Chapter 281: Moving Heaven and Earth, Deep Master-Disciple Affection

The light descending from the sky blazed like a beacon, shielding Wang Ping and completely blocking Wu Chi's Mahesvara Arrow, saving him from a one-hit kill.

"Haha!"

Wang Ping laughed aloud at the sight. Without a shred of hesitation, he raised his saber and hacked wildly. Capitalizing on the moment Wu Chi's strength was spent and before his next breath could surge, Wang Ping delivered several heavy, successive blows.

Wu Chi nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. The Mahesvara Arrow was his ultimate killing move. He had assumed that even if it couldn't kill Wang Ping, it would at least severely cripple him and reverse the disadvantage caused by his two previous miscalculations. Who could have guessed a pillar of light would descend from the heavens and forcefully shield the boy without a single scratch?

Unfair! Too unfair!

Meanwhile, things were miserable on Mingyou's end. Because he had to divert his focus to protect Wang Ping, Bukong—who had originally been heavily suppressed—instantly seized the opportunity.

"Om ah hum, mahakalaya, hum phat..."

The melodious dharma incantation echoed through the Cosmic Deep Space with a rhythmic cadence. Bukong pressed his palms together, and a massive Buddha manifestation slowly rose behind him.

Its body was azure-blue. It wore tiger skins, a rosary of human bones hung around its neck, and a Five-Skull Crown sat upon its head. Countless dragons and snakes coiled around its form. Its hands held a bow and arrow. The bow was drawn to a full moon, the arrow nocked on the string, aiming squarely at Mingyou from afar. The threefold radiance of gold, silver, and iron smelted together at the arrowhead, condensing into a single point.

'Mahakala's Triple City-Slaying Arrow!'

In an instant, the destructive ripples erupting from Bukong's body not only made Mingyou's expression change but also drew the alarmed attention of the surrounding ascetic monks and Qi refining practitioners.

Bukong's move was far from unfamiliar.

'That belongs to the Great Black Heaven Bodhisattva...'

'Arhat Shengle is reportedly a disciple under that Bodhisattva, and Bukong is a disciple of the Shengle Arhat Seat. It's only normal that he can borrow a wisp of that profundity.'

This profundity was different from an ordinary spell; in essence, it was an invocation of a grand karmic accomplishment. Legend had it that when the Great Black Heaven Bodhisattva attained the Dao, otherworldly demons came to block his path. They rode a void-crossing Spiritual Treasure called the Three Linked Cities. Wherever it passed, it was unstoppable; Wisdom Kings could not block it, and Arhats could not subdue it.

So, in the end, the Great Black Heaven Bodhisattva drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

A single arrow shattered the Three Linked Cities and slaughtered every demon inside. Relying on this monumental accomplishment, he ascended to the Bodhisattva Position, residing high in the Great Brahma Heaven to this day.

And right now, Bukong was invoking the Great Black Heaven Bodhisattva's accomplishment to bless his divine arrow. He clearly didn't intend to give Mingyou any chances; he wanted to secure victory in one fell swoop!

"Boom!"

The bowstring snapped forward, and the arrow shot forth. The tri-colored brilliance of gold, silver, and iron instantly swallowed Mingyou's field of vision, bearing straight down on the auspicious clouds above his head. It radiated absolute destruction, intent on shooting the clouds right out of the sky.

Yet, in that split second, Mingyou showed no panic at all. The auspicious clouds above his head abruptly shrank, and then a single object was lifted from the rolling sea of vapor. It was a crystal-clear precious pearl. Without deviating an inch, it met the divine arrow that Bukong had fired with all his might, churning up a blaze of brilliant golden fire.

"Hm?"

Seeing this, Bukong instantly furrowed his brow. He had fired that arrow with everything he had. He thought that by seizing upon Mingyou's momentary opening, he could at least shoot down a chunk of the auspicious clouds.

Yet it achieved absolutely nothing.

Mingyou had merely invoked a single pearl to completely erase the opening Bukong had worked so hard to exploit. The auspicious clouds then swept over, withdrawing the pearl back into the misty sea.

Because of this, Bukong couldn't even get a clear look at the shifts in the qi upon the pearl.

However, just as Mingyou was preparing to press his advantage and counterattack to reclaim the upper hand, he suddenly whipped his head around again. A vivid picture of absolute fury washed over his face.

'...You little beast!'

.........

"Ah, my blood is spilling everywhere~~"

"Master, save me!"

"If you don't save me, I'm really going to die!"

While wildly hacking at Wu Chi with his saber, Wang Ping completely abandoned his defense. The moment Wu Chi even tried to counterattack, Wang Ping proactively withdrew every single protective art he had.

Consequently, out in the Cosmos, Mingyou was forced to immediately abandon his clash with Bukong and turn back to save him. This entire process repeated once, twice.

Three times, four times, five times...

"Biyang's... have you had enough?!"

In an instant, the world in Wang Ping's eyes plunged into darkness. A blazing light flared, making him feel as though he had been dragged back into the depths of his memories, returning to the day he conversed with Mingyou.

Only this time, the young daoist above Sun and Moon Lake had completely lost his former unfathomable aura. Instead, he gritted his teeth and gripped his Whisk so tightly his knuckles turned white, glaring daggers at him. "Are you really going to drag me down? If I lose this battle, no one else will come to save you. The other Qi refining practitioners will just watch from the sidelines."

"Then let them," Wang Ping blinked, completely unbothered. "My life isn't worth much anyway. If the Brahma Nation really wants it, they can have it. It's no big deal."

'They want it, and you'll just hand it over?!'

Mingyou grew even angrier, his gaze turning grim. "Do you really think that after you die, the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron will be able to summon your true spirit across space and resurrect you?"

"That doesn't matter either," Wang Ping spread his hands. "Taking an old dog like you down with me makes it worth it. With a bit of rounding up, I can even count this as slaying a Qi Refining Great Cultivator."

'It might be worth it for you, but I'm taking a massive loss!'

Just then, Wang Ping suddenly shifted his tone. "Unless you tell me the full scheme you and the True Person behind you have set up. Then, I might reconsider."

"..." Mingyou fell utterly silent.

At this moment, as a favored son of heaven who had once crossed the Eight-Crossed Fate Tribulation, an elite among the Immortal Gate's Qi refining practitioners, Mingyou's mood could only be described as profoundly complicated.

On one hand, it was absurd. What was his cultivation level, and what was Wang Ping's? Yet looking at this situation, he was actually being held hostage by this Biyang punk. On the other hand, he felt a grudging admiration. A mere lower-realm cultivator, someone who hadn't even reached the third layer of cultivation, actually dared to manipulate him—and succeeded. It was undeniably impressive.

Thinking of this, he actually calmed down.

"Fine."

With that, he simply raised a hand and gestured for Wang Ping to sit. Surprisingly, it was Wang Ping who felt slightly taken aback by this sudden shift in attitude. He quickly added a warning:

"Don't try to feed me any casual lies."

"Let me be clear: I've already guessed a few things. If what you tell me doesn't match what I already know, then don't blame me for dying right in front of you!"

"...Ridiculous. I have always been a man of my word. Why would I bother to deceive you?"

Mingyou sneered, immediately scrapping the story he had originally prepared, and spoke in a deep voice:

"In the very beginning, it was the True Person's scheme. He needed a cultivator to inherit the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart. However, after searching the entire Immortal Gate, there wasn't a single person who could successfully cultivate it."

"Until I discovered you."

"You were born as a black-headed commoner. You were inherently a subject of the Great Rebellion, yet you could ignore the resurrection laws of the black-headed commoners. It was obvious you had stumbled upon a miraculous encounter closely tied to the Great Rebellion."

"So, I made an attempt and let you cultivate the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart. The result was an actual success. This Major Divine Ability posed no difficulty for you whatsoever; you didn't even encounter a bottleneck during your cultivation. After that, you fell into my scheme, and the True Person began paying attention to you as well."

Wang Ping raised an eyebrow at this. "Just you?"

"Just me."

Mingyou said flatly, "The True Person paid some attention to you, but your mana is Earth Yin Water, which fundamentally clashes with the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart. So, it was only attention."

"Because aside from the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart, the True Person also needed a chess piece to shoulder the identity and the karmic accomplishments of the Great Rebellion. Earth Yin Water has absolutely nothing to do with the Great Rebellion."

"However..."

Mingyou's tone lifted slightly at the end. "Under my arrangement, you ultimately succeeded in bearing the identity of the Great Rebellion. That changed everything."

This had been his masterstroke.

"Using Kunyun's hand and the lifespan-stealing Wood Qi, I had you cultivate the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart and shoulder the Great Rebellion's identity. Only then did the True Person truly see you as a chess piece."

"As for me, I used this prime opportunity to extend my own lifespan. Because this entire process served the True Person's interests, he granted me certain conveniences, ensuring that the Wood Qi Daoist Master from the Immortal Prescription Courtyard never detected my schemes... This is the proper way for a lower cultivator to deal with upper cultivators within the Immortal Gate."

Mingyou shot a sidelong glance at Wang Ping.

"Under the premise of satisfying the higher cultivator's interests, you strive for as many benefits for yourself as possible. By acting in accordance with the will of heaven, you yield twice the result with half the effort—instead of flipping the table over nothing."

'To act against heaven—how could that ever last?'

'It is merely a momentary triumph.'

'Understand, you little beast? This is how it's normally done. Who flips the table, smashes the chessboard, and drags everyone into mutual destruction at the drop of a hat? That's not how you fight!'

Wang Ping naturally caught the underlying lecture in Mingyou's words, but he couldn't care less. He continued probing, "Why did the True Person want me to shoulder the Great Rebellion's identity?"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Wang Ping was met with a look from Mingyou as if he were an utter idiot.

"I don't know."

The answer was crisp and decisive. After all, if he knew, he would be the True Person himself. Would he still be sitting here getting blackmailed and jerked around by a junior? He would have slapped him to death long ago!

"Locking down your divine ability was the True Person's demand. Having the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart cover the entire Eight Trigrams Furnace was also the True Person's decree. None of that had anything to do with me. From beginning to end, I merely used your hands to whittle down the Wood Qi and seize my lifespan. You are already no longer my chess piece."

"You are the True Person's."

Hearing this, the smile on Wang Ping's face gradually faded. True Person Hanguang Danyang—compared to Mingyou, he was undoubtedly an infinitely more towering existence.

'Damn it, this is all this old beast's fault!'

Thinking of this, Wang Ping shot Mingyou another look and suddenly said, "I heard that Master's qi can ignite the light of wisdom, helping people achieve an epiphany in their cultivation?"

"...What are you planning?" Mingyou's eye twitched.

What was he planning?

"I want you to help me cultivate!"

Wang Ping sneered, "What, you refuse? If you refuse, I'll just go and die!"

After a brief, loaded silence, Mingyou let out a long, heavy exhale.

"This is the last time!"

.........

The darkness receded, and Wang Ping reopened his eyes. He cast a glance at Wu Chi a short distance away, then sat down cross-legged without another word, completely giving up all resistance.

Almost simultaneously, a beam of fiery light descended from the heavens, illuminating his face like a brilliant candle. It plunged him instantly into an indescribable state of epiphany. All the grueling battles he had fought up to this point, his comprehension of the Martial Dao, his insights into the Immortal Dao—inspiration began erupting from him like a geyser!

But out in the Cosmos, the situation was the exact opposite.

"Rumble!"

Accompanied by deafening booms, Mingyou—who had originally held every conceivable advantage against Bukong—was now forced to shrink into a defensive shell. He had to passively absorb the beatings just to keep the battlefield from collapsing.

This entire spectacle fell perfectly into the eyes of Xianfu and Kunlun.

"Great Cultivator Mingyou is truly willing to sacrifice himself just to protect Junior Brother Dousheng," Xianfu said with a smile, deliberately using Mingyou's Daoist title.

"Moving heaven and earth, deep master-disciple affection!"

"As for Junior Brother Dousheng... his conduct is upright. As a true transmission disciple and a talent of the sect, his ability to break new ground is truly a shining example for our Immortal Gate!"