I Have A Sword

He had abandoned all defenses!

Ye Guan was confused.What is he trying to do?

However, Gu Pan did not kill Mi Fo. His fist stopped half a meter in front of Mi Fo's forehead, and all of his power vanished instantly. Gu Pan was completely controlled and restrained!

Gu Pan glared at Mi Fo. "Are you looking down on me?"

Just then, a voice echoed from within the temple. "Gu Pan!"

Gu Pan turned to see an old monk dressed in a black robe.

When Ye Guan saw the black-robed old monk, his expression turned grave. The black-robed old monk was more powerful than Mi Fo.

With just a single step, the black-robed old monk appeared before Gu Pan.

He looked at Mi Fo and sighed. "You've cultivated the Buddhist Dao for so many years. Have you not realized it yet? Many times, death isn't the simple solution to enlightenment, nor will it bring peace to your heart. It's just an easy escape from your heart. That is false doctrine, false compassion..."

Mi Fo spoke in a low voice, "Master, what happened back then was my fault."

"You were at fault, but did you think that dying would make up for it?"

Mi Fo fell silent.

The black-robed old monk turned to Gu Pan. "All these years I've been waiting... waiting for him to tell you the truth himself. But I never expected that he had yet to tell you the truth, so let me do it instead.

"Gu Pan, your biological father is not him."

Gu Pan's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

Ye Guan was confused, too.

The black-robed old monk explained, "Your mother was the daughter of Gu Lu, a farmer of our Mi Clan. She fell in love at first sight with a boy from the neighboring village. They got together and had you.

"However, the two villages had a deep feud, so your mother dared not say that you were the child of that boy.

"Ultimately, under the pressure of her father and in order to protect you, she claimed you were the child of a monk from the Mi Clan. That monk was none other than Chan Mi[1]."

Gu Pan stood frozen in place.

The black-robed old monk added, "At that time, Chan Mi was still very young and was not a devout Buddhist just yet. When your mother claimed that he was the father, he obviously did not accept it and tried to prove otherwise.

"To protect you, your mother took her own life..."

The black-robed old monk sighed. "Chan Mi deeply regretted it. Our Mi Clan values compassion. He has been living in regret ever since. He regretted the fact that he cared too much about his reputation back then. If he had handled it differently, your mother could still be alive today..."

"How could this be..." Gu Pan murmured. Then, he raged. A terrifying aura surged from his body toward the black-robed old monk. The moment it approached the black-robed old monk, it vanished without a trace.

The black-robed old monk did not retaliate but calmly said, "That incident has left a deep scar on Chan Mi's heart. He believes that if he had acted differently, things wouldn't have turned out that way.

"Do you know why you were so lucky?"

Gu Pan looked at him.

The black-robed old monk sighed and turned to Mi Fo. "Chan Mi, you've been cultivating for so long. Don't you see it? What happened wasn't your fault. If it wasn't your fault, so why would you put yourself through all this?

"Death is not the answer. Whether you are human or Buddha, it is foolish to punish yourself for the mistakes of others. Do you understand?"

With that, he turned to Gu Pan and said, "Gu Pan, Chan Mi has tolerated your actions all these years because of his guilt. He didn't tell you the truth because he was afraid you would take revenge on the other villages.

"However, the cycle of revenge would never end that way. Therefore, he chose to bear the consequences himself. Now that you've reached the Divine Realm, you're strong enough to stand on your own. It's time to let go of the past."

Gu Pan had an unreadable expression. "Then who is my biological father?"

He already believed the old monk's words. Someone so powerful had no reason to lie, and if he wanted Gu Pan dead, he could effortlessly kill him.

The black-robed old monk shook his head. "He became a cultivator, but he didn't make it far. He passed away a long time ago."

Gu Pan said nothing.

The black-robed old monk continued, "Gu Pan, the time has come to put all grudges and hatred to rest."

After a long silence, Gu Pan turned to Ye Guan. "Let's go."

Ye Guan nodded slightly.

Just as the two were about to leave, Gu Pan stopped and turned to MI Fo, "Back then, when I fell into a ravine in the mountains and survived, I found a cultivation method manual in a cave. You left that there, didn't you?"

Mi Fo nodded.

After a pause, Gu Pan said, "Monk, you should have told me earlier."

Mi Fo shook his head. "If I had told you back then, would you have spared the other village?"

"Did that man not deserve to die?"

Mi Fo sighed. "He didn't betray your mother. I investigated as I felt guilty, and I found out the truth. Back then, he left suddenly to train and gain strength.

"He wanted to become capable of protecting her and you. He knew that without strength, he wouldn't be able to resolve the hatred between the two villages."

When Gu Pan heard that, he started trembling.

Mi Fo continued, "I didn't tell you because you were blinded by hatred at that time. Even if I had told you, you wouldn't have forgiven them. I'd rather you come for me than take revenge on them."

Gu Pan slowly closed his eyes. "But my mother died... a meaningless death."

Mi Fo put his palms together. "Your mother claimed me as your father in order to use the Mi Clan's name to protect you and herself. She also hoped our Mi Clan would help to dissolve the resentment between the villages.

"But at the time, my master was in seclusion, and I didn't have the strength or the insight to intervene. I didn't want to get involved in the grievances between people in the secular world, either.

"I believed that everything had its cause and effect, and that we shouldn't meddle..." Mi Fo shook his head and added, "Only after your mother's death did I realize that doing nothing was wrong.

"I made a mistake by ignoring her. I made one mistake after another..."

Gu Pan suddenly said, "Monk, it's not your fault."

Mi Fo looked at him.

"It's not your fault. If there's anything to blame, it'd be the world where my mother and father lived. Honestly, if I were you, I wouldn't care about it at all. But you did all these things in secret... You've done more than enough."

Then, Gu Pan turned and walked away. "Monk, I'm sorry about everything."

Soon, Ye Guan and Gu Pan disappeared into the distance.

Back at the temple, Mi Fo slowly smiled. The burden he had been holding on to for so many years was finally lifted. A brilliant Buddhist light emanated from him.

Those who reached the Divine Realm by their own power would become the gods of their fate—a Fate God!

Gu Pan suddenly stopped walking and looked into the distant sky. "Ever since I could remember, I've been living for revenge. But in the end, I never imagined that things would turn out like this. Looking back, my life feels like a dream."

Ye Guan said, "But at least it ended well, right? Your father wasn't a coward after all."

Gu Pan chuckled. "Seems like it."

"Your mother had good judgement."

Gu Pan nodded and took a deep breath. "If my mother knew all these, she'd be at peace too."

Ye Guan asked, "Brother Gu, what are your plans now?"

"My whole life, I've lived for revenge. Everything I did was driven by revenge. Now, with nothing to avenge, I feel kind of empty."

Ye Guan grinned. "Wanna start a new career?"

"I'm heading to the Temple of the Gods to study. You want to overthrow the Divine Will's Order, right?"

Ye Guan shook his head. "Not necessarily."

Gu Pan was puzzled.

"If the Divine Will's Order is great, why would I overthrow it?" Ye Guan asked.

After a pause, Gu Pan suggested, "How about we check out the Temple of the Gods?"

"Together?"

Gu Pan laughed. "Nah. I'll wander for a while and find you later."

With that, he turned into a streak of light that disappeared into the depths of the cosmos.

Ye Guan could feel that his aura had undergone a profound change.

Zong Xin suddenly spoke, "Your friend has finally let go of his inner demon. Now his heart contains only the Great Dao. His future is limitless."

Ye Guan smiled. "Indeed."

"What are your plans at the Temple of the Gods? Just studying?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Of course."

"I don't buy it."

Ye Guan laughed heartily and turned into a beam of sword light, vanishing into the stars.

Soon, he reached a patch of starry sky and saw the Judicial Officer, Nan Xiao.

"Young Master Ye, are you ready?" asked Nan Xiao.

Ye Guan nodded.

"Then let's set off!"

"Alright!"

The two disappeared into the void.

A month later, they finally arrived at the Temple of the Gods.

1. Mi Fo ☜