A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 663 The Cycle of Scriptures, The Birth of the Divine Sword

At the place where the Great Sage Chi Qiao forged his sword, the three thousand categories and countless phenomena of the Great Dao continued to operate in parallel without contradiction.

The long river of white hair, formed from the sighs of countless spirits throughout the ages, still floated on, but the atmosphere of the entire sword-forging ground had become much more somber.

Bo Niu, the Great Sage, gripped his wine gourd, his brow furrowed as he stared at a figure below the Sword Casting Cliff.

That was the mental projection of Li Changling, the Heavenly Venerable of the Fire Department, sitting cross-legged in the void, facing the long river of white hair. He did not look at the sword forger on the cliff, but from time to time, some Dao sounds came from his side, containing the supreme mystery of the sword Dao.

Sword forging is also part of the way of the sword.

Even the Great Sage Bo Niu had to admit that this person's sword-forging techniques, as described in this short period of time, were probably no less impressive than the extraordinary phenomena of the Great Dao accumulated by the Great Sage Chi Qiao over hundreds of millions of years.

It was clear that the Great Sage Chi Qiao had also benefited greatly from his Daoist teachings, but the more he did so, the more wary the Great Sage Bo Niu became.

The Shinto path places great emphasis on the exchange of benefits. Leaving aside the evil and heretical practices, even the orthodox methods within the Shinto path must ensure that they can gain advantages in the process of exchanging benefits.

As the Heavenly Venerable of the Fire Department, Li Changling's sudden appearance in the Great Wilderness during this great calamity to offer such a great benefit can only prove that what he wants to obtain is far greater than this benefit.

Even if Chi Qiao were to sell himself, he might not be able to make up the difference!

"You don't have to do that. I do have some ulterior motives, but after witnessing his sword-making process, I really want to see what this sword will look like once it's finished."

Li Changling's image shifted to Bo Niu Dasheng, "Relax a little. Although you have good intentions towards the sword maker, the murderous intent that arises from it is not pure enough, which makes the sword flavor here unbalanced."

Bo Niu Dasheng took a deep breath, just as he usually did when he inhaled the aroma of wine. After taking this breath, the tense atmosphere in the air was completely gone, leaving nothing behind.

He took another sip of wine, as if taking the previous somber mood as a condiment to his drink, and then grinned: "Don't blame me, don't blame me. The Great Wilderness always has some wariness towards the Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court, especially one who is in charge of the divine path of all realms. I am really too uneasy that you have come to my door to offer benefits."

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"I wonder how we can ever repay you in the future?"

Li Changling said directly, "If this sword can be made, of course I want it."

Bo Niu Dasheng paused, pondered for a moment, and then sighed: "Let's not beat around the bush. Look at his stubbornness. If this sword is really forged, I'm afraid he would rather die than hand it over to you. How about we make a deal? If this sword is forged, the two of us will help you with a few rounds of work to repay your kindness."

He chuckled and said, "Anyway, the sword in the hands of the dignified Fire God is already a supreme treasure at the level of a Heavenly Emperor."

"No matter what, Chi Qiao's sword can't possibly surpass your own. Trading this debt of gratitude for helping to forge the sword for two of our henchmen seems like a reasonable deal, right?"

This statement is practically an admission of weakness.

There was nothing they could do if he refused to back down. The Great Sage Bo Niu had personally witnessed Li Changling's sword charge into the Great Wilderness.

At that time, this Fire God had just broken through to the high-level Heavenly God realm, and was already unstoppable, sweeping across all directions.

If the existing Heavenly Venerables and Great Saints in the Great Wilderness joined forces, they might be able to withstand him, but Bo Niu and Chi Qiao alone would never be his match.

"You two have quite a deep friendship, but you've got two things wrong. First, this sword isn't as simple as you think, and second..."

Li Changling turned to look at the people on the cliff, "If this sword is truly forged, the Great Sage Chi Qiao will cease to exist, and there will be no need to care about his opinion."

Bo Niu Dasheng's expression tightened: "What do you mean?"

Li Changling's gaze was also somewhat strange. He slowly stretched out his palm, flicked his finger, and the pale river in the void sounded like a large drum as he flicked it with his fingertip.

Countless sighs rippled outwards, forming layers of waves. The Great Sage Bo Niu was already used to these sounds and didn't find anything strange about them.

But soon, the Great Sage Bo Niu noticed something amiss. Amidst all the sighs, one voice grew louder and louder.

It was a voice he had never heard before, solemn and sacred, full of great light, great compassion, and great power, like the roar of a lion, like the cry of a dragon and an elephant.

The sighs collected by the Great Sage Chi Qiao spanned countless ages, traversed the void, and were endlessly searched. Most of them contained certain words spoken by those figures when they uttered those sighs.

But no words or phrases are as soul-stirring as this voice.

"When the calamity comes in the future, the five aggregates of afflictions and the three poisons will be rampant, the teachers of gods and men will fall, the supreme saints will decline, and they will be forever drowning in the sea of ​​suffering, without end."

"After the calamity is over, the three realms will be connected, the laws of the heavens will be widely spread, the six paths will be unified, and there will be no distinction between the noble and the lowly. Everywhere, fragrant flowers will bloom, fruits will be plentiful, and many paradises will be found in the world..."

Just hearing this passage, it seemed as if Bo Niu Dasheng was immersed in a scene that did not belong to the past, present, or future, but was clearly something that had happened at some point in the past.

Flowers rained down from the sky, golden lotuses sprang from the earth, a vast and boundless Pure Land of Great Light appeared, dragons and elephants resounded in unison, and Buddhas and Bodhisattvas came to pay homage. The entire vast void and ocean of precepts were filled with subtle and inconceivable energy, all responding to this scripture.

The Buddha's golden body sits majestically on a thirty-six-petaled golden lotus throne in the center of the Pure Land, looking down and expounding the Dharma with mudras.

Time is insufficient to bear the traces of those who have attained enlightenment, so even Bo Niu, the Great Sage, could not determine when this scene occurred, even after observing the immeasurable passage of time.

However, if an enlightened being is willing, they can naturally reveal situations that are understandable to the "worldly" and make it clear to people when or where this happened.

This passage is likely from a Dharma assembly held when the ancient calamity had just ended, all the heavens and worlds had calmed down, and the Buddha was moved by the passing of the calamity and the arrival of a prosperous era.

Logically speaking, this passage is full of expectation and praise, with no hint of sighing.

But ironically, this passage appeared amidst the countless sighs drawn by the Great Sage Chi Qiao.

Bo Niu Dasheng listened carefully for a while and discerned the clues.

That passage is divided into two parts: one describes the various sufferings that occurred during the calamity, and the other describes the various beauties that followed.

The original plan should have been to first talk about the arrival of the calamity, and then talk about its departure.

However, this passage keeps turning and repeating itself. If you listen to it for a long time, you can also see it as saying that every time a beautiful thing is mentioned, a piece of suffering will inevitably follow.

"After the calamity is over, the three realms will be interconnected, the laws of the heavens will be widely spread, the six paths will be unified, and there will be no distinction between the noble and the lowly. Everywhere, fragrant flowers will bloom, and fruits will be plentiful. Many paradises will be found in the world."

"When the calamity comes in the future, the five aggregates of afflictions and the three poisons will be rampant, the teachers of gods and men will fall, the supreme saints will decline, and they will be forever drowning in the sea of ​​suffering, without end..."

"When the calamity comes in the future, the five aggregates of afflictions and the three poisons will be rampant, the teachers of gods and men will fall, the supreme saints will decline, and they will be forever drowning in the sea of ​​suffering, without end..."

This seemingly ancient scripture, praising the passing of a great calamity, is actually a lament that another great calamity will inevitably come.

Is that golden Buddha statue with its lowered brows and downcast eyes truly compassionate and serene, peaceful and relaxed, or is it filled with deep sorrow, making it unbearable to look at?

Bo Niu Dasheng couldn't help but look at the expression on the golden Buddha's body, but he couldn't be sure what kind of emotion the golden body was expressing.

As I watched for a while, the Buddhas and dragons rose and departed, and the golden body of the Buddha gradually faded into the distance. Only those two passages of scripture continued to echo in my ears.

The slow, deliberate tone, with its endless variations in every syllable, never makes the listener feel bored or dull.

However, if from the first time this passage is heard, all of this will continue in an endless cycle, then no matter how mysterious something is, it will vaguely show a feeling of impending doom.

Bo Niu Dasheng shook his head, suddenly waking up: "Nine thousand years ago, when Buddha was traveling far away, he clearly repaid all the karmic debts with Taiqing Chiming, so how could there still be a sigh left here?"

"This sigh contains such profound meaning, and the causal connection has not been transferred to the Buddhist destiny. It will obviously create a major causal relationship that can be directly traced back to the Buddha. Could this be the opportunity for the Buddha's return?"

Li Changling shook his head: "For those who have attained enlightenment, the concept of cause and effect is completely irrelevant. When Buddha calculated the cause and effect, he was only settling the karmic debts of those who followed him far away."

"Regardless of any new causes or effects, he can come back whenever he wants. What truly binds him is simply the promise he made."

Bo Niu Dasheng keenly sensed something: "An agreement? Who did he make the agreement with, and what did they agree to? Is deliberately leaving this sigh related to the person with whom he made the agreement? You said that if this sword is forged, Chi Qiao will cease to exist. Is that also related to that agreement?"

Li Changling chuckled: "Chi Qiao's situation has nothing to do with that agreement. It's simply because his cultivation level is insufficient. If he forcibly tries to complete the final step of forging this sword, he will most likely sacrifice himself completely into the sword, becoming a sword spirit, or even just a small part of the complete sword spirit."

If he were to become a sword spirit directly, it would be no different from continuing to live.

However, if his own existence is completely submerged and dissolved by another, even larger thing, then they can collectively form the sword spirit of this divine sword.

Therefore, this sword spirit has no connection with the original Great Sage Chi Qiao.

"If he is willing to relinquish his entire intention to forge the sword and does not reject me at all, I will transfer my power to him in my true form and work together with him. I am confident that after the sword is forged, I can ensure his survival."

Li Changling continued, "But unfortunately, he has rejected me many times."

He looked at the pale river, and although he had been rejected, he seemed very interested and full of appreciation.

Li Changling could sense that Chi Qiao's rejection of him was not due to considerations of ownership of the divine sword.

The swordsmith has absolutely no such distracting thoughts in his mind right now.

Chi Qiao Dasheng simply wanted to forge this divine sword entirely by himself.

The materials might be found with the help of friends, but the "idea" for forging the sword must be entirely provided by himself.

Bo Niu Dasheng believed that Li Changling's display of many profound sword techniques during this period should have greatly benefited Chi Qiao Dasheng as well.

In reality, all those mysterious sounds were completely rejected by the Great Sage Chi Qiao from beginning to end; he did not accept the slightest bit of help whatsoever.

"Regardless of whether Chi Qiao still exists, in his own mind, as long as this divine sword is forged, then Chi Qiao will live on forever."

Li Changling clapped his hands and laughed, "I like people with ambition, so I've given up on interfering beforehand. That's the real reason you don't need to be wary of me."

Bo Niu Dasheng could not fully understand his meaning.

In fact, if this divine sword were forged, Li Changling could directly eliminate the threat posed by Mount Ling to him by holding it in his hand.

Given the current situation of the four departments of Heaven, the value of such a sword is self-evident.

However, the cultivation level required to forge this sword is extremely high. If Li Changling were to personally take over the task from now on, he would still have a 50% chance of success.

Even if Chi Qiao Da Sheng were to try it himself, the chances of success would still be extremely slim, only slightly better than the original situation where success was absolutely impossible.

Even if Li Changling couldn't obtain the divine sword and wasted an opportunity to completely change the situation, he still wanted to see if Chi Qiao could successfully forge the sword on his own!

Looking at his appearance, Bo Niu Dasheng felt very uncomfortable for some reason.

Even though he did offer more explanations and his attitude became more harmless, the Great Sage Bo Niu's disgust suddenly intensified.

This person's attitude made Bo Niu Dasheng instinctively feel that the other party seemed to be treating his friend as a fun toy, and acted as if he had already made a huge concession and the other party should be grateful.

That smiling face... I really want to punch it!

Bo Niu Dasheng took a big gulp of wine, trying to suppress the surging thoughts in his heart.

Suddenly, he noticed a subtle change in Li Changling's expression.

The next moment, he sensed something too.

Outside the Sword Forging Grounds, the Thousand-Winged Demonic Dragon suddenly broke through the boundless void, carrying a figure in its mouth, and flew over at top speed.

Bo Niu, the Great Sage, stared in astonishment at the scene.

If he wasn't already old and his eyesight wasn't failing, then the aura of that feathered demonic dragon's supernatural powers clearly came from the human powerhouse he had met in the Pill Department.

When that person was vying for the divine fire, he advanced directly to the mid-level of the Heavenly Venerable realm without saying a word, which left a very deep impression on the Great Sage Bo Niu, and he still remembers it vividly.

However, at that time, he had only just advanced to the middle level of the Heavenly Venerable realm.

How come after such a short time, that person's divine power has already allowed him to carry a human Saint with mid-level Heavenly Venerable combat power in his mouth and run around everywhere?

The scene was so bizarre that even a character like Bo Niu Da Sheng, who found pleasure in drunkenness and intoxication, couldn't help but have an absurd thought.

Could it be that the person was just playing around with everyone back then, and that his true realm had already reached the high level of Heavenly Venerable, but he was just pretending to be a beginner to trick people?

After all, although it is said that there are opportunities to comprehend the singularity of the Great Dao during the Great Tribulation, that is only after the connection of all worlds has become prominent and strong. Right now, the connection of all worlds and the changes in the Great Dao caused by the karmic calamity have clearly not yet become prominent to that extent.

It's better to believe that someone broke through to a higher level as easily as drinking water or eating, rather than to believe that they had been hiding their true strength from the beginning!

Li Changling had no such chaotic thoughts. He simply stared at the Feathered Demon Dragon from afar, his figure suddenly disappearing and heading outside the Sword Forging Ground.

At that very moment, the Great Sage Chi Qiao on the cliff let out a long roar, and the entire sword-forging site was instantly covered with cracks.

The pale river began to crack, all the strange phenomena of the Great Dao were shaking violently, and unparalleled light shone through those cracks!

(End of this chapter)