Chapter 172: The Buddha's Good Intentions

Self-inflicted sins may yet be forgiven, but self-wrought doom is inescapable!

As for the Lion Emperor, who was courting his own death, Nan Luo could not even be bothered to remind him, simply listening quietly to the message brought by Amitabha.

Though the Lion Emperor felt a vague, unsettling premonition, his mind had already been warped by the Great Tribulation. Coupled with the deliberate obfuscation cast by Amitabha, he remained utterly oblivious to the fact that mortal peril was about to befall him instantly.

Silently channeling the light of his divine sense to purge the stray thoughts from his mind, the Lion Emperor looked across at Nan Luo and spoke, "The Divine Emperor must surely be aware of the Five Emperors' contention for the title of Holy Emperor?"

"Naturally." Nan Luo nodded, his pair of purple pupils cold and merciless as he smiled faintly. "Is this not the method for attaining the Dao and becoming a sage of which we are all aware?"

Seeing Nan Luo's serene composure, the Lion Emperor felt a lingering sense of oddity, as though the Divine Emperor cared little for this method of attaining the Dao, possessing perhaps some alternative path to sagehood.

Wait! As though he truly possessed another path to sagehood.

The Lion Emperor gazed intently at Nan Luo with a solemn expression, scrutinizing his every micro-expression in hopes of catching a clue or confirmation, only to find Nan Luo remaining completely tranquil, without the slightest ripple of abnormality.

"Could it be merely my imagination? Or does Nan Luo genuinely possess another means to attain the Dao, which is why he remains so calm and unperturbed?" Golden light flickered within the Lion Emperor's leonine pupils as doubts continued to well up in his heart.

Observing the look of astonishment painted across the Lion Emperor's face, Nan Luo asked with detached calm, "What is it? Is there a problem? If there is none, pray continue, Lion Emperor."

"Of course there is no problem." Snapped out of his deep contemplation, the Lion Emperor smiled awkwardly. "I simply allowed my mind to wander for a moment. My apologies."

"If I were to tell the Divine Emperor that the struggle of the Five Emperors for the Holy Emperor is, in truth, a colossal trap, would you believe it or not?" the Lion Emperor asked with a grave expression, keeping his eyes locked onto Nan Luo's purple gaze, trying to gauge his reaction.

Regrettably, Nan Luo's expression remained as calm as ever, giving the Lion Emperor no insight whatsoever into what he was truly thinking.

"Of course I believe it. Why would I not? Whatever the Lion Emperor says must be a gift from the Buddha. How could I dare to disbelieve the words of the Buddha?" Nan Luo replied with unwavering serenity.

Looking at Nan Luo, the Lion Emperor thought helplessly to himself, "Dreadful. Such a cold and intractable Divine Emperor; he refuses to let the slightest hint of his true thoughts show."

Realizing that his probing was yielding zero results, the Lion Emperor abandoned any further attempts at testing him.

In any case, regardless of how things played out, the opportunity to attain the Dao and become a sage would never fall to him—a former overlord who had already withdrawn from the hegemony of the primordial world.

Thus, the Lion Emperor proceeded to lay out the complete scheme devised by the Saint-Immortal Hongjun regarding the Five Emperors' battle for the Holy Emperor.

As the Lion Emperor spoke, while Nan Luo appeared outwardly calm and unruffled, inwardly he felt a profound sense of wariness toward Hongjun's venomous plot. "What a ruthless scheme," he thought. "Hongjun intends to rule over all the myriad races of the primordial world for all eternity!"

"And yet, in later ages, Hongjun never ruled the myriad races of the primordial world in such a manner; instead, he chose to merge with the Heavenly Dao, governing the primordial realm through the Immortal Dao."

"It would appear that Hongjun's malicious plot was doomed to failure from the start. Otherwise, the legendary Dao Ancestor Hongjun of later generations would never have existed."

Raising his teacup, Nan Luo took a sip of the Enlightenment Tea while lost in his own thoughts, and gradually arrived at an answer within his mind.

Seated opposite him, the Lion Emperor watched Nan Luo's timeless, unshakeable composure and could not help feeling a shiver of apprehension. "Can even Saint-Immortal Hongjun's vicious plot fail to rattle Nan Luo?!" he thought. "The depth of Nan Luo's heart is truly unfathomable."

Abruptly, Nan Luo set down his teacup, raised his head, and fixed his purple eyes upon the Divine Emperor, asking with tranquil detachment, "Since Saint-Immortal Hongjun harbors such a venomous plot, why, pray tell, would the Lion Emperor choose to reveal this matter to me?"

"Hahaha..." Hearing this, the Lion Emperor let out a hearty laugh. "Naturally, to win the high regard of the Divine Emperor!"

"Since I and the Lion Clan have decided to pledge our allegiance to Your Majesty the Divine Emperor, we must naturally bring a foundation for our advancement."

"Well then, Your Majesty the Divine Emperor, are you satisfied with this grand gift from me?"

"Beyond measure!" Nan Luo smiled with undisturbed calm. "The Lion Emperor has put much thought into this; rest assured, I shall never treat you and the Lion Clan unfairly."

With that, Nan Luo silently added a sentence to the depths of his mind: *Mortal peril approaches instantly. I fear the Lion Emperor will have no opportunity to enjoy my generous treatment. However, I shall certainly treat the Lion Clan with the utmost generosity.*

As for what this "generous treatment" truly entailed—that was a matter for the wise to interpret as wisdom saw fit, and the benevolent as benevolence.

In any case, Nan Luo would never let slip a fat sheep delivered right to his mouth, nor would he spare the Lion Clan now that they were stripped of their leader.

He believed the Lion Clan would smoothly integrate into the Divine Clan and become a branch thereof, henceforth to be known as the "Lion-Divine Clan."

"Hahaha..." Unaware that his entire clan had already become a juicy morsel grazing by the edge of Nan Luo's lips, the Lion Emperor continued to laugh merrily. "Then I thank the Divine Emperor in advance!"

"In return for Your Majesty's immense generosity, the Lion Clan has nothing with which to repay you. I can only offer one more piece of vital intelligence."

"Oh?" Hearing that vital intelligence was coming, Nan Luo knew this must be the message Amitabha truly wished to convey. With his customary serenity, he said, "Please speak freely, Lion Emperor."

The Lion Emperor drained a cup of Enlightenment Tea to clear his throat before continuing, "For one hundred thousand years, the Divine Emperor played the pig to eat the tiger, until gaining the Dao in a single day astonished the entire world. Not only did you startle all the myriad living races of the primordial world, but you even alarmed the high and aloof Saint-Immortal Hongjun."

"Yet, alongside that alarm, Saint-Immortal Hongjun harbors a thunderous wrath, incensed by Your Majesty's endurance and concealment, and infuriated that he failed to see through Your Majesty's true nature."

"Just a few days ago, Saint-Immortal Hongjun secretly commanded the four imperial clans—the Dragon Clan, the Phoenix Clan, the Qilin Clan, and the Fierce Beast Clan—to form a four-clan coalition. They are to jointly besiege the Divine Clan, swearing to annihilate the Divine Clan and sever Your Majesty's path to sagehood."

"What? A four-clan coalition?! To annihilate the Divine Clan?!" Gone was Nan Luo's previous tranquility; lightning flashed and surged within his twin purple pupils, laying bare a towering, boundless fury.

"Indeed!"

Seeing Nan Luo lose his composure, a faint sense of sadistic pleasure flickered within the Lion Emperor, thrilled to have shattered that mask of eternal calm as he gave a definitive nod.

When facing great events, one must first quiet the mind, and only then deliberate thrice before acting.

This was a maxim deeply ingrained in Nan Luo's heart; he held it close, never daring to forget even a fraction of it, and constantly used it to rein in himself.

Forcing himself to calm down, Nan Luo lifted the cup of Enlightenment Tea from the stone table, took a gentle, lingering sip, and finally regained his composure.

It was not that his mental fortitude was lacking, but rather that this piece of intelligence was simply too momentous.

A four-clan coalition to annihilate the Divine Clan.

This lethal strike from Saint-Immortal Hongjun went straight for Nan Luo's fatal weakness, carrying a lethality beyond measure.

Had Nan Luo handled it improperly, he might truly have found it difficult to survive this tribulation.

"I wonder what arrangements the Buddha has made?"

Faced with this fatal blow from Saint-Immortal Hongjun, Nan Luo found himself momentarily helpless and powerless, leaving him no choice but to seek assistance from Amitabha.

Since Amitabha had entrusted the Lion Emperor to relay this vital intelligence, he undoubtedly held a countermeasure in hand.

Though Nan Luo did not understand why Amitabha was aiding him thus, it did not prevent him from accepting the Buddha's goodwill.

"Through the mediation of the Buddha, Saint-Immortal Hongjun commanded the four-clan coalition to besiege the Divine Clan, but simultaneously ordered the Dragon Emperor, the Phoenix Emperor, and the Qilin Emperor to be summoned to the Great Snow Mountain to participate in the battle of the ninth day of the ninth month between the Divine Emperor and the Fierce Emperor."

Hearing this, the massive boulder weighing upon Nan Luo's heart finally dropped, allowing him to set his anxieties aside.

No matter how diminished the Divine Clan might seem, they were still guarded by the Supreme Innangible Treasure, the Hall of Gods; holding out against a four-clan coalition lacking its four supreme emperors would be more than enough.

And though Nan Luo himself would have to face the combined onslaught of the Dragon Emperor, the Phoenix Emperor, the Qilin Emperor, and the Fierce Emperor, he firmly believed he could withdraw unscathed.

After all, the Qilin Emperor had not even been a match for a single punch from him.

Even with the addition of the Dragon Emperor, the Phoenix Emperor, and the Fierce Emperor, Nan Luo was confident he would not lose, and could easily retreat whole and unharmed.

To state it without the slightest exaggeration, ever since his physical body had attained sagehood, Nan Luo no longer feared any entity beneath the realm of Saint-Immortals—whether in single combat or against a coordinated siege.

"And yet... why would Amitabha go to such lengths to help me resolve this predicament? What does he seek in return?" Doubts sprouted in Nan Luo's mind, completely baffled by the true intentions of Amitabha.

As fellow Saint-Immortals, Amitabha was actively undermining Saint-Immortal Hongjun and throwing obstacles in his path.

When Nan Luo questioned the Lion Emperor about the reason, the Lion Emperor naturally knew nothing of why Amitabha was helping Nan Luo; he only knew that he had been ordered to transmit the intelligence to the Divine Emperor.

"No matter what, this act of goodwill from the Buddha is something I, Nan Luo, shall engrave upon my heart, never to forget through all eternity." Rising abruptly to his feet, Nan Luo gazed up into the firmament, cupped his hands together, and offered a sincere expression of gratitude.

Atop a sacred mountain radiating boundless golden Buddhist light, Amitabha sat cross-legged within the majestic Mahavira Hall. Hearing the words of thanks echoing beside his ear, a knowing smile bloomed across his face.

The moment that knowing smile appeared, the entire Mahavira Hall was flooded with infinite radiance; auspicious flowers fell from the heavens and golden lotuses welled up from the earth, manifesting myriad wondrous and marvelous scenes—truly the World of Ultimate Bliss in the West!

Even the legendary gesture of plucking a flower and smiling could hardly surpass this, falling short of Amitabha by a ten-thousandth part.