Bodhisattvas, True Lords!
When the True Lord descended, all was silent.
Those figures standing atop the dark clouds, each possessing inner power and profound wisdom, needed no words or actions; their mere gazes were enough to suppress and solidify the once domineering and supreme golden light of the World-Honored One Honored One atop Spirit Mountain.
The air was as viscous as liquid gold, and the flow of time was unpredictable and erratic.
Even the eternally echoing chants and the resonant sounds of the Principle seemed to be isolated by an invisible barrier, becoming distant and blurred.
Qi Yun lowered his head, but Zi Guang's gaze remained fixed on the pure golden ground beneath his feet, reflecting the confrontation above.
Really!
The establishment of the Buddhist kingdom on earth, the convening of the World-Honored One's Chan Assembly, and even the public "display" of the Heart Sutra —all of these are indeed the work of a higher level being!
Its purpose is precisely for this moment—the instant when the World-Honored One's image manifests through the scriptures and the power of sentient beings' vows!
The monk sought to use this opportunity to lay the foundation for the Buddhist kingdom and to communicate with and "awaken" the World-Honored One's will.
Meanwhile, the True Lord of the Heavens, like the most patient hunters, had been lying in wait, ready to unleash their fangs at this crucial moment!
In this standoff where heaven and earth seemed to freeze and the atmosphere was suppressed to the extreme.
The six silent Bodhisattvas below finally made a move.
They slowly raised their heads, their gazes, devoid of sorrow or joy, seemingly capable of encompassing everything yet indifferent to everything, pierced through the barrier of their own World-Honored One's golden light, calmly "looking" at the figures of True Lord atop the clouds.
Six Bodhisattva-like figures, equally vast yet completely different from the Daoist aura of the True Lord, slowly awakened like a mountain range that had been sleeping for millennia.
Although it has not yet erupted, it has already caused subtle cracks and adaptations in the surrounding space.
The Dragon Elephant Prajna Bodhisattva, shrouded in a seven-colored, ever-changing Buddha light, took a gentle step forward.
He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and a peaceful, deep voice, seemingly capable of supporting the heavens and suppressing all demons, resounded clearly throughout the world like the ancient Buddha's pronouncement from immeasurable eons ago. "Namo World-Honored One."
"Fellow Heavenly Dao, you have traveled a long way to gather outside my Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm— "
The Dragon Elephant Prajna Bodhisattva paused slightly. Within the seven-colored Buddha light, his eyes, which encompassed all laws and manifested all heavens, seemed to reflect the outlines of all the True Lord on the cloud peak. His voice remained calm. "Have you come to hear the World-Honored One's supreme Dharma and to comprehend the true meaning of the Buddha's compassion?"
Hehehe----
A soft, ambiguous laugh came from the clouds. It wasn't loud, but it strangely neutralized the grand rhythm of the Bodhisattva's words, which were meant to "support the heavens and suppress demons."
The speaker was a figure standing at the edge of the cloud tide. He possessed no dazzling aura, only countless tiny specks of dust...
Yet it seemed to contain the profound principles of heaven and earth in seal script, flowing, dying, and recombining slowly around him like a living thing.
These seal characters vary in color and have an extremely complex structure. They are interconnected and vaguely form miniature yet complete talismanic phantoms, as if they are deducing some kind of general principle of talismanic arts that encompasses all laws.
It is none other than the Changming True Lord Fuyan of Nine Kings Mountain!
"The Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva is right." True Lord Fuyan's voice was steady and precise, as if every word had been meticulously calculated.
"The World-Honored One One's wondrous Dharma is unparalleled throughout history, containing the key to transcendence. Not to mention us, even the Xuanhuang, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers, if they possessed sentience, would probably want to hear it."
It's him!
The moment Qi Yun heard the voice and sensed the unique aura of the talisman, his mind felt as if it had been struck by lightning!
Back when he stole the sect's secret technique, the [Three Rivers Bitter Cold Divine King Talisman], this True Lord sensed it from afar!
If it weren't for the [Law Technique Panel] miraculously activating at the last moment, he would probably have been captured by this True Lord from afar, his fate uncertain!
"That is, to listen to the Dharma with sincerity," said the other of the six Bodhisattvas, the Prison-Subduing Vajra Bodhisattva, who was wearing a dark black kasaya, had an ancient and simple face, and whose aura was as deep and heavy as an ancient mountain.
Why not descend from the clouds, come to the Pure Land of Buddha, and listen attentively before the World-Honored One?
"Suspended in the heavens, how can that be the way to listen to scriptures and worship Buddha?"
"Although the Buddha's light shines brightly on Spirit Mountain, the waters of this sacred realm are far deeper than they appear."
Another True Lord from the cloud peak spoke up, his voice elusive, as if coming from all directions.
The figure was shrouded in a hazy starlight mist, and one could vaguely see that he was standing on the illusory shadows of the stars in the sky. He was a rogue cultivator, a True Monarch, whose title was Floating World Star Evolution.
He chuckled softly, his tone tinged with amusement and detachment. "We can simply observe from afar, lest we—get our shoes and socks wet."
"This place offers a wide view, very good, very good. No need for you bodhisattvas to worry about it."
"The sacred Buddhist land has its own laws." Among the six Bodhisattvas, the Wrathful Wisdom King Bodhisattva, whose aura was the most intense and domineering, whose body was entwined with demon-subduing flames and whose brow had a vertical eye, suddenly stepped forward, his voice like a thunderclap, carrying undisguised power and sharpness.
"Now that you have entered the territory of my Spirit Mountain, you should follow the Buddhist rites!"
If you have no interest in listening to the sermon, please leave now!
Do not disturb the World-Honored One's Dharma assembly, nor defile this pure Buddha land!
"Oh."
A chilling laugh, extremely soft yet crystal clear, seemingly capable of piercing through all illusions and barriers, suddenly rang out!
This cold laugh was accompanied by a Sword Intent as brilliant as the rising Great Sun and as chilling as ancient ice, which descended together!
Somewhere high in the clouds, a figure suddenly became clear!
The "Tao" it represents is like a peerless divine sword drawn from its sheath; wherever its sharpness reaches, all laws must retreat and all fog must dissipate!
This man was dressed in a simple blue robe and carried no sword, yet he himself was a sword!
A sword that severs cause and effect, cleaves through chaos, and seeks the truth from the heavens!
His face was ordinary, except for his eyes, which were as clear as a newborn baby's, yet as deep as if they contained all the essence of Sword Dao throughout history.
It is none other than the Qingyuan True Lord Wendao Sword Pavilion!
His gaze calmly "looked" down at the Wrathful Wisdom King Bodhisattva and the vast Buddhist light enveloping Spirit Mountain. His voice wasn't loud, but each word was like a sword slicing through glass, carrying an unwavering indifference and an air of absolute certainty. "A joke."
"This place is the Central Land, the land recorded by Xuanhuang."
We can come and go as we please.
"You all----"
He paused slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the raging flames of the Wrathful Wisdom King, looking directly at its core, his voice suddenly becoming incomparably sharp. "Does anyone not think that spreading some Buddhist light, building a few temples, and bewitching some fools—"
"So this place is truly yours now?"
The sword's sound echoed, the sound of the Great Dao!
The invisible Sword Qi spread with the words, causing the dense, almost tangible golden light of the World-Honored One below to fluctuate slightly, as if being cut and tested by countless invisible blades!
"Amitabha----"
The six Bodhisattvas, along with the Wrathful Wisdom King who had just been provoked by the words of the True Lord Wendao, all chanted a long Buddhist chant in unison.
Amidst the chanting of Buddhist prayers, there was no longer a trace of peace and compassion, only a heavy and resolute feeling of impending storm!
"If that's the case—"
The Dragon Elephant Prajna Bodhisattva slowly separated his hands, forming a complex and profound Prajna Vajra Seal in front of him, seemingly capable of mobilizing the power of all the heavens.
"Then I'll wait—"
The Prison-Subduing Vajra Bodhisattva's body surged with dark Buddhist light, and beneath his feet appeared a boundless, dark phantom land with chains strung across the sky, suppressing countless demonic shadows— the Prison-Subduing Buddha Land!
"I had no choice but to----"
Seven-colored Buddha light, wrathful flames, pure vow light, and wisdom radiance—the other four Bodhisattvas also simultaneously unleashed their most fundamental Bodhisattva Dao Fruit fruition's aura!
"How rude!!!"
The six sharp shouts merged into one, transforming into a torrent of Principle that shook the universe, soaring into the sky!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The world suddenly changed color!
Centered around the six Bodhisattvas, a series of magnificent and boundless phenomena, each containing the fundamental Dao of the Bodhisattvas, suddenly appeared in the sky above Spirit Mountain, clashing fiercely with the Daoist aura of the True Lord of the Cloud Peak!
Behind the Dragon Elephant Prajna Bodhisattva, a towering, earth-shattering, ancient dragon-elephant phantom appeared, its trunk stirring up the Milky Way, its four feet shattering the netherworld, its body flowing with seven-colored Buddhist light interwoven with power and wisdom, its head raised and its long neigh, the sound waves transforming into tangible Vajra waves that spread towards the clouds!
The dark earth beneath the feet of the Prison-Subduing Vajra Bodhisattva expanded instantly, and countless thick, jet-black chains, as thick as mountains, emerged from the depths of the earth. The chains were inscribed with Buddhist mantras that suppressed all demons, like billions of heavenly dragons, entwining and sealing off the space and spiritual energy leading to the clouds!
The Wrathful Wisdom King Bodhisattva manifests as a three-headed, six-armed Wrathful Wisdom King body is engulfed in world-destroying blue flames. Each of his six arms holds a vajra, a demon-subduing sword, and a flame wheel, among Law Artifact. With each swing, the raging flames that burn mountains and boil seas mix with the fierce winds that shatter the void, forming a destructive domain that rolls upwards!
The other three Bodhisattvas either manifested the Pure Land of Infinite Light, showering down the compassionate light that liberates all beings; or unfolded the ocean of Prajna wisdom, unleashing a storm of thought that dismantles all dharmas; or condensed an immortal golden body, radiating an unyielding and steadfast spiritual aura that endures through countless eons.
The six great Dao Fruit unleashed their full power, forcibly creating a temporary, independent realm above Spirit Mountain, governed by Buddhist Principle!
However, that's not all!
Just as the six Bodhisattvas unleashed their full power, a thunderous boom erupted—
Deep within the Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm, amidst the pagoda forest, ten equally majestic and vast auras, originating from the same source as the Bodhisattva yet each possessing their own unique characteristics, rose up with a thunderous roar, as if awakened from a slumbering dragon!
Ten dazzling pillars of Buddha's light broke through the barriers of the mountains and buildings, shooting straight into the sky!
The illusory figures of ten Bodhisattvas appeared and disappeared within the pillar of light!
Some held lotus flowers, their brows lowered; some stood on auspicious clouds, their countenances solemn and dignified; some were shrouded in mist, their aura eerie; others exuded a similar aura of strength, wisdom, and compassion as the previous six Bodhisattvas.
Sixteen Bodhisattvas!
Within the Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm, there are actually sixteen top-tier Buddhist cultivators, each equivalent to True Lord!
This is the true foundation and confidence of overseas Buddhist practitioners who have traveled eastward for thirty years!
The ten newly emerged auras did not immediately join the battle, but quickly connected and resonated with the auras of the previous six Bodhisattvas, together forming the prototype of a more massive and complex supreme Buddhist formation based on the entire Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm!
The True Lord atop the clouds are subtly surrounded and locked in!
Between heaven and earth, the Buddha's light and the Daoist aura of various True Lord collided, annihilated, and were reborn in a fierce battle!
The space is like shattered glass, presenting a bizarre and distorted scene!
Time flows erratically, and the threads of cause and effect appear and disappear!
The Principle mourned, and the Great Dao trembled!
A chaotic battle, worthy of being recorded in the annals of history, is about to erupt atop Spirit Mountain Xuanhuang, where the World-Honored One has manifested and the Zen assembly has begun!
Below, the Arhat, including Qi Yun and the Crown Prince of Southern Yin, were like lone boats in a raging sea, at risk of being crushed into dust by the aftershocks of this battle that transcended all imagination!