The strong left with their dependents, leaving only the helpless weak to watch the sky dim little by little, struggling to survive.
Therefore, a compassionate Great Immortal threw out a scroll from his hand, transforming it into a small world. It absorbed several planets, creating a world where many races could multiply and thrive, taking in many.
It is said that this Great Immortal was named Luozhou, and he even had a tuft of beard on his chin… but the specifics are all lost to the ages.
The scroll left by that Great Immortal is the universe everyone is in now.
To prevent this world from falling into destruction, it undergoes a reincarnation every 129,600 years. As the saying goes, 'a new beginning for the new year, everything is renewed.' The newborn world sheds its decay and can once again flourish.
By now, it is unknown how many reincarnations there have been.
At the end of each epoch, the seeds of life are preserved, waiting for the next epoch to re-germinate civilization.
However, life is fragile after all, unable to withstand so many violent upheavals. The life seeds of many races shattered and dissipated, unable to awaken and breathe the fresh air of the earth again.
Each time an epoch is renewed, the civilization running within the scroll world regresses a little.
The descendants of those who once commanded wind and rain became weak and incompetent, even losing their intelligence and turning into ordinary beasts.
A more serious problem is not just the regression in the quality of life seeds, but also that the scroll itself cannot support repeated cycles of reincarnation and rebirth.
Perhaps in a few more epochs, this world will shatter.
The surviving lives, like faint flames, would be extinguished in an instant upon contact with the cruel cold wind of the dead universe outside.
Simon spoke slowly, and illusions appeared around him, depicting the world before that epoch.
Everyone was horrified, shouting, "Bodhisattva is merciful."
People thought that Bodhisattva Lu Yuan was also a powerful being like the Great Immortal of old, who would lead them to transcend the misfortune of death.
Simon lowered his gaze.
He was not such a powerful being.
Not even a manifested body.
At most, he was an inheritor.
The inheritor of the scroll world.
What he wanted to do was actually similar to what Demon God Shu wanted to do.
Demon God Shu wanted to be the monster that brought about the end of the epoch. He wanted to become the end of the epoch, forever transcending reincarnation, until the day the scroll collapsed.
What did Simon want to do?
He wanted to change the pattern of epochal reincarnation.
Life withers and flourishes, but wisdom needs to endure.
To achieve this, the old world must first be overthrown.
Simon told everyone that Demon God Shu would eventually devour the world, then instructed them to quickly settle in the Pure Land, as the decisive battle was approaching.
Yes.
As the Son of the Epoch, the ultimate decisive battle between Taiwu and Demon God Shu would be personally initiated by Simon.
And to ensure victory, Simon had already done his best.
Demon God Shu is the aggregation of all sentient beings' evil thoughts. Now that all sentient beings have entered the Pure Land, Demon God Shu can no longer receive an endless supply, plus the Fuyu Sword Hilt—one of the ten weapons from Demon God Shu, of the same origin—possesses the potential to end Demon God Shu.
After instructing the populace in the Pure Land, Simon left the high platform.
It was time to find the Taishi Successor.
Now, in this world, he was almost omniscient.
With one step, he arrived at the foot of Lotus Mountain, where a petite girl stood before the Lion Appearance Sect's mountain gate.
The gate-keeping disciples were all in the Pure Land.
The vast sect was empty, and Taiwu Xixi, not wanting to trespass like a thief, waited honestly at the entrance.
Simon suddenly appeared before her.
Taiwu Xixi was stunned, "You, you look so handsome."
A Bodhisattva's wondrous appearance, of course it was handsome.
Simon looked at the little girl kindly and gently called out, "Sun Lichai."
Taiwu Xixi frowned, "What Sun Lichai? I'm Fu Xixi."
"Yes, you are Fu Xixi. Then guess who I am?"
"You… look a little familiar."
Had she forgotten even the Bodhisattva statue she saw every day?
"You…" Taiwu Xixi was in a daze for a moment, "Lu Yuan… no, uh, are you the Buddhist Son?"
"Yes."
Taiwu Xixi's face immediately showed the excited expression of seeing an idol, "Ahhh! It's the Buddhist Son!" She even boldly ran to Simon and pulled his sleeve.
"Buddhist Son, you've returned to the human world? What are you doing here? Are you looking for Brother Li, like me? He's really amazing, known as the 'Enemy of Ten Thousand' in the martial world, a strong person second only to you. If you need anything from him, he can definitely help you. But you see, there's no one at his house…" Taiwu Xixi mumbled, rambling on, "Oh right, Buddhist Son, can you help me save someone?"
"Save who?"
"Save my Brother Bai." The little girl's face was pure and innocent. Yes, in her heart, the Buddhist Son saved those in suffering, and he would not refuse any kind request.
Simon chuckled, "You're much cuter than in your previous life."
Taiwu Xixi continued to mumble. Simon took her hand, and in one step, they crossed thousands of mountains and waters, arriving in the heart of Ran Mountain.
Wang Ping'an's small building.
Entering the first floor, it was hung with long drapes. These cloth curtains had talismans pasted on them, all drawn with cinnabar.
A cross breeze blew through, making the cloth curtains rustle.
Taiwu Xixi was still mumbling, her voice startling the people upstairs.
An old Daoist rushed down, "Who goes there!"
Simon examined this old acquaintance. Indeed, he was an old acquaintance, the Daoist who had divined Li Dingxun's fate, Wang Ping'an's master.
Taiwu Xixi introduced herself openly, completely unaware of how suspicious it was for a stranger like her to appear in someone's sect.
However, the old Daoist's attention was completely drawn to Simon.
He knelt down with a bang, his old, poorly maintained knees colliding solidly with the ground, making a terrifying creaking sound.
The old Daoist prostrated himself completely.
"Greetings, Buddhist Son."
Simon nodded, "I've come to see your disciple."
The old Daoist was instantly moved to tears, "The Buddhist Son, even in his busy schedule, still cares about human suffering…"
Taiwu Xixi frowned, "Oh, it was I who asked the Buddhist Son to save someone."
The Daoist was still trembling on the ground, uttering empty praises, his emotions a confused and complex mess.
Simon passed by him and went upstairs, then saw two beds placed side by side in the empty room, with a man lying on each.
He understood at a glance.
Wang Ping'an's aura was like a flood dragon, while Bai Zimo's aura was like a jagged rock.
Their previous lives had returned.
…
Green Stone Pavilion.
A game of chess.
A swordsman and a monk sat opposite each other.
The swordsman wore white, holding black pieces.
The monk wore black, holding white pieces.
Outside the pavilion, a light rain fell.
A mirror lake, gently rippling.
Distant mountains like ink, a long sky like silk, both reflected, water and sky as one.
In the water's reflection, the swordsman wore black, and the monk wore white.
"Layman Mo Yun, long time no see."
"That should be said to you, Master Ben You."
"We didn't expect to meet again."
The swordsman was silent, "When did you return?"
"Eighteen years ago."
"At that time, the child Bai Zimo hadn't been born yet, right? Have you always been inside him?"
"I am him."
"Impossible."
"Why not?"
"He should be the reincarnation of the Broken Sword's Sword Intent."
The monk's face was expressionless, but his tone was gentle, "Sword Intent, Sword Heart. Heart is me, I am Heart."
"So you have always been that Spirit Platform Bodhi Tree, and the Sword Intent, in turn, was the Bodhi seed."
The monk smiled faintly, brilliant as spring flowers, "It's time to go, the Bodhisattva is waiting for us."
He stood up, the chessboard filled, neither side winning or losing.
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