Chapter 727: Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

SPLASH!

The Sea of Blood, which had been boiling from the power of the White-haired True Daoist and the Qiu Long, strangely calmed the instant this consciousness swept over it.

The churning waves grew docile. Countless wailing, phantom souls, bobbing in the water, seemed to be soothed, letting out low, deep chanting that sounded as if it came from time immemorial.

In the gloomy sky, the eternal haze seemed to be parted by an unseen force, revealing a faint, shimmering sliver of golden light carrying the scent of sandalwood.

“What is this…”

Within the Yin Nether Cloud Qi, Han Shi’s pupils contracted. Even through layers of Concealing Arrays and a distance of eight hundred li, his powerful Spiritual Sense as a Sword Cultivator felt an immense pressure originating from his very life instincts. The knuckles of the hand gripping his sword hilt had already turned white.

He had never felt such pure and vast Buddha Power in the Sea of Suffering.

This was far beyond what any ordinary Arhat could achieve.

‘A Bodhisattva?!’

Xu Yunfan’s Heart and Spirit instantly tensed to the extreme.

‘Puchen Pure Land.’

‘To think that a Bodhisattva from that behemoth—a power on par with the Primordial Sect and the Wansheng Sword Sect—would set foot in this forbidden land of the living.’

‘And this is no ordinary character, either.’

There, at the horizon where the Sea of Blood met the gloomy sky, a figure parted the turbid waves and slowly approached.

He wore a black Golden Threaded Kasaya, upon which intricate Mandala Patterns were embroidered with dark gold thread. Each line of the pattern seemed to flow slowly, emitting a Buddha Light that purified resentment and suppressed evil.

His gait was unhurried. Wherever his feet touched, the churning waves of blood automatically subsided, the murky water turning clear. Ethereal black lotuses even bloomed beneath his feet before slowly fading away, repeating the cycle over and over.

He was demonstrating the Buddhist Great Divine Technique of lotuses blooming with every step, yet it was tinged with the deathly, cyclical meaning unique to the Sea of Suffering.

His face was shrouded in a hazy Buddha Light, making it impossible to see clearly. Only his eyes were visible—as calm and profound as an ancient well, containing the wisdom and compassion that comes from seeing through eons of Reincarnation.

He held no Magical Artifact, merely raising one hand before his chest in the Fearless Seal.

However, the aura flowing around him was already resonating faintly with this land of the Wanderer’s Returning Ruins, as if he himself were a Manifestation of a part of this place’s Reincarnation Law.

‘The Bodhisattva Fruit Position.’

Xu Yunfan instantly confirmed the man’s identity.

Only an existence who had attained the Bodhisattva Fruit Position, achieved the Minor Circulation Position—equivalent to the Mid-Stage Golden Core—could so perfectly merge their own Dao Rhyme with the Sea of Suffering Law to form this suppressive force that was almost like a domain.

Furthermore, judging by his unique black Kasaya and the Buddha Light fused with the Death Qi of Reincarnation, the Dao Fruit this Bodhisattva had attained was surely related to the Reincarnation Netherworld.

‘It seems he attained one of the Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends Fruit Positions within the Sea of Suffering Reincarnation. That’s the only way he could walk through the Sea of Suffering in his physical body.’

‘Wait a moment.’

Xu Yunfan’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘He seems to be a little short of the Minor Circulation.’

Xu Yunfan carefully assessed the aura around the Bodhisattva and finally came to a conclusion: he was still one step away. The only reason he projected an aura similar to the Mid-Stage Golden Core was because he had spent a long time in the Sea of Suffering Reincarnation, resonating with the domain’s aura.

‘This person must have made a great vow using the Puchen Pure Land’s vow technique, which is why he has remained in the Sea of Suffering Reincarnation for so long.’

‘Mahayana Buddhism, is it?’

As Xu Yunfan pondered this, his tightly knitted brow slowly relaxed.

‘As long as he isn’t truly at the Mid-Stage Golden Core, there’s still a chance.’

If the other party truly were at the Mid-Stage Golden Core, Xu Yunfan would have given up on this Dao Fruit without hesitation and immediately started searching for another Dao Fruit of the Taiyin Attribute.

“The Sea of Suffering is boundless. Turn back, and the shore is at hand.”

The calm, clear voice was not loud, yet it clearly penetrated the eight hundred li of space, echoing in the ears of the White-haired True Daoist, the Qiu Long, and the hidden Han Shi.

“You two have created boundless killing karma here, disturbing the rest of the departed souls and obstructing the order of Reincarnation. I am Ksitigarbha, and by the Decree of my Buddha’s Dharma, I have come to resolve the baleful energy here and guide those who have lost their way.”

‘Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?!’

The name exploded like a clap of thunder in the minds of Xu Yunfan and the White-haired True Daoist.

Xu Yunfan instantly recalled that when his Clone Wukong had traveled east to the Eastern Wilderness, he had studied numerous Buddhist Scriptures and even obtained a True Scripture in the end. Naturally, he learned of the paths of Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism.

This Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was considered a top-tier practitioner of Mahayana Buddhism who had broken away from the World Honored One Tathagata.

On a deeper level, Xu Yunfan guessed that Ksitigarbha had been cultivating in the Sea of Suffering Reincarnation all this time to avoid the World Honored One Tathagata.

After all, the Buddhist Dharma currently prevalent in the Puchen Pure Land taught that everyone was a master, that everyone was a Buddha.

The mere thought of it was chilling.

That Puchen Pure Land was truly more heretical and depraved than even the Primordial Sect.

“A bald donkey from the Puchen Pure Land!”

The White-haired True Daoist’s expression changed drastically, his voice laced with unprecedented apprehension.

At his peak, he might not have feared a Bodhisattva, but now, with his life force fading and having just exhausted himself in a head-on clash with the Qiu Long, the consequences of facing a well-rested Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva—one with profound Daoist Cultivation who specialized in countering netherworldly evils—were unthinkable.

“This is the place where I will achieve my Dao. It’s not for you from Puchen to interfere.”

The White-haired True Daoist’s expression was icy, his killing intent undisguised.

The thousand-zhang-tall Qiu Long also coiled its body tighter, its flame-like eye sockets locked onto Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. A muffled roar emanated from within its skeletal frame, filled with warning and threat.

“Bald donkey! Get out of my territory!”

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s steps did not falter, the compassionate look on his face unchanging.

“Amitabha Buddha. The Taiyin Nether Dragon Fruit, though born in the Sea of Suffering, is tied to the balance of Yin and Yang in this realm. Its companion Fierce Beast possesses monstrous baleful energy and has already disturbed Reincarnation. And then there is you, benefactor…”

His gaze shifted to the White-haired True Daoist, his calm eyes seeming to pierce through all pretense.

“Forcibly cultivating the forbidden art of Life and Death Reincarnation, reversing Yin and Yang, and stealing the power of departed souls to extend your life—your sins are grave. If you remain obstinate, I fear you will fall into eternal damnation, with no chance of ever breaking free. Let go of your obsessions, return with this monk to the Pure Land to listen to the Buddhist Dharma, and you may yet be able to eliminate your karmic obstacles and return to the Righteous Dao.”

These words seemed like gentle persuasion, but in truth, every one was a dagger to the heart.

Not only did he expose the White-haired True Daoist’s core secret and fatal weakness, but he also subtly cloaked his own intention of seizing the Dao Fruit and suppressing the Qiu Long in the righteous guise of maintaining the order of Reincarnation.

Even Xu Yunfan, who was watching the tigers fight from his perch on the mountain, couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation at this speech.

The monks of Puchen Pure Land were truly masters of rhetoric and causality, their shamelessness astonishing.

The situation instantly transformed from a two-way confrontation into a three-way standoff.

‘No, it’s a four-way game.’

There was still Xu Yunfan, hidden in the shadows.

But Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the Qiu Long were unaware; only the White-haired True Daoist was certain that Xu Yunfan was watching from the darkness.

The White-haired True Daoist’s expression was grim and uncertain. He had never expected the Puchen Pure Land to interfere at this critical juncture, and for the one to arrive to be Ksitigarbha, who specialized in Reincarnation.

He rapidly weighed his options.

‘If I fight the Qiu Long to the death, Ksitigarbha will surely take advantage. If I temporarily ally with the Qiu Long to deal with Ksitigarbha…’

‘…setting aside whether this Fierce Beast would even be willing, the mutual suspicion alone would be fatal.’

‘And retreat?’

‘Thirty years of waiting, his lifespan all but exhausted… he had no path of retreat.’

The Qiu Long was equally agitated and uneasy.

The pure Buddha Power emanating from Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, which was specifically aimed at purifying the resentment of departed souls, caused the Fierce Beast—a creature condensed from ancient resentment—to feel an instinctive revulsion and threat.