The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Compared with Han Guang’s fake “Kong Wen”, the real one seemed much older and thinner. Only the two long white eyebrows hanging down and the pale golden color radiating from his face were the same.

“Well, after all, there’s a difference between the velocity of time in Shards of Cosmic Glow and in their own world. One year in the world outside is equivalent to about three years here. Abbot Kong Wen had been trapped here for more than 10 years. That meant 40 to 50 years of his lifespan had been wasted. He used to have a life-long Dharma body that had oppressed Jianghu for more than a hundred years. Now his real age even exceeds 200…” An initially startled Meng Qi began to wonder.

However, that had no effect on the strength of the Dharma body. The body would not decay before death. Moreover, Shaolin Temple, as a major martial arts sect, should have some life-prolonging pills. Otherwise, his own Immortality Elixir of East Pole had more to gain from selling Dharmakaya than from selling outlooks!

The sixth layer of the formation fell apart under Master Lu’s sword, revealing the original shape of the mountain peak. This allowed Meng Qi to see the condition of the seventh layer vaguely.

There was no trace of the formation on the seventh layer, but there were signs of destruction everywhere. If not for the indestructible pure land and mountains, the place should have long collapsed considering the huge craters and cracks on the ground that Meng Qi saw!

“Seems like Han Guang took quite a lot of time to get through the seventh layer of the formation… Well, compared with the ease of the previous layers…” Meng Qi came to this obvious conclusion.

“Amitabha. Since the formation has been destroyed, we might as well go to the summit to see if there are any clues.” Kong Wen had also noticed the abnormality on the seventh layer.

Master Lu nodded. Looking ahead, he stepped up and appeared directly on the summit. With his Sword Qi sweeping through him, Meng Qi also arrived instantly. Kong Wen, however, was a little slow.

“Amitabha. I’ve been trapped for many years. There’s something wrong with my body.” Kong Wen’s tone was calm, not the least frustrated nor resentful, as if he was talking about someone else.

Both Master Lu and Meng Qi showed their understanding. Who could escape a decades-long entrapment without any damage?

The summit of the mountain was not wide, only about 40 square meters. The spring had dried up, and the Golden Lotus and other valuable herbs that were planted had long withered. It seemed that even a gentle touch would cause them to crumble.

There was nothing special about it. However, the Eight-treasure Merit Pond at the core showed signs of man-made destruction. Perhaps some people had deliberately erased some traces around it.

“Amitabha. Donor Han is cautious and leaves no clues.” Kong Wen sighed with emotion.

Even though this was a hidden place that prevented entrance at will, Han Guang still took care to destroy traces of him on the summit and made it impossible for others to speculate about the secret of Shaolin’s back mountain: the “main world”.

Master Lu, with his sword in hand, focused on looking around. He was not upset because the clue was erased. His oversized blue shirt billowed in the wind.

All of a sudden, he stepped forward and came to the mountain cliff. He stood on the edge, sensing something with his eyes partially closed.

Kong Wen made a slight noise of surprise when he noticed Master Lu’s abnormality and followed suit.

Meng Qi had found nothing. Filled with doubt, he rushed to where Master Lu was and began to sense his surroundings with closed eyes.

The physical and mental worlds immersed in each other. As the sea of Vital Qi spread to infinity, Meng Qi’s awareness was like a mirror that reflected everything nearby.

Bit by bit, he discovered the subtle breath that had escaped to the air, and a tall figure appeared in his mind.

He was wearing black armor, carrying a long dark knife. Very tall and ripped, his long hair was blowing in the wind. He was surrounded by fiercely crackling purple electricity, appearing dangerous to anyone who would try to approach.

Just standing there, he gave Meng Qi the feeling of being strong, natural and unrestrained, domineering and arrogant!

Meng Qi had met him once and was deeply impressed.

“Overlord!”

The Overlord who killed the middle-ancient Dharma body!

Master Lu opened his eyes and looked intently at the sea of clouds ahead. “Overlord has been here before,” he said calmly.

After getting the confirmation, Meng Qi frowned. “Why did Overlord come here?”

“Is it for the treasures on the summit?”

“Han Guang’s efforts to cover up indicates that there is still something on the summit!”

“Amitabha, Donor Overlord indeed arrived in the land of ‘legend’.” Kong Wen whispered the name of Buddha.

The only thing of its own; all the traces and stories from the fragments of light, the pure lands, and Grotto, are for the “legend”!

Meng Qi once heard Kong Wen explain the matter, so he was curious when he heard that. “What Buddhist Realm does it take to be a ‘legend’?”

Kong Wen was a Buddhist Luohan. Naturally, Meng Qi asked him about the Buddhist Realm.

Kong Wen replied kindly, “At least the Great Arhat or Maha Bodhisattva who are infinitely close to Buddha.”

“So it’s still the Buddhist’s Vocation…” The true meaning still escaped Meng Qi’s understanding.

The three found no more besides the traces of Overlord. Master Lu looked back at Kong Wen and Meng Qi. “Han Guang will feel it when the formation is broken. He will make it difficult to battle for the Primary Instruction of Buddha’s Palm. Let us return immediately before it’s too late.”

…

Above the Fish Sea, the mighty Vajra that the Buddha’s relic had turned into was opening its eyes. ‘Prime Asura’ Meng Nan showed no vitality, with white hair covering his face. The quadruped and three-armed monster guards were nearby, watching out for robbery by other Dharma bodies.

The three Great Monster Kings and the four Great Men, Chong He, Cui Qinghe, He Qi, and Kong Wen, faced off with Meng Nan and others across the Fish Sea.

When ‘Kong Wen’ heard Chong He make a promise to expel the Monster Kings together, he began to communicate with He Qi and Cui Qinghe.

All of a sudden, his face changed slightly. He blinked several times, tightening his grip on the cane with nine tin rings.

“The spell has been broken. Kong Wen has escaped!”

“Did someone rescue him? Or did Kong Wen break through the ranks by himself?”

All sorts of questions entered his mind but none affected his decision at all.

“In that case, there is nothing more to hide. We won’t be able to stay in Shaolin much longer. Let’s launch Plan B and take advantage of the time before Chong He and the other Dharma bodies find out so we can deal a heavy blow to them.”

“Especially Chong He, the second most powerful person in the Celestial Rankings, he will be a great danger in the future and must be removed as soon as possible!”

“Moreover, there’s a 30% chance that he is the ‘Primogenitor Lingbao’!”

At that moment, a huge Buddhist chant sounded, with clear spring water gushing out from the ground and golden lotus blossoming. There were many illusory figures of Buddha with golden bodies in mid-air, slowly rising around the center of the Fish Sea. Each was reciting the original wish.

The Homage of the Buddhas!

What was vigorously uprooted by the “Glaring Vajra” was a Bodhi tree. It was half withered and half flourishing, half alive and half dead, with its trunk sunken in, as if carved with a monk sitting cross-legged, who appeared to exist and not exist, full of nirvana detachment.

Under the Bodhi tree, by meditating hard through its flourishing and withering, was where Siddhartha Gautama had reached his enlightenment!

As soon as the Primary Instruction of the Buddha Palm was in place, the atmosphere immediately became tense. The White-tiger Monster King responded the fastest and issued a long whistle, shaking the earth. The shock seemed to slow down the crowd.

At that moment, it looked like a human tiger with pure white hair. Its hands turned into swords, splitting into the majestic and fierce Giant Vajra!

At the same time, as its hands stretched out, the golden gas near the Fish Sea gathered and condensed into a sharp sword, which flowed from all directions and covered the sky.

He was condensing all the Sword Qi to destroy the entire world!

The horrifying white-haired man who had no vitality took a step forward before all the Sword Qi was condensed, he clenched a fist with his right hand and hit the air.

Boom!

The void cracked. The white-haired men managed to strike out a tiny needlepoint of the Chaotic Hole. Endless suction was coming from the inside, tearing the earth, the Fish Sea, and the Sword Qi that came from everywhere and sucked them all into it. That world seemed to turn into nothingness, the doomsday!

Peacock Demon King “Tai Li” fluttered his wings at the Mighty Vajra to prevent him from getting the Withering Bodhi Tree, but the quadruped and three-armed monster stood in front of him.

Tai Li was turning into a human figure again, but its peacock’s Real Body remained. It raised its right hand. Its tail feathers in red, yellow, green, white and black were circulating endlessly, demonstrating the wonderful change of the Five Elements. It was changing the Dharma and Logos of their surroundings.

With a slap of its right hand, a dark light appeared and the quadruped and three-armed monster were immediately brushed into the five heavy rays of its tail plume!

Seeing that, ‘Prime Asura’ Meng Nan stretched his six arms and attacked Tai Li with knives, swords, spears, and beads from all directions. There was nothing fancy, only pure destruction, killing, and bloodshed.

At the same time, his six eyes spewed black flames to burn up Tai Li. All who were touched by the flames disappeared silently.

Tai Li retaliated with the Divine Five-colored Palm, sometimes brushing out the flames, and sometimes brushing away the pikes. While suppressing the quadruped monster, incredibly he could still fight with Prime Asura!

No wonder he was ranked the first of the Monster Kings!

Cui Qinghe showed his Dharma body that was tall and solemn, generating lights and surrounded by purple air. There was a big purple Grand Sun hanging behind him!

He wielded a long sword to stop the fight. The flames subsided, the swords were retrieved, and the suction vanished accordingly.

The sword cut to the front of the Giant Vajra and forced him to give up the Withering Bodhi Tree for the time being. With a loud cry, he began cutting off everything with a knife to defend the righteous from the evil!

Clank! The sword and knife met. The air was full of purple gas and golden dazzling light.

All of a sudden, an invisible sword light flew to the side of the Withering Bodhi Tree, rolled it up, and fleed.

Kaboom!

The blue and purple thunder light is like a giant tree, splitting into the invisible sword light, forcing “it” to hover away.

The One-legged Ox Monster King stood on its foot, stretched out a long arm waving a huge hammer wrapped with the Dragon of Thunder. It turned the land of nearly a thousand square miles into thunder forest!

Then, a grey-robed nun emerged in mid-air. Her face was compassionate. Her right hand was carrying a Yang Liuzhi. She waved gently, and the flame went out, the thunder light dissipated.

She shook her left hand, and black and white gas were sprayed thinly into the air. Some magnetic force was sucking the Withering Bodhi Tree to the top!

The Abbess of Shui Yue Nunnery came to rob with divine weapons!

Suddenly, there was a loud giggle resounding through the air. The Nine-lotus Platform flew out from the cracked void. Seated on it was a female Bodhisattva, who was beautiful and fair. She appeared to be bestowing her generosity to all beings.

With a simple point of a finger, she changed the Yin and Yang, the magnetic force switched and the Withering Bodhi was immediately drawn to her!

The Primary Instruction was now in the world. All superior parties were playing their tricks!

Chong He pulled out a sword to aim at Bodhi, but behind him, Kong Wen suddenly smacked his back!

Meanwhile, Kong Wen’s countenance changed sharply, showing a tall dark Dharma body, wearing imperial robes and a crown of heaven, with high breath and majestic momentum. He appeared to be the master of heaven and earth, the master of life and death, the common emperor of fairy and evil spirits!

At his smack, there were signs of solidification within a thousand miles, only black and white. It seemed that heaven and earth were destroyed and time was broken!

From heaven above to earth below, from ancient to modern times, all living beings are subject to me!

From my word comes life and death. I destroy those I want to destroy, and seize those I want alive!

‘Evil Master’ Han Guang had reappeared in Jianghu!

At the same time, Tai Li shook the divine light from the five tail feathers behind him. The quadruped and three-armed monster fell out, forcing back the Prime Asura Meng Nan. He then rushed at Chong He, pressing with his hand, and the five rays from his tail feathers were circulating again.

The tacit cooperation between the two was unusual. They were ready to end Chong He’s life!

Pa! Han Guang took a shot at Chong He, but his body was broken like colored glaze, while Tai Li’s divine light only brushed his mirage!

“No!”  As soon as Han Guang thought about it, he saw Chong He appearing in his Dharma body, not far away.

That was the image of a lofty and aloof Taoist man, with a high crown on his head and a young face, as if it were a symbol of “possessing” and “being” between heaven and earth.

Holding a long red sword in his right hand, he pushed his crown with his left hand, breathed out, and turned into three Taoist men again!

One looked unsophisticated, gently pointing with a pure white sword, a destructive Sword Qi was shot toward Han Guang.

One looked like an old man, slowly waving a dark long sword.

One looked thin and handsome, chopping at Han Guang’s head with a blue sword.

“Conjuration of the Taoist Trinity? The supreme art of Pure Sun Sect?”  Four Taoists had Han Guang and Tai Li surrounded in an instant!

Chong He himself struck with his sword, sending a tremor through heaven and earth. Sword Qi of blue, red, white and black crisscrossed. Things disappeared, leaving the world bathed in black and white. The void collapsed and was on the verge of bursting!

He was able to lay out the Immortal-slaying Sword Formation by himself!

This was the way of Chong He!