Chapter 617: Changing Heaven and Earth (13)

Gulp.

The Fox-Faced Buddha's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, successfully swallowing the Dao Fruit.

The "Buddha" head melted the moment it entered his throat; there were no bones to prick him, for it was not a true head, but a special manifestation of the Western Desert Dao Fruit.

It had no taste, yet the power of the laws contained within it gave Ren Yidao the illusion of being light and ethereal, like an Immortal.

It felt as if he had already comprehended the Great Dao and was about to ascend in broad daylight, taking a single step to become an Immortal.

This was an illusion, but it was not merely an illusion.

With the blessing of the Western Desert Dao Fruit, he was truly qualified at this moment to take that step and become the first person in this world to achieve Ascension.

【Accept it.】

He seemed to hear a call from an unknown source in his ears, constantly bewitching him like a seductive melody.

【Become Him.】

This was not anyone secretly bewitching him or wishing him harm.

This was instinct.

It was Ren Yidao's most primal instinct as a living being to leap toward a higher plane.

From mortal to Immortal, from a life with limits to a life without end.

Chang Sheng!

Chang Sheng!!

Chang Sheng!!!

An extravagant hope that has trapped countless people and caused so many heaven-gifted heroes to bow down.

Moreover, this desire for Ascension is an instinct from the depths of the soul, one that ordinary people simply cannot restrain.

Not to mention ordinary people, even practitioners rarely manage to avoid this convention.

Ren Yidao is no exception.

He also desires Chang Sheng, desires to exist in the world forever.

To watch the clouds roll and unfurl at the horizon, to watch the vicissitudes of the world, to watch the changes of human affairs, to watch the stars shift and the Dipper turn.

However, this Chang Sheng is not all that Ren Yidao seeks.

He is very greedy.

Merely becoming an Immortal and then spending his life at a standstill is not his ideal or the future he deserves.

Having just this is not enough.

It is far from enough!

One person achieving Chang Sheng is not enough.

That would be too lonely, too desolate; he cannot bear it.

If he had not known about the Immeasurable Calamity before, he might have chosen to take this step.

But since he already knows, he has no other choice.

As long as Ren Yidao is unwilling to bow his head and accept his fate under this inexplicable end of the era, watching his own life and the lives of those he loves fade away, there is only one thing he must do.

He must survive this Immeasurable Calamity.

He must... become the Peerless One.

An Ascension Realm Great Perfection is not enough!

And it is precisely because of his greed that he understands the meaning of restraint even more.

If one does not endure small things, one will disrupt great plans.

"..."

Thus, under the unexpected gaze of the Demon Buddha, Ren Yidao's eyes gradually became clear; he successfully suppressed his instinct to ascend by sheer force of will.

The Demon Buddha looked at the Fox-Faced Buddha, and some thoughts that previously seemed unrealistic flashed through his mind.

Perhaps he really can create a miracle.

"Fellow Daoist, are you prepared?"

"... Naturally."

The Fox-Faced Buddha nodded slowly and then sat cross-legged; the Demon Buddha sat behind him, pressing one hand against his back to assist him in controlling and refining this Dao Fruit.

In this world, no one knows the structure of this body better than He does.

"... Hoo."

The premise of all of Ren Yidao's previous plans was that he could replace the position of Buddhism in the Western Desert Divine Continent.

This sounds simple, but to actually put it into practice is truly quite difficult.

Not to mention that Buddhism has been rooted in the Western Desert Divine Continent for a long time and cannot be easily usurped.

But with the help of the Demon Buddha, Ren Yidao's speed in refining this Dao Fruit accelerated greatly.

It took only a few breaths of time to reach ten percent.

And as Ren Yidao's mastery of this Dao Fruit deepened, changes gradually appeared between the heaven and earth of the Western Desert.

The laws of this heaven and earth were mixed with new Dao rules.

Ordinary mortals and practitioners with lower strength could not perceive it, but for cultivators of the Heaven Realm, this subtle change was already detectable.

The Heavenly Dao of the Western Desert has been polluted!

They were terrified, not yet knowing what had happened, not understanding why such a change would appear between heaven and earth, nor understanding what such a change meant for them.

Some demon monks who had fled from Spirit Mountain had some realization; they turned their heads and quietly looked at the figure sitting on the ground at this moment.

That fox-headed, human-bodied figure did not look tall, but in their eyes, there was a sense of standing between heaven and earth, as if He were sitting across the entire world, or even holding the world in His palm, crushing it piece by piece and sending it into His mouth.

He is devouring the Heavenly Dao of the Western Desert!

They were terrified, yet they had no plan of action, nor would they make any rash moves.

They did not want to die yet.

They could only stand in place, trembling with anxiety, watching that side with fearful eyes while waiting for the world to continue changing.

However, their wait would not last long, because this change was truly very fast.

After another few breaths, Ren Yidao gradually mastered the rhythm, becoming more adept at refining the Dao Fruit.

Thirty-five percent.

When Ren Yidao's refinement of the Dao Fruit exceeded one-third, the changes in the world became more obvious; at this moment, even cultivators of the Earth Realm were able to perceive them.

The world had changed.

Hindered by their limited knowledge, they did not know what exactly had happened, and could only kneel in place, filled with awe, instinctively looking up at the sky that was being continuously devoured.

The sky turned dark.

One-third of the sky had entered into night, the heavens devoid of stars, save for a single bright moon hidden behind dark clouds.

And that bright moon, in their eyes, now seemed to have turned into a cold eye, suddenly looking down from high above at the masses kneeling at its feet.

Without anyone needing to tell them, everyone understood in their hearts what that was.

A god.

That was the eye of a god.

And just as they thought, it was indeed Ren Yidao's eye; he had entered a unique state, seeming to have become a part of the Western Desert world, able to scan the world through the divine eye in the sky.

Under his gaze, all life had nowhere to hide; it was impossible to conceal anything.

Then, his eye moved slightly, focusing on a few directions, staring at the uninvited guests hiding there.

On the roof of a small temple, a young man knelt just like the other cultivators, looking at the sky with a shocked expression, appearing no different from an ordinary person.

But Ren Yidao could see that all of this young man's fear was merely on the surface; there was surprise in his eyes, but no dread, only deep thought and faint calculation.

This young man was not a local cultivator of the Western Desert, but an Immortal God who had already awakened!

Just as Ren Yidao was silently observing him, this young man seemed to finally notice something was wrong... the bright moon in the sky was staring at him!!!

Was he discovered!?

His expression changed abruptly, and he subconsciously wanted to flee from the spot, but he forcibly restrained himself halfway, braced himself to stand up, and sincerely bowed to the bright moon, apologizing: "Fellow Daoist, I have offended you; I shall leave at once."

"I wish you success in changing the world and successfully taking his place."

After saying this, he truly vanished from the spot just as he said he would, leaving behind no traces that could be tracked.

"..."

Ren Yidao did not stop him, tacitly allowing the other party to leave.

In fact, with the Demon Buddha acting as his protector, he actually did not mind the other party staying to observe; it was just that he himself was too cowardly.

I gave you a chance, but you couldn't seize it!

However, to that Immortal, having a madman who could cause such a commotion at this time staring at you was truly hair-raising.

The other party dared to even usurp the Heavenly Dao Fruit; he would definitely not blink an eye when taking action against others.

The Immortal's little interlude only distracted Ren Yidao slightly and did not affect the refinement of the Dao Fruit; the progress quickly exceeded half, reaching sixty-five percent.

Two-thirds of the Heavenly Law had been polluted by Ren Yidao's Dao principles!

By this moment, even the dullest mortals finally noticed the changes in the world.

In every corner of the Western Desert, in every temple, every Believer who was burning incense and praying to Buddha at this time noticed the change.

As the world darkened, in their terrified eyes, a crack emerged from the center of the thousands of Buddha statues in the Western Desert Divine Continent.

Those cracks spread rapidly from top to bottom, piercing through the entire body of the Buddha statues.

The Believers were terrified, thinking that their kneeling had caused the Buddha to send down punishment, and countless gasps and pleas for mercy rang out.

But soon, those sounds vanished as if their throats had been pinched.

Because that crack was not the end, but merely a beginning.

In the terrified eyes of countless people, the cracks burst open with a boom.

Crack, crack, crack...

Then, in the bewildered eyes of countless Believers, the original Buddha statues shattered like earthen shells, revealing the true appearance beneath.

It was not a straw skeleton, nor was it made of gold, silver, or copper, and certainly not the fleshly body of a Buddha.

Appearing beneath the Buddha statue was a fox-faced Daoist with eyes slightly open, wearing a Nishang Feather Garment and holding a horsetail whisk.

A fox?

Before the shock of the mortals could fade, segments of information surfaced in their minds.

Fox Immortal.

This statue is the statue of the Fox Immortal!

The Buddha was actually not a Buddha, but was originally transformed by the Fox Immortal to educate the masses of the Western Desert.

Furthermore, Buddhism is actually the Daoist school, but it was previously occupied by treacherous people, leading to constant evil, until today when it was finally set right by the Fox Immortal, ultimately returning to its original state and restoring its true appearance.

Such a scene and image, coupled with the knowledge constantly surfacing in their minds, was simply a miracle to the limited knowledge of the mortal Believers.

Yes!

It was not the Buddha changing his appearance, but rather more like he had finally revealed his true face.

It was not a replacement, but a return to the true self.

Only today do I know that I am me.