Rumble—!
Above the polluted ley lines of the Western Land, gray, dim tribulation clouds stretching for thousands of miles loomed like the gaping maw of an ancient demon god, brewing the dead stillness and destruction to end all things!
Bolts of Nirvana Demonic Tribulation thunder, as thick as mountains, an eerie grayish white and entwined with viscous black strands,
carried a chill that froze souls and a violence that tore apart all things as they ripped through the sky and struck down viciously!
Their target was the Slaughter Buddha Seal embryo buried deep within the ley line's core, its accumulated power at its limit as it trembled violently!
"They're here!"
Ming Xin's consciousness condensed as never before, like cold iron tempered for countless ages.
Facing this terrifying heavenly might, enough to scatter even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal's soul, he did not shrink back in the slightest. Instead, soaring battle intent erupted from him!
"How could the path of Form Transformation allow heavenly tribulation to stop me?! Break for me!"
Buzz—!
The Slaughter Buddha Seal's true body suddenly erupted with unprecedented dark gold radiance!
The ancient seal embryo instantly swelled to a hundred zhang. Across its neither-metal-nor-jade body, the gray-white membrane of Nirvana light circulated to its utmost limit!
The indistinct seated figure atop the seal abruptly became clear. Though its features remained hazy, it bore a resolute will to face tribulation head-on and sever destiny!
"First tribulation! Break!"
Boom—!
The first—and thickest—gray-black tribulation bolt crashed into the Slaughter Buddha Seal's true body like a world-destroying demonic dragon!
An unimaginable force and destructive energy erupted at once!
Terrifying power capable of annihilating stars poured down madly! Gray-white Nirvana Power froze space and time, while black demonic baleful energy corroded the origin!
The Slaughter Buddha Seal shook violently. The gray-white light membrane over its surface flickered wildly as countless fine cracks spread in an instant! The Killing Origin at its core gave an enraged hum!
Yet it was, after all, the true body of a top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure! Driven with all of Ming Xin's will, the seal body forcibly withstood that catastrophic blow!
Nirvana Buddha Light and the Killing Origin joined forces, forcibly absorbing, breaking down, and converting that terrifying tribulation thunder energy into vast momentum that propelled its transformation!
"Not enough! Again!" Ming Xin roared through the agony, actively driving his true body toward the even more violent tribulation thunder that followed!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Successive, even thicker tribulation bolts containing demonic baleful dead stillness crashed down! The Slaughter Buddha Seal rose and fell within the sea of lightning.
Like a reef amid a raging storm, each impact dimmed the seal body's radiance and widened its cracks.
Yet under the frenzied tempering of the tribulation thunder, its unyielding will and the resilience intrinsic to a top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure grew ever purer and more condensed!
The seal body began to melt and deform within the lightning. At its core, a blurry humanoid outline frantically condensed!
When the ninth tribulation bolt descended with heaven-shattering, earth-destroying force, the hundred-zhang seal suddenly collapsed inward!
"Now! Great Killing Hand Seal—!"
A clear cry, cold as ice that had endured ten thousand years, pierced the deafening thunder!
From the collapsing core, a slender, well-defined hand radiating endless killing and termination intent thrust forth boldly!
The instant this hand appeared, it stirred the laws of heaven and earth. In its palm, an enormous blood-red hand seal condensed from pure Killing Law appeared out of nowhere, its edges burning with dark-red Karmic Fire!
The moment the hand seal emerged, heaven and earth changed color! Even the terrifying tribulation clouds froze for an instant! Pure killing intent—the will to sever Cause and Effect and end Reincarnation—condensed within that strike!
"Break!"
The blood-red Great Killing Hand Seal swept upward against the current, carrying the tyrannical will to shatter stars and extinguish all living things as it slammed into the ninth world-destroying tribulation bolt!
Bang—!!!!
An indescribable explosion erupted! There was no collision of energies, only absolute, crushing annihilation!
Before the Great Killing Hand Seal, the terrifying tribulation bolt containing both Nirvana and demonic baleful power was as fragile as glass, shattering inch by inch into gray-black motes of light that vanished across the sky!
The blood-red palm seal did not slow, instead driving its remaining force fiercely into the heavy tribulation clouds!
Rumble!
The tribulation clouds were forcibly blasted through with a massive hole! Countless gray-white bolts and black lightning serpents wailed and scattered apart at the edges of the hand seal!
"Second divine ability! Buddha-Demon Dharma Form—condense!"
Seizing the instant when the tribulation clouds were pierced, the humanoid figure at the core fully solidified! A handsome but eternally cold young man in plain gray linen robes stood tall.
He stood proudly amid shattered space! His eyes opened and closed; Nirvana Buddha Flame burned in his left eye, while a Demon Abyss vortex turned in his right!
At his low shout, an unimaginably enormous phantom suddenly appeared behind him!
Ten thousand zhang tall! Reaching heaven and earth!
The left half of the Dharma Form was a solemn golden Buddha body, draped in a glazed kasaya, its face compassionate.
Pure gray-white Buddha light of Nirvana flowed around it. Faint Buddhist chants resounded, carrying the liberating intent of transcending life and death!
Yet the right half was a monstrous demon roaring savagely! Curved horns rose from its head, black demonic scales covered its body, crimson Karmic Fire wound around it, and destructive thunderbolts circled it.
Its demonic eyes brimmed with chaos, savagery, and the desire to destroy everything!
Buddha and demon! Holiness and bloodshed! Nirvana and destruction! Two utterly opposed powers fused perfectly—yet with contradictory tension—within the same Dharma Form!
This was Ming Xin's innate divine ability, awakened with the Slaughter Buddha Seal as its origin and fused with his Buddha-demon unity—Buddha-Demon Dharma Form!
"Suppress!"
Ming Xin raised two fingers like a sword and pointed at the sky!
The ten-thousand-zhang Buddha-Demon Dharma Form behind him moved abruptly! Its Buddha half held a flower in hand, while its demon half clenched a fist!
Even more astonishingly, the void around the Dharma Form trembled as exactly one hundred and eight phantoms of magical artifacts, each with a different form and mighty aura, manifested simultaneously!
On the left were fifty-four Buddhist treasures—vajras, demon-subduing rings, Nirvana Lotus Platforms, and more—streaming with golden light. On the right were fifty-four demonic artifacts—demonic blades, bone banners, ten-thousand-soul locks, and more—overflowing with Demonic Energy!
The one hundred and eight artifact phantoms transformed along with the Buddha-Demon Dharma Form's movements into one hundred and eight streaks of light that tore through the heavens.
Bearing the tyrannical will of Buddha light saving all beings and demonic might destroying the world, they slammed fiercely into the tribulation clouds' reforming core!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
It was as though heavenly drums were being pounded madly! The entire demonic land of the West trembled!
The tribulation clouds were blasted full of holes by those incomparably tyrannical attacks. They churned violently as countless lightning bolts were forcibly scattered before they could even take shape!
Rampaging Energy Turbulence swept in every direction, ripping more bottomless ravines into the already ruined Western Land!
"Final strike! Nirvana Killing Seal!"
Ming Xin's gaze was cold as frost. His hands formed an incomparably profound seal before his chest—neither Buddhist nor demonic, yet containing the pure True Meaning of Slaughter that could sever all things and end all creation!
The ten-thousand-zhang Buddha-Demon Dharma Form behind him moved in unison. Its enormous Buddha-demon hands came together as endless Nirvana Buddha Light and violent Demonic Energy frantically converged under the command of the Killing Law!
They ultimately transformed into a gigantic talismanic seal that covered the sky and blocked out the sun, half gray-white and burning with Buddha Flame, half black and entwined with demonic lightning!
At the center of the seal stood an ancient character for "slaughter," exuding a terrifying aura that froze heaven and earth!
"Sever!"
The immense Nirvana Killing Seal descended like the execution blade of the Heavenly Dao, bearing the resolute will to end this tribulation and cut through every obstruction!
Riiip—!!!
Like a hot knife slicing through butter! The heavy tribulation clouds spanning thousands of miles were forcibly cleaved down the middle by that ultimate seal!
Gray-white Nirvana Power and black destructive demonic lightning frantically eroded and annihilated the tribulation clouds' origin!
Rumble rumble rumble...
After a low, unwilling roll of thunder, those terrifying Nirvana Demonic Tribulation clouds rapidly dispersed and collapsed within the energy storm woven from gray-white and black, like a burst bubble!
The suffocatingly terrifying heavenly might receded like the tide.
Sunlight—though it was the dim, murky sunlight of the West's barren lands—shone clearly upon this land, freshly baptized by destruction, for the first time.
It also shone upon the figure standing proudly in the air, whose aura was gradually stabilizing.
Ming Xin had successfully completed his Form Transformation!
He wore simple gray linen robes, with jet-black hair and a handsome yet cold face. Nirvana Buddha Flame lay hidden within his left eye, a Demon Abyss vortex lurked in his right, and a gray-black vertical mark flickered faintly between his brows.
A powerful, condensed wave of Magic Power carrying cold killing intent and the contradictory aura of Buddha-demon unity spread from his body like a tide. His cultivation had astonishingly reached the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal Middle Stage of the immortal path!
Having transformed from a top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, his foundation was exceptionally profound and his Magic Power incomparably pure, far surpassing ordinary innate lifeforms. His innate endowment was among the very best!
He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, which itself carried a trace of gray-white Nirvana chill.
Feeling the surging power within him, wholly his own, an unprecedented sense of control rose in his heart. He was finally no longer an embryo buried underground, at the mercy of others!
Just as his mind relaxed slightly and he savored the mysteries of his transformation—
"Amitabha!"
"Excellent!"
Two Buddhist invocations containing boundless compassion, wisdom, and the true meaning of Nirvana liberation rang without warning beside Ming Xin's ears, like spring wind and rain, yet also like the evening drum and morning bell.
In an instant, they calmed the chaotic energy fluctuations left behind by the heavenly tribulation.
Space rippled gently, and two figures appeared from nowhere, as if they had always been there.
To the left stood a gaunt man whose face held endless sorrow, as though he bore all the barrenness and suffering of the Western Land. Clad in simple gray monastic robes and holding a string of beads neither metal nor wood, he was Daoist Jieyin.
When his eyes, bearing the vicissitudes of countless ages, fell upon Ming Xin—especially after sensing his incomparably pure origin of Nirvana Buddha nature and his formidable foundation at the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal Middle Stage—
they immediately erupted with uncontrollable, blazing light, as though he had discovered an invaluable treasure!
To the right stood a lean-faced man with a calm, compassionate expression. Wisdom light flowed around him, and he held a whisk in his hand. His aura was harmonious and at ease. He was Daoist Zhunti.
His gaze swept over Ming Xin's unique Buddha-demon unity aura and the Killing Law still not fully settled around him. A sharp gleam flashed deep within his eyes, while the compassion on his face deepened with an understanding that said, "Just as expected."
Daoist Jieyin's dry lips moved. His voice was gentle, yet it carried a strange power that soothed the heart, instantly dispersing the last trace of baleful energy Ming Xin retained after crossing tribulation:
"Young friend, what an extraordinary foundation! A top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure completing Form Transformation is rare throughout all ages. This is a tremendous blessing!
"More importantly, you transformed in our West. This is the will of heaven, and you share a destined affinity with the West!"
Daoist Zhunti nodded with a smile. As his whisk swayed lightly, wisdom light enveloped Ming Xin. His tone became even warmer and more natural, as if he were merely stating an obvious fact:
"Indeed! Young friend, you possess supreme Buddha nature. Though you are touched by demonic baleful energy, it only shows that your Dao heart is all the more steadfast.
"You must know that our West is barren and steeped in demonic miasma. It is precisely in need of people such as you, who bear great Cause and Effect, great perseverance, and great divine abilities, to cleanse the demonic miasma and build paradise together! A little Demonic Energy?
"Heh. In the West, isn't carrying a bit of Demonic Energy the finest nourishment for tempering one's Dao heart and seeing one's true nature? It is perfectly normal!"
The two took turns speaking, their tones mild and attitudes warm. They bore none of the airs of Great Luo peak experts; rather, they were full of appreciation for a promising junior and a sense of kinship toward a fellow cultivator.
It was as though the Demonic Energy that ordinary cultivators avoided like the plague was merely a little dust upon Ming Xin in their eyes—harmless, even worthy of praise.
Ming Xin's heart tightened. He instantly recognized these two famous Future Sages. Suppressing the instinctive vigilance stirred by their powerful auras, he remained outwardly calm, bowed slightly, and spoke evenly:
"This junior is Ming Xin. Greetings, seniors. Might you be the two Daoists Jieyin and Zhunti of Mount Sumeru in the West?"
Daoist Zhunti smiled warmly, like a spring breeze brushing the face. "We are indeed these Daoist brothers. Young friend, your wisdom root runs deep to recognize us both."
Even Daoist Jieyin's sorrowful face forced out a gentle smile. His eyes shone as he looked at Ming Xin. "Since you know us, you should know that our West thirsts for talent.
"Your foundation, blessings, divine abilities, and methods all secretly accord with the West's purpose of Nirvana liberation, subduing demons, and defending the Dao. This is a heaven-ordained bond between master and disciple!
"Young friend, would you be willing to enter under the tutelage of us two, Jieyin and Zhunti, as our shared Founding Disciple? We will impart everything we know and help you attain supreme Bodhi!"
Founding Disciple! The only one! The shared first disciple of two Sages!
The weight of that offer was immense!
Thoughts raced through Ming Xin's mind.
The Two Sages of the West! The future founders of the Buddhist Sect! In his previous life, he had long heard in novels of their shameless ways and their habit of claiming that everything "had affinity with the West." They were practically the Primordial World's strongest weapons of Cause and Effect.
Yet he also knew that these two had remained unwavering throughout their lives, exhausting all their efforts solely to revitalize the barren West. The bond between the Daoist brothers was deep, and they had never turned against one another.
In contrast, the Three Pure Ones of the East, though Pangu's Orthodox Lineage, had ultimately fractured over disputes about their teachings and had even joined outsiders in plotting against their own brother...
The two before him may have had their calculations, but their resolve to revive the West and their brotherly bond were utterly genuine.
The sincere appreciation and yearning in their eyes at this moment were not false. What would becoming their Founding Disciple mean?
It meant an unsurpassed position in the future Western Teachings! It meant the wholehearted cultivation and protection of two Sages!
It meant gaining the strongest support and the most orthodox lineage of teachings during this dangerous early era of the Primordial World!
As for their reputation for mooching resources, in this Primordial World where strength reigned supreme, being able to obtain resources and strengthen one's own teachings was itself a skill, was it not?
Moreover, the path Ming Xin intended to walk was that of the Nirvana Slaughter Buddha: "Kill to protect life; slay karma, not people." It was never purely Buddhist, nor would he be bound by worldly opinions!
The West was barren and lacked resources. It needed a disciple like him, decisive in slaughter and capable of fighting and competing!
At that thought, Ming Xin no longer hesitated!
He did not drag things out, nor did he put on any false modesty!
Under the eager yet slightly tense gazes of the two Future Sages—after all, a Founding Disciple who had transformed from a top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, possessed cultivation at the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal Middle Stage, and embodied Buddha-demon unity was truly rare beyond measure—
Ming Xin abruptly lifted the hem of his gray linen robe and dropped heavily to both knees upon the Western Land, still scarred with charred marks from the heavenly tribulation!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Nine solid kowtows, struck with such force that the ground itself trembled faintly!
Each kowtow represented a resolute acknowledgment and belonging!
"Your disciple Ming Xin pays respects to First Master! Pays respects to Second Master!" His clear, firm voice rang across the sky that had only just grown calm.
Silence!
Even with the Dao hearts of Sages, Jieyin and Zhunti could not conceal their immense delight!
Looking at this newly accepted first disciple before them, who possessed a supreme foundation, decisive temperament, and such solemn sincerity in taking them as masters,
they felt that the dawn of Prosperity of the West had never shone so vividly before their eyes!
"Good! Good! Good disciple!" Even the sorrow etched across Daoist Jieyin's gaunt face for countless ages seemed to fade by several degrees.
He uttered three successive praises, his voice trembling with a barely perceptible excitement. He hurried forward and personally helped Ming Xin up with a gaunt hand containing boundless strength.
Daoist Zhunti clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his lean face full of joy and gratification. "Hahaha! Heaven blesses the West! Heaven blesses the West!
"Ming Xin, my disciple, rise quickly! From this day onward, you shall be the sole Founding Disciple under Jieyin and Zhunti! The pillar that will uphold the West's future!"
He stepped forward as well and lightly swept his whisk. A gentle, auspicious light of wisdom entered Ming Xin's body, instantly smoothing away the final trace of hidden injury left after his tribulation crossing and leaving behind a mark of primordial spirit protection.
The two Future Sages helped Ming Xin up from either side, their eyes filled with undisguised appreciation and expectation. Upon the barren demonic soil of the West, a new bond between masters and disciple was forged.
And Ming Xin, who bore the Slaughter Buddha Seal and embodied Buddha-demon unity, formally entered the grand currents of the Primordial World, where heaven and earth themselves served as the chessboard.
His future was destined to be closely intertwined with the Two Sages of the West and the Western Teachings that would soon rise.
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