Chapter 574 - 31: Dao Discourse, the Buddha Lord’s Descent, the Fall of the Eastern Han

Chapter 574: Chapter 31: Dao Discourse, the Buddha Lord’s Descent, the Fall of the Eastern Han

"The Jade Void Twelve Immortals... have all become Daluo."

In the Chaos, Amitabha Buddha gazed at the changes in the flow of time, a smile appearing on his face.

"Good."

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha walked out from the Chaos, the Miaoshu in his hand swaying, its power shaking all corners of existence. He too was smiling.

"This small round, I suppose we can count it as our victory."

The Demon Ancestor was surprised. She glanced over and asked,

"What do you mean? The Jade Void Lineage has just added twelve Daluo. Moreover, those with extremely profound foundations, like Guangcheng Zi, have ascended to the heavens in a single step, reaching the peak of the Artifact Holder level. They are only a hair’s breadth from the Supreme realm. How can you speak of victory?"

Amitabha Buddha did not answer, merely lifting the Western Pure Land in his hands, his face wreathed in smiles.

The Demon Ancestor fixed her gaze upon it and was somewhat stunned.

The Western Pure Land, which had been on the verge of total collapse, had actually recovered somewhat. In that dead, silent world, Buddhas were awakening from nirvana, chanting Buddhist Scriptures while coughing up blood!

She was a little surprised.

"This is...?"

Amitabha Buddha chanted his title.

"Back during the Divine Enthronement, The Three Pristine Ones played a trick on us. Several disciples of the Daoist Sect joined our Buddhist Sect and occupied key positions, causing a massive amount of the Buddhist Sect’s fortune to drain away and feed back into the Daoist Sect."

He paused, his eyes gleaming, and continued,

"But now, in order for the Jade Void Twelve Immortals to attain Daluo, that Profound Clarity awakened them one by one, drastically changing history. Cihang, Samantabhadra, Manjushri—three Great Bodhisattvas—plus Ju Liusun Buddha..."

The Demon Ancestor understood.

"They reversed their own pasts to attain Daluo, so naturally, they never entered Spirit Mountain. Does that mean the fortune that had drained away... never actually left?"

"Indeed."

The one who spoke was the Ancient Bodhi Buddha. The Miaoshu in his hand grew even more brilliant as he laughed heartily.

"Spirit Mountain’s fortune has skyrocketed, and both Amitabha and I have benefited immensely!"

The Demon Ancestor looked thoughtful.

"So, the Jade Void Lineage seems to have benefited, but it was only a small gain. The greatest profits went to you?"

"Yes, but not entirely."

Amitabha Buddha caressed the Western Pure Land in his hands, which had recovered a sliver of life, and spoke cheerfully,

"The biggest beneficiary should be Shakyamuni. He is the ancestor of Spirit Mountain, so he gained the most. But that’s fine. He now stands with us once again. As for a Dao Fruit Position, we can promise him one..."

Before he could finish, the sound of footsteps echoed from the other side of the Chaos. The Supreme Beings glanced over to see the Purple Cloud Palace Master strolling toward them, followed by the Little Daoist Child.

"Oh?"

With the Buddhist Sect having benefited so much, Amitabha Buddha was in high spirits. He greeted him with a beaming smile.

"Fellow Daoist, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

The Demon Ancestor also cast her gaze over, her face a mixture of curiosity and scrutiny.

As for Lu Xuan,

his steps were steady as he spoke with a smile.

"Didn’t you invite us to visit one another, Amitabha Buddha? So I’ve come to pay a call."

As he spoke, Lu Xuan’s gaze remained fixed on the Demon Ancestor, a grave look flashing in his eyes.

This was the first time he had faced her directly. Although he was burning with rage over the Lady being injured, he suppressed his anger perfectly at this moment, not revealing the slightest trace of it as he calmly sized her up.

The Demon Ancestor was dressed in black robes, engraved with profound and indescribable patterns. Her jet-black hair fell to her waist, and among its strands hung several Ancient Stars.

As for her face, it bore a slight resemblance to the Lady’s—an exquisite beauty, as if sculpted by nature itself.

After staring for a moment, a faint smile bloomed on Lu Xuan’s face.

"So you must be the Demon Ancestor, Fellow Daoist? I’ve heard much about you."

"The feeling is mutual." The Demon Ancestor rose gracefully. At that moment, Amitabha Buddha interjected with a smile, "We should also thank you, Fellow Daoist. With the Jade Void Twelve Immortals all attaining Daluo, our Buddhist Sect’s fortune has also grown stronger..."

Lu Xuan’s gaze swept over the Western Pure Land in Amitabha Buddha’s hands, and he gave a meaningful smile.

"It seems you’ve benefited quite a bit, Fellow Daoist..."

"Not at all, not at all. It is all thanks to your good fortune, Fellow Daoist."

Amitabha Buddha smiled and pointed to a meditation cushion. He and the Ancient Bodhi Buddha remained seated on their lotus platforms. The four contemporary Supreme Beings sat facing each other, conversing about everything under the sun.

When the conversation occasionally turned to discussing the Dao, Lu Xuan showed no signs of being out of his depth.

What he lacked was cultivation, magical power, and realm, but in his comprehension of the [Dao], he believed that while he might not be on par with his three Masters, he wasn’t far behind.

The Path of the Great Jun, which treats all paths under heaven as equal, was supported by the six Great Daos from the Creation Jade Scroll.

Furthermore, throughout the entire Ancient History of the Human Race, living beings constantly provided him feedback on all kinds of [Daos] by cultivating the [Celestial Book].

The current Lu Xuan’s breadth of knowledge was no less than that of an ordinary Ancient One or even an Enlightened One, and he wasn’t far behind in terms of [Quality] either.

As the four of them discussed the Dao, it was the Demon Ancestor, who only cultivated magical power, who seemed out of her element and found it difficult to interject.

Relying on his incarnation as Shakyamuni and the aid of the Path of the Great Jun, Lu Xuan debated the Buddhist Path with the two Buddha Lords on equal footing, leaving both Amitabha and Bodhi inwardly stunned.

Amitabha Buddha praised,

"I never imagined that you, Fellow Daoist, would have such profound attainments in the path of our Buddhist Sect. Your talent is extraordinary, truly extraordinary..."

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha also nodded, a hint of regret in his voice.

"You clearly have a great affinity with our Buddhist Sect. It’s a pity you entered the Daoist Sect first instead of the Buddhist Sect."

Lu Xuan just smiled calmly and continued discussing Zen and the Dao with the two Buddha Lords. As they spoke, he gained considerable insights, and a Cyan Lotus actually appeared behind him, swaying gently!

Merit flowed across the lotus, which had three thousand petals. Each petal was a world, and each world contained a hundred Buddhas, a thousand Bodhisattvas, and ten thousand Arhats, with an incalculable number of Vajras!

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha’s expression turned solemn.

"Has Fellow Daoist Xuanyuan comprehended our Buddhist Path?"

Amitabha Buddha gazed at the expressions of purity and compassion on Lu Xuan’s face and sighed softly.

"He has... Huh??"

The two Buddha Lords’ eyes suddenly widened as they saw layers upon layers of Buddha Lands manifesting around Lu Xuan’s physique.

Some were of ultimate bliss, some of carefree joy, some of compassion, some of pity. Some took the form of saving all living beings, while others took the form of salvation in the Nine Nether!

Not only were there thousands of Buddha Lands, but the Cyan Lotus behind him fully bloomed, transforming into a vast Bodhi Tree that swayed with Infinite Light and Infinite Purity.

A Ninefold Merit Golden Wheel emerged behind his head. Three wisps of green smoke drifted from his crown: one reflecting the Human World, one reflecting Heaven, and one reflecting the depths of the Nine Nether!

The Demon Ancestor blinked in confusion, feeling that this Purple Cloud Palace Master seemed...

more like a Buddha than the two Buddha Lords themselves!

"Infinite Buddha Land, Infinite Grandeur, Under the Bodhi Tree, Ninefold Merits..."

Amitabha Buddha was dazed, listing the Buddhist Path phenomena emanating from Lu Xuan. His eyes shone with a myriad of lights.

’Does someone with such talent truly exist in this world??’ Bodhi was also moved, his heart itching with unbearable desire and an inexplicable shock.

A single discussion about the Dao had actually produced numerous Buddha Lord-level phenomena. If this Purple Cloud Palace Master wished it, he could probably attain the Buddha Fruit position in an instant!

An unknown amount of time passed before the phenomena slowly dissipated. Having finished receiving the feedback from his [Shakyamuni Buddha Form], Lu Xuan slowly opened his eyes and said apologetically,

"While discussing the Dao with you all, I was careless and fell into a wondrous state, losing myself for quite some time. I hope you will all forgive me."

As he spoke, he felt a strange sensation. ’Of course, what just happened wasn’t because of my profound affinity with Buddhism.’

’It was because my ’Shakyamuni Buddha Form’ absorbed the skyrocketing fortune of Spirit Mountain and fed it back to my True Self. That Buddhist incarnation of mine has now approached the [Supreme] level!’

’As a result, my True Self and my other True Self Incarnations all experienced a massive surge in power. Nine Nether now wields even more of the Nine Nether’s authority,’

’Supreme Profound Clarity, Hongjun Daoist, and the Profound Yellow Emperor have all risen to a new level from their original foundations. The Supreme Realm seems to be within easy reach, right before my eyes!’

To Lu Xuan, every incarnation was his True Self, but there were still differences between them. Although they were all interconnected, each one possessed different Divine Techniques, authorities, and skills.

Before the incarnations returned to one,

only the Nine Nether incarnation could mobilize the authority of the Nine Nether, and only the Shakyamuni incarnation could use the great power of Spirit Mountain.

Supreme Profound Clarity could wield the infinite Thoughts of All Living Beings of the Human Race, the Profound Yellow Emperor shouldered the Six Paths Plate, Hongjun Daoist occupied a portion of the future, and the Purple Cloud Palace Master was the strongest in the present, able to sit at the Dao Fruit chessboard...

’I just don’t know what kind of earth-shattering transformation will occur when all my selves return to one someday in the future!’

Just as Lu Xuan’s mind was racing, rejoicing in the fact that his strength had skyrocketed once again,

Amitabha Buddha exclaimed in amazement,

"Fellow Daoist, your talent on the Buddhist Path is extraordinary and rarely seen in this world! In terms of natural gifts, you are nearly on par with myself and Bodhi!"

Lu Xuan came back to his senses and chuckled.

"Not at all. It is because I have gained many insights from discussing the Dao with you two, many insights indeed..."

As he spoke, he made up his mind. He rose gracefully and said with a smile,

"I have imposed on you for a long time today, which was my mistake. I shall take my leave for now and visit you again in the future, Fellow Daoists."

With that, Lu Xuan led the Little Daoist Child in a slight bow, then turned and left under the reluctant gazes of the two Buddha Lords, disappearing into the depths of the Chaos.

After returning to Purple Cloud Palace, Xiaohuo’Er couldn’t help but ask,

"Master, those two bald donkeys clearly wanted to talk with you more. Why did you..."

Lu Xuan slowly sat down on the meditation cushion. While digesting his newfound understanding and gazing at the River of Time, he said softly,

"It’s too rushed, too fast. That’s not right. We need to make *them* anxious... Little one, remember this: when you’re fishing, you have to be patient..."

The Little Daoist Child seemed to only half-understand.

「Meanwhile.」

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha stared in the direction the Daoist had disappeared, took a deep breath, and suddenly said, grief-stricken,

"Such a promising talent, and he ended up in the Daoist Sect! How could this be? How could this be?"

Amitabha Buddha was also dazed for a long time before he came back to his senses and sighed softly.

"Just now, even I was tempted to bring this Fellow Daoist into our Buddhist Sect. If he were willing, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to become another Buddha Lord and stand shoulder to shoulder with us."

He paused, then continued,

"That Purple Cloud Palace Master is already seated at the Dao Fruit chessboard, which proves he has the ability of an Enlightened One. And his talent in the Buddhist Path is so shocking... What a pity, what a pity!"

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha was moved, his eyes flickering.

"I can see that this Fellow Daoist has a deep affinity with our Buddhist Sect. Why don’t we..."

Beside them, the Demon Ancestor glanced over and frowned.

"What if it’s a trap?"

"A trap?"

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha gave a pure smile.

"He can swallow the bait; we will simply throw back the hook. Is that not a solution? If this Purple Cloud Palace Master truly joins the Buddhist Sect, even if it’s just a pretense, our Buddhist Path’s fortune is certain to soar..."

"After all, this is a figure comparable to someone at the level of an Enlightened One!"

As they spoke, Amitabha Buddha and the Ancient Bodhi Buddha exchanged a look. Their hearts trembled slightly, and both felt a stir of eagerness.

After a long moment, Amitabha Buddha made the final decision.

"It seems we truly must interact more with this Fellow Daoist. Buddha, Buddha..."

He glanced to the side and asked,

"I saw the Purple Cloud Palace Master comprehend the [Under the Bodhi Tree] phenomenon. Bodhi, next time I visit him, will you break off a branch for me to take?"

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha’s face fell. He protectively moved the Miaoshu behind him, but after a moment, he gritted his teeth and said with great pain,

"Fine, fine. But let’s be clear, just this one branch..."

He broke off one of the eighty-one branches of his Miaoshu. The entire wondrous tree visibly dimmed.

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha handed the branch over, his heart aching with the loss.

"If that Purple Cloud Palace Master doesn’t join our Buddhist Sect in the end, we’ll have truly suffered a great loss, a great loss..."

"It’s a gamble," Amitabha Buddha said with a smile. "If we win, we might even have a chance to make the Purple Cloud Palace Master turn against The Three Pristine Ones and stand with us. The situation would be balanced once more..."

He paused.

He exhaled a breath of pure air, then turned to look at the River of Time, his expression growing solemn.

"However, we must accelerate matters in the Late Han Dynasty... I shall enter the Human World today."

"You won’t wait any longer?" the Demon Ancestor asked with a frown, reminding him, "Houtu should serve as a warning from the past."

"It’s fine. I am different from her."

... ...

「The Late Han Dynasty.」

[The twenty-first year of Emperor Xian’s reign.]

[Immortal Light rises from the West Sea; twelve Daluo descend upon the world.]

[In the same year, the Northern Emperor, Yuan Shao, following the White Lotus Decree, invites a Supreme Venerable. The Northern Emperor, the Emperor of Shu, and Emperor Wu declare all-out war.]

[In the same year, Emperor Xian abdicates. Cao Cao ascends the throne with National Preceptor Hongjun acting as regent. The Eastern Han Dynasty falls.]