Chapter 196: Ascending the Blessed Land, Floating the Boat in the Bitter Sea

The lamp light was brilliant.

The Duobao Youth stared blankly at everything around him; all that met his eyes were ignited torches, with the one burning fiercest belonging to the Profound Iron Sword Master beside him.

At that time, they had been conversing.

The two had barely escaped alive from the Dragon-Slaughtering Pass and were discussing how to smuggle themselves to the Buddhist Lands of Jiangxi when a radiant glow began to emanate from the Profound Iron Sword Master's body.

Then he spontaneously combusted.

There was no way to prevent it, nor any time for them to react; the Duobao Youth simply watched as the pair of eyes filled with despair on the Profound Iron Sword Master turned into two fireballs, his mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation base transformed into grease, and the flames erupting from his body covered several cities in the blink of an eye.

Heaven and earth fell into complete silence.

Only the flames spread quietly, scorching the sky a crimson red, while the Duobao Youth, standing amidst it all, felt as though he were inside an alchemical furnace.

"The Jiangbei Demon... the Chusheng Sect... What a Holy Sect!"

In this moment, the Duobao Youth's past resentment toward the Chusheng Sect, like the millions of living beings, mountains, rivers, and valleys beneath this great fire, was all burned away cleanly.

All that remained was a fear akin to lingering ash.

A million people! And countless cultivators; even if he killed them personally, it would take three days and three nights... yet now they were all ignited by a single fire!

How could this still be considered human?

The next second, a gentle breeze blew past the Duobao Youth's face, carrying the scorching heat from beneath the flames, causing him to involuntarily squint his eyes.

Where did this wind come from?

The Duobao Youth looked around but found nothing, only then suddenly realizing: "Foundation Establishment Realm!? It is the Bi Wind! This fire is about to burn into the Foundation Establishment Realm!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thinking this, the Duobao Youth immediately retreated into the Foundation Establishment Realm, and sure enough, what met his eyes was also an endless expanse of prairie fire.

However, amidst that towering inferno, he also saw countless jade towers and magnificent buildings being recast in the flames, rising from the ground; various landscapes, initially illusory, became real under the scorching of the great fire, finally radiating brilliant light within the Foundation Establishment Realm like a sun about to rise into the sky!

"Rise!"

In an instant, a clear, loud shout echoed in all directions, and then that sun-like land of prairie fire actually began to ascend toward the sky above the Foundation Establishment Realm!

The Blessed Land ascends!

"It really succeeded! Master Chongguang has begun his enthronement to seek the Golden Position, ascending his Blessed Land! Once he ascends to the Fruit Position and transforms it into a Grotto-Heaven, he will be a True Person from then on!"

"The Great Calamity of a Thousand Years has drawn one step closer!"

At the Dragon-Slaughtering Pass, Daoist Yinshan's face showed excitement:

"Zhong Xin... it is actually Zhong Xin! Senior Brother's calculations are profound and far-reaching; with preparations fully made this time and True Person Qingcheng Feixue protecting the Dharma, this enthronement is as good as secured!"

At the same time, a man clad in golden robes stepped out from beside Daoist Yinshan; on his chiseled face appeared a hint of anticipation. It was none other than Hongju, who had previously sent Venerable Vimalakirti back to the Pure Land with a single strike, yet now his body was covered in fine cracks.

His lifespan was nearing its end.

After all, since Daoist Daoist Hong Yun's death, Hongju, as his creation, was like water without a source; every move he made consumed his few remaining years of life.

This time was his final gamble.

If he succeeded and Master Chongguang ascended, he could extend his lifespan and live freely and at ease. If he failed, his soul would return to emptiness, his consciousness would vanish, and he would not even have the chance to reincarnate.

Despite this, Hongju remained quite calm at this moment.

Because he still retained the memories of Daoist Daoist Hong Yun's own enthronement from the past; in his view, True Person Master Chongguang's preparations were far more sufficient than those of Daoist Daoist Hong Yun.

"A True Person protects the Dharma, the Pure Land's intervention had its claws severed, and both the Dao Court and the Sword Pavilion could only tacitly accept it. Master Chongguang himself has refined a complete Golden Nature, blood-sacrificed the entire 【Qing Kingdom】, used this Wonder as the prime mover for ascending his Blessed Land, and even circumvented the influence of Heavenly Punishment."

"That is a 【Wonder】!"

"Among all resources available for breaking through to become a True Person, a 【Wonder】 is considered top-tier; if not for the fact that acquiring one inevitably invites Heavenly Punishment, countless people would be fighting to seize one."

"And with the加持 of a 【Wonder】, ascending the Blessed Land is almost without difficulty."

"At the same time, by using the method of 【Usurping Authority】 to reverse the Dao Court rules of the Qing Kingdom, causing the Son of Heaven to lose his position and order to cease existing, he has undoubtedly attracted the favor of the Fruit Position!"

Thinking this, Hongju looked up at the sky.

Not the sky of the present world, but the sky of the Foundation Establishment Realm, where a golden lamp light slowly brightened, clearly the manifest image of 【Overturning Lamp Fire】!

At this moment, Hongju reached his conclusion:

"The chance of victory... must be ten out of ten!"

Indeed, in his view, the probability of Master Chongguang's breakthrough this time was ten out of ten, with no flaws whatsoever; theoretically, there was absolutely no possibility of failure!

At the same time, within the Foundation Establishment Realm.

True Person Master Chongguang stood with his hands behind his back, channeling all his essence, qi, and spirit, his one life-bound treasure, four innate talents, and perfected divine abilities entirely onto the 【Dongyang Blessed Land】 behind him.

The radiance of 【Overturning Lamp Fire】 drew ever closer.

At this moment, True Person Master Chongguang felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted, like slowly floating up from the deep sea until finally breathing fresh air.

Before long, everything changed.

What met his eyes was a vast void; this was the "sky" of the Foundation Establishment Realm, and also the location of the Fruit Position, described accordingly in various lineages.

In Jiangnan and Jiangbei, the Body-Refining Ascension Path describes it as "A realm of light surrounding the Dharma world, the void clear and bright, the heart of heaven shining."

In the Buddhist Lands of Jiangxi, Buddhist cultivators describe this region as "Neither born nor destroyed, clouds scatter and the blue sky and mountain colors become pure; neither going nor coming, wisdom returns to the solitary moon wheel of Chan meditation."

In the Jiangdong Dao Court, the description changes to "Entering the sudden method from the gradual method, entering non-action from action, entering true emptiness from non-emptiness."

All these descriptions, however, are ultimately referred to by a simpler term:

【Bitter Sea】.

"Above the Foundation Establishment Realm lies the Bitter Sea!"

"All sentient beings of the mortal world toss and turn within the Bitter Sea!"

"Fruit Positions are like boats upon the Bitter Sea; only by becoming a True Person can one ascend a Blessed Land, float out from the Bitter Sea, and take residence within that boat!"

So where does the 【Bitter Sea】 come from?

Before long, True Person Master Chongguang generated numerous sensations; in a trance, he seemed to see many cultivators who had practiced cultivation methods related to 【Overturning Lamp Fire】.

Qi Refining cultivators were meaningless.

What was useful to him were the cultivators who had established a Dao Foundation; as he underwent enthronement, the Fruit Position, acting as a "boat" with someone taking residence, became significantly heavier.

In an instant, countless ripples were stirred up.

These ripples were negligible within the 【Bitter Sea】, but falling upon the Foundation Establishment Realm below, they transformed into a great wind powerful enough to erode the soul and consume the spirit.

【Bi Wind】!

And every True Person who had established a Dao Foundation related to 【Overturning Lamp Fire】, by enduring the Bi Wind, was using their own Dao Foundation and lifelong cultivation base to support 【Overturning Lamp Fire】; this is why the Foundation Establishment Realm has the three great calamities of wind, fire, and thunder—it is because of the Fruit Positions and Grotto-Heavens above!

"So it is like this..."

A look of enlightenment floated in True Person Master Chongguang's eyes; this was a secret only True Persons could see and experience, one that could never be mastered without becoming a True Person.

However, it made sense.

Foundation Establishment True Persons are 【People】, while Golden Core True Persons are 【Rulers】; looking across the world, where is there a 【Ruler】 who does not levy various harsh taxes and exactions upon 【People】?

This is also one of the reasons why Golden Core True Persons control the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators!

Because if the harsh taxes are too heavy and there are too many people, they will rebel; but if there are too few people, the taxes paid will be insufficient, which will also affect the state of the ruler.

"The mortal world is a great Bitter Sea..."

Thinking this, True Person Master Chongguang couldn't help but sigh with emotion, yet soon this sentiment turned into excitement, because he was about to reach the shore!

However, just at this moment.

"... m?"

As he drew closer and closer to 【Overturning Lamp Fire】, he suddenly discovered that the 【Overturning Lamp Fire】 before him was different from what he had anticipated, causing him to freeze in place in bewilderment.

"This is... but how is this possible?"

(End of Chapter)