Chapter 90: A Mahayana Stage Cultivator Can Fight Across Realms?!
The origins of the Outer World Demons were unknown, but their destructive nature was undeniable. For countless eras, the Celestial Realm and the Outer World Demons had been locked in a relentless struggle. Though the demons were at a disadvantage, their stronghold was impregnable—otherwise, the Celestial Realm would have eradicated them long ago.
Nine thousand years ago, the Stairway to Immortality mysteriously vanished. Immortal Changcun speculated that it was the doing of the Outer World Demons. Unable to defeat the Celestial Realm directly, they sought to infiltrate it from the lower worlds, gradually corroding it from within.
The void was like an endless sea, with worlds drifting through it like fish. But while most worlds were mere fish, the Celestial Realm was a kun, and the Nine Provinces were a whale.
The Stairway to Immortality was the only known passage between the Celestial Realm and other worlds. By making it disappear, the Outer World Demons severed all connections between worlds. While the Celestial Realm was left blind, the demons seemed to have another method to locate the Nine Provinces World, as a new demon found its way to the continent every few centuries.
Whenever a Terrestrial Immortal-level demon arrived, it immediately began a massacre upon reaching the Nine Provinces. Unable to resist, the continent relied on the Human Sovereign, assisted by Tribulation Stage and Body Integration Stage cultivators, along with powerful artifacts like Immortal Artifacts, national fortune-enhanced emperors, and other extreme measures.
Yet, the cost was steep. The Nine Provinces’ foundation was steadily depleted, and its Tribulation Stage cultivators fell one by one.
Nine thousand years ago, twenty Tribulation Stage cultivators stood guard over the Nine Provinces.
Now, only four remained—
Bai Hongtu
Yu Yin
The Sect Master of the Dharma Body Sect
Commander Liu of the Human Sovereign Hall
Jiang Li returned to Mount Sumeru. The battle between him and the Old Buddha had drawn the attention of every monk in the temple. And now, as he alone returned from the void, carrying an incomplete relic, the Old Buddha’s fate was evident.
Yet, not a single monk stepped forward to question him.
They had all heard the conversation.
The Old Buddha had taken lives to prolong his own.
Jiang Li had come to deliver justice.
No one could say Jiang Li was in the wrong.
Karma was a core principle of Buddhism—those who kill must face retribution.
Jiang Li handed the incomplete relic to Buddha Wuzhi.
It was as if Wuzhi had already foreseen this outcome. He no longer chanted the Rebirth Mantra but instead received the relic with a respectful bow in the Buddhist tradition.
“Human Sovereign, my master once said—if you ever came seeking him, and he was no longer here, he instructed that you retrieve something from beneath the Lotus Throne.”
Jiang Li hesitated for a moment before retrieving an old list from beneath the Old Buddha’s Lotus Throne.
It was a registry of every member of the Divine Repository Sect.
The very first entry read:
Sect Leader: Qin Xi, of the Peacock Kingdom.
Qin Xi. The Old Buddha’s mortal name.
The Old Buddha had once laughed while telling Jiang Li, “My name carries the character ‘Xi’—perhaps I was destined to have ties to the Western Paradise.”
The Peacock Kingdom had perished thousands of years ago.
The list continued with names of Vice Sect Leaders, Priests, and other members, many of them marked in red, signifying their deaths.
In theory, an immortal should have been able to remember all his followers. There should have been no need to keep a list.
Jiang Li didn’t know why the Old Buddha had kept this record.
And he didn’t want to know.
The Old Buddha had become the master of Mount Sumeru not because of his cultivation, but because of his profound understanding of Buddhist doctrine.
In Buddhism, rank was not determined by cultivation level but by one’s comprehension of its teachings.
Jiang Li could already foresee that the next master of Mount Sumeru would be Buddha Wuzhi.
“Where is Immortal Changcun? I have something to ask him.”
“The Buddhist sect has encountered trouble,” Bai Hongtu replied. “I sensed an immortal’s presence—probably the Old Buddha—but now, I can’t feel him anymore.”
Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu had barely exchanged words before they both spoke at the same time.
“…The Old Buddha broke the precept against killing,” Jiang Li said simply.
Bai Hongtu, who had known Jiang Li for nearly five hundred years, immediately understood.
The Old Buddha’s killing spree must have been immense—otherwise, Jiang Li would never have slain the once-respected master of Mount Sumeru.
Bai Hongtu told him where to find Immortal Changcun and patted Jiang Li’s shoulder.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. You should take a break.”
Jiang Li gave a bitter smile.
“If you knew that a Heavenly Immortal-level Outer World Demon has been lurking in the Nine Provinces for at least three hundred and eighty years, would you still feel like relaxing?”
Bai Hongtu’s eyes widened in shock.
A Heavenly Immortal-level Outer World Demon?!
How was that possible?
Immortal Changcun had explicitly stated that the only demons capable of reaching the Nine Provinces were at the Terrestrial Immortal level!
And demons never acted with restraint—every time one descended, it immediately went on a mindless rampage. There had never been a case of a demon lurking in secret!
Besides, if this demon had arrived three hundred and eighty years ago, why hadn’t it attacked?
Back then, Jiang Li wasn’t even at the Tribulation Stage—who could have stopped a Heavenly Immortal-level demon from slaughtering everything?!
And even now—could Jiang Li possibly hold his own against such a being?
…Or was there something in the Nine Provinces that the demon feared?
“Are you sure about this?” Bai Hongtu asked. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Jiang Li, but the information was simply too unbelievable.
“The Old Buddha told me before he died.”
“Then let’s go see Immortal Changcun—together.”
They found Immortal Changcun in the Dao Sect’s Grand Library, perusing ancient texts that were still younger than himself.
The moment Jiang Li saw him, he got straight to the point.
“Immortal, are you certain the Outer World Demons can only be Terrestrial Immortals?”
“Why do you ask?” Immortal Changcun looked up in confusion.
“The demons are only Terrestrial Immortals,” he said. “I lived in the Celestial Realm for centuries, and I have never seen a Heavenly Immortal-level demon. Their only advantages are their sheer numbers and an indestructible stronghold. They lack intelligence—they’re nothing but raw power.”
Jiang Li’s expression darkened.
“I’ve encountered a Heavenly Immortal-level demon—and it was incredibly intelligent.”
His tone was heavy, carrying an unmistakable hint of accusation.
He was beginning to suspect that Immortal Changcun knew more than he had admitted.
Such as—
Why do the demons kill?
Who is the Divine Repository Sovereign?
Immortal Changcun noticed Jiang Li’s intensity, as well as Bai Hongtu’s demand for an explanation.
Realizing there was no way to keep hiding the truth, he sighed.
“…I lied.”
“There are Heavenly Immortal-level demons.”
“I told you otherwise because if the past Nine Provinces Sovereigns had known that even stronger demons existed, they would have lost hope. It didn’t matter how many Terrestrial Immortals they defeated—there was always something worse waiting in the future.”
“Even now, as a Mahayana Stage cultivator, this should be your prime—why would I tell you that a greater enemy exists, one that you cannot defeat?”
“The Terrestrial Immortals are mindless, but the Heavenly Immortals are cunning. They’re far more difficult to deal with.”
“I don’t believe you can win against one.”
Jiang Li was silent for a moment before stating,
“…It seems this Heavenly Immortal is afraid of me.”
“Cough—”
Immortal Changcun nearly choked on his own breath.
A Mahayana cultivator—striking fear into a Heavenly Immortal?!
He had known Jiang Li was monstrously strong—but this?!