Chapter 419: Unsealed Golden Lotus

Time passed minute by minute, second by second.

However, Tang Seng remained seated cross-legged on the ground without any movement.

If not for feeling the vibrant life force emanating from Tang Seng, Mu Yi would have thought Tang Seng had passed away.

"I will restore thirty percent of my power imminently; then you won't be able to stop me!"

Jingliu Yun opened his eyes indifferently, looking at Tang Seng with the gaze of one looking at a corpse.

They, too, were comrades who had survived life-and-death battles; if not necessary, he did not want to fight Mu Yi and the others.

"If you recover and he still hasn't awakened, then this calamity is indeed deserved!"

Mofei, worried that delay would bring complications, also began to support Jingliu Yun.

Mu Yi remained silent; the changes in Tang Seng's condition had indeed been dragged out too long.

He also felt a faint unease.

Especially since Tang Seng was unusually quiet now, and Spirit Mountain resembled a ruin, the situation seemed even more eerie.

Just as Jingliu Yun was about to rise, Tang Seng showed movement.

Tang Seng opened his eyes, his gaze filled with indifference, madness, and compassion.

"Infinite Light Buddha!"

"Thank you, benefactors, for your care along the way!"

The change in Tang Seng's gaze gradually stabilized, beginning to approach a state akin to "emptiness."

"All four elements are empty!"

For some reason, Mu Yi, looking at Tang Seng before him, thought of this idiom.

"Holy Monk, what do you plan to do next?"

Knowing he had guessed correctly, Mu Yi let out a sigh of relief.

The collision of human, beast, and divine natures drove Tang Seng toward fusion; in this fusion, all thoughts were ground away, leaving only the purest essence.

And this should be the result required by the true form of the Golden Cicada Child.

"Since we have obtained the true scriptures, we naturally must bring them back to the Eastern Tang!"

The Holy Monk–state Tang Seng smiled faintly, compassion in his eyes nearly encompassing everything.

"Let's go!"

As Tang Seng spoke, without any visible motion, the entire Spirit Mountain burst forth with a wave of Buddha-light, which then all flowed into his body.

Even the corpse of the Six-winged Golden Cicada vanished.

It was as if Spirit Mountain had never existed from the beginning.

Mu Yi and his three companions silently watched the Holy Monk's display; at this moment, the Holy Monk's power had begun to surpass their comprehension, as if he had reached a state of doing as he pleased.

The next moment, the surrounding environment began to blur; Mu Yi and the others discovered with astonishment that they had already returned to the Great Tang.

"With Spirit Mountain in one's heart, everywhere is Spirit Mountain!"

The Holy Monk chanted the Buddha's name, as if explaining to Mu Yi and the others.

Tang Seng sat cross-legged above the Great Tang, and rich Buddha-light began to shine in all directions.

The Great Tang, wholly a realm of ghosts and monsters, began to melt away bit by bit under the Buddha-light's universal salvation.

The people living in the Great Tang each showed happy smiles, freed from endless bondage, as true spirits converged toward reincarnation.

"Infinite Light Buddha!" the Holy Monk's power is boundless.

A problem that Mu Yi might spend a hundred years trying to solve was completely resolved by the Holy Monk in the snap of a finger.

Countless evil spirits were salvaged; the vast realm of ghosts and monsters dissolved, leaving only a tract of pure land radiating Buddha-nature.

"Holy Monk's compassion!" Mu Yi exclaimed in awe.

The Buddhist Sect still has a knack for salvation, surpassing even his own authentic netherworld deity by more than one level.

Unlike his violent method of salvation, this gentle yet firm approach enables those Great Tang citizens who have begun to turn into evil spirits to retain the utmost goodness when they undergo reincarnation.

Even if they do not remember this lifetime after reincarnation, the beauty imprinted in their souls will encourage them to perform more virtuous deeds.

After everything had settled to dust.

Innumerable merits rained down from heaven, all poured into the Holy Monk's body, raising his aura to a higher level.

"Infinite Light Buddha, the matter here is concluded; please depart, everyone!"

As he spoke, the Holy Monk distributed a string of merit relics to everyone; this was the final payment long promised.

"Zongwang Prompt: Team mission completed! Rewards have been distributed!"

"Zongwang Prompt: You assisted a high monk of the Buddhist Sect in completing a calamity to prove the Dao; the Buddhist Sect's reputation increased, and specific Buddhist Sect units' reputation rose to friendly!"

"Farewell for now!" Mofei and Jingliu Yun departed cleanly, tossing Mu Yi a Zongwang friend request before returning to their own time.

Obviously, they intended to quickly digest the merit relics in their possession.

The merit relics contain genuine merit, greatly aiding cultivation and forging; they themselves had come for this purpose.

"Brother Mu, please stay!"

Shen Wanqian called out to the departing Mu Yi, handing over all the merit relics he had just obtained.

"Brother Mu, I have a request!"

Shen Wanqian stared eagerly at Mu Yi, hoping to hear good news from him.

"Sorry, Brother Shen!" Mu Yi reached out and pushed the merit relics back toward him.

"What you want, I cannot do!"

Although Mu Yi coveted the merit relics, he could not fulfill what Shen Wanqian desired.

Under heaven, probably only Hou Tu Niangniang could resolve it.

Shen Wanqian felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, somewhat dispirited; the hope he had barely raised was dashed once again.

Seeing Shen Wanqian somewhat desperate, Mu Yi thought it over and then spoke.

I really want these merit relics; if Brother Shen is willing to part with them, I can give you a chance to ask Bai Ze a question—perhaps Bai Ze can solve your problem.

Brother Mu, just take it!

Hearing Bai Ze's name, Shen Wanqian had not a hint of hesitation, directly pushing the relics to Mu Yi; even if there was only a sliver of hope, he would give it a try.

Moreover, Bai Ze's great name is known to all; perhaps there really is a way to help him.

"Bai Ze!" Mu Yi took out the Bai Ze horn and began contacting Bai Ze.

Apart from seeking Hou Tu Niangniang, do you know any way to help the person before me find his wife who has been reincarnated?

A long silence passed, just as Mu Yi wondered whether Bai Ze hadn't heard him.

Bai Ze's faint voice came from within the Bai Ze horn.

"I'm starting to regret giving you the horn! Little Mu! You always manage to stir up some surprises!"

"There really is a way!" Bai Ze's words made Shen Wanqian's body tremble.

Go find the Old Man Under the Moon; let him, based on the red thread remaining on you, locate your reincarnated self!

But this defies heavenly law; unless you achieve great merit by expanding territory, there is no hope.

Shen Wanqian's eyes flashed with fire, and he spoke resolutely: "No matter how slim the hope, I will not give up; at least this probability is far higher than going to seek Hou Tu Niangniang."

"Ah, a lovesick fool..." Bai Ze sighed and said nothing more.

"What's the deal with the Ju Ju?" Mu Yi did not put away the Bai Ze horn, but instead asked again.

"Aren't you fine?" Bai Ze, calm and composed, was not at all surprised that Mu Yi would question him.

"I thought we were on the same side!" Mu Yi sighed with regret.

"Kid, do you need me to remind you why I've been crouching in front of the Ghost Gate?" Bai Ze's voice, full of resentment, sounded from within the Bai Ze horn.

"Hehehe..." Mu Yi gave an awkward laugh twice.

"What I can tell you is that you have plenty of enemies; the rest I cannot say unless you use a chance to ask me a question!" Bai Ze said somewhat solemnly.

"No need, I'll ferret them out myself!" Mu Yi said lightly, then stuffed the Bai Ze horn back into his pack.

Thanks, Brother Mu Yi; I now have another direction to strive toward!

Shen Wanqian pushed all the merit relics over to Mu Yi.

"Take care! If we get the chance, let's fight side by side again!" Mu Yi accepted the relics and bade farewell to Shen Wanqian.

The peril of expanding territory is enormous; even an emperor could fall, and I don't know if there will ever be another chance to see Shen Wanqian.

Having returned to the main world, Mu Yi took out the treasure he had obtained several days ago.

Back in the Investiture of the Gods world, the Sect Master of Tongtian had extorted the twelve‑grade golden lotus from the hands of Yuanshi Tianzun.

However, this thing is truly too high‑grade; Mu Yi, upon obtaining it, found he could not use it.

The twelve‑grade golden lotus is also called the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus; it requires a large amount of merit to refine, which is why, when Jin Chanzi mentioned merit relics this time, he readily agreed.

Mu Yi held both the merit relics and the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus in his hand.

"Zongwang Prompt: Detected that the equipment unseal condition is met—large amount of merit. Begin unsealing? Note that this operation is irreversible!"

"Yes!"

"The twelve‑grade merit golden lotus has entered the unsealed state, and its state has gained an update."

Mu Yi looked at the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus in his hand; all the merit relics turned into flowing water and poured into the lotus, and he could feel a very special change taking place.

This change was extremely special; even perception could not discern its full extent.

To the naked eye, one could clearly see the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus undergoing rapid change.

In the blur, Mu Yi seemed to see a blinding golden flash streak across the lotus.

But when he looked again, he merely felt its luster had become a bit more conspicuous.

After all the changes had subsided,

the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus seemed to have been awakened from slumber, beginning to emit a faint merit‑golden light, unlike its former plainness.

A sacred aura faintly manifested on the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus.

And just then, a new prompt appeared on Mu Yi's retina.

【Twelve‑Grade Merit Golden Lotus】

Item Level: 40

Quality: Eternal Sacred (Sealed State)

Equipment Requirement: One of Merit

Type: Treasure

Special Effects:

1. Protective Golden Lotus (Sacred): All attacks of lower quality cannot harm whatever is sheltered within the golden lotus; mental attacks require a very difficult check, and failure means immunity.

2. Size at Will (Sacred): The equipment can freely change size, and the weight borne by the user when using it is set as the base weight, with the equipment's consumption set as the base consumption.

3. Merit Treasure: This item can store merit; the more merit stored, the more states are unlocked.

When this weapon is in the designated plane (Jiuzhou) and its derived planes, it receives sacred blessing, making it indestructible by any conventional damage, and grants extra resistance to divine power (based on merit level).

ps: Merit treasures are treasures of special significance; in the designated plane they hold special meaning, and destroying a merit treasure will incur the heavens' disdain.

Mu Yi, somewhat curiously, placed the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus on his head; the faint merit‑golden light washed over him, enveloping him, and a profound sense of safety welled up.

With this treasure, Mu Yi feels more confident in slaying immortal‑god‑level opponents alone.

If he encounters the Ju Ju, he might not even need to self‑detonate the Heavenly Ant King's soul to slay it outright.

After all, the twelve‑grade golden lotus brings astonishing defensive power, allowing Mu Yi to ignore most attacks directly; free of rear‑guard worries, he can fight with abandon.

"Great stuff! Really great stuff!"

Mu Yi greedily stroked the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus; this is the highest‑quality treasure he has obtained so far, and although it requires merit to unseal, its sacred nature cannot be concealed.

It was not in vain that he paid the price of the Zhanlu Sword!

Thinking of his own tattered state, not even a whole corpse remained of the Zhanlu Sword, Mu Yi felt a pang of heartache.

I don't know why his weapons are always so disaster-prone.

Fortunately, the essence of the Register of Life and Death and the Judge's Brush is the source of death, and later they condensed and took shape, returning to Mu Yi's hands.

Otherwise, losing three divine artifacts at once would have made Mu Yi cry himself unconscious.

"Although there were gains, it seems we've strayed from the main line!" Mu Yi rubbed his brow.

After calming down from the excitement of obtaining the Golden Lotus, he realized that this time's gains seemed somewhat unsatisfactory.

His top priority now is to advance to the Immortal God level, but after fighting for life and death most of the day, he still couldn't gather enough experience to level up.

He originally thought that there were many monsters along the Journey to the West, and he could use the opportunity to perfect the Animal Realm.

Who would have thought that all those little demons would be blown away by the gust kicked up by the Banana Fan, and he didn't even catch a single hair?

He even lost a bunch of things, especially when dealing with the Six-winged Golden Cicada, his losses were the greatest.

"We need to find a world to properly train in!"

Mu Yi already knows how to advance; all he lacks now is accumulation.

Therefore, going to a world similar to the Universal Insect Plague would be the ideal situation.

However, there aren't that many suitable worlds for Mu Yi to choose from.

He searched the comprehensive net for half a day, but found nothing.

Such tasks seem to have been snapped up, and I don't know what kind of people choose this kind of world.

"Wild Python Disaster?"

After searching for most of the day, Mu Yi managed to find a world that looked decent.

Simply put, the Wild Python has rampaged, the local residents need help, and they hope someone can lead them to a new place to start a new life.

Mu Yi actually has a better idea: instead of relocating, why not move the mountain?

The locals can't do that, but he can.

Moreover, Wild Python and such sound like they pair well with the Animal Realm.