“The Absolute Beginning Emperor’s story is slightly complicated,” replied Wu Hong. “Firstly, he was from the upper dimension; he was a Heaven Chosen cultivated by the Taiyi Profound Gate in the Eternal Ascension World.”
Wang Wei squinted his eyes, “Well, that might explain his overwhelming hatred for Buddhism and all things incense.”
“You are more correct than you think,” added Wu Hong.
“Oh, seems like there are some secrets.”
Wu Hong nodded before organizing her thought. “To understand Li Taishuang’s story, you must understand the story of Li Bo, his father.
“In the Eternal Ascension World, the battle between Buddhism and Taoism has been going on since the dawn of time. And for countless eras, Taoism always had the advantage–until the arrival of the Maitreya Mother Buddha.
“She revolutionized the philosophies of Buddhism while also creating the concept of incense itself in the Eternal Ascension World. With her as the leader of Buddhism, they finally overtook Taoism and became the most powerful religion.
“However, all things that rise must also fall–similar to Taoism. After an incalculable amount of years, after Buddhism’s Luck reached the pinnacle, they finally began to decline, and Taoism was on the rise.
“The first indication of this shift was the appearance of Li Bo. When he appeared, he was a Peak Paragon (100% Grand Dao Source) who could fight peak Boundless Paragons; he was an unmatched genius.
“Li Bo created the Taiyi Profound Gate and quickly became the de facto leader of Taoism in the Eternal Ascension World. However, Li Bo hated incense, and the philosophies he introduced in Taoism outlawed the use of incense.”
Wu Hong suddenly felt parched, so she stopped and took out some tea, ignoring the weird look Wang Wei gave him.
“I’m guessing his radical views on incense did cause some trouble?” asked Wang Wei.
“Correct. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with incense. And although Taoism could not use as effectively as Buddhism, it was still a great tool in their fights against their competitor.”
“Were there any consequences?”
“Many Taoist factions decided to stop following him. However, they were in the minority. However, Li Bo did try to ban incense in the entire Eternal Ascension World, but some people put him in his place.”
“So, he focused on his battle against Buddhism?”
“Exactly,” replied Wu Hong as she sipped her tea. So, Wang Wei decided to follow and take out his own tea. As such, while this couple communicated through formation, they also had a tea party.
“Despite how Li Bo felt about incense, he knew it was the main advantage of Buddhism in their conflict. However, he also knew it was difficult for him to eliminate incense in the upper dimension.”
“So, he targeted the lower dimension?”
Correct, and this is when Li Taishuang, the Absolute Beginning Emperor, came into the picture. He had the same hatred for incense as his father since it had been ingrained in him since he was young. And it did not help that his mother died to a Buddhist monk in a confrontation.”
“Poor guy,” Wang Wei commented nonchalantly.
“Not really. I’m 90% sure that Li Bo orchestrated his wife’s death to ensure his son’s absolute hatred for Buddhism.”
“How cruel. However, from what little I know about this Li Bo, I’m not surprised,” Wang Wei answered as he suddenly remembered something. “Wait, was his mother a Great Emperor?”
“No, an Empyrean.”
“So, the Absolute Beginning Emperor was the son of a Paragon and an Empyrean? I’m suddenly full of envy.”
He could imagine the talent of the Absolute Beginning Emperor, and he was slightly envious. “So, is there a name for his kind?”
“In the Eternal Ascension World, there are so many of these different children, making them not that relevant. Only in the lower dimension are there specific classifications for them.
“So, whether it is Emperor Child, Empyrean Childs, Paragon Childs, or a combination of them with other Immortal Beings, they are referred to as Dao Chosens; people chosens by the Dao upon their birth.”
“I see; it makes things less complicated,” replied Wang Wei. “I still envy them, their talent, and their background.”
Wu Hong ignored the urge to say these children would still be jealous of his Paragon Quality Soul, so she continued her story.
“Li Bo sent his son to the lower dimension to destroy, and as you know, he succeeded.”
“I thought the Absolute Beginning Emperor did what he did because of Qi of Calamity,” said Wang Wei.
“That was involved too.”
“Li Bo was a cunning man. He schemed against the Maitreya Buddha, and during one of their confrontations, he used some method to create an Incense Backlash. The backlash divided the Maitreya Buddha’s mind into two: her Buddhist and devil sides.
“While she dealt with this problem, Li Bo had plenty of time to develop Taoism and plan things. Unfortunately, as the leader of Buddhism, the Maitreya Buddha was connected to all the incense they gathered–even the ones in the lower dimension.
“Her devil side began to affect all the Buddhist monks. The one in the upper dimension had ways to offset this influence, but not all the ones in the lower dimension.”
“Is that why they began to act crazy in their gathering of incense, to the point of irrationality and madness?”
“Yes,” replied Wu Hong. “She even helped them by granting them the Western Pure Bliss Land. I know her, and she was in her right ming; she would never have done this.”
Wang Wei sighed, “Is this the fate of mortals when they are connected to powerful entities?”
Maitreya Buddha could be said to be responsible for both the creation and destruction of the Incense Era.
“You could say that.”
“So, what happened next?”
“True Heavenly Dao did not want the influence of Maitreya Buddha to completely spread throughout the lower dimension as it appeared it would. So, it lowered [Qi of Calamity] on the Buddhist monks to help increase their madness and decrease their intelligence and decision-making, an act that would increase the hatred they garnered from other races and factions, encouraging them to bend together.
“Finally, it also gave some Qi of Calamity to ensure that nothing went wrong on Li Taishuang’s side. Regrettably, that only escalated his already deep hatred.”
“Is that why he even eradicated the God Race and other races connected to incense?”
“Probably.”
“Now, I feel bad for him,” said Wang Wei in a tone that was hard to believe whether he was genuine or not. “So, what caused his death?”
“Li Taishuang eventually ascended. Under his father’s care, he soon became a Boundless Paragon. However, the Maitreya Mother Buddha finally dealt with her devil’s side.
“She even managed to kill Li Taishuang. As for Li Bo, he was schemed and killed by Daoist…I can’t say his name, or he’ll know.”
Wu Hong did not dare say his name since even her main body, at her peak, would have to be careful when saying that man’s name after the events of the Ultimate Taboo.
“Now, you pique my interest.”
“All you need to know is that another person became the leader of Taoism after killing Li Bo. He’s responsible for preventing Li Taishuang from completely being annihilated by the Maitreya Buddha since he wanted the latter’s magic to remain in the lower dimension.”
“So, what was the result between Buddhism and Taoism? Did any of them win?”
“No, there is currently a balance between the two, as they are now even considered partners on some issues. However, if you were to analyze the situation, you would discover Taoism has an advantage in overall strength, while Buddhism wins in terms of popularity or prestige.”
“So, one has power while the other is loved by the people?”
“I guess you could put it that way.”
Wang Wei nodded as he analyzed the information he had just received. He felt that Feng Heng was a pawn in reviving Buddhism in the lower dimensions, and went he accepted the Future Buddha Scroll, he also entered the game and already chose a side.
‘Whatever. Let’s deal with the issue when it arrives.’
“I always felt that the Myriad Emperor World was involved in too many world-changing events affecting the lower and upper dimensions.”
“You’re correct, and that’s because of your ancestor, the Qiyuan Emperor.”