li Qingming’s heart and a flicker of sharpness in his eyes: "If we really can’t find the fifth, then we’ll just have to apologize to the Buddhist Sect!"
Since Dayu sated the floods for the Human Clan, a hundred years had passed.
The Human Clan is a grateful race, they haven’t forgotten who had brought the floods, and who had tirelessly helped them manage the crisis.
Therefore, the historical record of Dayu’s flood control was inscribed in the annals and passed down orally, from one to ten, ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand...
Over a hundred years, Emperor Shun still reigned. Among the Five Emperors, only he has managed to stay on the throne for over a century, still youthful and unaged.
All because he had a good teacher, a strong support. That also explains why, over these years, Emperor Shun has spared no effort in expanding temples and even began to suppress Taoist and Witchcraft practices within a small scope.
Jizhou Capital, Leiyin Temple.
In the splendid and majestic Great Heroic Treasure Hall, the Human Clan’s Shared Ruler, Emperor Shun, was cross-legged on a meditation cushion. In front of him were two monks, one old and one young, both with shaven heads, wearing hemp and gray robes, with faces full of sorrow.
"How goes it, Emperor Shun? Have you found him?" A dry voice emanated from the weathered face of the Jieyin Buddha, carrying a slight huskiness that made it exceedingly unpleasant to the ear.
Emperor Shun, who had already cultivated to the realm of a Golden Buddha, showed a trace of guilt on his face and said, "Master, I have dispatched the cultivators of the Sacrificial Pavilion to search through the lands of the Nine Provinces, but we still have not found anyone resembling the person you described!"
"Sigh, let it be, let it be!" Jieyin sighed, reached into his monk’s robe, and took out a Little Golden Buddha, saying, "Emperor Shun, now that you have also cultivated a Buddha Golden Body, this Little Golden Buddha is a Spiritual Treasure specifically for gathering faith. In the future, carry this with you, and you will surely be able to suppress your own body and cultivate to understand the teachings of Buddha."
Emperor Shun took the Little Golden Buddha somewhat skeptically, feeling that despite its precious material, it seemed quite ordinary elsewhere, with nothing particularly notable about it.
When he took it in hand, Emperor Shun was surprised to find that the Little Golden Buddha was unexpectedly heavy.
He was astonished; this crudely crafted Little Golden Buddha, merely the size of his palm, weighed a thousand pounds. If he had not cultivated the Buddhist golden body, he probably wouldn’t be able to lift it.
Now Emperor Shun realized he had been shortsighted; since his saintly Master had stated that it was a treasure, it must certainly be an important artifact!
Observing Emperor Shun’s joyful expression, the young monk sitting next to Jieyin said with a smile, "Master Brother, your disciple is indeed a marvelous individual!"
"Amitabha Buddha!" Jieyin pronounced a Buddha’s name with a single hand and said, "Shakyamuni, my disciple, Emperor Shun, is naturally talented, and having been an emperor for many years, he naturally carries an Emperor’s Aura."
It turned out that this young monk with a face full of compassion, dressed in a tattered monk’s robe, was in fact the reincarnation of Zhunti, Shakyamuni.
Shakyamuni was born intelligent, taking to his feet upon birth, walking seven steps, lotus flowers blooming with each one. Looking around, he pointed one hand to the sky and the other to the ground, proclaiming, "In the heavens above and earth below, I alone am the honored one."
At the age of thirty-five, he was enlightened under the Bodhi Tree by the mentorship of the Jieyin Buddha, reaching a sudden comprehension of both his past and current lives, and ultimately achieving the body of a Buddha!
"Hehe, alright now, Master Brother, it’s time for us to go," Shakyamuni stood up, with a gentle wave of his sleeve, the cushion on the ground transformed into a blooming lotus flower, which he collected into his sleeve.
Jieyin also stood up, smiling, "Indeed, since we cannot find the one to break through the calamity, it is time to return and pay homage to our Master."
Coming back to his senses and seeing the two ready to leave, Emperor Shun hurriedly asked, "Master, Master Uncle. Where are you going?"
Jieyin answered, "We have delayed for so long, it’s time for us to return to the Western region."
Emperor Shun bowed down, full of sincere fear and respect, saying, "Master, could it be that this disciple has done something wrong, angering you, and prompted you to make this decision?"
Perhaps it was the enlightenment at the time of his death in his past life, which caused Shakyamuni in this life to change much. At this moment, Shakyamuni was watching the sorrowful-looking Jieyin with playful eyes, conflicted about whether to go or to stay.
Glancing at the schadenfreude-filled Shakyamuni, Jieyin sighed helplessly and said, "Sigh! Emperor Shun, you have done well. Not only have you made Buddha’s teachings prominently flourish in the Eastern region, but you have also found many devout Buddha’s sons. For such actions, you should be considered number one in our Buddhist Sect! It’s just that both your Master Uncle and I have a mission, and thus, we can no longer delay among the Human Clan!"
Emperor Shun couldn’t help but burst into tears.
After a long while, Emperor Shun finally understood that he couldn’t keep the two masters from leaving and had to let them go reluctantly.
Just as Jieyin and Shakyamuni were leaving the Human Clan to return to the Great Leiyin Temple, Li Qingming, under the guise of visiting home, left East Kunlun Mountain and returned to the small island in the East Sea.
However, it wasn’t the Kingdom of Aolai that he returned to, but a little mountain on the edge of the East Sea, Huaguo Mountain! (To be continued. If you work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your vote for recommended and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)