Overseas, waves rose and fell like thousands of mountains.
"It's finally over..."
As the incarnation of Buddha Child Guang Ming shattered and the [Buddha Kingdom on Earth] dimmed, Hong Ju and Xiang Ye in the distance finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed.
After all, the pressure of Buddha Child Guang Ming was simply too strong. It wasn't just because of his background as the World Honored One of the Pure Land, but his own strength was also terrifyingly formidable. There was probably only one person in the current world who could defeat him. Therefore, even if the other party had no interest in them, it still made them feel as if thorns were pricking their backs.
Especially Hong Ju, who exhaled a deep breath of turbid air.
Xiang Ye was one thing; he had refined a Blessed Land early on. Although he hadn't extracted a Golden Nature, he at least had the confidence to put up a fight against Buddha Child Guang Ming.
But he was different.
His entire life and nature were completely pinned on Hong Yun's Golden Nature and were long fixed. He himself had no Golden Nature, nor could he refine any Blessed Land.
Therefore, among Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators, he was a blank slate. Relying on profound techniques and methods, he might slightly surpass Tian Qiu, but only slightly. Not to mention anything else, if the person who just fought Buddha Child Guang Ming were him, he would probably be heavily injured by now and could only flee in a sorry state.
"Let's go. We should meet that Fellow Daoist Lu..."
Xiang Ye took a deep breath. He didn't put on any airs. Just as he was about to step forward, a loud noise of rushing water suddenly rang out between heaven and earth.
Rumble!
The source of the sound was impressively Lu Yang, who was sitting upright on the dome of the sky, his entire body shrouded in the center of the thousands of lights created by the [Xuandu Blessed Land].
He's injured too.
Xiang Ye was somewhat uncertain, thinking to himself:
No, being injured is only expected... That was the Buddha Child. Even if it was just an incarnation, to slay it without getting injured—that would only be possible if Vanquishing-Demon came...
This guess wasn't accurate. Lu Yang indeed wasn't injured. Not because of his strength, but because he used a trick—he used the [Parting and Reuniting Jade Tablet] obtained from the Dragon Palace Treasury to bear Buddha Child Guang Ming's attack. At this moment, he was trying to dissolve the Buddhist light spiritual power within the [Parting and Reuniting Jade Tablet].
The Buddha Child...
Lu Yang sat cross-legged, his hands cupped like a lotus. Rolling spiritual power constantly surged into the [Parting and Reuniting Jade Tablet], but he found it was like a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood.
Faintly, he seemed to see a giant palm.
The palm print was full, the five fingers rounded, revealing a bead-like "perfection" imagery. In a trance, Lu Yang could even hear the sound of chanting coming from it.
Seeing this scene, Lu Yang couldn't help but narrow his eyes
If this palm had hit me earlier, I would be half-crippled even if I didn't die. The result wouldn't be a complete victory, but mutual destruction.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang's eyes lit up slightly:
Once I refine this palm, I can store it in the [Parting and Reuniting Jade Tablet] and throw it out to attack enemies when necessary...
Giving them a taste of their own medicine!
This was also the wondrous use of the [Parting and Reuniting Jade Tablet]. Otherwise, if it were merely a treasure to substitute for tribulations, it wouldn't qualify to be stored in the Dragon Palace Treasury.
Lu Yang was still pondering.
Suddenly, he raised his brows slightly and saw two escaping lights falling gently in the distance. They kept their distance very politely and bowed to him not far away:
"Primordial Saint Sect, Xiang Ye."
"Primordial Saint Sect, Hong Ju."
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist!"
The two bowed simultaneously. Suo Huan behind Lu Yang looked on with a complicated and indescribable expression. They were both outer heavens cultivators, so why was the difference in treatment so huge?
During his hundreds of years overseas, he was basically called an outer heavens rogue cultivator by everyone; no one had ever called him Fellow Daoist. The four major powers discarded him like a worn-out shoe. Yet Lu Yang had just arrived, not even staying for a full day, and the Perfected Ones of the Primordial Saint Sect had already actively come to call him Fellow Daoist.
"Greetings to the two Fellow Daoists."
Lu Yang didn't put on airs. He similarly stood up and returned the greeting, only glancing with slight surprise at Xiang Ye, whose appearance and age were completely different from his memory.
He had aged.
In Lu Yang's impression, Xiang Ye should be a young Daoist. Yet at this moment, Xiang Ye had become an old man with kind features and white hair but a youthful face.
His vitality seemed to be diminished. What had happened?
As if sensing the doubt in Lu Yang's eyes, Xiang Ye smiled: "Please forgive my rudeness, fellow Daoist. I recently had a great battle with that person from the Pure Land."
"Just some minor aftereffects."
Xiang Ye spoke lightly. However, as Lu Yang observed with the [Exquisite Heart], he probably had at most thirty years of lifespan left in this life. It could be said his end was approaching.
The next second, Xiang Ye didn't beat around the bush and said directly:
"Can Fellow Daoist reveal the truth? Which Perfected One of my Saint Sect are you the reincarnation of?"
Lu Yang: "..."
Who are you calling Saint Sect!
"Fellow Daoist has misunderstood." Lu Yang smiled slightly: "I am an outer heavens cultivator and have absolutely no relation to the Saint Sect Fellow Daoist speaks of."
"Really?"
I don't believe it!
Xiang Ye narrowed his eyes and sized up Lu Yang. Lu Yang calmly met his gaze. The two sides were stuck for a moment before Xiang Ye took the initiative to break the silence—
"Since Fellow Daoist is unwilling to say, then forget it... However, Fellow Daoist has now thoroughly offended that person from the Pure Land. If you continue to wander overseas, it will probably be fraught with danger. Why not come to my Saint Sect as a guest? To be honest with Fellow Daoist, I am also someone planted with a Buddhist affinity by that person from the Pure Land."
"Then I'll gladly accept."
Facing Xiang Ye's invitation, Lu Yang didn't reject it. After all, the overseas region had been swept clean by him, and the Sword Pavilion already had an incarnation there.
He had no connections in the Dao Court, and he couldn't go to the Pure Land.
After thinking it over, returning to the Saint Sect was naturally more cost-effective.
But then again.
"Fellow Daoist need not worry about the threat from that person in the Pure Land for the time being." Lu Yang looked calm: "Within about a year, he shouldn't be able to come out again."
Pure Land, Supreme Truth Enlightenment Monastery.
Originally named [Fu Long Temple].
However, ever since Buddha Child Guang Ming was born here, this temple changed its name. Its scale grew day by day, and the number of monks became countless.
Yet at this moment, inside the Supreme Truth Enlightenment Monastery, was filled with righteous indignation. Everyone looked at the majestic Buddha statue in the main hall of the monastery with anger, fear, or panic. The originally perfect and flawless Buddhist light on it had suddenly collapsed at a corner, dissipating part of its divine wonder out of thin air!
"How can this be... how can this be!"
A monk's chest heaved upon seeing this, almost unable to control his dharma body, sweating profusely. He only calmed down slightly when the novice monk under the Buddha statue opened his eyes.
"Buddha Child!"
Seeing this scene, the monk almost roared out. The originally panic-stricken group of monks also quickly stabilized, revealing looks of relief.
What died in battle overseas was ultimately just an incarnation.
Now that the Buddha Child's true body had awakened and come out of seclusion, if he immediately charged over to kill, who could stop him?
Under everyone's expectant gaze, Buddha Child Guang Ming didn't delay and said directly: "I will go into seclusion for one year. From today on, all cultivators of the Pure Land will go into seclusion with me."
"Ah?"
Many monks were stunned instantly.
Just accepting it like this? The incarnation was destroyed, and he didn't plan to go back and regain face?
For a time, a few smarter monks unconsciously held their breath. Connecting it with the changes on the Buddha statue, a guess had already surfaced in their hearts:
Could it be that what the Buddha Child lost was not just an incarnation...?
But that was just an outer heavens rogue cultivator.
How did he do it?
Buddha Child Guang Ming ignored the changing expressions of the crowd. Instead, he closed his eyes again, looking inside himself, and fell into deep contemplation.
What a way to shorten one's life.'
Not only did the [Past Self] die, but even its life force was inexplicably stripped clean. It will take at least a year to recover...
Thinking of this, Buddha Child Guang Ming frowned slightly.
There are no clues about that Immortal Spirit either. If this continues, gathering the four disciples will be indefinitely postponed... As things stand, it seems I can only find another way.