Heaven-Repairing Method, Trading a Rifle for a Cannon

"Flickering fire, scattered confusion. This flight has arrived at its midpoint, Mars Ancient Star Station. Passengers disembarking, please gather your belongings and leave in an orderly manner."

Taking the lead, Xiao Yan was the first to leave the coffin. Before him stretched a vast expanse of reddish-brown land.

On an enormous rock were two ancient bronze-script characters: Mars.

"Not a single cup of Xi Zhi Lang jelly I ate as a kid went to waste."

Xiao Yan turned to look at the two cautiously following beside him, a smile suddenly appearing on his face.

Ye Fan froze for a moment, then rolled his eyes. Seeing Pang Bo still completely baffled, he grimaced and patted him on the shoulder.

"Congratulations. You achieved your childhood dream and became an astronaut."

Pang Bo: "..."

Just as he was about to complain, he saw that the two had already headed ahead. He immediately jogged after them.

Before long, the group of three arrived at an Ancient Monastery.

The monastery was not large. On Earth, it would have been utterly unremarkable, but this was Mars.

"This is that Buddha's place of cultivation?" Ye Fan's eyes widened.

"More or less?" Xiao Yan looked at the Ancient Bodhi Tree beside them, then at the plaque of the Great Thunderclap Temple, and nodded.

It was the place of cultivation of Sakyamuni, a peak Quasi-Emperor, where countless evil beings had been suppressed.

"Buddha saves those with affinity. Since we were able to arrive here, that means we have affinity. We can search this ruined Ancient Monastery and see whether there is anything fated to come to us.

"But be careful. Legend says that beneath the Great Thunderclap Temple lie the Eighteen Levels of Hell, where the Buddha suppressed the evil beings of the world. So be extremely cautious while exploring."

The moment Xiao Yan finished speaking, Pang Bo eagerly looked toward the plaque of the Great Thunderclap Temple.

Xiao Yan: "..."

"Ahem, Old Pang. Although you might be a demon and therefore a living source of power for Buddhist scriptures, especially in conspiracy theories—

"—there's no need to be so impatient. Generally speaking, abbots tend to be rather petty."

"Be careful, or some old man smiling like a chrysanthemum might show up and tell you that you have affinity with the West."

According to his memories, Crocodile Ancestor would officially break free from his seal twenty-five years later. However, Xiao Yan knew that once the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin arrived and disrupted the balance here, Crocodile Ancestor was destined to break free ahead of schedule.

The many Buddhist artifacts were only part of the reason. The plaque was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Although those miscellaneous people had not boarded this time and there were only three people on this interstellar flight, Xiao Yan's spiritual platform still felt itchy, faintly warning him of danger.

He would not take the Quasi-Emperor sacred artifact or the plaque. He would leave them here to suppress Crocodile Ancestor a while longer.

Pang Bo scratched his head and calmed down. Finding Xiao Yan's reasoning sound, he followed his suggestion and spared the plaque.

"Okay then. Next comes the fun part—grave robbing. Let's see if there are any useful damaged artifacts."

Pang Bo went to the Mahavira Hall, while Xiao Yan and Ye Fan searched around before arriving beneath the Bodhi tree.

This was the main event of their trip.

The Immortal Elixir, the Ancient Bodhi Tree.

Its trunk had long since withered, and only six Bodhi Leaves remained, crystal-clear and translucent.

"The body is a bodhi tree, the heart a bright mirror stand. Constantly polish it clean, and let no dust settle upon it." Ye Fan examined the dead Bodhi tree and sighed faintly.

Meanwhile, while Ye Fan was indulging in his literary melancholy, Xiao Yan stepped forward and began utterly ruining the scene.

With a pull of both hands, he dismantled the entire Bodhi tree, storing away its heartwood and several cubic meters of Bodhi Wood. Then, under Ye Fan's twitching gaze, he gently plucked the six Bodhi Leaves.

The instant the Bodhi Leaves were removed, the remaining Ancient Bodhi Tree turned into countless motes of ash and vanished.

"Bodhi originally has no tree, and the mirror is no stand. Since there was nothing from the start, where could dust cling? Ye Fan, you still need more cultivation."

Xiao Yan chuckled, waved the Bodhi Leaves before Ye Fan, and tucked them away. He then handed the Bodhi Seed over to him.

Ye Fan's opportunity should go to Ye Fan. Forget stealing his friend's treasure; drinking some of the leftovers was enough for him.

Besides, this thing was a massive trap. It was something Sakyamuni had left for the Great Accomplished Saint Body, and karma was a rather mysterious matter.

He should let the invincible Heavenly Emperor Ye bear it. Xiao Yan would be leaving before long anyway, and he could not bear such a burden.

"Hold onto it. The Bodhi Seed is very helpful for comprehension." Xiao Yan patted the stunned Ye Fan, responded to the thunderous shouts in the distance, and strode toward the other halls.

Not long afterward.

The three gathered up all the Buddhist artifacts, leaving only the key formation nodes behind, and quickly departed.

Arriving near the Five-Colored Altar, Xiao Yan sensed the world's spiritual energy continuously pouring into it. However, it would still take some time to finish charging. He immediately shook his head with a sigh and took out several relatively damaged Buddhist artifacts as fuel.

A vast Taiji Diagram once again appeared between heaven and earth.

Crocodile Ancestor: Hungry!!!

Xiao Yan ignored Crocodile Ancestor, who had woken up hungry but had nothing to eat.

After boarding the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin again, Xiao Yan directly pulled both of them over beside the Bronze Coffin.

As expected, even with the Bodhi Seed's enhancement, and even after Xiao Yan took out the Bodhi Leaves, Pang Bo still could not hear anything at all.

The most ridiculous part was that the Bodhi Leaves had not been consumed in the slightest.

"...You should stick to the brute-force route. Enlightenment isn't for you." Xiao Yan's mouth twitched.

He had a feeling that he would gain quite a bit from this place.

So he first let Ye Fan listen. After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yan handed him two Bodhi Leaves as well. Yet even after Ye Fan finished listening, the leaves had not been consumed.

Clearly, they had merely recorded this immortal scripture, and neither of them had gained anything from it for the time being.

After considering it, Xiao Yan felt that was only normal.

After all, this had been prepared to repair the Immortal Domain. Neither of them had begun cultivating yet, while Pang Bo possessed the Demon God Bloodline—well-developed limbs and a simple mind.

Shaking his head, Xiao Yan immediately held the Bodhi Seed and arranged the Bodhi Leaves around himself. His essence, energy, and spirit merged as one, and he focused completely on comprehending it.

"The Way of Heaven diminishes excess and replenishes insufficiency..."

A vast and majestic heavenly voice seemed to come from the primordial ancient era, echoing in Xiao Yan's ears, desolate and boundless.

What had previously been hazy and indistinct now became incomparably clear.

Just as Xiao Yan had guessed, this was not any cultivation method. It described a method of repairing the Immortal Domain.

From construction to restoration, it held little meaning for ordinary people.

But it sent Xiao Yan into a deep state of enlightenment.

The extraction of matter, the tempering and reconstruction of energy, sublimation and reversal, the granting of laws—from heaven and earth to one's own body, and so on.

The many insights merged with what he had learned and began changing it at its foundation. No—sublimation was the more fitting word.

Without realizing it, two Bodhi Leaves in Xiao Yan's hand had already vanished.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan opened his eyes unconsciously.

By instinct, he took out a damaged Azure Lamp and a bronze bell. Following his insights, he activated Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements, which had already been altered beyond recognition, and simultaneously summoned Samadhi True Fire.

In an instant, the Azure Lamp, which had lost its divine power, lit up with a faint radiance. Streams of golden runes were extracted from it as the bronze melted. The bronze bell beside it flew up, golden light poured into it, and the molten bronze merged together.

Under Ye Fan and Pang Bo's astonished gazes, a hum sounded, and a seemingly brand-new bronze bell floated in midair.

Hum—

The vast bell chime cleansed the soul, as though it could wash away all impurities and send one into a state of enlightenment.

Baptized by the bell's chime, Pang Bo vaguely heard something about surplus... and insufficiency...

"?! Delicate feet!?"