Ancient Buddha

Xu Ying did not know where the former site of the Great Thunderclap Temple was located. The temple had been moved over forty thousand years ago. Following its relocation, extensive construction had reshaped the mountain, establishing numerous divine palaces, temples, altars, and statues. Beyond those stood the living quarters of patrons who made offerings to the gods, the dwellings of divine servants, and the residences of disciples. Furthermore, there were the harems of the gods, usually inhabited by women offered up by mortals. The gods of Sumeru did not eat humans, so they placed them in their harems instead. Xu Ying strolled at an unhurried pace, wandering all around. He kept Zi Xi's words in mind: wherever thunder sounded, there lay the Great Thunderclap Temple. Master Fire Dragon and his disciple followed behind him, terror etched across both their faces. Before long, they ran into yet another sect master from the Taishi Great World, strolling along the street just as he had in life. The sect master even greeted them quite affably. His obsession had not yet dissipated; oblivious that he was already dead, he went about his routine just as when he was alive. "Look over there—the sect master of the Ziyang Sect!" Master Fire Dragon spotted another person, and his face turned ashen as he stammered, "He's been harvested too!" The Ziyang sect master appeared completely normal, chuckling, "Harvested? Don't joke around, Master Fire Dragon. I met young friend Zi Xi, and after listening to him preach the Dao, I felt lighter than ever before, my Dao heart crystal clear. It suddenly occurred to me: why rush about and toil away in life? Far better to relax, empty one's mind, and enjoy life." Han Zekang could not resist blurting out, "You were literally emptied out by Zi Xi!" Master Fire Dragon hurriedly dragged him away, whispering harshly, "Did you forget what I warned you? Disaster comes from the mouth!" As they walked along, they encountered more and more human skins, all leaders or senior figures from sects with immortal backgrounds in the Taishi Great World. Han Zekang counted them up: all told, they had run into over sixty powerhouses harvested by Zi Xi into human skins! "Why aren't they banding together?" Han Zekang muttered. "If they gathered together, Zi Xi wouldn't dare make a move." Master Fire Dragon shook his head. "They don't know who the fisherman is, so naturally they dare not gather. Yet by scattering, they are harvested one by one by Zi Xi. The people harvested like this... will only increase. And Zi Xi's power will only grow stronger!" He cast a glance at Xu Ying. The current situation had unfolded precisely because Xu Ying's words had shattered the trust among them. Still, even if Xu Ying had not spoken those words, their mutual trust would have disintegrated anyway. As long as the true culprit was not identified, everyone would harbor suspicions and doubts toward one another, naturally eroding any trust! Young Master Yuchuan wore a grim expression as he stared at Gao Xuanzong, the Valley Master of Sword Washing Valley. Gao Xuanzong smiled, paying no heed to his scrutiny. Young Master Yuchuan shuddered, muttering under his breath, "Of the nine Immortal King sects, only four remain. Even Gao Xuanzong..." He could not help shaking his head. Behind the neck of Gao Xuanzong, Valley Master of Sword Washing Valley, ran a thin slit as well. Yet Gao Xuanzong seemed entirely unaware of it, saying, "Young Master, only now have I grasped the true meaning of life: one must empty oneself. Why don't you give it a try?" Young Master Yuchuan's face darkened. "Gao Xuanzong, who killed you?" "Who killed me?" Gao Xuanzong blinked in bewilderment, then broke into a laugh. "Who could kill me? My Sword Washing Valley is an Immortal King sect; I cultivate the arts and divine powers of an Immortal King, and my sword arts are unmatched under heaven. Who would dare kill me? Who could possibly kill me?" Young Master Yuchuan frowned and tried a different approach: "Who was the last person you saw?" Gao Xuanzong smiled. "Isn't it you, Young Master?" Young Master Yuchuan questioned him further, but Gao Xuanzong was held together only by his lingering obsession and could not answer many questions. Young Master Yuchuan had no choice but to give up, murmuring, "Gao Xuanzong is dead. Gao Wencai, the master of the Shenyin Sect, is dead. Dai Fusheng, the master of the Tiandao Sect, is dead too... Just who is targeting my Nine Heavens Dao Sect?" At that moment, Xu Ying approached from ahead. As he walked past him, he remarked offhandedly, "Whoever profits the most is the culprit." Young Master Yuchuan froze, a look of shock spreading across his face as he murmured, "The one who profits the most is naturally... naturally God King Xuankong!" He raised his head to gaze toward the sky and muttered to himself, "That's right, the greatest beneficiary is God King Xuankong! God King Xuankong can seize this opportunity to strike at the world's sects and severely diminish the power of my Nine Heavens Dao Sect. At the same time, he can flush out that Xu Ying. He is more than happy to let this happen!" His expression darkened slightly. When God King Xuanyu seized the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, the Immortal Realm entity behind Xuankong had laughed heartily, conceded that the Imperial Monarch had gained a slight upper hand, and dropped the matter without further dispute. Such was the magnanimity of great figures. The Imperial Monarch possessed such magnanimity as well. In the past, he had greatly envied and admired such magnanimity. Yet what if the pawn sacrificed by these great figures was himself? Could he still admire that magnanimity? God King Xuankong's goal was to take this opportunity to uproot the influence of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect and turn the entire Taishi Great World into his own domain! Young Master Yuchuan's facial muscles twitched. The Imperial Monarch was an exalted figure—even if he, Bai Yuchuan, died here, the Imperial Monarch would only smile magnanimously and say, "Fellow Daoist, you hold a slight upper hand." Young Master Yuchuan spun around sharply and shouted toward Xu Ying, "Chu Tiandu, do you want to join forces? Mount Sumeru has become perilous beyond measure. If we don't work together, surviving will be difficult!" Without turning his head, Xu Ying waved a dismissive hand. "You want me to throw in my lot with you? You aren't worthy. Bai Yuchuan, can you still contact the Immortal Realm? If you can't, you had better run for your life right now!" Young Master Yuchuan was furious and felt an urge to strike, but he held back. He truly was no longer able to contact the Immortal Realm. It was as though an invisible giant web enveloped all of Mount Sumeru, blocking any means of reaching the Immortal Realm. "Xuankong, you want to eliminate all of us and pin the blame on that fisherman? In your dreams!" Young Master Yuchuan said in a low voice, "We must leave this place as quickly as possible! By whatever means necessary! Qi Tongshang, Le Yuan! In the name of my Nine Heavens Dao Sect, summon everyone to gather here so we can fight our way out of Mount Sumeru together!" Qi Tongshang and Le Yuan were also leaders of sects among the nine Immortal King sects. Hearing his command, they bowed and gave their assent. Soaring into the sky, they broadcast their divine consciousness in all directions, turning it into voices echoing in the minds of anyone enveloped by their consciousness: "All sects of the Taishi Great World, hear our call! By order of Young Master Yuchuan of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect, you are summoned to gather here, that we may break out of Mount Sumeru together and save our lives!" "God King Xuankong cannot protect us! Rather than sit here waiting for death, we had better fight our way out with Young Master Yuchuan and return to our own sects, where we will at least have immortal artifacts to guard us!" *Whoosh!* Young Master Yuchuan raised a grand banner. The banner soared into the air and unfurled against the sky, the two characters for "Nine Heavens" writhing like dragons as if about to leap off the cloth. Before long, people began arriving, following the sight of the banner. As time went on, more and more gathered. The Nine Heavens Dao Sect and Young Master Yuchuan carried enough weight to rally people together. Yet Young Master Yuchuan's heart sank deeper and deeper. The crowd gathered around him was vast, people rubbing shoulders and eagerly craning their necks, waiting for him to give the order so they could break out toward the base of the mountain. Yet Young Master Yuchuan could not bring himself to give that command. For across the napes of most of the people who had arrived ran a thin slit, from which a faint glimmer of light seeped out. These deceased individuals possessed nothing but their lingering obsessions and harbored no suspicion, so they rushed over as soon as they heard his summons. But those who were not yet dead had plenty of cunning; seeing that the people gathering here were all human skins, they suspected that Bai Yuchuan himself was the fisherman and dared not approach. There were also those who arrived only to slip away quietly. As a result, almost everyone left behind was a human skin. Young Master Yuchuan's eyelid twitched. *Am I supposed to lead these hollow skins and fight our way out of Mount Sumeru? ...Well, that might not be so bad after all!* He produced the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Extermination Immortal Array Diagram and ordered everyone to enter the formation, stationing them at various positions across the diagram. He thought to himself, *These human skins don't realize they're dead; driven only by lingering obsession, they are far easier to manipulate, making them perfect for forming an array! With them under my command, not only can I break out of Mount Sumeru, but even clashing with Xuankong isn't out of the question!* The Nine Heavens Ten Earths Array Diagram slowly faded from view. Leading hundreds of human skins, Young Master Yuchuan flew toward the boundaries of Mount Sumeru, his gaze flashing cold. *I'd like to see who dares stand in my way!* Suddenly, gods from the four realms of Sumeru stepped forward to bar their passage. One of the deities declared, "By the God King's decree, Xu Ying, who stole the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, is among you! Until the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron is retrieved, no one leaves!" Young Master Yuchuan sneered, "When our lives are on the line, what use is a cauldron? If you block my path, you will be executed without mercy!" Without orders from God King Xuankong, those gods naturally refused to yield. A murderous gleam flashed in Young Master Yuchuan's eyes. An immortal wind blew forth from the array diagram; in the next breath, the flesh and blood of all the deities barring their way dissolved entirely, leaving behind eerie skeletons that plummeted from the sky. As more gods from the four realms swarmed forward, another burst of immortal fire surged from the diagram, instantly reducing those deities to ashes! *** After searching for a long time, Xu Ying was passing through a stone forest when a clap of thunder suddenly sounded by his ear. He took a step back, then stepped forward again. Once more, the sound of thunder rang out, yet there was not a trace of lightning. "The former site of the Great Thunderclap Temple is right here!" He was delighted and examined the stone forest. The stones resembled petrified tree stumps standing one after another, roughly ten feet high, with the tallest reaching thirty to fifty feet. Xu Ying walked into the stone forest. In the unseen depths of his mind, he seemed to hear waves of Buddhist chanting, but listening closely, there was no sound at all. He approached one of the stone pillars to inspect it carefully and noticed architectural details carved upon it, resembling ancient stone pagodas. Within the pagodas were strange forms, like the imprints of great Buddhas. Yet due to the vast expanse of time, they had long been weathered away. He walked closer and reached out to touch it. Suddenly, his vision went black; sight, hearing, smell, touch, and all other senses were stripped away in an instant. Xu Ying hurriedly took a step back and pulled his hand away from the stone pagoda. Only then did his senses return. "These stone pagodas are Buddhist suppressing artifacts from an ancient era!" Xu Ying realized at once. Although the stone pagodas were battered and ruined, appearing like a forest of stone pillars, the suppressing power left behind from ancient times remained, and it was exceedingly potent. Even a figure of Xu Ying's caliber had all his senses suppressed upon touching one! *Just what could so many stone pagodas have been used to suppress?* Pondering this, Xu Ying walked forward. He had already entered the perimeter of the Great Thunderclap Temple's former site. Crossing this field of stone pagodas should bring him to the ruins proper! Suddenly, two thuds sounded behind him. Xu Ying looked back, only to see Master Fire Dragon and Han Zekang collapsed flat on their backs! *This master and disciple must have let their curiosity get the better of them and touched the stone pagodas.* Xu Ying shook his head. When Master Fire Dragon and Han Zekang came to, the two exchanged a terrified look and broke into a jog to catch up with Xu Ying. Xu Ying led them out of the stone forest, and before their eyes lay an unimaginably immense pit. The pit was evidently the former site of the Great Thunderclap Temple. It sloped downward as it had been excavated, growing deeper the farther it went. The path was paved with stone steps, lined on both sides by colossal Buddha statues standing along the rocky walls, solemn and majestic. At the far end of the pit, two gigantic Buddhas stood flanked on either side of a massive gateway. The pit was impossibly deep, such that the foreheads of those two colossal Buddhas were level with the ground surface above. As Xu Ying walked forward, a low buzzing echoed by his ears, as though the colossal Buddha statues lining both sides were still chanting scriptures. *Whoosh!* Master Fire Dragon summoned his Primordial Spirit; flames danced around him, and talismans swirled in the air. "Begone! Begone!" Master Fire Dragon whispered urgently. Han Zekang jogged over to the Buddha statues along the left cliff wall, lit a bundle of incense, and began offering incense to each statue in turn. "Don't offer incense! Don't offer incense!" Master Fire Dragon rushed over to him in panic, putting out all the incense sticks without hesitation. Anxiously, he looked up and saw tendrils of incense smoke curling upward, drifting directly into the nostrils of those Buddha statues. The Buddha statues vibrated faintly. Then, their closed eyelids slowly opened, a terrifying light churning within their gaze. Terror-stricken, the master and disciple clutched each other's hands tightly. Fortunately, there was little incense smoke qi, and the statues slowly ceased moving. Xu Ying had already arrived before the colossal gateway. Peering inside through the gap in the doors, he saw an ocean of fire raging with blazing karmic fire everywhere. Within the karmic fire bloomed a golden lotus in full splendor. Upon the lotus seat, a Buddha sat rigidly upright, chains coiled tightly around his body. This Buddha was nearly identical to the wrathful Buddha Xu Ying had seen in the illusion cast by the Iron-Core Buddha! Master Fire Dragon and his disciple came over and leaned against the door gap to peek inside as well. Han Zekang murmured, "This Buddha... is the living ancient Buddha that God King Xuankong dug up! He's suppressed here!" Xu Ying took out the Iron-Core Buddha he had obtained from Zi Xi. With a hum, the Iron-Core Buddha suddenly flew into the air, blazing with dazzling light as two beams shot out from it. Instantly, strange dao patterns materialized across the gateway between the two colossal Buddhas—a sealing structure of immense complexity. Master Fire Dragon said, "If we unravel these dao patterns, we can open this gate." Xu Ying nodded. "Indeed." With that, he snatched the Iron-Core Buddha and turned to leave. Master Fire Dragon was stunned and hurried after him, asking, "Young Master, you don't intend to unravel the seal and rescue this great Buddha?" Xu Ying shook his head. "There is something bizarre about this great Buddha. The one suppressing him is likely not Xuankong. These dao patterns are from an ancient era; Xuankong wouldn't be capable of laying down such exquisite sealing dao patterns." He paused, then continued, "Back then, Xuankong probably never managed to open this gate at all. Instead, he relocated the Great Thunderclap Temple, found this gate, and in doing so allowed the ancient Buddha's aura to leak out, which warped the Heavenly Dao of the Taishi Great World! The Buddhist arts cultivated by Xuankong and Zi Xi were most likely passed down by this very Buddha! The ones who suppressed this Buddha were none other than the Buddhas of the Great Thunderclap Temple! The reason this Buddha taught Xuankong was to have Xuankong undo the seal for him!" Xu Ying sneered. "Xuankong found himself another backer!" Master Fire Dragon and Han Zekang stood dumbstruck. Han Zekang stammered, "T-that's just your guess!" "Alas..." In Xu Ying's hand, the Iron-Core Buddha suddenly let out a faint sigh and spoke: "Xuankong, this Benefactor Xu is far too clever. Since he refuses to see the light, you may send him on his way."