Chapter 974

Beyond the fireworks of the mortal world, purple-black thunderballs instantly engulfed the sky, each containing a uniquely shaped demonic figure. Each thunderball was as massive as a mountain, and the heavenly tribulations of this realm vanished completely, leaving only a torrential downpour.

The Duke of Zhong suddenly let out a loud cry, purple-black blood spurting from all seven orifices, his breath faint as a thread; his heart-phase world collapsed in vast stretches, countless stone mountains plummeting into the void, torn apart by demonic outsiders.

The other duke, whose realm was one level higher, had a Great Marsh world far more resilient than stone mountains; he spat out a large mouthful of black blood but still had enough strength to move, grabbed the Duke of Zhong, and turned to flee!

But he knew clearly: the Duke of Zhong’s heart-phase world was shattered—his Dao path was finished. Even if his life were saved, he could at best restore his Dharma Form; this lifetime, he would never again hope to attain the Jing.

Wei Yuan finished writing this line at lightning speed, and in an instant his heart was filled with radiant clarity—he had gained true insight into his own Dao path.

In the Pure Land’s Celestial Realm, a beam of light suddenly descended from nothingness, illuminating the small temple.

Dust fell Susu from the temple, as if washing away years of accumulated grime; everywhere began to radiate new vitality. The ancient, weathered lotus seat slowly healed its cracks, and the tips of the lotus petals began to glow with warm golden Buddha light.

The green lamp before the Buddha burned steadily, emitting a faint halo, as if beginning to illuminate all realms in every direction; the lotus lamp stepped back several paces, its expression complex—part sorrow, part joy.

Only the young monk Honglian had grown slightly taller, his eyes now far clearer. As if suddenly understanding something, he walked to the front of the temple, a wooden spade appearing in his hand, and began digging at the newly expanded area, determined to excavate a lotus pond.

At this moment, the fireworks of the mortal world had absorbed several demonic thunderbolts and, overwhelmed, began to tremble. Though Wei Yuan still had countless words left to write, he had no choice but to close his book and put down his brush. Fortunately, the core scriptural essence was already complete; everything that followed would merely expand upon it.

After he stopped writing, the heavenly thunderbolts in the air weakened and vanished at a visible rate.

Wei Yuan stood in midair, watching the Great Marsh and Stone Mountain worlds rapidly fade, a cold smile touching his lips; he pointed a finger and commanded: “Stop!”

The rate at which the two heart-phase worlds receded abruptly slowed—but the Great Marsh, far heavier and akin in nature to the fireworks of the mortal world, detonated a portion of itself and successfully broke free. The Stone Mountain world, however, was severely damaged and firmly anchored, powerless to escape.

No longer needing to hide, Wei Yuan immediately exerted full force to draw the Stone Mountain world toward the shadow on the moon. The three-eyed bird-headed figure appeared, casting a approving glance at Wei Yuan.

Receiving the three-eyed bird-headed figure’s praise, Wei Yuan felt profound ease, every pore rejoicing. In that moment, Wei Yuan realized his spiritual cultivation was still lacking—he had been too unrestrained in his joy.

The figure of the Duke of Zhong emerged from within the Stone Mountain world. Upon seeing the three-eyed bird-headed figure, he froze in shock, then seemed to recall something, suddenly overcome with terror; his two eyes split apart—one fixed on the three-eyed bird-headed figure, the other on Wei Yuan—then his face split open a third mouth, shrieking: “It’s you! It was you all along! You’re the one who destroyed…!”

Before he could finish speaking, the three-eyed bird-headed figure opened its mouth and, like a whale drinking water, instantly swallowed the entire Stone Mountain world!

Wei Yuan stared, dumbfounded—such a vast heart-phase world, just swallowed in one gulp?

Having devoured more than half a heart-phase world, the three-eyed bird-headed figure showed signs of weariness, retreating into the moon’s shadow and falling asleep. Wei Yuan waited a long time, but no celestial fortune arrived.

That’s it? Wei Yuan felt unwilling, yet had no recourse. It seemed one heart-phase world was just enough to settle the debt—no reward was to be expected.

As Wei Yuan prepared to leave, a bird’s egg suddenly rolled out from the full moon, crashing against his head with a loud bang—nearly knocking him unconscious!

Ignoring the pain, Wei Yuan frantically caught the egg, terrified it might shatter. But the egg was unexpectedly heavy—thousands upon ten thousand times heavier than Jade Mountain. He could not hold it; it dragged him down like a falling star, smashing straight into the ground and carving out a massive crater.

Dizzy and blurred-eyed, Wei Yuan shook his head hard until his vision cleared, then saw a pair of bare toes before him. He looked up along the toes—and saw Yin Yang. She leaned down slightly, studying Wei Yuan as he lay sprawled from the heavens.