Conditioned Dharmas

"Codename: Kun. Estimated Combat Strength: Immortal Tier Two. Innate Divine Abilities: Firmament Embodiment, Light-Dissolution of All Things, Manifesting Reality from Emptiness, etc. Race: Unknown. Origin: Unknown. Weaknesses: Unknown." Reading the report, Wei Yuan shook his head helplessly. This "Kun" referred to Wanwujin. Wei Yuan certainly would not reveal anything about the realm beyond the heavens. He had merely presented the data he had gathered for Splendor of the Many Realms to analyze. Yet the resulting analysis was far from satisfactory, consisting almost entirely of things he already knew. Splendor of the Many Realms was not omnipotent. Whether cultivators or immortal flora, the entities composing it knew nothing about the realm beyond the heavens, and possessed little understanding even of secret realms and grotto-heavens. Neither men nor immortal plants could conceptualize what they had never seen. Even so, Wei Yuan had gained plenty. His greatest gain was Wanwujin stating its name and the few words it had spoken to him. Naturally, it had not spoken Great Tang official speech, nor the tongue of any race in this realm. Wei Yuan had never heard that language before; it had been projected directly into his consciousness via divine sense and automatically translated into content he could comprehend. Wei Yuan placed exceptional importance on language. The languages spoken by sentient beings were intimately tied to their thought processes; one could say that the boundaries of language were the boundaries of rationality. Through those few sentences from Wanwujin, Wei Yuan was able to unpack a wealth of information—an amount far greater than what its physical remains yielded. Fortunately, by slaying such an Immortal-tier opponent, as well as several Scenery Command strange beasts, he had processed them with human luck and converted them into nourishment that the Land of Vitality could absorb, single-handedly securing the land's spiritual status. Barring unforeseen accidents, the vitality of this ground would not fade even after tens of thousands of years. This formed the embryonic stage of the Non-Retrogression Ground. Having gained such a foundation for attaining the Dao, Wei Yuan's cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, filling in a crucial cornerstone of the Three Realms Dao Path, its grand momentum fully established. Once his Dao cultivation incorporated this otherworldly imagery, his mental imagery world also showed faint signs of shedding its mortal shell and ascending. By now, the Land of Vitality and the temple-shrine Wei Yuan had erected were joined as one, much like when the vast territory of mountains and rivers had descended upon Qingming back then. Wei Yuan's overall status had improved, saving him over eight thousand years of painstaking effort in cultivation; now, he only needed to cultivate for another 1.36 billion years to attain the Dao and become an immortal. With the Non-Retrogression Ground initially formed, Wei Yuan effectively possessed the foundation to attain Buddhahood. The merit of restarting a world was immense beyond measure, more than sufficient to elevate his mental imagery world another step with surplus to spare. At this point, Wei Yuan had a definitive answer regarding this Dao path, and his heart was thoroughly settled. Seated upright in his residence, he carefully considered the current situation. For now, Qingming seemed to be flourishing, but dangers lurked beneath the surface. It was no longer a secret among the immortals that Wei Yuan was the reincarnation of the Great Joy King Buddha. Perhaps because of this connection, the Great Baohua Pure Land took a rather delicate stance toward him. Up to this point, the Pure Land had only deployed measures such as Buddha Swords and Buddha Children; their strongest move had merely been Wuliang Mingguang. Wuliang Mingguang was not even the strongest among the Great Bodhisattvas, and the Buddhas above her had not stirred in the slightest. As for how much of Wuliang Mingguang's action was for Wei Yuan and how much was for Suchan, even Wei Yuan could not say for sure. Most critically, the King Buddha had long failed to return to his throne, rendering many of the backup plans Wei Yuan had prepared useless. Qingming's development was booming day by day. The people's intellect had been enlightened, and the prosperity of the mortal realm was steadily approaching that of the realm beyond the heavens. Its military strength was formidable enough to sweep through any of the nine kingdoms. Yet this flourishing scene was like a mirage—a single misstep could shatter it in an instant. This realm had immortals, and in great numbers, while foreign races watched greedily. Qingming stood firm primarily thanks to the Palace of Grand Beginning, as well as the strength of Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng, who were capable of slaying immortals. As for Baoyun, Feng Tingyu, Ji Liuli, and the others, though they were promising seeds of immortal cultivation, they could not yet play a role in the grand chessboard of immortals. Wei Yuan used human luck to ally with the Zhao and Li families, while Baoyun demonstrated her worth through her position as city lord and through Fengqi City, binding the Bao family ever closer to Qingming. By comparison, while Xiaoyu's influence in the Xiao family was not as great as Baoyun's, she was nonetheless a core descendant of the direct line. Among the thirteen noble clans, Wei Yuan had won over two and a half, annihilated the Lu family, and slowly ground away more than half of the Xu family's power. The most crucial battle throughout the entire process had been slaying Lu Changhe in battle. After that engagement, the world's attitude toward Qingming had grown delicate, and even the Sovereign no longer pressed them. Even when Wei Yuan had slain Liumiao back then, the shift in the situation had not been so pronounced. Now, having newly gained the Eighth Dharma God Grotto-Heaven and established the initial Non-Retrogression Ground, Wei Yuan's own status had risen dramatically, even though he was still far from completing the slow accumulation of time and effort. In particular, planting the Non-Retrogression Ground in the realm beyond the heavens gave him a faint aura of transcending this world; such lofty status was not something miscellaneous immortals could match. The world had enjoyed peace for too long. Wei Yuan felt it was time to make some waves. When striking an opponent, where to strike was crucial, and tempo was just as vital. All along, it had been the Pure Land making moves, while Wei Yuan essentially reacted in passive defense. Now that his grand momentum had been forged, he felt he ought to do something that went beyond benevolence and morality. *** The mountain gate of the Great Baohua Pure Land stood grandly amidst the clouds and mists halfway up the peak, resembling a corner fallen from the heavenly realm, anchoring the spiritual energy of the entire mountain range. The gate consisted of three portals standing side by side. The central gateway towered into the clouds, while the two flanking wings unfolded like the wings of a roc soaring upward. Above the lintel, five carved stone Sumeru pedestals rose in tiers, every level engraved with flying apsaras and mighty warriors who guarded the Dharma. On the stone road before the main gate, a figure suddenly appeared, ascending the stone steps at an unhurried, measured pace. The monks sweeping the entrance wore astonished expressions. After exchanging glances, one of them turned and sprinted back through the mountain gate to alert his master. The Great Baohua Pure Land was no ordinary temple; it was the ancestral seat of a sect founded over a hundred thousand years ago. The stone path before the gate, overgrown with moss, wound down the mountain. While it appeared no different from the path before any ordinary temple, walking all the way down to the nearest county seat meant a journey of over five hundred li. Thus, this road was used primarily for the cultivation of disciples; many chose to climb it step by step when returning to the mountain as a spiritual practice. Truly distinguished guests who came to visit the Great Baohua Pure Land flew straight in, or even arrived by way of the immortal heavens. Yet the young man who appeared today was clearly not a disciple of the Pure Land. Unable to make a decision, the monks guarding the gate could only invite a senior monk from the temple to handle the matter. Before the senior monk arrived, the young man had already reached the mountain gate. He tilted his head back, gazing up at the two characters "Bao Hua" inscribed on the gate, spanning a hundred zhang across. A monk stepped forward, pressed his palms together, and asked, "Where does Benefactor hail from, and what business brings you to our Great Baohua Pure Land?" The young man did not answer, saying instead, "I have heard that the Great Baohua Pure Land possesses an ancient bell, formed from the alms bowl used by the Buddha during his cultivation. If someone comes to discuss the Dao and debate scriptures, and touches upon the profound meaning of the Great Dao, this bell will toll. Is this true?" The monk's expression shifted slightly. "Benefactor is widely knowledgeable. The Pure Land indeed possesses a Bodhi Bell. Since the founding of our sect, it has tolled nine times in total." "Does the number of tolls hold meaning as well?" Wei Yuan asked. By now, the expressions of the surrounding monks had turned rather unfriendly. The lead monk answered, "Indeed. Among those nine times, five were external demons coming to provoke us, and four were eminent monks from other traditions seeking the Dharma. On three occasions it tolled once, on four occasions it tolled twice, and on two occasions it tolled nine times." A monk with eyes keen as an eagle's rushed over, calling out from afar, "Does Benefactor wish to discourse on the Dharma or debate scriptures? But if you wish to enter the mountain gate, I am afraid you must first pass our trials!" His strides did not appear swift, yet in the blink of an eye he was at the mountain gate. A Wrathful Vajra faintly manifested above his head—a dharma manifestation bearing the inheritance of a golden body. His golden body was that of a Wrathful Vajra, the primary force for subduing demons and upholding the Dao. Though its upper limit was only Scenery Command, among dharma manifestations its combat prowess was extraordinarily formidable, surpassing the golden bodies of many Bodhisattvas and Arhats. The young cultivator smiled. "There is no need for such trouble. I only wish to look upon the Spirit Mountain." The monk, his Wrathful Vajra manifestation fully displayed, barked, "Is Spirit Mountain something you can look upon just because you wish to? Hmph! Benefactor has repeatedly shown disrespect and provocation. You had better state your name, or we can only treat you as an external demon. If you are harmed then, I fear it will stray from the true spirit of compassion." The young cultivator smiled faintly and said, "Qingming, Wei Yuan." Those four words were spoken calmly and gently, yet they echoed throughout the entire Great Baohua Pure Land, even trembling into the immortal heavens and drawing countless gazes down! "Let us speak inside." Wei Yuan took a step forward, crossing the threshold to stand within the mountain gate of the Great Baohua Pure Land. As he took that step, the distance between him and all the surrounding monks did not change in the slightest; every one of them found themselves inexplicably inside the gate as well. Wei Yuan flicked his sleeve, and a stone stool appeared on the ground. Parting the hem of his robe, he sat down slowly, right at the entrance of the Great Baohua Pure Land's mountain gate, blocking the passage between the inside and the outside. The monks all paled. The gate was clearly right before their eyes, yet the moment Wei Yuan sat down, they felt as though they would never be able to reach it in this lifetime. These monks were men of considerable insight, and their eyes were filled with sheer dread. For Wei Yuan to display such divine abilities outside the Great Baohua Pure Land was already inconceivable, let alone doing so while seated within it! In other words, in this gate area, he had actually suppressed the domain power of the Great Baohua Pure Land. In an instant, the sounds of bells and chimes resonated across the Pure Land's mountain ranges. Countless consciousnesses awakened from deep seclusion, turning their gazes toward the mountain gate. For thousands of years, no one had ever been so audacious. Before long, several old monks led a host of brethren to the gate plaza. One of them walked up before Wei Yuan and said, "The Palace of Grand Beginning has always been the foremost among immortal sects, and our Pure Land ranks among the four great immortal sects as well. Since the founding of the Palace of Grand Beginning, the patriarchs of our two traditions have maintained frequent exchanges. What is Benefactor's intention in coming here today? This old monk believes harmony is to be prized, so as not to damage our goodwill." Another old monk added, "We have long heard of Benefactor's profound attainments in Buddhist teachings, to the point where you could almost establish a lineage of your own. If Benefactor is interested, why not move to Mount Cangjing? The notes and insights of eminent monks across the generations are preserved there for your perusal. Several grandmasters at Mount Cangjing possess profound Buddhist learning and can explore scriptural meanings with you." Just then, another young monk hurried over. It was none other than Kongque. The moment he saw Wei Yuan, he froze, then gave a wry smile. "Benefactor, what brings you to the Pure Land so suddenly?" Wei Yuan sat motionless. Without looking at Kongque, he simply said, "The ancients said: courtesy before force. But given the relationship between us, I believe we can dispense with the courtesy and speak directly of force. "When our Buddhist traditions hold debates at the door, there are generally four aspects: debating the Dao, debating the Dharma, debating cultivation, and debating merit. Today, there is no need to make such fine distinctions. Years ago, a little master named Honglian from your sect once told me: 'If Benefactor truly does not comprehend the Buddhist teachings, then this humble monk also knows a bit of fist and foot.' How about today, we debate with fist and foot!" In an instant, ten thousand rays of fine light erupted from Wei Yuan's body. Countless beams streaked across heaven and earth, carving profound imprints upon the Great Dao of heaven and earth. In the blink of an eye, across a radius of a hundred li at the entrance of the vast Pure Land, the rules of heaven and earth were forcibly rewritten by Wei Yuan, transformed into his own ground for attaining the Dao! *** Three days later, the ground of attainment finally shattered, and the Great Dao of heaven and earth slowly returned to its original state. Accompanied by Baoxing, Wei Yuan walked slowly out of the mountain gate. Before stepping beyond it, he paused slightly, looked up at the two enormous characters above the gate, and only then stepped through. With a sharp crack, the massive character "Bao" suddenly fractured, and a single stroke broke away, crashing down and kicking up a billowing cloud of dust. Wei Yuan walked with his hands clasped behind his back, drifting into the distance until his trace was lost. Deep within the Pure Land, the bell tolled, echoing a total of twelve times.