Chapter Forty-Eight: The Great Tathagata Crosses Worlds to Battle?

Ye Qiu truly had no idea about any of this! Why did it feel like the whole world believed he was extraordinary, yet he alone remained oblivious to his own greatness? What exactly made him so remarkable?

Ye Qiu was utterly perplexed. He racked his brains but could not understand it at all. The Swallowing Heaven Sparrow refused to reveal anything, leaving him completely speechless.

If it wouldn’t speak, so be it. But then it accused him of feigning ignorance—where was the justice in that?

The atmosphere grew tense and stagnant; Ye Qiu could feel Yue Chan’s murderous glare fixed on him, filling him with dread.

“It’s over. I’ve thoroughly offended this woman now. I doubt I’ll have a peaceful day ahead!” Ye Qiu thought in utter despair. Just then, Elder Tianyi, as if seizing a lifeline, cried out with excitement, “Thank you, Senior, for saving our lives! We will never forget your kindness…”

Save their lives?

When did I save their lives?

Ye Qiu paused in confusion. Never mind! Some things were better left unpondered.

“Enough! Let’s cut the nonsense. I’ll give you one more chance… Will you seal the breach in the Dark Forbidden Zone or not?” Ye Qiu said coldly. If it weren’t for these two, he wouldn’t have gotten on Yue Chan’s bad side. He harbored little goodwill toward them now.

Now that he had offended Empress Yue Chan, could he still expect any peace in the future? Ye Qiu had heard of Celestial Palace’s dominance and tyranny. Dealing with just one Empress was headache enough; add the entire Celestial Palace, and he was sure to suffer.

Upon hearing Ye Qiu’s words, Tianyi’s eyes flickered as he spoke, “Senior, with our strength, sealing the breach is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Might you possess any treasures that could aid us?”

“Hm?”

At his words, Feng Xiao shot him a surprised look, inwardly astounded.

Had this old man finally wised up?

Earlier, everyone had witnessed Ye Qiu casually gifting Liu Jianchen an immortal sword. Clearly, treasures were the least of what Ye Qiu lacked.

If they could suppress the darkness with a treasure, they might escape disaster. This was a deep and clever ploy indeed.

“A treasure?” Ye Qiu was dumbfounded. What treasures did he have? In his possession were swords, paintings, books, musical scores—a medley of odd and rare books, but no real treasures.

But then he thought carefully—wait, there was something!

“Hehe, Buddha, forgive me! At this critical moment, I’ll have to borrow your prestige to subdue their baleful energy…”

Suddenly, Ye Qiu remembered he still had a painting on hand. Since no matter what he said, these people were convinced he was extraordinary, why not play along to the end?

With that, Ye Qiu returned to the tavern and fetched a painting.

“A painting?”

The sight of the scroll made Yue Chan’s heart tremble, her expression filled with astonishment. Others might not know, but she was well aware: each of Ye Qiu’s paintings was a supreme immortal treasure, each carrying a unique meaning.

What was this one?

Yue Chan was deeply curious, perplexed as she regarded Ye Qiu. She could hardly fathom what resided in his mind, or how he could create such miraculous works.

Ye Qiu merely smiled and unrolled the scroll. Revealed was a figure bathed in Buddha’s radiance, right hand raised before him in a peculiar gesture, his hair styled in a spiky crown.

That spiky-haired figure wore a compassionate smile, as though plucking a flower in silent mirth. The moment he appeared, the entire hall erupted.

“Hiss… Who is this? Why does he exude such an overwhelming sense of oppression?”

“Damn, is he… giving us the finger? Is this… an insult?”

“How infuriating, yet I can’t retort! I can feel that if he stepped out of the painting, a single glance could annihilate us all. Isn’t that terrifying?”

The hall was thrown into shock—even Ye Qiu himself found it unreal.

Yet what truly stung was that, as a prank, Ye Qiu had once deliberately painted an image of the Tathagata giving the middle finger.

To everyone present, this was nothing short of an insult.

At this moment, Daoist Fufeng spoke up, “No, this is not an insult—this is the Immortal pointing the way…”

Everyone: “???”

Since when do Immortals point the way with a middle finger?

They all shot him a look of disdain. Was he truly so shameless as to praise even a mere painting? Where was his dignity?

“I agree—it’s the Immortal pointing the way!” the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow declared solemnly. The crowd nearly stumbled in disbelief. Were they all so brazen now?

It was clearly an insult, yet they insisted on seeing it as a divine sign.

“Yes, that’s right! The Immortal points the way… See, as he gazes down upon all beings, his hand points to the heavens. Isn’t he trying to tell us something?”

“What is he telling us?”

“Beyond heaven, there are greater heavens. Beyond man, greater men?”

“Hiss…”

A heated discussion broke out, leaving Ye Qiu utterly bewildered.

Seriously? You can rationalize even this? He’s obviously insulting you, but your imagination can twist it into divine guidance?

Ye Qiu was speechless. He had produced the painting simply to hoodwink them and, on the side, to irk the demon gods of the Dark Forbidden Zone.

He never expected these people’s minds to leap so wildly that he didn’t even need to mislead them—they’d already convinced themselves.

Incredible! Their imaginations knew no bounds.

“Well, this works out nicely,” Ye Qiu rejoiced inwardly. He saw no need to correct them and continued, “This painting can dispel evil. Today, I gift it to you—to suppress the darkness. Do you have anything more to say?”

Tianyi and Feng Xiao were so moved at the sight of the painting that they could barely walk. How could they dare utter another word?

“Heavens, we’re saved! With the help of this deity, forget the darkness—I feel I could duel the Dark God in the Border River myself!” Elder Tianyi exclaimed, his heart in turmoil.

He had not expected Ye Qiu to produce such a fearsome painting. This was no less than a true weapon of mass destruction; if the figure in the painting willed it, not only could it seal the breach, it could suppress the darkness itself.

“Rest assured, Senior! We will not fail you; we will surely hold the line at the Border River!” Feng Xiao hurriedly accepted the painting, inwardly ecstatic.

Seeing their excitement, Ye Qiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Phew… Looks like the trouble’s finally resolved. With them leading the charge, I can just relax at the rear and put on a convincing show.

Hehe, who would’ve thought the Tathagata could act cool across worlds? Is this the legendary cross-server battle?”

Ye Qiu was delighted. Originally, he’d just acted on a whim, invoking the Tathagata’s prestige to cow them, but it had actually worked.

All he could say was—the Tathagata was truly formidable!

It proved the old adage true: a remarkable person is remarkable wherever he goes; merely standing there, he can awe an entire world.

“Well, in that case! Off you go. And let me warn you—don’t even think about running, or your fate will be worse than death…”

Ye Qiu threatened them deliberately, sending chills down their spines.

How could they dare flee? After witnessing Ye Qiu’s terrifying power, the thought of escape never even crossed their minds.

In this world, if Ye Qiu wished to kill someone, there was nowhere to hide…

Not to mention, Empress Yue Chan’s Celestial Palace was also watching. Among the figures on that Sky City above, there were no shortage of powerful personages—catching them would be all too easy.