Chapter 530: Buddhist Secrets and Suggestions

Per seemed to want to continue talking about the various manifestations of the source of pollution, but he suddenly closed his mouth. After a few seconds of silence, he smiled bitterly at Wu Pifu. "No, I can't continue. The consumption of existence is too great... As expected, it involves the source of pollution, the ultimate point of illusion. The remaining content will likely need to be explored by your civilization on its own."

Wu Pifu nodded in understanding. Per closed his eyes and pondered for a few seconds before continuing: "The content of the Final Real Civilization Plan is roughly that. And this was just one of countless plans by those ancient civilizations and Roots. They were too strong—too strong by far. Every one of their plans profoundly changed everything from the reality side to the void side. The scientists of my civilization even believe that the current nine-layer structure might not have been like this from the beginning, but was changed over a long period by these ancient civilizations and Roots... All of this concerns the survival of new civilizations. Be cautious, be very cautious."

Per paused after saying this, then continued: "Regarding ancient civilizations and ancient Roots, most have fallen into slumber or ignorance in the last ten epochs. However, this does not mean they are harmless; rather, they are transforming into something more terrifying. Once you are watched or dragged in by them, this great terror will gradually manifest... Of course, ancient civilizations and ancient Roots are not all terrifying. The situation is very complex and requires your civilization to judge for itself. In short: if they are enemies, fight; if they are friends, cooperate. You cannot treat them all the same. I can say this much as a hint: even different ancient Roots of the same ancient civilization may have different attitudes toward the real civilizations of the new epoch. So, you must distinguish them yourselves."

Wu Pifu nodded in understanding.

His own attitude was the same: fight enemies, cooperate with friends, and support allies. There was nothing more to say.

Per stopped at that point. He seemed to appreciate Wu Pifu, which was why he gave this extra hint. He changed the subject: "I just mentioned that ancient civilizations and ancient Roots have mostly fallen into slumber, but the influence of the many plans they executed remains, or is still being carried out. What I want to talk about now are the beneficial plans among those many that can be used by the real civilizations of the new epoch, as well as the dangerous ones that require cautious response and vigilance."

Wu Pifu thought for a moment. "Are the 'Lost Lands' one of those plans?"

Per was stunned, then nodded with a smile. "Yes, the Lost Lands were also one of the plans of the ancient civilizations and Roots. Since you already know, I can say more. This plan was a project where the ancients captured Level 5 Nightmares and, utilizing their immunity to 'loss,' transformed their interiors into 'Lost Spaces.' Not only can they test the evolution of lost pollution in various civilizations, but civilizations on the verge of being lost can also open up 'isolation caves' within them. They hide countless civilizations from past epochs, the earliest of which can even be traced back to the ancient Demon Clan. If your civilization has enough 'reality,' you can try to negotiate and trade with the ancient civilizations within them, exchanging reality for the information and intelligence they provide."

After saying this, Per pondered for a while before continuing: "Other plans can be mentioned later. There is one plan that is very important, but the probability of finding it, or even knowing if it truly exists, is too low. I hesitated whether to talk about this plan... However, you and your civilization are still at the Absolute Real level, have enough reality, and have enough time and exploration capacity. I think the success rate for you and your civilization is the highest. So, I choose to explain this plan to you. If you succeed, you might truly be saved..."

"The Buddhist Secrets!"

Wu Pifu had heard of the "Buddhist Secrets" several times already, but he still didn't know exactly what they referred to. He only knew that this thing seemed to be coveted even by the Roots, so it must be something extraordinary. He listened intently.

Per said: "Buddhism is an extremely ancient civilization, perhaps even the oldest known civilization, even older than the Demon Clan. The 'Buddhist Secrets' plan was established by the 'Original Buddha.' It is said to contain secrets of the source of pollution, various information on countering the source of pollution, illusion, and loss, as well as various ancient Buddhist artifacts, ancient heavenly treasures, and the mysteries of reincarnation, life and death, reverse-sublimation, and so on."

Wu Pifu was stunned, his heart shaken.

These Buddhist Secrets sounded like ultimate weapons. If they truly existed, couldn't they directly counter the source of pollution?

Per seemed to see Wu Pifu's thoughts and shook his head. "It's not that simple. By the time my civilization was about to be lost, we hadn't found a single Buddhist Secret, let alone the most important one. However, based on various signs and exchanges my civilization had with some ancient Roots, they do indeed exist. That's why I said only you and your civilization might have a chance. This requires not only vast manpower and material resources but also enough time and enough 'reality' shares."

"It is said that Buddhism was originally also called the 'Buddha Clan,' a mixed-race civilization. The real world they occupied was not a Great Universe world, but a multi-layer ascension structure world. The real world they occupied was called 'Mount Sumeru.' Apart from this, other information is lost to history. The Buddhist Secrets were established by the Original Buddha after observing the Great Thousand Universes, observing the past and future ten thousand epochs, and receiving guidance from 'His Teacher.' Therefore, they were established..."

Wu Pifu frowned. "Wait a minute. You just mentioned the 'Original Buddha,' right?"

Per nodded. Wu Pifu asked again: "What about the situation with the Original Buddha's 'Teacher'?"

Per said: "Exactly. I was even more shocked than you when I learned that the Original Buddha also had a teacher. Because the Original Buddha belongs to the strongest level even among the many Roots—a legendary existence. Back then, relying on the help of some ancient Roots and the special extraordinary paths of my civilization, we explored much intelligence about the Buddhist Secrets, which revealed some of the Original Buddha's past..."

"Initially, it was not the Original Buddha who felt the 'Realm of Awakening,' but his teacher, Manjushri. He attained 'Great Freedom' in stillness, but he was always a line away from the realm of Great Enlightenment. Lamenting that he still had great causal ties and karma to resolve, he passed the 'Realm of Awakening' to the Original Buddha. Once the Original Buddha attained the Fruit of Buddhahood, he established the Buddhist Secrets, and then he entered stillness in the void, leaving no trace. Therefore, many ancient Roots believe that the final and most core Buddhist Secret likely involves his teacher, Manjushri, and also involves the void upheaval and the source of pollution."

Wu Pifu firmly memorized all this information. This was information Per was telling him with his own life, and the future human civilization would definitely need it.

Per continued: "The Buddhist Secrets leave no trace, and there is no information left behind. The key is that every Buddhist Secret involves the Root power of the causal domain. Unless one has 'affinity' with it, it is hard to obtain by force. The so-called 'affinity,' after analysis by my civilization's scientists, was confirmed to be 'being watched by the Buddha Realm.' As long as one is watched by the Buddha Realm, one will be dragged into it. The various worlds passed along the way likely hide the Buddhist Secrets, or clues to them. Therefore, the best way to search for the Buddhist Secrets is to be watched by the Buddha Realm. But this also means that those watched almost cannot survive, because the Buddha Realm is at the deepest layer of the first layer, at the same level as the Rootless structural Roots like the Root of Death, Root of Life, and Root of Destiny. Once one falls, it is almost impossible to return."

"This is the most likely way to find the Buddhist Secrets. Otherwise, one can only search for derivative worlds involving Buddhist information in the infinite derivative worlds. The success rate is too low, and countless remnant civilizations from the Middle Ages and Modern Ages have been searching for Buddhist derivative worlds, making it very easy to come into conflict with them."

Having said this, Per paused again, and this time for a long while. He smiled bitterly at Wu Pifu. "My existence is only about 50% left. Besides the 30% existence reserved, the remaining 20% can tell you some information. I am prepared to tell you about some Roots and their civilizations that might have goodwill toward the real civilizations of the new epoch, and then it will be about time..."

Wu Pifu interrupted Per: "Wait, what about this world?"

Per was stunned. "This world... do you want to save it? But it's already impossible. Because of me, this world has been eroded by lost pollution. There isn't a single living person left. I'm sorry, I also..."

"No."

Wu Pifu roughly described the situation outside, especially mentioning that both the Artificial Humans and the Mechanical Lifeforms possessed soul fragments. He had assumed Per knew the situation outside, but Per was incredibly surprised.

"So that's how it is... so that's how it is..."

Per was truly astonished. He murmured: "This world was eroded by lost pollution thousands of years ago. All life died. The last remaining humans came up with the idea of separating soul and body, utilizing the pollution-attraction of my physical remains to artificially create a 'pure and flawless land' to significantly delay the speed of their loss. But thousands of years have passed, and I thought they had failed completely. Who would have thought there was still a glimmer of hope... This is your credit."

"Ours?" Wu Pifu asked in confusion.

Per affirmed: "Because you and your civilization are still at the Absolute Real level, but you have begun to explore derivative worlds, which has caused your 'reality' to permeate downward. The reason this world still has a chance is actually due to the permeation of your reality... I understand what you mean now. Indeed, this world can still be saved. But have you thought it through? To do this, I need to consume at least 15% of my existence. And they are not complete, true intelligent lifeforms. They still need to evolve on their own for at least several thousand years before they can become true humans."

"But you might lose this rare opportunity. Every piece of information I tell you now could be a huge help to you and your civilization in the future. Even so, are you still willing to do this?"

Wu Pifu nodded affirmatively. Per laughed. "How similar... how very similar... Fine. The remaining existence is not much. Before the final farewell, let the remaining existence provide some help to you personally, how about that?"

Wu Pifu said nothing, just looking at Per. Per continued to smile: "I saw you used more than one extraordinary power before... You are a 'Seed of the Ultimate Path,' right?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Per sighed for a long time. "Since that's the case, allow me to plan your future extraordinary paths. I observe that in your combat style, the proportion of extraordinary paths from the 'True Martial' lineage is huge. Clearly, your combat style is based on melee and individual combat. Although a Seed of the Ultimate Path can learn all extraordinary paths without hindrance, there must be a distinction between primary and secondary, and one must prepare for backlash. The more extraordinary paths you learn, the more severe the backlash you will encounter. If you can't survive it, you will perish. So, you must prioritize and complete your paths."

"The True Martial lineage has three paths of completion. The first is the physical and mental completion of the True Martial lineage itself—that is, the completion of the 'Human Immortal' and 'Yang Spirit.' The second path is the completion of the 'Star River Martial Dao.' Both paths have their pros and cons. In terms of strength, the ultimate limit of the first path is the 'True Martial Great Emperor,' and the ultimate limit of the second path slightly exceeds the True Martial Great Emperor, but it has a huge flaw: it is extremely easily ignited by the source of pollution. In my opinion, neither path is good. On the contrary, there is a path that has already been lost that is the best, and its achievements are the highest. It can even be said to be 'the student surpassing the master'..."

"Internal Energy, True Qi, High Martial Arts, until the final... Immortal Martial Arts!"

(End of chapter)