Chapter 583 - 37: Becoming the World’s Will, Haotian’s Advent, an Old Acquaintance’s Ascension

Chapter 583: Chapter 37: Becoming the World’s Will, Haotian’s Advent, an Old Acquaintance’s Ascension

"You lost out, didn’t you?"

"Not exactly."

In the Purple Cloud Palace, Lu Xuan pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache coming on.

"To be honest, the power of an Enlightened One was beyond my imagination."

The Blind Daoist chuckled lightly.

"Even the Ancient Ones possessed abilities that defied common sense and logic. What did you expect from an Enlightened One?"

Lu Xuan spread his hands, a look of resignation on his face.

This time, he had indeed lost out a bit.

Amitabha Buddha’s power was beyond his imagination. That wisp of Buddhist light permeated all past and present Years. It didn’t just pioneer his Supreme Profound Clarity into a world of its own; as Time saturated everything, the imprints where Lu Xuan’s consciousness had once descended—and even his incarnations—were all stripped of their awareness and absorbed into that [Profound Purity Realm].

This included Profound Yellow, Nine Nether, and even Sakyamuni Buddha.

Right now, Profound Yellow had announced his seclusion, Nine Nether was slumbering in the depths of the Nine Nether, and Sakyamuni Buddha had his eyes closed in meditation, remaining utterly silent and unresponsive.

It wasn’t that they were unwilling, but that they couldn’t.

They had all temporarily lost their consciousness, becoming empty shells. Profound Origin Fusheng had jumped out of the Years and avoided being implicated, but he too was unable to step back into the River of Time for a while.

As for Hongjun Daoist, he had escaped into the [Future] at the last moment and also avoided being implicated. The problem, however, was that Hongjun Daoist could only exist in some future possibility, unable to manifest in the [Present].

Still, it wasn’t a major problem.

There are always more solutions than problems.

The Blind Daoist took a leisurely sip of hot tea before his expression turned solemn.

"You still call this a ’small problem’? If the Supreme hadn’t helped you cover things up, Profound Yellow, Nine Nether, and Shakyamuni would all have been exposed! And even so, this body of yours can no longer enter the Years..."

He paused, his brow furrowing slightly.

"How are you going to play this hand now? The Supreme absolutely cannot interfere recklessly again; he’s already on the verge of falling from his state."

"Your Three Masters and I can intervene at any time, but Bodhi and the Demon Ancestor won’t just sit back and watch. If the Buddha Mother begins her reckoning during the Late Han Dynasty, what will you do?"

Lu Xuan, also drinking his tea leisurely, smiled.

"I didn’t expect the power of an Enlightened One to be quite like this, but I prepared for this contingency. The Buddha Mother can’t make any waves."

The Blind Daoist was a little puzzled but didn’t press for details.

The smile on Lu Xuan’s face grew wider.

"Besides, I’ve discovered... it seems Amitabha Buddha has done me a rather significant favor..."

"Oh? How so?"

The Blind Daoist’s interest was piqued.

Lu Xuan set down his teacup, his expression growing solemn.

"My Profound Clarity body was already approaching the [Supreme Daluo] level. That Skill from Amitabha Buddha caused the consciousness of my Profound Clarity, Profound Yellow, and Nine Nether bodies to momentarily unify. This didn’t just allow me to take that final step and achieve the [Supreme] realm, but..."

"And...?"

"Furthermore, as their consciousnesses unified, the Thoughts of All Living Beings of Profound Clarity, the Emperor Earth Deity status of Profound Yellow, and the authority over the Nine Nether from my Nine Nether body also briefly merged. I saw..."

Lu Xuan’s gaze grew profound.

"I saw half of an Illusory Dao Fruit."

COUGH COUGH COUGH...

The Blind Daoist coughed violently.

"You... you can attain a Dao Fruit now?"

"I can, but I’m not willing to," Lu Xuan shrugged. "After all, it’s just an Illusory Dao Fruit, and an overly illusory one at that. It feels more like a prototype, which is not what I want."

As he spoke, he refilled the tea for his Second Master and himself, then continued,

"However, this has helped me confirm my future path. When all of my bodies reach Perfection and then merge back into [One], I should, barring any accidents, be able to attain Enlightenment through my own Great Magical Power."

Hearing this, the Blind Daoist seemed dazed for a moment before sighing softly.

"In the blink of an eye, you’ve already come this far? How fast time flies..."

Lu Xuan smiled.

"So, I suppose you could call it a blessing in disguise. Plus, with Supreme Profound Clarity having transformed into the [Profound Purity Realm], my primary consciousness has become the will of that realm’s heaven and earth."

"And with the reflection from that wondrously divine tree branch, I can take this opportunity to comprehend what the true Heaven really is. In ninety-nine years, I should be able to gradually supplant the Great Will of Heaven and Earth."

"Excellent, excellent."

The Blind Daoist clapped his hands with a smile, drained his cup of tea, and smacked his lips.

"With that, my heart is at ease. I’ll be heading back now. You handle things from here."

"Yes, Master."

Watching his Second Master depart at a leisurely pace, Lu Xuan sat silently on his meditation cushion, lost in thought for a long moment before muttering to himself,

’So, I need to find a way to make the Buddha Mother wait until ninety years have passed in the Late Han Dynasty before she makes her move. That way, even if Elder Haotian doesn’t have the spare capacity to suppress the other Daluos, stalling for another nine years shouldn’t be a problem, right?’

A calm smile graced his lips. ’If, by the time Amitabha Buddha breaks free of his seal, the Human Dao Trend is still not under my control, he’ll most likely be unable to resist taking action personally...’

’And the probability of that happening will depend on just how desperate the situation is at the time.’

’But if it comes to that, Elder Haotian alone might not be enough...’

Lu Xuan’s gaze deepened. He tapped his knuckles lightly on the tabletop, muttering to himself,

"I’m not going to attain the Illusory Dao Fruit myself, but... could I give half of one to someone else?"

"And it would have to be a Supreme Daluo..."

"Xuanyuan won’t work, neither will Shennong. They would both be noticed. In that case..."

An idea took root in his mind. He glanced to the side and called out,

"Xiaohuo’Er."

"Master, I’m here!" Xiaohuo’Er hopped out, bowing respectfully. "Your orders, Master!"

"Go and announce to all that the Purple Cloud Palace will hold its second Dharma lecture. It will be in ten years’ time for the Current World, and ninety years’ time for the Late Han Dynasty. Also..."

Lu Xuan then changed his instructions.

"In addition, you are to journey into the Years. Find an Ancient Realm within the timeline of the Current World and guide someone to [Ascend] to the Profound Purity Realm. Be discreet; don’t make a big scene."