Chapter 593: Five Desires Peasant Kingdom

Chapter 593: The Five Desires Agricultural Kingdom

When Li Jun had just entered Karma City, far away in a valley in the Yumo Region.

Just as Chen Qisheng was about to draw his sword and chop down the Five Desires Tree, which in barbarian legends devoured human brains, a sudden change occurred.

As if sensing the murderous intent, the trunk composed of human faces suddenly split open from within.

As if someone had pushed open a door from inside, a young man with refined temperament stepped out.

He looked up at Yuan Mingfei and the others standing atop the valley.

"I am Diyuan. Greetings, Heart Monkey Bodhisattva and Zhenwu Shepherd Lord."

The one calling himself 'Diyuan', an Agricultural Order of the State, stood under the tree shade, a calm and composed smile on his face, clasping his hands and bowing from a distance toward the group.

In this opening remark, it went without saying who the Heart Monkey Bodhisattva referred to.

The title Zhenwu Shepherd Lord also suited Chen Qisheng's current identity.

Only Zou Sijiu, with wide eyes and implicit expectation, was once again left out.

"How peculiar, exactly where am I inferior? How come everyone treats me like air?"

Zou Sijiu cursed in his heart, and his stare at Diyuan immediately filled with killing intent.

"The two of you have come from afar today, may I ask your purpose?"

Diyuan's demeanor and speech were not at all like that of an agricultural order, but rather a gentle and refined scholar order, utterly out of place with the nauseating surroundings.

Zou Sijiu had lost his composure, and Chen Qisheng's murderous aura was too heavy, so the task of replying naturally fell to Yuan Mingfei.

Yuan Mingfei did not bother to wonder why the other knew their identities; it was all within expectation.

If the State lacked even this ability, it would not have hidden so deeply and so long in the barbarian lands.

"This valley?"

Yuan Mingfei looked down at him, then raised her head and pointed around.

"It is indeed my humble courtyard."

Diyuan said bluntly, "I wonder if in the Heart Monkey Bodhisattva's eyes, it is considered secluded and elegant?"

"This lake?" Yuan Mingfei's voice was icy.

"Raising fish."

Diyuan said these two words somewhat indistinctly.

To Yuan Mingfei's ears, it sounded more like 'raising desires.'

"That tree?"

"Cleansing the heart."

Yuan Mingfei pointed at the arms extending from the pool: "And these?"

"It just happens to be the blooming season. Isn't this scenery quite pleasant?"

Diyuan was full of pride, spreading his arms as if showing off his magnum opus to guests.

One by one, the arms stretching out of the lake formed lotus hand seals from the Buddhist order, swaying left and right with his words.

The scene was so eerie it sent chills down one's spine.

"Do you think I am praising you?"

Yuan Mingfei's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint.

"Is it not?"

Diyuan laughed, "Heart Monkey Bodhisattva, you are also a Buddhist order of the barbarian lands. You should know that compared to the various bodhisattvas on Mount Ling, my humble work is but a minor sorcerer in the presence of a great one. If you can do it, why can't we?"

"Grandson, are you out of your mind?"

Zou Sijiu, filled with pent-up anger, half-crouched, his face sullen, and pointed a finger down at the valley floor.

"It is not me who is abnormal, but you."

Toward Zou Sijiu, Diyuan showed none of his previous amiability.

He raised his head and tapped his temple, retorting without courtesy, "Being so easily controlled by anger shows how inferior your genes are. No wonder in the eyes of the barbarian Buddhist order, you are only fit to be a lackey under the Lord of Hell."

Zou Sijiu gritted his teeth and smiled coldly, said no more, took a deep breath, and heavily wiped his hands across his temples.

"Now that the greetings are done, it's time to talk about the purpose of your visit. I wonder if you have come to my Five Desires Valley today as guests or to pick a fight?"

Yuan Mingfei asked calmly, "What if we are guests? What if we are here to pick a fight?"

"We people of the State are the most simple and hospitable. If the Heart Monkey Bodhisattva is here to befriend us, then I will surely not disappoint you. A dharma gate that many buddhas seek but cannot obtain, you can have it at your fingertips."

Diyuan shifted his tone, "But if your compassion is so great that you are unwilling to give us even a little 'fertilizer,' then I have no choice but to first settle the debt of the Buddha Mother Manor with you."

Diyuan squinted and smiled, "After all, a farmer can suffer losses from the seasons, but above all cannot bear to see his crops ruined."

Yuan Mingfei understood, "So it seems you were specifically waiting for us here today?"

"That is true, but whether we are enemies or friends, the bodhisattva must decide."

Yuan Mingfei said disdainfully, "Has anyone ever told you that your bargaining skills are not very good?"

"That is not important."

Diyuan said calmly, "The key point is that the place you are standing now is in my farmyard."

"One against three, are you that confident?"

"Still the same sentence: this is in my farmyard."

Diyuan laughed heartily, "So the confident ones are you all, not me."

"Sister Yuan, I really can't stand this grandson anymore. No more nonsense, let me teach him a lesson."

Zou Sijiu stood up angrily, rolling up his sleeves.

"Me too."

Chen Qisheng's murderous aura surged like blazing fire fueled by oil.

"To come across such a freak, wasting my time. Uproot him, pluck his flowers, and kill him!"

Yuan Mingfei's eyebrows shot up, she held a hand seal, and her Buddhist kingdom unfolded.

Buddhist thoughts swept across the valley floor, submerging the lake, floating islands, and tree shade.

"Bodhisattva, you have long left the barbarian lands. It seems you do not know that this kind of Buddhist kingdom is already outdated."

Diyuan stood unmoving, letting the unfolding earthly Buddhist kingdom envelop him.

"In that case, I invite you all to enter my agricultural kingdom and see. Experience what it truly means to sow causes and reap effects!"

As Diyuan's words fell, a wave even more powerful than Yuan Mingfei's Buddhist thoughts erupted from the Five Desires Tree.

At the same time, the arms soaking in the pool all turned over together, pointing hand seals at the top of the valley.

The wave overpowered the Buddhist thoughts, surged to the top of the valley, and instantly consumed Yuan Mingfei and Zou Sijiu.

Even Chen Qisheng, who had leaped from the heights and was still midair, could not escape.

Splash!

Chen Qisheng felt as if he had smashed through a curtain of water, his vision blurring for an instant.

When his sight cleared, he found himself in a strange place.

"No wonder this Farmer dares to be so arrogant; it seems even Sister Yuan's Buddha Realm has been covered by his Farm Country."

Chen Qisheng's heart shuddered with secret shock.

He had little knowledge of the Farmer sequence, nor did he understand how the other could possess such a special ability resembling the Buddha Realm.

The reason for this judgment was that the scene before his eyes was clearly a primitive village nestled deep in the mountains.

"I water and fertilize every day, kill insects and weeds, never daring to slack off—why won't you bear fruit?"

As the thought stirred in Chen Qisheng's mind, no flying sword attacked him.

Only then did he realize in horror that not only the Dao Ancestor artifact and Ink Armor Changjun, which had been bound to him, but also the vital breath, spiritual sense, Dao foundation, and golden core that had moved like extensions of his own will, had all vanished without a trace, leaving his body utterly empty.

What had happened?

For a moment Chen Qisheng stood frozen in place.

"Where exactly did it go wrong?"

The person who had spoken before spoke again, his voice brimming with doubt and distress.

Chen Qisheng followed the sound and saw a man with mud-caked feet squatting on the field ridge, scratching his head as he stared at him.

The instant he made out the man's features, Chen Qisheng's heart lurched violently.

That man was exactly identical to Zhang Chongyuan, the Grand Heavenly Master of Mount Longhu who had died by his hand.

Abruptly, a torrent of hatred surged uncontrollably within him; Chen Qisheng instinctively lunged forward to attack, only to realize he could not even feel his feet.

Where were his feet?

His astonished gaze dropped downward and saw a crimson root!

And the field in which the root was planted was not filled with soil, but with a row of familiar faces.

Li Jun, Zou Sijiu, Zhao Yanlong, and his own master, Sun Luyou!

Boundless shock and rage devoured his mind; Chen Qisheng, now a Karma Tree, thrashed wildly amid the flesh-and-blood fields.

Slap!

Suddenly a slap rang out above Chen Qisheng's head.

From the top of his invisible head had grown a pair of huge hands, ten fingers cupped together as if holding something.

The sound of a heartbeat emanated from within; the angrier Chen Qisheng became, the more violently it beat.

"Fruit! Finally fruit!"

The man on the field ridge leaped up, clapping and jumping with joy.

"Impossible! Why would I bear fruit for him? I'll kill him!"

Elsewhere in the village, on a balcony, Changjun found himself planted in a flowerpot.

A petite woman with her long hair coiled up, a childish face, and a chest so shockingly ample it seemed grotesque stood before him, gazing at him with eyes full of lingering tenderness.

"My sword child, when will you grow up?"

Bloom now! Bloom now!

Changjun, turned into a gladiolus, quivered with delight, shaking his body vigorously, drawing silvery laughs from the woman, her eyes so moist they seemed ready to drip.

"The sword child is so adorable..."

Her voice was syrupy, laced with a languid tremble, and her flushed face drew slowly closer.

I want to bloom! I want to fruit! I want to grow hands and feet! I want to regain my vigor!

Caught fast by his most vulnerable spot, Changjun could no longer free himself; his heart was filled with his own frenzied howls.

Amid bells of laughter, a gladiolus swayed wantonly.

Shouyu found herself turned into a foxtail, planted in a corner of the yard.

The rampant weeds all around stole the sunlight and rain, squeezing her until she could hardly breathe.

"All of you, move aside!"

Shouyu weaved left and right, struggling to poke her head out of the weeds and survey her surroundings.

It was an ordinary farmyard; under the walls lay neatly stacked firewood, and from the grey tiles rose faint wisps of cooking smoke.

Beneath the eaves hung a faded red lantern, its paper shade scribbled with the crooked characters "South Yard."

A pair of curled-edge door god prints were pasted on the half-closed door.

Shouyu recognized them at once: the ferocious god on the left was none other than Chizhu, and the one with spread wings on the right was Mo Qijing!

Shouyu felt as if struck by lightning; overlapping memories instantly collided and crashed in her mind.

Could it be that here is the reality?

The thought had barely risen before she crushed it utterly.

No—this was merely the world constructed by that Farmer, the "Farm Country" he spoke of!

Shouyu was terrified; she had never seen such an uncanny ability.

As a support-type Ink Armor, she naturally knew what the Buddha Sequence's Earthly Buddha Realm was like.

It was a fixed illusion oriented toward suppressing and weakening the opponent, and usually never built into such ordinary, unthreatening scenes.

Take Yuan Mingfei for example—Shouyu had entered her Buddha Realm many times with Zou Sijiu. There it was always night, with a radiant full moon and ape shadows mountain-high.

But this Farm Country felt more like a vivid, lifelike golden millet dream.

Having steadied her mind, Shouyu began to think about how to break the illusion.

Yet as her thoughts just unfolded, a worried notion rose unbidden.

"I wonder how Sijiu is doing now."

Bang!

Just then, the half-closed door was kicked open.

"From today on, this is no longer your home! Get out!"

Through the angry curses, a small black shadow was flung out and slammed heavily onto the ground.

"Woof..."

A pitiful bark came; Shouyu looked over and saw a tiny black puppy, no bigger than the palm of a hand, curled weakly on the ground.

Its thin fur could not hide the countless wounds covering its body, too heartbreaking to bear.

"He's Sijiu..."

Without reason, Shouyu recognized the black dog at once.

In that instant, a surging wave of pity and grief flooded her heart completely.

Shouyu had forgotten everything that came before; in his eyes there was only that black puppy staggering to its feet.

"Goddammit, why am I a dog?!"

Zou Sijiu staggered up from the ground, cursing continuously.

"That bastard Diyuan of the Agricultural Order is deliberately trying to disgust me, huh? Fine, when I find a loophole and tear open this dream of yours, I'll show you what it means to swing a broadsword before Guan Gong!"

"But come to think of it, this place is strange. How does the framework of Buddha Land also carry a hint of Yin-Yang Order? Could it be that Yin-Yang Order is secretly colluding with them? That possibility is not small."

Zou Sijiu calculated silently in his heart, and looking up, he saw that lantern hanging under the eaves.

But in his sight, the lantern bore the three words 'Eastern Emperor Palace'.

Instantly, a fierce resentment raged in his heart.

"Just because my birth is low and my fate is base, you look down on me, right? Do you think I want to forget who my parents are? Do you think I want to be fated as someone else's tool? Everything is fate, not even half is up to us. If I had a choice, would I willingly be like this?"

"I only wanted a roof over my head, but you still found me unlucky and insisted on kicking me out! Fine, when I make something of myself—no, when I become a dog—I'll make you pay!"

"No, why a dog?"

In the yard, a mangy dog covered with wounds stared at the door from which it had been thrown, whimpering piteously.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind.

Zou Sijiu turned to see a stalk of foxtail grass swaying among the overgrown weeds.

"Even a stalk of foxtail grass dares to mock me?"

Enraged and ashamed, Zou Sijiu endured the pain and dragged his broken leg closer.

"Sijiu."

Shouyu opened his arms, tears turning into dewdrops that rolled down and fell into the soil.

"Laugh at me, will you? I'll uproot you in a moment!"

Watching the foxtail grass extend two leaves to provoke him, Zou Sijiu's heart was full of bitterness, and an angry curse involuntarily rose in his throat.

Woof!

"You bitch, next time you dare run away, I'll break your leg and sell you to the village idiot!"

The vicious curse rang out, and another figure was thrown out.

Yuan Mingfei fell to the ground, her terrified gaze fixed on the surging darkness within the door, where a ferocious face flickered in and out of view.

That face she would never forget.

Jokhang Temple, Dharma King Sonam.

Hatred, lust, love, resentment, fear.

Countless desires boiled in the valley; the dark, thick pool bubbled as if boiling, steam rising, the water level continuously dropping, the surface covered with fish turned belly-up.

The great tree standing on the floating island shook violently, leaves constantly falling from its branches intertwined with human hands.

Diyuan's body was embedded in the trunk, surrounded by countless despairing faces with hollow eyes and wide-open mouths, letting out silent wails.

His lips bore a faint smile, and his eyes looked expectantly toward the top of the valley.

There, snow drifted, and three still figures were covered with accumulated snow.

"What kind of fruit will your causes ultimately bear?"