Primordial Era: I rule the great sect and command all immortals.

Chapter 37 Establishing the Western Religion and Guiding Zhunti to Sainthood

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness and bitterness in each other's eyes. They focused their minds, abandoning all unrealistic ideas, and made a grand vow according to plan. The sound of chanting resounded throughout the primordial land:

"If I attain unsurpassed Bodhi and become a fully enlightened being, the Buddha-land I reside in will be adorned with immeasurable and inconceivable merits and virtues. There will be no hells, hungry ghosts, birds, beasts, or any kind of flying or crawling creatures. All sentient beings, as well as those in the Yama realm and the three evil realms, who come to be reborn in my Buddha-land and receive my Dharma teachings, will all attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. They will no longer fall into the evil realms. Upon fulfilling this vow, I will become a Buddha."

"If I do not attain Buddhahood, I will not achieve unsurpassed enlightenment. If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the ten directions sincerely believe and rejoice, desiring to be reborn in my land, even with just ten recitations, and if they are not reborn there, I will not attain enlightenment. Except for those who commit the five heinous crimes and slander the Dharma. If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the ten directions generate Bodhicitta, cultivate all virtues, and sincerely vow to be reborn in my land."

"May I attain Buddhahood if, when I am enlightened, there are no heavenly beings or humans in my land who do not know their past lives, down to those who know the events of hundreds of thousands of billions of kalpas; may I not attain perfect enlightenment."

"If, when I attain Buddhahood, my light is limited, and it does not even illuminate hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddha-lands, may I not attain perfect enlightenment."

"May I, at the time of my death, guide sentient beings in the ten directions, so that they may generate the Bodhicitta, cultivate all virtues, and sincerely aspire to be reborn in my land. If I do not appear before them surrounded by a large assembly at the time of their death, may I not attain perfect enlightenment."

"If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in other lands, upon hearing my name, do not immediately attain the first, second, or third forbearance, or do not immediately attain non-retrogression in the Buddha's teachings, may I not attain perfect enlightenment."

As one great vow after another was made, Jieyin and Zhunti's faces grew increasingly grim, their hearts pounding. Heaven was too cruel; it was forcing them to die.

For a long time, vows echoed throughout the primordial world. The two leaders made forty-eight grand vows in succession to create the Western Religion and the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, in order to save all the lost and confused beings.

Finally, as each of their grand vows was recognized by the Heavenly Dao, the merits bestowed by the Heavenly Dao increased. After completing the forty-eight grand vows, the merits they received finally satisfied their needs for attaining enlightenment.

"Tsk tsk! These two leaders must be having a tough time!"

Feeling the two holy powers reaching Kunlun Mountain, Li Yunjing revealed a hint of schadenfreude. The two leaders of the Western Sect attaining sainthood is like someone who is broke wanting to buy a villa and borrowing money from the Heavenly Dao. The interest to be repaid on this loan is unimaginable. Even if the world ends, these two will never be able to pay it off. In other words, they have completely become the Heavenly Dao's servants and have virtually no hope of transcending the primordial world.

Such a sage cannot be judged as good or bad.

The benefits of becoming a saint are numerous. One can be high above, overlooking the primordial world and looking down upon the world with pride. Even if it comes at the cost of being completely controlled by the Heavenly Dao, 99% of the beings in the primordial world are willing to do so.

However, Li Yunjing naturally had little interest in such matters.

To become an immortal, one must naturally be a carefree immortal. But even after becoming a saint, one still has to work for the Heavenly Dao to pay off debts—isn't that just like being a mortgage slave?

With this, all six saints under the tutelage of Dao Ancestor Hongjun have achieved their positions, and the prehistoric world has finally entered the era of saints.

The ascension of two Westerners to sainthood was a momentous event, and Li Yunjing naturally needed to meet with the Tongtian Sect Leader to request a place to leave the mountain.

Since Nuwa became a saint, saints have explained their own Great Dao when they attain enlightenment. This has become an unwritten rule. Although Li Yunjing seemed indifferent to the saints Duiyin and Zhunti, he still highly respected their Western Great Dao in his heart. Given the opportunity, he naturally wanted to see it for himself.

"You brat, you've already learned a bit of the Great Dao of the Three Pure Ones and even the Great Dao of your junior sister Nuwa. Now you've set your sights on Jieyin and Zhunti? You should know that it's better to have nothing than something bad. Can you possibly learn all of that?"

In the Shangqing Palace, the Tongtian Sect Leader listened to Li Yunjing explain his purpose and naturally guessed his thoughts.

"Master! This disciple is curious about the ways in which the two sages, Jieyin and Zhunti, attained enlightenment. I simply wish to witness it firsthand," Li Yunjing said, bowing. Although the Tongtian Sect Leader had guessed his intentions, he couldn't admit it!

You must know that he was one of the five great disciples of the Jie Sect. He learned other people's great paths and cultivated them quietly. Sages have the magnanimity to not care. But to spread it around, saying that a true disciple of the Jie Sect does not learn the Shangqing Great Path but goes around learning other people's great paths, would be to damage the reputation of the Tongtian Sect Master and the Jie Sect.

"You little rascal! The journey to the West is long, and the three religions only sent Randeng on one trip. Since you want to go and see it, then go with Randeng!"

The Tongtian Sect Leader smiled. This disciple was extremely low-key, never competing or vying for anything. Within the Jie Sect, he remained unassuming. However, the Tongtian Sect Leader knew that this kid had a solid foundation and was among the top existences of the Great Luo Golden Immortals. Even some Quasi-Saints who didn't possess any decent treasures were no match for Li Yunjing.

Since he had the desire to attain enlightenment, his master naturally gave his full support. The Tongtian Sect Leader was also curious about how much Li Yunjing would achieve after learning the great Dao of the six saints.

Soon, Li Yunjing came out of the Shangqing Palace and went to the Yuqing Palace to find the Daoist Randeng. Randeng chuckled when he learned of Li Yunjing's purpose and took him out with him.

Randeng dared not be careless about Li Yunjing. He knew that in the Chan Sect, Yuanshi Tianzun had praised Chaos Child Li Yunjing's talent and qualities, which was extremely rare. In the entire Jie Sect, he was the only one to receive a positive and public evaluation.

Being valued by a sage, Randeng, a man skilled in scheming, naturally tried his best to win him over. Now that the three religions are still one family, Randeng needs to not only have prestige within the sect but also sufficient influence outside in order to secure his position as the vice leader of the Chan sect.

And so, the two continued to traverse the prehistoric world, and soon entered the western land. As soon as they entered the west, they looked at each other and frowned slightly.

The spiritual energy here is extremely thin; the innate energy has been largely transformed into acquired spiritual energy. It can be said that it is worlds apart from the "Kunlun Mountain" where they are located.

"It seems that the two saints, Jieyin and Zhunti, have had a tough time these past few years!"

The thought crossed Li Yunjing's mind: these two were able to cultivate to the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm in such a desolate place, which showed how extraordinary their talents were.

It seems I really underestimated the two sages!

Soon the two found the direction of the Western Paradise and flew there.

Upon arriving in the Pure Land, the two marveled at the greatness of the sage. They saw extraordinary phenomena arising in the Pure Land, with misty clouds and a rich fragrance filling the air. A golden light stretched across the sky, colorful clouds drifted by, and the abundant spiritual energy permeated people's hearts, leaving Li Yunjing and Randeng deeply impressed.

(End of this chapter)