Heaven’s Shadow

From a zhang away, Lu Chen gazed at that person's back with a complicated expression. Despite the dust lingering in the air, he could easily see the gigantic silhouette of that person. In terms of width, that person's back was equivalent to three ordinary men.

(1 zhang = 3.33m)

In other words, he was a fatty.

An extremely fat one. He was so fat that even Old Ma would seem so skinny before him, as if a hill standing before a mountain.

Perhaps due to the lack of response after his initial greeting, the gigantic silhouette turned around strenuously to look at Lu Chen. Then, with a slight smile, he beckoned with his hand, "Come over."

All of the sudden, the heaven and earth seemed to have held its breath, and the sandstorm quietened down abruptly.

Silence suddenly fell upon the Barren Valley.

In a radius of a zhang around the person, the wind and dust were all frozen. A pale and plump hand shot through the sandstorm and gestured gently.

An instant later, 'xi li xi li', the sand that froze in space suddenly fell to the ground as if a silent drizzle. Just like that, the sand that stood between the two disappeared abruptly.

Lu Chen lifted his head, only to see that the area around him had become clear. But glancing a little further, he noted that an intense sandstorm was still blowing. Only the plot of the land where they were standing on, it was as if the heavens had dug out a spherical sanctuary. It was devoid of sand and wind, only the both of them.

Even the slightest actions can have the greatest impact, and only through standing against the heavens can a dream be fulfilled.

The extremely plump man seated cross-legged on the floor was bald. He had big ears, and a kind and gentle smile was plastered on his face. His eyes were exceptionally bright and clear, but it carried the vicissitudes of age, as though it had seen through the complexities of the world.

His hands were significantly longer than an average human being, and a large and loose robe covered his hill-like body. He resembled the Laughing Buddha, who was known to chuckle at the intricacies of life.

"Sit." The man patted the ground before him as he smiled at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen slowly walked over and stood before him. Even though one was standing while the other was seated, the bald fatty still shared the same eye level with Lu Chen. It was unimaginable how massive his stature would be if he were to stand up.

Lu Chen stared at the bald fatty before him, seemingly without any intention to take a seat.

Even though his actions were disrespectful, the bald fatty didn't seem to mind. In fact, the gentle smile in his eyes only deepened, as if he was looking at a mischievous child in his household.

"It has been a decade since I last saw you." The bald fatty said. "Are you getting by well?"

"Not well." Lu Chen replied.

The bald fatty nodded, "I thought the same as well. It has been hard for you."

Lu Chen harrumphed coldly, seemingly unwilling to speak any further on the matter. He casually found a spot and sat beside the bald fatty before asking, "For you to appear so suddenly, what business do you have with me?"

Instead of answering Lu Chen's question immediately, the bald fatty gazed at the lands before abruptly asking, "In the battle at the Barren Valley ten years ago, were those few people seated here?"

"...Yes." After a moment of silence, Lu Chen replied.

"Tell me about it."

Lu Chen abruptly lifted his head to stare at the massive bald fatty, and he said with a deep tone, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing at all, I am just curious." The bald fatty smiled. At the same time, he gazed at Lu Chen with a gentle smile, and it seemed as though his clear gaze was capable of peering into the depths of the latter's heart. "Is this a question I shouldn't have asked?"

The duo stared at one another for a moment before Lu Chen averted his eyes. Impassively, Lu Chen replied, "Sure, I'll tell you."

※※※

"This was where Yun Shou Yang was seated." Lu Chen stood up, walked to a location six chi away from where the bald fatty was seated, and casually pointed to the ground. "The fat and skinny elder were seated beside him."

After which, he advanced to the center, stomped his feet, and said, "This was where the core of the God Descension Incantation was."

"What about where I am? Is anyone seated here?" The bald fatty asked.

Lu Chen glanced at him before replying, "Yes, the shaman of the Barbarians."

The bald fatty nodded as he remarked, "The Fire Shaman was one of the Seven Great Shamans in the ancient lineage of the Southern Barbarian Tribe, and he possessed powerful mystical abilities. If he had been at the peak of his strength, even I would have trouble dealing with him."

"You did well!" For the first time, the bald fatty retracted his smile and stared at Lu Chen with a serious expression. "This is a blessing for all life in the world, as well a blessing for the Central Divine Continent!"

"Is that true?" Lu Chen questioned.

As those three words escaped from his mouth, the conversation abruptly ceased, and the surroundings turned completely silent.

The ominous clouds above them billowed and thunder rumbled in the distance. Meanwhile, at the center of the Barren Valley, two men stared at one another. This time, Lu Chen stared straight into the other party's eyes.

That was a pair of clear and pure eyes. Yet, they seemed as deep as the ocean, capable of accepting and reflecting all lifeforms existent in the world. At this very moment, the sparks of lightning from the ominous clouds above were reflected in the depths of those pupils.

"Is that true?" The bald fatty suddenly burst into laughter. Then, he looked at Lu Chen before answering slowly, "My disciple, are you doubting my judgement?"

※※※

In the meantime, at the border of the Barren Valley, the black dog Ah Tu was scared out of its wits by the massive creature before him. Especially with that gigantic head leaning downward, and that pair of enormous, fearsome bright eyes gazing down at it, it couldn't help but tremble uncontrollably.

The massive body emanated an exceptionally powerful aura that terrified Ah Tu down to its core. Robbed of even its courage to wail, it could only lie on the ground and tremble helplessly.

The sandstorm ceased once again, and dust slowly fell to the ground. The massive head slowly emerged behind the sandstorm, and it moved straight toward Ah Tu.

At this moment, the only thought going through the terrified Ah Tu's mind was how the other party's eye was bigger than its entire head. As such, it was unable to clearly perceive what the monster standing before it was for an instant.

After staring momentarily at Ah Tu, the massive shadow released a deep 'moo' in disdain and disinterest before lazily turning its head back.

It was at this very moment that the frightened Ah Tu finally got a glimpse of the figure before him.

It was a massive Jade Buffalo lying against the stone cliff. Its body was massive, as though a small mountain. However, what was peculiar about it was the two massive horns on its head. They emitted a warm glow reminiscent of jade, and vaguely, one could see a mystical light flickering within.

...

Laughing Buddha is also known as Budai or an incarnation of Matreiya.

Note that the depiction of Maitreya in China differs from that in other countries (So if you google Maitreya, you will get a very different picture from when you google 弥勒佛. Nevertheless, if my research fails me not, they refer to the same person but interpreted differently)