Chapter 385
If you do not take what Heaven offers, you will suffer the consequences.
"In that case, thank you very much, Abbot!"
Xiao Minghuang smiled and bowed deeply to the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss- Honored One of Bliss.
The next moment, without any hesitation, she directly absorbed the Three Lives Stone into her body.
"Boom--!"
In an instant, Xiao Minghuang's entire body burst forth with blazing golden light, like a rising sun illuminating all directions, dispelling darkness, and rendering this dilapidated temple dazzlingly bright.
In that instant, a vast and powerful aura erupted from her body.
Immediately afterwards, a pure white, three-holed divine stone shot out from her body and hovered in mid-air.
It was as clear and transparent as glass, exuding a sacred aura, and an indescribable pressure spread out, filling every inch of space.
After the Three Lives Stone was separated from the Western Land Origin, it was expelled from Xiao Minghuang's body.
Perhaps because the Heavenly Daos of the Five Directions One Realm had already merged and become one, Xiao Minghuang was able to accept the Heavenly Dao of the Western Lands without any obstacles after merging with the Heavenly Dao of the Southern Wilderness.
Soon, the two Heavenly Daos merged into one.
A strange and mysterious feeling enveloped Xiao Minghuang, giving her an indescribable brilliance.
In an instant, Rosy Clouds shone everywhere, auspicious colors danced in the air, morning bells and evening drums resounded, celestial music filled the air, and celestial flowers rained down...
A ray of auspicious light fell upon Xiao Minghuang, transforming into a shimmering golden feather robe that made her appear noble and elegant, like an empress from the heavens, looking down upon the vast sky.
Countless divine runes appeared out of thin air, swirling around her and transforming into various strange phenomena. In an instant, they collided countless times, transforming into a towering, majestic illusory figure of an empress, none other than Xiao Minghuang.
Almost at the same moment.
In every corner of the Western World, every living being capable of sensing Spiritual Qi and the Dao of Heaven was conveyed a message.
The Heavenly Way of the Western Lands...
It's changed hands!
In an instant, all sorts of strange phenomena appeared, shocking the Western world.
An invisible will, emanating from the depths of the soul and from the void of heaven and earth, compels all the beings of the Western Lands to bow down to their new king!
"Our Great Emperor, may your reign last forever!"
Countless cultivators gazed at the celestial image in the distant sky, knelt down, and prostrated themselves in worship.
This is the innate submission and involuntary obedience of the beings of the Western Land!
"We greet our Lord, the Great Emperor!"
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
The devout shouts echoed across the fields.
"Um?"
At this moment, Xiao Minghuang intuitively felt that she could rule the world; within this realm, she was omnipotent!
It was an indescribable feeling, as if some invisible force was blessing her.
She hadn't felt this way since leaving the Southern Wilderness, but now she felt it again.
"Call..."
After a long while, Xiao Minghuang slowly opened her eyes and exhaled a long breath.
At this moment, she had become the ruler of the Western World!
Although she has only merged with the Western Land Origin for the time being and has not yet gained the recognition of all living beings, it is only a matter of time.
Xiao Minghuang composed herself, turned her gaze back to the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss not far away.
At this moment, the already withered and frail old monk seemed to have aged even more, appearing to be on the verge of death at any moment.
After merging with the Western Land Origin, Xiao Minghuang learned that the original agent of the Western Land Heavenly Dao was the seemingly frail and elderly Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss before him.
Xiao Minghuang knew that the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss Honored One of Bliss did not agree with his proposal, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were on different paths and could not work together. However, he was still willing to offer up the Western Land Origin with both hands.
"Thank you, Abbot!"
She bowed solemnly to the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss of Bliss, and asked sincerely, "May I ask why?"
At this moment, Xiao Minghuang knew that the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss had chosen to submit not only because he feared her strength.
There must be some reason behind this; otherwise, he would never have made such a decision.
"Amitabha..."
After a long silence, the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss of Bliss sighed and slowly spoke, "This old monk is already a piece of rotten wood, and will not live much longer..."
"Bodhi has no tree, nor is the bright mirror a stand. Originally there is nothing, so where can dust alight..."
The words had barely left his mouth.
Xiao Minghuang immediately understood.
The reason why the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss acted this way was not solely because he feared himself.
It was because his lifespan had come to an end, and he only had one last breath left, that he made such a decision.
In other words, he wanted to use his last bit of lifespan to leave a glimmer of hope for the Western world.
He had no hope of continuing to practice his principles in this life, so he simply did what was best for others.
Xiao Minghuang sighed deeply; wasn't this a case of a dying man's words being the most virtuous?
However, from another perspective, the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss practiced his own path through his own Nirvana.
The so-called Way of Nirvana is to save oneself before saving others.
To truly attain Way of Nirvana, one must follow the Way of Reincarnation and the principles of nature.
Therefore, he could not resist death.
In other words, if he wants to attain enlightenment, he must die.
How difficult it was.
How foolish!
Xiao Minghuang could neither understand nor agree with it.
After pondering for a while, when she looked at the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss again, she realized that the old monk had already closed his eyes and entered meditation, his breath completely gone, as if he had vanished into nothingness.
Xiao Minghuang's expression hardened slightly. He quickly examined the body but found no sign of life. Within the withered body before him, the Primordial Spirit had dissipated, the Immortal Qi had returned to the heavens, the Purple Mansion Grotto-Heaven had collapsed rapidly, and the true spirit had vanished without a trace.
Clearly, the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss has already passed away.
Xiao Minghuang shook her head, a pang of sorrow rising in her heart. She murmured, "Amitabha, may the abbot rest in peace..."
502. The World-Honored One Passes Away
The body of the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss lay quietly on the ground, without any signs of life. Even the bones inside his body had completely decayed and turned to ashes.
Xiao Minghuang looked again and found a glimmer of golden light, as tiny as a firefly, but upon closer inspection, it felt boundless and vast, spanning trillions of miles.
"Huh? What's this...?"
Xiao Minghuang knew that after a high-ranking Buddhist monk passed away, his remains might transform into Sarira, containing great wisdom and profound blessings.
The Sarira are golden in color, naturally formed, and their surface is engraved with dense Sanskrit characters, containing a powerful wave of Buddhist energy.
With the separation of the Three Lives Stone from the Source of Boundaries, and the passing of the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss, the magic array in the dilapidated temple also lost its effectiveness and was exposed to the outside world.
The monks of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss rushed over. Having just witnessed the change of the Heavenly Dao Succession, they naturally knew that the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss had already passed away.
In an instant, all the monks were overcome with grief, and a chorus of wails filled the entire dilapidated temple with an atmosphere of sorrow.
"Abbot!"
"May Buddha have mercy!"
"Amitabha..."
Many monks knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.
Xiao Minghuang stood there silently.
At this moment, the Earth Immortal Jingguang suddenly looked at her and said sadly, "Since the princess has inherited the Heavenly Way of the Western Land, she is the Buddha Mother of our Buddhist sect. All monks, quickly follow me to pay homage to the Buddha Mother!"
The monks were taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening and began to kowtow and prostrate themselves, saying in unison, "Greetings, Buddha Mother!"
Xiao Minghuang remained indifferent and ignored her. Instead, she reached out and made a gesture in the air. Amidst the rumbling thunder, the Sarira of the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss and the Three Lives Stone flew over and hovered in her palm.
"These are the Sarira of the Great World-Honored One of Ultimate Bliss of the Blissful Land and the Three Lives Stone; you should keep them safe."
Earth Immortal Jingguang bowed again, stepped forward to accept the Sarira, and respectfully said, "Buddha Mother, the Three Lives Stone is Immortal Dao Spirit Treasure path. No one, from the Venerable One down, is allowed to use it. Please keep it safe, Buddha Mother!"
Xiao Minghuang nodded, without refusing.
Since she holds sway over the Heavenly Dao of the Western Lands, she naturally bears the karmic consequences of this realm as well.
"May the Buddha Mother have mercy!"
Earth Immortal Jingguang bowed again.
At that very moment.
A figure shrouded in Buddhist light suddenly appeared; it was a Buddhist immortal who bowed respectfully to Xiao Minghuang: "This humble monk, the Bodhi Mountain Monk Ku Jie, pays respects to the Buddha Mother!"
"Bodhi Mountain?"
She had long heard of the Lapis Lazuli Pure Land and Great Bodhi Mountain.
Back then, the Lapis Lazuli Pure Land Buddha Son died at her hands.
Xiao Minghuang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you the current World Honored One of the Lapis Lazuli Pure Land Buddhism?"
The monk Ku Jie's face twitched slightly, and he quickly denied it, saying, "The Lapis Lazuli Pure Land has been passed down through generations by a single disciple. Now, only my disciple and I reside in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. With the Buddha Mother before us, how dare this humble monk claim to be venerable?"
"Alright, monks, you may all disperse. I have matters to discuss with Zen Master Jingguang and Zen Master Kujie." Xiao Minghuang waved his hand, signaling the monks to leave.
When only three people remained.
Xiao Minghuang looked at the two of them and asked, "Now, in the Buddhist sect, are there only two of you left who are at the Earth Immortal realm?"
The two exchanged a glance, Earth Immortal Jingguang said with a wry smile, "To be honest, after the passing of the Venerable One, in this vast Buddhist sect, only these two humble monks remain who are worthy of being Earth Immortals..."
"Buddhist teachings are profound and vast, somewhat similar to the Daoist arts, yet neither can produce a great Major Accomplishment to carry on the legacy and usher in a new era..."
"Let's not talk about that anymore." Xiao Minghuang paused, then looked at Earth Immortal Jingguang and said, "Previously, I asked you how you saw the westward expansion of the Eastern Pole..."
She had only spoken halfway when the Earth Immortal Jingguang hurriedly interrupted, "Buddha Mother, please forgive me!"
"The armies of the Sacred Lands, Aristocratic Families, and Imperial Dynasties Extreme are pressing upon our borders, wantonly slaughtering the innocent within our Western Lands. Countless monks and sentient beings have already perished under their blades. We beseech the Buddha Mother for mercy to save the beings of the Western Lands from this sea of suffering!"
The Earth Immortal Jingguang spoke with passionate fervor, each word dripping with emotion, bringing tears to the eyes of all who heard it.
"Um?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang was taken aback, and looked at him with a half-smile, saying, "I remember, you didn't say that back then!"
Earth Immortal Kujie also looked at Earth Immortal Jingguang with a profound expression, as if he wanted to get to know him again.
"Ah..."
Earth Immortal Jingguang coughed once. "The Buddha said: All things are impermanent, all phenomena are without form, seeing form as non-form... one can attain Nirvana and peace..."
"Alright, alright!" Xiao Minghuang waved his hand and laughed, "Master Jingguang's Buddhist teachings are profound; I am no match for him!"
"I will deal with all the Supreme Beings of the Eastern Pole and Earth Immortals in the Western World. The remaining minor figures will be yours to handle. Is that acceptable?"
The Earth Immortal Jingguang's eyes flashed with brilliance, his face beaming with joy. "Buddha Mother, you are merciful!"
"May the Buddha Mother have mercy!"
The Earth Immortal Kujie was even more excited.
They hadn't even finished speaking.
Xiao Minghuang lightly raised her right hand, and an invisible, transparent platinum longsword appeared in her hand. Ancient and mysterious Dao runes were engraved on it, and its sharp aura swept across the eight directions and six realms, almost causing the surrounding void to distort slightly.