I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

This is the mantra of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva for eliminating karmic obstacles.

"Om, Amogha, Virudana, Mahamuna, Manipanama, Jvala..."

This is the Mantra of the Great Sun Tathagata, known as the general mantra of all Buddhas.

"Namo Samanta Buddhanam, Maha Yoga, Yuni Ning, Yu Yi Shen Bha Li, Chan Ru Li Ji, Svaha!"

This is the Maitreya Mantra, representing the root of all Buddhas' attainments.

Above the snowy plateau, colorful prayer flags flutter and dance, and the strange scent of incense wafts into the sky along with the chanting of lamas. Palaces with red tiles and white bricks stand side by side with magnificent temples.

The freezing wind on the plateau was biting, and a hawk circled over the mirror-like, tranquil lake.

On the Iron Wheel King's exclusive golden bed, the contemporary Wheel King twirled the prayer beads in his palm.

The power of the Great Tang Eastern Emperor and the Heavenly Craftsmen expanded rapidly. Several weeks ago, they brought Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan under their control. Subsequently, the previously conflicted Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan became like a cog in the machine, entering into the overall operation.

As an observer, Iron Wheel King could see it clearly—it was a macroscopic, high-level command, seeing the future hundreds or even thousands of steps ahead with unimaginable vision. If this is not an enlightened being, then what is?

From the moment he learned that the Eastern Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the Heavenly Craftsman were such incredible beings, the Iron Wheel King lost all hope for the future.

How can a mere practitioner cope with this imagined Buddha, this mimicking enlightened being?

—The good times of Luo Hao are gone forever.

After realizing this, Iron Wheel King waited for the arrival of the Eastern Emperor. In his imagination, the Bronze City should have descended after the reconquest of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan.

But no, for a month, the Bronze City remained hovering over Chang'an, causing the Iron Wheel King immense inner turmoil.

The sword hanging overhead lingered, causing Iron Wheel King to experience true torment. So much so that when he saw the other side of the sky shrouded in the shadow of the Bronze City, he let out a long sigh.

However, as the Bronze City drew closer, and the clanging of metal grew louder as it approached, the prayer beads in Iron Wheel King's hand fell to the ground.

This city is far too big.

The aged Iron Wheel King sat on his bed, his withered brows trembling repeatedly. When he saw the colossal city that blotted out the sky, his heart clenched violently.

The compassionate eyes, once brimming with wisdom from reading scriptures, were gradually filled with bewilderment.

What should we do? What method can we use to find relief?

The Bronze City hovered above the snowy region, and countless herders knelt in worship before the majestic city in the sky. Compared to faith that did not manifest any miracles, this visible wonder was clearly more awe-inspiring.

In the palace, King Iron Wheel sighed deeply.

He realized that the reason why the snowy plateau was able to obtain almost autonomous power was simply because Luo Hao did not take charge.

But the Tang emperor was definitely not that kind of person.

Iron Wheel King walked out of the palace and sat down in a vast expanse of snow. He looked up at the sky, and snowflakes fell on his white eyebrows.

The old monk moved his lips, knowing that the Tang emperor could hear him.

"The snowy land returns to the Tang Dynasty today."

On the dark green tabletop, the snow-covered plateau, still retaining its dull gray, connects to the western regions to the north, all tinged with vermilion yellow.

As if experiencing a final burst of energy before death, the old monk clasped his hands together and placed them naturally on his knees, speaking peacefully to his disciples behind him, whose expressions were filled with sorrow.

"Do no evil, do more good. The Snow Region was originally part of the continent, so do not harbor any resentment towards the Tang Emperor."

"But, Master," the monk in the yellow robe knelt down devoutly, his voice trembling with sobs, "you should have seen more of this world."

"hehe."

Iron Wheel King lowered his head, smiled and exhaled: "Life is short, but my life is long. The old monk wants to make the people of the snowy region live a good life. This is a great merit. You should not be sad for me, but happy for me."

His head drooped lower and lower, and his voice sank down to a murmur that he could only hear himself.

"May I, in my next life, when I attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, have my own light blazing forth, illuminating countless, innumerable, and boundless worlds. May I adorn my body with the thirty-two major marks and eighty minor marks of a great man, so that all sentient beings may be no different from me."

"May I, in my next life, when I attain Bodhi, have a body like crystal, clear and bright inside and out, pure and without blemish, radiant and vast, with immeasurable merit, a body well-governed, adorned with a net of flames, surpassing the sun and moon; may all beings in the dark realms be enlightened; may they freely go wherever they wish and accomplish all their endeavors..."

“Benefactor Cuilian, this humble monk has arrived.”

The sound eventually faded to an almost inaudible level, and no one could hear it anymore.

......

"Why did he have to die?" Tony asked Andrei, who was beside him, with a puzzled look.

“Because he is the greatest king of the Snow Region, no matter what, the Iron Wheel King must be destroyed.” Andrei put down the book in his hand. “It’s like if someone wants to annex the Southern European Union, the first thing to do is to expel you. Otherwise, even if you do nothing, just your existence will arouse the thoughts of other people with ulterior motives.”

"Really?" Tony scratched his head in confusion. "But I don't think Mickey chased me away."

That's because he's not a normal person. Andrei's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

"you're right."

"Moreover, it is said that this Iron Wheel King once followed the leader of the Luo Hao sect for a period of time when he was still a novice monk. Later, he defended the Western Regions during the war. Whether in the snowy plateau or the desert of the Western Regions, he was revered as the Great King."

Andrei pushed up his glasses.

A young novice monk admires an eternally beautiful girl who never ages over hundreds of years, while the novice monk grows into an old monk... Andrei sighed.

Iron Wheel King can peacefully transfer the Snow Region and the Western Regions, but he himself can never board the Eastern Emperor's ship.

Andrei had a premonition that a new era had begun.

376 Taking a step back only makes you feel more cheated.

Lately, the Black Prince Alexander Gascoigne has been feeling uneasy, and the fire in the Royal Factory has begun to burn out.

Just as his ancestors had upheld, the best course of action for Britain, an isolated island nation, was not to become an ally of any continental country, nor to continue investing without a sure chance of success.

Alexander Gascoigne wholeheartedly agreed, even though the blood of an adventurer flowed in his veins.

Alexander's father was a scholar of the occult. He knew a little about simple magic, but he was more skilled at deception and gambling. By chance, his father embarked on a journey to find the Holy Grail, and then, like the knights in legend who died halfway through their journey, his father passed away.

At the tender age of sixteen, Alexander embarked on a quest for the Holy Grail based on a coded message left by his father. By chance, he stumbled upon a scene where monks were attempting to create a god-slayer and summon a disobedient god.

With his incredible luck and adventurous spirit, Alexander successfully defeated the fallen angel Remiel, a disobedient god who controlled thunder and illusion. This power manifested in Alexander as unprecedented "divine speed."

—For the past ten years, among the existing demon kings, his speed has consistently held the top position.

It is precisely because of this primary power that he is known as the "Black Prince of Lightning Speed".

Of course, after becoming the Demon King, he rarely took risks like before—after all, there were very few occasions where he needed to risk his life.

He became as precise and elegant as his ancestors, considering himself different from other god-slaying fools, a person who thought about things rationally. It was for this reason that he never used the power of a god-slayer to raze the "Council of Sages" at the top of the demonic world with force.

The Black Prince's proudest achievement was his scheme to outmaneuver Marquis Voban in the battle against the cult leader Luo Hao, and his role in escalating the conflict between Tony and Marquis Voban. This was not a feat achieved through lies or deception, but simply through human strategy.

It must be said that Alexander thoroughly enjoyed this intellectual dominance. The cruel Marquis Voban was nothing more than an enraged old wolf in his eyes, Tony was a warmongering dog with only bones in his eyes, and Pluto of America was nothing more than a cross-dressing eccentric. The Luo Hao cult leader was like a proud rooster...

"Personality is the greatest enemy."

However, the Black Prince's most extensive operations were not in Europe, but on the mainland, which was then known as the Qing Dynasty.

Luo Hao's inaction and the Iron Wheel King's subtle tendency to become independent in the Snowy Plateau provided the perfect opportunity for him to intervene. Therefore, the Black Prince began to push forward his plans in the Qing Kingdom. If the Iron Wheel King had not suddenly defected, the Western Desert would have become the Black Prince's enclave for his royal factory.

Of course, even if the plan had not succeeded, the Wang Li Factory's influence still smoothly entered the mainland, and under the guise of concession merchants and industrial tycoons, they analyzed a large number of martial arts manuals that were only circulated in the East, and under the pretense of archaeology, they peeled off and took away the sacred relics that had been passed down in the grottoes for a long time—the vast majority of the plans were successful.

Luo Hao didn't interfere, and Iron Wheel King's turning a blind eye provided the perfect environment for him to carry out his plans.

But when did times change?

The Black Prince pondered deeply. Three months ago? No, by then Tang had already recovered the old territory and extended his influence to more distant places.

That was the moment Luo Hao was killed. The battle between the White Lotus King and the Eastern Emperor ended with the former suffering a crushing defeat, which led to the complete collapse of the Black Prince's plans on the continent. First, the factory lost its dumping grounds, then the archaeological team that was excavating the relics was detained, and then even the factory itself was swallowed up as state property!

"fxxk!"

The Black Prince angrily gripped the head of his cane and, in a refined manner, uttered a vulgar curse.

This is practically outright robbery!

But so what? The speed at which he gathered materials was no match for the speed at which Donghuang Chao had modified them. Tang was like a huge furnace, devouring materials from all factions without discrimination and transforming and incorporating them in his own way.

The thought of the people from the royal factory standing in the open space every morning, shouting "Long live the Emperor of the Eastern Tang Dynasty!" before becoming cogs in the machine for the Tang Dynasty with fanatical expressions, made the Black Prince's face darken involuntarily.

"Patience, Alexander, you must be patient."

The Black Prince took a deep breath. He knew that Li Lin was using this method to lure him into attacking, so that he could kill him just like Luo Hao.

"You think I, Alexander Gascoigne, would fall for a lunatic like you?"

The Black Prince suppressed his anger and sneered, as if he were having a passionate confrontation with an imaginary Li Lin in the void.

Alexander simulated the personality of each godkiller, including himself—which is why he was able to manipulate godkillers so successfully. On the one hand, he was able to guess their personalities, and on the other hand, the arrogant demon kings never cared about the traps in front of them.

They will simply wade through the pit with an air of invincibility, even if it's a cesspool—that's the arrogance of god-slayers. And that arrogance is so twisted.

However, Alexander never imagined that this seemingly shrewd and calculating Eastern Emperor could have such a bizarre and wide-ranging way of thinking that it was impossible to establish or cultivate a personality model of Li Lin.

This can only prove one thing: Li Lin is truly a complete madman.

No one can predict what a madman might do.

"Therefore, you must be patient."

"Quack quack quack."

A raven flew in through the window, landed on the windowsill, and handed Alexander the letter it was carrying in its beak.

The black prince reached out and picked up a strip of meat, but the raven snatched it away and flew away.