Traveling The Land

Appearing inside a cave, Buddha changes his attire to rags and disguises himself as an old man on the brink of death.

The ease at which he did this, made it clear he was experienced in doing so.

And that is the truth. Even he doesn't know how many times he incarnates as mortal. To him, it was second nature to be mortal.

Copying the Buddha, the 'Jade Emperor' reached into the void and pulled out clothes.

Sadly, none of them could make him pass as a mortal as the clothes were too high quality.

Seeing the 'Jade Emperor's' struggle, the Buddha turned the clothes into rags that would not raise any eyebrows in a crowd.

The 'Jade Emperor' looked at them with a sense of loss. If he had sold them, how much gold teal could he get? Yet the Buddha just ruined them.

"They are just clothes. You are the lord of the three realms, there is nothing you can't have. If you fancy these clothes, you can just get more."

Exiting the cave, the two walked through the mountains, spotting two animals, a tiger and panda with sunken stomachs and green eyes, drooling mouths at the sight of them.

Clasping his beads, an aura of benevolence surrounded Buddha as he walked in front of the animals, with steady and unwavering steps.

The annals roared and wanted to attack but their bodies could not move. It was like a mountain was bearing down on them, just keeping their heads up was difficult.

Placing his hand on their heads, the Buddha dived into their minds, reading the part he was curious about, why the animals were behaving as they were.

He could use the tao of karma to learn the same without wasting divine power, but it will take a while for him to go through an animal's entire lives.

The longer the Budda's hand rested on their head, the deeper the frown on his face became, "There is a drought that affected the land, causing both animals and humans to suffer. The animals have it a bit better, at least they can eat each other to survive."

"A drought?" The 'Jade Emperor' did not recall any droughts but he did recall that each year he harvested crops, it was getting harder and harder to get the same each year. It's fine if it's not the same but for there to be a drastic difference? That's odd.

This was another reason why the burden on his family grew. How could they make money, if the land they use to make a living is not producing as it used to?

Wang Lin wondered how long he had been in Heaven and how long it took between his death and the takeover of the Jade Emperor.

In myths, it's a known fact that time moves slower in Heaven than on Earth, another factor to the gods' immortality. (AN: gods and immortals are interchangeable.)

Wang Lin couldn't help but worry about his children. Though this family is not the best and his children are ungrateful, they were still his children at the end of the day.

No parent would want to see their flesh and blood harmed. He certainly didn't.

"They are dead."

The 'Jade Emperor', Wang Lin shuddered and woke up, wondering what Buddha meant, only to see that the animals were burnt to a crisp.

Looking strangely at the Buddha, he kept his mouth shut but felt this was strange. He has never heard of a Buddha, definitely not THE Buddha doing evil. Why did he kill the animals?

If there was a drought, that also means a famine was not far behind, meaning the people should be starving.

In that case, doesn't it make sense to take the animals and feed the people?

"The animals have eaten human flesh, which is a sin."

Wang Lin felt this was hypocritical. Why was it okay to eat animals but they cannot do the same? Who made these rules that favor humanity?

As if sensing the 'Jade Emperor' confusion, the Buddha explained, "The tao of heaven favors humans, so they are protected. Eating a human, while not a monster, is a sin."

Since immortals exist, demons, monsters, ghosts and the like exist as well.

Though it is unknown if whatever happened to Heaven and the Underworld happened to them.

Walking through the mountains, they saw a town in the distance with corpses laid all over the place like a battlefield but it was clear it wasn't.

The streets were littered with dead bodies, diseases and a disgusting stench.

Many rats could be seen running up to bodies and feasting on them with relish.

Just from a cursory glance, they could see people dropping from a combination of things but the main one seems to be the heat.

To how dry the earth looked, it would not be a surprise if it hadn't rained in a long time.

This was the jurisdiction of the Dragon Clan, they are to control the formation of rain clouds and bring rain to the world but since there is a drought, it might be that the dragons are no more.

The Buddha was not affected and looked at the scene with a serene expression. It was like even if Mount Tai was to fall, he would not care. (AN: I had to.)

However, the life and death of everyone was appearing in his eyes in a white and black hue.

Wang Lin sucked in a deep breath from shock and horror at the sight before him. He had never seen such a scene before. No wonder the animals were acting differently.

If the Jade Emperor was still alive, what would he do? As the ruler of the three realms, he would probably be fixing the problems of the realms.

However, since he, a fake, took over the Jade Emperor, this was all his responsibility. There was a price for everything. He gained power second only to the Buddha, so his duties will be equal to it.

As they walked, they saw children, women and men all with skeleton frames and parched skin. It was like, even if you wringing their skin out, not even a drop of blood would come out.

Wondering what he could do to help, Wang Lin noticed he had a spell called that allows him to do just that.

He could summon rain clouds and help them, but…looking at Buddha, he hesitated. He doesn't know what his stance is yet, so he had to be patient.

The land they stood on is under the control of the Xia Dynasty, which was founded by Qi, the son of Yu the Great.

Yu the Great, chosen by the tribal leader Shun at the time, was tasked with preventing the flooding of the land, which he accomplished after many years of trial and error.

How ironic it is to now have a drought. Will there be another Yu the Great that prevents droughts?

Walking through the town, the Buddha stopped and looked in a direction before walking there.

Wang Lin was confused but followed nonetheless. Although he doesn't know what the Buddha wanted to, he knew from their interactions that everything he does has meaning.

When the two came to a stop, they found themselves in an alley looming over a dead child.

The child was just skin and bones. One could see the child's heart pressed against her chest, making it look unsightly.

In the corner of her eyes, there were dried up tears that made it clear she knew was going to die. How scared was she at that time? Did anyone hold her hands and told her it was going to be okay?

Wang Lin was starting to see that this world was not as peaceful as he imagined. Who knew how many young children died while he was innocently farming? How many of which never got to experience life?

Clenching his fist, he made up his mind to do something about it. He will help the people of this world live a better life, one they could never imagine possible.

Glancing at the Jade Emperor, the Buddha smiled with acknowledgement as he knelt down to examine the child.

"Poor child. She is only five years old and she already experienced so much. Fate is fickle and undeserving sometimes."

Wang Lin frowned as he realized something.

On the way here, they passed corpses which were more unsightly and younger than this girl but the Buddha did not stop nor glance at them.

However, why did the Buddha see this girl but not the others? What was so special about her?

Looking at her with the eyes of the Jade Emperor proves no results. Could this be something only the Buddha could see?

Just how powerful was this monk?

"What a pity…. If this was the time when the realms were in order, perhaps I would not do this ... .to hell with it, you deserve another chance."

Gripping his prayer bead and chanting, golden light with lotus flowers bloomed before vanishing into the girl's body, causing her body to fill with nutrients and become one of the living. (AN: Special effects.)

Placing his hand on her head, the Buddha recited an incantation, passing on the knowledge of the gods.

"The heavens are unfair, the gods are ruthless. Do not believe in others but yourself. Only you can save yourself."

'Is he scolding me? The so-called Heaven is me, well technically the Jade Emperor, I know at least that much.'

Making sure that the girl came back to life, they left without conversing with her.

What need is there to wait to talk to her? She was granted the means to secure her life. If she died again, blame it on the inescapability of fate.

Replaying the Buddha's words, Wang Lin decided to do as he pleased. He was not without suspicion that he was discovered and why wouldn't he? The person he is traveling with is the Buddha, someone even the Saints had to salute.

This means his power was above them. If a Saint could discover him, why can't Buddha?

The more they walked, the more hardships that appeared before them.

Remembering the Xia Dynasty that thrived under the rule of Emperor Qi for almost a decade, it was shocking to see this scene but it's understandable. Though a good emperor, Qi was mortal.

However, it was because of this benevolent emperor that chaos spread. The dynasty showed signs of splintering. This was because his reign was too long.

As a human, Wang Lin remembered he was living under the rule of Li Kingdom, a small kingdom that was surrounded by others but looking at it now, it doesn't seem to be the case.

These so-called kingdoms were all under the Xia Dynasty, as states but as the emperor and the dynasty became weaker, their ambitions grew and they declared themselves kingdoms without fear of repercussions.

As they walked, Wang Lin asked, "Why did you decide to save her? We have come across many people but you ignored them."

The Buddha pondered and replied with scratching his head, "I don't know, I just felt like it. Whether the people are suffering or not is pointless. Even though I can change this for them, why should I? Life, death, pain, suffering, peace etc are parts of human experience. Experiencing these are ways to achieve nirvana, I would not interfere. Though, there are exceptions…..That girl, she was not meant to die. Originally she was to live to her late 20s before dying. However, since she died abruptly, I decided to give her another chance. If she uses what I gave her, she will become a god, though that is not necessarily a good thing."

The Jade Emperor exclaimed in shock and disbelief, "I thought the Buddha was supposed to be compassionate."

Shaking his head, "Compassion, evil, love and all these attributes are nothing but labels. I never choose to be good nor am I. In fact, throughout my life, I have been quite selfish but those who saw my actions created myths and reason behind them, making me a force of good. Everything is subjective, nothing is as it seems. For example, you. You appear before me as the Jade Emperor, but you are a mortal. Interesting, no?"

Wang Lin's footstep flattered but kept walking, "Why did you not say anything before if you knew?"

"Why should I? Whether you are you or the Jade Emperor, what does that have to do with me? I simply let you know I know, so you can move freely."

This Buddha is more eccentric than he thought.

Extending his hand for a handshake, the Jade Emperor, Wang Lin spoke, "Sigh, I was having a headache pretending to be something I'm not. My name is Wang Lin."

"Oh, I already know everything about you but this is fine too. I'm the Buddha. I actually don't like the title Buddha but it seems stuck to me."

Raising a brow, the Jade Emperor asked, "How do you think we should go about spreading cultivation? We could pick people at random and give them knowledge but that might make the mortal world chaotic."

Pondering, a smile appeared on the Buddha's face as he clasped his hand, "Isn't it already? I have the perfect idea. We will create a test of sorts and give them cultivation based on their personalities, strengths and weaknesses."

Adding Wang Lin said, "I think we should select only 100 or so people, as to maintain a sense of control."

As he was about to answer, the Buddha looked into the distance with his eyes changing color and smiled. "Though the immortals vanished, monsters still exist. I don't think control is a good thing as that will limit human potential. Well, you are the ruler of the three realms so you decide."

"There are monsters?" Looking in the same direction, Wang Lin did not see anything, but didn't doubt the Buddha's words.

"Yes. Though these ones are extremely weak. In ancient times, there were monster saints who were born in the age of heaven and earth splitting. After Dao Ancestor Honjun emerged and spread cultivation, the weaker races, which include humans, began to grow and established order in the form of the Heavenly Court."

Wang Lin listened, imagining the scene of ancient times and felt awe. How mighty were those figures of ancient yore?

"What happened to Dao Ancestor Honjun? If you survived, shouldn't he?"

One is the ancestor of Taoism, the other is the founder of Buddhism, they are both frightening beings.

"Dao Ancestor is not what you think it is." Shaking his head, the Buddha put one finger up, "You imagined the Dao Ancestor as a person, however that's not correct. Dao Ancestor is a manifestation of order and monsters and demons are manifestations of chaos. However, remember when I told you everything is subjective? Dao Ancestor Honjun doesn't favor humans nor other races. He, it, whatever you want to call it, exists to preach and announce new realms to cultivation."

Buddha looked into the heavens and wondered why he couldn't sense Dao Ancestor's presence. Could he be dead? That should be impossible.

'Things are becoming more interesting.'

Wang Lin was surprised as he, like everyone, thought the Dao Ancestor was an actual person. He was depicted in myth as one.

"The question should not be how I survived? But, how could I not? Though born later than most, I remain the honored one."

'Why does he seem sad?'