After a long time, the dragon-cat brought its fuzzy palm in front of Li Qiye and said: âWe couldnât bring Buddhism to everyone but this is a chance right now. We wonât ask you to plant it then, only hoping for you to find him and give it to him. Iâm sure he will tell you what you want to know.â
The person the dragon-cat was referring to was naturally the surviving Golden Buddha, the only one who survived from the epoch.
âThat I can help you with.â Li Qiye nodded and accepted the seed.
âThe grand dao is difficult; same with the myriad ages. Weâll see if you can persevere. Please donât fall into the darkness like the rest of the wise sages.â The dragon-cat placed his palms together and bowed towards him.
âOne can only say that their dao heart wasnât firm enough.â Li Qiye calmly said: âIt was strong enough for them to reach invincibility and opened an unprecedented path for them, but not enough to save them from themselves! Without a firm dao heart, them having more power will only cause trouble to the ages.â
âSo many living beings but how many actually end from starting? Everything starts and ends with greed.â The dragon-cat sighed sentimentally. [1]
âYou mean others have come here already?â Li Qiye noticed something and asked: âLooks like your Buddhist Plain is still quite popular and precious.â
âIâm only a lingering intent, not precious at all. Just have a few items that they desire, thatâs all.â The creature said.
âThatâs true.â Li Qiye smiled: âCrossing the river of time to see the accumulation of faith. So many desires immortality and believes the popular adage of reaching the other shore and obtain the auspicious fruit of the living! But they think they are worthy?!â The smile turned into a snort of derision at the end.
âThe auspicious karmic fruit is no longer around, so no immortality. But those with greed in their heart hope for such a thing.â The creature responded.
âEven if your other shore and karmic fruit were still around, hah, if they want it, they must ask me for permission first! Hiding inside the river of time was one thing but they want immortality too?! One day, Iâll flatten them all!â Li Qiye was usually calm but his words carried great fanfare this time around.
âYou canât hide your compassion for the other beings or you wouldnât care about this.â The creature smiled.
âNo, not for living beings. They simply want to stand in my way so I will show no mercy, not caring or showing respect for their history.â Li Qiye smiled and said.
âIâm sure you can do it.â The creature said: âThe end of the world is far away. Take your time, be prudent. Perhaps the destruction and new cycle wonât come in the future; the real answer is in the heart.â
âTake care.â Li Qiye nodded and turned to leave.
After returning to the old shrine, he sighed while looking at the eight Golden Buddhas. Death was the final outcome for these apex existences of an epoch. How many actually remembered them now?
He smiled, mocking himself and said: âSavior, that has never been my thing! Only death and massacre. If there must be a new world, let it be born from blood.â
Alas, the dragon-cat was right. There was still a long way to go before reaching the end of the world.
âBuzz.â Next, the wall of the shrine lit up with the fluctuation of space. The princess was pushed out.
âYoung Noble.â She revealed a kingdom-topping smile after seeing him.
âNot a bad fortune, this is a grand creation.â He looked at her and nodded.
âIt is all thanks to your guidance. I wouldnât have this without you.â She happily bowed towards him.
She did obtain an amazing fortune this time, increasing her enlightenment by quite a bit and allowing her to take a unique path. He nodded and accepted her grand gesture.
Meanwhile, the Golden Shrine was still as lively before. There were even more cultivators in front of it. However, they werenât here to get the treasures, only to watch the fun.
In fact, many have given up about these treasures because quite a few have tried already without success. Even some High Gods have died here.
Even though the treasures were tempting, life was even more precious.
There was no room to get into the shrine right now. All the spectators were crowding together for the fun show.
The stars were no one else but Jin Ge and Qin Baili. Only characters like them would cause such a commotion.
At this time, there was a table on top of piles of gold. On one side was Qin Baili and the other, Jin Ge. Their appearance together here attracted all the spectators.
They were both famous as supreme geniuses in Pure. Even though Qin Baili had lost before, this didnât diminish his fame. As for Jin Ge, he was someone who was about to become a Grand Emperor. Thus, he was destined to be in the spotlight.
Of course, their bet commanded even more attention. The two of them prepared a table here in order to have a contest.
Remember, many would be on guard after entering the Golden Shrine. The place itself wouldnât attack anyone but a single strand of greed would guarantee death.
Who wouldnât have a greedy urge while surrounded by gold and treasures? No one would dare to claim to have control over their dao heart in this scenario.
Because of this incapability, no one dared to stand inside the shrine unless they have made up their mind after risking it all for the treasures.
At this moment, the duo was sitting calmly in the shrine. Just their decisiveness alone was worthy of admiration.
Ultimately, one was about to become an emperor while the other had immeasurable potential. Other geniuses wouldnât take this risk but the two of them were deep in there.
They had a very special competition going on. It was a test of vision and will about the treasures here.
They would each pick an item in the shrine then compare the items. The better picker would win.
In the beginning, they started with the scattered gold before moving to rarer and better treasures, including divine artifacts and Buddhist relics!
As long as one was only appreciating the treasure without greed, they would be fine in the shrine. However, the first greedy intent or the slightest palpitation from wanting to take something away would definitely end in death.
The two were from imperial lineages and have seen numerous imperial treasures before, ordinary treasures wouldnât be able to get into their sight, let alone shaking their dao heart.
Nevertheless, the treasures here were quite amazing, not inferior to any imperial treasury. It was one thing to take a glance over yonder, but a close inspection would certainly incite greed. This was a suicidal endeavor.
âBang!â Qin Baili placed a golden cup on the table while Jin Ge chose a precious pearl.
The two of them carefully looked at each otherâs choice. Jin Ge started the conversation: âBrother Qin, your cup must belong to a supreme Buddha since it has an eternal essence. It might even be from the legendary other shore. My pearl was incubated by a heavenly dragon and has reached a great level but it is indeed inferior compared to an item from the other shore. You win this round, Brother Qin.â
âGulp.â After Jin Ge finished his assessment, many spectators swallowed their saliva. Both the cup and pearl were priceless treasures. They would be dead right now if they were inside the shrine.
However, both Jin Ge and Qin Baili were fine. This showed that these items didnât tempt them.
âIâm just lucky, thatâs all.â Qin Baili smiled and said: âWe have both won three rounds, do you wish to continue, Brother Jin Ge?â
âWeâre both here already, might as well enjoy ourselves.â Jin Ge smiled and said.
âVery well, Iâll entertain you then.â Qin Baili laughed freely in response.
1. Iâm not sure the first phrase is clear. It means living and dying in a natural manne