The Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign invited Xu Ying to take a seat so they could watch the earth-shattering changes unfolding across Xuandu Jade Capital Mountain together.
Observing him, Xu Ying knew he had to be this realm's Primordial Spirit of Heaven and Earth. He had seen similar primordial spirits before—born when supreme existences from antiquity evolved heaven and earth through their own Great Daos!
Such primordial spirits would perish along with the destruction of heaven and earth. Yet whenever the Great Daos of heaven and earth revived, they too would return to life.
The Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign paid no mind to his gaze. He chuckled and said, "I am merely one among the Void Sovereign Great Dao Lord's many Primordial Spirits of Heaven and Earth. Back in those days, this place was his sacred ashram where he preached the Dao, and thus I was born. The Great Daos of this heaven and earth are still far from returning to their peak. At their zenith, this mountain hung suspended atop the universe. Yet even the Great Luo Dao Realm will one day wither and decay. In this world, nothing is immortal."
Xu Ying understood nothing of what was meant by Great Luo or the Dao Realm, nor could he fathom what it meant to hang suspended at the pinnacle of the cosmos. These concepts were far beyond his current realm of understanding. "Dao Brother, why did that ancient era decline? And what is the origin of this Wangxiang Platform?" he asked.
The Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign shook his head. "Even I do not know why that ancient era fell into decline. When you are standing within it, how could you see the reasons for its fall? As for the origins of Wangxiang Platform, that I do know. When Xuandu Jade Capital Mountain crashed down, fragments of the Great Luo Dao Realm formed this unique space."
Xu Ying had gained comprehension of the heaven-and-earth Great Dao of Xuandu Jade Capital Mountain. It was profoundly subtle and difficult to grasp. Even though he had awakened memories related to his first life, and even with the nourishment from the Dao tree, he still could not completely map out the Great Dao of this ashram.
The Great Dao here was too lofty, far exceeding his present cognition.
He could not fathom the bizarre Wangxiang Platform created by fragments of the Great Luo Dao Realm. He was simply too far removed from the Great Luo Dao Realm; what little he could glean was merely the tip of the iceberg of Xuandu Jade Capital.
Xu Ying asked once more, "May I ask where the Void Sovereign Great Dao Lord is now? Is he alive or dead?"
"The Great Dao Lord is not in this world," the Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign replied. "As for life or death, I do not know either."
Xu Ying frowned slightly. Daoist Taiqing had also said that the Dao Ancestor was not in this world and his life or death was unknown. "Then where did the Great Dao Lord go?" Xu Ying pressed.
The Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign pointed a finger toward the beyond and smiled. "The other shore."
Xu Ying was momentarily stunned. Was the other shore not simply the cave-heavens connected by Nuo masters? Traveling to the other shore was not difficult at all; one only needed to step through a cave-heaven to reach it.
Even if the Immortal Realm was also an "other shore," entering it should not be difficult either—one only had to cultivate to the Ascension stage, survive the tribulation, and ascend. Why would those ancient existences search for it so tirelessly? The Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign was, after all, only a Primordial Spirit of Heaven and Earth and did not know much. He said, "In my era, many ancient existences sensed something. One after another, they set off from this world to seek the other shore. But once they departed, none ever returned. Whether they live or died, no one knows."
Xu Ying fell into a daze. Where on earth had those ancient existences gone? Was the other shore they spoke of the same place as the other shore of Nuo masters and Qi Refiners? And when that young monk at Great Thunderclap Temple spoke of escaping the other shore, what place was he trying to escape from?
Shaking his head, he gathered his spirits and said, "There is one more matter I must trouble you with, Dao Brother. I wish to search for someone on Wangxiang Platform..."
Surprised, the Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign asked, "When you came here before, was it not also to look for someone? I heard you mention it when I was still a tiny sapling. After all these years, have you still not found them?"
Xu Ying shook his head, feeling somewhat downcast.
It seemed his guess had been correct. His father had hidden here from the Thunder Division's pursuit and then left on his own. With the passage of time and shifting circumstances, where could he have gone?
The Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign said, "That big bell by your side came looking for you earlier. It said your companions ran into trouble at Sun Pass and asked you to head over. I sent the broodmother by your side to go in your stead."
Xu Ying was taken aback. "What trouble did Seventh Master and Lord Jin stir up this time? And where is Sun Pass?"
"Sun Pass is a barrier where the Monster Race suppresses its foes; it is the sun of the Yuanshou world," the Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign answered. "Presumably some disturbance has arisen there. However, I granted that broodmother a small benefit, which should be enough for them to turn danger into safety. Moreover, as I see it, Sun Pass is a great opportunity for them. There is no need to worry."
Hearing this, Xu Ying felt slightly relieved.
The Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign rose and said with a smile, "Little Friend Xu, it is time for you to depart. Once Xuandu Jade Capital Mountain is restored to wholeness, a tribulation will likely descend. If you remain here, I fear you will be drawn into it."
Xu Ying stood and took his leave. The Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign escorted him part of the way, saying, "Xuandu Jade Capital Mountain has not yet fully recovered. Once the Dao trees are revived, a Great Luo Heaven will form beneath them. When you return then, you will be able to comprehend the wonders of Xuandu Jade Capital. For now, however, it is not yet time."
Xu Ying inquired, "How long will I have to wait this time?"
The Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign smiled. "Last time you had to wait forty-eight thousand years because the Purple Nether Blade suppressed this place, preventing the Dao trees from growing. If I can survive this tribulation without such a threat hanging over me, my eight Dao trees will grow far faster. As short as three to five hundred years, or at most three to five thousand years, and it will be restored."
Xu Ying bowed. "Dao Brother, please do not trouble yourself to walk any further. When I return in the future, I will seek your guidance once more."
"Suit yourself, little friend." The Eastern Brightness Void Sovereign bowed slightly in return.
Xu Ying walked toward the exit of Wangxiang Platform. Before long, he suddenly heard the rhythmic knocking of a wooden fish, which stirred his curiosity. When he first arrived here, he had heard that very same sound.
He looked up and indeed saw that mountain and the ancient monastery upon it once more, but he did not see the monk outside the temple. The sound of the wooden fish drifted from ahead. Intrigued, Xu Ying walked forward, and sure enough, he saw the monk sitting by the roadside, knocking the wooden fish as he waited.
The monk wore black robes and cloth shoes, ragged and unkempt. He stood and said, "This humble monk is Daoyuan. Has Benefactor Xu come from Mount Sumeru? Have you entered the Great Thunderclap Temple?"
Xu Ying halted, surprised. "Master, how did you know I had been there?"
Master Daoyuan said, "When Benefactor Xu arrived, I saw a wisp of the karmic fire of ignorance concealed within your true fire, having burned for quite some time. This is no ordinary fire, nor is it true fire, immortal fire, or heavenly fire; it is a flame formed from karma. In this world today, true Buddhism no longer exists. The mastery required to produce this karmic fire of ignorance is extraordinarily high, and only the evil Buddha Jie Puti of Great Thunderclap Temple possesses such methods. Hence my question."
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat.
That evil Buddha's methods were truly profound. He had left behind a karmic fire of ignorance within Xu Ying's body without him noticing in the slightest!
Master Daoyuan let out a sigh. "That evil Buddha is my grand-uncle. When the Buddhas departed, I alone remained behind, fearing that after Buddhism vanished from the world, no one would be able to subdue him should he break free to commit evil. With heaven and earth decaying, I could not protect myself, so I could only borrow Wangxiang Platform as a refuge. Benefactor, allow me first to force out his karmic fire of ignorance."
*Tock!*
As the wooden fish sounded, a Primordial Spirit of a Great Buddha abruptly materialized behind Master Daoyuan. Tens of thousands of feet tall, it was bathed in Buddhist radiance, surrounded by countless Sanskrit scriptures swirling and transforming endlessly about its form.
*Tock!*
Master Daoyuan struck the wooden fish once more. Around the great Buddha Primordial Spirit, phantom images of thousands of ancient Buddhas appeared, seated in the void as sacred chanting resonated through the air.
The wooden fish knocked yet again. This time, it seemed to strike directly into Xu Ying's soul. As the Buddhist resonance surged, a plume of the karmic fire of ignorance flew out from deep within Xu Ying's heart. From within the karmic flame came the enraged voice of the evil Buddha from Great Thunderclap Temple: "Daoyuan! Myriad Buddhas have entered extinction, and only you bald donkey remain in Buddhism! Do you truly think you can suppress me?"
Xu Ying felt chills run down his spine. The evil Buddha Jie Puti had indeed hidden a karmic fire of ignorance inside him!
*Good thing I wasn't injured during this time. If I had been hurt, that evil Buddha might have burned me to death with his karmic fire!* he thought to himself.
Master Daoyuan paid it no heed, striking the wooden fish continuously as the thousands of Buddhas behind him appeared increasingly real.
Under the strikes of the wooden fish, the karmic fire of ignorance shrank steadily. The evil Buddha Jie Puti sneered, "Daoyuan, the Buddhas behind you are all dead! Not a single one is real! They look mighty, but they are hollow inside, utterly fragile! Once I break free, you will be the first I kill!"
With a final *tock*, the karmic fire of ignorance was extinguished.
Xu Ying bowed to Daoyuan in thanks. Master Daoyuan returned the courtesy, saying, "There is no need for such formalities, Fellow Daoist. Suppressing my grand-uncle was my duty all along. However, what he said was not wrong. Originally, I could borrow the power of the Buddhas to suppress him, but now, even refining his karmic fire of ignorance proved difficult. I fear the Buddhas have truly passed away."
Frowning slightly, he added, "These past days my heart has been uneasy. I worry Jie Puti will escape his seal. I must make a personal trip to Mount Sumeru to suppress him."
Xu Ying's heart stirred as he recalled Crane Boy descending to the mortal realm. "Master, you must beware of the Immortal Realm's Imperial Monarch. From what I know, he intends to release Jie Puti."
He recounted the full story of how he had sealed Jie Puti at the ruins of Great Thunderclap Temple on Mount Sumeru, and mentioned Crane Boy's descent.
Master Daoyuan's expression turned grave. He bowed deeply to Xu Ying and said, "Suppressing Jie Puti was my responsibility, yet I never imagined Fellow Daoist Xu would shoulder that burden for me. Had you not seized that scroll from Crane Boy, I fear Jie Puti would have already broken free!"
He produced a string of prayer beads and handed it to Xu Ying with utmost solemnity. "Jie Puti is entangled in karma with you, and I worry he might harm you again. This string of prayer beads is a dharma artifact left behind by the Buddha Ancestor. Fellow Daoist, please keep it by your side for now."
Xu Ying originally intended to decline, but Master Daoyuan gave a gentle smile and said earnestly, "Fellow Daoist Xu, if I die on Mount Sumeru, you will be the only person in this world left capable of suppressing Jie Puti. If you refuse to accept it, how could I leave with peace of mind?"
Xu Ying was stunned and blurted out, "You still intend to go to Mount Sumeru?"
Master Daoyuan pressed the prayer beads into his hands and smiled. "With the Buddhas gone, suppressing Jie Puti is my responsibility. This humble monk cannot shirk it."
With that, the monk turned and walked up the mountain to that ancient monastery. He bowed in all four directions and called out in a clear voice, "My thanks to all fellow Daoists for your tolerance over the years. This humble monk now departs to settle this karma!"
Within Wangxiang Platform, the surrounding world was dead silent, save for a few ancient divine senses that slowly stirred as if filled with envy, their voices buzzing in the air: "By making this journey, the Great Master can be free of all burdens. How truly enviable."
The ancient monastery and the sacred mountain shone with dazzling light before tearing through the void and vanishing without a trace.
Clutching the string of prayer beads, Xu Ying watched the ancient monastery and sacred mountain disappear. He thought, *I hope Master Daoyuan can suppress Jie Puti on this journey. Otherwise, if that evil Buddha emerges into the world, the responsibility will fall upon me.*
He frowned slightly. Last time, the Imperial Monarch sent Crane Boy down to free Jie Puti. Even though Xu Ying had foiled the plan, the Imperial Monarch would surely send someone a second time. *Master Daoyuan's strength is unfathomable. Surely nothing will happen to him.*
As he held the prayer beads, a profound calm settled over his heart. It felt as though a cool, gentle stream poured down from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, bringing an indescribable comfort. After a moment, his mind cleared and his thoughts grew exceptionally sharp; even the influence of the eight Immortal Dao runes—Desolation, Mourning, Fierceness, Grief, Tyranny, Cruelty, Perversity, and Stupidity—lessened considerably.
*These prayer beads are truly extraordinary!*
Xu Ying was amazed. Gripping the beads, he hurried toward the exit of Wangxiang Platform. Suddenly, his vision wavered, and he found himself back within the dark spacetime of Great Thunderclap Temple!
The young monk appeared in the darkness, like a mosquito trapped in amber, frozen deep within spacetime and unable to move.
Xu Ying observed the young monk and saw that he must not have moved for a very long time. The monk held out a hand, frozen in place, not having shifted an inch over these past months.
*He cannot escape this dark spacetime.*
Xu Ying felt a pang of sorrow. Just then, the prayer beads in his hand suddenly rattled and shook. Xu Ying watched in astonishment as the beads grew larger and longer, reaching into the darkness!
Each trembling bead was like an enormous star, probing into the dark spacetime, vibrating and extending as it reached toward the young monk!
*Perhaps these prayer beads can rescue him!* Xu Ying's eyes lit up.
The prayer beads were a treasure left to Master Daoyuan by the Buddha Ancestor. Unleashing their might at this moment had to be for the sake of rescuing this young monk! Yet even with their power pushed to the utmost limit, they remained a short distance away from the young monk, who could never quite grasp them!
Seeing this, Xu Ying surged his own magic power, pouring it into the prayer beads to make them extend further!
The beads rattled and shook. Entering the darkness, they grew to resemble colossal stars arriving right before the young monk. Xu Ying frowned slightly. He had already driven his cultivation to its peak, yet the young monk still could not enter the stars!
*What a pity Master Daoyuan is not here. If he were the one driving these beads, he would surely be able to rescue that monk.*
Suddenly, the spacetime before Xu Ying wavered, and he returned from the darkness to reality.
The extended prayer beads dropped back down with a clatter. Xu Ying pondered, *I haven't refined this treasure, so its power cannot be fully brought forth. If I refine it day and night, perhaps I can make it reach that monk and rescue him.*
After nearly half a day, Xu Ying finally emerged from Wangxiang Platform and stepped onto the Nai River Bridge. Meng Po was still selling tea upon the bridge. Seeing Xu Ying, she wanted to ignore him, but he had already walked over. Meng Po snorted and said coldly, "This old woman has nothing to do with you. Do not come looking for me."
Xu Ying held the prayer beads and said, "Meng Po, you fed me your soup for over forty thousand years. Is this matter just settled like that?"
Meng Po flared up in anger. "When guests from the Immortal Realm demanded my Soul-Bewildering Soup, what could I do? Rebel against the Immortal Realm? I would have died the very next moment! As one of the Five Tycoons of the Netherworld, I am not as foolish as the other four!"
Xu Ying was taken aback, wondering, *Where does this 'Five Tycoons' nonsense come from?*
He had no intention of dredging up old grudges, so he said, "Meng Po, I want to know the whereabouts of the Northern Emperor."
Meng Po grew guarded. "The Northern Emperor? I don't know him."
Xu Ying said, "You made me drink your soup for over forty thousand years. Our enmity runs as deep as the sea..."
Meng Po sneered. "Boy of the Xu family, do you think I am afraid of you? Even if your strength has grown by leaps and bounds, you might not be my match!"
Xu Ying offered an insincere smile. "Though our enmity is deep as the sea, you used fake soup to dupe the Immortal Realm for over forty thousand years, so in truth, I am quite grateful to you. If I am captured one day, I certainly won't betray you."
Meng Po's face shifted between light and dark, her fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged on her hands. After a moment, she relaxed her fists, retrieved a tree leaf, tossed it onto the water, and sighed dejectedly, "Stand upon this leaf. It will naturally carry you to meet the Northern Emperor."
Xu Ying bowed in thanks, leaped off the Nai River Bridge, and landed upon the leaf.
The leaf expanded, transforming into a skiff that carried Xu Ying drifting away.
Suddenly, Xu Ying's heart stirred. He looked toward the sky, only to see the heavens split open, revealing a panoramic expanse of immortal palaces. Immortal light shone down, pointed straight at Wangxiang Platform! Tens of thousands of immortals stood in orderly formation, arrayed in thirty-three tiers. Banners fluttered as waves of terrifying immortal might came rolling down! Below them was Xuandu Jade Capital Mountain upon Wangxiang Platform!
Upon the Nai River Bridge, Meng Po saw this scene as well. Her expression changed drastically, and she muttered under her breath, "What kind of achievement is it to purge the Void Sovereign? If you're so capable, why don't you kill that boy first? If you don't get rid of him, who knows how many more hornets' nests he'll kick over! You immortals are just running behind his ass patching up his holes!"
Chapter 407