Western Ox-Gift Continent, Spirit Mountain.
Xiang Yuan leaped over what was most likely the single-log bridge of Cloud-Soaring Ferry. Looking down from high above, he spotted a ferryman poling a Bottomless Boat.
The ferryman spoke of purple qi coming from the east, declaring that a distinguished guest had arrived. He immediately bowed, then poled his boat away, rocking and swaying.
"Which Buddha was that...?"
Xiang Yuan raised a brow. With his keen eye, he could tell this ferryman bore an extraordinary aspect. He was neither a cultivator nor empowered by divine force, but a genuine eminent ass of Buddhism—one with an attained fruition.
Real, not some fabricated imitation.
Spirit Mountain was real!
Even if it was not utterly, completely real, it was still the closest thing to reality—far beyond the slapdash troupe under the Jade Emperor's rule.
At the foot of Spirit Mountain, the waters of the Eight-Treasure Pond were so clear that one could see its bottom. Lotuses bloomed in abundance, and auspicious clouds curled through the air.
The pond water was clear as a mirror. It was said that a single sip could wash away worldly troubles and purify the soul. Nine-Grade Golden Lotuses grew in the pond, each bloom containing the Buddhist Dharma. Whenever the morning bell rang, the lotuses would sway in the breeze, giving off a faint Buddhist radiance.
Upon Spirit Mountain stood the resplendent Great Thunderclap Monastery, wreathed in incense smoke, its bells and chimes sounding without cease day and night.
The space within the monastery was boundlessly vast. Lotus platforms floated one after another, upon which sat the true bodies of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Some rose, some descended; some emerged, some fell. They truly existed, yet seemed elusive as mist, each wearing a serene smile as they quietly listened to the Buddha expound