Ling Yayi was astonished and baffled.
Buddha Son Wuguang, Buddha Maiden Zilian, and the others were even more shocked and perplexed.
"Who is Lord Buddha Wutian?"
How had an extra Lord Buddha suddenly appeared?
The Quasi-Buddha's expression grew exceedingly devout, with a faint thread of terror lingering deep within his eyes.
"When Lord Buddha Wutian appeared, the sun and moon lost their light, the heavens and earth convulsed, and the Buddha Realm shuddered. Even this humble monk saw blood weeping from the Buddha statue's eyes! It was truly..."
"What?" Buddha Son Wuguang was thoroughly shaken.
Buddha Maiden Zilian was equally stunned.
A Lord Buddha?
That sounded more like a catastrophe!
Hearing this, Ling Yayi felt somewhat awkward as well.
Just how did the Blood Lord know such an extraordinary big shot who could cow the entire Buddha Realm into silence?
"Afterward, the Supreme Buddha introduced several more Buddha Lords: the Victorious Fighting Buddha, the Past Buddha, the Present Buddha, and the Ancestor of Myriad Buddhas!" The Quasi-Buddha pressed his palms together.
As for the memory of the Future Buddha, True Buddha Taihang had long since erased it.
In fact, even the ordinary True Buddhas had taken it upon themselves to purge their own memories regarding the Future Buddha.
After all... a Future Buddha carried implications far too immense.
"Every single one of these Lords Buddha caused the Immeasurable True Words at the peak of the Buddha Realm to shimmer. The Buddha Realm even plummeted from the Fifth Heaven into the hands of the Supreme Buddha, and in the end, the Supreme Buddha entrusted it to Lord Buddha Wutian," the Quasi-Buddha sighed, a tremor in his voice.
The spectacle from that day remained vivid in his mind.
Hearing this, Ling Yayi took a deep breath.
Yes, that was the flavor; that was the style!
"And what about my master, the Supreme Buddha?" Ling Yayi puffed out his chest and asked.
Since his master was the Supreme Buddha, surely it wouldn't be much of a stretch for him to pick up a Lord Buddha title for himself, right?
"He..." The Quasi-Buddha pondered.
"Hurry up and tell this Lord Buddha!" Ling Yayi demanded.
Everyone present stared at Ling Yayi, including the remaining members of the Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends. All of them thought... this guy's skin was rather thick.
...
"Gate of Myriad Manifestations, long time no see."
At the Ends of the Earth, Qi Yuan stood clad in a blood-colored robe, his expression placid.
After the Myriad Buddhas Assembly concluded, his Stellar Golden Core sensed the aura of the Gate of Myriad Manifestations.
Now, he had come alone to the Ends of the Earth and stood outside the Gate of Myriad Manifestations.
The Gate of Myriad Manifestations stood at the Ends of the Earth, yet seemed to hover within the void, ethereal and illusory.
[Gate of Myriad Manifestations: Gate of Myriad Gates.]
Looking upon the Gate of Myriad Manifestations, Qi Yuan swept it lightly with his divine sense, a smile gracing his eyes.
"Hunting for treasure without fighting or competing really is the best."
In the Canglan Realm, whenever a secret realm opened or a treasure appeared, a horde of people would usually rush in to fight over it.
Even if you won against other cultivators, you still felt somewhat insecure until the prize was firmly in hand.
It was different in the Liufeng Realm.
There was only Qi Yuan.
Not a single other living being was present here at the Ends of the Earth.
"Gate of Myriad Manifestations, do you still remember... the Netherworld?"
Qi Yuan spoke, probing tentatively.
He was pondering how to take the Gate of Myriad Manifestations for himself.
The Gate of Myriad Manifestations was the Gate of Myriad Gates; it could be any gate.
To the demoness, it was the Gate of Myriad Demons; to an archdemon, it was the Gate of Myriad Devils; to a Heavenly Venerable of Ultimate Principle, it was the Gate of Ultimate Principle.
Qi Yuan was attempting to awaken the memories of the Gate of Myriad Manifestations.
Unfortunately, his words had no effect on the gate whatsoever.
"Actually, you're the gate of my family's Netherworld. Don't you remember?
"One day, a thief broke in, and you ran away in fright. I've had such a bitter time searching for you!"
Qi Yuan looked at the Gate of Myriad Manifestations, an agonizing expression washing over his face as though he were speaking absolute truth.
However, his acting was downright dreadful, failing completely to move the Gate of Myriad Manifestations.
At that moment, Qi Yuan approached the Gate of Myriad Manifestations and reached out, gripping its illusory frame.
"Look, this is the key. This is proof."
As he spoke, he took out the Key of Myriad Manifestations and waved it in front of the gate.
Immediately, Qi Yuan froze.
Because he had caught hold of the Gate of Myriad Manifestations... and was actually dragging it along.
He had merely wanted to give it a try, never expecting he would actually grab hold of it.
Qi Yuan was dumbfounded.
Hadn't they said that the Gate of Ultimate Principle was the number one Creation Treasure of the Immortal Realm?
From ancient times to the present, countless experts of the Ultimate Principle Realm and Great Ultimate Principle Realm had attempted to claim the Gate of Ultimate Principle as their own, yet all had met with failure.
The Gate of Ultimate Principle was known as the most difficult Creation Treasure to obtain in the entire Immortal Realm.
And the result... that was it?
It was that easy?
Qi Yuan stared at the Gate of Myriad Manifestations, his emotions experiencing wild ups and downs.
It was like discovering an aloof, untouchable hunk was actually an easy mark who could be won over with a simple beckoning wave.
Nonetheless, Qi Yuan gripped the Gate of Myriad Manifestations tightly.
"Could it be that it really is my family's door?"
"Or is it because I have the Key of Myriad Manifestations that I was able to grab it?"
His left eyebrow twitched with auspicious wealth—a sign he was truly profiting.
Qi Yuan was still somewhat puzzled.
"Regardless, the Gate of Myriad Manifestations is now the Gate of the Netherworld!"
Passing up an advantage made one an absolute fool!
Refining the Gate of Myriad Manifestations into the Gate of the Netherworld would cook the raw rice into porridge—an irreversible fact.
A piece of wisdom Jiang Lingsu's father had taught Qi Yuan.
Even if the Gate of Myriad Manifestations' own father showed up, he would have to admit that this was the Gate of the Netherworld!
With that thought, Qi Yuan stepped through the Gate of Myriad Manifestations.
Stepping into the Gate of Myriad Manifestations once more, Qi Yuan found the scene completely different from before.
When he had first entered back then, the interior was filled with endless demonic fiends.
Now, inside lay endless primordial chaos.
"There's quite a lot of land inside the Gate of Myriad Manifestations..." Qi Yuan mused. "How about I move the City of No Return, Mount Jiupan, the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground, the Five Elements Forbidden Ground... all in here?"
Presently, Qi Yuan hadn't bought any land.
However, all the lands he rattled off were the ones he knew best.
They had an established... de facto relationship.
Just like how cohabitation was basically a common-law marriage, right?
In that case, the City of No Return and Mount Jiupan were his.
Then he would move the Four Great Forbidden Grounds and One Absolute Land from the Moon-Watching Continent inside as well.
That would provide enough soil for the Netherworld.
And if there still wasn't enough?
Then he would wait to see if he ran into some kindhearted white moonlight who pitied poor, homeless little Qi Yuan wandering in the wild and gifted him a plot of land.
No sooner said than done. In that instant, Qi Yuan's figure became sacred and solemn.
The poor little waif transformed into a majestic Heavenly Venerable.
A vast, commanding voice echoed across the firmament!
"Heavenly Equal Benevolent Sage Great Emperor of Mount Tai, the Eastern Sacred Mountain, heed my command: proceed to the center of the world and relocate the City of No Return. Harm not the common folk!"
"Heavenly Controller Illustrious Sage Great Emperor of Mount Heng, the Southern Sacred Mountain, heed my command: gather the waters of the Ends of the Earth and transform them into the River Wangchuan. Harm not the sea clans!"
"Central Sky Exalted Sage Great Emperor of Mount Song, the Central Sacred Mountain, heed my command: shift Mount Jiupan. Harm not the flora!"
"Golden Sky Willing Sage Great Emperor of Mount Hua, the Western Sacred Mountain, heed my command: journey to the Moon-Watching Continent and relocate the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground, the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground, the Five Elements Forbidden Ground, and the Yin-Yang Forbidden Ground. Harm not the spirits!"
"Heavenly Peaceful Mysterious Sage Great Emperor of Mount Heng, the Northern Sacred Mountain, heed my command: journey to the Moon-Watching Continent, gather Absolute Heaven, and bring together the ruins of Absolute Earth. Harm not any living beings!"
As his words fell, five towering figures like divine gods manifested at the Ends of the Earth. They bowed deeply to the sacred, solemn Blood-Robed Heavenly Venerable.
"Mount Tai complies!"
"Mount Heng of the South complies!"
...
"Mount Heng of the North complies!"
Receiving their commands, the Great Emperors of the Five Sacred Mountains—colossal figures standing tall between heaven and earth—departed in different directions.
On this day, within the Liufeng Realm, people witnessed a solemn deity riding a five-colored divine ox, accompanied by the divine golden-eyed oriole, arriving at the center of the world to lift the City of No Return in hand, traversing a hundred li in a single stride.
On this day, within the Liufeng Realm, people also witnessed a colossal god riding a fiery-eyed, golden-pupiled beast, drinking in the waters of the Ends of the Earth like a whale, akin to the sea flowing in reverse, swallowing countless billions of pecks.
The Great Emperor of the Western Sacred Mountain and the Great Emperor of the Northern Sacred Mountain returned to Canglan and journeyed to Moon-Watching, bearing the Four Forbidden Grounds and One Absolute Land upon their backs.
Standing outside the Ends of the Earth, Qi Yuan recalled something and said softly:
"Longevity Great Emperor of the South Pole, heed my command: return to the Mortal Heart Realm and carry over the ancestral land of the Ancient Clan. Reveal not your traces."
Following Qi Yuan's voice, Old Geezer Shenlei appeared. He wore a wide-sleeved purple Daoist robe shimmering with lightning, crimson lower garments patterned with auspicious clouds, and an imperial crown upon his head, exuding noble majesty beyond words.
"Shenlei complies!" Compared to the other subjects, Shenlei was far more lively. "My Lord, you have to give me the coordinates to the Mortal Heart Realm."
"Don't rush, almost there," Qi Yuan said.
Unlike other worlds, the Mortal Heart Realm was an innate world.
Had Qi Yuan not stayed there previously, even the astral projections illuminating the myriad heavens would not have discovered it.
Because this world was unique and could not be exposed lightly, Qi Yuan dispatched Old Geezer Shenlei to bring over the Ancient Clan's ancestral land.
"The coordinates have been given to you. Do not expose your location; otherwise, if another Yang God targets you, my reach will fall short," Qi Yuan said softly.
His reach was long, but he couldn't just roam the Lower Realm indiscriminately.
He still had to prepare for the great tribulation.
Right now, fewer complications were better than more.
"Rest assured, I understand." Old Geezer Shenlei patted his chest. Once he received the coordinates, he transformed into a streak of purple qi and vanished.
At the Ends of the Earth, only Qi Yuan remained.
"A pity that even the stars illuminating the myriad heavens cannot find the Arch Star.
"Sigh, I wonder if I turned off the light in my room before I left. If it's been on this whole time, just how many years of electricity bills will that be?"
Qi Yuan felt a twinge of pain over the electric bill.
At the same time, he believed wasting electricity was shameful.
He had always been thrifty.
"One day, I will attain the Dao of Daluo, become a Supreme Dao Ancestor, return to the Arch Star, and switch off that light!"
Qi Yuan made a grand vow!
In the days that followed, Qi Yuan met with Nangong Big Dog, Daoist Yu, and Bai Ze.
Nangong Big Dog was insufferably smug, styling himself "Little Lord Buddha Ling Yi."
The people of the Buddha Realm were powerless against Ling Yayi.
After all, his master was the Blood Lord, the Supreme Buddha.
Calling his disciple a Little Lord Buddha didn't seem incorrect either.
Meanwhile, in the Upper Realm, countless eyes were fixed upon the Buddha Realm.
The Buddha Realm Sacred Ground had abruptly blocked the Upper Realm's observation of the Myriad Buddhas Assembly, and the Creation Treasure Buddha Realm had violently trembled.
Many sacred-ground-level factions were intensely curious about what upheaval had occurred in the Buddha Realm.
Soon after, the ninety-seven True Buddhas of the Buddha Realm Sacred Ground made a joint announcement:
The Buddha Realm Sacred Ground was unified, and the Lord Buddha had taken his throne—the Present Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha.
As for the Past Buddha, Victorious Fighting Buddha, Lord Buddha Wutian, and Ancestor of Myriad Buddhas, their identities were concealed as they faded into the Buddha Realm.
When this news spread, the Sixth Heaven was shaken.
The meaning of a Lord Buddha was crystal clear to these sacred grounds.
It meant that within the Buddha Realm Sacred Ground, a mighty True Buddha had emerged who could comprehend the Great Ultimate Principle and wield the Creation Treasure Buddha Realm.
Once this True Buddha matured and stepped into the Great Ultimate Principle Realm, he might very well lead the Buddha Realm Sacred Ground to ascend from the Fifth Heaven to the Sixth Heaven!
The Buddha Realm Sacred Ground could leap from a second-rate sacred ground to a first-rate one.
The unfulfilled wish of the Great Sun Radiant Buddha back then would also have a chance to be realized.
Furthermore... the probability was even greater.
After all, the Great Sun Radiant Buddha's ultimate principle was the Great Sun Tathagata, which conflicted with the Great Sun Sovereign Seat, leading to his eventual parinirvana.
The Present Buddha's Immeasurable True Words pertained to "Present," with no conflict in sovereign seats. Barring any extraordinary misfortune, other sacred grounds predicted that after a million years, the Buddha Realm would gain another Great Ultimate Principle.
Yet immediately following that, this Present Buddha of the Buddha Realm abruptly announced that war would be waged against the Moluo Clan.
This Lord Buddha declared: "I cultivate the past and the present, and through them have glimpsed the future. The Moluo Clan obstructs the foundation of my future; they shall be put to death!"
As soon as these words were uttered, the world was stunned and the Immortal Realm was thrown into turmoil.
With this declaration, the Lord Buddha had firmly set his mind on going to war with the Moluo Clan.
Most crucially, this Lord Buddha had only just ascended his throne and did not even seem to be at the Ultimate Principle Realm, yet none of the other True Buddhas had stopped him!
Many Heavenly Venerables murmured in discussion:
"The parinirvana of the Great Sun Radiant Buddha likely had to do with Taihuang Palace.
"The Buddha Realm Sacred Ground has been holding in its fury, unable to challenge Taihuang Palace, so they are taking it out on... the Moluo Clan!"
"The Moluo Clan's strength is only slightly beneath that of the Buddha Realm, but they are the dog barking loudest beneath Taihuang Palace. This outcome is only natural!"
"It seems peace will elude the Fifth and Sixth Heavens!"
"Once the Lord Buddha attains the Great Ultimate Principle, I fear... tremendous chaos will ensue."
"Taihuang Palace certainly won't stand by and watch this Lord Buddha advance!"
"Moon Goddess Palace is likely the biggest winner in this; the fighting at the Demon Abyss will probably ease a bit."
"First, the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable declared war on Taihuang, and now the Buddha Realm declares war on Moluo. This Immortal Realm... is descending into turmoil!"
"Tell me, did this Present Buddha really glimpse the future?"
"How could that be? It's merely a trumped-up excuse.
"How is it any different from declaring war by claiming Heavenly Venerable Moluo stole a chicken from the Buddha Realm?"
The Upper Realm was in an uproar.
Heavenly Venerable Moluo also issued a tyrannical, fierce response: "This Venerable shall not only obstruct your future, but sever your present life as well!"
Though his words were domineering, someone had spotted Heavenly Venerable Moluo entering Taihuang Palace in the Sixth Heaven that very night, his face fraught with anxiety.
In terms of power, the Buddha Realm was far stronger than the Moluo Clan.
After all, the Buddha Realm had once had one foot in the Sixth Heaven, coming within an inch of becoming a sacred ground of the Sixth Heaven!
...
Canglan Realm.
Holding the Shanhe Sheji Brush, the Eccentric Painter's body trembled violently.
The five towering, colossal divine beings standing before her struck her with immense shock.
She was already an alternative Mythological entity, yet before these five, she felt as insignificant as a speck of dust—just like when she stood before Qi Qi.
Most importantly, these mysterious powerhouses treated the Blood-Robed Sword God like servants serving their master.
"Alright, the land has been found, and the Gate of the Netherworld is right here. Eccentric Painter, I leave it to you—paint it well for me!"
At Qi Yuan's words, the Great Emperors of the Five Sacred Mountains hurled the cities, mountains, rivers, the Four Forbidden Grounds and One Absolute Land they had carried, as well as the seawater held in their mouths and bellies, straight into the Gate of Myriad Manifestations.
Old Geezer Shenlei appeared at just the right moment and tossed the ancestral land of the Ancient Clan from the innate world into the Gate of Myriad Manifestations as well.
The Eccentric Painter looked upon the chaotic, haphazardly strewn soils and rivers.
She took a deep breath.
"Having earned Senior's trust, this painter is willing to use her very life as pigment to paint this scroll!"
As she spoke, the Shanhe Sheji Brush in her hand began to dance.
In that instant, the world within the Gate of Myriad Manifestations began to transform.
Chapter 397