The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

A weathered boulder of a dirty-brown hue towered over the vast Gobi Desert. Nine senior Buddhist monks dressed in yellow frocks with red cassocks draped over their shoulders were seated on the ground, scattered all around without any rule or rhythm. Upon closer inspection, however, one would realize that their seating arrangement was of an exceptionally abstruse kind as if they were arranging a formation. They emanated a feeling of mercy upon the common secular people.

Some of them were so old, they resembled withered wood; while there were those who looked as refreshing as the first rays of morning sun. However, they were similar in that their breaths were profound and their Buddha Aura was spreading.

“It’s the nine grandmasters!” Meng Qi turned pale with fright. The number of grandmasters here exceeded that of any of the large factions.

“Is this a gathering of Pure Land Sect, Oriental-honor Sect, Elusive Buddha Temple, Bailian Island, and the other minor Buddhism sects?”

The sight of the monks surprised Meng Qi. Instead of following Abbot Kong Wen’s suggestion to go over to them, he found a hiding spot and began observing them.

The nine senior monks each had their own unique Dharma Seal. Placed in front of them was a wooden fish, a bluish-white lamp, ancient strolls, a Buddharupa, a hassock, a Buddhist Commandment Blade, a Monk Staff, prayer beads, and a Bodhi-seed. Faint Buddha Aura was floating above their heads as they quietly chanted the sutras. The light was that of colored glaze, carrying with it a state of tranquility.

The former Crown Prince and current Prince Liang, Wang Zhao Qian, was seated cross-legged in the center of their circle. He had changed out of his previous clothes and into a lined gown. He wore a monk skullcap over his head, concealing his tied hair.

His eyelids were partially closed. Underlying his solemness was the feeling of compassion for humankind. He joined the other monks in quietly chanting the sutras as if he was in meditation.

Near the weathered boulder, the eunuch Wei Gao was keeping an eye on their surroundings, guarding against anyone who might come and ruin their efforts.

The situation puzzled Meng Qi even further. He opened his Ear Aperture based on the composition of the Aperture acupoints of the gerbil and tried his utmost to eavesdrop on their sutra-chanting.

Their exquisite voices were lofty and amiable, submerging their listeners into a state of tranquility. They slowly drifted to Meng Qi’s ears.

“When the constellations had fallen into calamity, Buddha returned from Nirvana to lead all living beings in hopes of instilling compassion in them so they could ascertain Buddhism in the future…”

Meng Qi, being a phony monk, had never heard of such sutras. He just had a vague idea that things were not as simple as they appeared.

…

Within the Immortal-slaying Sword Formation of Chong He’s Conjuration of the Taoist Trinity, the right arm of Han Guang’s Form of the Diabolic Monarch turned pitch-black. The arm grew six fingers of varying destructive force; they flung out along with the thrust of his palm. The sea of Vital Qi of the world thoroughly withered away while Dharma and Logos collapsed and scattered. Nature around them began to grow in the direction of chaos and extinction. It was as if every palm strike brought certain destruction and devastation.

For him to have cultivated Six-annihilation Palms to this degree, he could be considered capable of exterminating immortals and annihilating deities!

Following the simultaneous attack of the four streams of Sword Qi, their surroundings instantly became vast, muddled, and turbid. Everything of substance was turned into energy, leaving nothing for Han Guang to exterminate. All that was left was for him to forcibly contend with his enemies!

He thrust his left hand, the tips of his six demonic fingers gleaming with a faint light. The hollow of his palm, containing nothing yet everything, seemed to have been annihilated with a loud rumble.

Moreover, the aftershock of such annihilation spread in all directions and finally transformed into ‘raging waves and stormy seas’. Carrying a grandiose wrath that threatened to destroy everything in its path, it slammed into the four streams of Sword Qi before withering away without a sound. In a flash, the impact left a crack in the void.

Yet, as it was before, the Sword Qi still pierced through the annihilation. It struck the tall and herculean pitch-black Form of the Diabolic Monarch, carving out a tiny hole in its body and causing a state of variegation in its skin.

For the first time since being entrapped in the Immortal-slaying Sword Formation, Han Guang became keenly aware of his own vulnerability.

If he allowed this fight to continue, he feared that he and Tai Li might not be able to persevere until the end of the Conjuration of the Taoist Trinity. What a formidable monster Chong He was!

Moreover, there was no telling when Kong Wen, Lu Da, or any masters from Lanke Temple would show up!

Knowing that he could not afford any further delay, Han Guang eliminated any shred of hesitation, agitation, and impatience. With his momentum rising, he morphed into the ruler of heaven and earth in a flash. A long saber reflecting gleaming waves of light materialized in his left hand. Though it was incomparable to Time Blade in appearance, the saber was also brimming with the passage of time and the implication that once time was lost, it could never be recovered.

Like the Time Blade, this saber was also a divine weapon!

Chong He’s imperfect sword formation was showing signs of destruction as if it had finally managed to grasp some of the mystery of the object and power, but there still existed many defects above the passage of time and space. The feng shui of Earth Fire was not in equilibrium and the formation had yet to reach perfection and completeness. Furthermore, it took his four long swords working together to contend with a single divine weapon.

Within seconds, Han Guang was able to grasp a basic understanding of Chong He’s sword formation even as he struggled to soldier on.

Unfortunately, his understanding was not deep enough for him to detect a specific flaw in the formation, but this in itself presented an opportunity!

Now that the idea had come to him, he knew he had to do it. He took a step forward, his eyes taking on an indifferent yet robust quality. His grandiose image was apparent for all to see. It was as if he was looking down upon everything on the human world with neither affection nor contempt. To him, all beings were one and the same, living under Heaven Dao.

The void shook and swayed as if kowtowing to the ‘Diabolic Monarch Heaven Sovereign’. Changes were evoked in the Dharma and Logos and the destruction of the surroundings slowed.

Han Guang abruptly slashed with the saber in his left hand, evoking the impression of the vicissitudes of life.

The wind crawled to a stop; the noises faded into silence. The light radiating from the Divine Five-colored Palm crystalized and the four streams of green, red, white, and black Sword Qi turned sluggish.

Heavenly Emperor Tramping Times, stomping upon entire lifetimes!

Only the black and white lights of the Immortal-slaying Sword Formation remained steadfast as it instantly crystalized. Even so, a flaw that should never have appeared emerged in the sluggish formation. Han Guang saw his opportunity and grabbed it. The river-like stream of black light swirled up around Tai Li and was about to rush out of the sword formation.

Chong He was neither surprised nor infuriated; instead, he appeared loftier and more detached from worldliness than ever. He was a ‘part’ of the world, whether it was the long saber or the passage of time. With the Immortal-slaying Sword Formation standing between them, it was hard for Han Guang’s attack to affect him.

With a point of his scarlet long sword, the vast Sword Qi soared once again and instantly destroyed the sluggishness.

The four boundless streams of sword light swooshed downward to strike Han Guang, trying to force him to retreat and defend himself until he could not take advantage of the flaw that had temporarily emerged in the formation.

Han Guang wore an expression of apathy, showing no hint of anger. Out of nowhere, a 33-story black and yellow pagoda materialized over his head!

Yellowish-black Qi whirled from beneath the pagoda and took the shape of a dragon. It then enveloped Han Guang, blocking the Sword Qi from touching him.

No one expected that he would have the Baroque Pagoda of Nature’s Hues, a Dharmakaya-level imitation object!

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh! The four streams of green, red, white, and black Sword Qi struck the pagoda continuously, their attacks falling upon the yellowish-black dragons.

In the span of time it took to take a breath, there was already an evident crack on the yellowish-black pagoda.

No sign of heartache emerged on Han Guang’s expression. He carried Tai Li and dashed toward the edge of the formation.

Boom!

Suddenly, he hurled the pagoda and it exploded in midair. Merit Qi spread in all directions like the tide of the sea, engulfing the sword light coming after him.

Chong He, however, had long prepared for this. With a gentle flick of his left hand, he sent a bead the color of the Chaos flying at a speed unimaginable to ordinary humans. The bead struck Han Guang’s head.

He had exerted such great pressure that the void warped and shrunk, to the point that Han Guang could not avoid it!

Just as the sword lights were about to slam onto Han Guang and force him back into the formation, a mirror inexplicably appeared behind his head. The mirror was an ashy-grey color, its surface fuzzy and indistinct.

The mirror turned its surface upward and instantly radiated a blinding light that focused on the bead the color of the Chaos.

Crack! The mirror and the bead shattered at the same time.

Han Guang had expended all the power he had accumulated for half his lifetime in the hope of a chance at survival!

By then, Tai Li had suffered severe injuries due to the Immortal-slaying Sword Formation. He had lost half of his feathers. Fear was gnawing at his heart. He dared not hide any personal object so he crushed the object concealed in his left hand.

Behind a bleary veil, a gash in the void began splitting it apart. It was unknown where it was going.

Tai Li and Han Guang both jumped into the void, but the four streams of green, red, white, and black Sword Qi were right behind them!

Han Guang swung his left arm and thrust the glinting long saber in his left hand. The flow of time abruptly sped up and the destruction worsened. The four streams of Sword Qi, brimming with the will to capture and exterminate the two, followed suit.

More importantly, Han Guang did not turn to look behind him or stop in his tracks. Once he lured the Sword Qi to chase after him at a heightened speed, he unexpectedly used the Form of the Diabolic Monarch to resist them. Borrowing force from the form, he moved forward and disappeared into the crevice in the void in a flash.

“Humph!”

The muffled sound of a pained harumph drifted in the air as the crevice closed. There was no longer any sign of Han Guang and Tai Li.

With extraordinary decisiveness, Han Guang had shown his willingness to put his life and cultivation on the line. Finally, he managed to create an opportunity to run far from Kong Wen and Master Lu. His escape had completely demonstrated his ambitious and ruthless disposition!

However, this fight had caused Han Guang great losses. Not only did he sustain grievous injuries, he was also forced to exhaust most of what he had gathered from his many years of adventures.

…

White-tiger Monster King, who was under the suppression of a worn out Taoist Shou Jing, was startled as he watched how Han Guang and Tai Li escaped without so much as a backward glance. He had no time to question the escape and made an instinctive decision. His left palm emanated a golden glow as he brandished his sharp claws and stifled the remaining Five Elements. There existed only Golden Qi within the range of several hundred miles. His sharp claws moved unhindered, turning the four streams of Massacre Qi into swords, spears, and halberds that were close to the level of divine weapons. The manifold Qi struck Shou Jing.

Shou Jing showed no signs of retreating and retaliated with Heavenly Emperor Tramping Times!

With the flow of time came the vicissitudes of life. Soldiers condensed out of Golden Qi became crystallized, washing away all the colors and terminating the lives of the black and white ones.

Blade of Timeshadow fell on the left palm of White-tiger Monster King, causing him to age and wither in an instant.

However, White-tiger Monster King had disappeared after leaving behind his left palm!

No one expected that he would sever his left palm in advance and use the opportunity to flee with the hurricane wrapped around him.

Without the suppression of the might of metal, the remaining Five Elements subsequently lost control. The world around Taoist Shou Jing seemed to be soaring; sometimes, seeds would germinate and plants would grow, while sometimes flames would rise like ocean waves, hampering his pursuit.

The same could be said for One-legged Ox Monster King. His instinctive sense of danger prompted him to receive He Qi’s 18 sword strikes, leaving wounds all over his Dharmakaya and causing terrifying purple blood to spurt. His injuries were extreme in their severity, but it presented him a chance to forcefully exit the battle. He used the Thundering Evasion technique to escape, leaving Chong He’s attack to meet an empty target.

The monsters instantly reacted upon noticing what had happened, knowing that none of them would be able to flee if they were late by mere seconds. Chong He heaved a sigh and summoned the return of the Conjuration of the Taoist Trinity. He then flew up toward the Withering Bodhi Tree that was floating in midair.

Upon seeing this, ‘Prime Asura’ Meng Nan abandoned Bliss Bodhisattva and Abbess of Shui Yue Nunnery. He lunged with his six arms swinging, showing no care for his life. He attempted to grab the Withering Bodhi Tree before Chong He could.

Right then, Bliss Bodhisattva defied expectations by stopping Abbess of Shui Yue Nunnery from attacking Meng Nan.

She knew that she would never stand a chance if the Primary Instruction of Buddha’s Palm fell into the hands of the righteous path. However, there would still be a possibility of exchanging comprehensions if Ashura Temple, as fellow followers of the Nine Evil Paths, obtained it.

Hearts and minds were constantly changing in the battle over Buddha’s Palm, and with it, friends and allies as well!

The four-legged, three-armed monsters had also abandoned their siege of Dharma King Dushi. They turned around and tried to obstruct He Qi instead.

However, judging from the current situation, it was only a matter of time before Chong He, He Qi, and Cui Qinghe succeeded. This was made crystal clear especially once Chong He demonstrated his terrifying power with the Conjuration of the Taoist Trinity.

…

The glazed Buddha Aura was flourishing, its light becoming more magnificent as time passed. Objects such as the bluish-white lamp, wooden fish, and ancient strolls began floating in midair. The former Crown Prince, Zhao Qian stood up and took a step: first, seven steps to his left, then another eight steps to his right. Wearing a solemn and serene expression, he said,

“When the constellations had fallen into calamity, Buddha returned from Nirvana to lead all living beings in hopes of instilling compassion in them so they could ascertain Buddhism in the future…”

The Buddha Aura resonated, its glazed quality intensified. His voice spread far and wide, gathering in one final speech.

“If I can cultivate the Bodhi, everyone will receive the blessing of Buddha and comprehend this technique!”

The battle between Dharmakayas had obliterated the entire Bogda Shan mountain range of Fish Sea but there had yet to be a victor emerging to claim the Withering Bodhi Tree. The tree that had been drifting in the air slowly floated down.

Suddenly, a solemn and dignified voice resonated all around like that of a Buddha expounding the teachings of Buddhism.

“If I can cultivate the Bodhi, everyone will receive the blessing of Buddha and comprehend this technique!”

A sudden burst of tranquil light radiated from within the Withering Bodhi Tree. The tree trembled and sent the burst of light flying toward a distant location.

The light traveled so quickly that no one, not Chong He or the rest of the Dharmakayas, reacted fast enough to stop it.

“Is the tree choosing its own master?”