Chapter 255: Wuzhi’s Dream

Guiding Commander Huang was too difficult a task. Jiang Li felt that as an ordinary Mahayana cultivator, he just wasn’t up for something that tough. Better to let Commander Huang be self-reliant and sort himself out.
He summoned a few patrolling guards nearby and told them to make sure no one approached Commander Huang—including themselves.
Commander Huang, filled with sorrow, was unintentionally releasing such gloomy energy that even Soul Formation cultivators couldn’t help but cry if they got too close.
So the best solution was still to leave him alone.
The guards, after briefly thinking it over, strung up a circle of white rope around Commander Huang and erected a sign outside the perimeter.

Construction Ahead, Do Not Enter.

The Human Sovereign Celebration was taking shape. Inns prepared for the various major factions had already been built—just waiting for their guests.
Since the factions were bringing performance troupes, the Human Sovereign Hall, as the host, naturally couldn’t have them book rooms on their own.
Even before the celebration officially started, traces of Jiang Li could already be seen everywhere: Jiang Li-style masks, Jiang Li-style statues, Jiang Li-style protective charms… all officially certified by the Human Sovereign Hall.

“Do you have any protective charms blessed by the Human Sovereign?” a young monk asked a vendor.
Beside him stood two Protectors, who immediately sent him a sound transmission, filled with respect: “Awakened One, our Buddhist Sect is the original source of blessing rituals. Why are you here asking for charms blessed by Jiang the Human Sovereign? If word gets out, it’ll damage our sect’s reputation.”
“Because Jiang the Human Sovereign is strong.” Wuzhi’s reasoning was solid and straightforward.
“There are no charms blessed by Jiang the Human Sovereign.”
“I see. Then give me a Human Sovereign mask.”
“Five low-grade spirit stones.”
The two Protectors glared, startling the vendor: “That expensive?”
Five low-grade spirit stones wasn’t much, but they still didn’t want to be openly ripped off.
Wuzhi waved his hand: “Special time, special location. This price is reasonable. Buy it.”
The Awakened One had spoken, so Arhat Dragon Subduer had no choice but to pay.

“Lord Wuzhi?” Jiang Li saw a familiar face while out shopping and stopped to greet him.
Jiang Li and Li Nian’er each had a stick of candied hawthorn. Jiang Li was treating.
“Human Sovereign.” Wuzhi, holding the Brahma Tower, offered a soft Amitabha.
Arhat Dragon Subduer and Arhat Unsubdued had long since used Buddhist arts to obscure public awareness—no one recognized Wuzhi’s identity, assuming he was just an ordinary little monk.
Originally, Li Nian’er and Wuzhi held equal status—she was the Dharmakaya Sect’s Envoy, he was the Buddha Disciple. Who could’ve guessed that the Old Buddha had passed away and Wuzhi inherited the title of Buddha Lord, becoming one of the most exalted figures in the Nine Provinces.
Out of old friendship, Jiang Li allowed the Buddhist Sect to claim that the Old Buddha of Mount Sumeru had entered nirvana.

“Are you performing the Thousand-Armed Guanyin again this year?” Li Nian’er had watched Jiang Li’s 290th Ascension Anniversary and was deeply impressed by the performance.
She had heard from her father that the Buddhist Sect always performed the same thing—Thousand-Armed Guanyin.
Wuzhi gently shook his head: “We’ve changed it this year. As for what it is, please wait until the performance, Miss Nian’er.”
He then turned to Jiang Li and said, “I have a question I don’t understand. May I speak with you privately?”
Jiang Li nodded. Wuzhi brought only the Brahma Tower, leaving the two Arhats behind.

“Does the Human Sovereign believe in reincarnation?”
“You mean reincarnation through the Underworld? Of course. Why do you ask—have you encountered something related to that?”
“The sutras say the Underworld judges good and evil. There are six paths of reincarnation. The virtuous enter the three good paths, the wicked the three evil ones. Before reincarnation, they cross the River of Forgetfulness and drink Meng Po’s soup, washing away all memories and starting anew.”
“That’s what it says.”
“But lately I’ve been dreaming. The scenes are very hazy—immortals drunkenly wandering the Heavenly River at night, forests of immortal trees blooming and bearing fruit. These are things I’ve never seen before, and I believe they may have happened in the Celestial Realm!”
Jiang Li frowned: “You suspect these aren’t just dreams, but memories from a past life?”
“Yes.” Wuzhi nodded. The frequent dreams had shaken his Buddha Heart, leading him to ponder the great questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?
Most troubling of all—he feared that one day he’d become that past self and that his current memories would be overwritten.
From what he had seen in the dreams, his past self must have been an immortal who lived for tens of thousands of years. If those memories returned, his fifteen years of life would be insignificant—like a drop in the ocean, vanishing without a trace. He’d become a completely different person!

To Jiang Li, Wuzhi’s soul was extraordinarily powerful, yet scarred, as if it had endured lightning strikes and fire. It was not the soul a child should possess.
He had never told Wuzhi this, for fear it would give rise to just such concerns.
And now, it had happened after all.

“Have you seen anyone clearly in your dreams? Can you identify your past self?”
Wuzhi shook his head: “No. The immortal figures are blurry—I can’t even tell their gender.”
“What does the Brahma Tower think?” Jiang Li asked the silent tower.
“No big deal. Just some extra memories. Wuzhi is still Wuzhi,” the Brahma Tower said lazily, completely unable to understand why they were worried.
It was smug, feeling this was the superiority of Immortal Artifact logic.

“Have you spoken to Immortal Elder Changcun?”
“I don’t trust him.” Wuzhi felt inexplicably resistant to the elder. Jiang Li guessed—could it be that in Wuzhi’s past life, he and Elder Changcun had been rivals?
No… that didn’t make sense. Elder Changcun was merely an Earth Immortal. Wuzhi’s past self was surely at least a Celestial Immortal.

“Then why tell me all this…”
Wuzhi said bitterly, “If one day my personality changes, I hope you won’t be surprised. And if I commit some heinous act… please don’t hesitate to stop me.”
Are you asking me to force a second Buddha Lord into nirvana?
“You’re being way too pessimistic.” Wuzhi was imagining the worst possible outcomes—Jiang Li thought he was possessed by Commander Huang.
But he also understood Wuzhi’s feelings. He was just fifteen. Though he spoke Buddhist teachings fluently and seemed like a great monk, when it came to real-world challenges, his attitude was completely different.
If the Old Buddha of Mount Sumeru faced this, he wouldn’t be like this.
Still needed to grow.

Now that he had shared these buried thoughts with Jiang Li, Wuzhi’s mood visibly improved. The two of them, plus the tower, walked back together and saw that the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas were also here.

“Big Brother.” Arhat Unsubdued saw the Eastern Sea Dragon King and greeted him warmly.
Arhat Unsubdued had originally held the title of Arhat Tiger Subduer, but as a true dragon who disliked the title of Dragon Subduer, he had renamed himself without permission.
He had reason—“We true dragons live peacefully. Did we eat your rice? Why should the Buddhist Sect use us as stepping stones for titles? ‘Dragon Subduer’ and ‘Tiger Subduer’ clearly go against the doctrine of equality for all beings.”
The Old Buddha of Mount Sumeru found his argument convincing and approved the change.
Fortunately, the Stairway to Immortality had vanished, trapping all the Buddhas in the Celestial Realm. Otherwise, Arhat Unsubdued would’ve been pinned to the ground and beaten.
Who gave you the right to change the title of Arhat Tiger Subduer just like that?!