Chapter 280: The Conclusion of Karma
"Not going to kill them all?"
Jiang Lichen raised an eyebrow at Li Hao, looking somewhat surprised and slightly regretful.
Li Hao shook his head slightly. Aside from those with significant power who might have committed atrocities under the Buddha Lord, there was no point in killing the low-level disciples.
Buddhism had stood for two thousand years. It was impossible to kill them all. Beyond the Boundless Mountain, there were countless Buddhist disciples spread across the nineteen provinces.
Killing them all was impossible.
If he remembered correctly, even the old lady from the Divine General's Mansion was a devout Buddhist.
Li Hao came to slaughter the tangible Buddha, the Buddha who had fallen into demonhood, not the Buddha in people's hearts.
For many suffering people, "Buddha" was their faith and comfort, providing them with peace. How could he destroy that?
"You're still too soft-hearted," Jiang Lichen remarked, shaking his head slightly. "But slaughtering these pig-like mortals has no meaning. The weak are not worthy of tasting the sword."
Li Hao glanced at him. This prince always had a way with words; no wonder he was imprisoned.
"If you spoke less, maybe your life would be smoother," Li Hao said.
"Some people talk less but do more. I just speak the truth. The suffering common people are just stepping stones for the powerful. Whether they live or die makes no difference," Jiang Lichen replied.
Li Hao shook his head slightly and didn't argue with him. Instead, he looked in a certain direction and disappeared in a flash.
Outside the peaks, people were fleeing.
Many disciples who had removed their monk robes were rushing down the mountain path like a swarm of ants, fleeing the Sacred Land of Brahma.
Some who had cultivated to the Fifteen Li Realm flew away at full speed.
Li Qianfeng, dressed in rough clothes, was mixed in with the crowd, his face smeared with dirt, looking like he had rolled down from the rocks, dirty and disheveled.
He had abandoned the guards from the Divine General's Mansion, leaving only the old monk by his side. The two of them were inconspicuous among the crowd.
Whoosh! Suddenly, a figure appeared, intercepting the fleeing crowd.
The overwhelming aura flipped the crowd over. Seeing the young man, everyone turned pale with fear.
Some hurriedly knelt down, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
As many knelt down, Li Qianfeng's expression changed, looking rather ugly, but he obediently knelt with the crowd.
Thinking of himself as the young master of the Divine General's Mansion, a direct disciple of the Buddha Lord, and the future dragon of the Divine General's Mansion, he felt a wave of anger at having to endure such humiliation, but he dared not show it. He recalled the words of many elders in his family: A great man can bend and stretch…
Enduring temporary humiliation was nothing.
An ancestor once endured humiliation under a horse, assassinated his way out of adversity, and brought information back to the army. What was a mere kneeling compared to that?
Li Hao's gaze, like a sharp sword, fell on the young man in the crowd. The other's aura was well-concealed, but with his current realm, this level of concealment was nothing to him.
"Li Qianfeng, aren't you the direct disciple of the Buddha Lord? Don't you plan to avenge your master?"
Li Hao spoke coldly.
Hearing Li Hao's words, Li Qianfeng's heart sank. His face changed dramatically as he looked at Li Hao in fear.
Clearly, his disguise had been seen through.
"Young master, run!"
The old monk beside him reacted quickly, shouting urgently and stepping in front of Li Qianfeng.
He was once a great general under Li Qianfeng's father, having pledged his life to protect this widow and orphan.
Boom! Just as he stepped forward, before he could unleash his master's power, his body suddenly exploded.
Blood splattered, staining Li Qianfeng's rough clothes red.
The scalding hot blood left Li Qianfeng dumbfounded.
The knee he had just lifted slowly sank back down.
"Spare me…"
Li Qianfeng hurriedly kowtowed, kneeling on the ground.
Hearing Li Qianfeng's name, the other kneeling people quickly crawled away, not daring to be near him.
A direct disciple of the Buddha Lord?
That meant he was a noble Buddha child. Mixing with them would only get them killed. Many cursed Li Qianfeng's ancestors in their hearts. They had received few benefits from him and now he was dragging them down while fleeing. This was infuriating!
"The rest of you, leave!"
Hearing their desperate pleas for mercy, Li Hao frowned and said.
Hearing Li Hao's words, the crowd felt as if they had heard the most wonderful sound. With tears of gratitude, they kowtowed a few times before quickly fleeing.
In an instant, only Li Qianfeng was left.
"Spare me. Although I apprenticed under the Buddha Lord, I am from the Li family of the Divine General's Mansion. Our alliance with the Boundless Mountain was purely for mutual benefit, not genuine…"
Li Qianfeng's face was pale. Realizing his imminent doom, he quickly brought up the Divine General's Mansion, hoping to deter Li Hao.
"What, you don't recognize me?" Li Hao said coldly.
Li Qianfeng was stunned. He looked up at Li Hao and finally recognized him, but he still seemed unfamiliar.
Such a young face… Li Qianfeng's pupils suddenly contracted. Shocked, he looked at Li Hao: "You, you, it's you?!"
"Seems like you remember now."
Li Hao nodded, then raised his hand. A powerful force pressed down, crushing Li Qianfeng's bones.
At twenty years old, still in the Heaven and Human Realm, not yet reaching the Three Immortals, his injured body could only be healed with divine pills and miraculous medicines.
Despite the intense pain, Li Qianfeng couldn't hide his shock. His eyes widened as he exclaimed:
"It's you? How is this possible? You killed my master?!"
He didn't know if it was fear or pain that made him scream.
The person he hated and wanted to kill the most, whom his master had repeatedly assured him he would surpass, had killed his master?! He knew Li Hao was strong, making a name for himself in Liangzhou, seen as a powerhouse of the Four Li Realm.
But the higher the realm, the slower the cultivation. How could Li Hao have killed his revered master in such a short time?! This was the Buddha Lord!
In his mind, the Buddha Lord's status could even rival the Li family patriarch. Such a figure had died at Li Hao's hands?!
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!!"
Li Qianfeng roared in anger, blood and tears streaming from his eyes, a result of both his broken internal organs and his pain and madness.
His pride as a genius was shattered.
Coughing up blood and pieces of his organs, Li Qianfeng felt a profound sadness, as if abandoned by the heavens. If he was a genius, then what was this young man before him? A monster?! "My master could not have been defeated. He was the second strongest in the world, invincible except for that true master…"
Li Qianfeng bit his teeth, losing his sanity.
Li Hao didn't waste words with him, breaking his limbs and placing him into the spatial realm.
The once determined and sword-practicing boy at five had become a famed genius, only to meet such an end. Perhaps it all started with that poisoned pill given by the noblewoman, changing their fates.
Now, with him crippled, Li Hao had also left the Divine General's Mansion.
All karma that started with a pill now ended with a pill.
Li Hao returned to the Candlelight God. Elder Feng's body was fine except for the missing soul.
"Let's go back…"
Li Hao said softly.
He looked around at the devastated spiritual mountain, bearing the marks of battle. The Boundless Mountain was essentially destroyed.
Without the Buddha Lord, even if millions of believers gathered in the future, it would never be the same.
As Li Hao prepared to leave, a figure came rushing from outside the Boundless Mountain.
Quickly, the figure arrived before Li Hao.
"Hao'er!"
The arriving figure was Li Muxiu. He had rushed from the Li family, seeing the fleeing crowd outside the Sacred Land of Brahma, instantly understanding the situation.
Hearing the voice, Li Hao immediately recognized his second uncle.
"Where is the Buddha Lord? What about Old Feng…"
Li Muxiu scanned around. Seeing the split mountain, his pupils contracted, shocked.
He had abandoned his identity to rush here, not only to rescue Feng Boping but also because he guessed that Li Hao would come to the rescue. He knew Li Hao was strong but also knew the Buddha Lord was unfathomable. Given Li Hao's current status and achievements, he had suffered enough and didn't want to see him lose his reputation.
If he could save Elder Feng with his half-step Invincible Dao Realm, everything would be resolved. If not, he had promised Feng Boping:
If they couldn't share wealth, they would share life and death!
"The Buddha Lord is dead."
Seeing Li Muxiu in disguise, Li Hao understood his intentions, feeling a bit sad.
"Dead?"
Li Muxiu was shocked. He turned to Feng Boping, seeing his odd, foolish appearance. He quickly asked, "What's wrong with Old Feng?"
"His soul is missing," Li Hao said softly.
Li Muxiu was stunned, quickly checking Feng Boping's body, confirming Li Hao's words.
His face turned grim, fists clenched tightly.
Li Hao understood his pain and said softly, "I will find Elder Feng's missing soul, Second Uncle. This is not a place for you to be, you should return quickly."
Li Muxiu looked at Li Hao, feeling a deep sadness. "Child, this shouldn't have been your burden. It should have been mine."
His heart was heavy and filled with a sense of defeat. When his elder brother fell in Dragon City, he couldn't make it in time. And now, once again, he was too late.
Despite living a seemingly carefree life, he felt like he had failed.
"Elder Feng was found by the Buddhist sect because of me, so it's my responsibility."
Li Hao comforted him with a few words.
Li Muxiu's mood calmed down somewhat. He immediately asked Li Hao about the events that transpired, and Li Hao briefly recounted everything.
After hearing it all, Li Muxiu's expression turned complex. "Child, the Buddha Lord has thousands of followers, spread across various families and officials. Your actions might..."
"It doesn't matter," Li Hao smiled.
Li Muxiu looked at his calm expression, feeling even more sorrow. "Why don't you return to the Divine General's Mansion? With the mansion's thousand years of prestige and your own standing, you can protect yourself..."
Li Hao shook his head slightly. "If His Majesty wants to strip me of my titles, it doesn't matter. It will just be like going back to the beginning. I will still have good food to eat and games of chess to play. It doesn't affect me."
"But..."
Li Hao smiled slightly, bid farewell to the old man, and then mounted the Candlelight God to begin his journey back.
This time, although he had won, he had also lost, at least according to the Buddha Lord's plan.
The events here would soon reach the capital and the emperor. Whether the old man would understand or not, it would still cause trouble...
I'm causing him trouble again... Li Hao sighed inwardly.
As Li Hao left, Jiang Lichen also followed. Before leaving, he glanced at Li Muxiu and laughed, "It seems the Li family's courage is growing. The young ones are like this, and so are the old ones, haha..."
Li Muxiu had already recognized the mad Ninth Prince. He had heard many of his deeds and didn't take such a madman seriously.
Watching the young man leave, Li Muxiu's eyes were filled with sorrow. He had a question he couldn't ask aloud.
Would there still be a chance in the future for the three of them to stand together again...
Time was ruthless, always moving forward, never stopping for anyone, and never turning back...