Chapter 365: Chapter 30: Supreme Sighs, Shangqing Glares, East Emperor Tolls the Bell

"Why do you say such things, Medicine King Buddha?"

The First Emperor’s face twisted into a sneer as he waved his hand dismissively.

"I swept across the land and united the world. Did the Immortals and Buddhas contribute in any way? What does this have to do with the beings in the heavens? The Mandate of Heaven..."

He let out a booming laugh.

"My destiny was bestowed upon me by the Elder Sages of old! What has it to do with any of you!"

"Insolence." The Medicine King Buddha lowered his gaze, his voice a cold Brahma Sound. "The Qin Dynasty is fated for thirty thousand years. Since you show no reverence for the Immortals and Buddhas, I shall sever ten thousand years of it."

As the Brahma Sound reverberated, this Ancient Buddha—said to be the closest being to the Daluo Level—reached out. He lifted the Glazed World, seized the vast national fortune of the Great Qin, and slashed down!

BOOM!!

To the naked eye, the national fortune of Great Qin, once blazing like oil on a fire, diminished by a third. Its momentum plummeted!

The eyes of the hundred thousand Black Armor soldiers turned crimson. Chaos suddenly threatened the once-peaceful land as Tribulation Qi began to rise!

But the First Emperor was neither shocked nor enraged. He simply gazed calmly at the lofty Medicine King Buddha and declared:

"Relay my decree. Of the hundreds of Buddhist temples within the borders of the Qin Dynasty, destroy half. As for the temples of the Medicine King Buddha, tear every last one of them down."

"For your insolence, I will sever another eight thousand years of your fortune." The Medicine King Buddha’s voice boomed like a Brahma Sound again. And just as he declared, another eight thousand years were severed from the fortune of the Qin Dynasty!

Of the thirty thousand years of fortune, only twelve thousand remained. The Tribulation Qi surged more violently, and some of it silently seeped into the bodies of Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.

The Wu’an Monarch’s eyes turned red as well, and he gripped his longsword tightly. Yan Huang, Zhang Jifeng, and Wang Zhiyao were utterly dumbfounded. ’To sever eighteen thousand years of a nation’s fortune over a mere disagreement... This...’

Yet the First Emperor remained neither shocked nor enraged. He said coolly:

"Relay my decree once more. For the hundreds of Buddhist temples, destroy them all. I will wield the full power of my nation to exterminate Buddhism."

After a pause, Ying Zheng extended a hand, pointed at the Medicine King Buddha, and said with a faint smile:

"And we will start with him."

The moment his words fell, the three thousand streams of Human Dao Fortune on his person resonated as one. The Medicine King Buddha’s face changed; he was struck by an unseen force, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood as his glazed body began to crack!

High in the clouds, both Taibai and Li Jing watched with schadenfreude. ’That Ancient Buddha sure is audacious. He knew Ying Zheng was at the absolute peak of his power, yet he still dared to stick his neck out. Well, serves him right. Tens of thousands of years of bitter cultivation, ruined in an instant...’

The Medicine King Buddha was enraged. He felt the cracks spreading across his once-immaculate divine form. His Glazed World was thrown into turmoil, shaking as if on the verge of collapse.

He was filled with utter regret and limitless rage. A profound killing intent surfaced in his eyes.

"Are you seeking death?"

"Care to try?" the First Emperor laughed. "Attendants! Add another accomplishment to my Stone Stele: the Extermination of Buddhism!"

The Wu’an Monarch strode to the Stone Stele without a moment’s hesitation. He raised his sword like a brush, ready to carve into the stone. The Medicine King Buddha could finally restrain himself no longer and brought his palm crashing down.

"To offend the Immortals and Buddhas is to have your body and soul annihilated."

"Today’s Sealing ceremony is a momentous occasion for the Human Race. Must you act this way, Ancient Buddha?" Suddenly, an aged voice spoke. A scholar emerged from a simple, ancient carriage. With a flicker, he appeared before the Wu’an Monarch.

The Medicine King Buddha’s expression changed. He abruptly retracted his Buddha’s Palm and narrowed his eyes.

"Confucius."

"Greetings, Medicine King Buddha." Confucius nodded placidly.

All of Mount Taishan fell silent for a moment, then erupted in an uproar! 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The hundred thousand Black Armor soldiers roared with excitement, all shouting the name of Confucius. Yan Huang and his two companions stared with wide, burning eyes.

’Is... is that the legendary Confucius?!’

In the heavens, the Immortal Gods all frowned. Marshal Tianpeng flinched.

"A Human Saint... This just got complicated."

Although a Human Saint was only comparable to an Immortal in power, they possessed such a high standing in the world that no Immortal or Buddha was willing to strike them. The loss would far outweigh the gain!

Even an Existence like the Medicine King Buddha, who was a mere hair’s breadth from the Daluo Level, could kill this Saint with the flip of a palm.

But the resulting backlash from the world itself would likely mean his own demise!

On the Sealing Platform, the First Emperor gave a small smile. He glanced at the Medicine King Buddha and said coolly,

"I should thank the Medicine King Buddha for cutting away that illusory eighteen thousand years of fortune for me... Did you truly believe that would frighten me, Ancient Buddha? As for the remaining twelve thousand years... why don’t you give it another try and see if you can cut those down too?"

With that, he ignored the Medicine King Buddha’s livid expression and continued the Sealing ceremony, making offerings to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and to the Two Saints, Lu and Kong!

The Medicine King Buddha’s face contorted with rage as he said coldly,

"All of you, are you still content to watch? How much longer will you wait?"

The expressions of the assembled Immortal Gods in the heavens shifted. They knew they could wait no longer. If they truly allowed Ying Zheng to complete the Sealing ceremony, they would become a complete laughingstock!

The lord of the Thunder Division, a being called Wen Zhong, sighed. He waved his hand, and the generals of the Thunder Division began to beat their drums, conjuring bolt after bolt of Great Thunder and unleashing a torrential downpour.

The Immortal Gods from the North Pole Celestial Court also employed their own methods. Constrained by Ying Zheng’s formidable Human Dao Fortune and Confucius’s Human Saint Position, they dared not engage in direct slaughter. Instead, they summoned all manner of natural disasters to besiege Mount Taishan!

Li Jing, Taibai, Marshal Tianpeng, and the other Immortals and Buddhas from the Central Celestial Court were about to make their move when they saw a streak of Immortal Light speeding toward them from the East. They all paused.

Li Jing exclaimed in shock,

"Nezha?"

The next moment, Nezha arrived, riding his Wind-Fire Wheels. He offered a beaming salute.

"Greetings, Venus."

As he spoke, he shot a strange glance at the portly, large-eared Marshal Tianpeng, yet completely ignored Li Jing standing right beside him.

Li Jing’s face darkened. Just as he was about to rebuke him, the situation on Mount Taishan changed once again!

Surrounded by natural disasters, battered by torrential rain, and deafened by the roar of Great Thunder,

the First Emperor’s steps became labored, yet he did not halt. He descended from the Sealing Platform, walked to the stele of accomplishments, and took out the long-forged Great Seal.