My Core is the Boss-Chapter 136.1: Flip the Table, If Someone Has to Die, Its You!
Bai Ze was caught in an impossible dilemma. If he killed, he would be killing the wrong person and staining his Buddha heart. But if he refrained, he would be abandoning his original vow, and his Buddha heart would bear that flaw all the same.
Either way, Shang Yanran would get exactly what she wanted: the Great Sun Golden Lotus.
Qi Yuan worked through the logic and could only sigh internally. This Slate of Fate sure loves meddling with destiny, but it's such a timid rat. If it were me? To hell with the consequences, I would just swallow the Great Sun Golden Lotus whole. If you don't even dare eat it, what kind of "Slate of Fate" are you?
Still, Qi Yuan himself was also cornered. If he made Bai Ze remember that he had once been the Great Demon, the entire Flowing Wind World would be doomed. If he didn't expose Shang Yanran for what she truly was, then she would succeed.
Just then, Shang Yanran gazed at Bai Ze, full of anticipation. "Join hands with me. Kill the Great Demon, and the world will know peace. But if you don’t kill him...”
A murkiness rose in Bai Ze's pure eyes. It was the mark left on his Buddha heart ten thousand years ago by the Slate of Fate. He looked at Qi Yuan, then at the hundred thousand Supremes around them. Pain surfaced in his eyes. He couldn't speak. One was his Master. The other was all living beings of the world.
Qi Yuan glanced at him and raised his voice. "Bai Ze, let me teach you one last lesson. All the worries of this world exist because we refuse to let go. Forget everything and there will be no more suffering."
Bai Ze's Buddha heart trembled violently. One last lesson? Is Master planning to sacrifice himself again?
Shang Yanran froze, her heart bursting with joy. Ning Tao’s eyes widened as she looked at Qi Yuan. Though her lips stayed still, her gaze laid bare everything in her heart.
All the Supremes were staring at Qi Yuan the same way, making him feel baffled. Why does everyone think I am about to heroically sacrifice myself? Since when did I have such lofty morals?
Then, he turned to Shang Yanran. "As your Master, I'll teach you one last thing, too. Scheming, manipulating hearts, and altering fates lead nowhere. Only strength can win hearts and command fate."
Shang Yanran’s pupils shrank. A surge of fear shot through her. Did the Blood Master know something? How can he possibly know?
Qi Yuan's voice thundered across the gate. "Shang Yanran, don't you know who the real Demoness is?"
For the first time, panic cracked her composure. "You mustn’t say it!"
If it was exposed, the Buddha would remember everything. The lotus would burn everything to ash, including her!
Qi Yuan ignored her entirely. People? Schemes? Fate? Without strength, you're reduced to playing with these disgusting tricks. It is all worthless, just a clown's antics. I am done with this game. A final table-flip! What kind of final boss had so little dignity?
Qi Yuan didn't hesitate. He laid out the truth for all to hear. "Shang Yanran, you are the Demoness and the Slate of Fate’s spirit! Bai Ze, you’re the Buddha and the Great Demon! Everything that happened inside the Myriad Demon Mirror was your entire life!"
His voice echoed through the Myriad Demon Gate and everyone was dumbstruck.
Shang Yanran was terrified out of her wits, becoming frantic. "Nooo! We are all doomed! We are going to die! I have to get out of here!"
The Flowing Wind World was done for! Even the Myriad Demon World connected through this gate would be destroyed. The one who always toyed with destiny and people’s hearts were exposed as a clown.
Meanwhile, Bai Ze's eyes churned with countless emotions. Endless memories crashed into him like a tidal wave. On the Heartless Lotus, an aura of pure terror began to spread.
Shang Yanran tried to escape, but Qi Yuan swung his sword and blocked her path. "Where do you think you're going? Get back to Gothem, Betmen's[1] waiting to beat you up!"
"Lunatic! You’re crazy!" she screeched. She wanted to flee, but there was no escape.
Shang Yanran was completely unhinged, stripped of all the composure of a true powerhouse.
The rest turned their gaze toward Bai Ze, fear and dread rising in every heart. They could all sense that something terrifying was about to happen.
Shang Yanran glared viciously at Qi Yuan. "Hahahaha! Blood Master, you're the real villain here! You made Bai Ze remember his past! Once tainted, the lotus will burn the entire world to ash! Hahaha! And with the Myriad Phenomena Gate sealed, no one can escape! Hahaha, everyone is going to die!"
Everything is his fault! The world is doomed because of him!
In the next moment, Bai Ze opened his eyes, and they were bloodshot. Anyone who saw him felt a suffocating terror rise from their soul.
Bai Ze’s gaze landed on Shang Yanran, sorrow, helplessness, and turmoil swirling within it. All of his memories had returned, and he could no longer control himself. He was becoming the Great Demon once again. The tainted Great Sun Golden Lotus began burning all things.
Just then, a thread of clarity flickered in Bai Ze’s eyes. He exhaled a long, weary sigh. "Master... "
No one knew whether it was anger toward Qi Yuan for exposing the truth, or something else.
"Hahaha! This world will be destroyed soon! Once the Great Sun Golden Lotus ignites, nothing can stop it!" Shang Yanran was completely deranged now. "Hahaha! There are no winners today, Blood Master! Only losers!"
Everyone's hearts grew heavy, overwhelmed by fear.
"Who said there are no winners? In this game, as long as I kill you, I clear the stage!" Qi Yuan remained impossibly calm, turning to Bai Ze. "Bai Ze, do you remember what I just taught you? Only by forgetting can the world be free of suffering."
Amid the chaos in Bai Ze's eyes, a sliver of clarity remained. "Master, I am useless. I cannot forget. I cannot forget the people I slaughtered. I cannot forget those who died because my inner demons lashed out. I am a sinner. I am the Great Demon."
"If you can't forget then I'll help you forget!" Qi Yuan shouted. If Bai Ze couldn’t let go, Qi Yuan would just beat the memories out of him. Senility was basically forgetting, right? "Don't resist. Let me help you forget!"
The Great Forgetfulness Sutra erupted.
Shang Yanran smirked coldly. "Forgetfulness is nothing but self-deception!"
Regardless, Bai Ze followed Qi Yuan’s instruction and made no attempt to block it. As Qi Yuan’s divine technique washed over him, another spark of clarity lit Bai Ze's eyes. He seemed to understand something for a moment. "So that's how it is."
Bodhi originally has no tree, the mirror also has no stand.
If nothing exists originally, where could dust alight? [2]
The lotus’s burning began to weaken.
Unable to comprehend why, Shang Yanran's face twisted in madness. "W-why? What is happening?"
What did the Blood Master do to Bai Ze?
Meanwhile, Bai Ze chose not to think about why his master had a second Origin Divine Technique. Thinking would only create more suffering. He stared at Qi Yuan with Buddha-like serenity. "Master, before I forget everything, let me settle things with her."
His long-standing feud with the Demoness, and the grudge he bore against the Slate of Fate, would end today. Bai Ze struck with his palm, unleashing power far beyond any Great Supreme. "Everything wicked and unclean in this world shall be forgotten."
Even Qi Yuan had to admit he wouldn't be able to block that blow. With one palm, all evil died. The Slate of Fate shattered.
Shang Yanran's final expression was that of utter lunacy. "Once the Great Sun Golden Lotus ignites, it can't be stopped! Everyone will die!"
And with that, she perished. Qi Yuan sighed helplessly.
So this time, the hundred thousand Supremes had killed the Great Supremes, and Bai Ze had taken care of the final boss. Had he been nothing more than an extra? But honestly, being idle felt great.
Shang Yanran fell once more to the Buddha's hand, just like the Demoness from hundreds of thousands of years ago.
[Mission "City of No Return" cleared. Rewards obtained.]
A crisp system prompt rang out.
[Reward 1: Key Fragment ×99.]
[Reward 2: One chance to name the key]
With Shang Yanran's death, the North South Pact had ended for good. The mission to guard the City of No Return had finally come to an end, and Qi Yuan had also received the long-awaited quest rewards.
Still, now wasn’t the time for that. His eyes were fixed on Bai Ze. If Bai Ze succumbed to demonic corruption, the lotus would burn this world to ashes and everyone would die.
Bai Ze's eyes flickered between madness and clarity. He glanced at the hundred thousand Supremes behind Qi Yuan, then at the ever-burning lotus. A deep shadow shrouded his gaze. "Master, even if I forget everything, what happened still happened. The Great Sun Golden Lotus will burn all the same. This world will still be destroyed."
Shang Yanran wasn't wrong. No one could leave this world. The lotus would decimate both worlds even if they entered the Myriad Demon World through the gate. Even without the lotus, as long as the demon spawns remained inside the hundred thousand Supremes, the Flowing Wind World would inevitably meet total annihilation.
"That's because you haven't forgotten enough," Qi Yuan said.
If his divine technique reached the Engraving stage, he could make Bai Ze forget even more. Unfortunately, Bai Ze's true body was simply too strong. Even if Bai Ze opened his heart and let Qi Yuan use the Great Forgetfulness Sutra freely, Qi Yuan still couldn't erase everything. Rather, somewhere deep inside, Bai Ze didn't want to forget.
The Great Sun Golden Lotus continued to burn. Every Supreme was visibly afraid. They could feel the overwhelming danger. The lotus would burn everything into nothingness.
Bai Ze gazed upon the Myriad Demon Gate, his long, narrow eyes filled with helplessness. "Even if I forget, I can only suppress the Great Sun Golden Lotus for a hundred years. When a hundred years pass, this world will be reduced to ashes, unless I am able to comprehend true forgetfulness. Still, if even the Slate of Fate could drag me into ruin, how am I supposed to truly forget?"
Right then, Qi Yuan felt his time in this world was nearly up. The lotus could probably burn this world down, but what about the Canglan World?
Thus, he suggested to Bai Ze, "How about giving me the Great Sun Golden Lotus?"
Bai Ze’s eyes widened in shock.
Qi Yuan explained, "I want to form a golden core. That lotus looks pretty decent."
Bai Ze seemed even more confused. After all, whoever held the lotus would be the first to die.
"If Master wants it, then take it," Bai Ze said. He didn't know what Qi Yuan intended, but he wouldn’t refuse his master’s wish.
The relic left behind by the Great Sun Bright Buddha had become the very thing that would destroy the world. Even though he had forgotten he was the Great Demon, Bai Ze still blamed himself endlessly.
Qi Yuan gazed at the lotus, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. Time was nearly up, and he could leave this world at any moment.
Then, he stared deeply at Ning Tao. Unlike the canary, she was colder and more enchanting. Her gaze never left him, and the moment their eyes met, she understood his intent.
She laughed, a smile blooming with a thousand charms. "Blood Drop, no matter where, I’m willing to say with you. I’ll wait for you."
1. Gotham city is the fictional city where Batman does all his saving. ☜
2. A famous four line verse of Buddhism related to the core idea of Zen. In simple words, the mind is originally pure and empty. If there is no fixed 'object' or 'self', then nothing external can disturb you. Therefore, if you understand that the mind is inherently pure and empty, then nothing can actually stain it. ☜
