Chapter 382

All sounds fell silent.

On the altar, even the wind ceased.

The gazes of all living beings gathered on the blue-and-white face of the Golden-Winged Great Peng, watching how he would respond to this soul-piercing question.

But no one knew that Chen Ku's gaze had already swept past the Golden-Winged Great Peng before him, looking toward a more distant future, toward a vast and magnificent scroll.

It was a supreme vision of the Buddhist Dharma spreading across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, illuminating the myriad worlds.

And the starting point of all this was precisely the seemingly simple idea he had once proposed, which in truth overturned the very foundation of the entire Buddhist tradition—Mahayana Buddhism.

Mahayana means universal salvation.

No longer merely the self-preservation of Hinayana Buddhism, but to transmit the profound truths of Buddhism to every corner of the world, taking root in the hearts of countless beings.

What a grand vision this is.

But a vision remains a vision; to turn it into reality, especially in this primordial world, one cannot avoid a most fundamental law.

Strength.

Without absolute strength as a foundation, all ideals are merely castles in the air.

Without a formidable foundation as a backing, so-called preaching and teaching are nothing but the fantasies of fools, and may even invite catastrophe upon oneself.

Buddhism needs strength.

A strength sufficient to awe the petty, to level obstacles, and to make even heavenly gods and demons dare not act rashly.

Therefore, in Chen Ku's initial conception, the future of Buddhism was destined not to have only one path.

Compassion and majesty—neither can be lacking.

The division of labor among Buddhist disciples must also differ accordingly.

There must be beings like Maitreya, Mahasthamaprapta, and Kasyapa.

They deeply study Buddhist principles, their tongues like lotus flowers, able to dissolve stubborn stones and enlighten beings with supreme wisdom and compassionate hearts.

They are the sowers of the Buddhist Dharma, wandering preachers between heaven and earth.

Their battlefield lies in the human heart, between heaven and earth.

But equally, another group is needed.

They may not be eloquent, nor versed in profound Buddhist doctrines.

What they cultivate is pure power, the ultimate in slaughter.

They are the Dharma Protectors.

They are the sharpest sword and strongest shield of Buddhism.

Their existence is to clear all obstacles on the path of propagation, to suppress any demons and heretics daring to provoke Buddhism's majesty.

In other words, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, and all beings like him who cultivate the Nine Revolutions Mystic Technique, were from the beginning positioned by Chen Ku for this role.

They are the Vajras of Buddhism, the wrathful-eyed Wisdom Kings.

They are the silent shadow behind countless future propagators, capable of making every enemy tremble.

Thus, his earlier questioning of the Golden-Winged Great Peng—each word, each pause—was not impulsive, nor a shot in the dark.

It was planting a seed.

A seed concerning "positioning" and "duty."

Given time, when the light of the Buddhist Dharma begins to illuminate the myriad worlds, such a combination will become the norm in Buddhism.

One in front, reciting the true sutras, compassionate in heart, saving all beings.

One behind, wielding lethal weapons, decisive in slaughter, suppressing demons.

Propagator and Protector.

Light and shadow.

They complement each other, are inner and outer, advance and retreat together.

Only thus can this boundless Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, countless beings, truly bask in Buddhist light and hear the profound truths of Buddhism.

This is the complete Buddha.

This is the true Mahayana in Chen Ku's heart.

His words today, though seeming to rebuke the Golden-Winged Great Peng's ignorant bravery, are actually laying the first cornerstone for his future path.

Fearless and unafraid is the foundation of cultivating the Nine Revolutions Mystic Technique, and must never be abandoned.

But this courage needs to be bound, needs to be guided.

It needs an outlet for release, a goal worthy of spilling hot blood and life for.

Rather than degenerating into mere bravado in meaningless contention.

In short, what he wishes to teach the Golden-Winged Great Peng and others is how, upon the blade of fearlessness, to find that sliver called "measure" in its scabbard.

Of course, this profound intention, this layout spanning myriad ages—how many of the myriad beings present can truly comprehend it?

At this moment, their view of the world remains simple.

They only see the lofty Chen Ku and the embarrassed Golden-Winged Great Peng.

They only feel this is an interesting lesson, a strong one striking down the arrogant and unruly.

Thus, whispers of schadenfreude spread through the crowd, gazes of gloating projected unhidden onto the Golden-Winged Great Peng, like substantive thorns.

Bustling.

They are merely watching a spectacle.

Yet, amidst this noisy crowd of "onlookers," a few figures stand out as incongruous.

Maitreya, who always wore a gentle smile, now had his smile unknown when it began to retract.

His eyes slightly lowered, his chubby face actually revealed an unprecedented solemnity.

He seemed to have caught something—a light that split Chaos, faint but truly existent.

On the other side, Kong Xuan, his entire body entwined with five-colored divine light, also had a flicker of ripples in his eternally proud phoenix eyes.

The fivefold qi surrounding him momentarily fell into disarray.

He was pondering.

He repeatedly dissected and deduced every word and sentence Chen Ku spoke in his mind and spirit.

A vague yet immensely grand outline was slowly emerging in his mind.

It was a new order he had never imagined.

The two of them sank into deep contemplation, their expressions shifting, seeming to understand yet not quite.

As if peering through a thin veil, they glimpsed a brand-new heaven and earth.

That heaven and earth was far vaster and more complex than mere personal cultivation.

Meanwhile.

The lingering might of the Hongmeng Measuring Heaven Ruler still seemed to entwine the void, that suppressive aura making the surrounding air heavy to the point of suffocation.

Everyone's gaze was fixed tightly on the two figures at the center of the dao field.

One stood high on the cloud terrace, expression indifferent, like an unchanging ancient rock.

The other, golden feathers covering his body, stood tall and proud, yet could not conceal the flicker of fear from the depths of his soul in his brow.

Little Chen Ku ignored the crowd's reaction, his deep gaze piercing the void to fall upon the Golden-Winged Great Peng, and he asked again.

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly stirred ripples in the heart-lake of every living being.

"Suppose you went out to gather immortal herbs with Guanyin, only to be besieged by a group of Taiyi Golden Immortals."

The moment the words fell, the Golden-Winged Great Peng's body tensed imperceptibly.

Again, a questioning.

Again, a dilemma.

"How would you deal with it?!"

The final four words, like a great bell and lute, exploded with a thunderous boom!

Having just endured that painful "lesson from the past cart," this time, the Golden-Winged Great Peng almost instinctively cast all thought and deliberation to the back of his mind.

He dared not hesitate in the slightest.

"Then I would first protect Senior Sister Guanyin."

"And then, I would engage those Taiyi Golden Immortals in combat."

His voice was firm and resonant, fearing that if he answered even a moment too late, the invisible ruler hanging above his head would fall again.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng addressed Guanyin as "Senior Sister."

This title is not improper in the Buddhist gate.

The reason is simple.

As the Daoist Cihang once attained Buddhahood, he had long transcended concrete form and gender.

He is the embodiment of compassion, the condensation of Buddhist principles.

Thus, in daily life before the crowd, he commonly appears as a compassionate and solemn goddess, hence this "Senior Sister," which carries a sense of closeness and respect.

As the words fell, the entire dao field fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng's heart pounded wildly; he forced himself to calm as he looked toward Little Chen Ku on the cloud terrace, his golden pupils filled with apprehension and unease, as if awaiting final judgment.

Fortunately.

The anticipated soul-rending pain did not descend.

Little Chen Ku did not again directly strike down the Hongmeng Measuring Heaven Ruler.

He gave a slight nod.

The nod was so minute that without close attention, it was nearly imperceptible.

Yet this tiny motion caused the Golden-Winged Great Peng's taut mind and spirit to suddenly relax, nearly making him faint.

However, this nod was not an endorsement.

"When enemies appear in force, or the opponent forms a battle array, the situation is set, and their hidden cards cannot be ascertained."

Little Chen Ku's indifferent voice rang out again, beginning to unravel the crux thread by thread.

"Therefore, when facing many with few, one should first retreat, then seek other options, not engage head-on."

He thus instructed.

The meaning in his words made the Golden-Winged Great Peng, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, tense his heart once more.

Little Chen Ku's earlier nod merely acknowledged that the Golden-Winged Great Peng, in crisis, had first considered his "teammate."

This is for "righteousness."

But to recklessly engage in battle when outnumbered is ultimately not wise.

That is "folly."

After a pause, Little Chen Ku's gaze grew even deeper; he gave the Golden-Winged Great Peng no chance to speak again, and continued summarizing:

"I let you be brave and fearless, forward without hesitation."

"But even boldness needs to weigh the timing and circumstances, not be mere rash courage."

Still, the Golden-Winged Great Peng seemed to half-understand, half-not.

His mind was in a state of Chaos.

Brave and fearless, forward without hesitation.

Weigh the timing and circumstances, do not engage head-on.

These two sound like two utterly opposed paths.

When exactly should one be brave, and when should one retreat?

Where exactly does the limit lie?

Chen Ku's explanation had already completely shattered the Great Golden-winged Peng's originally clear and direct Demon Race mindset.

He only felt a thick fog before his eyes, unable to see the path ahead.

"This..."

The Great Golden-winged Peng's Adam's apple rolled, and he finally gritted his teeth, enduring the invisible pressure as he continued to ask.

"Please, Master, give us clear guidance!"

He bowed deeply, his posture extremely low.

This time, little Chen Ku's face showed no sign of anger.

To be able to sincerely ask in confusion, rather than stubbornly persist, is itself a kind of progress.

He naturally would not dampen the Great Golden-winged Peng's zeal for the Dao.

"Hehe, for you, the path of cultivation requires contention!"

A soft laugh, like spring wind turning to rain, quietly eased the tense atmosphere on the training ground.

"Contend for spiritual treasures, contend for opportunities; when necessary, strike decisively, without mercy."

"But before that, you must weigh in your own heart whether it is a winnable situation or a certain-death situation."

Little Chen Ku extended a finger, lightly tapping in the air.

This tap seemed to land on the Great Golden-winged Peng's heart, shaking his soul.

"If it is the latter, rashly charging forward is nothing but courting death."

"In short, cultivators should contend, but must also take their own safety as the primary consideration."

"If it endangers oneself, then no matter how great the temptation, one must decisively abandon it."

This time, the words were spoken with utter thoroughness.

The layer upon layer of fog was finally torn apart by a single ray of light.

In the Great Golden-winged Peng's eyes, first came bewilderment, then contemplation, and finally it transformed into a vast expanse of sudden enlightenment and clarity!

Contention is, under the premise of ensuring one's own safety, to seize that sliver of life and possibility.

Rashness is, after weighing the pros and cons, to launch a decisive strike on a winnable situation.

Steadiness is, when facing a certain-death situation, to wisely retreat to preserve oneself.

These three are not contradictory, but complementary, forming a triune whole!

He finally understood.

The Great Golden-winged Peng, his face full of reverence and sincerity, performed a full prostration before the figure on the Yun Terrace.

"Thank you, Master, for your teachings!"

This bow was made with genuine heartfelt conviction.

To the side, the Dragon Tree Bodhisattva, who had remained silent all along, slowly opened his eyes, his gaze showing admiration, and he nodded secretly.

And that endearing iron-eating beast also stopped its gnawing on the spiritual bamboo, lost in thought.

All beings present deeply agreed.

They could now appreciate a bit of the sincere intentions in little Chen Ku's words.

In short, this unfathomable senior was still considering their safety.

This teaching, everyone naturally kept in mind, daring not to forget even a bit.

Thus, this lesson also came to an end.

"Alright, you may now disperse and reflect on today's lecture."

"Tomorrow, the lessons will continue..."

Little Chen Ku casually waved his hand, his figure on the Yun Terrace gradually fading, as if he had never appeared.

The invisible pressure that had enveloped the entire training ground also dissipated with it.

Only then did the people let out a long sigh, each rising and departing.

But they did not go far; instead, they gathered in small groups, whispering and discussing, their voices rising and falling, breaking the tranquility of the training ground.

"This... fellow apprentices, have you truly grasped the deep meaning of Senior Chen Ku's teachings?!"

A disciple lowered his voice, his face full of confusion.

"Mm... I really don't understand, I simply can't figure it out!"

Another person shook his head with a worried, bitter expression.

"What Senior Chen Ku taught today is completely different from what he taught before."

"Exactly, exactly, just a few days ago, the Master still taught us to consider everything carefully, to act only after planning, and to engrave the steady path in our hearts."

"Who would have thought that today, Senior Chen Ku would actually teach Senior Great Golden-winged Peng brother that so-called essence of contention and rashness?!"

"Could it be that Great Golden-winged Peng is different from us, with a different nature, which is why he received such a completely different experience?!"

Ordinary beings discussed this seven ways and eight ways, clicking their tongues in disbelief, unable to comprehend after much thought.

On another side.

The air currents at the foot of Mount Sumeru still seemed to retain a few traces of scorching heat, the residual might left from the previous lesson.

Guanyin, Kasyapa, and the Great Golden-winged Peng who had just escaped the sea of suffering had already gathered in one place.

The air was filled with a strange tranquility after the calamity.

"Junior Great Golden-winged Peng, you have indeed been put through a tough time today."

Guanyin held her pure vase in her hand, the corner of her mouth lifting into a warm arc, yet her eyes hid a hint of mischief.

Among fellow disciples, they were already familiar; this bit of teasing was no harm.

The Great Golden-winged Peng's proud head was now drooping, he raised a pair of palms, still glowing with a glaring red, as if scorched by the true fire in the elixir furnace, with threads of burning pain still spreading deep into his soul.

He let out a sigh mixed with helplessness and gloom.

"Clearly it's the same question, yet why do we receive such utterly different answers?"

"This... is truly baffling."

His voice carried a hint of grievance, but more so a deep confusion.

As soon as he finished speaking, the hulking Iron-Eating Beast beside him eagerly shuffled over, its fan-like ears twitching.

"Yeah, yeah!"

Its voice was muffled and resonant, yet carried a childlike innocence.

"Just as Senior Chen Ku imparted the Dharma, teaching you, Senior Guanyin, is to be steadfast as mountains, advancing step by step."

"But for us, it seems he wishes us to instantly become brutes, smashing through the Southern Heaven Gate with a single charge."

"Honored senior brothers and sisters, what on earth is this all about?!"

The Iron-Eating Beast blinked its distinct black-and-white eyes, gazing purely at Guanyin and Kasyapa, its expression genuinely bewildered.

This question, like a boulder thrown into a lake, stirred up thousand-layer waves in everyone's hearts.

Why?

This is not only the Iron-Eating Beast's doubt, but the shared question of every living being here, every disciple who just endured that so-called "interrogation" lesson.

Everyone wants to know the answer.

But that is the thought of a Chaos Golden Immortal.

Like drifting clouds above the nine heavens, ever-changing and unfathomable, like undercurrents beneath the deep abyss, impossible to grasp.

They cannot fathom it, and even the qualification to probe it seems so meager.

For a moment, no one spoke, only the rustling of monk robes in the mountain wind.

After a long while.

Kasyapa, who had remained silent with a solemn visage, suddenly shot forth a glint of sharp light from his ancient, still-water eyes.

His solemn expression lifted, as if parting layers of mist to glimpse a sliver of sky.

"Mmm..."

His low voice broke the silence, drawing everyone's attention.

"Honored junior brothers and sisters, have you ever considered."

"Where, exactly, does our most fundamental difference lie?"

Kasyapa's words were not heavy, yet each character was crystal clear, striking straight at the heart of the matter.

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts and minds trembled.

It was as if a lightning bolt had split through the tangled thoughts of chaos.

Exactly!

Senior Chen Ku's little requests vary from person to person, so naturally the answers do too.

Then the root of the problem lies not in the problem itself, but in "people"!

What essential difference truly exists between these few groups of us?

Everyone stared at each other, gazes flowing across one another, thoughts racing.

Suddenly, Guanyin lowered her eyelids slightly, then lifted them, her eyes flowing with pure light, a sheet of clarity.

"If we speak of difference..."

Her voice was clear and resonant, carrying a sense of sudden realization.

"Perhaps, the 'Dao' we cultivate is precisely the greatest difference."

This sentence was like a key, precisely inserted into the keyhole of that lock named "confusion."

Facing everyone's still somewhat bewildered gazes, Guanyin did not pause, continuing her analysis:

"I, along with Kasyapa Junior Brother and Maitreya Senior Brother, cultivate the Diamond Prajna Buddhist Dharma, emphasizing the dual cultivation of concentration and wisdom, with a mind like diamond—unshatterable, yet unmoving like a mountain."

"Therefore, in yesterday's lesson, Senior Chen Ku's requirement for us was 'steadfastness' as paramount, guarding against arrogance and impatience."

She paused, her gaze turning toward the Great Roc and the Iron-Eating Beast.

"While Great Roc Junior Brother, you cultivate the Nine Turns Mystic Technique, achieving sainthood through the flesh, battling heaven and earth—this is inherently a path of proving the Dao through strength."

"Iron-Eating Beast Junior Brother, moreover, is an ancient rare species, born with divine power, not versed in Buddhist Dharma or profound principles."

"For you, Senior Chen Ku's requirement is simply a 'brute' character!"

"With the purest strength, to shatter all falsehood—this may well be the most suitable Dao for you!"

These words, like morning and evening bells, resounded heavily in everyone's hearts.

Understood!

Fully understood!

What Guanyin said, not a word amiss!

Every answer to every question is not randomly given, but precisely tailored to each one's fundamental great Dharma, corresponding to the path they must walk ahead.

This is not making things difficult.

This is true great wisdom, great compassion!

Teaching according to individual aptitude!

In an instant, everyone looked at each other again, the previous confusion and resentment gone from their eyes, replaced by deep shock and reverence.

Originally, they were so far from that senior's realm.

So far that even the senior's guidance required painstaking contemplation to grasp even a hint of true meaning.

At last... a clue has been found.

Just as everyone's hearts surged with emotion, feeling a hint of joy at their discovery.

The figure that had already vanished spoke again without warning.

The voice did not come from any direction, but rang directly in the depths of every person's soul and spirit, vast, indifferent, without a trace of emotion.

"Tomorrow's lesson."

Just four words made the atmosphere that had just relaxed instantly tense again.

"Earth Store, Maitreya, Great Power, the three of you, come receive instruction!"

The words were like heavenly thunder from the nine heavens, rolling down, clearly echoing throughout all of Mount Sumeru.

At the foot of the mountain, in the valleys, all Buddhist disciples who heard these words instantly burst into an uncontrollable clamor.

Earth Store!

Maitreya!

Great Power!

Good fellows!

Senior Brother Chen Ku, this is a direct call-out!

And with a lesson preview?!

Immediately afterward, everyone's expressions became incredibly wonderful, that complex emotion almost overflowing from their faces.

You must know, in today's Buddhism, if we talk about the new generation of disciples, these three are undoubtedly the peak!

Earth Store's vast vow is boundless, guarding the Netherworld.

Maitreya's smiling mouth is always open, the future Buddha.

Great Power's divine might is vast, illuminating the great thousand worlds.

Any one of them is enough to suppress an era, a peerless heaven's pride.

Now, these three most supreme beings will simultaneously receive instruction.

No need to think much, that scene will inevitably be even more shocking and heart-stirring than today, even more... tragic.

Tomorrow, what kind of spectacle will it be?!

In the crowd, many disciples showed pure gloating expressions on their faces, even with a bit of schadenfreude.

And many more people, after confirming that tomorrow would not fall to themselves, secretly and longly exhaled a turbid breath.

That sense of relief was truly real.

However, the expressions on the faces of Maitreya and Great Power in the crowd completely solidified at this moment.

Maitreya's signature smile, which seemed like it would never disappear, faded from his face for the first time, leaving only an unprecedented solemnity.

The invisible, mighty aura surrounding Great Power also showed a barely perceptible disturbance at this moment.

Panic, unease, and a tremor from facing an unknown great terror.

Two utterly different emotions frenziedly intertwined in his heart.

Soon.

Deep in Mount Sumeru, inside a meditation chamber, the light was dim, only a single green lamp in the center, its bean-sized flame flickering silently.

The air was oppressive, as if solidified lead.

Maitreya and Great Power sat facing each other, the tea on the stone table between them long cold.

After a long silence, Great Power's Adam's apple rolled, and he difficultly exhaled a turbid breath, trying to break this suffocating atmosphere.

"It seems that Senior Brother Chen Ku's lesson is also distinguishing our respective paths."

His voice carried a hint of forced calm.

"Even for the same question, there will be two completely different, even entirely opposite answers."

He seemed to be persuading Maitreya, more like persuading himself, trying to find a straw to cling to from that bottomless fear.

"Hehe, I am naturally the type who seeks stability; I think as long as I answer according to the stable path, I won't make a mistake."

When Great Power said this, his tense back seemed to relax a bit, and a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes.

He had found the fulcrum of logic.

Guanyin and others had already revealed the mystery behind this lesson through their own experiences.

Senior Brother Chen Ku is not seeking a standard answer, but probing each person's original heart, ascertaining the path they walk.

This discovery let his heart, which had sunk to the valley bottom, float up a little.

This is more like a method of self-consolation, used to resist the inevitable storm of the Dao heart tomorrow.

It must be said, Great Power's analysis of his own position is quite precise.

He cultivates the Buddhist Dharma, widely spreads the teachings, saves all beings; he is a propagator of the Dharma, not a protector of the Dharma who defends it through slaughter.

However, facing Maitreya, the signature smile on his face had long disappeared.

His facial skin was taut, his eyes gloomy, as if covered by an unremovable shadow.

"Do not be careless!"

Maitreya's voice was soft, yet like two cold iron nails, instantly piercing the confidence wall Great Power had just built.

"Senior Brother Chen Ku does not speak; what is stability, what is rashness, we must not rashly conclude."

These words are not baseless.

The two of them are disciples transmitted by the Holy Person Zhunti, the most elite direct disciples of Buddhism.

Their Buddhist cultivation penetrates heaven and earth, their divine powers and marvelous methods are endless.

If we talk about combat power, even the formidable Golden-Winged Great Peng, or even Kong Xuan, son of the Fenghuang, facing them, the outcome is only fifty-fifty.

With such strength, to suppress myriad ages and uphold Buddhism, calling them "stable" is entirely justified.

But looked at the other way, this earth-shaking power itself is an extreme form of "rashness".

A single thought can awaken the Buddha, a single thought can also destroy the world.

The line between steady and reckless, at their level, has long become blurred.

Moreover...

Maitreya's gaze suddenly became immeasurably profound, as if a galaxy flowed in the depths of his pupils, then returned to extinction.

He spoke each word with a pause, his tone deep and secluded, like a cold wind blowing from the Nine Nether Hells.

"How can you be certain that in Senior Brother Chen Ku's heart, there are only two answers?"

Mahasthamaprapta's breath hitched violently.

"What if..."

"... there is also a third possibility?!"

The last few words, like a thunderclap exploding on the lake of his heart.

"Boom!"

The confidence Mahasthamaprapta had just built was instantly crushed to powder by this irresistible immense force.

The color drained from his face, his lips twitched slightly, but he could make no sound.

"This..."

After a long while, he squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably twitching violently.

"Senior Brother Chen Ku... wouldn't be this perverted, would he?!"

Though he revered that senior brother to the bone, Mahasthamaprapta couldn't help but burst out with a curse.

Ni Ma!

One question, two answers, one yin one yang, one positive one negative—this is already the supreme truth of the Great Dao, enough to make the Dao-heart of a quasi-sage-level powerhouse waver.

What if a third, utterly different answer were to arise out of nowhere?

What would that be?

Neither yin nor yang? Also positive and also negative?

How could one even play then?!

That wouldn't be a trial, it would be a dead end!

For a moment, Maitreya's earth-shattering supposition turned into an immeasurably heavy shackle, locking the two of them firmly in place.

They glanced at each other, each seeing in the other's pupils the same bitterness and apprehension as their own.

No more words.

Only waiting.

The sun rises and the moon sets, fleeting in an instant.

When the third thread of dawn pierced the mist atop Mount Sumeru, gilding this Buddha-land pure land with new golden radiance, a new day had already arrived.

Today's lesson began accordingly.

The place of instruction was already thronging with heads, countless figures gathered, yet strangely maintaining an ultimate tranquility.

The air was suffused with a faint sandalwood scent, mingled with an invisible pressure that made the mind tense.

Unlike the fear and unease of the previous two days, today, every Buddhist sentient being gathered here had pupils deep within that throbbed with an irrepressible flame.

This was pure, unadulterated anticipation.

For today, they were no longer recipients of instruction, but witnesses.

Witnessing a Buddhist gathering so magnificent it is rarely seen in myriad ages.

Above the high heavens, the void seemed like a piece of glazed ware distorted by an invisible force.

A figure sat cross-legged at that distorted center, appearing to be merely a child with topknots, youthful brows and eyes, skin lustrous.

Yet merely sitting there silently, he caused light to bend and laws to retreat.

That vast, boundless pressure emanated from his small frame, heavy and ancient, pressing down so that even Mount Sumeru seemed to have shrunk by a third.

He is the senior brother of this Buddhist sect, Chen Ku.

A living Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal of the Great Luo.

Below him, in the foremost seats, two figures likewise drew attention.

On the left, one person, kind-faced, rotund, perpetually bearing a three-part smile, exactly Maitreya.

On the right, one person, with solemn countenance, upright bearing, immovable as a mountain, namely Mahasthamaprapta.

In the Buddhist sect, aside from the senior brother Ksitigarbha who long guards the underworld, these two are the most outstanding existences among the disciples.

Yet at this moment, these two renowned top-tier powerhouses were utterly devoid of their usual composure and bearing.

They held their waists and backs ramrod straight, hands resting flat on their knees, eyes gazing straight ahead, utterly motionless.

The tense muscle lines were faintly visible through the outlines of their monk's robes.

The smile on Maitreya's face was somewhat stiff, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

Mahasthamaprapta, meanwhile, had a face as still as water, with faint blue veins throbbing at his temples.

Their posture was not that of listening to the supreme Dao, but rather like awaiting a judgment that would decide life and death.

Gazing at the appearance of these two senior brothers, the many Buddhist disciples behind them all observed their noses, observed their hearts from their noses, yet their shoulders twitched slightly.

Some had the corners of their mouths wildly turned up, yet they deathly pressed their lips together, holding it in until their faces were flushed red.

Indeed.

Receiving instruction—no matter how high one's cultivation, how profound one's Dao, when it falls upon oneself, that taste, whoever tries it knows.

Even as mighty as Maitreya and Mahasthamaprapta, they cannot escape this tribulation.

This subtle atmosphere, tinged with a hint of schadenfreude, did not last long.

Soon, everyone's gaze, as if pulled by an invisible great hand, swept uniformly over the crowd and turned toward the vast expanse beyond Mount Sumeru.

There, nothing existed.

But everyone knew.

One person was still absent.

Among the four top disciples of the Buddhist sect, one seat remained vacant.

Time flowed slowly in the extreme silence and anticipation.

With each passing breath, the anticipation grew heavier, almost becoming tangible.

At a certain moment!

Without any omen, the azure heavens above the nine heavens trembled violently.

A beam of immortal light, grand to the extreme, tore through the sea of clouds, pierced the void, and descended fiercely from the boundless heights!

That light was not golden, nor was it Buddhist light, but a deep, compassionate silver-white, yet carrying endless desolation.

The light pillar pierced heaven and earth, its radiance instantly covering the vast territory of millions of li below Mount Sumeru, dyeing everything with a solemn and solemn hue.

Within the light pillar, a figure emerged from the void into substance, gradually condensing into form.

His stature was towering, his aura like an abyss and a prison, unfathomable; upon his appearance, a unique aura blending the stillness of rebirth and death with boundless vows swept across the entire assembly.

The one who came was none other than Ksitigarbha!

He had previously returned to the Netherworld's underworld, using supreme power to oversee the six paths of rebirth, guiding the countless souls that had accumulated over countless ages.

Now that the order of the underworld had been restored and the cycle of rebirth ran smoothly without obstruction, he could temporarily withdraw and return to the Buddhist sect.

Merely this ability to come and go freely was enough to demonstrate Ksitigarbha's terrifying stature.

In the realm of the Netherworld Sea of Blood, he needed not constantly suppress it; his prestige and Dao resonance alone were already supreme divine might.

Ksitigarbha's figure stepped out of the light pillar.

This step seemed to cross the distance of time and space.

In the previous instant he was still above the nine heavens; the next step, he had silently descended upon the teaching ground at the summit of Mount Sumeru.

He stood before the crowd, facing the small figure in the void, adjusted his monk's robes, and bowed in salute.

"Ksitigarbha pays respects to Senior Brother Chen Ku!"

His voice rang out.

Not like thunder's roar, yet it contained a power capable of suppressing the universe.

Each word seemed to stir the resonance of the Great Dao; sound waves rolled and spread throughout the entire Buddhist world, shaking countless disciples' souls and making their hearts surge.

This salute was like a massive stone thrown into a calm lake.

Boom!

The entire Mount Sumeru exploded into chaos.

The long-suppressed anticipation and excitement detonated completely at this moment.

Within the Buddhist sect, an uproar arose; all disciples were utterly in an uproar!