Chapter 230: The Blessed Land Ascends, A Boat Floating on the Bitter Sea

The lights were brilliant.

Duobao Tongzi stared blankly at everything around him; all he could see were the lit torches, the one burning brightest being the Master of the Black Iron Sword beside him.

At that time, they had been talking.

The two had barely escaped with their lives from the Zhalong Pass and were discussing a secret crossing to the Jiangxi Pure Land, when a radiance began to emanate from the Master of the Black Iron Sword.

Then he spontaneously ignited.

There was no way to stop it, nor any time for them to react; Duobao Tongzi simply watched as the Master of the Black Iron Sword's pair of eyes, brimming with despair, turned into two fireballs, his Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivation transformed into oil and grease, and the flames rising from his body covered several cities in the blink of an eye.

The world fell silent.

Only the flames spread quietly; the sky was burned crimson by the firelight, and Duobao Tongzi, standing amidst it, felt as though he were inside a cauldron.

"Jiangbei Demon! First Saint Sect! What a Saint Sect!"

In this moment, Duobao Tongzi's past hatred for the First Saint Sect was like the million living beings under this great fire, along with the mountains and rivers, all burned clean.

Only a fear like ash remained.

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

How could this still be human?

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

Where did the wind come from?

Duobao Tongzi looked around but found nothing, only then realizing with sudden clarity: "Foundation Establishment realm!? It is the Bi Wind! This fire is burning into the Foundation Establishment realm!"

Boom!

Thinking this, Duobao Tongzi immediately fled into the Foundation Establishment realm; sure enough, what he saw was a prairie fire stretching endlessly.

Yet amidst that towering inferno, he saw countless jade towers and palaces being remolded within the fire, rising from the ground; various landscapes, initially illusory, became real under the scorching of the great fire, and finally, with the light of the Foundation Establishment realm shining brightly, they looked like a sun about to rise into the sky!

"Rise!"

In an instant, a clear, loud shout echoed in all directions, and then they saw that sun-like expanse of prairie fire truly begin to rise toward the sky of the Foundation Establishment realm!

The Blessed Land ascends!

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

"The Great Calamity of a Thousand Years draws even closer!"

At the Zhalong Pass, the True Person of Mount Yin showed an expression of excitement:

"Zhong Xin... It is Zhong Xin! Senior Brother's calculations are profound; this preparation is complete, and with the protection of True Lord Feixue, this ascension should be a sure thing!"

At the same time, a man clad in golden robes walked out beside the True Person of Mount Yin; his face, chiseled like a blade, showed a hint of expectation. It was none other than Hong Ju, who had previously sent the Venerable Vimodha back to the Pure Land in a single move, yet now his body was covered in fine cracks.

His end was near.

After the Daoist Daoist Hong Yun died, Hong Ju, as his creation, was like water without roots; every time he acted, he consumed a portion of his meager lifespan.

This time was his final gamble.

If he succeeded and Master Chongguang ascended, he could extend his lifespan and live freely; if he failed, his soul would return to emptiness, his consciousness would vanish, and he would not even have a reincarnation.

Though he said this, Hong Ju was quite calm at this moment.

This was because he still retained the memories of Daoist Daoist Hong Yun's ascension in the past; in his view, True Person Chongguang's preparations were far more abundant than those of Daoist Daoist Hong Yun.

"A True Lord protects, the Pure Land's intervention had its claws severed, and the Dao Court and Sword Pavilion can only remain silent; Master Chongguang himself has refined a complete Golden Nature, blood-sacrificed the entire 【Qing State】, used this Wonder as the motive force for his ascending Blessed Land, and even avoided the influence of Heavenly Punishment."

"That was a 【Wonder】!"

"Among all the resources usable for breaking through to True Lord, a 【Wonder】 ranks as the highest grade; if not for the fact that taking one inevitably invites Heavenly Punishment, countless people would be fighting to seize it."

"With the support of a 【Wonder】, ascending the Blessed Land is almost without difficulty."

"At the same time, by using the 【Usurpation】 method to reverse the Dao Court rules of the Qing State, causing the Son of Heaven to lose his position and order to cease, he undoubtedly attracted the favor of the Fruit Seat!"

Thinking this, Hong Ju looked up at the sky.

Not the sky of the present world, but the sky of the Foundation Establishment realm; there, a golden lamp-light slowly brightened, manifesting the image of 【Covering the Lights】!

In this moment, Hong Ju drew his conclusion:

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

That is correct; 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 Chongguang stood with his hands behind his back, pouring all his essence, energy, and spirit, his four innate talents, and his perfected divine powers entirely onto the 【Cave Sun Blessed Land】 behind him.

The radiance of 【Covering the Lights】 drew ever closer.

In this moment, True Person Chongguang felt as though a great burden had been lifted, like rising step by step from the deep sea floor until breathing fresh air.

In a short while, everything changed.

What met his eyes was a vast darkness; this was the "sky" of the Foundation Establishment realm, and also where the Fruit Seat resided, with corresponding descriptions in various lineages.

In Jiangnan and Jiangbei, the Form-Refining Ascension Dao described it as "A radiance that surrounds the Dharma realm, the void is bright and clear, the heart of heaven shines."

In the Jiangxi Pure Land, the Buddhist cultivation described this area as "Neither born nor ceasing, clouds scatter in the blue sky, the mountain color is pure; neither going nor coming, wisdom returns to meditative stillness, the moon wheel stands alone."

In the Jiangdong Dao Court, the description was changed to "Entering sudden enlightenment from gradual methods, entering non-action from action, entering true emptiness from non-emptiness."

Various descriptions, yet finally referred to by an even simpler term:

【Bitter Sea】.

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

"All sentient beings in the red dust struggle and toss within the Bitter Sea!"

"The Fruit Seat is a boat upon the Bitter Sea; only by achieving True Lordhood can one ascend the Blessed Land, rise from the Bitter Sea, and take residence within that boat!"

So where does the 【Bitter Sea】 come from?

Not long after, True Person Chongguang generated many perceptions; in a trance, he seemed to see many cultivators who practiced techniques related to 【Covering the Lights】.

Qi-refining cultivators are meaningless.

What was useful to him were cultivators who had built their Dao foundations; with his ascension, the fruit seat, now serving as a "vessel," had someone take residence within it, becoming considerably heavier.

In an instant, countless ripples surged forth.

These ripples were insignificant in the 【Bitter Sea】, yet for those at the Foundation Establishment realm below, they transformed into a great wind powerful enough to dissolve the soul and erode the spirit.

【Bi Wind】!

And every True Person who had built a Dao foundation related to 【FuDeng Fire】—by enduring the Bi Wind, they were using their own Dao foundations and their lifetime cultivation to support 【FuDeng Fire】. Why do the Foundation Establishment realm face the three calamities of wind, fire, and thunder? It is precisely because of the fruit seats and grotto-heavens above!

"So it is..."

A look of sudden understanding appeared in the eyes of True Person Chongguang; this was a secret only a True Lord could see and comprehend, one that could never be grasped without becoming a True Lord.

Yet, it makes sense.

A Foundation Establishment True Person is a 【Person】, while a Jin Dan True Lord is a 【Lord】; looking across the world, where is there a 【Lord】 who does not levy various harsh taxes upon the 【People】?

This is also one of the reasons Jin Dan True Lords control the number of Foundation Establishments!

Because if the taxes are too heavy and the people multiply, they will rebel; yet if the people are too few and the taxes collected are insufficient, it will also affect the state of the Lord.

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

Thinking of this, True Person Chongguang could not help but sigh, yet soon this sigh turned into excitement and thrill, for he was about to step ashore!

Yet just at this moment.

"... Hmm?"

As he drew closer and closer to 【FuDeng Fire】, he suddenly discovered that the 【FuDeng Fire】 before his eyes differed from his expectations and could not help but stand frozen in place.

"This is... but how could it be possible?"

(End of this chapter)