Chapter 371

"What on earth is going on?!"

In Laozi's heart, only this great doubt remained.

Or rather, what exactly happened to cause the Wu Clan and the Buddhist sect, who were previously at each other's throats, to become so close in the blink of an eye?

Even the ancestral witches did not hesitate to lower their heads for this?!

Beside them, Yuanshi and Tongtian were equally bewildered, silent and speechless.

After a moment, Yuanshi suddenly exclaimed.

"The Stele of Fixed Hong!"

"It must be that something unknown occurred within the Stele of Fixed Hong."

Yuanshi pondered for a moment, then made this inference.

After all, the Three Pure Ones had witnessed everything that had happened before.

Only the scenes within the Stele of Fixed Hong were beyond their sight, and they could not deduce them either.

Therefore, Yuanshi naturally concluded that whatever happened there must have caused the Wu Clan's drastic change in attitude.

Upon hearing his words, Laozi's expression shifted slightly.

"Within the Stele of Fixed Hong....."

"But just what exactly happened?"

"Yang Mei is dead...... this is an undeniable fact."

Laozi grew even more doubtful, muttering softly to himself.

Before this, the Three Pure Ones had also repeatedly deduced the outcome.

And the result of their deduction was "Yang Mei is dead."

More precisely, the Yang Mei they had originally known no longer retained even a trace of breath.

As for whether he could be resurrected in the future, no one could know.

However, this also rendered everything that occurred within the Stele of Fixed Hong an unsolvable mystery.

The Three Pure Ones could not possibly go and directly ask Chen Ku, could they?!

"Hmph, Yang Mei went back on his word, and is also useless."

"It's fortunate that he previously declared so solemnly that he would slay Jieyin."

Yuanshi could not help but angrily shout this.

Even if he could not kill Chen Ku, if Yang Mei had managed to slay Jieyin earlier, it would still have been a major blow to the Western Buddhist sect.

But this goal was ultimately unfulfilled, leaving the Three Pure Ones, who had held high hopes, utterly disappointed and disheartened.

Tongtian stared coldly toward the direction of the Western heavens and earth, his expression somewhat strange.

"This time, Yang Mei tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice used to bait it."

"Not only did he fail to damage the Buddhist sect's reputation, but instead caused it to rise again, stronger than ever, like the sun at high noon."

Even without knowing the exact reason, but seeing the posture of Zuwu like Zhu Rong nodding and bowing their heads, Tongtian could already confirm this.

Especially after Zuwu and the others pulled the carriage, the fortune and prestige of the Western Buddhist sect also rose another level.

Depressed!

Really depressed!

To think that we, the lofty Three Pure Ones, exhausted our schemes, yet still found it extremely difficult to strengthen the authority of the Three Pure Ones' Dao lineage.

Meanwhile, the Western Buddhist sect could be described as rising madly, making people look on with envy.

Not only that.

Laozi first glanced toward the direction of the Underworld, then turned his gaze to Mount Sumeru in the West.

"Damn it......."

"This time, the Buddhist sect has also regained the fortune and merit of the Underworld, and far surpasses what it was before."

"We... have missed a tremendous opportunity."

Laozi felt regret so deeply it was as if he wanted to slap his thigh.

His heart surged with shocking waves, impossible to calm.

Under the support of the six ancestral witches, all beings now have no doubt whatsoever that Gou Dong controls the authority of the Underworld.

The sages' divine awareness perceives that the fortune and merit of the Underworld, at this moment, are as substantial as ever, continuously flowing into the Buddhist sect.

As Gong Gong said, if Gou Dong does not consent, no one may enter the Underworld; in this vast heaven and earth, not a single person questions this.

This is the best proof.

Only now did Laozi suddenly awaken.

During the earlier chaos in the Underworld, why did I not secretly intervene and also try to seize control of the Underworld's authority?!

After all, the Eastern heavens and earth are vast, and the Dao lineage of the Three Pure Ones has many disciples.

Could we really not find some suitable candidates to serve as officials of the Underworld?!

If so, could I not also take a share of the vast, abyss-like fortune and merit of the Underworld?!

Alas... we three previously could be said to have only been watching the show, and actually overlooked such a tremendous opportunity.

But now that it has come to this, even if we regret it further, it is of no use.

As the words fell, the Three Pure Ones could only darken their faces and once again sink into a heavy silence.

In the Mahavira Hall of the Western Buddhist sect.

"Hehe, good, good, excellent!"

"This time, fortunately, my junior nephew mastered the laws of time and solved the various mysteries."

"And he also made the Wu Clan, like Zhu Rong, willingly submit, resolving the conflict between our two sides."

"Junior Nephew... truly a blessing star of the Western Buddhist Sect!"

Zhunti could not conceal his relief, smiling as he said so.

By this point, the truth of Ji Du's scheme to harm Western beings and sow discord between the Buddhist Sect and the Wu Clan was fully revealed.

The conflicts and tensions between the Buddhist Sect and the Wu Clan were thus completely resolved, no longer existing.

Chen Ku's various dispositions could be said to have left Zhunti in awe, feeling ashamed of his own inadequacy.

In Zhunti's words, Chen Ku had already been regarded as a peer of equal strength.

In short, to gain such a disciple is a great fortune for the Western Buddhist Sect.

Upon hearing Zhunti's praise, Chen Ku smiled and replied:

"Hehe, Master Uncle overpraises me."

"Back in the Underworld, Master Uncle was able to temporarily endure and avoid a great battle with Zhu Rong and others—something ordinary people could not achieve."

"Had it not been so, this matter might not have been so easily resolved."

Chen Ku also did not seek credit.

After all, when Zhu Rong and others provoked trouble, I, along with Master Jieyin and Hong Yun, were all in secluded cultivation.

Moreover, as a sage, facing provocations from non-sages, I would likely have already erupted in anger.

Yet Zhunti could consider the greater good, temporarily avoid battle, and bring back Di Zang and others.

This action, as Chen Ku said, was likewise an extremely wise choice for the West.

And hearing their mutual flattery, Jieyin could not help but roll his eyes.

"This conflict being satisfactorily concluded, you two have made indispensable contributions."

"Hehe, my disciple is also unparalleled throughout the ages, without equal."

Jieyin said this.

In his gaze toward Chen Ku, there was even greater relief and admiration than toward Zhunti.

Finally, Hong Yun could not help but sigh:

"Alas... I, in secluded cultivation, missed such a great event."

Hong Yun's tone carried some regret.

Now he too is a sage of the Buddhist Sect, and naturally should contribute to the sect's flourishing.

Upon hearing Hong Yun's words, Chen Ku's expression shifted, and he immediately spoke:

"Hong Yun Daoist, your words are mistaken!"

"I have an idea......"

"From now on, I can alone guard the West, holding the Buddhist Sect in place."

"Master, Master Uncle, and Hong Yun Daoist, you may all retreat into secluded cultivation to improve yourselves."

"After all, as the West grows ever more prosperous, you all have a source to draw upon for further advancement."

Chen Ku's proposal left the three of Jieyin stunned.

Then, they understood his meaning.

In fact, without realizing it, among the four of them, Chen Ku has already become the strongest in power.

And as the West grows ever more prosperous, with deep source and abundant spiritual energy,

various laws and orders have also become more perfected.

Only, before this, Jieyin, Zhunti, and others were burdened by sect affairs and could not truly calm their minds to properly retreat and cultivate.

Now, with the Wu Clan matter settled, the West has finally gained a rare period of peace.

Seizing this opportunity, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Hong Yun should properly retreat into seclusion—it is indeed entirely appropriate.

The Three Sages thus felt no embarrassment about it.

Having understood Chen Ku's meaning, Zhunti smiled and spoke first:

"Haha, I indeed should retreat into seclusion."

"Seeing that I have already been surpassed by my junior nephew, the pressure is truly immense."

Zhunti responded thus, laughing and teasing.

Beside him, Hong Yun also nodded.

"I have recently been contemplating a technique called the 'Yan Jue,' capable of condensing innate spiritual fire, complementary to my own source."

"Retreating into seclusion again will surely yield greater gains."

The two hesitated not, gladly accepted, and agreed to Chen Ku's proposal.

Jieyin likewise had no idle words, choosing to retreat into cultivation.

As the Jieyin Tathagata of the Buddhist Sect, he is of the highest rank.

It goes without saying that his retreat will yield the greatest gains.

No further words.

The Three Sages entered seclusion.

In the vast Buddhist Sect, peace and harmony were restored.

Time flew by.

With the passage of time.

Buddhist disciples' cultivation grew strong, and the Underworld's fortune continually flowed in.

This caused the Buddhist Sect to grow ever more prosperous.

Looking far and wide, one could see vast streams of fortune surging and condensing in the high heavens, faintly gathering into the form of a fortune golden dragon.

The pervasive spiritual energy sweeping across the land made the entire Western world shine brilliantly, extraordinarily remarkable.

Chen Ku sat in seclusion within the Buddhist gate, and indeed did not emerge again, merely checking from time to time on the state of the Western Buddhist gate.

It is no exaggeration to say that, after Zhu Rong and others pulled the cart for Di Zang, the Western Buddhist gate experienced another great flourishing.

Chen Ku was also quite pleased about this.

On this day, he was sitting with eyes closed, comprehending the Dao.

Suddenly, in the dark and vague, a profound and mysterious feeling arose, causing Chen Ku's expression to shift.

"Eh, has another opportunity emerged into the world?!"

Chen Ku slowly opened his eyes and muttered to himself.

Indeed!

He clearly sensed that it was indeed the fluctuation of another opportunity emerging into the world.

Nowadays, in the Western heaven and earth, such things have long been commonplace and are not considered rare.

Moreover, most of the time, Chen Ku simply does not pay attention, leaving it to Cihang, Dashizhi, and others to collect, which is sufficient.

After all, back then Chen Ku had already distributed many of his own top-grade innate spiritual treasures to everyone.

Ordinary opportunities could hardly move his heart.

However, this time Chen Ku rose to his feet.

"Hehe, since I have nothing to do, I might as well go take a look."

Saying this, he immediately left his Dao field and headed toward the direction from which that aura came.

Not long after, the opportunity sensed within appeared before Chen Ku's eyes.

First, it was a spiritual root glowing with immortal light.

It was a grapevine, bearing one after another crystal-clear, translucent grape, as if condensed from water crystal.

A fresh fragrance assailed the nose, refreshing the heart and spirit!

Upon careful sensing, even more profound and mysterious aura emanated, making the divine sense clear and the qi and blood surge.

"This is an innate spiritual root, crystal grape?!"

Chen Ku murmured softly, recognizing this spiritual root.

In the world, spiritual roots each have their own miraculous functions.

And this crystal grape, if eaten directly, would have its effect greatly diminished.

On the contrary, if used to brew spiritual wine, it would instead greatly enhance its efficacy.

Thinking this, Chen Ku was not polite and immediately took hold of this spiritual root.

In the future, it could be handed over to Xihe and Changxi, so that these two sisters could use it to brew wine.

And upon this thought, Chen Ku suddenly recalled something.

"Eh... could it be that I have inadvertently opened up the grape wine of later generations?!"

His expression was somewhat strange, and he thought this with a mixture of laughter and tears.

If so, then when this grape wine is brewed, it would still need to be paired with a "night-light cup" to be truly excellent.

Clearly, at this moment, many memories from his previous life surged forth once again.

However, after a brief moment, Chen Ku gathered up such wild and fanciful thoughts.

He could sense that there were still other opportunities emerging in this place, not yet collected.

Indeed.

After searching again for a moment, Chen Ku's eyes brightened once more.

In a certain place, only specks of divine light were seen sinking and floating, intertwining and transforming, misty and rising, indescribably miraculous and mysterious.

Chen Ku fixed his gaze, yet saw that within this divine light were several pearls bursting forth with radiance.

On each pearl, the Xuan and Huang qi flowed and shifted, hazy and indistinct.

More importantly, within them, Chen Ku also sensed the fluctuation of merit's qi mechanism.

Xuanhuang Merit Pearls!

Upon recognizing this spiritual treasure, Chen Ku's eyes brightened instantly.

This can be said to be a rather rare treasure.

This object is formed by the condensation of the Xuan and Huang qi between heaven and earth, further stained with merit's power, and only after enduring countless ages can it be nurtured into existence.

Its function is also astonishing enough, enabling the possessor to be more in harmony with merit and easily obtain it.

At the same time, if this object is sacrificed in a great battle, it can also draw upon the merit within to attack opponents.

It can be said to combine offense and defense, with endless wonderful uses.

Although this object is not as famous as the God-Slaying Spear or the Chaos Pearl,

yet, being stained with the two words "merit," it is sufficient to show its extraordinariness.

If placed in the outside world, it would also be enough to cause countless great powers and titans to contend fiercely for it.

Especially for Chen Ku, who bears immeasurable merit, it comes at just the right time.

Chen Ku smiled again and collected all these Xuanhuang Merit Pearls.

By this point, Chen Ku was already heartily satisfied.

He turned his body and prepared to return to his Dao field to refine this just-gained harvest.

But just then, in the dark and vague, the great divine ability of Ziwei Dou Shu stirred again.

The mysterious Dao rhythm of avoiding misfortune and seeking fortune rose and fell, causing Chen Ku's body to pause momentarily.

He clearly sensed that it was a rather auspicious feeling.

"Could there still be some opportunity?!"

Chen Ku felt doubtful and uncertain, immediately began to look around, his divine sense also extending outward, carefully sensing.

A moment later, his eyes flickered slightly, locking onto a void before him.

Nothing else!

Under the scrutiny of his divine sense, Chen Ku only then discovered that this place actually concealed an invisible spatial secret realm?!

Moreover, resonating with the spatial laws, Chen Ku also sensed faint traces of Chaos aura.

This indicates that this secret realm is actually connected to Chaos.

Does the Western Heaven and Earth actually possess such fortune?

This is truly somewhat beyond Chen Ku's expectations.

He did not think further, immediately acting, breaking open the secret realm, and stepping into it in one stride.

And just as he entered, Chen Ku glanced around, unable to help but show a change of expression on his face.

"That... is... an innate supreme treasure?!"