Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 463 The Returning to Truth Disciple, the Sumeru Pattern
The middle-aged man declared definitively, "If we join forces, taking him down won't be a problem. He's just a Heavenly Lord; even if he really is that 'World Honored One,' he can't possibly defeat us together."

Qingyu nodded in agreement.

She is a Celestial Venerable, just one step away from completing the evolution of the inner universe and ascending to the Dao Ancestor.

The man beside him had already entered the Dao Ancestor Realm, opening up the rudiments of various Daos within his inner universe, which was also the highest realm that this Taixu Realm could currently accommodate.

Even if the two of them joined forces, this... Ji Jingqiu?

With a Celestial Venerable-level Devouring Species protecting him, there is no other possibility.

Qingyu suddenly realized, "Ji Jingqiu? Why does that name sound so familiar?"

As a Celestial Venerable, even if one forgets, one can instantly retrieve their past. After Qingyu recalled where she had last heard this name, she blurted out:
"Asaka Realm?!"

"Is this the brat who conspired with Chaoge in the Chaoxia Realm that day, ruining the plans of several Realm Lords?!"

"No! Ji Jingqiu is clearly from the Netherworld. When did he join the Yuan Chu Palace? Was he bluffing those transcendent sects earlier?"

"What a cunning little rascal!"

Qingyu's gaze, which had been fixed on the figure in the distance, suddenly changed.

It was originally just a suspicion.

Whether this person is the World Honored One or not is irrelevant now; they will surely capture him!

If we capture this person, the Crimson Lotus Realm Lord will surely bestow a reward upon us, which might even help her break through to the Dao Ancestor realm!
"That brat who ruined the Crimson Lotus Realm Lord's plans?"

The middle-aged man put his hands behind his back and laughed.
"Interesting. The last Dawn Realm plan was only half successful. Although the Dawn Realm was successfully destroyed, the 'recovery' afterwards was minimal. The Crimson Lotus Realm Lord was furious and didn't hesitate to use his true body to hunt down Taiyi, who was allied with Chaoge..."

Qingyu said with burning eyes, "Brother Fushan, we shouldn't delay any longer. Let's capture him together!"

Dao Ancestor Fushan shook his head and said:
"This place is too close to the battlefield. Once a conflict breaks out, the powerful figures from those families will notice. It's not advisable for you and me to expose ourselves."

"Furthermore, this kid previously impersonated the Yuan Chu Palace, so the other families might lend a hand."

Qingyu sneered, "Those people from the Human World Pavilion are too easy to fool."

Fu Shan shook his head slightly. With Ji Jingqiu's demeanor, anyone else would probably be intimidated. He was already a Heavenly Monarch with outstanding combat power, and he also had a Heavenly Venerable-level Devouring World Seed protecting him...

Fu Shan suddenly froze, just as Qing Yu had been, and muttered to himself:

"Heavenly Lord? Wasn't it said that this person was only at the initial stage of Heavenly King back then, and now he's a Heavenly Lord after only a few years?"

He grew increasingly astonished and doubtful as he spoke; how could such a speed of cultivation exist in this world?!
Could this person be a reincarnation of an ancient powerhouse, cultivating again and regaining the Dao fruits of the past?

Qingyu also realized something was wrong, and his smile grew even brighter: "The more secrets this boy has, the more we will benefit from this trip."

Just as Fu Shan was about to nod, his primordial spirit sensed something, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and his primordial spirit transformed into a dazzling sword wheel, directly locking onto the surrounding void.

But in the end, nothing was gained.

"What's wrong?" Qingyu asked warily.

Fu Shan remained silent, his expression cold, as he surveyed the surrounding world before finally fixing his gaze on Ji Jingqiu in the distance.

Could it be this person who was spying on them just now?
"We've caught up. This guy's methods are extraordinary," Fu Shan's primordial spirit transmitted telepathically. "He's already realized we're following him."

Qingyu frowned: "Could it be that he overheard our conversation just now?"

He remained silent, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

The Netherworld follows the path of the mind. Just how far has this kid's mental cultivation reached? Even he couldn't see through his whereabouts immediately.
"Chase."

After a long pause, Fu Shan uttered a single word, calm and indifferent. Then he took a step forward, and the world turned upside down, everything became hazy and blurry, as if to forcibly pull Ji Jingqiu into a chaotic place and cut off his chance of escape.

In an instant, they arrived behind Ji Jingqiu. The latter turned around and looked at them with a furrowed brow, which made Fu Shan's heart waver. Could it be that he had miscalculated just now?

The thought flashed through his mind, and Fu Shan shouted:

"The four directions and the top and bottom are called the universe, the past and present are called time, and all living beings are in the prison of the universe!"

In an instant, time and space in their area froze, falling into stillness, like a three-dimensional painting, or a cage.

Qingyu, standing nearby, couldn't wait to reach out and seize the young Heavenly Lord who was facing downwards.

"Once I capture you, I can go back and report."

Just as Qingyu reached out to suppress Ji Jingqiu, a colorless flame suddenly burst forth from Ji Jingqiu's body, transforming into a raging inferno that engulfed the entire world, using everything as fuel, and was utterly terrifying.

Caught off guard, Qingyu drew fire upon himself, letting out a painful growl as the fire directly attacked his mind and spirit.

Fu Shan's expression darkened. The Ji Jingqiu and the Devouring World Serpent in front of them had somehow been replaced by illusions, while their true forms were watching them from afar.

As his thoughts raced, a colorless flame of rage surged within him, alerting him to suppress it immediately. But in that short time, the two figures gazing at them had already vanished into the void.

"Impressive tactics!" Fu Shan laughed in fury. "The Heavenly King has such methods; no wonder he's on the Crimson Lotus Realm Lord's kill list!"

Beside him, Qingyu, though she had extinguished the colorless fire on her body, was far less composed than Fushan and appeared somewhat disheveled.

Especially on that cold and beautiful face, there were several burn-like marks that looked like birthmarks, which greatly ruined her beautiful face.

Even Qingyu couldn't erase it immediately; only ink could reveal the extremely strange Daoist aura remaining within it, which continued to burn repeatedly. This caused her to completely lose her composure, gritting her teeth as she said:
"What kind of bizarre method is this?!"

"No matter where you run, I will capture you and torture you in every way possible!"

Fu Shan coldly said, "Stop talking tough. You should have already located him. Immediately use your secret technique to search for his whereabouts."

Qingyu used a secret technique to trace the causal and fate traces left by Ji Jingqiu and pursued him.

……

Ji Jingqiu snapped out of her reverie.

With his current level of attainment, the moment his thoughts arise, there is an astonishing atmosphere of unrestrained heaven and earth, and he can travel to the extremes of heaven and earth in an instant.

now.

He rode on the serpent's head and vanished into the depths of the void.

The latter, which could change size at will, retracted its enormous body, which was measured in light-years. Its form resembled both a snake and a dragon, and it carried Ji Jingqiu through layers of void, evading pursuit and concealing its tracks.

"Well done this time, keep it up." Ji Jingqiu patted Ji Youlan's head encouragingly.

Just now, the little guy was proudly showing off his achievements to him, and Ji Jingqiu naturally didn't hold back his praise, saying that the little guy who boasted that he would protect him and help him conquer the ancient road has finally grown up. He should keep up the good work and not be like the other female snake, who now only knows how to lie in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool and slack off...

Ji Jingqiu sighed, realizing that in terms of escape techniques and speed alone, he was far inferior to Youlan.

As a void behemoth, all sorts of void secret techniques are imprinted in its bloodline, allowing it to be used effortlessly.

"The Lord of the Crimson Lotus Realm... is actually from [This Shore]."

Ji Jingqiu began to review the information he had just overheard.

I thought that after he revealed his identity as a member of the Yuan Chu Palace, anyone who still dared to plot against him would most likely be a former enemy of the Yuan Chu Palace, but I never expected it to be someone from [This Shore].

Moreover, their true target was actually the "World Honored One"!
Ji Jingqiu's expression was strange.

Putting everything else aside, I was actually right about those two.

"Is the power of 'This Shore' really that great? Even a transcendent sect like the Primordial Palace is a target for their elimination?"

Ji Jingqiu pondered. He had heard on his journey back to the truth that a transcendent being named "Phoenix King" had joined forces with several other transcendent beings to create "This Shore".

Their goal was to draw the waters of the Bitter Sea into the Boundary Sea. Fortunately, the Lord of the Netherworld had merged with the Bitter Sea before them.

In addition, there was something else that concerned Ji Jingqiu.

The last thing the other party said—

"The four directions and the top and bottom are called the universe; the past and the present are called time; all living beings are imprisoned in the universe."

He had heard about it from Brother Jianguang; it came from the Heavenly Prison Palace.

Is there a connection between "This Shore" and "Heavenly Prison Palace"?
This water, transcending all boundaries, is like an endless deep sea—it's simply too deep…

Ji Jingqiu pondered, a cluster of colorless flame swirling around his fingertips, just like a blooming Udumbara flower in his palm.

This is the Great Wrathful King's Fire, which uses anger as fuel to burn away all evil spirits, attachments, and delusions in the world.

Once it gets on you, it's like a bone-deep infection, burning away at your very core.

This is one of his research insights on the path to returning to one's true self.

As Ji Jingqiu approached the threshold of becoming a Celestial Venerable, his true self reached a point where it could support a state of mind of forgetting worldly desires.

The two complement each other and do not hinder each other.

At this point, he began to practice the mind-refining method of the Buddha's lineage, which was the same method that Master Mu had used when he explored the other shore of mind.

The seven marshals, including Mu Shi, rarely cultivated their mental state when they progressed from the Celestial Realm to the Heavenly King Realm. This was because they broke through realms extremely quickly during that period. It wasn't until they reached the eighth realm that they lacked sufficient accumulation, which led them to slow down and shift their focus to cultivating their minds.

Among them, the first attempt that Master Mu made after summarizing and refining the Buddhist scriptures was to exorcise the "three poisons".

That is, the well-known greed, anger, and ignorance.

These three are considered the root of all afflictions and suffering, and the fundamental reason for the cycle of rebirth for all beings.

The answer given by Master Mu to how to purify the three poisons is, "Where the mad mind rests, there is enlightenment."

It means that once the wild and unrestrained thoughts, like a runaway horse, cease, the clear and enlightened state of enlightenment will naturally manifest.

How can one achieve "mental rest"?
The inner landscape locks away the restless mind, while the sacred mountain tethers the willful spirit.

Greed, anger, and ignorance are like poison; a restless mind is like a raging storm.

When you are no longer bound by the three poisons and distraction, your inherent wisdom and light will naturally manifest.

Ji Jingqiu has now entered the initial stage and ignited the Great Wrathful King Fire.

His ability to master the basics so quickly is also related to his compassionate heart.

The wrathful appearance is not merely hatred, but rather the fierce compassion manifested by all Buddhas to save stubborn sentient beings.

"Hmm?" Ji Jingqiu suddenly turned around, his expression solemn.

"They caught up so quickly? Did they use some kind of tracking technique?"

In the void behind them, two figures stood one after the other, their eyes like cold, icy glints piercing through the void. Their terrifying aura was like a powder keg, ready to collide with the vast starry sky at any moment.

Ji Jingqiu's expression was serious. One Heavenly Venerable was one thing, but the man who seemed to be a Dao Ancestor was quite troublesome.

The opponent's Dao power has at least reached the fourth level, and their inner universe is fully formed, having opened up a Great Dao Realm...

We cannot defeat him by force! We should avoid his sharp edge for now, and wait until we break through to the Heavenly Venerable realm before challenging him again.

As soon as Ji Jingqiu had this thought, his aura suddenly surged to its peak, and he unleashed a barrage of techniques!
The boundless sea of ​​suffering manifested the true realm, supporting the true Dharma realm. His Dao body contained endless void. Especially after that indomitable and domineering aura rose, his figure seemed to expand countless times in the eyes of outsiders, overlooking the vast universe.

Breaking through to the Heavenly Venerable realm takes time; how can one keep running away!

Only by using war to stop war, making the other side wary, will they not dare to pursue and kill him so recklessly!
At the same time, one must first sever the opponent's secret technique that locks onto oneself; such techniques are highly likely related to cause and effect and destiny.

As soon as Ji Jingqiu had this thought, he decided to strike first.

He turned around and took a step like a dragon. With each step, it seemed to stir up a raging storm in the void, causing the distant stars to sway, as if he were about to fall to earth at any moment!

The fierce aura he had honed and refined on the path to returning to the true self allowed him to take the initiative in terms of energy, even intimidating Heavenly Venerables and Dao Ancestors!

The next moment, the blade light ripped through the void, sweeping across 30,000 miles, and entered the eyes of Qing and Yu who were chasing after it. Accompanied by invisible fluctuations, it was indestructible and could destroy everything!

"This is..." Qingyu's expression changed drastically, and she exclaimed in shock, "Third-order Dao power?! There is actually someone in this world who is a Heavenly King, yet his Dao power has reached the peak of the Heavenly Venerable realm and stepped into the third order?!"

Despite all the trials and tribulations she has undergone in her cultivation, her Dao power is only at the second level!
Fu Shan's eyes were filled with a cold and cruel killing intent.

This is not just third-order Dao power, but the peak of third-order!

It's astonishing that this person has already reached such a level, even though he's only been half a century since the end of the Dawn Realm!
It was one thing if we didn't match up before, but now that we've clearly identified friend and foe, we absolutely cannot let this kid escape.

With a single slash, Ji Jingqiu turned and left without pausing.

He didn't slay the man, but the woman beside him. He had already glimpsed the invisible chains of Dao principles through the Great Dao of Cause and Effect, and they came from the woman.

Qingyu's expression changed drastically, and the blade instantly appeared before her, slashing down on her head!

She unleashed a barrage of wondrous techniques and divine powers, the rules of the Great Dao intertwined like a starry sea, pouring forth in an instant!

But with this one strike, all myriad paths were suppressed, all laws were silenced, and all her methods were wiped out, purely suppressing people with brute force!

At this moment, Qingyu finally understood how the Heavenly Venerable of the Human World Pavilion had been defeated so easily!

"waste!"

Fu Shan shouted. He had originally headed straight for Ji Jingqiu, but when he realized that Qing Yu was in danger, he had to turn back and reach out to grab the blade.

He let the blade flash and slash, cutting through the chaos, clanging in his hand, before finally being completely obliterated in his palm.

Fu Shan stared at the knife mark in his palm, his expression icy. This strike was truly at the peak of the third rank, and without any exaggeration!

Most importantly, Ji Jingqiu seized the opportunity once again and made a hasty escape in front of them.

"This is bad!" Qingyu suddenly exclaimed, her face turning grim. "He sensed my causal lock and that's why he severed my secret technique!"

Fu Shan coldly replied, "As expected, this kid is far more troublesome than anticipated. We underestimated him. Now, if you say he is that 'World Honored One,' I would believe you at least 50%!"

Qingyu looked terrified. That strike was too terrifying. As a Heavenly Venerable, she should have been able to overpower any Heavenly King, but in the face of that strike, she felt as if she were facing a life-or-death crisis!

"I'll go find reinforcements!" Qingyu said decisively. "Like a lion hunting a rabbit, we must not give him the chance to break through while fighting. We must strike decisively!"

Fu Shan glanced at the woman and knew she had lost the will to continue the pursuit.

That last stab shattered her courage. Faced with someone who posed a fatal threat to her, Qingyu had no courage to pursue them any further.

Fu Shan did not stop him and let him leave.

Celestial Venerables like Qingyu, who only know how to stay in the palace and hone their Dao power over time, can only fight those with lower cultivation levels. When facing those of equal strength who dare to fight to the death, they can only run away.

"Go back."

Fu Shan, unwilling to say more, left behind a single sentence and ventured into the void to trace Ji Jingqiu's whereabouts.

Qingyu remained where she was, her expression shifting. She reached out and gently touched the burns on her face, gritting her teeth and remaining silent.

Just as she turned to leave, preparing to contact reinforcements, she suddenly noticed that Fu Shan abruptly turned around and was rushing towards her.

"Get out of here! This little beast has summoned reinforcements under the guise of the Yuan Chu Palace. If I run into one of them, even if I disguise myself, there is still a risk that he will recognize me. My identity must not be exposed here!"

Fu Shan urgently transmitted his voice, his voice filled with gritted teeth. In the blink of an eye, he had already surpassed Qing Yu.

Qingyu was stunned for a moment, then heard a loud shout from behind:

"Who dares to bully us, the disciples of Guizhen, by abusing their power and hunting us down!"

Qingyu's expression changed drastically as he sensed several terrifying auras rising behind him, like an immortal sun.

They are all Dao Ancestors!

In the chaotic void, several supreme beings revealed their true forms, their immortal aura so intense that it engulfed the starry sea, and their divine gazes pierced through.

They did not pursue Qing and Yu, but stood coldly in the void, intimidating the void, until Qing and Yu disappeared from this world.

In the void behind.

Ji Jingqiu walked out slowly, cleared his throat, and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Thank you for your help, senior brothers! Please tell me your identities and background. When I return, I will definitely inform Senior Brother Wu Tian and send a message to your sect. You will surely be rewarded handsomely in the future!"

After he unleashed his first strike, he turned and fled. However, he hadn't gone far when he sensed several powerful experts at the eighth realm gathering the essence of heaven and earth.

Thinking of the situation on the battlefield, he tried to shout, and at the same time took out his identity certificate representing the direct line of the Yuan Chu Palace.

Ultimately, the results were remarkable!

Upon hearing that he claimed to be from the Yuanchu Palace, the group immediately turned around to look at him.

After a quick glance and confirming certain things, the expressions of the group softened immediately, and their gazes were no longer indifferent.

At this moment, among the group, one figure was countless times larger than a majestic mountain, carrying a giant axe that shielded the sky and earth, like a giant who had created the world, his blood energy as vast as the sea, distorting the surrounding void.

He laughed heartily and said, "Junior Brother Ji, there's no need to be so polite. As members of the Guizhen Sect, we should help each other as long as we don't get involved in Dao disputes!"

Another Pantheon?
The former Human World Pavilion was a subordinate force of the Pantheon. Are they monopolizing the entire Void Realm?

Ji Jingqiu muttered to himself, then cupped his hands again and said, "So you are a senior brother from the Pantheon. I met your disciples before I came out."

On the giant's shoulder stood a woman in a palace dress, dignified and graceful, who smiled and said:
"Junior Brother Ji must be referring to Senior Brother Chixiao and Xiao Qingxia, right? Have you ever fought with Xiao Qingxia? That girl is also a Heavenly Lord, and she's warlike. She probably won't 'let go' of you, Junior Brother Ji."

Ji Jingqiu blinked. The other party seemed to be referring to the female Heavenly Lord who had insisted on fighting him but was ignored by him.

"We've discussed it," he said vaguely. "That primordial spirit butterfly transformation technique is quite miraculous and has many merits."

The smile on the female Taoist patriarch's lips grew even gentler.

Because Qingxia did indeed possess this supernatural power passed down from the patriarch, the other party had clearly already encountered her.

"Junior Brother Ji, why don't you join us?" the giant extended an invitation. "This Void Realm is fraught with danger, and many thieves lurk in the shadows. It's too dangerous for you to rely solely on a Celestial Venerable for protection."

Ji Jingqiu thought for a moment and then politely declined: "I came here to break through to the Heavenly Venerable realm. I can handle some crises. I was just caught off guard by the thieves from [This Shore]."

"Oh?" the giant said in a deep voice, "Another thief from [This Shore]?"

again?
Ji Jingqiu looked over in confusion, but before he could ask, the giant spoke first:

"Yuan Chu Palace has long been in seclusion, while my Pantheon has remained in the world, and has been hostile to this [This Shore] for many years! These beasts have already destroyed two true transcendent sects!"

He suddenly said menacingly, "I should have caught up with them and chopped those two in half with an axe!"

They were merely standing up for Ji Jingqiu; they couldn't possibly fight another Dao Ancestor to the death. They were just trying to scare him away.

The woman on his shoulder pondered:
"Junior Brother Ji can go to this coordinate. This place has been cleared out as a stronghold by several transcendent sects, including the Pantheon and Qingming Mountain. Once you arrive, just mention the name of Yuanchu Palace."

"We should be able to explore the surrounding area from our base without any major problems. Even if the bandits from 'This Shore' reappear, reinforcements will arrive in time."

"Thank you for showing me the way, Senior Sister!" Ji Jingqiu said gratefully.

"As fellow members of the Guizhen Sect, as long as our founders have no enmity, we are all one family." The woman smiled gently.

After transmitting Ji Jingqiu's coordinates, she and several companions turned around and chased after the direction where Qingyu and the other two had disappeared.

Watching these people leave, Ji Jingqiu once again felt the benefits of having a powerful backer and someone protecting you.

He gently patted the snake's head, and, in perfect harmony with Youlan, they headed towards the coordinates.

Along the way, having temporarily resolved his troubles, Ji Jingqiu began to ponder how to break through to the Eighth Realm and step into the Heavenly Venerable Realm.

His inner universe prototype is already infinitely close to "reality," only one final step away.

With his profound knowledge and abilities, breaking through the barriers of the Eight Realms and evolving the creation of heaven and earth would be no problem at all.

The only thing he was still pondering was the structure of the inner universe.

The Celestial Venerable created and harmonized the inner universe, reshaped the pattern of earth, fire, wind, and water, stabilized the universe, and ultimately made it flourish and truly become a self-sustaining cosmic realm.

This inner universe is the foundation of the entire Eight Realms.

The Realm of Truth and the Realm of True Truth will be the core parts of his inner universe. But having only a core is not enough; there must also be a general framework, which will determine the future direction of the inner universe's evolution.

At this moment, Ji Jingqiu had a preliminary idea in mind—

From the very beginning of his martial arts journey, he has had an inextricable connection with the "form of mountains and rivers".

The earliest traces can be found in the mountain and water energy patterns that he personally carved out within his body.

When it comes to laying the foundation for the future cosmic order, Ji Jingqiu's first thought is also related to mountains and rivers.

That is the structure of the myriad realms built around Mount Sumeru.

“Celestial Venerable…” Ji Jingqiu murmured, gazing at the distant void, “We have finally reached the stage where the inner world and the inner realm are in harmony.”

(End of this chapter)