Chapter 262: Understanding Karma with a Thousand Thanks, the Macaque Arrives Late

Western Hezhou.

Lingshan Shengjing is filled with glazed pagodas, hanging pearls condensing light, and surrounded by Bodhi Trees, standing tall like canopies.

Mysterious apes offer fruit, and spiritual deer carry lingzhi.

Flowers bloom daily, fruits ripen hourly; mists and clouds drift to and fro, and neither cold nor heat intrudes, with years left uncounted.

Beneath the Sarira Tree lies one of the foundational treasures of the Brahma sect—the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, golden and colorful, clear and reflecting one's image.

A rich, fragrant aroma lingers, condensing without dispersing.

Just at this moment, a wisp of True Spirit appeared from the dim void, trailing its tail as it came, and entered straight into the Merit Pool, settling down securely.

The water of merit nourishes all things, slowly repairing the shattered True Spirit.

Not long after, in a corner of Lingshan Shengjing, a Bodhisattva sitting atop a Golden Lotus opened their eyes.

One could see their golden Buddhist body, a zhang in height, wreathed in divine dragons, their voice like a bronze bell as they sighed: "Fellow Daoist Guoshi Wang, I secured the opportunity for you! It is a pity you did not grasp it!"

This was because there had been a mission to Nanzhan Buzhou, and Guoshi Wang had expended quite a bit of effort and connections to ask them to help secure it.

Seeing that Guoshi Wang was an up-and-coming talent of the Brahma sect, they had agreed with the intention of investing and building a relationship, helping them secure this chance.

Alas, their judgment was off!

Not only did only the True Spirit escape back, but their cultivation realm was even struck down by someone~

However, they still rose to their feet.

They prepared to seek an audience with their own backer, a Great Sage who ranks in the Daluo Realm.

They had to know who caused Guoshi Wang to suffer such an unfavorable start, and see if they had alerted the enemy.

As for that True Spirit? Let it slowly nourish itself in the Merit Pool! As for them now, they are not familiar with Guoshi Wang~...

Vast Boundary Space.

With Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva protected by the power of the 'Eight Treasures Merit Pool', they were able to have their True Spirit escape.

This starry battlefield became silent, desolate, and cold once more, as if time had stagnated.

The surrounding Aura was heavy, drifting back and forth, lingering uncertainly.

Water Ape Great Sage took a leap and arrived before Fang Longye, just about to offer thanks, when they heard Fang Longye sigh: "A move short in the game!"

Perhaps for Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva, having only the True Spirit escape counts as being a move short. But for Fang Longye, was it not the same?

"Haha!" Water Ape Great Sage laughed heartily and comforted him: "That Dragon Lord could achieve this much is already inconceivable! Why take it to heart?"

One must know that a True Spirit exists between the real and the void; in the dark, it inherently possesses an indescribable affinity for space and time.

Coupled with the Primordial One Qi, one can escape into the dim void with a single thought; unless a Taiyi practitioner takes action, it is very difficult to block.

The reason why Golden Immortal Great Accomplishment seems like two different realms compared to Golden Immortal Great Accomplishment, aside from one's own essence, Qi, and spirit becoming a unified whole.

Is it not precisely because the safety of the True Spirit is greatly increased?

As long as the Primordial One Qi does not dissipate, even if methods targeting a Golden Immortal's True Spirit are used, they cannot cause any damage.

And the scene just now, they saw clearly; in their view, if not for the protection of the 'Eight Treasures Merit Pool', that Brahma sect supreme treasure, Guoshi Wang would not even have been able to keep their True Spirit.

They would likely have truly died and vanished!

Such a matter, for anyone, would be enough to be proud of!

Especially since Fang Longye did not rely on the benefit of a Spirit Treasure, but caused such an effect purely through a Great Divine Ability, how could it not attract attention? Thinking of this, Water Ape Great Sage could not help but ask curiously: "I wonder what Divine Ability the Dragon Lord just used to have such power?"

Fang Longye waved his hand and chuckled: "It is just a space-time type Divine Ability I realized myself!"

"Not worth mentioning! It cannot grace the hall of elegance~ I have not even named the Divine Ability~"

This was, of course, a humble remark, but in Fang Longye's heart, he truly felt it was nothing extraordinary.

In essence, this Divine Ability is an application of space-time detachment.

It is difficult for those who do not know, and easy for those who do.

At his current realm, it can serve as a trump card and hidden ace, but at higher realms, that may not be the case~

Fang Longye could be lighthearted, but Water Ape Great Sage found it hard to take it lightly.

Such a Divine Ability was actually self-realized? Water Ape Great Sage was immediately filled with awe.

Fang Longye caught the expression of Water Ape Great Sage and shook his head inwardly, knowing that Water Ape Great Sage had misunderstood somewhat.

Although his comprehension is now thorough, wanting to realize such a Divine Ability purely by his own comprehension is not that easy.

Strictly speaking, he only had an accumulation of insights regarding the path of space and time.

To truly form this Divine Ability, he still relied on secret techniques to drive his Bloodline, and it was spontaneously generated on the foundation of this accumulation of laws.

In the end, it is just a new innate Divine Ability.

The difference is that he already understood the laws and principles constituting this Divine Ability in his heart beforehand.

It is easy to understand: the accumulation of laws and principles is like the raw ingredients for cooking, while the Divine Ability created from them is like the dishes themselves.

With the same raw ingredients, due to factors like heat, culinary skill, and so on, the dishes produced often have a world of difference.

Using laws and principles as provisions, the Divine Ability created follows the same logic.

With the same accumulation of laws, some people can create a Great Divine Ability, while others can only create a minor one.

A concrete example would be—

In the Honghuang, throughout history, there have been many powerful beings who have studied the path of the Five Elements, but only Kong Xuan created the Five-Colored Divine Light.

In short, the gap within this is unimaginable.

Currently, Fang Longye is only a Golden Immortal, far from the stage where he can create Divine Abilities.

Even his initial Five-Colored Treasure Tree, Yin and Yang Two Qis,... and so on, these Divine Abilities were all generated under the effect of the secret technique to Reverse Innate, half-natural and half-man-made.

This is not just a unique effect of the secret technique 'Great Vehicle Yin and Yang Dragon Transformation Scripture'.

It is a treatment enjoyed by every living being who walks the path of Reverse Innate.

The leap of Bloodline and origin truly holds immense fortune.

The difference is that those secret arts achieved in one stroke only provide all sorts of innate divine abilities as feedback once the Reverse Innate process is successful.

Such private matters of cultivation are naturally not to be spoken of to outsiders~……

Water Ape Great Sage is not some young lad; he has his own level of proficiency in observing expressions.

After chatting with Fang Longye for a few sentences, he discerned this intention of Fang Longye's.

Therefore, he quickly and tactfully changed the subject, saying: "Dragon Lord, this divine ability of yours is truly terrifying. It is just a pity about all the treasures on that old bald donkey, Guoshi Wang!"

That old bald donkey was there in his true form. Even the collection in his own dojo might not have as many good things as what he carried on his true form.

The reason he did not immediately use the Primordial Unity to carry his True Spirit and escape, aside from wanting to take away as much of the power accumulated in his true form as possible,

was precisely because he wanted to cut his losses in time and take away all the various treasures and other collections he carried on his person.

What a pity~

Hearing Water Ape Great Sage's words of regret, Fang Longye shook his head and laughed.

He immediately waved out a Five-Colored Divine Light and chuckled: "Fellow Daoist, look!"

Within the five-colored rainbow light, all sorts of treasures floated and sank.

There were exquisite and magnificent storage Dharma Treasures, slanted bodhi branches and leaves, hundreds and thousands of Dharma Pill Gourds, all kinds of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, ……

There were even several Sarira, originating from Guoshi Wang himself, and so on and so forth. The light haloed and shimmered, shining brilliantly.

A dazzling array.

Even a thief doesn't leave empty-handed! Let alone someone like Fang Longye, who is greedy for wealth and lustful!

Previously, when Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva threw out various Spirit Treasures to resist the Slashing Immortal Flying Knife, it made Fang Longye feel particularly pained.

How could he possibly let Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva's entire collection be dissipated just like that in his own attack?

That would be a massive waste! "There really are quite a few good things!" Water Ape Great Sage stared at the various treasures floating and rotating in the rainbow light and sighed.

"Damn it!" Water Ape Great Sage spat and cursed: "To think these bald donkeys keep calling themselves 'this poor monk' and cry poverty whenever they see anyone!"

"Indeed!" Fang Longye nodded in agreement: "These bald donkeys are all greedy and insatiable creatures."

If Guoshi Wang had not been greedy for the accumulation in his true form and these belongings, he would have directly escaped with his True Spirit the moment he discovered things were going wrong.

He really would have had no way to deal with him. He also would not have been beaten down in realm by him, with even his True Spirit suffering damage.

"Greedy beyond measure, short-sighted!"

Fang Longye scoffed at Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva without the slightest self-awareness.

It is just as well that Guoshi Wang now only has a sliver of his True Spirit left and is already soaking in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool.

Otherwise, he would definitely grab Fang Longye by the collar and ask him exactly who it was that had eyes turning red with greed when seeing him destroy his own Spirit Treasures, wishing they could eat someone? To give and to receive~ many times, these are just words spoken lightly by outsiders.

Only when one truly puts oneself in another's shoes and faces a choice does one know the weight of these two words, and how difficult they are.

"Come—"

The two of them mocked and ridiculed Guoshi Wang for a good while. Afterwards, Fang Longye waved his sleeve, binding the Five-Colored Divine Light into a glowing, radiant treasure tree.

Guoshi Wang's collection was all hung on the treasure tree, setting off the surroundings with a display of jewels and treasures.

He took that damaged Merit Golden Lotus in his hand and pointed at the treasure tree, laughing:

"Today, it is fate that we fought side by side. Since you are also the uncle of Brother Yuan, strictly speaking, we can be considered our own people."

"Now that the spoils of war are before us, I will not be hypocritical; I will gladly accept this Merit Golden Lotus. As for the rest, Fellow Daoist, take whatever you like."

"What are you saying, Dragon Lord!" Water Ape Great Sage immediately jumped up, his face blushing as he said, "Today, I was fortunate to be rescued by the Dragon Lord, and only then was I able to escape disaster."

"In the previous struggle, I didn't contribute much effort, so how could I have the face to share these treasures?"

Seeing that Fang Longye was about to say something more, he immediately continued: "Dragon Lord, say no more. Just do it for the sake of this old face of mine~"

Seeing that Water Ape Great Sage declined in every possible way, Fang Longye had no choice but to let it be.

In fact, even without him, Water Ape Great Sage would not have met his end today. At most, he would have lost a Divine Dao avatar.

When it comes down to it, if not for him, Water Ape Great Sage's true form might not have even come. It was precisely because of him that Water Ape Great Sage had the thought of joining forces to take down Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva.

But if one really wants to talk about it, he could also be considered to have helped Water Ape Great Sage escape the calamity of being suppressed by Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva hundreds of years later.

After all, given the current wretched state of Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva, it is simply not something that can be recovered from in a mere few hundred years.

Even with time acceleration, it would not work.

Therefore, there was no need to be overly polite with Water Ape Great Sage. However, he still grabbed those few Sarira and stuffed them into Water Ape Great Sage's hand.

He chuckled: "These are the Sarira of that old bald donkey Guoshi Wang; consider them an offering for Brother Yuan's mother~"

This time, Water Ape Great Sage did not decline again and accepted Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva's Sarira.

Just as he was about to thank him, he did not expect that the moment he took Guoshi Wang's Sarira, several scenes appeared before his eyes, all of which were scenes of him being suppressed by Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva.

He could not help but be stunned, and then he immediately reacted; he had glimpsed his original future encounter.

Now, however, it had been changed.

And the person who changed it was precisely this Dragon Lord before him.

He came to his senses, immediately looked at Fang Longye, bowed, and performed a solemn salute.

His whole demeanor was sincere, and his tone was earnest as he said: "Meeting the Dragon Lord today is truly my good fortune."

"Thank you, Dragon Lord, for helping me escape a Calamity! In the future, if the Dragon Lord has any matters, just give the word; I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"You are too polite!"

Fang Longye was startled at first, then realized that Water Ape Great Sage had attained enlightenment regarding the causal Heavenly Secrets.

He waved his hands repeatedly, helped Water Ape Great Sage up, and said: "If you really want to thank someone, thank Brother Yuan! If Brother Yuan were not your nephew, I might not have intervened in today's matter!"

Although he said that, it was impossible for Water Ape Great Sage to really feel at ease and not express his gratitude further.

After a thousand thanks, the two of them left this boundary battlefield and returned to Nanzhan Buzhou.

……

After the two returned to the present world together, the sun was already high in the sky.

A great river, with waves shimmering and water reflecting, was illuminated clearly all around, the dark green hues lingering and swaying with grace.

Then the wind blew, and the ripples danced.

It was precisely the same great river where the Water Ape Great Sage had previously confronted Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva.

Upon the great river rested a massive ship a thousand feet long. Yet, within the vast treasure ship, it was empty and desolate, with hardly a figure to be seen.

Only a few subordinates under the Water Ape Great Sage, who had luckily survived earlier, were preparing a banquet for Fang Longye and the Water Ape Great Sage.

"Monkey Wine?"

Fang Longye picked up a Wine Cup; the Wine Cup was crafted from a piece of spiritual wood, rising with lush wood-attribute spiritual energy, flowing endlessly.

The Immortal Brew in the cup was jade-green in color, its fragrance firmly locked in by the Wine Cup. Only when brought close to the nose could one smell the dense, lingering aroma of the wine.

"Dragon Lord," the Water Ape Great Sage gestured, "This wine is brewed from the spiritual fruit produced by my own Post-Heaven Spiritual Root, the 'Green Jade Immortal Peach Wood,' fermented for an entire Yuanhui."

"Please, Dragon Lord, have a taste."

Fang Longye drank it in one gulp, the fragrance lingering on his lips and teeth, possessing a unique flavor.

"Good wine!" He praised, setting down the Wine Cup with a smile on his lips, and said, "Fellow Daoist, I had an appointment to meet Brother Yuan at the Huai River Dragon Palace; why not head there together?"

"No need for such trouble," the Water Ape Great Sage laughed and waved his hand, saying, "When I encountered that old bald donkey Guoshi Wang earlier, I already used a secret treasure to notify Ming'er."

"Calculating the time, he should be arriving soon! You and I can just wait here for a little while."

It was a coincidence; no sooner had the Water Ape Great Sage finished speaking, in less than a dozen breaths, than ripples stirred in the space not far away.

A figure clad in gold-threaded chainmail, holding a brow-high staff, fully armed, leaped out from the spatial ripples like a fish.

Splashing up a sky full of starlight!

Before even fully descending, he shouted aloud, "Old bald donkey, pay with your life!"

Manic, violent, impatient, and fierce.

"Flying Body Escape Trace?"

Fang Longye muttered in his heart.

The newcomer steadied his figure, swept his gaze across, and the momentum radiating from his body involuntarily dissipated, as he said in surprise, "Brother Fang?"

It was precisely the Yurong Wang whom the Water Ape Great Sage had been talking about!

(End of this chapter)