The Mirror Legacy

Cold sweat immediately broke out across Minghui's body, but Mingxiang's eyes sharpened as he asked softly, "Which lord is it? And why do they need to see my junior brother?"

Yanbai departed without saying another word. Minghui could only push his senior brother aside and smile bitterly. "Fortunately, this will not implicate you."

He stepped forward, passed through a corridor shimmering with brilliant light, and pushed open the enormous golden doors. Golden pillars soared toward the heavens; radiance filled the space overhead; and the floor gleamed like crystal. A bronze cauldron stood in the center, while dharma bodies of varying sizes crowded both sides in an array of different postures. Their sizes reflected the rank and status of their owners, and they extended along both sides toward the highest main seat.

The grandeur of the occasion was clearly far beyond anything seen when Zhelu presided over the temple. At the highest point stood a golden body that towered between heaven and earth, its illusory form seeming to extend deep into the sky. One enormous hand was raised aloft like a small mountain, the lines upon its white jade palm as distinct as ravines.

Slightly lower to one side stood a lofty golden lotus. Upon it sat the only man of ordinary proportions, holding an alms bowl and examining it closely, utterly heedless of everyone around him.

The matter has reached all the way to the Buddhist land... Even Chief Jiang has come. This is troublesome...

After a single glance to take everyone in, Minghui dropped to his knees with a thud and kowtowed. "Minghui greets the venerable masters!"

No sound came from above. Only the bubbling of the bronze cauldron disturbed the silence. After an unknown length of time, the enormous golden body finally spoke, its droning voice reverberating throughout the hall.

"Chief Jiang... This is Minghui."

Minghui knew full well that the figure occupying the chief seat was none other than Maha Liangli of the Sea of Desire, the leader of the Great Desire Dao, Tianlang Zhi... His covert scheme against Daisi might not have been obvious, but there was no possibility that this man remained unaware of it!

Unable to restrain himself, he raised his eyes slightly. Only then did he notice the oil boiling within the bronze cauldron before him. A man lay inside, his flesh split and mangled as he rolled continuously through the bubbling liquid, sending up clouds of white smoke.

Five-Eyed.

The figure in the cauldron was none other than the five-eyed Merciful One!

This cauldron was no ordinary object. Anyone cast inside would have their divine abilities sealed, rendering them no different from a mortal and unable to protect themselves with any arts. The agony of being fried in its oil penetrated all the way to the bone! Minghui's eyelids twitched at the sight.

He also shirked his duties and played tricks... But I have my master and the Virtuous Dao behind me, so they must at least hold a proper judgment before punishing me... Zhelu, on the other hand, is useless. How could he possibly protect Five-Eyed? Naturally, he was thrown into the oil cauldron!

As Minghui pondered this, the man above said indifferently after some time, "You are too courteous, Liangli. I know of him."

Tianlang Zhi smiled, his tone mild. "Not only did the battle go poorly and fail to secure any gains, but we even lost a Maha of the Emptiness Dao. From what I have heard of the battle, it seems Maha Minghui bore a grudge against him and secretly engineered his downfall.

"I have long heard that the subordinates of that figure from the Lotus Temple are each more partial to immortal cultivators than the last. They were already severely censured at Dayang Mountain, yet it appears nothing has changed. The Lotus Temple has proven itself unreliable."

Chief Jiang raised his brows and looked down from above, saying indifferently, "Mingxiang at least made a genuine effort, but this Minghui... has always been notorious for doing as he pleases. Back at Dayang Mountain, we should have banished him to the foot of the mountain and forbidden him from returning... or simply beheaded him to humiliate Jinlian. Now that he holds the position of Maha and can be considered a prominent figure of the Virtuous Dao, it would be difficult to kill him."

Minghui listened with both fear and bewilderment. Though not daring to dwell upon it too deeply, he grew increasingly alarmed, How strange... What is all this about? Why have they gone so far as to call for my death?!

What the two said was not entirely wrong. Minghui had shirked his duties and played tricks countless times before. Although the Emptiness Dao was now jointly controlled by the various Dharma Forms, his actions had not harmed the foundations of the Great Desire Dao, so why were they being so unforgiving?

This does not feel like punishment for shirking my duties. It seems more as though I ruined someone's plans... Ch'i Lanyan... There must have been a reason Ch'i Lanyan reshuffled the personnel for no apparent reason. Many people must have schemes underway on Great Primordial Hidden Radiance Mountain. Whose interests did I damage this time...

Tianlang Zhi did not seem pleased by Chief Jiang's words and fell silent. The emissary from Dayang Mountain smiled, lowering his voice until it echoed only between the two of them. "Liangli... Have you heard what happened at the Liao River Temple? Of all the disciples from the Liao River Temple back then... The sole survivor wandered a circuitous path across the realm, only to return to the Liao River Temple in the end."

Tianlang Zhi's expression changed, becoming distinctly colder and harsher. "Him? His fate is beyond even the Dharma Masters' calculations. How could he have reached the point of walking willingly into a trap?"

Chief Jiang shook his head grimly and replied, "It is a long story... That fool who manifested Wrath back then went all the way to seek him out, only to be used to calculate the condition of the Wrath Dharma Master. My lord joined the others in making the deduction, and that figure should be gone by now...

"Since he is gone, the situation is entirely different. My lord joined forces with that figure from the Murong Family, and has temporarily fixed the location of the Buddhist land. Now we must see who will claim this tremendous opportunity..."

Tianlang Zhi's heart leaped at these words, and realization dawned upon him. "I thought as much... That figure of my Dao must also be occupied with this matter. Otherwise, why would he have allowed Peacock to... Ah!"

Chief Jiang curled his lips ambiguously and replied, "There are several candidates at present. Those great figures believe that since the position of Wrath has been vacant for so long, the matter should not be publicized. However, whoever is sent inside must be capable... Personally, I still think Yaosa Chengmi should be given a chance..."

Tianlang Zhi immediately understood and smiled. "I will be sure to recommend him at the next Dharma Assembly."

Chief Jiang shook his head with a smile and said naturally, "It was precisely that fool's actions that brought about a most unusual transformation in the inheritor of the Liao River Temple. Now, not only is the Discipline Dao protecting him, but the Great Mahayana Dharma Realm also regards him highly. Two great figures have personally gone to the Liao River Temple, causing the situation to change drastically...

"Just think how much turmoil there is now. Gao Fu appears to have obtained an opportunity, and has already entered seclusion. After being stuck at the Purple Mansion Threshold for so many years, he has finally crossed it. The power of the land of Qi is bound to rise again... and his relationship with our Daos has never been good...

"Then, the dragons have once again clashed with the Compassion Dao over the matter of Unison Sea. Although the Compassion Dao has been formidable in recent years, it is still apprehensive when facing the dragons. The Great Mahayana Dharma Realm remains caught in an awkward position as well. Without the Virtuous Dao's assistance, matters will truly become difficult going forward..."

Tianlang Zhi shook his head slightly, a trace of anger appearing in his eyes as he likewise lowered his voice. "We may need capable people at a time like this, but why should we need him? Gongsun Bei genuinely intends to side with us, and I went to great lengths to persuade Ch'i Lanyan. Now that this matter has ended in such a mess, how am I supposed to answer to the two of them?"

Chief Jiang's gaze turned cold and sinister as he replied evenly, "Even Ch'i Lanyan is in no hurry, so why are you, Liangli? If you wish to kill the White Qilin, how could you possibly succeed without one or two great figures suppressing him? Those great figures are all occupied elsewhere, and the rewards at stake are immense. You had better not offend anyone carelessly!"

Tianlang Zhi finally fell silent at that. Chief Jiang placated him, "It is not that we cannot kill him. At worst, we would have to contend with Jinlian... It is merely that Mingxiang is diligent and capable. If the Virtuous Dao washes its hands of everything afterward, we will be the ones who suffer."

Tianlang Zhi closed his eyes for a long time before suddenly sighing. "Those on the mountain will not interfere in this matter. Once it happens the first time, there will inevitably be a second. Word of today's events will certainly reach every Dao, and when the time comes, several factions will send their people. Would we not merely be paving the way for others? I fear that some other faction will reap the benefits after all our efforts!"

His gaze turned icy as he sighed. "Mark my words, once the Murong Family finishes dealing with its present affairs, even they will head south. They may lack the strength to convert Li Zhouwei, but could they possibly fail to convert the likes of Li Jiangqian?"

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