Chapter 171: The First Trace of the Buddha Appears

Nan Luo stood on the stone cliff, enjoying the sweep of the cold wind as he quietly contemplated his future.

Nearby, the weeping Lion Emperor had long since restored his inner peace and was now stealthily sizing up Nan Luo with his golden lion pupils.

For a half-saint powerhouse of Nan Luo's caliber, any divine sense prying upon him would be instantly detected, unless it came from a lofty, supreme Holy Immortal.

In the Lion Emperor's eyes, Nan Luo's countenance was handsome yet stern, adorned with long blue hair, a purple-gold crown, and a suit of purple-gold battle armor. The purple-gold cape behind him fluttered in the wind, lending him an exceptionally heroic and unrestrained bearing.

From outward appearances, Nan Luo truly was a divine emperor of ultimate majesty, possessing an extraordinary demeanor and a natural authority.

However, appearances are always deceptive; the heart alone is true.

Though he had spent barely half a day in the company of the Divine Emperor—and considering the emperor's past modus operandi of playing the pig to eat the tiger for one hundred thousand years before a single morning of enlightenment startled the world—the Lion Emperor could conclude: "Divine Emperor Nan Luo lives up to his legendary reputation. Nan Luo's heart is unfathomable."

Just as the Qilin Emperor had assessed Nan Luo, the Lion Emperor, despite being a former ruler of the Eastern Wilderness, gave the exact same appraisal to this Divine Emperor.

Nan Luo and the other four emperors had conspired in secret to rebel against the saints, and should naturally have exercised the utmost caution, just as they had hidden and endured for one hundred thousand years.

Who could have anticipated that after one hundred thousand years, upon attaining enlightenment overnight, Nan Luo would suddenly tear off his mask of disguise and directly confront the saints head-on?

What was most terrifying was that the saints had not immediately wiped out Nan Luo as an unstable variable, but instead allowed him his freedom, leaving him to plot his path toward the Dao and sainthood.

Nan Luo was shrouded in a layer of dark fog; unless one could pierce through that darkness, it was utterly impossible to discern his true face.

Just as the Lion Emperor was lost in his conjectures about Nan Luo, the latter suddenly turned around. A pair of purple pupils, seemingly capable of perceiving all things across the heavens, gazed calmly as he asked, "Is the Lion Emperor well?"

The Lion Emperor raised his head, traces of tears still lingering on his face, feigning the appearance of one who had just regained his composure. In an even tone, he replied, "Your Majesty the Divine Emperor, I temporarily lost my composure just now and made a fool of myself before you."

One might say that every powerhouse within the primordial wilderness had to be a born actor.

An emperor like the Lion Emperor could certainly be considered an Oscar-grade performer.

Even though Nan Luo knew the Lion Emperor was lying, he could not detect the slightest flaw upon the emperor's face. With a warm smile, he said, "It is no matter! The Lion Emperor possesses a genuine temperament! How could I possibly dare to laugh at you?"

As he spoke, Nan Luo walked back to the stone table, sat down with ease, and poured a cup of Enlightenment Tea for both himself and the Lion Emperor.

"Lion Emperor, I wonder which Holy Immortal stands behind you, causing you to harbor such deep animosity?" Nan Luo picked up his cup of Enlightenment Tea, his purple pupils gazing calmly at the Lion Emperor through the rising golden mist.

Upon hearing this question, the Lion Emperor did not hesitate in the slightest. With crisp directness, free of joy or sorrow, he uttered a name that left Nan Luo utterly astonished: "Amitabha!"

Amitabha!

At the instant he heard this name, Nan Luo's purple pupils narrowed slightly, and he thought in startled disbelief: "Amitabha?! The Buddha who founded the Buddhist tradition, mentioned in the same breath as the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who founded the Xuanmen—they are the twin ancestral saints of the primordial world."

"To think that Amitabha is the Holy Immortal behind the Lion Emperor. That means he is also the one who instructed the Lion Emperor to come and pledge allegiance to me."

"Amitabha, what on earth is your ultimate intention?"

Seeing that Nan Luo could still calmly sip his Enlightenment Tea after hearing the name of Amitabha, the Lion Emperor could not help but feel a deep sense of admiration.

This was a lofty, supreme Holy Immortal!

For Nan Luo to remain so unperturbed—was it because he had never heard of Amitabha's great name, or because he had long anticipated it and mentally prepared himself?

In the Lion Emperor's estimation, Nan Luo must have known about Amitabha all along.

After all, judging by Nan Luo's mysterious rise, a force no less formidable than a Holy Immortal seemed to be backing him from the shadows.

Nan Luo took a light sip of the Enlightenment Tea to mask his expression, then asked calmly, "I wonder what message Amitabha wishes the Lion Emperor to convey to me, or what instructions he might have?"

"Nothing of the sort. The Buddha simply instructed me to inform the Divine Emperor of a major event—concerning the battle among the five emperors for the mantle of the Saint Emperor," the Lion Emperor replied without the slightest hesitation, speaking without an ounce of reluctance.

Hearing the Lion Emperor refer to Amitabha so readily and respectfully as "the Buddha," Nan Luo confirmed his own inner suspicions and thought to himself: "The Lion Emperor's tearful and sincere outburst earlier had actually received Amitabha's tacit consent."

"That stands to reason. If the Lion Emperor had not obtained Amitabha's permission, no matter how deep his hatred for Amitabha might be, he surely would not have dared to voice those words of resentment."

"As a lofty, supreme Holy Immortal, Amitabha is capable of sensing and knowing every word and deed related to him."

"As a former ruler of the Eastern Wilderness, the Lion Emperor could not possibly lack this much worldly sophistication, nor would he dare to openly express hatred toward Amitabha."

"Only with Amitabha's explicit approval would the Lion Emperor dare to speak his true thoughts so recklessly, and dare to voice his hatred for Amitabha."

Reflecting upon this, Nan Luo suddenly found the situation rather absurd. He had never imagined that one day he would become a mere prop used by the Lion Emperor to vent his true feelings.

Noticing the peculiar smile playing on Nan Luo's lips, a sudden jolt went through the Lion Emperor's heart, and he thought: "Could the Divine Emperor have seen through my token of allegiance?!"

Everything was precisely as Nan Luo had deduced: the Lion Emperor's journey had indeed been authorized by Amitabha.

However, this gesture of allegiance had been the Lion Emperor's own idea, to which Amitabha had merely given tacit assent.

It was common knowledge that Nan Luo was the mortal enemy of the saints; in other words, the mortal enemy of the saints was an ally to Nan Luo.

An enemy's friend is an enemy, and an enemy's enemy is a friend.

Since Amitabha had ordered the Lion Emperor to defect to Nan Luo, the Lion Emperor seized the opportunity to propose that he needed a dramatic token of allegiance to win Nan Luo's trust.

Perhaps wishing to see what the Lion Emperor was truly up to, Amitabha had casually consented to this proposal.

The Lion Emperor's token of allegiance was to make himself a mortal enemy of a Holy Immortal, thereby ensuring that Nan Luo would naturally trust him as a member of the anti-saint faction.

However, how to make the Lion Emperor appear as a mortal enemy of a Holy Immortal presented a troublesome problem.

Holy Immortals sat high above, looking down upon all living beings in the primordial world; why would they ever care about a tiny ant like the Lion Emperor, let alone treat him as a mortal enemy?

The Lion Emperor had proposed what seemed like a brilliant idea: "I will casually hurl abuses at a Holy Immortal; as long as Amitabha intervenes to placate that Holy Immortal, everything will be fine."

Insulting a Holy Immortal would unquestionably make one their mortal enemy—of that there was no doubt.

Upon hearing this, Amitabha had replied with a facade of compassion, "What need is there for another Holy Immortal? You may boldly hurl abuses at me instead."

Though the Lion Emperor had repeatedly demurred out of terror and a sense of unworthiness, he could not decline Amitabha's "benevolence" and had no choice but be saddled with the bitter task of cursing Amitabha.

What the Lion Emperor did not know, however, was that the moment he departed, Amitabha's gaze had instantly turned ice-cold, and beneath his veneer of compassion, he had thought: "It seems the Lion Emperor still harbors resentment in his heart. Very well, let him curse away a few times; what harm could it possibly do?"

Thus had come about the Lion Emperor's opportunity to express his hatred for Amitabha and present his token of allegiance to Nan Luo.

Yet the Lion Emperor failed to realize that both Amitabha and Nan Luo had already seen right through the true purpose behind his grand gesture.

Only the Lion Emperor remained immensely pleased with himself, entirely unaware that a fatal calamity was about to befall him!

"This foolish creature, the Lion Emperor—has his mind been addled by the great tribulation? To think he would use such a brainless token of allegiance, and even dare to hurl insults at Amitabha."

"What manner of supreme, lofty existence is Amitabha? Is he someone a mere Lion Emperor dares to curse? Truly courting death."

"Even if the tragedy of the lion clan was brought about single-handedly by Amitabha, so what? Would Amitabha ever care about the life or death of an ant?!"

"On the contrary, for the Lion Emperor to dare harbor resentment toward Amitabha is something Amitabha will inevitably perceive."

"It appears the Lion Emperor will not survive this great tribulation! A fatal disaster is imminent!"

Initially, Nan Luo had held quite high expectations for this former ruler of the Eastern Wilderness.

Now, however, he looked upon the Lion Emperor merely as a walking corpse, casting him completely out of his thoughts.

A Lion Emperor who knew neither advancement nor retreat, who failed to gauge strength, and who lacked all sense of reverence was utterly foolish to the extreme. It was no wonder he had been abandoned by Amitabha.

Even if Nan Luo possessed the power to save the Lion Emperor, he would not lift a finger to do so.

For no other reason than this: when someone courts their own death, even the heavens find it hard to save them!