My Dreams Connect to Ancient Times

The world knows only that the Immortal Slayer is sharp, the Immortal Slaver brings death, the Immortal Trapper is vicious, and the Immortal Ender holds infinite, wondrous transformations. It is said that when these four swords combine, they form the First sword in heaven and on earth.

But in truth, none of the four swords were Supreme Treasures born alongside the Spirit Treasure Great Heavenly Venerate. They were acquired later. Only the Qing Ping sword—which was usually unassuming and far less renowned than the Four Immortal Slaying Swords—was the supreme weapon born with the Spirit Treasure Great Heavenly Venerate, the one who symbolized the End, Nirvana, finality, and destruction.

The moment the Qing Ping Sword appeared, cold sweat drenched Maitreya Buddha's back. A single strike from Qing Ping also symbolized destruction and the end of all things. It would have been one thing if that Venerable One were wielding it, for he could control its Profound Mysteries.

But this youth was merely an Earth Immortal. How could he possibly master the Qing Ping Sword completely?

His swing was driven by pure instinct, unleashing the Qing Ping Sword's own innate nature.

And the innate nature of the Qing Ping Sword... was to destroy worlds.

In the first instant the longsword wreathed in azure lotuses was swung,

a boundless Tribulation Qi, threatening the annihilation of all things, began to coil above the Great Heaven and Earth in the present age.

In the second instant, a shadow fell over the Celestial Realms and all worlds.

In the third instant, Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water erupted into turmoil. The separated forces of Yin and Yang began to merge once more, and Chaos re-emerged.

Maitreya Buddha felt his eyes might split from their sockets. His scalp went numb, his heart hammered in his chest, and he shot into the sky.

He had clearly frozen the flow of Time in the Great Heaven and Earth, yet the sword continued its descent through the frozen moment.

With no other choice, the fat monk steeled his resolve. He stomped his foot and threw himself in front of the Qing Ping Sword. If this segment of Years were to be destroyed, then due to the nature of the Uncertainty, the entire grand course of history would shift, and all future ages would vanish like smoke.

Furthermore, the Supreme Venerables fighting outside the Great Heaven and Earth would certainly sense the anomaly!

It all happened in the blink of an eye. The fat monk stood before the Qing Ping Sword, receiving the descending blade on behalf of the Great Heaven and Earth and the Celestial Realms and all their many worlds.

The Buddha's Golden Body, a vessel of Perfection and Profound Mysteries, began to crack. One hundred and eight massive Buddhist Beads erupted with an Infinite Light, illuminating one hundred and eight corresponding Infinite Brahma Lands.

But in the next moment, the Brahma Lands crumbled. The one hundred and eight Buddhist Beads dissolved into nothingness, embracing Nirvana and meeting their end.

The fat monk was grievously wounded. Time resumed its flow, and Lu Xuan was momentarily freed from his bonds.

He looked up. The longsword was still descending. A look of blissful joy, the kind seen before one enters nirvana, appeared on the fat monk's solemn, dignified face.

The monk sighed.

"Damn it all! This is a huge loss, a huge loss! That Venerable One is a true madman, handing the End of everything over to you... Insane, utterly insane!"

The Qing Ping Sword was lodged in Maitreya Buddha's skull. He brought his palms together, the aura of Nirvana deepening around him. His face held both the bliss of entering nirvana and the color of profound sorrow.

Overhead, the Two Realms Cloth continued to churn. The fat monk had single-handedly absorbed all the Tribulation Qi that had materialized across the Celestial Realms. Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water stabilized, and Yin and Yang returned to their peaceful balance.

Lu Xuan's five Divine Communication Acupoints—Form, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch—vibrated. He could perceive everything in all directions, from the Celestial Vault above to the Nine Nether below. In that moment, he understood all.

He asked:

"You're dying?"

The fat monk's face was a mask of half-bliss, half-sorrow. Then, both expressions merged into one as he spoke, his voice laden with meaning:

"Not quite. But the Maitreya Buddha of this time period must now enter Nirvana and Reincarnation."

Lu Xuan's pupils contracted slightly.

"Maitreya Buddha... So you truly are a Buddha from the Buddha Land. No wonder you possess such immense power."

"Heh heh."

Maitreya Buddha gave another meaningful smile. Then, with the Qing Ping Sword still clamped in his skull, he spoke with an air of indifference:

"Benefactor, you have truly exceeded my expectations. To think you even possess the Sword of the End. It seems this body of mine is a total loss. What a waste, what a waste..."

He paused, sighed again, and muttered to himself:

"You know, I am truly a being of great mercy and compassion, using my own Nirvana to shield the Celestial Myriad Realms from a great calamity. Wouldn't you agree, Benefactor?"

Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes. 'Something isn't right.' Alarm bells screamed in his mind.

He suddenly shot his hand out, grasped the hilt of the Qing Ping Sword, and slammed it downward.

'CRACK!'

The sound of shattering came from the fat monk's head. A web of fine cracks appeared on his skull, then instantly spread across his entire body.

"Benefactor, you are so cruel."

Maitreya Buddha clicked his tongue. He was clearly about to crumble, his life force draining away at a visible rate. His Soul and True Spirit were collapsing along with his physical body, yet he still spoke with a casual smile:

"I took this calamity upon myself for all living beings, I withstood a blow from the Qing Ping Sword, yet you, Benefactor, are so determined to take my life!"

Lu Xuan remained silent. He poured more power into his hand, vibrating the Human Dao Fortune. With the Unity of Virtue and Conduct, he continued to force the longsword down.

The aura of Nirvana surrounding the fat monk grew ever more oppressive.

But he was still smiling.

"If I were truly just Maitreya Buddha, just a Daluo, I would have fallen here today. Tsk, tsk. It seems you really can't bargain with tigers. Those few are too cunning, sending me to test you. But in the end, I was tempted. After all, Benefactor, you are an Uncertainty."

A chill shot down Lu Xuan's spine. His hand faltered as he asked:

"Who are 'those few' you speak of?"

Maitreya gave a cryptic smile and said softly,

"I can tell you one of them... Houtu. She seized half a Dao Fruit with her Great Magical Power, then claimed the other half by creating the Reincarnation of All Realms. Hmm, let me take a look."

As he spoke, he lifted his head and gazed outward, past the Thirty-Three Celestial Realms, toward the River of Time.

A moment later, the fat monk chuckled.

"Houtu is currently clashing with the master of Jade Void Palace. She struck him with the power of Reincarnation, but was then counter-attacked by the Three-Bejeweled Ruyi, which erased a portion of her past."

He paused, his gaze returning to Lu Xuan's face. His smile slowly twisted into something demonic.

"This Nirvana of mine is for the protection of heaven and earth. By the laws of cause and effect, you, Benefactor, must bear the full karmic weight... And Benefactor, I will be back."