Longzang

Chapter 272 Holds Great Terror

Wei Yuan had his reasons for returning directly. He would never mistake his own Dao Foundation, nor did he understand why he would come to Jade Mountain after leaving the Pure Land.

Ordinary cultivators might be inclined to explore, but Wei Yuan was, after all, a student trained through intensive instruction, and his way of thinking was much more rigorous than that of students trained through a typical master-disciple system.

He enters his own Dao foundation, then emerges from his sea of ​​consciousness, isn't he still in the Pure Land? This is an infinite cycle.

Back in the Pure Land, many warriors were surprised that Wei Yuan would reappear. The ones in front stopped abruptly, and those behind crashed into him. The group of warriors flew around like headless flies.

Wei Yuan tossed a celestial sword, which landed towards the group of warriors. All the warriors who noticed it instantly stared at the celestial sword, on high alert. Then, in a flash, they witnessed pure white sword intent, and could see nothing else.

Taking advantage of the situation, Wei Yuan dragged Yuan Fei at full speed toward the third wooden door and rushed through the gate before Vajra's Vajra Pestle could smash into their heads.

The scenery before him shifted, and he found himself in a somewhat dim world. It seemed to be inside a mountain range, with several openings in the dome letting in light. The light was bright, but not warm; it didn't feel like sunlight.

The interior of the enormous cave was covered with moss, some grass and trees, and mostly climbing vines. It was eerily quiet; Wei Yuan could hear his own blood flowing and his heart beating.

There was some light around the corner ahead; I wondered what it was.

Wei Yuan put Yuanfei down and asked, "Where is this place? Do you recognize it?"

"Ah, what? I can't see." Yuan Fei's eyes were blank, clearly also injured by the pure white sword intent. Wei Yuan had no choice but to cast a small Taoist spell to clear her mind and brighten her eyes before she regained her sight.

She looked around, then stretched out her hand, a symbol of incomprehensible meaning lighting up on the back of her hand, and said, "This is it. The true blood of the Arhat is just ahead."

Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'll set up some defenses first."

He now had two more beehives in his hands and was preparing to set up a fire barrier at the wooden door. But when he turned around, he was stunned to find that the wooden door he had come from had vanished.

“This place is a world unto itself. If we come in, it’s as if we’ve died in the original Pure Land. Without us, the Pure Land has been shattered, and the entrance has naturally disappeared. Follow me.”

Consort Yuan led the way, with Wei Yuan following behind her.

Perhaps because no one was around, her figure subtly changed; she grew much taller, her physique no longer as exaggerated as a mountain girl's, but still exceeding the limits of most people. From behind, her swaying figure was like a lotus flower blooming with every step.

Although Wei Yuan saw beautiful scenery, his mind was clear and untainted. He focused on his surroundings and, as Yuan Fei walked around the corner, a huge underground space appeared before him.

A colossal Buddha statue, hundreds of feet tall, appeared before Wei Yuan. The statue looked very young, with exquisitely handsome features, almost unrealistically so. Its posture was also strange; it sat cross-legged, one hand forming a mudra in front of its knee, while the other hand rested on the cave ceiling, as if supporting the earth. Its body was slightly bent, as if it were struggling greatly.

Consort Yuan pointed to the Buddha statue and said, "That is the true blood of the Arhats."

Wei Yuan was greatly surprised and said, "This is the true blood of an Arhat?"

"Otherwise what? What did you expect it to be like, a drop of blood?"

Wei Yuan felt a little guilty. He really thought it should be a drop of blood, or at most a gemstone formed by condensing true meaning. He never imagined it would be a Buddha statue hundreds of feet tall.

"Let's go over there."

Wei Yuan followed Consort Yuan to the Buddha statue, where there was an offering table, a prayer cushion, and some simple Buddhist ritual implements. Consort Yuan cleaned the dust off the offering table, took the incense sticks from the side of the table, lit them, inserted them into the incense burner, and then began to kneel and pray. After the last bow, she remained motionless for a long time, seemingly praying for something.

As a disciple of the Taichu Palace, with a Celestial Lord presiding over the palace, Wei Yuan naturally could not kneel in worship. He stood to the side, carefully observing the Buddha statue.

Based on my limited knowledge of Buddhism, this statue doesn't seem to be a Buddha or Bodhisattva, but rather an Arhat. However, Arhats are rarely this large; even in the Four Directions Arhat Altar World of the Great Treasure Flower Pure Land, a golden Arhat's body is only about ten feet tall.

There are three small lotus pedestals around this Arhat statue, but they are all empty and have nothing on them.

As for the Dharma Protector Vajra in the Pure Land, it is clearly born with some kind of supernatural power that manifests in the heavens and the earth. Its true golden body would not be too tall, at most two or three zhang.

Suddenly, the cave trembled, and rubble and dust fell continuously. A faint golden light emanated from the Arhat statue, and several patches on its surface had already turned gold. However, the gold on the enormous Buddha statue was pitifully scarce, consisting of only a few palm-sized patches, like tiny dots compared to the massive statue itself.

At this moment, a faint Buddhist light rose from Consort Yuan's body, her appearance was solemn and dignified, and she seemed to have endless holiness. Wherever she stood, blue lotuses bloomed and faded, and the muddy ground around her turned into a clear pond, and she stood on the water.

The Arhat statues also gained spirit and vitality, with a cool light flowing around them, revealing many divine phenomena.

Faint figures appeared on the three small lotus platforms, vaguely resembling a human, a demon, and a small beast. A monk's robe appeared on the Arhat's body; it looked ordinary, but gave people a sense of tranquility and peace.

A golden bowl appeared in the hands of the Arhat, who had placed it on his lap, and a string of prayer beads appeared on his wrist. The seven beads were all different colors, each corresponding to a different meaning.

A lotus platform faintly appears beneath the Arhat's seat, though most of it is submerged in the soil, with only a few petals visible.

Every object that appeared stirred Wei Yuan's heart. He was exceptionally sensitive to the aura of treasures, and the vast land was unique, so Wei Yuan was particularly attuned to any treasure aura described with adjectives like grand, boundless, and ancient. And coincidentally, the Arhat possessed all of those qualities.

First, let's talk about the monk's robe. It may seem ordinary, but it can purify the mind and spirit, which is definitely a boost to one's aptitude, equivalent to raising one grade in one's Dao foundation. Although Wei Yuan has reached the limit of his potential, theoretically there is still room for improvement. Furthermore, this monk's robe has survived countless tribulations; wearing it, one could probably stand still and let a True Monarch beat him.

The purpose of the golden bowl is unclear, but its quality is high. In other words, although we don't know what it is, it looks very expensive.

The seven prayer beads are clearly a one-time, powerful technique. Although each one used reduces the remaining amount, as long as one is still in hand, no matter what kind of deity it is, it will have to avoid it.

These are all small items.

Wei Yuan looked at the illusory figures on the lotus platform and felt a surge of interest. Could he really choose one of these three? Perhaps he'd get a guardian beast or something, similar to the snake and cat of the True Man of the Grassroots. But these three on the lotus platform had already attained their fruition.

Finally, Wei Yuan glanced at the lotus platform beneath the Arhat… The Arhat seemed to bow its head slightly, scrutinizing Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan felt a vast, gentle gaze pierce through his entire body, revealing all his secrets.

Consort Yuan said, "This is the Arhat of Great Wisdom and Universal Salvation. You can receive this opportunity by reciting his Dharma name. I have already taken on the karmic burden for you."

Wei Yuan suppressed his excitement, bowed to the Arhat, and silently recited the Dharma name.

Wei Yuan immediately felt a gentle warmth in his heart, as if he could forget all his troubles and feel joy.

However, Wei Yuan then saw the monk's robe, bowl, and prayer beads on the Arhat disappear one by one, the phantoms on the three small lotus platforms vanished, and finally the lotus platform beneath him slowly disappeared as well. Thus, the Zen state in his heart shattered.

Are all these opportunities simply out of my reach? Then what are you showing me? ... Wei Yuan felt a surge of anger and embarrassment. In that instant, he truly realized that he was still just an ordinary person.

With a bang, something fell from the sky and hit Wei Yuan on the head.

Consort Yuan burst out laughing. Her precious appearance was completely ruined, and she had reverted to being that wicked vixen who brought ruin to the country.

Wei Yuan picked it up and saw that it was a fist-sized, dark red fruit shaped like a dried lotus flower. It was as heavy as a stone and as hard as jade. It would hurt a lot if it hit his head.

"What is this?" Wei Yuan had little knowledge of Buddhist treasures, so he humbly asked Consort Yuan for clarification.

Consort Yuan rolled her eyes and said, "The Arhat is right in front of you, why don't you go ask him instead of asking me?"

Wei Yuan then carefully chanted the Dharma name, and this time he felt even stranger. With his knowledge of Buddhism, even Bodhisattvas generally couldn't obtain such a Dharma name, and it was basically impossible for someone who had attained the Arhatship to do so, let alone three of them.

After reciting the Dharma name, Wei Yuan suddenly felt a great deal of knowledge in his mind.

Part of it concerns this fruit, called the Red Lotus Bodhi, a special variety of Bodhi tree. It was originally an ordinary Bodhi tree, growing beside an Arhat's seat until the Arhat's passing. It absorbed much karma and, after withering, formed this Red Lotus Bodhi. Now, there is still a glimmer of life within this Bodhi seed; if it meets a destined person and falls into a destined place, it may be reborn.

Upon seeing this, Wei Yuan finally perked up. This was the Bodhi tree before the Buddha! In terms of status, it was probably even higher than the laurel branch. Who knew which wild forest that branch had grown in before? Such a wild immortal creature could not compare to the treasures that existed before the Buddha.

For the Red Lotus Bodhi tree to grow into a tree, it needs to absorb numerous causes and effects, primarily those related to killing, bloodshed, and destruction. What kind of tree it will ultimately become depends on the causes and effects it absorbs.

Seeing this, Wei Yuan was even more delighted. Whether it could survive was not a problem for him at all; he could even keep a withered branch alive, let alone this seed that still had a chance of life.

In addition, Wei Yuan also obtained a scripture called "The Red Lotus Universal Salvation Mantra". This is a mantra that can invoke the karmic fire of the red lotus to subdue demons and monsters, and its power depends on the caster's Buddha-nature and the growth progress of the red lotus Bodhi tree.

Wei Yuan had little expectation for his own Buddhist nature, but he was quite confident in the growth rate of the Red Lotus Bodhi Tree. The two would counteract each other, and their final power should not be bad. Perhaps it would be inferior to the Golden Light Water Blade Technique, but it would certainly far surpass Wei Yuan's other Daoist techniques.

This trip can be considered complete.

Wei Yuan, being from a Daoist sect, could not unleash the full power of any Buddhist treasure in his hands. Moreover, the more powerful the Buddhist treasure, the more it emphasized Buddhist nature and causality. Therefore, some ancient Buddhist treasures with names and origins might not be as effective as a high-grade immortal sword in the hands of an ordinary cultivator.

Obtaining a Bodhi tree before the Buddha was exactly what Wei Yuan wanted. Once the Bodhi tree was fully grown, Wei Yuan felt that his Dao foundation would be nearly stable.

At this moment, the cave continued to shake, and the falling rocks grew larger and larger. Yuanfei came over and took Weiyuan's hand, saying, "We should go."

Wei Yuan nodded, and the scenery before his eyes shifted, his consciousness cleared, and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in the small temple. His senior sister and master were still sitting calmly in the pavilion. However, Marquis Xiang paced anxiously, unable to remain composed.

Upon finally seeing Wei Yuan and Consort Yuan appear, Marquis Xiang was overjoyed and rushed over. Zhang Sheng, however, remained as calm as ever, glancing only in their direction before continuing his reading.

Consort Yuan then transformed back into a maidservant, bowed to Marquis Xiang, and said, "Some things went wrong inside, but fortunately everything is still going smoothly."

Marquis Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's good that everyone is alright, it's good that everyone is alright!"

The maid suddenly said, "I have a few words to say to him."

A strange look flashed across Xianghou's face, but he didn't say anything, only saying, "Then I'll wait in the pavilion."

Previously, Wei Yuan would have found it strange, but now that he knows the maid's true identity, everything makes sense. Clearly, Consort Yuan also feels there's no need to hide anything from him.

Leaving the two of them alone in the small temple, Wei Yuan suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt. The temple door was still open, no, this temple didn't have a door!

From this angle, Zhang Sheng could see everything with just a slight movement of his body!
Facing Wei Yuan, the maid's ordinary face softened like water, revealing her naturally stunning beauty once more. She smiled enigmatically and said, "Haven't you always wanted to see what your maternal relatives could offer you? Are you satisfied with what you've given me now?"

Wei Yuan opened his mouth, but really didn't know what to say.

"Clearly, you are destined to meet the Arhat. The Arhat gave you the Bodhi tree that accompanied him to the end. To the Arhat, this tree is like the green lamp before the Buddha on Mount Ling."

So that's what they meant by a gift, not what I thought. Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, his guilt lessening slightly.

Suddenly, Consort Yuan pulled open her collar and dragged her clothes down a bit, revealing her snow-white, full breasts. This action immediately made Wei Yuan's heart leap into his throat!
Wei Yuan glanced at her, and his mind went completely blank. There were several obvious teeth marks on her exposed skin! Without even comparing them, Wei Yuan knew that they were his own teeth marks!
How could there be teeth marks?

A terrifying thought arose in Wei Yuan's mind: Could this be a case of primordial spirit travel?!

Consort Yuan's lips curled slightly upward as she said, "Don't be afraid. I've already borne the greatest karmic burden; you're only slightly involved. As for that karma..."

She gently stroked her lower abdomen and said, "Here."

(End of this chapter)