Several years ago, right when tens of millions of common folk had just been converted, Wei Yuan had felt indignant and sought out Immortal Monarch Yanshi and Immortal Monarch Zhu Yan with a single question: How could the Pure Land accommodate so many Bodhisattvas and Arhats?
Granted, most of their golden bodies were in the cycle of reincarnation, and reincarnation itself greatly alleviated the burden on the Pure Land. Yet each golden body that bore a karmic attainment was, metaphorically speaking, a massive mountain. Pressed upon the mortal realm, it would shatter the world; set within the Pure Land, the Pure Land too ought to groan under the unbearable weight.
The Pure Land was anchored to this realm, yet not entirely within it, so the pressure exerted on the world by golden bodies residing in the Pure Land was correspondingly far smaller. Otherwise, the sheer accumulation of so many golden bodies would be terrifying—if one were to descend and disperse in the mortal realm, it would yield at least six or seven thousand li of treasure land, and a few exceptional ones might even exceed the eight thousand li left by the Patriarch of the Palace of Grand Beginning.
Back then, the Patriarch of Grand Beginning had fallen shortly after ascending to immortality. Among immortals, his cultivation could only be considered outstanding at best. What was truly terrifying about him was his comprehension: whatever Dao path he laid eyes upon, he grasped immediately, and once grasped, mastered thoroughly. When facing enemies in magical duels, he naturally saw through their weaknesses and countered them with precision. And what if he had no countermeasure prepared? Simple enough—he would invent one on the spot. If he kept it simple, it became a peerless Dao art; if he took it further, it became a path to the heavens.
Relying on his peerless comprehension, the Patriarch had comprehended countless Great Daos of heaven and earth, naturally attaining an unparalleled depth of cultivation. Even a casual sword strike from him possessed the power to divide Yin and Yang and sever cause and effect.
Yet how could the Pure Land possess such capability?
Furthermore, another point made no sense: how were these karmic attainments cultivated in the first place? Wei Yuan had tallied up the golden body karmic attainments that had ever manifested in the world and calculated the cultivation resources and time required to attain them. His final conclusion was that it would take over three million years in total. Yet the Pure Land had only been founded for a little over a hundred thousand years—even counting the minor temples and small sects that were its predecessors, it wouldn't cover even a fraction of that time.
So where did all those resources come from?
To Wei Yuan's surprise, neither Immortal Monarch could answer this question, nor could anyone else. Knowledge regarding this matter was a total blank—not only absent from the Palace of Grand Beginning, but missing from other sects as well. Even the monks of the Pure Land themselves had no idea.
Back then, Immortal Venerable Suchan had left behind a volume of notes thoroughly investigating this issue. The final conclusion was that tens of thousands of years ago, or perhaps even earlier, a supreme powerhouse had intervened to erase the karma of this matter, hiding it from the mortal world ever since.
According to Yanshi's analysis, the later arrangements made by the Martial Ancestor might well have drawn inspiration from this entity's methods. He also surmised that this secret might be connected to worlds beyond the heavens, and that some clues might be gleaned from the Pure Land's numerous Buddha lands.
Although there had been no answer to that question at the time, the future of the converted populace could still be foreseen. Historical precedents had proved that if organized, such believers constituted a terrifying force, each and every one fearless of death. Toward the end of the Great Li Dynasty, dozens of cult sects, large and small, had risen in rebellion across the realm, and many had the shadows of the Pure Land lurking behind them.
If Wei Yuan pushed too hard, it was very likely to trigger an upheaval sweeping across several commanderies and affecting tens of millions of people.
After meeting the two Immortal Monarchs, Wei Yuan had attempted a few forceful measures, which had resulted in a massive disturbance spreading across three counties and claiming tens of thousands of lives. From then on, Wei Yuan had had no choice but to adopt a gentler approach and maintain the status quo.
The Pure Land was naturally satisfied; the longer the believers remained devout, the deeper their faith became. Wei Yuan, meanwhile, secretly ramped up his research efforts, seeking to fundamentally dismantle the Pure Land's methods. While a definitive breakthrough had not yet arrived, interim milestones had already been achieved—namely, Wei Yuan's own conversion rituals. After repeatedly hitting walls in their research on conversion, the competitive spirit of Qingming's numerous research cultivators flared up. They began dissecting the scriptures of the Great Precious Flower Pure Land from scratch, pulling out every single sutra to dismantle and analyze over and over.
The pace of this research was blistering. In the blink of an eye, several years passed, and the Buddhist scriptures stored within the Splendor of the Many Realms were second in this world only to the main mountain of the Great Precious Flower Pure Land itself. The sheer depth of scholarship in certain treatises and their penetrating comprehension of scriptural doctrine far exceeded what ordinary eminent monks and venerable masters could ever hope to match.
This was the true path to uprooting an enemy. If you did not understand your adversary, how could you ever bury them so deeply that they could never climb out for myriad kalpas?
Naturally, Qingming possessed a vast number of cultivators, and its research cultivators were as numerous as hairs on an ox. The Great Precious Flower Pure Land was currently the top priority; the three leading journals devoted substantial space to it, thereby drawing in numerous top-tier talents.
As countless cultivators flooded into this track, the competition grew unprecedentedly fierce. Consequently, many research cultivators of modest talent who wished to seize a quick advantage turned their minds elsewhere. They opened up many new domains of research, focusing on the daily lives of Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and the monastic community—for example, tracing the origin of the fabrics used in monk robes, or investigating whether their noon vegetarian meals contained more oil or more salt, and so forth.
Remarkably, this managed to support quite a few research cultivators, who even styled themselves "monkologists" to distinguish themselves from those studying Buddhist scriptures and doctrine. And now, a Pure Land Buddha realm lay right before Wei Yuan.
Gazing through this small wooden Buddha, Wei Yuan saw a glimmer of radiant light. Though nestled within the wooden Buddha, the light was not of the mortal world, but an independent realm of its own. Channeling his vision to its limits, Wei Yuan pierced the radiance and beheld a land of serenity and supreme bliss. Here, verdant mountains cradled crystal waters, and the soil was rich and fertile, yielding spiritual rice naturally without need for tilling. Across this world lay scattered villages and towns, dotted with temples large and small. Everywhere, eminent monks and venerable masters could be seen opening altars to expound the dharma. Those who came to listen were not merely humans, but dogs, deer, eagles, and fish; upon hearing the teachings, all rejoiced and offered praise.
Amid mountain woods and open fields, humans and beasts coexisted in harmony. Tigers and leopards slumbered beside deer and horses, and great eagles preened the feathers of sparrows. Birds and beasts aside, among the mortals, some strolled through mountain groves while others sought enlightenment amid bustling markets. When hungry, they plucked a fruit at will; when thirsty, they scooped up a handful of clear spring water; when weary and exhausted, they slept directly on the ground.
At first glance, all were free of fear and worry, having attained supreme liberation.
As his gaze lingered, Wei Yuan came to understand the origin of this small realm. This was one of the Pure Land's many paradises, named the Heaven of Joy and Bliss. When Buddhist devotees died, if their karmic affinities aligned, they would be reborn into this Heaven of Joy and Bliss to enjoy supreme bliss.
Wei Yuan's gaze illuminated this small world, soon coming to rest upon a small mountain at its center. The mountain was formed entirely of azure jade, covered in gem-like, glazed flora.
At the mountain peak sat a small ritual sanctuary. A monk resembling an exquisite jade carving leaned casually against a mountain stone, precious light rippling behind his head as he expounded the dharma to a dozen disciples gathered before him. He suddenly raised his head, gazing across the void toward Wei Yuan, and smiled gently. "Why does the patron not step inside for a look?"
Wei Yuan did not answer, withdrawing his gaze instead.
This was the Pure Land's invitation to contest dharmas. That jade-like monk held the karmic attainment of a Bodhisattva, named Bodhisattva Shanle. Though hardly renowned in this realm, the mere fact that he presided over a Buddha realm paradise meant his cultivation was unquestionably profound.
Entering Shanle Heaven to debate the Dao would naturally mean entering the opponent's absolute home ground, where untold traps and measures surely awaited Wei Yuan.
Yet Wei Yuan was no longer a lone wolf. He immediately opened the Splendor of the Many Realms to assign research tasks and analyze potential duel strategies. He then returned to Qingming, where the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning had already assembled at his summons to pool their wisdom.
"You absolutely cannot enter! What reason is there to plunge straight into a tiger's den? Those thieving baldies are treacherous. Any battlefield they set up is bound to be a malicious trap," Xu Henshui declared right away. But no sooner had he spoken than he noticed the other cultivators of Grand Beginning staring at him, their expressions as if...
"What is it?!" Xu Henshui asked, thoroughly bewildered.
He had an immortal orchid as his foundation after all—still so naive... Wei Yuan sighed inwardly. Unwilling to see his former martial uncle embarrassed, he said, "Since the Pure Land has set the field, I have no reason to refuse. If I do not go, I fear something dire will happen to those tens of millions of converted believers."
"In that case, aren't those baldies clutching you by your weakness? If you ask me..." Xu Henshui's expression darkened, and he spoke word by word, "Those tens of millions of converted folk are no longer human. Even if something happens to them, the blame lies entirely with the Pure Land. Why tie your own hands?" Wei Yuan felt touched. Martial Uncle Xu's heart truly lay with him. If those words were leaked outside, many compassionate hypocrites would easily brand him a demonic cultivator.
Wei Yuan said, "Rest assured, I will have thorough preparations before stepping in. This is also an opportunity to measure the Pure Land's true weight."
Xu Henshui was about to press further, but Ji Liuli finally could not hold back and chimed in, "Don't worry. No matter how insidious those baldies are, could they ever hold a candle to our Realm Lord?"
Chapter 1242