Sarira, Stone Buddha

Outside Tiandu City lay Vertical Light Mountain, where the temple founded by the Stone Buddha once stood.

Stone Grotto Great Buddha Temple.

Deep within the temple, inside a cave, an old monk in plain robes knelt upon a prayer cushion. His hands were clasped before him, his eyes naturally closed, his head lowered as he muttered something under his breath.

Yuan Tiangang appeared before the altar table. No Buddha statue was enshrined upon it—only a golden bead the size of a cherry. The bead was the cave's sole source of light.

The moment Yuan Tiangang saw the bead, he knew what it was.

Sarira!

As he reached out and picked it up, the kneeling old monk's eyes snapped open, like an enraged Vajra.

Golden light flooded the old monk's eyes, and a golden beam carrying the might of heaven and earth shot straight at Yuan Tiangang.

Behind the old monk, the phantom of an Arhat emerged, gradually solidifying as it soared toward the heavens.

Yuan Tiangang waved his right hand, dispersing the golden beam from the old monk's eyes. Then he turned his palm downward, true energy surging from it as the pressure of heaven and earth descended.

The old monk was instantly crushed flat against the ground, and the Arhat phantom behind him shattered at once.

The old monk lying on the ground slowly raised his head to look at Yuan Tiangang. The golden light had vanished from his eyes, leaving behind only endless terror.

After a single move, he knew he could not win.

He looked around again, and only then did he discover that the cave had long been sealed by the power of heaven and earth.

"Junior Mingxin pays respects to Senior. I wonder why Senior has come and what guidance you might offer.

"Junior acted rashly in his urgency and offended Senior. I hope Senior will forgive him."

"No matter. I came here to make a deal with Stone Grotto Great Buddha Temple."

Mingxin's inner thought: Senior, am I supposed to make a deal while lying on the ground?

The key to a good day was the morning. After some morning exercise, Chu Xuanao tidied himself up under Qiuyue Shuangxue's attendance.

After hearing Yuan Tiangang's report—

"So my fourth brother even went to Weihu Mountain yesterday to pick a fight with me? Hahaha!

"Two Ascension Realm experts died. My fourth brother must be hurting over that!"

After hearing Yuan Tiangang's words, Chu Xuanao smiled broadly. He had tried to steal a chicken, only to lose the rice used as bait.

He had merely sent Zhu Wushi to take over Weihu Mountain's men. He had not expected to catch such a lucky break!

"The Fourth Prince was furious in his residence last night.

"However, the Fourth Prince's foundation is quite substantial. There is actually a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert in his residence.

"Besides the two who died, he still has five Ascension Realm experts."

"I never expected my fourth brother's estate to be so well stocked!"

Chu Xuanao had never imagined that his fourth brother had so many people at his disposal. There was even a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert, though he was nearly dead.

That was right. According to Yuan Tiangang, that old fellow was nearly five hundred years old. After a few more fights, he would probably drop dead on the spot.

Moreover, Yuan Tiangang had added a little something extra. It was now certain that the old man would be dead within two months.

"There were only seven Ascension Realm experts in total, and six of them were foreign devils. They even sent a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert. The Divine Kingdom is truly generous!"

Both Chu Xuanao and Yuan Tiangang understood the Divine Kingdom's intentions perfectly.

That bunch simply loved stirring up trouble and watching the show.

But now, only five Ascension Realm experts remained. That Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert was also nearing his end.

"Then let's wait and see. I am quite curious to know what the Divine Kingdom will do next.

"How are Zhu Wushi and the others?"

"Rest assured, Your Highness. Nothing happened."

"What did you gain last night?"

"The gains were considerable. Dagan's foundation truly cannot be underestimated. Its National Destiny is powerful; even I would not dare enter rashly.

"However, there is no need to worry about that. Your Highness is of the legitimate line. It will save us quite a bit of trouble in the future."

At the mention of National Destiny, a trace of gravity flashed through Yuan Tiangang's eyes, though it quickly faded.

Yuan Tiangang did not need to worry about National Destiny.

"Even you couldn't do it?"

After hearing Yuan Tiangang's words, Chu Xuanao understood. Yuan Tiangang had intended to explore the Imperial Palace last night, but Dagan's National Destiny had stopped him. Though "stopped" was not quite the right word.

With the divine artifact Mountain River Cauldron suppressing it, Dagan's National Destiny remained gathered and undispersed. Yuan Tiangang was not confident he could investigate the Imperial Palace at night without causing a disturbance in the National Destiny.

Once the National Destiny stirred, the Imperial Clan's Heavenly Being Realm experts would sense it immediately. A single misstep could expose Yuan Tiangang.

At that point, Tiandu City would no longer be a place where they could remain. Any future plans would also easily draw the vigilance of all sides, so Yuan Tiangang had ultimately not gone.

As for why there was no need to be overly concerned about the National Destiny, it was because Chu Xuanao himself was also part of Dagan's legitimate line. No matter how fiercely they fought, they were still family. Even if things grew serious, it would not reach the point of mobilizing National Destiny.

He was not an outsider. This realm would ultimately bear the surname Chu.

"This is for Your Highness."

Yuan Tiangang opened his palm, revealing a golden bead the size of a cherry that radiated waves of golden light.

"This is... a medicinal pill?"

"Your Highness, this is the sarira of a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert. Last night, this subject went to Vertical Light Mountain. Although much of its energy has been expended, what remains, supplemented by this subject's pure yang Tiangang power, will still be enough to stabilize Your Highness's foundation."

"Vertical Light Mountain? This is the Stone Buddha's sarira?"

Chu Xuanao's expression froze slightly.

It was not difficult to guess. There were very few Buddhist cultivators in Dagan, and only one Buddhist cultivator had publicly reached the Celestial Phenomenon Realm: the Stone Buddha of old.

Not to mention that the Stone Buddha's sect had been established atop Vertical Light Mountain.

"Yes, Your Highness. Last night, this subject made a deal with that Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert of Stone Grotto Great Buddha Temple on Vertical Light Mountain. This sarira has an extraordinary foundation and will be useful to Your Highness, so this subject brought it back."

"Stone Grotto Great Buddha Temple really does have a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert? What deal did you make, Yuan Tiangang?"

Chu Xuanao had previously only suspected that Stone Grotto Great Buddha Temple possessed a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert. Now it had been confirmed.

After all, the Stone Buddha of old had been far too astonishing. It was only natural that he had left behind some foundation.

The Stone Buddha had originally been a beggar child in Cloud Province. By chance, he obtained a Buddhist scripture and comprehended the path of cultivation from it, rising rapidly thereafter.

Relying only on an ordinary Buddhist scripture he had picked up, the Great Vajra Sutra Theory, he comprehended cultivation on his own at the age of ten and reached the peak of the Ascension Realm at thirty. He was Dagan's first cultivator to enter the Celestial Phenomenon Realm through the Buddhist path.

At the age of thirty-six, he held his first martial discourse and Buddhist lecture on Vertical Light Mountain in Jingzhou. For three straight months, he faced challenges from every side.

The Imperial Clan, Xuantian Dao Sect, and various other powers all made their moves, yet all were defeated.

Not a single person was his match.

After that battle, the Stone Buddha firmly claimed the title of the greatest beneath the Celestial Phenomenon Realm. The Martial World called him the Indestructible Arhat.

Afterward, his fame soared, and he founded Stone Grotto Great Buddha Temple on Vertical Light Mountain.

At one hundred years old, he obtained a heavenly treasure and broke through into the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.

Yet when he reappeared at two hundred, the Stone Buddha had already reached the peak of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.

The prodigies and experts of the great powers could comprehend the Heavenly Dao, receive guidance from Heavenly Being Realm experts, and enjoy an endless supply of treasures. Yet the Stone Buddha had surpassed them all through comprehension alone.

Later, he traveled to the Cloud Province border to debate the Dao with Great Yan. He remained invincible, sweeping aside all opposition.

Whether in martial cultivation or Buddhist scripture debates, he left everyone utterly convinced.

He even debated Buddhist scriptures with a Heavenly Being Realm expert of Great Yan, and the result was declared a draw.

There were even rumors in the Martial World that the Stone Buddha had actually won that scripture debate. However, because his opponent was a Heavenly Being Realm expert, it had been declared a draw.

And Zen Heart Temple had not refuted that rumor.

The Arhat Divine Skill he created received praise from Great Yan's Imperial Clan and was said to rival their Imperial Clan's Immoveable Wisdom King Skill.

One had to know that Great Yan's Imperial Clan's Immoveable Wisdom King Skill was just like Dagan Imperial Clan's Mountain River Myriad Forms Scripture. It had been refined and supplemented by generation after generation of ancestors, perfected through the accumulation of countless generations, and ranked among the world's finest cultivation arts!

The Vajra Dharma Eye divine ability he created was hailed as a supreme divine ability no weaker than the Heavenly Eye among the Six Buddhist Divine Powers.

This was not empty praise from the Martial World. It had been personally acknowledged by Celestial Phenomenon Realm and even Heavenly Being Realm experts from Great Yan's top powers.

Great Yan had many Buddhist sects. Several of the Great Yan dynasty's top powers cultivated the Buddhist path, and even its Imperial Clan was no exception.

The entire land was practically a Buddhist kingdom.

The Stone Buddha had never once set foot on Great Yan soil, yet Great Yan was filled with praise for his unparalleled renown.

Everyone under heaven called him the reincarnation of a True Buddha.