Chapter 3

"I too was curious what changes would arise when the physical body fused with the Dharma manifestation."

Sunlight suddenly spoke, his eyes seeming to burn with blazing suns.

Before his words had faded, the overwhelming aura of a peak Golden Immortal swept across the surroundings. Dazzling radiance bloomed around him, and a solemn Bodhisattva Dharma manifestation appeared behind him.

The Dharma manifestation was majestic and resplendent, golden light flowing across its entire body. It had four arms.

Two hands were pressed together in a gesture of worship, while another held a pale pink lotus. It sat upon a three-tiered golden lotus.

The Dharma manifestation's radiance shone everywhere, turning the entire valley into a spectacle of gold and jade.

The Sunlight Bodhisattva Dharma manifestation!

Its sunlight released a thousand rays, illuminating the ten directions and shattering all darkness. This was Sunlight Bodhisattva.

As a direct descendant of the Western Teachings, although he, Medicine Buddha, Moonlight, and the others had not been especially renowned in later generations, known only as attendants of Medicine Buddha, they were in truth the core inheritors of the sect.

His peak Golden Immortal cultivation far surpassed Lu Tian, who had only recently broken through.

"Junior Brother, forgive your Senior Brother's offense."

Sunlight spoke solemnly, the pink lotus in his hand trembling slightly.

"Please instruct me, Senior Brother."

Lu Tian's battle intent surged. Malevolent energy churned within his Vajra Wrathful Gaze, forming a stark contrast against the blazing sun before him.

"Good! Take this, Junior Brother!"

Sunlight laughed loudly as the lotus suddenly erupted with dazzling light.

He pinched the pink lotus between his fingers and casually swept it toward Lu Tian. The pressure of the entire world came crashing down!

At the Golden Immortal realm, one possessed vast divine abilities, enough to command a region of heaven and earth!

Lu Tian did not use the Buddhist beads granted by Jieyin. He merely gave a deep shout and strode forward against the immense pressure, his giant palm slamming toward Sunlight like a mountain!

Life and death revolved in his palm, as though he were lifting an entire Buddha kingdom and bringing it crashing down.

Buddha Kingdom in Palm!

Sunlight's brows shifted slightly as he recognized this unique divine ability of the Western Teachings.

The pink lotus quivered, and petal after petal drifted free.

One Flower Hides One World!

He held the flower with a faint smile, and with a flick of his finger, the petals shot through the air to collide with Lu Tian's giant palm!

The Buddha kingdom and the world collided, erupting with earth-shaking power!

Boom—!

Thunder exploded across the flat ground, and violent shockwaves swept in every direction, reducing all the surrounding peaks to rubble!

Dust obscured the sky, and the mountain range stretching dozens of miles around Lu Tian was ground into powder!

Had the rocks of the Western Teachings' sacred land not been tempered through secret arts, an ordinary thousand-mile range would have been reduced to ashes by this strike!

"Junior Brother is in trouble. I'll go take a look!"

Before Medicine Buddha had even finished speaking, he had already charged into the aftermath of the battle.

His golden eyes pierced through the haze. Though Lu Tian's Buddha kingdom had been damaged, sixty percent of it remained. He looked somewhat disheveled, but what Medicine Buddha saw shocked him even more—

"He directly took Junior Brother Sunlight's One Flower, One World and was only slightly inferior?"

"With early Golden Immortal cultivation, he shook a late-stage divine ability and still had strength to spare?"

At that moment, Sunlight's expression gradually turned solemn. The blazing sun behind him suddenly burst forth with boundless radiance!

He soared into the sky as a rainbow, his form vanishing into immeasurable light like a blazing sun patrolling the heavens and illuminating the universe!

"Master's personally taught secret art—Great Sun Patrols the Heavens!"

"Junior Brother, retreat quickly!"

Medicine Buddha urgently warned him, his voice piercing the clouds.

The direct disciples of the Western Teachings shouted in unison.

Great Sun Patrols the Heavens was Sunlight Venerable's supreme technique, created specifically for him by the two Sages, Jieyin and Zhunti. Its power reached the heavens!

"Senior Brother, be careful!"

Lu Tian shouted. Not only did he refuse to retreat, he instead lifted the damaged Buddha kingdom and charged into the sky, crashing straight toward the blazing sun in the heavens!

The sight left the direct disciples of the Western Teachings dumbfounded.

Hiss—

Maitreya could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

Was Junior Brother really this fearless?

His eyes widened in disbelief. This Junior Brother was simply fearless in the face of death!

Medicine Buddha secretly clenched his hands, ready at any moment to intervene and save him.

Above the heavens, the golden light of the blazing sun surged!

Boundless brilliance scattered every shadow!

The temperature across the thousand-mile mountain range abruptly rose by several hundred degrees!

The blazing sun charged directly toward Lu Tian!

"Retreat at once! You cannot withstand this move!"

Sunlight sent him a warning through divine sense, yet did not halt his attack.

He did not wish to injure a fellow disciple, but neither was he willing to lose just like that.

The Buddha kingdom in Lu Tian's hand was damaged, but its sentient beings were still praying devoutly within.

Facing the true flames capable of burning heaven itself, he showed no fear and fiercely smashed the Buddha kingdom into the blazing sun!

The Buddha kingdom caught fire the instant it touched the sun, and another twenty percent was destroyed in a breath!

Then—

The Buddha kingdom collapsed, and all phenomena fell into extinction!

Great Nirvana Art!

Lu Tian's strongest killing move erupted, trading away life force for ultimate destruction!

The blazing sun Sunlight had transformed into immediately dimmed.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—

The blazing flames continued to scorch the Vajra Dharma body. Its spiritual power was burned away, and the Dharma body gradually grew insubstantial.

The blazing sun flickered as it tried to flee.

But Lu Tian suddenly reached out, seized the blazing sun, and once more brought down the Buddha kingdom!

The Great Nirvana Art erupted a second time, and the blazing sun nearly went out!

Sunlight gritted his teeth and went all out at last—

The blazing sun abruptly expanded. Its core shook violently, and ten thousand rays of light tore apart the void!

The disciples of the Western Teachings all changed expression!

He was going to burn out the blazing sun and unleash his strongest strike!

Medicine Buddha could no longer hold back. He leaped into the air and used One Flower, One World, trying to seal the blazing sun inside a small world so that it would not harm the others.

Unfortunately, he was ultimately half a step too late!

Boom—

Amid a heaven-shaking blast, the world was swallowed by blinding white light, impossible to look at directly.

Sunlight broke free from the blazing sun form and staggered to the ground. His aura was chaotic, and he was clearly badly injured.

The disciples' divine light flowed around them as each employed their own methods to protect themselves against the aftermath.

After several breaths.

Heaven and earth returned to clarity.

Everyone realized in shock—

That wrathful Vajra was still standing!

Though Lu Tian's Vajra Body had weakened considerably, a trace of delight flashed through his eyes.

The Vajra Body had originally been condensed from magical power. It only took some expenditure of power to reform it, while his true body remained completely unharmed.

More importantly, he had already understood the secret of merging the Vajra Body with his true body!

Under everyone's astonished gazes, Lu Tian withdrew his aura. The Vajra Body gradually shrank and merged with his true body.

"Junior Brother Lu, congratulations." Sunlight was briefly stunned, then smiled as he offered his congratulations.

"Junior Brother Lu has broken through his shackles and advanced in cultivation. This is truly cause for celebration!"

"Junior Brother Sunlight, rest and regulate your breathing for now. I have several pills here to treat your injuries."

"Junior Brother's extraordinary strength is a blessing for the West. We must celebrate today with fine wine!"

The senior brothers all offered their congratulations.

Previously, Lu Tian had been unable to return to his true body. Now, the problem had been solved.

Clearly, this battle had allowed him to comprehend the crucial point.

Lu Tian paused in surprise before smiling. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother. If not for your Great Sun Patrols the Heavens giving me a sudden insight, I fear I would still be trapped within the Vajra Body."

Warmth filled his heart.

Sunlight had lost to him and suffered serious injuries, damaging his pride.

Yet he could still sincerely congratulate him. Such breadth of heart was truly rare.

These senior brothers of the Western Teachings were far more sincere than those scheming fellow disciples in the outer sect of the Jie Sect.

Because of his Western origin, he had endured much exclusion in the Jie Sect's outer sect. It had been a long time since he had felt such warmth.

In the end, one's origins determined far too much.

All the disciples of the Western Teachings came from the West. They supported one another and cultivated the Great Dao together under their two masters' guidance. Revitalizing the West was everyone's long-cherished wish.

As for not holding back during their spar?

Did they really think Jieyin and Zhunti were just decorations?

The moment they began fighting, the two Sages had surely noticed. At most, they would allow them to suffer some injuries; their lives could never truly be endangered.

Besides, a little lesson was necessary. The Primordial World was not peaceful, and it was better to undergo trials early than suffer losses outside later.

Lu Tian, who had once traveled through the East, had received plenty of cold looks and ridicule due to his origins. He understood this deeply.

"To comprehend such profundities from Great Sun Patrols the Heavens, Junior Brother's comprehension is truly astonishing. I only barely managed to use it myself."

Sunlight sighed, inwardly shaken beyond measure.

The other senior brothers also looked at Lu Tian strangely.

This Junior Brother was simply a monster!

Merely by observing someone else use a secret art, he had actually incorporated it into his own Dao arts and perfected his divine ability!

"Senior Brothers, please stop praising me. If you keep it up, I'll get carried away."

"It's a pity my cave dwelling was destroyed, so I can't entertain everyone."

Lu Tian waved his hand, his attitude humble.

He knew his strength was still lacking. He was far from having any reason to be proud.

His victory this time had come, first, from his Sage-level comprehension, which had given him a profound understanding of the secret art, and second, from Sunlight's lack of actual combat experience.

After all, Lu Tian had often fought others while in the Jie Sect, so his battle experience was far richer.

"What difficulty is that? Come, come, come to my place. I've hidden away quite a bit of good wine..."

Maitreya laughed heartily and invited everyone to his cave dwelling.

Before anyone could move, their expressions suddenly turned solemn. They all respectfully bowed toward the west.

"Greetings, Masters!"

The six spoke in unison as two figures drifted toward them.

They were none other than the two Sages of the Western Teachings—Jieyin and Zhunti!

"No need for formalities."

Jieyin raised a finger, and a spiritual light entered Sunlight's body. His weakened aura instantly recovered completely.

"Now you understand that there are always greater people beyond you."

"Sunlight, in terms of actual cultivation, you were originally slightly stronger than Lu Tian."

"Unfortunately, you have cultivated behind closed doors all year and lack combat experience. Even with superior strength, you found it difficult to win."

Jieyin swept his gaze over them all. "Not only Sunlight. You are all the same."

"From today onward, a competition will be held once every hundred years, and the winners shall receive rewards."

"Fight without restraint. With your Second Master and me overseeing you, nothing will happen."

The disciples hurriedly answered, "This disciple obeys Master's command!"

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged smiles.

Lu Tian truly had given them quite a pleasant surprise.

Zhunti looked at Lu Tian and asked, "Lu Tian, tell us how you fused the Vajra Body with your physical body."

Was he going to personally guide him?

Lu Tian hurriedly explained, "Master, while cultivating the Vajra Body, this disciple suddenly had an insight. Though the Vajra Body is condensed from magical power and possesses extraordinary might, it is like duckweed without roots."

"If I could find a way to stabilize it, the power of this technique should be able to rise another level."

"This disciple successively tried Dharma treasures and spiritual roots, but neither worked. In the end, I thought of using the physical body as the foundation."

"I transformed my body's spiritual power and used this special spiritual power to forge the Vajra Body anew, finally causing the two to become one."

"Now, even my ordinary physical body possesses Vajra characteristics. Not only has its strength multiplied, but it can also absorb spiritual energy to repair itself."

"With the support of the physical body, the Vajra Body's stability has also increased greatly."

"That was why it could withstand Senior Brother Sunlight's exploding blazing sun."

"If it had been the old Vajra Body, maintained purely by spiritual power, it could never have resisted such might."

He explained his cultivation insights in detail, holding nothing back.

It would have been unwise to conceal anything before Sages.

With Jieyin and Zhunti's abilities, if they wished to investigate, they could understand its mysteries in an instant.

These two had attained Sagehood in the barren West. Their comprehension was also among the finest of all the Sages.

Besides, his vision was extraordinary. By speaking frankly, he might even receive guidance in return—would that not be a fine thing?

Zhunti lightly stroked his long beard and nodded slightly.

"This method and Great Sun Patrols the Heavens lead to the same destination by different paths. That one transforms the physical body into Solar True Fire, simulating the course of the great sun."

"No wonder you were able to draw inspiration from it."

"However, Sunlight could transform himself into the great sun only because of his special constitution, having originally taken form from true fire. Your method of spiritualizing the physical body is rather ingenious..."