Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 475 Without Buddhism, Chaos in the Netherworld
Boom!

A raging storm erupted, sweeping across the entire universe, and a beam of incandescent light shone at the center of the cosmos.

The earth, fire, wind, and water raged, flowing between the pure and turbid energies. Eventually, the six elements completely merged, their source surging and overflowing the vast universe, laying the foundation for the primordial chaos of the universe.

Ji Jingqiu's gaze was like lightning. He used the light of his sword to balance the earth, fire, wind, and water, letting them collide and erupt, evolving different laws, as if at the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth.

When the local fire and feng shui appear and sweep across the heavens and the universe, all kinds of "matter" are born as well, as if they are being nurtured.

With a deafening roar, endless new "matter" erupted like a spring, splashing across every corner of the universe.

Ji Jingqiu's biggest dream when he was young was to go to a faraway place to see a neutron star explosion and witness a "golden rain". After he achieved some success in martial arts, he traveled by boat to witness it with his own eyes.

At this very moment, within the inner universe he created with his own hands, countless even more magnificent and vast "golden rains" bloomed, like a hymn to the creation of all things!

Centered on the stars of the Great Void Realm, stars connect to form galaxies, and galaxies evolve into river systems. Each star seems to reflect a world of the heavens.

All of this signifies the transformation of this universe from "nothingness" to "something".

Below, Youlan curiously poked her head out of the seawater, looking around at the changes, and felt the intense impact as new principles of the Great Dao were established in this world like warp and weft.

Although still immature, it is a scene of vibrant growth and prosperity.

At this point, Ji Jingqiu began to suppress the reopened earth, fire, wind, and water, causing the evolution of this universe to shift from the "formation kalpa" to the "dwelling kalpa".

The "calamities" belonging to the Celestial Venerable also began to be counted from this moment.

Boom!

As the local fire and feng shui completely subsided and returned to their proper places, Ji Jingqiu suddenly opened his eyes. Inside, the sun and moon hung in the sky, and stars shone brightly. Every move he made was accompanied by the immense power of an entire universe, and a phantom cosmic scene naturally arose around him.

He used his fingers as a knife to slash forward.

In the dim and hazy light, the river of fate seemed to be pulled by him, its flow speed sometimes fast and sometimes slow for a moment, and the net of cause and effect trembled in response!
Subsequently, the entire river of fate began to heal itself.

However, this restoration was too intense, like a raging storm. Ji Jingqiu sat cross-legged within it, and the Azure Lord hummed, automatically protecting its master.

At this point, he had already completed the reconciliation of the inner universe and the reopening of the earth, fire, wind, and water.

Ji Jingqiu examined his inner universe, feeling that he had truly gained a foothold in the Heavenly Venerable Realm.

"In just ten years, you've already redefined your earth and fire feng shui?"

Just as Jian Guang was about to take a nap, he hadn't even "closed his eyes" when he noticed a significant change in Ji Jingqiu's aura and looked over in surprise.

Ji Jingqiu nodded, then murmured, "I can't see the way forward."

At this point, he seemed to have reached some kind of extreme state, and for the time being, he could not see any feasible path ahead.

The sword light flickered erratically, and the urge to criticize it grew stronger each day. This guy really is...

Ordinary celestial beings, who doesn't spend tens of thousands of years peacefully comprehending the Dao before they can gain some insight into it and find their way forward?

This guy broke through to the Heavenly Venerable realm not long ago, and he already completed the resetting of Earth, Fire, Feng Shui. Now, before he's even caught his breath, he can't wait to lock in his next breakthrough?

"the other side……"

After a long while, Ji Jingqiu finally regained his composure.

"Finding the other shore is now an urgent matter!"

The sword flashed silently.

The "seeing the other shore" that this guy talks about, although not the "Great Freedom Realm" of a transcendent being, is still a comparable realm.

Even among those who have transcended, many only grasped the true meaning of ultimate freedom after attaining enlightenment and transcendence.

Frankly, it doesn't think much of Ji Jingqiu's so-called "seeing the other shore".

As far as we know, only his two masters, Mu Shitian and He Donghuang, have seen the location of the other shore, and there is no one to corroborate this.

Those two beings who could prove they had truly attained this realm were either dead or suppressed by the Federation. Even the saints of the Netherworld wanted to know what the Other Shore truly was.

When asked what the "other shore" was, Ji Jingqiu admitted that he didn't know either. The other shore is indescribable; once you see it, you see it.

Yes, this aligns well with the essence of traditional spiritual practice—idealism.

"Ji... Jingqiu".

The sword light paused for a moment, almost instinctively calling out the previous nickname, "Young Master Ji."

"Now that you've reached the Heavenly Venerable level, you can consider passing down your Dao lineage. Establishing a sect and becoming an ancestor has always been the fastest way to become a Dao Ancestor."

Jian Guang suggested that Ji Jingqiu take the "right path," since once you reach the Heavenly Venerable realm, there are no shortcuts left to take.

"correct……"

When the topic of establishing a religion and claiming patriarchs came up, Jian Guang suddenly asked curiously.

"You sought out two true saintly masters in your early years, but neither of them passed down a complete lineage, allowing you to directly claim the title of ancestor?"

“Your Master He advocates the path of breaking laws with force, proving the Dao with force, and proving transcendence with force. It is not surprising that such a person chooses to remain single; on the contrary, it is ‘the proper thing to do.’”

"But why didn't your Wood Master... your lineage of the World Honored One establish a religion?"

The sword light swirled around Ji Jingqiu, dazzling with color, and all the doubts turned into one final question.

Upon reaching the Eighth Realm Celestial Venerable, one receives a lineage of Daoist teachings, which is also an accumulation of Daoist knowledge for the Celestial Venerable.

Furthermore, establishing a religion and claiming the title of ancestor has always been the fastest way to break through to the level of Dao Ancestor, and it is also the fastest path to complete the accumulation of karmic positions at the Dao Ancestor stage and reach the level of True Saint.

Previously, the Eight Realms only had Heavenly Venerables and Dao Ancestors, but no True Saints.

It wasn't until those earliest founders of the religion and proclaimed themselves as ancestors had gone far beyond the realm of Daoist ancestors that the realm of True Saints gradually emerged.

Ji Jingqiu thought about it and agreed.

Master Mu left him a Dao Fruit, but no Dao lineage to inherit.

He had learned in detail about the development of the lineage of the Buddha within the Federation.

Compared to its previous existence, the Yanhuang Federation does not have Buddhism.

Because Master Mu did not establish a religion or claim ancestor status, and he did not even pass on his teachings to the Mu family.

The Buddhist lineage among the Hundred Schools of Buddhism is also a tradition left behind by the followers of Master Mu in those days.

They are scattered and not cohesive, lacking a coherent system.

The Mu family did not inherit the lineage of the World Honored One; they only inherited the position of Master Mu in the Federation, namely, his identity as one of the "Seven Marshals," rather than the lineage of the World Honored One.

The lineage of the Buddha has only one standard for transmission: mastering the [Fire House Buddha Hell].

Therefore, in the Yanhuang Federation, there is no such thing as Buddhism, only the lineage of the Buddha, or the Buddhist school or sect.

Master Mu never claimed to be a Buddha; he only referred to himself as an enlightened one.

He believes that after every long and dark period of spiritual darkness that envelops the world, there will be a person who, through his own efforts, rediscovers the forgotten path to awakening, frees himself from the long cycle of reincarnation forever, and paves the way and guides all beings.

Therefore, within the Federation, from ten thousand years ago to ten thousand years later, he is only called the Wood Commander, and almost no one calls him—Buddha.

This world seems to lack this concept.

Even the title "World Honored One" is a term used outside the Federation to address a Wood Master.

For example, the five major pantheons, and the various True Saint dojos in the Netherworld that are aware of their existence.

“I once asked Master Mu a similar question. Master Mu said that spiritual practice is one’s own business. It is better to rely on oneself than to seek the Buddha. Therefore, he did not establish Buddhism. As long as people’s thoughts and wills are aligned, they are fellow travelers and successors.”

Ji Jingqiu thought for a moment and then said.

He has no plans to establish a religion or claim ancestor for the time being.

It's better to see the other side and get there in one go.

Sword Light transmitted a voice, somewhat shocked: "Your Wood Master, at the cost of abandoning the path of transcendence, forcibly merged with the Bitter Sea ten thousand years ago, just to suppress the Bitter Sea's appearance in the world. Such a great sacrifice, yet you still insist that all living beings should 'seek their own help'?"

"Is this a conflict?"

Ji Jingqiu countered with a question,

"Master Mu believed that all sentient beings possess the wisdom and virtues of the Tathagata, but there are too many illusions in the world. He hoped that all sentient beings could find the path to enlightenment with great perseverance, great enlightenment and great compassion."

"Before that, the enlightened ones who walk ahead will shelter those who follow from the wind and rain, but they will not pull them to the end."

Enlightenment is always a personal matter.

"In this respect, Master Mu is actually somewhat similar to Master He..."

Ji Jingqiu looked up, recalling the details of his two predecessors and various historical events, and murmured:
"Of course, they are still different."

"Master Mu believes that spiritual practice is one's own business, and it is better to rely on oneself than to seek help from heaven or earth."

"But Master He believed that it didn't matter what you sought; in the end, all you needed to do was learn from him."

"In addition, Master Mu was actually very opposed to 'deity worship,' which was another reason why he did not establish a religion—he did not want to be placed on the altar and worshipped as a god by countless citizens of the Federation in later generations. Therefore, the lineage of the World Honored One was only Buddhist teachings, not Buddhist incense."

"Even the later Supreme True Buddha Sect wasn't initially a sect; it gradually developed into a religion after its doctrines were distorted." At this point, Ji Jingqiu paused for a moment, then slowly continued:

"If you think about it, none of the seven initially walked the path to godhood. It seems that only Li Shuai took the path of establishing a religion and becoming an ancestor. He successively joined several Taoist temples and almost reached the top in a certain True Saint Taoist temple... but in the end, he stopped prematurely."

"In other words, the Federation's martial arts pursue the ultimate and pure self, and inherently reject the behavior of gathering the thoughts of all living beings. It believes that once one is tainted by incense and beliefs, one's true self is no longer pure."

Jian Guang suddenly said, "They believe that once one is tainted by the thoughts of sentient beings and dabbles in the divine path, one is no longer pure and loses the hope of attaining enlightenment?"

Ji Jingqiu nodded and said, "That's one way to understand it."

He said this with a look of regret on his face.

The seven generals initially resisted this path, but in the end, the fourth general had no choice but to turn to the divine path and cut off his own path. After the Wood Master merged with the sea of ​​suffering, he also had to rely on the power of the faith of all living beings to suppress the riots of the sea of ​​suffering.

The sword light fell into a long silence.

After a long while, it began to flash again, its sound carrying an ancient, reminiscent quality:

“Back then, after ‘You’ returned from the place of returning to the truth, he also uttered similar words. He also asserted that this was the root of the ‘return to the truth’ phenomenon of transcendents.”

“The early paths to transcendence, more or less, touched upon the beliefs of all living beings.”

Ji Jingqiu frowned. He had explored the spiritual light of all beings long ago, but he didn't know if it counted as exploring the power of faith and aspiration of all beings.

Even without mentioning the avatar who has already succeeded to the position of the Supreme True Buddha.

The bright moon between his brows is inextricably linked to the inner light of all living beings.

That happened during my journey to the West, and even now, looking back, I still can't tell whether it was his inner light that illuminated all living beings, or the inner light of all living beings that entered his heart.

And this crescent moon...

It has been growing stronger and more brilliant as he has grown.

Even now, it is still the same.

Ji Jingqiu suddenly had a strong premonition.

It was as if my mind had been seized without warning.

Like the pulse of fate, pulled by cause and effect—

He had a premonition that this return to the Netherworld would provide him with many answers.

At the same time, it was as if some inexplicable call was urging him to return to the Netherworld.

Ji Jingqiu suppressed his turbulent emotions and regained his composure.

The divided minds reunite at this moment.

"How is it?"

Ji Jingqiu's voice boomed like thunder into Wu Zhou's ears.

I looked up at the all-seeing face high above, flicked my finger, and laughed:

Everything you need is in here.

"These three are all minor figures who have no secrets. Even if one of them is a disciple of the Red Lotus, he is just a tool."

“If you are willing, I can take this person’s identity and go to the realm where the Crimson Lotus resides to obtain an identity for you. How about it? I am also somewhat interested in this Crimson Lotus Realm Lord.”

Ji Jingqiu's eyes flickered, and he did not rush to agree.

Let my mind wander to the outside world...

just forget it.

Wu Zhou cannot give him enough trust, and he does not yet have the means to completely control Wu Zhou.

It would be entirely expected that Wu Zhou would sell him completely to Hong Lian at that time.

Ji Jingqiu instantly refined the memory stream sent by Wu Zhou and obtained what he wanted.

"World Honored One... you really have come for the path of returning to truth."

Ji Jingqiu looked down.

The jade bead formed from the path to truth has become the foundation of this inner universe.

He has now completed the resetting of the earth, fire, feng shui, and the next step is to project it into the myriad worlds.

He simply has no clue what to do right now.

"Let's return to the Netherworld first."

Ji Jingqiu slowly stood up and pulled out the Azure Lord from the center of the river, causing the entire River of Destiny to tremble slightly.

With Qingzhu's current "sharpness," only a final touch of polishing is needed to get him to become a true holy weapon.

His mind wandered beyond the Void Realm and made contact with Feng Ming and the other person.

“Then let’s go to the Netherworld together. We happen to be quite interested in it as well. Not long ago, Hidden Darkness sent us news that the situation in the Netherworld isn’t too good. Someone behind the scenes has spread the word that the so-called Netherworld is actually the ruins of the Netherworld Palace from years ago, which caused quite a stir.”

……

……

Youjie
A streak of ethereal blue sword light, brimming with killing intent, shot out from the depths of the void. As it drew nearer, it grew from a thin "line" to fill the entire field of vision, seemingly unstoppable!

The sword light cleaved through the void, opening up the boundary between time and the world.

Shouzhen's expression was solemn. He raised his hand and used his large sleeve to cover the sky and sun, hiding the sword light in his sleeve. Then he strode towards the membrane of the Netherworld Universe.

Along the way, even though they deliberately concealed their presence and avoided the main attacks of several factions, they still encountered no less than ten ambushes and did not see any powerful figures from the Netherworld.

The situation in the Netherworld has deteriorated to such an extent that it can only rely entirely on the boundary membrane for defense?

Has the Lord of the Underworld not returned yet?

With Shouzhen's thoughts fluctuating, it's likely that not only has the Lord of the Underworld not returned, but even Cangqing has been held back.

In the final stretch, Shouzhen got serious, and the higher his momentum rose, the more attention he attracted from powerful figures in the distance, and the more ambushes he encountered.

And so, he fought his way through the sea of ​​mortals, finally arriving before the membrane of the Netherworld and seeing the figures of his own people.

In the Boundary Sea, a majestic figure stopped, casting a large shadow, and gazed intently at the direction of Shouzhen.

He was the closest and the first to try to intercept, but ultimately he couldn't catch up.

This person is very strange. The closer he gets to the Netherworld, the stronger his Dao power becomes, but he has no connection with the realm. The source of this Dao power is unknown.

but……

Now that we've entered the Netherworld, there's no escaping it. We'll leave the rest to our fellow cultivators to slowly kill us.

As the shadows dissipated, the imposing figure vanished as well.

……

When Shouzhen stepped into the boundary membrane, he saw that the person responsible for guiding him was not a True Saint, but a Celestial Venerable from his own Heavenly Saint Lake sect. His heart sank.

Is the manpower shortage really that bad?
The situation deteriorated even more than he had anticipated.

"Ancestor!"

Shouzhen raised his hand and pressed down, communicating with his primordial spirit. Instantly, he learned from his disciples what had happened in recent days, and his brows furrowed deeply.

"Ancestor, is it only you who has returned this time?" Wujin Tianzun of Tiansheng Lake said with a wry smile.

"Some True Saints are still on their way back, but they probably won't return to avoid being besieged. They'll just keep them at bay outside the boundary."

Shouzhen sighed and looked up towards the direction of the vast universe.
"Even the will of the universe has fully awakened, ending its suppression of the Eight Realms...?"

Wujin Tianzun said in a deep voice, "The saints are still debating whether to let Da Luo Tian completely integrate with the Great Universe and create a main battlefield that is advantageous to us, or to find an opportunity to let Da Luo Tian completely break free!"

Shouzhen remained silent, for he had already witnessed the disputes among the saints in Wujin's memories.

Many true saints have already adopted the theory that "where there's life, there's hope," believing that it's better to retreat than to hold out.

"Any movement from the Yanhuang Federation?"

Shouzhen suddenly asked.

The memories that Wujin showed him did not contain any fragments related to the Yanhuang Federation.

Wu Jin shook his head: "A True Saint went to visit before, hoping that the Yanhuang Federation could release the Dao Ancestors and True Saints who had been suppressed before, as current combat power, but they refused."

"She refused..."

Shouzhen murmured to himself, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

He didn't believe that the other side would completely disregard the life and death of the Netherworld.

(End of this chapter)