Immortal after a Hundred Reincarnations

Besides, Xu Lei had spent most of the past few years operating under his alternate identities.

This made it even less likely for him to encounter any True Monks, True Nuns, or even True Daoist Nuns from the Daoist Sect.

Therefore, Xu Lei prepared to retire his alternate identity as Hui Yuan.

He would go back to using his Hui Chi identity.

As for his excuse for retiring, he would naturally claim that after so many years of "sowing his seed," his body was failing him. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak when it came to such matters.

The Buddhist Sect, of course, expressed their understanding.

They had Xu Lei wait for a month.

Once the Buddhist Sect found a suitable replacement, Xu Lei officially retired.

Unexpectedly, however, on the very day of his retirement, the Crown Princess Consort came looking for Xu Lei.

Over the years, the Crown Princess Consort had matured into a graceful woman in her thirties.

The first child she had given birth to all those years ago was Xu Lei’s.

It seemed that in the intervening years, she had borne another child.

This child was not Xu Lei’s, but the Crown Prince’s.

Xu Lei had overheard this from Young Master Zhao.

He didn’t pay it much mind.

He simply wished her well in his heart.

After all, she had never been his woman to begin with.

He wasn’t the type to consider her his own woman just because he had once performed a "Charitable Giving" for her.

So, since she hadn’t come seeking his services for another child all these years, Xu Lei had stopped paying her any attention.

"Living Buddha, I beg you, save the Crown Prince!"

That day, she knelt before Xu Lei. "Your Majesty has passed away.

Now, the Crown Prince is on his way back, but he’s facing one ambush after another!

If he can’t make it back to the Capital City this time, the Eastern Palace is done for. The Crown Prince is kind and benevolent; he’ll surely be a compassionate ruler in the future..."

She pleaded, her voice choked with desperation.

Xu Lei listened in silence.

The current emperor had more than a dozen sons, perhaps as many as twenty.

These princes were constantly competing with one another.

The most outstanding were nine of his sons, leading to the struggle being known throughout the land as the Nine Dragons Struggle for the Throne.

The current Crown Prince wasn’t the first to hold the title.

The previous one had been killed in the infighting, allowing this one to take his place.

Xu Lei had heard a little about these struggles for Imperial Authority from people like Young Master Zhao and Shi Yi.

However, he had never paid them much mind before.

After all, he was a monk.

But now, he had to consider the wives his alternate identities had married and the children they’d had. Xu Lei needed to ensure they could all live peaceful, happy lives.

Xu Lei then asked the Crown Princess Consort, "If the Crown Prince is unable to secure his position, who is most likely to ascend the Dragon Throne?"

"The Second Prince!"

The Crown Princess Consort said, "He holds the most power right now!

If the Crown Prince dies on his journey and fails to return, the Second Prince will undoubtedly take the throne!"

Xu Lei frowned.

Xu Lei hadn’t had much contact with this Second Prince.

But he had heard of his reputation, mostly from Young Master Zhao and the others.

The Second Prince’s abilities, in truth, were superior to the Crown Prince’s.

However, his personality was more aggressive and extreme, and his methods were known to be vicious and cruel.

He was also said to be a warmonger, intent on expanding the empire’s borders.

If he were to ascend the Dragon Throne, it was hard to say whether the realm could remain as peaceful as it was now.

If the realm fell into chaos or was plunged into wars of expansion, the lives of Xu Lei’s mortal wives and children would surely be disrupted.

And besides, there was still his own bloodline in the Crown Prince’s Mansion—the child the Crown Princess Consort had borne for him.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Lei said, "Very well. This humble monk will make the trip.

I will offer what help I can.

Of course, this humble monk is a man of the cloth, after all.

I cannot use too much Magical Power to assist you.

I must avoid becoming entangled in too much karma.

It would be detrimental to my own cultivation.

This humble monk can only use a Magical Artifact or two to provide some aid.

Whether he can be saved, and whether he can truly be helped to ascend the Dragon Throne... that will depend on how events unfold. It will depend on the Crown Prince’s own destiny, and whether he has the good fortune to succeed."

"You’ve agreed! That’s wonderful!"

The Crown Princess Consort was overjoyed, nearly moved to tears. She thanked him profusely, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Take me to the Crown Prince,"

Xu Lei said. "As long as you bring this humble monk to him, I can help him return safely to the Imperial City."

His method, of course, was to use the Human Skin Mask.

Activating a Magical Artifact consumed a relatively small amount of Magical Power.

Once his features were slightly altered, the Crown Prince would essentially have a new identity.

Reaching the Capital City safely shouldn’t be too difficult then.

However, the Magical Artifact had to be activated by someone who cultivated Magical Power.

That was why Xu Lei had to meet the Crown Prince in person.

He had no choice but to make the trip himself.

「A few days later.」

Xu Lei and the Crown Princess Consort descended the mountain.

They arrived in the vicinity of Ning’an Temple.

The Crown Prince had been ambushed on his return journey and was forced to hide nearby.

When Xu Lei and the Crown Princess Consort arrived, they found the Crown Prince in the midst of being hunted by assassins.

RING RING RING.

Xu Lei gently shook the Bell, and two Human Puppets charged forward to help.

The two Human Puppets slaughtered the assassins with brutal efficiency, quickly killing them all.

The Crown Prince was stunned.

"Your Highness,"

the Crown Princess Consort said, "this is the Hui Tan Living Buddha."

"A Living Buddha?"

The Crown Prince was astonished. "There are truly Enlightened Monks in this world?"

Even though he was the Crown Prince, this was an era of peace and prosperity, and most True Cultivators were focused on their own secluded cultivation.

As a result, he had never actually met a True Cultivator before.

"Amitabha Buddha,"

Xu Lei said. "Let’s leave this place first."

After leading the Crown Prince away from the scene,

Xu Lei removed the Human Skin Mask from his own face.

He placed it over the Crown Prince’s face, altering some of his features.

The Crown Prince was shocked.

"Thank you, Living Buddha!"

He immediately knelt. "If I am able to ascend the throne, I will honor and worship you for the rest of my life, Living Buddha!"

"Amitabha Buddha."

Xu Lei said, "This humble monk does not require your worship.

Nor do I seek any reward from you.

Gold, silver, power, beautiful women—to this humble monk, such worldly things are all illusions.

I am doing this only because the woman by your side is a devout follower of the Buddha.