In the major Forbidden Zones of Life within the Big Dipper Star Domain, the Supremes were plagued with headaches, all regretting that they had not gone into hiding sooner.
In this era, there was a Great Accomplishment Saint Body and a Human Great Emperor. They had actually been planning to lie dormant and avoid this era.
But who could have known that the Great Accomplishment Saint Body would act so quickly? Before they had even finished preparing, he had come again.
No way! No way!
Were they going to have to fight the Great Accomplishment Saint Body again?
This time, which Supreme had caught the Great Accomplishment Saint Body's attention?
Without question, the Supremes of Undying Mountain were the most nervous. At this point, they did not have many choices left.
If the Great Accomplishment Saint Body truly pressed them too hard, then in this battle, either he would die or they would perish!
Yet, to everyone's surprise, the Great Yin Human Emperor and the Great Accomplishment Saint Body did not head to the Forbidden Zones of Life. Instead, they went to Mount Sumeru in the Western Desert.
Buddhist light shone across Mount Sumeru, and the power of faith boiled over. Its myriad phenomena made it seem like a kingdom of gods.
Yang Qing and the Great Yin Human Emperor ascended Mount Sumeru. Neither the surging power of faith nor the earthshaking imperial formation could obstruct them in the slightest.
Mount Sumeru trembled. Buddhist light soared into the heavens throughout the Western Desert, while an inexplicable aura began to awaken upon the mountain.
"Amitabha Great Emperor was indeed remarkably gifted," the Great Yin Human Emperor said with a sigh.
Having arrived at Mount Sumeru, every hidden secret of Buddhism had already been laid bare before his eyes. There were no secrets left to speak of.
All of this had been Amitabha Great Emperor's doing. To have walked the Path of Faith to such a degree was truly rare throughout eternity!
"It is merely a castle in the air. In the end, it is all illusion," Yang Qing said with a sigh.
Amitabha Great Emperor's attainments on the Path of Faith were astonishing, but the Path of Faith could neither grant eternal life nor allow one to become immortal.
Moreover, Amitabha Great Emperor had wanted to save all living beings. If he could not even save himself, how could he save all living beings?
"Why do you say that, benefactor?"
From the core region of Mount Sumeru, an ancient artifact flew out, radiating undying brilliance as it appeared before Yang Qing and the other man.
It was the Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon personally refined by Amitabha Great Emperor, Buddhism's supreme treasure—the Demon Subduing Pestle!
Over the long years, this Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon had never once appeared in the world, much less had the divine spirit within the Demon Subduing Pestle awakened.
But today, the Great Accomplishment Saint Body and the Great Yin Human Emperor had joined forces to ascend Mount Sumeru, forcing the Demon Subduing Pestle to reveal itself.
Moreover, the moment the Demon Subduing Pestle appeared, the divine spirit within had already awakened, as though Amitabha Great Emperor had returned to the world.
The Demon Subduing Pestle first stopped before the Human Emperor. Its inner divine spirit hummed softly and, incredibly, bowed like a person, as though asking forgiveness.
The Great Yin Human Emperor had come to Mount Sumeru because of the things Amitabha Great Emperor had once done. It was only right that the pestle beg forgiveness.
Then, it turned toward the Great Accomplishment Saint Body. Though it was merely an Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon, it would not permit anyone to blaspheme Amitabha Great Emperor.
In the hearts of all Buddhist believers, Amitabha Great Emperor's status was unshakable. How could anyone say that everything was illusion?
"It was merely a strand of malicious thought. It amounts to nothing, so there is no need to apologize," the Great Yin Human Emperor said.
Amitabha Great Emperor had used a blood-sacrifice altar to imprison his Divine Thought in order to study the Path of Faith. This was undoubtedly a desecration of the Human Emperor.
Yet he did not pursue the matter. Instead, he had become doubtful about why Amitabha Great Emperor had gathered so much power of faith.
This was also why he had come to Mount Sumeru. Amitabha Great Emperor had been extraordinarily talented; if he had turned to evil, it would certainly have led to a monstrous calamity.
Then he looked at Yang Qing again. What exactly had Yang Qing meant by those words just now?
Could it be that Yang Qing knew some secret concerning Amitabha Great Emperor?
"Amitabha Great Emperor traveled extremely far along the Path of Faith. What was it all for? Nothing more than the Ascension of the Entire Sect!
"If this could succeed, then he could indeed save all living beings. But if it failed, had he ever considered the consequences?" Yang Qing said gravely.
Since ancient times, countless powerhouses had made one attempt or another in pursuit of immortality.
But most attempts had ultimately ended in failure. Even the Ancient Emperors and Great Emperors throughout the ages were no exception.
Thus, these powerhouses who stood at the pinnacle of the world had all, without prior agreement, chosen the same path: waiting for the Immortal Ascension Path to open.
The Immortal Ascension Path was regarded as the only hope of becoming immortal. In order to wait until it opened, Supremes and Forbidden Zones of Life came into being.
Although Amitabha Great Emperor had not severed himself with a slash and fallen into becoming a Supreme, instead embarking upon a special path, his ambitions were even greater.
Amitabha Great Emperor had abandoned himself. He did not seek immortality for himself, but wished to save all living beings and lead Buddhist believers in the Ascension of the Entire Sect.
From this perspective, Amitabha Great Emperor had not only been extraordinarily gifted, but also selfless, sacrificing himself to save all living beings.
Only Yang Qing knew that this was a path destined to fail. When it failed, what would become of Buddhism?
Saving all living beings would become a castle in the air, and the Ascension of the Entire Sect would become an illusion. Hundreds of millions of Buddhist believers would die miserably because of it.
Amitabha Great Emperor had been supremely benevolent in life and had never killed even a single ant. Would he drag hundreds of millions of living beings into the grave after his death?
How was that any different from those Supremes who, for the sake of eternal life, did not hesitate to launch Great Dark Upheavals and cause hundreds of millions of living beings to die miserably?
"So what if we fail? For the lofty ideal of saving all living beings, we are willing to die!" the Demon Subduing Pestle said solemnly.
Because they feared failure and worried over the dreadful consequences it might bring, were they supposed to shrink back and do nothing?
So many powerhouses throughout the ages had made attempts along the path to eternal life. They had all ultimately failed, but at least they had hope.
Even if they ultimately failed, would it not be a blessing to fight with all their strength for an ideal, even if they died and vanished from the world?
"Emperor Venerate failed, yet there will always be people who believe they can succeed. What I fear is that, in the end, heaven and earth will collapse and everything will be utterly overturned," the Great Yin Human Emperor said with a sigh.
The Ascension of the Entire Sect was a grand goal. How powerful had Emperor Venerate been at the end of the Mythological Era, and how imposing had the Heavenly Court he established been!
Yet Emperor Venerate had still failed in the end. The Ascension of the Entire Sect had become a beautiful wish that no one had been able to realize for millions of years.
Amitabha Great Emperor's great vow was truly admirable, but dragging all living beings along with him made the Human Emperor somewhat displeased.
Then he looked at Yang Qing again. He had already passed away, and there were some matters in which his heart was willing but his strength was lacking.
This era belonged to the young. Since Yang Qing saw things so clearly, what did he still have to worry about?
The Demon Subduing Pestle remained silent. Although it was very courteous to the Great Yin Human Emperor, that was because Amitabha Great Emperor had wronged the Human Emperor.
That did not mean it feared the Human Emperor, nor did it mean Buddhism feared the Great Accomplishment Saint Body!
Yang Qing sneered and said no more. A group of people with devout faith was never so easily persuaded.
Thus, he generally preferred to let his fists do the talking. It did not matter if they refused to submit now. After a beating, he would see whether they still refused to submit.
"I do not have much time left. Before I leave, I will scout out the major Forbidden Zones of Life for you one last time," the Great Yin Human Emperor said.
In the end, he decided to leave Buddhism's matter to Yang Qing, because he still had more important things to do.
Nine generations of Great Accomplishment Saint Bodies had fought bloody battles beneath the heavens to prevent Great Dark Upheavals. This generation's Great Accomplishment Saint Body was bound to fight the Forbidden Zones of Life.
Before departing, he wished to give what remained of his strength and let this generation's Great Accomplishment Saint Body see the true face of the Forbidden Zones of Life.
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