The Realm of Extinction had no epiphyllums.
Li Dingxun brought epiphyllums, planting them one by one: one on a mountain, one by a river, one in a plain, one in a forest.
These epiphyllums were resilient and divine; they were creations that transcended life and death, and they did not participate in the terrifying cycle of the Realm of Extinction.
The epiphyllums were the vitality of this place, representing the infiltration of an external system.
The Realm of Extinction was being devoured by the Pure Land.
The world's greatest, Li Dingxun, sent word from the Pure Land, telling people to plant epiphyllums across the mountains and rivers of the Divine Land.
When people asked why, he stood on high and replied, "This is for the Pure Land, for the Bodhisattva."
When people asked on what authority, he walked among the crowd and said, "On the premise that the safety of all living beings hangs by a thread."
The scholar Su Mo stepped forward and loudly proclaimed, praising Li Dingxun's grand vision, great power, and firm resolve in leveling the Bloodhowl Sect, calling him a Venerable.
Thus, all heroes under heaven submitted, and the common people were of one mind.
The strategy of planting epiphyllums spread grandly across the Divine Land.
Li Dingxun walked silently in the Realm of Extinction.
Night fell, and malevolent ghosts raged with the wind.
Behind him was a sea of flowers, emitting a soft glow, and those evil spirits fell among the petals, peacefully falling asleep.
Soothing pain.
Soothing sorrow.
He turned his head; in the distance, the mountains shook and the earth trembled as the volcano in the Realm of Extinction erupted again, its crimson flames reddening the sky, and rolling smoke and dust dispersed. Within this dense dust, countless restless souls lurked, roaring hideously. In the sky, they were birds and eagles; on the ground, they were running beasts and hyenas. More often, they were humanoids, with twisted muscles and bones filled with yellow-gray volcanic ash, and surging red magma and fire flowing through their veins.
Yes, no one could survive a single cycle in such a pursuit.
Nature sometimes exhibits human-like characteristics, such as eliminating dissidents. This is part of the cycle of life and death, but there are always those who are unwilling, who wish to break such synergy, who wish to shatter that natural oppression, and little by little expand a comfort zone for life.
Li Dingxun was willing to let all the seeds in the darkness sprout; if there was no sun in the world, then he would be the only light.
The resentful spirits from the volcanoes tore apart the epiphyllums, spreading death and suffering like a virus.
Pain does not dissipate with propagation; instead, it constantly intensifies. Only by inflicting deeper pain on others can one slightly alleviate one's own.
The most selfish emotion is pain, and what Li Dingxun saw was such a group of selfish deceased.
Divine Tier, Da Zhuo Hand!
Above the earth, the second volcano erupted!
The sun rose, and the specters vanished. Li Dingxun withdrew his fist and looked back at the epiphyllums; most were tattered, but still gently swaying. Yes, as long as there was the Pure Land, as long as there was light, they would continue to grow.
Li Dingxun had already traversed the Realm of Extinction. When he stood at the end of the Realm of Extinction and looked down, there was an infinite dark abyss. This was a chasm, and on the opposite side was another direction of the Realm of Extinction. When he crossed the chasm, he had also gone from one end of the Realm of Extinction to the other.
He gently tossed the last epiphyllum into the bottom of the world.
Then he was to return, standing on the volcano of the Realm of Extinction.
A protracted battle ended, and Li Dingxun felt the passion and heat surging in his blood. His body was telling him to create more miracles, to make the nights here bright, and to utterly annihilate sin.
The Da Zhuo Hand could no longer meet the demands.
Waving his palm thousands of times could collapse mountains, but it couldn't suppress the raging currents beneath the earth.
"This time, it's my turn."
A wondrous manifestation appeared.
Li Dingxun transformed into a white-robed Bodhisattva with deer antlers on his forehead and a snail-shell bun on his head.
He raised his palm, and a disc appeared in his palm.
It was no longer Mount Sumeru.
The bottom layer of the disc was a current of air, the Wind Wheel.
Above the Wind Wheel was a layer of water, the Water Wheel.
Above the Water Wheel were heavy gold and stone, the Gold Wheel.
Above the Gold Wheel were the Eight Mountains and Eight Seas, and at the center, Sumeru.
This was a Minor Thousand World!
The magnificent manifested body was a hundred times more sublime than the volcano. He formed the fundamental mudra of the Lu Yuan Bodhisattva, like deer antlers, resembling lotus flowers. Faint Buddhist chants echoed, and countless devotees swirled and danced like star-dust, forming the Bodhisattva's streamers, his divine power surpassing the three ages.
The Buddhist Son gently rotated his wrist, inverting the mountains and seas, and pressed down forcefully onto the volcano.
Bodhisattva's Realm — Minor Thousand World Palm!
Space-time contracted here.
A gigantic spherical force field expanded, enlarging the volcano and everything around it. The force field emitted brilliant rosy light, with sand-like streams of light within the vast colors, and electrical arcs flickered at the edge of the force field. This was a star fallen to the human world!
The figure of the Buddhist Son dissipated, and Li Dingxun stood in the void.
He looked down at the restless, deformed souls, their eyes fixed on the judge of their destiny.
"Good, come! Let me guide you to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss!"
The force field slowly contracted.
All enclosed matter and energy were gently peeled away from their original places.
Compression, heating, luminosity —
Like a supernova explosion!
The manifested body slowly dissolved in the intense light.
The Realm of Extinction was completely illuminated, and the great sun in the sky was stripped of its authority.
Everything submitted — under his fist!
The wind in the Realm of Extinction blew gently, sweeping over the sea of flowers. The souls of the dead slept among the dreamy pollen, wishing them a wonderful sleep.
The former volcano was now only a hemispherical pit, its edges smooth as a mirror, the soil scorched into a dazzling and beautiful ceramic glaze.
As for Li Dingxun, he was swimming in the magma, with the speed of a submarine.
However, there were no road signs in the underground magma flow, which caused him to get a bit lost, ultimately taking him a week to return to the Ryukyu volcano.
Thanks to his powerful inner energy, not even a single thread on his body was singed.
He had fulfilled the old ghost's promise.
Next, it was time to go home.
In June, the south was already unbearably hot.
Li Dingxun returned to Guangdong, originally intending to go straight back to Lotus Mountain, but when he passed through Guangzhou, he was attracted by the hustle and bustle of human life here and suddenly decided to stay for a few days to enjoy the food.
He liked to pick a shop facing the street, eating and enjoying the view at the same time.
All sorts of people walked on the street: businessmen, artisans, all people of the martial world. There were young knights carrying swords, and old men selling clay figurines from street to street.
A myriad of human conditions, many people also wore an epiphyllum, dotting the long street like a painting.
After staying for three days, Li Dingxun was about to leave when suddenly there was a martial arts competition for marriage. While such a competition was not unusual, what was strange was that it was a Xuan Nu Sect disciple holding the competition.
This was truly shocking news that captured everyone's attention.
Who in the world didn't know that the Xuan Nu Sect strictly forbade marriage, and its disciples were all pure women? To say such an absurd thing was happening now, even if the sun rose from the west tomorrow, people wouldn't be more surprised.
Li Dingxun shook his head, having no desire to join the excitement. He followed the relay station's caravan and hurried towards Lotus Mountain.
He left the team at Lianjiang Post and walked towards the Lion Appearance Sect. Passing through a bamboo forest, he encountered a woman in purple robes lying on the ground.
On the withered yellow leaves, the woman was like a butterfly, with a broken zither beside her.
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