Chapter 700 - A Small Paradise (1/2)

Mist and clouds extended into the distance. A Great Water Buffalo stepped on and broke the waves of clouds with someone on its back. That, someone, was Shen Lian.

The water buffalo was none other than the Bull King whom Shen Lian battled before with Kui Li at his side. It was also a prehistoric species. If Shen Lian had not been so boundlessly strong, the Bull King may not surrender so easily.

This time, Bull King was out of luck. Were it not for the fact that it and Zhang Ruoxu's reincarnation was in the same village, Shen Lian would not have purposely come here to trouble it. Pure coincidence caused this situation to unfold and since Shen Lian had found it, he could reduce it to submission without much inconvenience.

Its destiny was such, therefore there was nothing that it could have done.

The water buffalo mooed and said, ”A few days ago, Old Master Shen used a large amount of mana to wipe out two heavenly nations whose embryonic form could be seen slightly unifying the Underworld. Not only that, you even managed to occupy Biyou Palace. Could it be that you are that ancient almighty person in your current life?”

The fact was that he intended to fish out how things stood with Shen Lian. After all, in observing Shen Lian's swift uprising, it was simply all the power of the heaven and earth as of that moment. Without his surprising luck and the absence of those who could measure his background, Shen Lian could not have achieved the fruit of labor that he had today.

Shen Lian smiled, ”I was one of the many beings in Jambudvīpa. Destiny and coincidence led me to today. Contrary to what one may expect, the origins of the young boy just now are far from mild. A water buffalo such as yourself being able to attract him to enter Dao is a production of good karma without a foundation.”

Water buffalo felt a stir in its heart. What it did for Li Erniu was simply to repay the favor for the care given to it. It did not expect Li Erniu to have an origin far from the ordinary. As a result of it having a good impression of the child, it asked Shen Lian, ”What is his origin?”

With a smile, Shen Lian replied, ”The design of the Gods cannot be revealed.” With one look Shen Lian could recognize the origins of the young boy. Back then, Shen Lian was hit with an idea to use the viewpoint of the Qing Xuan Heavenly Lord of Salvation from Misery to look carefully at Li Erniu's previous incarnation and current life. Only then did he discovered something odd. However, that person suffered a heavy creation back in the day. As of that moment, he would also have been reincarnated several times. Even though Li Erniu was the current life of that person, it might not be easy to restore the unrivaled disposition that person had back in the day.

Water buffalo was curious, but it did not dare to press on further and merely cursed to itself.

It was surprising for a man and a buffalo to have much to chat about as they cruised in the vast sky. Shen Lian was knowledgeable and experienced, and water buffalo itself knew a little about ancient secrets, not to mention it was also a demon with enormous capabilities. Their exchange contained many subtle and profound theories. An extraordinary Daoist who heard them debate would inevitably come out of the discussion as a more learned person.

For the two of them, it was simply for the sake of passing time rather than to deliberately learn something from the conversation.

The Netherworld at that time was huge, far surpassing its previous size. Still, it did not stop expanding its domain. It was not urgent for Shen Lian to return to Zhou Kingdom's capital, rather, he was preparing to carefully move back and forth between the Netherworld and the World. He had high mana and he possessed the divine power of the Heavenly Lord of Salvation from Misery; even though he was amongst the clouds in the sky, he could still hear the sound of suffering from the world of mortals.

The karmic retribution suffered by all living beings were unbearably miserable; some of that disastrous news reached his ears and invoked a rustle of emotion in his heart. The Seven Buddhist Dukkhas of Human Life, among which there were three: association with that which he hated, separation from that which he loved, and inability to fulfill that which he desired. All these were which even Shen Lian himself could not extricate himself out of. The other four – birth, aging, sickness, and death, caused every living being to be miserable throughout their days, where even a smile ceased to exist.

If it were not for him being so lucky as to set foot on the path of cultivation, he would also be suffering from all these pain. Moreover, during his life on earth as a doctor, he would experience such suffering more deeply.

Regarding that, even if the future held in store countless torments and trials which Shen Lian had to endure, he was still a person far surpassing that of any mortal. Therefore, even if he fell into an impasse, he should not be complaining about it.

After a while, the sound of suffering from the living beings was severed from Shen Lian's ears. Apparently, water buffalo did not distinguish between a good route and a bad one, leading them to a place where space and time flowed in confusion. There was a magnificent light up ahead. It was the entrance to a tunnel. Out of the entrance, there were divine lights of numerous colors going about in circles.

An ordinary cultivator who found themselves in this place would have been sucked in it immediately. Their bodies would then turn into dust, and not even their spirit would remain. Water buffalo merely stood in the void, majestic yet motionless. Gently and cautiously, he said, ”Old Master, it appears that ahead of us, there is an abode of immortals that look as though it was opened by someone almighty. It is currently fusing with the Netherworld.”

Shen Lian nodded, ”Along with the external enlargement of the Netherworld, it not only has to recall the fragments of the former Netherworld but occasionally it swallows up a few places of paradise. On the one hand, it is actually possible to create a heavenly picture out of this, enabling some of the younger generations to explore them. It could be considered a subset of improving oneself by cultivation.”

The paradise in the void created by these ancient celestials were essentially small worlds, though its laws were not necessarily complete. Even if there were some cultivators inside, it would be hard to pry into the Great Way, not to mention the condensing of their primordial spirit and attainment of immortality. In the same way as Huandan, it would not be easy.