274 Join the Devil III (2/2)
The old monk's words were not complicated nor deep at all. There was no hidden meaning nor was there a need to read between the lines. He had slowly put across a pure and simple logic, allowing the three youngsters to listen to the cultivation world he knew about.
The old monk sounded weak. His slight hoarse voice and tone were filled with his passion and compassion towards this world. Though his voice was calm, it was very convincing. Whatever he said sounded like golden words.
At first, Ning Que wasn't even listening to the old monk, yet he was unknowingly being attracted by his words. He sat on the ground and began to listen to him attentively. Since he came from the Wilderness, he had been feeling tense. However, upon listening to his benevolent voice, he felt more relaxed and his body was less tense.
The Devil's Palace seemed to have accumulated several years of loneliness as it had isolated from the world's rowdiness. Only the old monk's voice was gradually spreading like the lotus flower and echoing in the place. His voice and expressions were finally transformed into the dews on the lotus petals as they reverberated between the walls and his soul. A series of reverberation came one after another gradually, and the warm feeling somewhat made one uncomfortable.
A white bone with half-dried flesh was left in the midst of The Bone Mountain. The white bone was facing the sky and its dried fingers were stretched to the back of his head as though they were supporting his head. Its fleshless right leg was placed on top of its left knee. It seemed to be quietly and happily listening as well, and it looked extraordinarily at ease. Not sure if it was the creation of the wind or the water droplets, the head of the white bone would shake slightly, as though it was agreeing his words.
After an unknown amount of time, the teachings that were reverberating between the room and the souls had gradually stopped. The old monk gazed gently at the three youngsters, who were in deep thoughts. Upon seeing their troubled faces, he gently smiled and said, ”The Front Gate is opened. Riots would certainly rise again in the world. By estimation, I believe it's time for me to leave soon.”
Ye Hongyu raised her head in awe. She was lost for words.
The old monk looked at both his hands, which had formed into the lotus sign once again. He remained silent for a moment before he said briefly, ”I'd seen the world using the secular eyes throughout my whole life and it was fruitful. I was born as a buddhist, practiced as a Taoist yet ended up joining the Devil's Doctrine. Now that I'm coming to an end of my life, I recalled the words of that Great Divine Priest who had created the Devil's Doctrine. He said if you know me, you will blame me. Yet as time goes by, one will feel that it doesn't matter at all. After all, one will need to return to where he came from. Hence, why should I be mindful of who knows me or who blames me?”
”Only, who on this earth can really put down life and death totally? Even if one had gone through life and death, how certain that one would not leave any feeling for the world? Or even hope to leave some marks in the world? It's the same for me.”
The old monk slowly raised his head and looked at the three youngsters. He grinned and said, ”I've cultivated all three religions and had isolated myself from the world for several years to atone my sins. I dare not say that I have achieved a lot but I did obtain something from the past years. I hope to pass down the little strength that is left in my weak body. Not sure which of you is willing to gratefully accept my mantle.”
It was rumored that for Grand Cultivator who had cultivated to the highest point, due to their deep understanding towards the world, they could even know when they were going to leave the world. Master Lotus had locked himself in the Front Gate of the Devil's Doctrine to atone his sins via suffering for the past several years. In the end, he met with the few disciples at the Front Gate. This opportunity is probably a turning point of life and death. Hence, when the three of them heard him saying that he was about to leave this world, though they were shocked, they were not totally unprepared of it.
Yet, when they heard that Master Lotus had decided to leave his mantle with one of them, the cool and calm Ning Que could not help but be shaken by the idea. Ye Hongyu's mind was wavering as well. She held her fist tightly and was speechless.
The two most important things in life were none other than knowing the way to understand the world and having the ability to change the world. Master Lotus' way of understanding the world was already heard by all three of them previously for a long time. However, the ability to change the world was naturally dependable on the strength and state of a cultivator.
The right path of cultivation would never have a way to pass down the strength, only the strong ones from the Devil's Doctrine could pass down their strengths to the chosen ones via initiations before they died. If Master Lotus wished to leave his mantle, then he should be using this method as well!
What kind of person was Master Lotus? Ning Que had never heard of him before, but now he was very clear.
He was a person who had cultivated in all three religions before and lived in two large Unknown Places before. He was once a protector of the Front Gate of the Buddhism Sect, a Great Divine Priest of Judgment of the Divine Hall, and had almost accidentally become the leader of the Devil's Doctrine. He was qualified to be his Youngest Uncle's traveling partner and had stayed in the forbidden mountain for numerous years to connect cultivation with the Devil's skills to create the Divine Skill! He was such a legend, and thus, he was definitely the strongest human in the world!
If he was able to obtain his mantle, how many years could he save on this tough and long cultivation path? How powerful could he get? What type of world would he be able to experience after that?
Most importantly, Ning Que was certain that if he could obtain the old monk's mantle, he would not need to wait for a long time before he could kill General Xia Hou, Prince Lee Peiyan and those sneaky shadows hiding behind them. He would not need to borrow the strength from the Academy and put his seniors into a tight situation. He would also be able to simply get his long overdue revenge.
His loving parents who had died in a pool of blood, his childhood friend who was stepped to death, his blood-stained chopper, the two people who had fallen in the woodshed, Darkie who was by the grey wall on a rainy day, as well as the innocent villagers who were slaughtered in Darkie's hometown. All these scenes had suddenly appeared in his mind as they silently stared at him.
Actually, he had long forgotten the hatred he had for the massacre that year, but he was scared of this calmness. Hence, he felt the need to root this hatred deep within his bones. Though this hatred had already turned sour, it had also become the most vital pillar of support in his life. When this pillar was mixed together with his greed for power, it became a strong and an irresistible seduction.
This seduction was like an invisible hand that lifted him from the ground and encouraged him to spread his legs apart with difficulty as he moved his way into the Bone Mountain.
Suddenly, he stopped moving.