Young Master Yuchuan was both surprised and overjoyed. Over the past few days, he had been seeking instruction from Jieputi and practicing Buddhist dharma, making considerable gains. Upon hearing this, he asked, "Buddha Ancestor, where is Xu Ying now?"
"He is walking right this way."
Jieputi smiled faintly and said leisurely, "We need only wait here. He will walk into our trap of his own accord."
Xu Ying and Buddhist Child Jijue flew toward Mount Sumeru. From afar, they saw that the Great Thunderclap Temple had been relocated from halfway up the mountain to the summit, gleaming with gold and emerald. People bustled to and fro within the temple, an immensely lively scene thick with burning incense.
Xu Ying halted and surveyed the view. "Hold on. Something is amiss. The Great Thunderclap Temple was originally halfway up the mountain."
Buddhist Child Jijue also looked around and said, "Benefactor Ah Ying, I have heard that the Great Thunderclap Temple was originally on the mountain peak. Could it be that after Senior Brother Daoyuan suppressed Jieputi, he moved the temple back to the summit?"
Xu Ying gave no answer. He looked all around, then abruptly wheeled about and flew toward a sacred land far away from Mount Sumeru.
That place had originally been a sacred ground left behind by an Immortal King, home to numerous Qi Refiners, with immortal treasures suspended in the sky and plumes of ascension light connecting directly to the Heavenly Dao world.
Now, the immortal artifacts guarding the sect were gone. Standing in midair, Xu Ying looked down only to see that the Qi Refiners on the mountain had shaved their heads bare and were in the middle of carving a giant Buddha.
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. He said to Buddhist Child Jijue, "Master Daoyuan would never force others to worship the Buddha. If I am not mistaken, Master Daoyuan must have failed to seal and suppress Jieputi. The one in the Great Thunderclap Temple right now is none other than Jieputi!"
Jijue was startled. "It is impossible for Jieputi to escape. The ones who suppressed him were the Buddha Ancestor and the various Buddhas. He was imprisoned in the underground palace and could not undo the seals—how could he break free?"
Thoughts flashed through Xu Ying's mind like lightning. "The Imperial Monarch must have sent someone to undo the underground palace's seals! That man possesses peerless intellect and excels in immortal seals. To this day, I can barely unravel his seals. If he excels in sealing, he must naturally excel in breaking seals as well. If you don't believe me, let us go to the next sect. They will surely all be monks as well!"
Inside the Great Thunderclap Temple, Jieputi followed Xu Ying's every move. He could not help but frown deeply. "Why is this person so suspicious?"
Young Master Yuchuan observed his expression and said, "Anyone who had been plotted against for over forty thousand years would become very suspicious. Buddha Ancestor, why not strike directly..."
Jieputi shook his head slightly and smiled. "No matter. Let us toy with him a bit."
Buddhist Child Jijue followed Xu Ying to another sacred mountain. Sure enough, the Qi Refiners here had all shaved their heads, with ordination burns branded into their scalps.
Grief surged through Jijue, and he murmured, "Is Senior Brother Daoyuan really dead?"
Without hesitation, Xu Ying summoned the Third Heavenly Pass and said, "Even the Buddha Ancestor and the Buddhas could not kill Jieputi, so our best move is to slip away immediately. Where there's life, there's hope. Once our cultivation has matured, we can return to settle the score with Jieputi!"
He had just opened the Third Heavenly Pass when a Buddhist chant suddenly rang out, and Master Daoyuan's voice carried over: "Benefactor Xu, have you been well since we parted?"
Taken aback, Xu Ying looked back and saw Master Daoyuan walking toward them from Mount Sumeru, his entire body bathed in Buddhist light that illuminated the sky. Innumerable divine Buddhas manifested across the heavens in a truly magnificent spectacle.
Both surprised and delighted, Jijue hurriedly saluted. "Senior Brother, have you attained Buddhahood?"
Master Daoyuan looked him up and down in surprise. "You are..."
Xu Ying said, "This is Jijue, a monk from a temple in my Yuanshou world. He was originally my childhood friend, and later became a monk."
Jijue was puzzled and thought, "Benefactor Ah Ying's suspicion is far too heavy, isn't it? Could the Great Curse of Cruelty be taking effect? Otherwise, why would he be so paranoid?"
He quietly studied Xu Ying, but no matter how he looked, Xu Ying did not seem influenced by the Six-Character Seal.
Master Daoyuan wore a solemn expression as he said, "I arrived at Mount Sumeru and sat before the Great Thunderclap Temple, using Buddhist dharma to refine Jieputi. Suddenly, I felt the Grand Dao of the era of the Buddhas awakening between heaven and earth. Under that sympathetic resonance, I attained Buddhahood in a single leap."
Half-doubting, Xu Ying asked, "Why have all the disciples of these sects become monks?"
Master Daoyuan replied, "After I subdued Jieputi and achieved Buddhahood, many sects came to pay homage and listen to my dharma. Moved by my teachings, they willingly entered the Buddhist path. Our Buddha is compassionate, and glorifying the Buddhist order requires the support of such discerning individuals."
Only then did Xu Ying put his mind at ease, smiling. "So that's how it is. Master, I brought back the Buddha Ancestor's prayer beads that you lent me last time to return them to you."
He retrieved the prayer beads and offered them up respectfully with both hands.
Master Daoyuan took the beads and draped them around his neck, smiling. "Benefactor Xu is truly a man of his word."
Xu Ying smiled. "These prayer beads are extraordinary. Keeping them by Master Daoyuan's side will surely help suppress Jieputi."
Master Daoyuan smiled and said, "Benefactor Xu, come with me to the Great Thunderclap Temple and stay for a few days. I will help you dispel the seal's curse."
Xu Ying nodded gently and walked toward the Great Thunderclap Temple alongside him. Master Daoyuan smiled. "The curse of your seal is exceptionally stubborn, but dispelling it is not difficult for me. Once we reach the temple, I will unravel it for you."
"Master, how did you die?" Xu Ying inquired.
Master Daoyuan looked astonished. "What?"
Xu Ying's face darkened with sorrow. "Who killed you and took your appearance to deceive me? What bold audacity this person possesses."
Master Daoyuan was stunned, and Buddhist Child Jijue was equally astonished.
This was Jijue's first time leaving the mountain; he was like a blank sheet of paper, entirely unacquainted with the perils of the mortal world.
Master Daoyuan chuckled. "Why would Benefactor Xu say such a thing?"
Grief was unmistakable in Xu Ying's eyes as he said, "I met the master on the Wangxiang Platform. He was earnest, sincere, and utterly devoid of scheming—the purest person I have ever known. Even if you used the art of creation to remake his physical body, you could never replicate his spirit or his innocence."
Master Daoyuan sighed with emotion. "Nephew Daoyuan was indeed an extraordinary talent, yet he died nonetheless. But even if you saw through me, so what? Did you think that by relying on the Buddha Ancestor's prayer beads, you could suppress me? Wishful thinking."
With the Buddha Ancestor's beads hanging around his neck, he drawled, "Even when the Buddha Ancestor was alive, his connection to these beads was merely vague. He couldn't draw out much of their power. Only when the Buddha Ancestor was by my side could the full might of these beads be unleashed."
Master Daoyuan smiled faintly and said, "Xu Ying, did you think that by offering this treasure and hanging it around my neck, you would have me under your control? In truth, hanging these beads around my neck allows only me to draw out an even greater power from them."
His voice carried a wicked edge, possessing a captivating charm that tempted one to fall: "Your thoughts are clearly reflected in my Dao heart, plain as day. You have already been seen through by me, like a naked child stripped bare of all clothing."
"Oh?"
Xu Ying raised his palm. "The Buddha Ancestor is not by your side, but I am. What is the difference?"
The prayer beads hanging from Master Daoyuan's neck suddenly floated up.
Master Daoyuan's expression changed abruptly. He felt trapped between the individual beads, unable to break free.
He had separated a wisp of his soul and cultivated an avatar that assumed Master Daoyuan's appearance, intending to toy with Xu Ying like a cat playing with a mouse, only to kill it after having his fill of fun.
Yet the floating beads spun, chanting loudly with Buddhist resonance, completely locking his divided soul and magic power between the beads, leaving him unable to move or flee!
"Jieputi, you underestimated me. The moment I placed these prayer beads around your neck, I was certain you wouldn't be able to seize them."
Xu Ying activated the power of the beads. The beads grew larger and larger, encircling Master Daoyuan. The reverberating Buddhist chants locked his divided soul, refining his magic power, divine sense, and all else into a single whole—condensing into a single bead!
This floating bead gleamed like red jade. Inside the blood-colored bead sat a tiny Buddha in the lotus posture—precisely Jieputi's divided soul, magic power, and divine sense!
Yet this tiny Jieputi was overwhelmed with shock and fury; he tried to rise, but was thoroughly suppressed and unable to move.
Xu Ying reached out and pinched the blood bead between his fingers. Deeply sorrowful, he murmured, "Master, I cannot avenge you today, but I can collect a little interest first."
He squeezed hard. His aura surged with tremendous force, completely crushing Jieputi's divided soul, magic power, and divine sense to dust!
Jijue watched the scene in a daze, unable to speak for a long time.
With a grim face, Xu Ying turned and gazed toward the Great Thunderclap Temple on Mount Sumeru. There, Buddhist light steamed and illuminated the void. Faintly visible, a giant Buddha as massive as Mount Sumeru sat enthroned in the void, wearing a smile of great compassion.
Mount Sumeru was immensely vast, standing at the center of the Taishi Great World, even influencing the movement of the sun and moon and causing the sun to revolve around it. That giant Buddha was just as colossal, and his voice boomed across: "Xu Ying, you are indeed an exceptional talent worthy of admiration. Never did I imagine that you could turn the tables under such circumstances."
Xu Ying summoned the Third Heavenly Pass and instantly opened the gateway, shouting to Jijue, "The evil Buddha is formidable, far beyond our ability to match. Let us leave quickly!"
Jijue charged into the Third Heavenly Pass alongside him.
The two stepped out through the pass's portal, only to hear Jieputi's voice continue to ring clear: "In years past, the Buddha Ancestor and the various Buddhas established the World of Ultimate Bliss, known as the Western Pure Land."
Xu Ying looked up. He was still in the Taishi Great World, and Mount Sumeru still stood before him!
He once again drove the Third Heavenly Pass, locking onto the Ancestral Court, and darted through the portal.
"He possessed immense magic power and great vows. His Dao was joined with heaven and earth, verified across time and space, imperishable throughout eternity," Jieputi's voice continued to resound. "Now that he has passed away, I am the only one who can command such methods."
Xu Ying roared, throwing open all six of his cave-heavens as the four great treasures floated behind him. Driving the Third Heavenly Pass to its absolute limit, he shouted, "No matter what World of Ultimate Bliss this is, I will tear through it!"
With his current magic power, he was fully capable of unleashing the total might of this Immortal King treasure!
Yet when the gateway opened, what lay behind the door was still the Taishi Great World!
In the world behind the door, there was still a Mount Sumeru, and there was still a Primordial Spirit of Jieputi!
And behind Xu Ying stood yet another Mount Sumeru, and another Primordial Spirit of Jieputi!
Jieputi's Primordial Spirit sat enthroned in the void, smiling faintly. "Xu Ying, the entire Taishi Great World is my World of Ultimate Bliss. Who could possibly escape?"
Xu Ying suddenly stomped his foot heavily. "The Netherworld!"
Boom!
The space around them ruptured, and their bodies plummeted rapidly, passing through the Yang realm and dropping toward the Netherworld. Yet an instant later, Xu Ying and Jijue came to a dead halt. They were still in the Taishi Great World, and before them still stood Mount Sumeru and Jieputi's Primordial Spirit.
Xu Ying gave a loud roar, thrusting both hands into the void and driving the Gourd Heaven Dao Verification Scripture to its utmost limit, tearing open space.
On the other side of the void, there was still Mount Sumeru, and there was still Jieputi's Primordial Spirit.
Jieputi's Primordial Spirit reached out a hand and smiled. "Xu Ying, please enter the Great Thunderclap Temple as my guest."
Expressionless, Xu Ying calmed his surging vital energy and blood and stored away the Third Heavenly Pass. He said to Jijue, "Since the evil Buddha has extended such a gracious invitation, how can we refuse? Whether the Great Thunderclap Temple is a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, we must go. Don't worry—you are my childhood friend, and I won't let you come to harm no matter what!"
Jijue blinked. Though he did not understand why Xu Ying repeatedly emphasized that he was his childhood friend, he assumed Xu Ying must have a profound reason for doing so.
The two walked toward the Great Thunderclap Temple on Mount Sumeru. Before long, they arrived outside the temple. The deities that had originally guarded Mount Sumeru had now all converted, transformed into arhats.
The sect leaders, masters, and patriarchs of the various great sects had shaved their heads to become venerable ones. Their physical bodies had been reconstructed—some bearing three heads and six arms, some glaring like wrathful vajras, others taming dragons and subduing tigers.
Their immortal artifacts had been turned into Buddhist implements, held firmly in their hands.
Crowds of arhats and venerable ones poured out of the Great Thunderclap Temple, lining up to receive them.
Xu Ying and Jijue walked into the temple, one following the other. A hearty laugh rang out, and Young Master Yuchuan came walking toward them. "Xu Ying, your abilities are truly magnificent. If you hadn't entered the World-Honored One's World of Ultimate Bliss of your own accord, capturing you out there would have been quite troublesome."
Xu Ying took a deep look at him and said, "Could it be that Master Daoyuan died by Young Master Yuchuan's hand?"
Young Master Yuchuan showed surprise. "Why would you say that?"
"Jieputi was suppressed and could not act to kill Master Daoyuan. Your ancestor is fiercely ambitious. Last time, he sent an immortal crane down to the lower realm to deliver a painting, which ended up in my hands. The patterns branded within the painting were likely the talismanic marks for breaking the seal of the underground palace. Since the Imperial Monarch could break it once, he could break it a second time,"
Xu Ying continued, "So the Imperial Monarch ordered you to come, undo the seal, and release Jieputi. Master Daoyuan guarded this place, and you ambushed and murdered him while he was off guard. Am I right?"
Young Master Yuchuan sighed. "It's as if you saw it with your own eyes. Since you are so clever, you must be able to guess what method I used to kill such a formidable Buddhist master, right?"
Xu Ying's heart sank.
He knew, of course, that only a treasure like the Purple Nether Saber could sever Master Daoyuan's head before he even had time to defend himself!
Young Master Yuchuan smiled. "I used the Purple Nether Saber to cut off his head. That single strike simultaneously slew his Primordial Spirit, shattering his soul so that only a tiny wisp of his imperishable true spirit remained. If you hadn't snapped that blade, even that wisp of imperishable true spirit would have been obliterated."
Though he smiled, his eyes burned with rancor.
His hatred for Xu Ying was deeper than the Heavenly Sea!
His entire future had been ruined by this man!
"You will die here, and I will use your head to claim merit."
Young Master Yuchuan walked alongside Xu Ying toward the temple's Mahavira Hall, gritting his teeth with a smile. "This time, you won't have a single chance to turn things around."
Xu Ying strode forward with his head held high into the grand monastery. There, a burly, towering Buddha sat half-slouched upon the throne of the Buddha Ancestor, baring his chest, legs, and feet, all covered in thick black body hair.
Chains wrapped around his body, and clusters of karmic fire floated about him, one cluster dying out as another flared to life.
"Xu Ying, having seen my World of Ultimate Bliss, the Western Pure Land, on your journey here, what do you think of my Buddhist dharma?"
Jieputi sat up slightly, his voice booming like a great bell as he asked leisurely, "Do you think I resemble the Buddha Ancestor?"
Xu Ying shook his head and smiled. "To answer the Buddha Ancestor: you do not."
Jieputi roared with laughter. "Your fawning pleases me greatly. I have conquered the myriad heterodox paths of this realm; I have refined the void into a Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss; I am the Heavenly Dao nurturing all living beings, and I am the Earthly Dao sustaining all things. Why do I not resemble the Buddha Ancestor? If you cannot answer, I will kill you."
Xu Ying smiled. "Jieputi, if you were the Buddha Ancestor, you would surely be versed in the Buddhist dharma. Yet your grasp of the dharma cannot even match that of my childhood friend—how can you speak of resembling the Buddha Ancestor?"
Jieputi could not help chuckling. "My Buddhist dharma is inferior to this little novice monk's?"
Xu Ying put on a solemn face and said, "Though my Yuanshou world is a remote backwater, its Buddhist dharma has never been lost. Even though the shifts in the Grand Dao of heaven and earth have robbed Buddhist dharma of its power, my childhood friend joined the monastery as a young boy and knows every single method of the Buddhist school inside and out. A fake Buddha Ancestor who switched paths halfway like you certainly cannot compare to someone who became a monk in childhood like him. If you resemble the Buddha Ancestor, wouldn't he resemble the Buddha Ancestor even more?"
Jieputi turned his gaze onto Jijue, utterly astonished. He smiled and said, "This childhood friend of yours has a cultivation no weaker than yours—in fact, he is even a few points stronger. Is he truly your childhood friend?"
Xu Ying laughed. "I would like to make a wager with the Buddha Ancestor. Let us bet that your Buddhist dharma is inferior to my childhood friend's."
The massive Buddha roared with laughter. "A little novice monk wants to wager Buddhist dharma against me? What fantasy!"
Xu Ying straightened his countenance and said, "Naturally, we are not wagering our cultivations, but our Buddhist dharma, determining who is superior in dharma attainment. If you are afraid, you can simply strike my childhood friend dead with a single palm."
Hearing this, Jijue shrank his neck back.
Xu Ying continued, "However, if you lose, you must allow us to leave the World of Ultimate Bliss, and you must not attempt to kill us while we are within it. In addition, you must agree to one more condition."
He pointed a finger at Young Master Yuchuan and smiled faintly. "I want to fight him one-on-one and beat him to death with my bare hands, and you are not allowed to intervene."
Chapter 444