Chapter 825: Dawn of Division

Chapter 825: Dawn of Separation

This was not the first time Piaomiao had focused on Zhao Changhe's appearance... she had always found him quite pleasing to the eye, likely due to Cui Yuanyang's memories.

But at this moment he looked especially handsome. For reasons unknown her heart beat faster, uncontrollable by even the strongest cultivation.

Perhaps it was her first time experiencing tenderness, identical to how she had watched him treat Cui Yuanyang before, though this moment was not for Cui Yuanyang, but for Piaomiao.

Even though Zhao Changhe spoke with apparent sincerity, she still felt a sense of floaty uncertainty, feeling that he had no reason to like Piaomiao, and that it was already good enough that he did not despise her for being temperamental, making scenes, and holding him back. The most plausible explanation of lust did not seem to explain it either; Zhao Changhe was truly unfamiliar with her appearance, so what desire could there be?

Piaomiao could not understand why.

On the contrary, she herself had more reasons to be moved.

All her hatred for him was nothing more than those uncalled-for karmic debts, but once she admitted she was moved, those things would become voluntary, leaving no hatred to speak of... at least at this moment, Piaomiao truly could not feel any resentment.

Perhaps this outcome was all Zhao Changhe wanted?

Piaomiao did not know. Her mind was in complete disarray at this moment, so jumbled that after letting him wipe her down and dress her, she was still somewhat dazed and absent-minded.

Zhao Changhe helped her stand up and step onto the floor, whispering, "Let's go, don't think about that for now. Though you claim to be rational, it's impossible to achieve your original rationality while demonized; thinking too much is futile. We will deal with Papiyas first, then resolve our own problems."

Piaomiao gave an "um" and silently followed behind him out the door.

...

The place where the Buddhist sect suppressed Papiyas was a pagoda.

When the two arrived outside the pagoda, Yuancheng was guarding the exterior. Seeing them approach, he pressed his palms together in salute: "King Zhao's demonic qi has been dissipated, a matter for congratulations."

As he spoke, his eyes rolled once around Piaomiao's body with an ambiguous meaning.

There really was someone in this world who bedded the Mountains and Rivers... and the demonized version at that.

Of course he did not dare make it too obvious, still performing the etiquette: "Greetings, Princess."

Piaomiao said, "Who said I am the Princess?"

Yuancheng smiled simple-mindedly and did not argue. You didn't object when he called you that several times last night, but now you're putting on appearances...

Seeing that smile, Piaomiao knew what he was thinking... she indeed had not objected last night, but wasn't that because the situation was urgent and there was no leisure time to bicker over such words?

Just as she was about to speak, Zhao Changhe cut in: "Alright, enough idle chatter. What is Papiyas's situation? Are you certain you can truly suppress him without the Heart-Soul Chains?"

Piaomiao glanced at him, he was always so adept at changing the subject... forget it.

Yuancheng replied: "The effect of our Buddhist pagoda should theoretically be better than the chains... the chains are ultimately just a restraint, while our pagoda suppresses the entirety. Of course, a two-pronged approach would yield the best results. However, the chains ultimately belong to King Zhao, and we cannot presume to make decisions, so it is best to return them to King Zhao first."

Zhao Changhe nodded, thinking to himself that it was fortunate they were sensible, otherwise he would have died by Piaomiao's hand this morning. Courting this kind of ancient demon god was truly courting with his head hanging from his waistband, too difficult...

As everyone entered the pagoda together, Zhao Changhe asked casually: "If I am not mistaken, Papiyas himself belongs to a concept of your Buddhist sect, so I believe you are the most specialized for this. I am somewhat curious, since even Papiyas exists, are your Buddha and Buddhist Ancestors still around?"

"They are gone... currently our Ancient Buddha is merely a Vajra left behind from ancient times. King Zhao knows him too; Papiyas once attempted to demonize him, and King Zhao along with Miss Yue helped block that incident."

"Yes, I remember that matter, and seeking you out this time was also due to this antecedent... speaking of which, since even Papiyas could survive, why couldn't the Buddha instead?"

Yuancheng was somewhat embarrassed: "Actually, he was originally hanging on by a thread to survive, but not long after, he was destroyed by the late Emperor."

Zhao Changhe tapped his head, recalling that Xia Longyuan once had a campaign to eradicate Buddhism, so it turned out his adversary that time was the Buddha. He wondered whether Xia Longyuan disliked the Buddhist sect himself or had the guidance of Ye Wuming; this really was two generations succeeding one another to help her eliminate all kinds of ancient demon gods, a long-term project.

Now this project seemed to be nearing its end. If Papiyas was resolved, not many ancient demon gods would truly be left... the new version of the Demon God Ranking was actually just to let him follow the clues to determine how many targets remained...

Amidst the conversation, they had already reached the top of the Buddhist pagoda. The so-called suppression was not pressing him underground, but unexpectedly at the apex, which surprised Zhao Changhe slightly. But upon reaching the position, one could feel a sense of a magnificent grand sun penetrating everywhere, shining upon this narrow space; the evil spirits inside were gradually worn away under this blazing sun, turning into wisps of mist.

Piaomiao's entire body stung with pain, she groaned softly, and retreated uncomfortably out of this range.

Zhao Changhe reached out to grasp her hand, and an isolation of space enveloped Piaomiao's entire body, briefly blocking this intense counter-attribute for her.

Piaomiao looked at him once more, then moved her gaze away, landing on a mass of black qi in the center of the pagoda's peak.

This was Papiyas's true form, currently carrying a bit of a dying flavor, yet still unable to conceal his fierce and brutal demonic intent.

A transmission from the soul echoed with a sinister laugh: "You... cannot kill this seat... This seat is merely the manifestation of human hearts, existing within and not without. Even if you remove this externalized demonic qi, I will still be born from your inner hearts. You yourselves know better than anyone that those things were not imposed on you by this seat, they were inherently yours."

Zhao Changhe stroked his chin: "You let out such a long fart, are you afraid?"

Papiyas sneered: "Do not think that just because you, Zhao Changhe, possess the ability to slay gods, you can do so against this seat!"

Zhao Changhe said: "So you feel it's possible for me to kill you, which is why you spoke to bolster your own confidence?"

Papiyas: "..."

Zhao Changhe took out the golden arrow that had once been thoroughly drenched in the blood of demon gods, approaching Papiyas: "Further words are futile, we will know once we try... whether I can kill you I dare not guarantee, but I can at least make you slumber until an unknown time to awaken, just like the last era. I am very confident in this, what do you think?"

Papiyas's black qi began to fluctuate, obviously sharing the same assessment: "You, Zhao Changhe, are not a person who wastes words either. The reason you said so much is because you want something, speak plainly."

"Tsk... as expected of the demon of human hearts, you possess a knack for insight into human hearts." Zhao Changhe said: "I will ask you a few questions. If you can answer them, I can choose not to kill you, and can even let you go back."

Papiyas did not believe it: "You are willing to let me go? What a joke."

Even Piaomiao did not quite believe it. Previously they had discussed that only by killing Papiyas could her demonized state be eliminated, but now he said he wouldn't kill... could it be he truly felt the demonized Piaomiao was cuter?

Zhao Changhe sneered: "I just praised your insight into human hearts, yet now you can't see whether I am joking?"

Papiyas said: "Because it is too absurd."

"What is so absurd about it?" Zhao Changhe said: "At least up to now, you and I have no unresolvable hatred, but instead have a bit of meaning in becoming the matchmaker for me and Piaomiao... it is not an absolute necessity to kill you."

Papiyas: "?"

Piaomiao: "..."

"Secondly, Ye Jiuyou told me before that if she killed you, she would absorb your intent and become the new Papiyas... Your nature is too unique. If I kill you, a new incarnation might appear, very likely to be Xue Xiao. Killing you would just be gifting him a providence of godhood. I've already gifted him a Dark Annihilation, do I look like a treasure-gifting boy to keep gifting endlessly?"

Papiyas let out an "oh" and fell into silent thought.

"Of course, even if you are swallowed by Xue Xiao, at least he is a physical entity, which will be much simpler to deal with later. So it completely depends on whether your answers are useful to me. If you refuse to cooperate, this arrow of mine will pierce down..." As Zhao Changhe spoke, the golden arrow had already touched the edge of the black mist.

Papiyas finally said: "What do you want to know?"

Zhao Changhe said: "The first matter, the thing suppressed in the Frost Dragon Ice Abyss, which belongs to the same spiritual system as you, do you know what it is?"

Papiyas countered with a question: "The Frost Dragon suppressed something? Never heard of it."

Zhao Changhe did not harbor too much hope either; this guy didn't even know the Frost Dragon suppressed something, so he expected even less of other things... he then directly asked the next question: "The second matter, the Mirror of True Illusion you gave to Ye Jiuyou, is it real or fake? If it is fake, where is the real item?"

Papiyas laughed loudly: "Since there is the Book of True Illusion, how can there be a Mirror of True Illusion? It has always been fake. In reality, there is only the Soul-Snatching Mirror. You have all tasted that thing; what it glimpses, is it not the truest vulnerability of your inner hearts? To call it the Mirror of True Illusion is not much of a problem either."

"That is that piece of cliff wall?"

"Correct, what was given to Ye Jiuyou was merely a part of it. It's also thanks to this woman's strength that, being reflected by the Soul-Snatching Mirror day after day, she unexpectedly had no trouble at all... No, she was completely unable to feel any harm, truly using it as a mirror to look at for fun, which is the most terrifying part... If it were someone slightly weaker, they could at least perceive the harm of soul-draining and would resolutely abandon it. If they were even weaker, they would have died long ago..."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

This meant Ye Jiuyou was taking poison as sugar candy, without any side effects, and didn't even think it was poisonous, only suspecting the sugar candy was a fake.

It seemed that being excessively strong could also lead to misjudgments, right...

Papiyas said lazily: "Just this kind of question shouldn't be to the extent of making you release me. Speak up, what other crucial questions are there?"

"The third matter... can you directly lift Piaomiao's demonized state?"

Piaomiao was stunned for a moment. Indeed... compared to killing Papiyas and still not knowing if it could be lifted, it was of course most fitting to have Papiyas himself take action to lift it.

Papiyas sneered: "Aren't you riding a donkey to look for a donkey? The best solution is to let Piaomiao likewise stay in this pagoda, allowing the Buddhist pagoda to purify her demonic qi, though it is nothing more than being rather painful."

Zhao Changhe frowned: "Painful... what about the duration?"

Papiyas said: "That depends on the ability of this bunch of bald donkeys. At the slowest several years, at the fastest several months."

"That won't do!" Zhao Changhe said firmly. "Is there no other solution?"

Bo Xun was quite puzzled: "What's wrong with it? For our long lives, a few months or years are but a snap of the fingers."

"Because it brings pain. Months or even years of torment? Are you joking? This is something you started—if she must suffer for it, I'll repay you a hundredfold!"

Miao Miao pursed her lips and said nothing.

Bo Xun was also at a loss for a moment, then said: "There are other ways, but they're more difficult... Every effect has its cause. Ask these bald monks which one is well-versed in causality, and see if they can sever the root of the cause. Don't bother with other methods—only by fulfilling the desire of her inner demon can it be done. Otherwise, even killing me won't help."

Zhao Changhe's heart stirred. This might indeed work, but it was impossible to rely on these monks, the strongest of whom was only a first-realm ancient Buddha. He could only count on himself. Unfortunately, his own mastery of causality was still insufficient, but the Buddhist side might have some techniques to reference, which he could learn...

"Then let me try this first..." Zhao Changhe said. "One last question... You have countless incarnations—is there a way to separate the reincarnated self from the soul of the past life?"

"If you can thoroughly distinguish the two and make a perfect cut, then I do know a method for creating an independent clone afterward."

"How?"

Bo Xun's tone carried a malicious schadenfreude: "It's the same as looking for a donkey while riding one. Are you completely unaware of the ability of the Buddhist lotus platform to evolve a body?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

It seemed so—that's how Nezha did it... The lotus platform obtained long ago in the Maitreya secret realm was said to possess great life-giving power. At the time, everyone had taken a few petals, and he had even used them for body forging, with excellent results.

That was just a lotus cultivated in the backyard of an ancient Buddhist temple, but here, in the heartland of Buddhism, there were surely better ones. With sufficiently suitable treasures, Miao Miao might even have the ability to condense a body on her own, and he had the Book of Life to assist—there was some chance.

But this might mean taking the very lifeblood of Buddhism, no wonder Bo Xun's words were so malicious and gleeful.

Zhao Changhe was silent for a moment, then said to Yuan Cheng: "Keep him suppressed here for now. I'll try these things first."

Bo Xun sneered: "I've answered all I should... I've heard that Zhao Changhe always keeps his word. Let's see if you break your promise."

Zhao Changhe turned and walked away directly: "I am not you."

Yuan Cheng hesitated, and only after following Zhao Changhe out of the pagoda did he ask in a low voice: "Does King Zhao truly intend to release Bo Xun? He is a heavenly demon—he cannot be lightly set free..."

Zhao Changhe lowered his voice: "Keep him suppressed here for a while, wear him down until he's weak... After he's weak, there will likely be a dog-eat-dog scenario, and we'll just watch. Releasing him might actually be his true death."

Yuan Cheng's expression eased slightly: "King Zhao has campaigned north and south for years, and your plans have never erred. This old monk trusts you."

Zhao Changhe laughed: "I thought you'd first haggle with me over the lotus platform, but instead you were worried about letting the tiger go. You're a good old monk indeed."

Yuan Cheng rolled his eyes: "That's because we don't have any good lotus platforms at all... Back then, for that Maitreya one, I even had to go through the back door to Tang Buqi just to get a petal. Have you forgotten, King Zhao? We used that petal to cultivate a new lotus platform, and it hasn't even bloomed yet..."

Zhao Changhe: "...Then do you know where there is one?"

The ancient Buddha, who had been silent all along, pressed his palms together and said: "The ancient Vulture Peak has been destroyed. If such treasures still exist, they can only be in the collection of the Night Emperor."

Zhao Changhe couldn't help but look at Miao Miao, who clenched her fists.

From the small medicinal pool that Ying Wu had obtained earlier, it seemed that Ye Wuming might indeed have such things... If nothing unexpected happened, Ye Wuming might have a palace, the true wealth of the three realms.

Could it be that to separate the body, he would have to go and beg Ye Wuming?

Zhao Changhe sighed and asked Yuan Cheng: "I wonder if your temple has any scriptures related to causality? I would like to borrow and study them. Whatever reward you require, Master, just name it."

Yuan Cheng smiled: "Does King Zhao not know that Bo Xun is our greatest enemy? Just for capturing Bo Xun, this favor is greater than the heavens. All the scriptures in our temple are at your disposal. There are indeed quite a few related to causality, but we are too dull to learn them."

Zhao Changhe pressed his palms together in salute: "Thank you, Master. I have misunderstood Buddhism in the past, but your temple has given me a new understanding."

"You're welcome." Yuan Cheng winked. "This old monk still believes that King Zhao has a deep affinity with Buddhism. The Sutra Library is not far from here. Please follow me."

After fetching the scriptures with Yuan Cheng, Zhao Changhe and Miao Miao returned to the back courtyard, each lost in thought.

Zhao Changhe casually flipped through the texts, feeling the unusual silence beside him. He couldn't help but ask: "Why have you been so quiet this time? If I didn't still sense your demonic aura, I'd think you've recovered."

Miao Miao looked up at him: "Since they're all people I can't kill, and I can't do anything, throwing a tantrum would only be annoying. As for the demonic intent, as long as there's no provocation, it's not impossible to suppress."

"You're afraid of being annoying?"

"..." Miao Miao fell silent.

What do those monks matter to me? I'm afraid of annoying you, that's all.

She knew that what she had done before was quite willful. Originally, there was no real connection between them, so being willful didn't matter. But now... she didn't want him to be annoyed.

Zhao Changhe had asked Bo Xun four questions. The matter of the Cold Serpent's seal had never expected an answer; the Mirror of Truth and Illusion was a project in collaboration with Ye Jiuyou... The other two questions were all for her, Miao Miao, and for that, he was willing to let the tiger go.

No matter whether Zhao Changhe's earlier words felt insubstantial, what he did made people feel secure, with nothing to fault.

Suddenly, a voice came from within her sea of consciousness: "Sister."

The little green tea was awake... Miao Miao really didn't want to deal with her. She had been badly tricked by this little green tea.

Cui Yuanyang apologized with a smile: "Sister, don't be angry. I did that with good intentions. Letting him think he had obtained it would dissolve the inner demon, and you wouldn't need to be the antidote... But I really didn't expect you to wake up..."

Miao Miao said coldly: "Waking up or not makes little difference... After all, the body is yours. Now that his inner demon is gone, he can focus on his work, which is much more pleasing than before when he was just slick-tongued."

Cui Yuanyang said: "So sister does like him."

Miao Miao was silent for a moment: "I don't know."

Cui Yuanyang asked: "Do you want to test your heart?"

"Do you have another trick to trap me?"

"Really not..." Cui Yuanyang said. "Sister, look at the table."

The two sat facing each other at a stone table, on which were tea utensils. Zhao Changhe sat at the table reading. Miao Miao glanced at it: "What about the tea set?"

"He's reading scriptures to find a way to cure your demonic possession and separate you from me... Would you be willing to brew him a cup of tea? If not, I'll do it. Though his inner demon is gone, his spirit hasn't recovered, and he's still working so hard... If you don't feel for him, I do."

Miao Miao was silent for a long time, then finally said softly: "I'll do it. He's working hard for me—it's what I should do."

The fragrance of tea gradually filled the back courtyard of the Buddhist temple. Amid the quiet bamboo grove and the curling tea aroma, Zhao Changhe looked up from his engrossed reading, almost thinking this atmosphere was like being beside Tang Wanzhuang.

But when he raised his eyes, it was still Cui Yuanyang's round face, though those eyes were hidden in the steam rising from the tea, elusive and hard to see.

A delicate hand offered the teacup, and a calm voice said: "Your spirit hasn't recovered. Don't overexert yourself... Rest a while. There's no rush."