"By the will of the Buddha."
Manjusri rose to his feet, pressed his palms together in a respectful gesture, and bowed.
Then
He instantly turned into a streak of divine light and vanished from the Great Thunderclap Temple.
"World Honored One,"
Guanyin stepped forward, her expression filled with compassion, "Jin Chanzi may have erred, but isn't such a punishment too severe?"
"This is Jin Chanzi's tribulation."
"Even if he had never spoken those so-called heretical words, he would still have to pass through reincarnation. This is fate and also opportunity." Duobao Tathagata replied slowly.
Hearing this
Guanyin's face showed helpless sorrow.
The Underworld.
The place where countless souls go to be reincarnated.
In a certain part of this realm, holy Buddhist light shone bright so bright it seemed it could cleanse all grudges and resentments.
And within that boundless light,
a monk clad in robes and radiating Buddhist energy sat serenely atop a lotus platform.
A golden light shot through the air and landed in front of him.
"Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva."
Manjusri greeted with palms pressed together.
"Manjusri Bodhisattva,"
Kṣitigarbha lifted his head in surprise.
"What brings you to the dark depths of the Underworld?"
"By decree of the World Honored One,"
"I have come to deliver Jin Chanzi's soul for reincarnation." Manjusri raised his hand, revealing the soul of Jin Chanzi resting in his palm.
Seeing this
Kṣitigarbha's expression changed slightly.
"Why is Jin Chanzi's soul here? Who dared kill him?"
"Jin Chanzi has fallen into darkness. The World Honored One personally struck him down and decreed his reincarnation," Manjusri replied with a faint, casual smile as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
"Fallen into darkness?"
Kṣitigarbha looked even more surprised.
"That's enough,"
"There's no need for you to know more. Ever since Jin Chanzi joined the Buddhist sect, he's shown signs of deviation toward demonic ways. The World Honored One punished him for his good."
"Of course…"
"This is also for the grand plan of the Buddhist order."
"The World Honored One commands that Jin Chanzi be reborn in the Eastern Continent and return to our sect," Manjusri explained as he gently tossed the soul toward Kṣitigarbha.
"The Eastern Continent?"
"Our temples there are weak and obscure. Even if he joins, he'll only be a mortal monk, unable to truly cultivate," Kṣitigarbha responded.
In the Eastern Continent,
there were indeed Buddhist temples.
The four continents were connected, so teachings did spread.
However
The temples there housed only ordinary monks, not true cultivators.
"That is precisely the intention of the World Honored One."
"The Heavenly Court has approved the eastward spread of the Dharma. Since the disappearance of the ancient Saints, our Buddhist order is finally poised to rise again."
"Jin Chanzi's reincarnation will bear the great responsibility of spreading the Dharma to the East," Manjusri spoke with solemn seriousness.
Hearing this,
Kṣitigarbha nodded. "Very well. I will ensure Jin Chanzi is reborn in the Eastern Continent."
"Then I leave it to you."
Manjusri smiled, transforming into a ray of Buddhist light and disappearing.
"Revival of the Buddhist order…"
"Sigh…"
"Master, is this truly the flourishing of Buddhism you once envisioned?"
Watching Manjusri leave, Kṣitigarbha let out a quiet sigh.
The Heavenly Court.
Jade Pool Palace.
Haotian sat coldly on his imperial throne.
"I've replanted the peach pit from the original Tree of Immortality in the orchard,"
"But to regain its former effects is impossible,"
"It will take a long time to cultivate," the Queen Mother of the West said slowly, her face barely masking her seething anger.
"You've worked hard,"
Haotian softened his tone slightly.
"Your Majesty,"
"We must capture that demon,"
"This concerns not only the prestige of the Heavenly Court but also our very destiny!"
"You know how vital the Peach Tree is to our court," she said sternly.
"I will make that demon suffer the cruelest torments in this world,"
"However, he possesses a treasure that blocks the Divine Mirror of Haotian. I cannot locate him," Haotian said, rage brimming in his voice.
"Your Majesty,"
"This man dares to act so brazenly only because he's entered the Earth Immortal Realm alone," the Queen Mother suddenly said.
Upon hearing this
Haotian's eyes lit up suddenly as if he had thought of something.
"All of that man's weaknesses are in the mortal realm."
"Right now, he's alone, I can't track him, and he has many ways to escape. But once the mortal realm merges with the Earthly Immortal Realm, he'll have something to worry about. Then he won't be able to run." Haotian sneered coldly.
"Your Majesty is right," the Queen Mother immediately responded. "That is the fundamental way to deal with this demon."
"At present, the priority is to bring the mortal realm into the Earthly Immortal Realm."
"Judging by the timing, it should be about the moment that Duobao mentioned."
"The fate of the mortal realm, the opportunity to become a saint"
"All of it will belong to me," Haotian's eyes burned with greed.
"Your Majesty," the Queen Mother hesitated. "Is that opportunity for sainthood in the mortal realm truly real?"
"How could a mere mortal realm hold such a thing?"
"If there was such an opportunity, why didn't it appear when the saints were still present? Why did no one fight for it?"
"They say," Haotian replied passionately, "the mortal realm holds the seventh strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi."
"In ancient times, the one that fell into Red Cloud's hands ended up in the mortal realm."
"That sounds like nothing more than a baseless rumor," the Queen Mother said skeptically. "I've never heard of it."
Haotian shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Even if the Hongmeng Purple Qi isn't there, the mortal realm still contains the Human Race's national destiny, seized long ago by the ancient Human Sovereign."
"Perhaps I can use that destiny to take another step forward."
"Even without the Hongmeng Purple Qi…"
"If my cultivation reaches the next level, I'll be able to wipe out the Buddhist sect, destroy all the rebellious powers in the Southern Continent, and bring them under Heaven's rule."
"All the fate in the world will be under my control. I can still achieve sainthood with that boundless fortune."
"Without becoming a saint, we are all ants."
"I will never forget how those saints looked down on me like an insect. I'll never forget the humiliation," Haotian growled, his face twisted with fury at the memory.
"Doesn't Your Majesty still possess the Kunlun Mirror?"
"That man he was the strongest in the mortal realm. He caused the Heavenly Court to suffer heavy losses. But now that he's gone, no one protects the mortal world."
"This would be the perfect time to send people in again," the Queen Mother reminded him with a smile.
Hearing this, Haotian's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded. "Yes."
Just as he was about to take out the Kunlun Mirror
When he looked into his storage space, his face suddenly changed.
"What's wrong?" the Queen Mother asked, confused.
"The Kunlun Mirror… is gone," Haotian's expression was grim.
"How could it be gone?"
"Who could steal the Kunlun Mirror from you? That's impossible!" the Queen Mother gasped in disbelief.
"I put it in my storage space. It can't be stolen."
"Unless…" Haotian fell into deep thought. "Xi Wangmu?"
"No way."
"Even if the mirror originally belonged to her and she removed the restrictions, she shouldn't be able to summon it back directly."
"And even if she did, I should have sensed it." Haotian quickly shook his head.
"Then what happened?"
"Who could take it from you?" The Queen Mother furrowed her brows tightly.
Both of their faces were now extremely grave.
If it were anything else even the destruction of the entire Peach Garden by Zhao Feng they at least knew who did it.
But the Kunlun Mirror had vanished without a trace. That meant someone was watching from the shadows.
"Could it be… a saint?" Haotian suddenly thought of the one possibility that terrified him most.
…
Inside a mountain cave
Zhao Feng held the Kunlun Mirror in his hands, looking at it with great satisfaction.
"I've refined twenty layers of restrictions already. As expected of a top-tier innate spiritual treasure."
"It fully unleashes the power of a spatial mirror, and it also has offensive capabilities even time-space powers."
"I can shelve the Space Mirror from now on."
Now that he had refined the Kunlun Mirror, Zhao Feng had full control of its powers.
Offense, defense it had it all.
Truly worthy of being a top-tier treasure.
Just then
In the mountains where Zhao Feng was hiding
"Chan'er, is that demon hiding somewhere in these mountains?" Ao Tingxin asked, glancing at Yang Chan beside her.
"The Lotus Lantern was a gift from my master in the past. It contains a trace of saintly power. It's not just for offense or defense it can also track people."
"Even though the aura is faint, I can still track it."
"The area should be within this range. The margin of error shouldn't exceed ten thousand miles," Yang Chan said confidently.
"That demon slaughtered so many Da Luo experts from Heaven. Can we handle him?" Ao Tingxin was still a little nervous.
"I have the Lotus Lantern. I can fight even a quasi-saint."
"It'll be fine."
"If we take him down, it might even benefit your dragon clan and help avoid Heaven's wrath," Yang Chan explained.
Clearly
She had come here not only to capture Zhao Feng but also to give Ao Tingxin a shot at earning merit.
The Heavenly Emperor had mobilized all of Heaven to hunt Zhao Feng capturing him would mean great rewards.
Inside the mountain cave
Zhao Feng stowed away the Kunlun Mirror.
Just as he was about to leave
"Two women?"
"One of them's a dragon?"
"This is the first time I've seen a dragon since arriving in the Earthly Immortal Realm."
Zhao Feng casually spread out his divine sense and immediately sensed their presence.
"She's holding a lantern… Could she be Yang Jian's sister?"
"The Third Holy Mother?"
With a sweep of his divine sense, Zhao Feng instantly identified them.
"Heaven's going all out calling in even the Third Holy Mother."
"The Lotus Lantern."
Zhao Feng chuckled.
He stepped out.
Meanwhile, outside
Yang Chan held the Lotus Lantern, and Ao Tingxin gripped a sword, cautiously scanning the surroundings with their divine senses.
"Are you looking for me?"
A voice suddenly rang in both of their ears.
"Who?!"
Yang Chan and Ao Tingxin quickly turned around, only to see Zhao Feng standing before them in a black robe.
The moment she saw him, Yang Chan immediately went on alert.
"You… you're that so-called demon?" she asked, scanning Zhao Feng from head to toe with a hint of confusion.
Zhao Feng looked nothing like what she had imagined.
She had thought he would resemble the monsters of the Southern Continent beast-headed and human-bodied.
But instead, he looked like a refined young man, handsome and composed.
"He's almost as handsome as Second Brother…"
"Could his transformation technique be this powerful?" Yang Chan wondered silently.
"Demon?"
"If you were sent by the Heavenly Court, then I suppose I am," Zhao Feng said with a faint smile.
"After all, anyone who opposes the Heavenly Court is branded a 'demon' in their eyes."
Looking at the calm and gentle Zhao Feng, Ao Tingxin hesitated.
"Chan'er… is he a demon? He may radiate killing intent, but there's no resentment in him. He feels different from the demons I've seen."
"I don't know," Yang Chan replied through a voice transmission.
"But he should be the man the Heavenly Court wants."
"If we capture him, the merit will be great enough to help your Dragon Clan gain favor."
With that thought, Ao Tingxin's gaze turned resolute.
"Demon," Yang Chan said aloud, raising the Lotus Lantern.
"Will you surrender peacefully, or must I take you down myself?"
Although she wasn't sure how powerful Zhao Feng truly was, the fact that the Heavenly Court took him so seriously meant he wouldn't be easy to deal with.
"The two of you together still aren't enough to take me," Zhao Feng said with a smile.
"Then let's find out," Yang Chan responded without hesitation.
She raised the Lotus Lantern, channeling her power into it.
In an instant, brilliant light burst forth, a surge of power shooting toward Zhao Feng.
But Zhao Feng didn't even try to dodge.
A golden lotus platform appeared in front of him.
The blast from the lantern struck the platform directly, only making it tremble slightly before the force dispersed outward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hundreds of surrounding mountains shattered from the shockwave.
Even the void itself seemed to quake.
"You're a Quasi-Saint?" Yang Chan's face changed dramatically.
With the Lotus Lantern, she could barely hold her own against an early-stage Quasi-Saint.
But if Zhao Feng was truly a Quasi-Saint, she was no match.
"Vajra Bracelet," Zhao Feng said with a smile.
A golden bracelet appeared in his hand.
With a flick of his wrist, the bracelet unleashed a devouring force specifically targeting divine weapons and treasures.
In a flash, both Yang Chan and Ao Tingxin were engulfed by the force.
"This is bad!" Yang Chan's expression changed.
She felt a powerful force trying to wrench the Lotus Lantern from her grasp.
"My sword!" Ao Tingxin cried out as her weapon trembled violently, as if about to fly from her hand.
Before entering the Doushi Palace, Zhao Feng had been hesitant to use the Vajra Bracelet after all, it belonged to the Grand Supreme Elder Lord.
But after his recent visit to the palace, the Grand Supreme had not only recognized the artifact but had shown goodwill toward Zhao Feng.
So now, Zhao Feng had no fear of wielding it.
The Vajra Bracelet was a supreme treasure not only a top-tier innate spiritual treasure but also imbued with the Grand Supreme's power.
As long as his cultivation was strong enough, he could even seize other innate treasures.
"Seize," Zhao Feng said softly.
He poured more power into the bracelet.
With a flash of golden light, the devouring force surged.
"Ah!" Yang Chan and Ao Tingxin gasped.
The Lotus Lantern flew from Yang Chan's hands, and Ao Tingxin's sword was also ripped away both sucked into the bracelet and landed in Zhao Feng's hand.
"Lotus Lantern, return!" Yang Chan shouted, her expression turning solemn.
She poured all her power into recalling the lantern.
It trembled violently in Zhao Feng's hand as if trying to break free.
"Seal," Zhao Feng muttered.
With a thought, he summoned the power of the Heavenly Dao Wheel and sent the Lotus Lantern into his inner world.
In that moment
Yang Chan completely lost her connection to the Lotus Lantern.
"I've lost my link to it…"
Her face turned pale.
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