This most ancient immortal mountain was renowned not only in the Big Dipper Star Domain; countless legends of it also circulated in other ancient star domains. It represented the foundation of Buddhism and was of immense significance. Buddhist legend held that Mount Sumeru stood eighty-four thousand yojanas high, with one yojana measuring approximately thirteen thousand meters. Though it was only a legend, it conveyed something of the mountain's sacred, towering majesty.
The divine mountain was lofty and immense, spanning past and present, immortal through the ages as it watched the river of time flow slowly by. Standing before it, one felt profoundly insignificant, like an ant looking up at the starry river, so out of proportion that one could keenly feel one's own frailty.
Its grandeur and magnificence were plain to see. It could be called the greatest mountain in the Big Dipper Star Domain, for no ancient mountain was more imposing, vast and boundless, majestic and immense. Mount Sumeru was only the main peak. Several other mountains surrounded it, equally magnificent, with silver waterfalls cascading down and Zen chants echoing without cease, making Sumeru at their center seem even grander.
Waters surrounded the mountain's foot. Seen from afar, they appeared unremarkable, but up close they were astonishing: this expanse of water was so vast that it resembled a sea.
A beautiful young woman in a white dress stood at the foot of the mountain, her expression cold as she gazed up at the towering divine mountain.
The bhikkhunis nearby were all somewhat angry. This unfamiliar young woman had entered the Buddhist Sect's forbidden grounds and violated its precepts. She should have been punished severely for her contempt toward the holy land, then driven out!
But the young woman had already stood there for a long time, and they had all been restrained by her immobilization technique.
Normally, the eminent monks on Mount Sumeru should have come down to deal with the matter, but even after so long, the Great Thunderclap Temple had sent no one.
A devout old woman, bowing once with every step as she made a pilgrimage to the holy land in her heart, saw that the young woman had caused great trouble and could not help urging her, "Miss, before the monks from the holy land arrive, you should hurry and leave!"
There was a trace of pity in her expression. After all, the young woman was exquisitely beautiful, and one could not help taking a liking to her.
The Divine Silkworm Princess glanced at her, and with a movement of her divine sense, saw through everything.
The old woman had originally been a mortal woman from the Cloud Hill Kingdom, seven thousand li away. A child in her family was gravely ill, and legend said that the Eight Treasures Divine Spring at the foot of Mount Sumeru could cure all illnesses.
Buddhist scriptures recorded that the Land of Ultimate Bliss contained the Seven Treasures Pool. The pool was natural rather than man-made, hence its name. It was also called the Eight Merit Pool because it was filled with Eight Merits Water. Crystal clear and translucent, the water was also known as Eight Flavors Water or Eight Samadhis Water. It had eight exceptional qualities: purity, coolness, sweetness, lightness and softness, moisture, tranquility, relief from hunger and thirst, and nourishment of all the faculties.
Eight Merits Water was precious, coveted by every Buddhist pilgrim. Drinking it brought many benefits: it could ward off impurities, purify the body, cleanse the mind, nourish and strengthen the six faculties, and keep sickness and suffering at bay.
To ascend Sumeru, one first had to cross the sea, traversing the Eight Merits Sea.
Sadly, she had braved wind and rain on her journey, only to be told upon reaching the divine mountain that the Divine Spring could not be disturbed without cause. When the old woman was overcome with disappointment, the monk told her that if she worshiped devoutly beneath the mountain every day, one day she would cause a divine statue beside the mountain gate to turn its gaze, and her wish would then be fulfilled.
Yet over the past several thousand years, the mortals who had made a Buddha statue stir could be counted on two hands...
In the row of Buddha statues beside the towering mountain gate, the closer a statue stood to the gate, the denser and more terrifying the Power of Faith within it. Those farther away were naturally closer to ordinary stone statues.
These divine statues were products of a secret art of the Western Desert's Buddhist Sect, extraordinary objects made expressly to collect the Power of Faith.
The Divine Silkworm Princess said little. She merely watched the divine mountain coldly. At last, her divine power stirred, sweeping all the mortals nearby into the distance.
Boom!
Her fair hand moved lightly, and a holy might capable of crushing the heavens emerged from her slender body, directly causing the eternal divine mountain to tremble slightly. Strands of divine light spilling with five colors appeared in the sky.
Mount Sumeru soon grew calm again. The entire mountain shone, wreathed in peaceful, pure thought power, while great swathes of light rose from it. This was no mortal land, but seemed an old haunt of immortals, suppressing the vast holy might.
Layer upon layer of silvery radiance rose, with pale golden light flowing among it. This was the purest Power of Faith, bolstering the mountain, so dense that it could not be dispersed. Now, waves of radiance surged in layers across the entire ancient mountain, making it appear solemn and sacred, a sight that shook the soul.
Clang!
Suddenly, the Divine Silkworm Princess brought her hands together, her slender fingers dancing as nine kinds of immortal light shone from her body. Clanging rang out without end as plates of armor covered her graceful figure. The presence of an Ancient Great Emperor erupted, nearly making many people collapse on the spot, and even Mount Sumeru shook.
An Ancient Emperor's battle robe!
This was the immortal robe of the Ancient Emperor of Divine Silkworm Ridge, who had once undergone ten transformations and ultimately become invincible under heaven and earth.
Hum!
At that moment, the Divine Silkworm Princess shone brilliantly, precious radiance flowing over her entire body. She resembled a heroic War Goddess, surrounded by a Great Emperor's presence, terrifying enough to overwhelm the heavens.
"Come out!"
Her clear cry swept across the sea of clouds. The woman clad in an emperor's robe struck down with her palm, and strands of sharp extreme-path force broke through the layers of formations sealing the Eight Merits Water. The spiritual spring, steaming with life essence Qi, flew from the sea and became a fine, endless rain, watering the land for ten thousand li around.
At the summit of Mount Sumeru, Zen chants echoed ceaselessly within the Great Thunderclap Temple, lending the entire mountain temple an air of solemnity and majesty. Sacred and pure, suffused with thought power, it was one with all living beings.
Purple-gold tiles covered the magnificent temple, their pale purple surfaces gleaming with a metallic luster. They made the place seem all the more mysterious and unfathomable, its grandeur sweeping into view at a glance.
"Victorious Buddha, we cannot allow this demoness to go on acting so outrageously! How can we let an outsider run rampant in the pure lands of the Buddhist Sect?"
Chapter 55: All Living Beings Possess the Wisdom and Virtuous Attributes of the Tathagata
The summit of Mount Sumeru was peaceful, filled with waves of Zen chanting, as if the bodhisattvas and Buddhas of the heavens were singing in harmony. The ancient temple atop the mountain was magnificent, simple and grand, an awe-inspiring sight like an immortal palace. A layer of sacred light coated its tiles and ridges.
A bronze plaque mottled with rust hung on the ancient temple at the very center. Several characters were carved upon it in vigorous, powerful strokes: "Great Thunderclap Temple." Amitabha Buddha had once nourished this bronze plaque with emperor Qi, and even now terrifying fluctuations spread from it.
"Victorious Buddha!" A young monk stood with a solemn, dignified countenance. Buddha light blazed behind him, gathering into a halo, and the sound of metal and stone rang from his body, a sign that he had attained a golden body. He was the one who had just spoken.
An old monk stood behind the young monk, clad in a kasaya upon which the sun, moon, and stars trembled. His long brows hung straight down to his waist, and his deeply wrinkled face bore an air of authority. There was no trace of decline about him.
He glanced at the young man, a hint of regret in his eyes, but said nothing and began silently reciting scripture instead. He had previously held high hopes for the young monk, but in the end the young man had disappointed him. Hot-blooded, he thought he could shake heaven and earth like this. How unwise...
Seated before the statue of Amitabha Buddha was a gaunt old ape. Every golden hair on his body was crystal clear, lending him an unworldly air. Faint Zen seals appeared around him, yet they were dim and obscure, suggesting a return to one's original simplicity.
The Victorious Fighting Buddha slowly rose and walked over to the young monk. Untouched by the slightest trace of the mortal world, he seemed to stand beyond it, yet also resembled a rock that had endured since antiquity, bearing an ancient air. He pressed his palms together, a circle of Buddha light appearing behind his head, and like an old monk, his body was as withered as dead wood.
When the monk who had spoken so fiercely truly faced the Victorious Fighting Buddha, he met the Victorious Buddha's gaze for no more than three breaths before sweat poured down his back. Terrified, he immediately begged punishment. "I have violated the precept against anger. Please punish me, Victorious Fighting Buddha. Amitabha Buddha!"
The Victorious Fighting Buddha looked at him and sighed. "You harbor resentment toward me over Ancient Buddha Mohe. I do not blame you! But you have violated the precept against anger, so you shall be washed by the Karma Waterfall for twenty years, to cleanse the restlessness from your heart!"
The young monk trembled slightly, bitterness rising in his heart.
Was this a Great Saint? No matter how many hundreds or thousands of times he had planned in his mind how to challenge him, he was merely a mayfly trying to shake a tree, overestimating himself. The other party paid him no heed and regarded him as nothing...
Still, he was a prodigy of the Buddhist Sect. In the Dharma-Ending Age, he had become a supreme Buddhist cultivator in less than a century and had even been taken as a disciple by a venerable one. Though somewhat disheartened, he soon regained his composure. Reciting Buddhist words, he bowed to the Victorious Fighting Buddha and said gravely, "I obey your decree, Victorious Fighting Buddha!"
He then strode out of the temple. The other old monks were somewhat moved, but none dared speak. After all, this was a struggle between two beings at the Great Saint level, involving Mount Sumeru's two great factions. It was not something old monks at the Immortal Platform level like them could interfere in!
The Karma Waterfall was a cultivation method of the Western Desert, though it was used when cultivating the Arhat Golden Body. It involved scouring one's flesh with a waterfall of Power of Faith in Mount Sumeru's secret realm.
The Buddhist Sect's use of the Power of Faith went far beyond this. What had earlier resisted the Divine Silkworm Princess's holy-path pressure was the terrifying Power of Faith that had accumulated on Mount Sumeru over countless years.
This young monk was only a Great Power, still far from the realm of a Saint. Twenty years of baptism beneath the Karma Waterfall was indeed a painful punishment for him!
The Victorious Fighting Buddha glanced around and spoke again. "This matter arose from my karma in the mortal world. Once it is settled, I will give you all an explanation."
The Victorious Fighting Buddha then summoned a young novice and gave him a few instructions before returning to his seat in front of Amitabha Buddha's statue and continuing to read the ancient scriptures. He had sat in the ancient temple all these years, growing ever more accomplished in the path of cultivation.
His eyes were now profound, as if he had comprehended his past and future lives...
At the foot of Mount Sumeru, the Divine Silkworm Princess stood opposed to a monk. Extreme-path presence and the vast Power of Faith divided the world into two halves, opposing each other like the yin and yang of heaven and earth.
After the Divine Silkworm Princess had scattered the Eight Merits Water so freely, the many eminent monks of the Western Desert could bear it no longer. An exceedingly decrepit old monk appeared on Mount Sumeru. Looking at the Divine Silkworm Princess, whose holy might surged to the heavens, he recited a Buddhist verse and said without expression, "The sea of suffering is boundless; turn back and the shore is at hand. Since you know the Victorious Fighting Buddha's wishes, benefactor, why put yourself through this journey?"
This Buddhist Sect master was unperturbed. He stood halfway up the mountain, the temple behind him shining brilliantly and lending him a sacred and peaceful air. He was a man of the present age, and his cultivation had already reached the Half-Saint realm. Though he fell far short of the Divine Silkworm Princess, with Mount Sumeru behind him, no one could act outrageously here.
For hundreds of thousands of years, all the Power of Faith from the vast Western Desert had gathered within Mount Sumeru. And it was far from limited to the Big Dipper's Western Desert: most of the Power of Faith from Buddhist Sect inheritances on other Ancient Life Stars also flowed toward Mount Sumeru. This mountain was supremely sacred in the hearts of Buddhism's followers!
Boom!
The Divine Silkworm Princess's blood Qi surged, and radiance flowed over her slender, graceful jade body. Even Saints trembled before her. Hers was a presence that could not be resisted.
The Divine Silkworm Robe she wore also emanated a terrifying Great Emperor's presence, furiously assailing the immortal barrier forged from endless Power of Faith within Mount Sumeru.
Clang...
The bell of the Great Thunderclap Temple rang out long and clear, washing away troubles and setting worries aside, as if one would willingly enter Mount Sumeru and step into this Buddhist realm on earth. The light of the entire mountain suddenly blazed many times brighter. Like a mythical pure land, it was nearly suffocating.
At the summit, Buddha light shone everywhere, illuminating all ten directions and lighting up the entire vast Western Desert.
The Divine Silkworm Princess rose into the air, flying ever higher until she was level with the summit. She looked ahead. In front of the Great Thunderclap Temple stood a withered tree, its branches spreading like coiling dragons, exceedingly mysterious.
The old monk also slowly flew to the summit of Mount Sumeru. Entirely composed, he stood beneath the bodhi tree and sighed to the Divine Silkworm Princess, "All living beings possess the wisdom and virtuous attributes of the Tathagata, but their attachments prevent them from attaining true fruition! Benefactor, desire has caused you to lose your true self. There is still room for you to turn back! You bear an emperor weapon and attack our Buddhist Sect's holy land. Does this mean the Divine Silkworm Clan is declaring war on the Buddhist Sect?"
The old monk, who had become a Half-Saint in the Dharma-Ending Age, had drawn upon a hundred schools and was well versed in ancient texts. He recognized the God Emperor Robe on the Divine Silkworm Princess at a glance. After all, among the supreme beings of past and present, very few had used an Emperor Weapon as protective equipment.
"He doesn't want to see me? If so, why did he agree to the betrothal back then..." The Divine Silkworm Princess was somewhat despondent and stopped activating the Emperor Weapon. After all, she had to consider the Divine Silkworm Clan, and what could force accomplish? She could disregard the extreme-path holy lands of the Eastern Wasteland because she knew full well that, unless they brought out their foundations, no one could stop her.
Mount Sumeru was different. The vast and profound thought power of faith within the mountain drew notice; even with an emperor weapon in hand, it would be difficult to attack.
[Great Ancient Buddha Mohe was a character in the original work. The Victorious Fighting Buddha suppressed him upon taking control of Mount Sumeru. After the Victorious Buddha left, he once again took charge of the Purple-Gold Divine Vajra. In the original work, he was in command when Ye Fan and his companions attacked Mount Sumeru.]
Chapter 56: The Conflict at Sumeru
"Whoosh..."
Fierce winds poured like a waterfall. Clad in the Ancient Emperor's robe, the Divine Silkworm Princess stood with her purple hair in disarray and complex thoughts in her mind. Streaks of light formed from Power of Faith circled her, but were blocked by the extreme-path presence and could not approach.
Suddenly, the Great Thunderclap Temple ahead shone brilliantly. The Buddhist plaque on the temple also released wisps of emperor Qi. Buddhist voices rang out, and the clouds filling the sky erupted with astonishingly brilliant golden light.
With a rumble, the Power of Faith on Mount Sumeru surged, and an illusory Mount Sumeru appeared above the Divine Silkworm Princess. Formed entirely of thought power, it was incomparably crystalline and translucent. Its terrifying presence seemed ready to suppress the world and crush space itself.
Swoosh!
The divine mountain towered into the clouds as it descended to suppress her, faster than any speed. Majestic and terrifying, it seemed ready to smash the nine heavens and suppress the mortal realm.
Even the Divine Silkworm Princess's expression changed slightly. It clearly contained an extreme-path might, with wisps of emperor Qi flowing down, shaking the soul. This was the presence Amitabha Buddha had left behind in the past, capable of contending with extreme-path might!
Moreover, the mountain descended too swiftly. So immense, it pressed directly down, shattering heaven and earth, nearly impossible to evade.
Clang!
As Mount Sumeru descended to suppress her, the Divine Silkworm Princess moved. Ten thousand zhang of light burst from her body in an instant, and the Divine Silkworm Robe erupted with a world-shocking extreme-path edge.
The Ancient Emperor Weapon breathed out endless light. Starry rivers cascaded down, becoming a violently surging ocean of divine power. The Ancient Emperor Weapon moved slightly, firing a beam of extreme-path divine light that drove Mount Sumeru back into the air.
At the same time, a giant hand appeared on Mount Sumeru. It covered heaven and earth, as if a peak of Mount Sumeru had flown out, directly overshadowing the clouds and sky and blotting out the sun. Dark and immense, it shattered the firmament, overwhelmingly invincible!
Clang!
The God Emperor Robe trembled gently. Nine-colored immortal light surged like waves of the sea, one layer after another, striking straight at the great hand high above. The Divine Silkworm Princess flew into the sky and moved her jade hand lightly. In an instant, brilliant Immortal Radiance filled the sky, splashing in every direction.
The extreme-path power of the God Emperor Robe poured out like a tide, becoming a world-shocking beam of divine light that shattered the sky-covering hand in a single blow. The collision shook Mount Sumeru, and the surrounding nameless mountain ranges were broken by the aftershocks. Between the two, it was as if a vast sea surged; their terrifying collision reached everywhere, boundless in its grandeur.
"Enough! Let her leave!" The old monk standing beneath the bodhi tree changed color slightly, his wrinkled face creasing into a frown. He unleashed the Buddhist Sect's Lion's Roar, his clear cry pouring forth like a thunderbolt and carrying for a thousand li, shaking hearts with its inconceivable power.
A cold snort came from the Great Thunderclap Temple. Buddha light surged across Mount Sumeru, and the thought power of the heavens rushed upward, surging along his arm and covering the great hand.
A young monk in a red robe walked out of the Great Thunderclap Temple. He wore a golden-topped Vairocana crown, and his golden kasaya was extraordinary, set with crystalline precious pearls. His red-gold flesh was perfect and flawless, and he made no effort to restrain the fierce holy-path pressure emanating from him. He had clearly already stepped into the domain of the holy path.
He seemed to have donned an emperor's robe forged from the Power of Faith as he faced the Divine Silkworm Princess from afar. His expression did not change before the Emperor Weapon of the primordial God Emperor. Complex, wondrous runes filled his eyes; this was an unparalleled, immense terror.
The next moment, the red-robed monk stepped forward, actually leaving Mount Sumeru to confront the Divine Silkworm Princess in the sky. Yet the Power of Faith flowed without end, rolling like the sea, vast as the ocean, sweeping up behind him and engulfing him.
He was a venerable one, ranked in the Saint realm. He paid no attention to the old monk beneath the bodhi tree, casting a cold glance at the Divine Silkworm Princess. The divine robe of thought power protected him, allowing him to move freely beneath the pressure of the Ancient Emperor Weapon.
"You damaged our Buddhist Sect's Eight Merit Pool. Even if the Victorious Fighting Buddha shows mercy and lets you leave, you must still pay a price. Otherwise, did you think you could enter and leave Mount Sumeru as you pleased?" As his words fell, the red-robed monk cast a spell and pressed his palms together, refining boundless thought power into his body. This holy power of Sumeru emitted wisps of emperor Qi and merged with him, instantly shocking the world, bearing down on the sun and moon, and shaking the nine heavens. The golden crown on his head shone brilliantly, and an image of a Buddha attaining the Dao flowed across it, as if coming back to life.
His gaze was fearsome. His palm, like red copper, condensed together with the Power of Faith as he arrogantly reached for the Divine Silkworm Princess, paying no heed to the deterrent might of the Ancient Emperor's robe.