Golden Land!

The Golden Land was what Daoists called a Blessed Land and Grotto-Heaven.

According to travel accounts and rumors from the cultivation world, as well as Buddhist scriptures, Golden Lands and Blessed Land and Grotto-Heavens were places where immortals, buddhas, and divine spirits dwelled.

It was said that a Blessed Land and Grotto-Heaven was no different from the mortal world. It too had a sun and moon, air and earth, mountains and water. Spiritual Qi filled the air, and its lands were rich with natural treasures. Thus, it was also called an immortal realm.

After careful deliberation, Wentesi landed abruptly, picked up the Great Sun Earth Buddha Sutra, and mused:

"To that cultivation world, isn't this world itself a Blessed Land and Grotto-Heaven? And if it is, how could it not also be a Golden Land?"

Once the thought surfaced, Wentesi could no longer contain himself. Combining it with what he had just read in the sutra and the various cultivation essays, he became ever more convinced that this was a smooth road to the heavens.

Ordinarily, cultivating this method required an eminent monk of a Golden Land to guide one into it and then guide one in merging with it. Only then could cultivation begin.

Orthodox Golden Lands and Blessed Land and Grotto-Heavens were either born of natural creation or opened up through the means of dharma manifestations and immortals.

But from another perspective, Wentesi's world fully met the requirements for a Golden Land and a Blessed Land and Grotto-Heaven. It had the sun, moon, and stars, mountains and rivers. Its conditions even far exceeded those requirements!

After all, the cultivation world had no Greater Yang now, while this world did!

"Besides, I don't need to refine this entire world. A small piece will do."

Wentesi had always been practical. With his current Law Power, he probably couldn't refine the entire world anyway.

This was an unorthodox approach, hardly a legitimate method, but it suited Wentesi best. It would let him grow stronger without being held in check by a superior cultivator.

Using an unorthodox method meant he wouldn't become entangled in Buddhist karma or have to compromise himself, yet he could still reap tangible benefits. It couldn't have been a better bargain.

"Just what I wanted! The path of the Earth Buddha!"

Wentesi's draconic countenance lit up with delight. He circulated the Hairy Head Sun Law Power within him, skipped the step of being guided by an eminent monk, and followed the guiding Method Formula in the Great Sun Earth Buddha Sutra, pouring his Law Power directly beneath his lair.

Strands of Hairy Head Sun Law Power circulated slowly, flowing into the earth beneath the dragon's lair.

But the moment the Hairy Head Sun Law Power touched the earth, it vanished without a trace, as though the earth itself possessed a repulsive force that dispersed it.

Wentesi was in no hurry. He made a slight adjustment to the Hairy Head Sun Law Power within him and continued.

Once, twice, three times, four times...

As time passed, Wentesi poured more and more of the Hairy Head Sun Law Power within him underground.

The Hairy Head Sun Law Power within him gradually dwindled. When less than a tenth remained, Wentesi stopped.

He sensed an exceedingly faint resonance deep in the earth.

The feeling was like a seed falling into fertile soil and finally putting down roots.

"It worked."

But Wentesi did not stop. Instead, he continued pouring what little Hairy Head Sun Law Power he had left underground until it was exhausted.

His consciousness followed that faint resonance. Just then, the earth beneath Wentesi's claws trembled slightly, and a small crack opened.

The movement was so slight it was hard to notice. A strand of golden light emerged from the crack, gradually dyeing the patch of ground beneath Wentesi's claws gold.

The golden light was restrained and dense, barely illuminating the small patch beneath Wentesi's claws.

"Is this a Golden Land?"

Wentesi looked at the patch of vivid golden earth, uncertain.

"Let's try it first."

Following the subsequent instructions in the Great Sun Earth Buddha Sutra, he tried to guide himself into the Golden Land as a master would.

It worked. A mysterious force connected with his consciousness, and he could sense that a Golden Land truly existed beneath the earth.

In other words, he had successfully refined a part of this world into his own Golden Land.

Wentesi's delight showed plainly on his dragon face. After rejoicing for a while, he opened the Great Sun Earth Buddha Sutra again and continued reading.

Following the cultivation method, he steadied himself and carefully experienced the wondrous uses of the Earth Buddha's power.

When the Golden Land bound itself to him, Wentesi automatically gained two Buddhist Divine Abilities that only a master of a Golden Land should possess.

The first was [Gold Endures, Body Never Dies].

As long as the Golden Land Wentesi had refined was not destroyed, he would never truly die.

Even if both his body and soul were destroyed, so long as the Golden Land remained, its master could slowly form a new soul and body within it, gaining a new life and being reborn through nirvana.

This ability also depended on the size of the Golden Land and the strength of its master's soul and body. The larger the Golden Land, the faster the soul and body would recover.

Conversely, the stronger the Golden Land's master's soul and body were, the slower their recovery would be if the Golden Land remained the same size.

"Unfortunately, my Golden Land is too small. Even if I died, I'm afraid it would take tens of thousands, or even over a hundred thousand years, to barely restore my soul and body."

Wentesi sensed the size of his Golden Land and determined that this Divine Ability wasn't of much use for the time being.

At least it preserved a hope of resurrection.

Of course, if Wentesi expanded his Golden Land greatly in the future, this Divine Ability would become extremely useful.

After all, who wouldn't want a body that would never die? One with unlimited room for error.

Thinking of it that way, Wentesi was still very happy. At least this Divine Ability had a promising future.

The second was [Teach the Method, Plant Fields of Merit].

This Divine Ability was rather frightening. Wentesi could teach his modified cultivation method to other living beings and guide them into the Golden Land, turning them into his private Field of Merit.

Field of Merit was an elegant name for those who were taught the method.

If Wentesi were to name them, they would be personal slaves.

No, worse off than slaves!

The living beings guided in did not have the status of a Golden Land's master, but that of tenants. They were subject to the Golden Land's master's constraints and had to pay [rent] at regular intervals.

The deeper a Field of Merit cultivated the method, the more merit they paid as [rent], and the closer their connection to the Golden Land became.

By the time their cultivation reached its end, a Field of Merit's every word and deed, every fluctuation of thought, would be hard-pressed to escape the Golden Land's master's control. Both soul and body would be in his grasp, and they would become a puppet.

But when a Field of Merit cultivated to the end, the Golden Land's master could choose to grant them a boon: the ability [Gold Endures, Body Never Dies].

Of course, that also depended on whether the Golden Land's master was willing to expend the Golden Land's essence to bestow the blessing on the tenant and reforge their body.

"It's just that my cultivation is still shallow. I'm only at the First Level of Embryonic Breathing, so the returns from teaching the method at the start will be minuscule."

"And I can't force it on anyone who doesn't want to accept it. They have to be willing with all their heart and soul.

"Of course, it seems I could also beat someone who doesn't want to accept it into a cripple, then forcibly instill it while they're unconscious."

Wentesi thought of the cultivation method's current drawbacks, then turned his thoughts to a solution.

Wentesi closed his eyes and savored the abilities these two cultivation methods had brought him. The corners of his mouth rose higher and higher, until he nearly laughed aloud.

"This Earth Buddha method really is profound. What a marvelous method!

"It fits perfectly with my plan to stockpile grain and build high walls. After cultivating for hundreds or thousands of years, I'm sure to achieve great success!"

In theory, as long as this Earth Buddha method had enough tenants, the rent they paid would grow ever more abundant over time.

The Golden Land's master wouldn't need to cultivate at all, yet his cultivation would keep rising.

To put it bluntly, he could grow stronger while lying down.

Wentesi felt that the cultivation world wasn't quite the cesspit he had imagined. It was pretty good for the upper classes, after all.

And the Buddhist order was even more noble and magnificent. It was simply a holy land of boundless merit and great mercy and compassion, one that saved all living beings. Amitabha!

Just as Wentesi was lost in dreams of becoming a buddha and founding a lineage, a voice came from outside the dragon's lair.

"Master, the gnoll chief Walker requests an audience. He says he has something important to report."

It was Kru reporting respectfully.

Wentesi immediately came to his senses. He gave a heavy draconic cough and asked in a deep voice:

"Walker? What's he here for?"

Kru, still outside the dragon's lair, answered respectfully at once, though his tone was somewhat hesitant:

"Master, Walker says he wants you to bestow... the Dragon Blood Blessing upon him and turn him into a dragon-blooded gnoll."

Wentesi froze for a moment, then laughed.

He was so angry he laughed.

Wentesi sneered.

"Why should I give Walker the Dragon Blood Blessing?"

Sensing the sarcasm and displeasure in Wentesi's tone, Kru spoke cautiously:

"Walker said... you're already five years old, Master, and are about to enter your sleeping period.

"And there's a powerful level-six Beast-Transformed Leopard out there now. Once you enter your sleeping period, the territory will be very..."

Before Kru could finish, Wentesi cut him off:

"Very good, very good! Tell him to get here at once! I'll give him his blessing!!"

Wentesi placed unmistakable emphasis on the final word, "blessing," his voice brimming with killing intent.

Kru hurried off to carry out the order.

Wentesi looked at the Great Sun Earth Buddha Sutra beside him, his gaze dark in the extreme. He said coldly:

"Since you're courting death, don't blame me."