Undying Life

Chapter 970: Amitabha

With Zhongshan's return, the strength of Great Zheng's army seemed to have instantly risen by several levels!

Soon, an extremely eerie event began to unfold—enemy commanders started being mysteriously assassinated! One or two could be dismissed as coincidence, but what about ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand?

The manner of death varied, but they all had one thing in common: the assassinations were silent and undetected!

These terrifying assassinations quickly threw the high-ranking commanders of the six celestial dynasties into a state of panic.

In the command tent of one of the celestial dynasties:

**"Marshal, today another one hundred and three commanders were killed, including twenty-eight city lords. The camps where the senior commanders were assassinated have instantly fallen into disarray, and the Great Zheng troops that had been subdued have suddenly all revolted!"** a general reported anxiously.

"Assassinations? Decapitation tactics?" The marshal at the command desk frowned.

"It's Great Zheng, it's Zhongshan! Marshal, according to the people of Great Zheng, Zhongshan has returned! Is this assassination his doing?" another general asked with concern.

"It must be him!" the marshal responded solemnly.

"How does Great Zheng have so many assassins, all silent and undetected? Are they all heavenly immortals?"

"With so many commanders dying every day, our troops that have invaded Great Zheng are getting stuck in a quagmire!"

"Who will be the next to be assassinated?"

The marshal sighed softly and said, "We were the ones who broke the rules first; Great Zheng is just imitating us."

The officials fell silent.

The assassinations—when the six celestial dynasties initially sent their experts on decapitation missions, those were at least done openly, with the pride of experts. But the experts of Great Zheng had completely turned into assassins! They even abandoned their pride?

An expert who throws away their pride is the most terrifying, and Great Zheng seemed to have far too many of such experts!

"Great Zheng has many secrets we don't know about. Inform all the commanders to be cautious, and also, prepare to retreat," the marshal said.

"Retreat? We've already come this far, and now we're retreating?" one general exclaimed in disbelief.

The marshal glanced at the general and sighed, "The tide has turned, and we have no choice but to retreat."

"The tide has turned? Marshal, only a few have died; Great Zheng's forces can't possibly withstand ours!" the general protested.

"When a commander dies, our army's morale wavers, and it's not just the army that is rebelling in Great Zheng. Haven't you seen the cities? In every city that resists, the people are joining the fight. With the assassins constantly appearing, these captured cities will soon be lost. Anything can be suppressed, but not the will of the people. This Zhongshan is too formidable!" the marshal lamented with his eyes closed.

The generals fell into silence.

**Lingxiao Heavenly Court, Hundred Lives Cave Heaven:**

A young man in white slowly emerged from the cave. His eyes, once bright, now held an inexplicable depth and an added sense of weariness. This was Shui Quan, the son of Shui Wuhen. He had been sentenced to death for plotting against his father's position but was spared due to a life-saving decree and sent to endure the trials of a hundred lives.

At the entrance of the Hundred Lives Cave Heaven, another young man stood guard—Lin Zhong, the son of Lin Xiao, who was about to undergo his own hundred lives trial at his father's request.

The moment Shui Quan emerged, he saw Lin Zhong.

Recognizing Lin Zhong, Shui Quan immediately walked over.

Lin Zhong, who had once been bullied and humiliated by Shui Quan due to his lack of strength, saw him approaching and felt a flicker of uncertainty in his heart. What did he want?

Lin Zhong prepared himself for battle, but as Shui Quan approached within a zhang's distance, he suddenly stopped.

Facing Lin Zhong, Shui Quan bowed deeply, his expression filled with sincerity. "I was too arrogant in the past and offended you, Brother Lin. Today, I sincerely apologize."

"Huh?" Lin Zhong was slightly taken aback.

"The trials of a hundred lives have shown me so much. I offended you in the past, Brother Lin, and I hope you can forgive me."

Though there was no one else around, this scene was clearly visible to Zhongshan, who was observing from a distant mountain peak.

"Shui Quan... It seems Wuhen has a worthy successor," Zhongshan remarked.

"Indeed," Tianlao, standing behind Zhongshan, replied solemnly. "These second-generation officials have lived too comfortably, but none of them are foolish. A bit of hardship is good for them."

"Hmm." Zhongshan nodded.

"Any movement from the Heavenly Peak?" Zhongshan asked.

"None yet; the old ancestors are still in seclusion," Tianlao responded gravely.

"I was too impatient. The Celestial Child spoke of three thousand years, and only a few hundred have passed,"Zhongshan said, nodding in understanding.

Tianlao remained silent.

"Prepare yourself. Tomorrow, we'll head to Qingqiu," Zhongshan instructed.

"Qingqiu?"

"There's unrest in Qingqiu. The Sima family has rebelled and now holds a significant advantage. It's possible that the Taichu Holy King has already been defeated. I've just received word that a powerful feng shui master has emerged in the Sima family," Zhongshan said seriously.

"A powerful feng shui master in Fengzhong Territory?" Tianlao showed a hint of surprise.

He was surprised on one hand, but also confident on the other. After inheriting the Tian Family Feng Shui techniques from the Celestial Child, Tianlao had spent centuries studying them at the Heavenly Peak. Though he hadn't fully mastered them, he was confident that no one in Fengzhong Territory could rival him—perhaps only the Mud Buddha could elude him.

"If my guess is correct, that person might be an old acquaintance of yours," Zhongshan said after some thought.

"Oh?"

"Shenxiu," Zhongshan stated confidently.

"Him? But isn't he dead?" Tianlao asked, surprised.

"He 'died,' but he's alive again. Prepare yourself for the journey to Qingqiu—Shenxiu isn't as simple as you might think," Zhongshan said calmly.

"Understood," Tianlao replied seriously.

"Go get ready; we leave at dawn," Zhongshan instructed.

"Yes!" Tianlao retreated.

"I'm coming too!"

Just as Tianlao left, a female voice chimed in. It was Huanji!

"You've been eavesdropping again?" Zhongshan asked, slightly annoyed.

"How can it be eavesdropping when I'm listening openly? Tomorrow's trip to Qingqiu will be so much fun! I've been cooped up in the Lingxiao Heavenly Court for so long; please let me come with you!" Huanji pleaded playfully.

"But isn't the Hundred Lives Cave Heaven here? Aren't you unable to leave?" Zhongshan asked, puzzled.

"No problem! With my years of cultivation, as long as I don't leave for more than a year, I'm fine!" Huanji quickly replied.

Zhongshan looked at her for a moment before finally nodding. "Fine, but you must listen to me when the time comes."

"Of course!" Huanji agreed eagerly.

Qingqiu, before the Imperial Palace!

The sound of battle filled the air, and corpses lay strewn everywhere, turning Qingqiu into a scene of unprecedented carnage.

To the east of the palace, in a place where bodies were piled high like mountains, the head of the Sima family, Sima Yuan, led a large force of powerful cultivators, advancing toward a group of armored soldiers.

Standing in their way was a group of soldiers clad in armor, led by none other than Su Afo, who had returned from the Nuwa Realm. Behind Su Afo stood a man in golden armor, Hong Xiao.

"Sima Yuan, the old Marshal Su is dead, and you still think you can stop me?" Sima Yuan said coldly.

"The old Marshal gave a final order before his death: all soldiers are to obey the commands of Young Master Su Afo! No one is to disobey!" Hong Xiao replied, shaking his head.

At this moment, Su Afo, standing in front of Hong Xiao, was filled with a murderous aura, his eyes glaring at Sima Yuan.

"Su Afo?" Sima Yuan looked at him.

Su Afo was covered in blood; the life-and-death battle he had just endured had forced him to mature instantly. Despite being gravely injured, he refused to back down.

"Su Afo, do you really think this is worth it? Taichu has already collapsed completely. All your friends have surrendered to the Sima family. If you continue to resist, you'll only die in vain. You're just a celestial immortal—do you think you can stop me?" Sima Yuan said, staring at Su Afo.

Sima Yuan, an ancient immortal, had been plagued with misfortune ever since he was struck by Zhongshan's terrifying gaze in the Nuwa Realm. In the Nuwa Realm, he had been tortured by dozens of ancient immortals in an attempt to force out information about the Qiankun Cauldron, leaving him with hidden injuries all over his body, and even causing him to lose all his hair. As a result, he was now extremely cautious, even when facing celestial immortals and a large contingent of heavenly soldiers. His recent streak of bad luck had made him overly wary.

"They are who they are, and I am who I am. Before he died, my grandfather told me that I belong to Taichu, and in this life, I can only be loyal to Taichu. If you want to pass, you'll have to step over my dead body!" Su Afo shook his head.

At this moment, Su Afo's determination became resolute, as if he had put life and death aside. A powerful sense of tragic heroism emanated from him.

Sima Yuan touched his bald head, feeling an overwhelming sense of bad luck. Ever since that blue light had shone on him, nothing had gone right. And now, even this previously frivolous young master had suddenly developed such a backbone? It was all too eerie!

The four armies were attacking the palace from all directions, yet his force had run into this lunatic! What rotten luck!

"Kill!" Sima Yuan ordered. The powerful cultivators behind him immediately charged forward.

Sima Yuan didn't want to personally engage in the fight. His status was one reason, but more importantly, he felt his luck had been too rotten lately, and he preferred to observe from a distance.

The battle erupted once more.

It was another brutal and bloody fight. On the eastern side of the palace, Su Afo stood firm, refusing to retreat! This was the last line of defense for Taichu; how could he allow it to be breached?

Su Afo's fierce resolve seemed to inspire all the soldiers, who joined him in resisting the traitorous rebels.

However, the number of rebels was overwhelming, and the soldiers behind Su Afo dwindled until only he and Hong Xiao remained.

"Thud!"

A dull sound echoed as the battle suddenly paused. A long sword had pierced through Su Afo's heart and into his dantian.

"Young Master!" Hong Xiao cried out in shock.

At the rear, Sima Yuan finally showed a gleam of excitement.

"You little brat, I told you—you can't stop me, and no one can stop me!" Sima Yuan exclaimed, a bit of excitement in his voice.

Ever since his string of bad luck began, Sima Yuan had become emotionally unstable. Seeing Su Afo on the brink of death, he quickly exhaled in excitement. At that moment, Sima Yuan felt as though the dark cloud of misfortune that had been hovering over him was finally lifting.

Opposite him, Su Afo stared at the sword in his chest. Instead of pain, his face showed an expression of deep realization, as if he had suddenly achieved enlightenment.

"What is there to lament in life, or to fear in death?" Su Afo said calmly, his expression serene.

"What do you mean, 'what is there to lament in life, or to fear in death'? Are you crazy?" Sima Yuan's emotions were unstable. He had just exhaled in relief, but now seeing Su Afo's calm demeanor, he almost jumped up. Sima Yuan could not bear to see anyone more composed than himself.

Su Afo ignored him, and in a final, eerie moment, he clasped his hands together in a Buddhist gesture of prayer.

"Amitabha～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～"

In an instant, the air was filled with the sound of chanting. A million golden Buddhist symbols seemed to suddenly burst from Su Afo's body, swirling around him, shooting straight up to the heavens.

From all directions came the deep, resonant sound of Buddhist chants, with "Amitabha" being the most prominent.

Sima Yuan stood there, mouth agape in astonishment. His streak of bad luck seemed far from over. Who was this Su Afo really? Whose reincarnation had he offended now?

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8