Chapter 404: Chapter 52: I Take a Dao Fruit as a Chess Piece

’Who am I?’

’Where am I?’

In a daze, the unconscious Ben Bo’Erba was flicked awake by the stunningly beautiful woman’s finger. In that instant, he thought he saw a giant boulder crash into the Celestial Myriad Realms, kicking up an infinite, multi-versal wave.

Ben Bo’Erba shuddered. He lay obediently in the palm of the beautiful woman’s hand, not daring to move a muscle, trembling and shivering in fear.

’He was completely bewildered. The... the Celestial Emperor??’

’His Majesty the Celestial Emperor!!’

’If the one pinned to the cliff is the legendary Celestial Emperor, then who is this peerless woman sitting and chained here?’

’And who was that entering nirvana on the scorched black peak??’

Ben Bo’Erba grew even more dazed, silent as a cicada in winter. How could he possibly care about any Immortal Mother or Buddha Mother now?

While he was scared senseless, Lu Xuan, who stood to the side, slightly cupped his hands toward the Emperor Corpse on the cliff, his expression growing solemn.

The corpse said weakly,

"Alright, speak. What is it you wish to know?"

"Your Majesty."

Lu Xuan asked with a grin,

"Were you, at some point in time, during a certain stretch of the Years, thrown from your imperial throne?"

The corpse grimaced.

"Hitting a sore spot, aren’t we?"

Lu Xuan simply chuckled and cupped his hands again, saying nothing.

After a long silence, the Emperor Corpse sighed and waved his hand.

"The calamity that severed the Years had many causes, but the spark was indeed related to me."

Lu Xuan’s spirits lifted, and he leaned in to listen intently. The originally terrified Little Catfish was also stunned for a moment before he too began to listen with rapt attention.

’He had a feeling he was about to hear some great secrets—secrets that many Immortals, and perhaps even the Celestial Realms themselves, had never heard!’

The Emperor Corpse seemed to be lost in memory. After a moment of contemplation, he said,

"After the Journey to the West, the Human World Buddha Tang lasted for twenty thousand years. By the time of the Song Dynasty, the conflict between the Daoists and Buddhists reached a new peak. A certain Daluo from the Daoist Sect personally descended and incarnated as a Daoist in the Human World, causing the Celestial Son of that era to initiate a wave of converting Buddhism to Daoism."

He continued,

"During that period of the Years, the Daoists and Buddhists were out for blood, and my attention was entirely focused on these matters. It was then that Gouchen, Ziwei, Longevity, and Qing Hua seemed to have made a pact with the Buddha Mother, allied with Jasper Pool, and launched a great rebellion."

Lu Xuan looked thoughtful and asked,

"The Buddha Mother... is that Maitreya Buddha?"

"Yes and no." The Emperor Corpse gave a meaningful smile but didn’t explain.

Lu Xuan then asked again,

"Your Majesty, I heard that when you presided over the Celestial Court, you possessed a Complete Dao Fruit. How could a rebellion by a few Daluo possibly affect you? Shouldn’t you have been able to suppress them with a flip of your hand?"

"That’s one way of putting it."

The Emperor Corpse’s gaze grew profound as he said faintly,

"At that time, the Buddha Mother was in a very peculiar state. She had seized half of a Dao Fruit Position, but for certain reasons, never managed to secure it completely, so she was considered a Fake Dao Fruit. The current Sakyamuni Buddha, for instance, is at this very level... Speaking of which, it was your sword that helped him secure his position and escape the realm of a Fake Dao Fruit."

"As for that rebellion, on the surface, it was the Four Extremes Emperor and Jasper Pool joining hands. In reality, there was a Dao Fruit pushing things from behind. I can confirm it was the one who commands Reincarnation. I’m not sure about the others, but it’s highly likely Taiyi was also involved..."

At this point, the Emperor Corpse couldn’t help but curse,

"That bastard, he can’t even stay quiet when he’s dead!"

As he cursed, not far away on the scorched black peak, the Lamp Buddha—who was in the space between life and death, entering nirvana but not yet gone—couldn’t help but open his eyes and say with a chuckle,

"Your Majesty, you’re dead too, and I don’t see you being very quiet..."

The Emperor Corpse shot a sidelong glance, staring grimly at the Lamp Buddha. The latter flinched, obediently closed his eyes, and continued his nirvana.

Ben Bo’Erba was numb from watching and listening. His head was spinning, battered by the string of great names.

’Maitreya Buddha Mother, Jade Pool Immortal Mother, the Four Extremes Emperor, Taiyi, the Dao Fruit who commands Reincarnation...’

GULP!

Ben Bo’Erba swallowed hard and looked at Master Lu in horror. He felt even more dazed as he recalled the reason he had first descended to this realm.

’"Ben Bo’Erba, go and slay that Lu Xuan."’

Both of Ben Bo’Erba’s eyes twitched wildly.

To the side, Lu Xuan was unaware of the Catfish’s thoughts and couldn’t care less. After a moment of contemplation, he asked with some bewilderment,

"But even so, you were a Complete Dao Fruit back then! I remember that one who holds half a Dao Fruit is revered as an Ancient One, and one who holds a Complete Dao Fruit is revered as an Enlightened One. Though I don’t know the full extent of an Enlightened One’s power, but..."

"It’s not as simple as you think."

The Emperor Corpse shook his head.

"One half of my Dao Fruit was earned through my own trials and cultivation; it could never be lost. The other half, however, was obtained through a shortcut by borrowing the position of Lord of Celestial Court. Therefore, only when I am seated within the Celestial Court am I a Complete Dao Fruit, an Enlightened One."

He continued,

"Houtu, for example, is in a similar situation. She obtained the other half of her Dao Fruit through the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Thus, she must carry the Six Paths of Reincarnation with her at all times to possess the power of an Enlightened One."

"At that time, I accepted an invitation from the Four Extremes Emperor and Jasper Pool to go to Kunlun. I then fell into the Netherworld and fought against Houtu and the Buddha Mother as an Ancient One."

"The Four Extremes Emperor and Jasper Pool then seized my Celestial Court, and I fell from my position as Celestial Emperor."

"As for why I was pinned here... you can ask the Goddess."

Lu Xuan was surprised. He turned to his Lady and asked curiously,

"Lady..."

Ben Bo’Erba trembled, an immense curiosity blooming in his heart. ’Just who is this new master of mine?’

The stunningly beautiful woman chuckled and spoke gently,

"What Haotian said only covers the beginning of that great calamity. At the start, the Celestial Court lost its lord, the Spirit Mountain Buddha Mother vied with Shakyamuni for control, and in the Human World, the Demon Race and Human Race fought savagely."

She said flatly,

"The other Daoist Fruits were all plotting against me. A lot happened in between. I don’t like being plotted against, and the Human Race are all my children, yet they suffered greatly during that time. So, I got angry."

"When I got angry, I smashed Spirit Mountain, overturned the Celestial Court, shattered the Nine Nether, and pinned Haotian here. I did many things, but not a single one of my children recognized me. They feared me like a demon."

The beautiful woman’s calm words painted an incredible scene for Lu Xuan: chaos in the Celestial Court, a schism on Spirit Mountain, a great calamity in the Human World.

He saw a child throwing a tantrum—overturning the Celestial Court, smashing Spirit Mountain, shattering the Nine Nether, and pinning the Celestial Emperor!

But he also heard the ultimate sorrow within those words.

Not a single one recognized me; they all feared me like a demon.

Lu Xuan’s nose tingled, a lump forming in his throat. Amid his terror, Ben Bo’Erba also had a sudden epiphany. He finally knew who this stunningly beautiful woman was.

’The mother of the Human Race... isn’t that fucking Wa Huang???’

’I’ve become Lady Wa Huang’s little pet??’

’I’ve hit the jackpot! I’ve really hit the jackpot!!’

Ben Bo’Erba whipped his head to the side, his gaze toward Lu Xuan filled with gratitude and ecstasy. Lu Xuan paid him no mind, only remaining silent for a long time before saying softly,

"Lady, I am here."

"I know." The stunningly beautiful woman bloomed into a smile, looking incredibly happy. "It’s alright. I’m alright."

After a pause, she added,

"Although I don’t know what happened to me—my Cultivation is gone, no one recognizes me but you, and the Daoist Fruits say I am not Nuwa... I was chained here voluntarily. Otherwise, even with no Cultivation, no one in heaven or on earth could restrain me."

Lu Xuan nodded silently.

A long time passed. He sighed lightly, then looked sideways at the silent Emperor Corpse and said,

"Your Majesty, since you are no longer the Lord of Celestial Court, would it be permissible for me to attack Heaven during the time of the Qin Dynasty?"

The Emperor Corpse smiled.

"What has that to do with me? You questioned Heaven’s sins during the Spring and Autumn Period. Ying Zheng at Taishan refused to offer sacrifices to the Celestial Court’s Immortals and Buddhas, forging the seal ’Mandated by Man, With Eternal Prosperity and Longevity.’ Did I ever interfere?"

Lu Xuan’s eyes gleamed.

"I know, but I have one more question."

"Speak."

"Your Majesty, if you help me attack that Heaven, I will help you reclaim the throne of the Celestial Emperor. How about it?"

The Emperor Corpse was taken aback.

His gaze grew profound as he stared at Lu Xuan.

"You do know that you are doomed to fail this time, right? The Human Race has no foundation. And although you are on the same chessboard as Jasper Pool and the others, your Cultivation is ultimately far too lacking. What’s more..."

"Moreover, you currently lack the grand spirit to enter the game yourself, to become a piece on the board. By merely playing from the sidelines, how can you possibly win an unwinnable game?"

Lu Xuan froze. ’Enter the game yourself, become a piece on the board?’

He couldn’t help but ask,

"What does that mean?"

The Emperor Corpse shook his head.

"This isn’t something that can be explained with words. You need to comprehend it yourself. Perhaps you’ll understand after you lose a few thousand times."

Lu Xuan fell silent.

After a long moment, he looked up with determination.

"Foundations are built up slowly. And just as you said, I may not have that kind of grand spirit, and I might have to lose thousands of times to acquire it. But before that, I need to do everything in my power to play the game, even if I’m doomed to lose."

"So, Your Majesty, you say I lack the spirit to enter the board as a piece."

"And you, a mighty Dao Fruit, the dead Celestial Emperor of the Celestial Court, the great Heaven himself who bears the name Haotian—do *you* have such a grand spirit?"

The Emperor Corpse was stunned.

After a long moment, he burst out laughing.

"You kid, you really are interesting. No wonder the Supreme treasures you so, no wonder..."

"You want a Dao Fruit to enter your unwinnable game and become your piece?"

"Kid, do you think I would agree? And do you even have the ability to make it happen?"

Lu Xuan didn’t answer, merely staring intently at the Emperor Corpse.

The latter was about to refuse without hesitation, but his peripheral vision caught sight of a certain Goddess whose expression was gradually turning sour.

His expression stiffened.

After a long pause, the Emperor Corpse, swallowing his pride, announced loudly,

"I take back what I just said. Although you don’t understand ’becoming a piece yourself,’ you do possess a grand spirit. This game of yours... I’m in!"

"I’m already in this state anyway, pinned here, keeping that old bald-headed Lamp company every day. Things can’t possibly get any worse."

A joyful expression appeared on Lu Xuan’s face as he bowed with sincere gratitude.

"It doesn’t matter how many times I lose. I will eventually win, once."

"And I will certainly do what I promised you."

As his voice fell, the sea of Lu Xuan’s mind trembled, and a chessboard manifested on its own. Then, an extremely dazzling chess piece abruptly appeared in his hand.

This pure white piece was countless times more brilliant than the previous two.

This piece was a Dao Fruit.

Lu Xuan held it between two fingers, a smile on his face. He gazed at the chessboard as if gazing at the eternal Years, at all of past and present, at all the myriad realms and worlds.

CLACK!

He placed the piece.

The entire Heaven and Earth Chessboard shuddered violently. The Years churned, Time flickered, All Realms erupted, the heavens swayed, and a great resonance echoed through the Nine Nether!

"This junior takes his leave."

Lu Xuan bowed to the Celestial Emperor and to Nuwa, then slowly retreated from this vast world.

The ruined world fell silent once more.

A long time passed before the Emperor Corpse suddenly smiled.

"This kid... is certainly full of surprises."

After a pause, his laughter grew louder.

"Now, those Enlightened Ones are probably going to completely lose their minds, right?"

"That’s my child, after all," the stunningly beautiful woman said, raising her head proudly.

「At the same time.」

Above the Years, within the Great Chaos.

A Slaughter Technique tore through the Chaos. Striking East and hammering West, the Lame Daoist dodged and weaved.

Suddenly, everyone—the spectating Blind Daoist and Supreme Laojun, the two pursuing Buddha Lords and the peerlessly beautiful woman—

—and even the somewhat disheveled Lame Daoist, all froze at the same instant.

"That’s..."

The six Enlightened Ones stared toward the infinite heights of Chaos, at a chessboard surrounded by six cattail cushions.

A hand appeared. In it was held a large, pure white piece, far more dazzling than any other piece on the board, and it came crashing down.

The game board shook, its pieces scattering. The Chaos tilted, and the Years stood still.

And beside the six cushions, a seventh suddenly appeared.