Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 441 Gluttony, Devouring Buddha-nature

I was still savoring the scenes I had just witnessed.

Ji Jingqiu was deeply shocked.

He couldn't even see what was happening, and could only guess that the second person to strike, who cut down Tianzang with a blade of light, must have been Master He.

As he gazed at the vast starry sky, he suddenly felt that the once safe universe was not so safe after all, and that there were deadly hidden dangers and risks!
A transcendent being descended, only to be ambushed and forcibly expelled from this starry sky. If word got out, it would shake countless realms...

After Ji Jingqiu came to his senses, he witnessed several Heavenly Lords, including Fu Dao, being instantly killed.

Previously, the one who was forcibly expelled from the Netherworld was not even taken care of by Fu Dao.

Before Senior Qinglian, these Heavenly Lords had no way to escape. Even though they had fled to the depths of space, they were still captured by Senior Qinglian in the blink of an eye and thrown into the sealed land.

Ji Jingqiu couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

As expected of Old Deng, he said earlier that he wouldn't make a move unless the other party voluntarily entered the sealed land.

Furthermore, theoretically, Celestial Venerables and True Saints are in the same realm but different ranks, but the difference between them is as vast as the difference between heaven and earth.

The Heavenly Lord, who could rival the Heavenly Venerable, was completely powerless against the True Saint; they were not even in the same league.

Ji Jingqiu gazed at the vast, shattered, and collapsed starry sky ahead, his heart heavy, and he gained a completely new understanding of those who had transcended.

"Senior Qinglian, is there a problem with the River of Fate in the Netherworld?" Ji Jingqiu asked to confirm.

Qinglian pondered for a moment and said:
"You should hone your skills first. Once you've reached the Heavenly Lord level, then you can consider the issues of the Heavenly Venerable and the River of Destiny. Before that, even if the River of Destiny has problems, it won't be able to cause you any trouble."

"When you are promoted to Celestial Venerable in the future, I suggest you leave the Netherworld and go beyond it to broaden your horizons."

Ji Jingqiu nodded; he had the same idea.

Qinglian glanced at Ji Jingqiu, said nothing, but sighed softly in her heart.

The Netherworld is beset by internal and external troubles. Even he is not optimistic about its future. If Ji Jingqiu leaves the Netherworld to hone his skills outside the realm, it would be a good choice and might even help him avoid disaster.

It's not too late for this kid to come back once he reaches the True Saint level and has the qualifications to influence the course of the battle.

Furthermore, there's the situation in Youhai. In his calculations, Ji Jingqiu's departure might also cause Youhai to make a move...

“I have temporarily suppressed those juniors. If you want to deal with them, you will have to do it yourself. Consider it a chance to hone your skills.”

Qinglian explained,
"When you have some free time, go find Ji Anquan. He has something he needs you to handle, and I can't get away from here."

Ji Jingqiu agreed and turned to receive and settle Qi Tian and Kong Xiao.

……

……

The edge of the Netherworld.

This area was desolate and lifeless, devoid of any light source. A faint light shone through a narrow crack, as if someone outside the boundary was slashing down with a knife, attempting to break in.

However, with the reaction of the saints of the Netherworld, the invasion came to an abrupt halt, turning into a standoff.

The Holy King descended in his true form, his eyes opening and closing, as unfathomable as the starry sky, exuding an indescribable aura in his calm demeanor. He stood alone at the forefront, hands behind his back, gazing calmly at the world beyond.

The saints from beyond the realm wore solemn expressions. Even though some of them held supreme positions, they were still terrified by the power of this Saint King.

Although I had heard of him before, the stronger the person, the more they could see through his true strengths and weaknesses after actually facing him.

This person, the leader of the five pillars of the Netherworld, is no longer a simple True Saint!
A terrifying figure suddenly appeared, enormous and boundless, and was forcibly expelled from the vast universe, landing in the membrane separating the Netherworld and the Sea of ​​Boundaries.

The Saints of the Netherworld, who were arguing with the Saints from beyond the boundary just a moment ago, took action without hesitation under the leadership of the Saint King, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

A giant hand spanned the boundless expanse of time and space, covering the entire starry sky, as if a universe were pressing down. Boundless divine light erupted from the palm, and with a sweep of the divine light, all things were annihilated.

The immense purifying power surging within seemed to cleanse everything that did not belong to this world!

At this moment, all the saints outside the realm were stunned. Before they could figure it out, they saw that the figure that suddenly appeared was smashed in half by the combined efforts of the Saint King and the saints!
The figure went from clear to blurry, its Daoist aura mostly obliterated, and there were cracking sounds from its bones, as if it had been broken into countless pieces.

In the blink of an eye, this person's Dao body was shattered, scattered into endless starry sky debris, splattered with blood stained with transcendent aura, within which the Dao of birth and death evolved, and was completely absorbed by a True Saint of the Netherworld.

The Holy King did not stop. The Heavenly Divine Light evolved into the Six Paths of Divine Light, imprisoning heaven and earth and locking the opponent's primordial spirit like a cage, preventing him from escaping.

In the blink of an eye, the saints from beyond the boundary finally came to their senses and observed the battlefield.

The blurry figure emanated wisps of supreme power, leaving the assembled True Saints from beyond the realm filled with astonishment and uncertainty. This was…

Transcending the duality?

The old man from the Great Thousand Paths Sect suddenly changed his expression, recognizing that this was his own sect leader.

He immediately lost his temper and roared, "Stop!"

This person spared no expense to help their own leader.

The surrounding saints hesitated for a moment, and some of them joined in to cover the sect leader of the Great Thousand Temple as he broke free from his restraints.

A True Saint provided support from the side, attempting to intercept the Holy King's attack, but was directly swept away by a divine light that spanned the past, present, and future. A chilling sound of the world collapsing and disintegrating emanated from within his body.

This scene was shocking; an ancient saint couldn't even last a single round against this person!

With the combined efforts of all the saints beyond the boundary, the magnificent primordial spirit, bound by the six shackles of heavenly divine light, finally withdrew from the territory of the Netherworld and returned to the area belonging to the Boundary Sea. Its originally precarious and dying aura was immediately replenished, and it communicated with its main body, which was far away in the Great Thousand Temple.

now.

The Dao body that Tianzang had briefly condensed was reduced to a mere remnant, with drops of blood continuously falling into the void, undergoing endless cycles of birth and death, and then disappearing again.

The repeated attacks and hunts fueled a long-standing rage in the heart of this high-ranking official.

As the power of Dao, which had been rolling in from afar and traversing the vast void, surged in, the enormous and boundless figure reappeared in the Boundary Sea.

In an instant, the wind and clouds churned, and the majestic Daoist aura swept across the boundary sea like a whirlwind, impacting the boundary barrier of the Netherworld.

The saints from beyond the boundary looked solemn. Were they about to start a war between the realms?

The mere presence of Tianzang, who had re-manifested his complete Dao body, brought an unimaginable sense of oppression to the Netherworld.

Anger surged within him like waves, yet he merely gazed calmly at this enigmatic realm.

The Holy King stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze calm as he sized up the other party.

In his view, the other party's physical body was merely a facade; an ordinary supreme saint might be wary of it, but he didn't care.

I have heard that if one leaves the realm of the Dao Integration Realm, one's rank and power will be reduced by half a level, from an inviolable level of transcendence to a half-step transcendence.

Now it seems the rumors were true.

Having suffered such a great humiliation today, this person still hasn't shown his true form, but has only manifested a Daoist body once again. Is he trying to scare them?
The Holy King said calmly, "The Netherworld does not welcome uninvited guests. If you have nothing else to say, we will not see you off."

None of the saints outside the realm answered. Some looked towards the [Great Thousand Observatory] and found that the one there seemed to be pondering and hesitating, still making no move.

Chongxiao arrived at the sect leader's side and angrily transmitted his voice:

"Sect Leader, should we inform the sages of our sect that our Great Thousand Sect has been secluded for a long time, yet in this life we ​​have suffered several humiliations, and the world has forgotten our reputation!"

Tianzang did not answer; he was meticulously unraveling the mystery, trying to find the "figure" of the person behind the recent attack and hunt.

He had made four moves, both overt and covert, but due to the incompleteness of his clones and the suppression of the will of heaven, he was unable to determine how many people had made the moves.

The only thing he could confirm was that the source of the flashing blade was clearly distinct from the others behind the scenes, obviously not one of them.

Those who make the move, even if they are not truly transcendent, are not far off, and some may even be the rumored ones who have lowered their status...

This reminded Tianzang of some ancient and distant legends.

Yet another ancient source of the Great Dao...

A mysterious powerhouse hidden within the source of the Dao...

Are those transcendent beings who have long since departed truly on their way back?

Thinking of this, even though his true form had already embarked on an unconventional path and entered a transcendent realm, Tianzang still felt a long-forgotten chill run down his spine. Compared to them, these beings were the true "gluttons"!
Even those who have reached the Dao Integration Realm are merely a feast that is difficult to devour in the eyes of these "gluttons," and need to be dealt with later.

Is this world a passage back to the past?

"We will not be the first to start a war."

Tianzang glanced deeply in the direction of the Netherworld, and to the surprise of the surrounding saints, chose to leave directly.

Before he left, he told Chongxiao:

“This Holy King dares not leave the Netherworld for the time being. You should stay here and see if Fu Dao has any chance of returning. If there is an opportunity, bring him back. I was ambushed earlier and had no time to take care of him.”

Chongxiao's expression changed drastically. They were unaware of the changes in the Great Universe, but the Sect Leader had only left a mark on Fudao. So, the ambush the Sect Leader mentioned occurred in the Great Universe?!
But the Taiyou lineage says that the universe can only accommodate the Heavenly King level at present, right?
A bad premonition suddenly arose in his heart.

After Tianzang's figure disappeared.

Among the saints beyond the realm, someone whispered:
"The Grand Master's avatar descended upon the Netherworld, yet he was repelled by it. Just how evil is this Netherworld...?"

Chongxiao glared fiercely at the True Saint who was deliberately whispering like that.

"There are changes in the universe, so you should all worry more about your own Heavenly Emperor."

Upon hearing Chongxiao's words, the saints from various sects immediately turned pale, guessing the truth.

A True Saint asked in a deep voice, "Was your sect leader hindered in the Great Universe just now? Was it the will of Heaven, or was there another powerful being involved?"

If it's just divine retribution, that's fine, but if it's the latter, then the Heavenly Rulers of each of their families are in danger.

Chongxiao snorted coldly: "It's just the will of Heaven. Even if the Sect Leader is only sending an avatar, he has his own way to deal with it temporarily."

Then it can only be that someone else from the former group takes action...

When the worst-case scenario occurred, all the saints frowned.

The relationship between the two sides was not very good during the confrontation with the saints of the Netherworld.

If our Heavenly Lord were to fall into the hands of the Netherworld, the ransom would be secondary in the effort to rescue him; we would likely lose face, and in the end, we might not even be able to save him.

They looked at the indifferent saints of the Netherworld in the distance and felt an immense headache coming on.

This is tricky...

……

……

Having gone through this battle.

Ji Jingqiu led Kong Xiao and Qi Tian into the sealed land.

The overwhelming killing intent that came rushing towards them caused both Heavenly Lords to change their expressions drastically. The overwhelming killing intent was secondary; the high-level aura and Daoist charm hidden within it were the real key factors.

"A True Saint of the Supreme Rank?" Kong Xiao said in a deep voice.

"Death Demon! This is the sealed place where your Federation suppresses the Death Demon?!" Qi Tian blurted out.

Compared to Kong Xiao, he had a better understanding of the situation in the Netherworld. He knew that the Yanhuang Federation, where Ji Jingqiu was located, had successively suppressed three of the Four Demons, a feat that was astonishing, and its foundation was unfathomable.

"The Death Demon? The Death Demon Yan, one of the Four Demons, is imprisoned here?"

The astonishment on Kong Xiao's face was no less than when the leader of the Great Thousand Temple had appeared before.

This is a ruthless person who personally slaughtered an entire realm and reached the Transcendent Realm!

Even in the vast sea of ​​realms, the Death Demon is a top-tier powerhouse. Looking across all the transcendent sects, apart from a few sect leaders, there are only a handful of universally acknowledged powerhouses who are most likely to attain transcendence and can rival him.

Kong Xiao suddenly realized that he had arrived in the Yanhuang Federation, where the Buddha resided.

In the investigation by [Huanzhenguan], three individuals from the Yanhuang Federation were marked with prominent symbols.

He Donghuang.

Ji Tianxing.

And finally, Mu Shitian, who was also the teacher of the Buddha.

These three are the greatest anomalies in the history of the Netherworld, according to the assessment of [True Realm].

"Brother Ji, may I ask if we have the opportunity to meet Senior Mu and Senior He?" Qi Tian asked with burning eyes.

Kong Xiao couldn't help but pay attention as well. He really wanted to meet Mu Shitian, hoping that he could resolve his confusion about the Light of Wisdom.

Ji Jingqiu was squatting in front of Fu Dao and the others who had been suppressed. Upon hearing this, he said without turning his head:
"Can't see it."

Fu Dao coldly said, "If you have the guts, let me out, and we'll fight one-on-one to the death."

"No rush, there will be opportunities."

Ji Jingqiu comforted him.

"During this time, you should familiarize yourself with the rules of the universe so that you can use your full strength when the time comes. I will also hone my cultivation level, and when I reach the peak of the Heavenly King realm, I will come to test my skills against you."

"If you suffer a crushing defeat, I have no demands. I will just trouble you to sign a contract with me and help me guard the 'gate' in the future."

"My cultivation level is getting higher and higher, but I'm spending less and less time in the Federation. I need someone to help look after me."

Tianyan's pupils constricted sharply: "You want to turn us into Kong Xiao? What exactly did you do to Kong Xiao to make him so obedient, and even after returning to the [True Reality Temple], the Sages didn't notice your tricks!"

In Tianyan's view, this was completely incomprehensible.

“You have a deep misunderstanding about me. I did not do anything to Kong Xiao.”

Ji Jingqiu shook his head, only to be met with cold stares from the three Heavenly Lords.

And then there's the bitter smile of the sixth Heavenly Lord, who was originally traveling through the vast universe but was unexpectedly captured by the Azure Lotus and brought here.

Ji Jingqiu spread his hands and said:

“All sentient beings have a natural nature and a Buddha-nature. I did not change Kong Xiao’s original heart, but only awakened the Buddha-nature in his heart, influenced his natural nature, and slightly changed his temperament. Just like persuading people to be good, he is still the same Kong Xiao. The saints naturally cannot find the problem.”

"As for why he was so determined to come to me, perhaps it is because I showed him the Great Way."

"The Great Dao?" Zhang Yuan said in a deep voice, "What Great Dao? Kong Xiao comes from the [Huanzhen Temple]. With his talent, as long as he doesn't perish along the way, becoming a True Saint is just a matter of time!"

"The Great Dao is ruthless, impermanent, boundless, and unrestrained." Ji Jingqiu smiled. "For you, perhaps there is still hopelessness."

……

The inner world.

Wu Zhou suddenly opened his eyes, as if he had just woken up from a dream.

He looked at Hela in front of him and examined her closely, which made her glare at him impatiently a few times. Then, out of sight, out of mind, she closed her eyes for a nap.

Much later, Wu Zhou seemed to have confirmed some of the insights he had gained from Ji Jingqiu's earlier remarks, and finally asserted:
"So that's how it is. You actually allowed Ji Jingqiu's Buddhist nature to permeate the nature of this clone of yours, instead of simply increasing the amount of humanity in it..."

"No! Is it a clone, or the original body?"

"You already made a deal with Mu Shitian?"

"The Buddha-nature within you in the food-loving Ji Jingqiu?!"

Wu Zhou's expression revealed a look of surprise and doubt that was completely beyond his expectations and control.

It seems that the importance of this matter is almost comparable to that of Taiyi and Ji Tianxing's plot to seize his divine throne back then!
In the past, all four of them, except for Yan, including Taiyi, coveted a certain person in the Yanhuang Federation. They were convinced that as long as they "ate" all of the other party's fundamental Dao, they could find the opportunity to step into the realm of true transcendence.

Similarly, ten thousand years ago, Ji Tianxing and his two companions used this person as bait to lure Hela into the game, ultimately causing her to fall from her divine throne.

This person is none other than Mu Shitian!
Hela, who had been bathing in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool for many years, suddenly revealed her true form as if the mist had dissipated. Her expression was indifferent, and her eyes were as still as an abyss, yet as pure as gold, as if to say that she had never been human, and had always been—

The supreme deity.

(End of this chapter)