Fiercely Plucking Monkey Fur, Lord of the Other Shore World (More Later)

"Five Finger Mountain"

Amidst the thick fog, the Buddha stood calmly, his hands clasped behind his back, bathed in the radiant Great Sun Halo.

He spoke calmly:

"If it's Five Finger Mountain, I do have a way to get you out of this predicament, but the question is, what are you willing to give in return?"

"Above High Heaven, the pursuit is for balance in all things. There is a price to pay, and a reward to make you emerge from the Five Finger Mountain. Even for me, it was a great loss."

The Myriad Gods Cult's eyes suddenly lit up.

His form was compressed into a mass of darkness, as if he had no hands, feet, or legs, and then he spoke:

"The price can be discussed, but you haven't realized that you're no longer the same as before. Even a Celestial Venerable level figure couldn't break through that Five Finger Mountain. Do you really think you can?"

The Myriad Gods Cult still harbored doubts; He did not understand the trading mechanisms of the Above High Heaven.

I'm not sure if I'll definitely gain anything after paying the price.

Zhang Fusheng sensed the doubt in this person with Great Divine Ability User.

His face held a smile, his countenance was solemn and dignified, and his voice rang out like the morning bell and evening drum.

"Let alone those at the Heavenly Venerate Fruit Position, even those at the Daluo Fruit Position, who are even higher, might not be able to break through that Five Finger Mountain."

The Myriad Gods Cult paled. The Daluo Fruit Position, which only existed in conjecture?

Before He could ask a question, He gazed upon the handsome Buddha, who was smiling serenely as if holding up a flower, and said slowly:

"At the end of the Daluo Luofei, there are also the [Supreme Fruit Position] and the [Dao Fruit]. The Five Finger Mountain from the old world came from a Supreme Beings."

Zhang Fusheng himself wasn't sure which level [Buddha Ancestor] was at, but he speculated that it was most likely above the Daluo level.

So he continued:

"As you said, I have not fully awakened. I have entered the Sea of Suffering and am still struggling in Sea of Suffering. That is why I need to pay a great price to break the seal of the Five Finger Mountain."

The Myriad Gods Cult's heart stirred like a dark, shadowy object; if what the World-Honored Tathagata before him said was true...

Doesn't that imply that the World-Honored One, at his peak, was also someone who surpassed the Daluo Fruit Position?

After a long silence, the Myriad Gods Cult finally asked tentatively:

"But I have heard that the Daluo Fruit Position a permanent and eternally unchanging status that will never weaken."

He emphasized the word "weakness".

Zhang Fusheng naturally understood the deeper meaning behind it and calmly said:

"This proof is eternal and unchanging, and it is more reflected in time itself. I have voluntarily entered Nirvana, passed away peacefully, and attained enlightenment through meditation."

He was telling the truth—just ten days ago, he had voluntarily entered Nirvana and passed away.

But to the Pope of Myriad Gods Cult, it had a completely different meaning.

After another long silence, the Myriad Gods Cult spoke in a low voice:

"I choose to believe in you, an ancient sage who has returned from a glorious past. So, what price must I pay?"

"And how can I ensure that after paying the price, I will definitely be able to get out of trouble?"

Zhang Fusheng remained expressionless, quickly weighed his options, and spoke first:

"How many years have you remained at the level of Great Divine Ability User?"

"Twenty-three thousand years."

"The first price is the loss of your 23,000 years of cultivation and spiritual past. In this way, you will not fall from the realm of Great Divine Ability User."

As Zhang Fusheng recounted the story, he was filled with shock; over 20,000 years had passed.

The Myriad Gods Cult paused for a moment:

"Can."

Zhang Fusheng has a solemn and dignified appearance.

"To rise from the mortal realm to attain Great Divine Ability User and attain the Fruit Position of True Lord or Bodhisattva, your talent is truly unparalleled throughout history."

"Therefore, I will take your most unique physique, but I will preserve your comprehension."

This time, the Myriad Gods Cult agreed very readily:

"No problem. I was born with the bloodline of a level-five star beast called the Six-Eared Macaque, but it is of little use to me after I reached the level of Great Divine Ability. I can give it up."

Zhang Fusheng fell silent again.

What a magnificent Six-Eared Macaque!

If you're not pressed under the Five Finger Mountain, who will be?

However, since there is the Six-Eared Macaque, shouldn't there also be the [Lingming Stone Monkey] and other divine monkeys?

A sudden flash of lightning struck Zhang Fusheng's mind.

He sensed that he had probably uncovered some secret.

Now that--

Since the one imprisoned under the Five Finger Mountain is the Six-Eared Macaque, what if Destiny Event of a 'True and False Monkey King' occurs in the future?

What would appear in the 'fake monkey'?

His heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged. He said in a low voice:

"Only the bloodline of the Six-Eared Macaque?"

Zhang Fusheng didn't want this thing—who knows if the destiny of being suppressed by the Five Finger Mountain and the journey to the West were both related to this bloodline?

If I were to take it myself, would fate also befall me?

After a moment of contemplation, the Myriad Gods Cult replied:

"I also possess something that ordinary people lack: I was born with a pair of special eyes that can see through all illusions, penetrating all dimensions above and examining the countless worlds within the boundless void below."

"This eye is called the [Fiery Golden Eyes]."

After a moment's pause, He said calmly:

"However, I've heard that the Western Sect has discovered a Destiny Event that can grant one the Fiery Golden Eyes of Truth, and they're offering these eyes in exchange. Is that acceptable?"

Zhang Fusheng laughed and nodded in agreement:

"There's nothing wrong with that."

His heart skipped a beat; he Fiery Golden Eyes!

Zhang Fusheng continued:

"The third price is your 100,000 years of skill cultivation."

"Ha?"

The Myriad Gods Cult was dumbfounded:

"I myself am not even 100,000 years old!"

Zhang Fusheng explained with a smile:

"This 100,000 years is not the same as that 100,000 years. For example, the 100-year cultivation of a technique that I mentioned does not mean that a living being cultivates a technique day and night for 100 years."

"Instead, the time he spent cultivating this method over the past hundred years, perhaps only one or two hours each day, is still counted in the hundreds of years."

The Pope of Myriad Gods Cult realized what was happening and tentatively asked:

"So, the two techniques I've cultivated over the past fifty or sixty thousand years are equivalent to a hundred thousand years?"

Indeed.

Upon hearing this, the Myriad Gods Cult quickly weighed the pros and cons, and then decisively nodded:

"Can!"

The Buddha nodded peacefully:

"Logically, there should be three costs and one exchange, but rescuing you from the Five Finger Mountain would be too costly, so it's five costs and one exchange."

"Then, the fourth price."

After Zhang Fusheng's unhurried explanation, he quickly seized the opportunity to exploit the situation—like a monkey—his voice deep and serious:

"The fourth price I want is your unwavering loyalty for a hundred years. For the next hundred years, you will act according to my Imperial Decree, but my Imperial Decree will not endanger your life. What do you say?"

This time, the Myriad Gods Cult pondered for a long time.

"Century."

For an being like Him, a hundred years is not a long time, but loyalty?

For a long time.

The Myriad Gods Cult reluctantly nodded.

"Okay."

"The final price."

Zhang Fusheng said quietly:

"The Myriad Gods Cult."

The Myriad Gods Cult was taken aback:

"What's the meaning?"

Zhang Fusheng said unhurriedly:

"Is the Myriad Gods Cult actually just a group of gods without celestial positions who formed their own groups? Unlike other sects, it doesn't have True Saints, Celestial Venerables, or Buddha-level beings."

"In the Myriad Gods Cult, although you are the Pope, you are probably one of the most powerful deities worshipped within the sect?"

"Yes," the Myriad Gods Cult said in a deep voice, "I am the Pope, and also the deity worshipped."

"Then I will demand that the entire Myriad Gods Cult change its beliefs, placing Mount Ling as the supreme authority and myself as the ultimate authority."

"No." The Myriad Gods Cult decisively rejected the offer. "I can accept the other four costs, but not this one."

After a moment's pause, He immediately explained:

"The Myriad Gods Cult does not belong to me alone. My sect has many powerful and Great Divine Ability User who reside in the abyss dimension we created."

"They are also masters of the Myriad Gods Cult. I am not the absolute ruler, nor do I have the power to..."

Before he could finish speaking,

The World Honored One peacefully interrupted:

"The Spirit Mountain has no shortage of celestial positions."

The Myriad Gods Cult was taken aback, then heard the World Honored One speak softly:

"In its heyday, Mount Ling had thirty-three Buddhas, eighty-eight Bodhisattvas, and five hundred Arhats. All of them should have been celestial beings."

Myriad Gods Cult:???

He was startled and blurted out:

"Really??"

Zhang Fusheng nodded and said:

"Really."

In his memory, the number of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats whose names he could name was roughly this many.

As things stand now, having a title implies having a position and corresponding authority—although these authorities may overlap.

Like Heavenly Court beings and gods, or like Buddhist monks from the West.

The Myriad Gods Cult's breathing quickened as he stared at the World Honored One:

"Your ambitions are greater than I imagined. You intend to use the shell of my Myriad Gods Cult to bring Mount Ling back to life."

Zhang Fusheng calmly said:

"The Myriad Gods Cult doesn't actually have ten thousand gods. All your deities who are willing to enter Mount Ling will eventually sit on a celestial throne."

"Isn't the throne what you've been seeking?"

He's making empty promises, saying "finally," but when exactly?

That's entirely up to you.

The Myriad Gods Cult remains silent.

After a long silence, He spoke in a low voice:

"If what you say is true, I can guarantee that I will pay you all five costs, but the question remains: how can I ensure that it is true?"

"The Heavenly Pact."

Zhang Fusheng said:

"I can make Heavenly Pact with you. Once the Heavenly Pact is established, you can pay the full price after you leave the Five Finger Mountain."

"Before that, you only need to pay 30% of the price, that's all, how about it?"

The Myriad Gods Cult pondered, still somewhat hesitant, but when He saw a Daoist scripture appear in the Buddha's hand, He immediately nodded:

"Can!!"

He stared intently at the Daoist scripture, which was not thick, only eighty-one pages long, upon which floated a vast purple qi.

On the book cover, there were only two words.

[Morality].

This is the Dao De Jing from that day.

This is the Dao De Jing from that day!!

"Compassion, compassion."

Zhang Fusheng sighed softly, holding the Dao De Jing in one hand and raising the other to his chest, shouting:

"Heavenly Venerable."

The Myriad Gods Cult glanced over instinctively, and from the void, a chaotic mist flowed out, vaguely reflecting the image of an ancient Dao Palace.

The Dao Palace transcends the limits of thought; it is seen but not remembered.

At this moment, the gates of the Dao Palace were wide open, and a figure sat high above, waving his hand to release countless rays of light.

The interplay of light and shadow creates a [Heavenly Pact].

The Myriad Gods Cult felt a tremor in his heart. After carefully examining the contents of the Heavenly Pact and confirming that there were no errors, he said:

"I agree!"

In the hazy light, He heard an immeasurable voice proclaim. "The covenant is complete!"

'Thump!'

As if a muffled drumbeat sounded, the Myriad Gods Cult was shocked to realize that his seven thousand years of arduous cultivation were being forcibly stripped away, irreversibly stripped away!

It's not that they forgot, but that they directly lost this past period of arduous practice!

Also stripped away was seven thousand years of spiritual asceticism.

Next, the 30,000-year history of cultivation techniques was also stripped away!

Finally, what was stripped away was that pair of [Fiery Golden Eyes] that could see into Different Dimension and survey the vast void beyond the universe.

"The remaining 70%."

Zhang Fusheng concealed his inner joy and said calmly:

"I will leave you here until I rescue you from Five Finger Mountain, then I will come back to retrieve you."

The Myriad Gods Cult then asked:

How long will it take?

After a brief pause, Zhang Fusheng spoke:

"It's uncertain, but it could take anywhere from a few months to a maximum of ten years."

As he spoke, he pointed to the illusory light and shadow reflected in the Contract Book:

"The Heavenly Pact also states that if you do not emerge from the Five Finger Mountain within ten years, everything I have taken will be returned to you."

"Alright." The Myriad Gods Cult nodded solemnly, and hands grew out of the darkness, bowing in greeting.

He then faded away and departed.

The thick fog He had summoned rose again, and the Celestial Person on the mountaintop remained prostrate as before. Lin Changle stood quietly to the side, his head bowed.

They looked at the dignified and majestic Buddha.

The Buddha smiled, raised his head, and gazed at the canopy formed by the Bodhi Tree and Immortal Light. The canopy obscured the view from beyond the heavens, but it could not stop his gaze.

He spoke calmly:

"The Gaotian City is hereby established. All religions need no longer hide their tracks within the city. All beings can now live openly and honestly."

"From this day forward, Gaotian City shall no longer be under the jurisdiction of the Federation, nor shall it be subject to Federation law."

"If I speak as I say, will Heaven and Earth obey my command?"

Each word uttered by the World-Honored One was like the roar of a great lion, conveying Imperial Edict to heaven and earth through the power of the Merit Brush.

The Merit Brush, the brush used to write the Dao De Jing, seems to possess the power to directly influence the rules of heaven and earth.

Then.

Zhang Fusheng could sense that the Merit Brush seemed to be merging with heaven and earth, while heaven and earth seemed to be weighing something.

Then.

Heaven and earth truly granted their request, as if Zhang Fusheng had fulfilled some 'precondition', and this small world actually began to separate from the Federation!

Chongyang City —no, Gaotian City, and indeed the entire Lost World —began to rumble softly.

The vast sound, like the roar of a great lion, spread in all directions with the blessing of heaven and earth!

It is beyond the heavens, it is the forty-eight cities on the World Plateau, and even the many provinces that ancient cities lead to.

Finally, there's the capital city.

On the Mother Star, in this place where the sky is round and the earth is square, this sound echoes everywhere.

Also within this sound,

The Lost World became an independent entity— Zhang Fusheng even saw, in the wilderness, large beasts being hunted.

But after the beast died, what emerged was its complete soul!

He was first taken aback, then overjoyed.

"The Six Paths of Reincarnation. Lost World, it is no longer subject to the 'governance' of the Six Paths of Reincarnation!"

"The souls of the dead will no longer be drawn away by the Six Paths of Reincarnation, which are obscured by the knowledge of the Investigation Department and the [Speaker]!"

Zhang Fusheng murmured to himself, truly exhilarated. In an instant, a thousand thoughts raced through his mind.

For example, within this small world, a new 'reincarnation system' could be constructed; for example, small cities could be built across the vast land, attracting countless civilians worth tens or hundreds of billions.

In that case, how many complete souls would one be able to handle and control?

This place, once Chongyang World, now a desolate wasteland, has it truly become its own 'territory'?

"Compassion, compassion."

The Buddha smiled, turned and walked into the thatched hut, his voice booming like a bell:

"The rise of all cities should begin today."

Then.

Under the astonished gazes of many, Gaotian City remained unchanged, but in the wilderness, brand-new cities rose from the ground!

Exactly eighty-one large cities, no more, no less, surrounding Gaotian City.

Everything there was complete, but it was empty and deserted.

"This world will be named after the other shore, and will be called [The World of the Other Shore], [The Other Shore World]."

"Anyone with a will can reach the Other Shore World."

The Buddha's final words, accompanied by the lingering blessings of heaven and earth, resounded throughout the cities and realms of his Mother Star.

He then entered the thatched hut, gently closed the door, and peered into the Contract Book of great discoveries.

And at this very moment.

After a brief silence.

There are forty-eight cities on the World Plateau, forty-nine large provinces, and even the capital city.

The place is in an uproar!