Your Mom's About to Split Open
"After the Dragon of Great Love of the Dragon Kingdom saw an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and an ascetic, he suddenly attained enlightenment..."
"...And so the Dragon of Great Love founded the Great Love Dragon Religion to enlighten all beings and guide them out of the sea of suffering!"
Wentesi borrowed the story of how the founder of Buddhism attained the Dao and cleverly transferred it to a red dragon, deifying the red dragon as the founder of the Great Love Dragon Religion.
"Next, I shall tell you about the supreme method in the world, the Great Love Dragon Scripture."
Wentesi's voice was solemn and resonant, carrying a sense of sanctity.
Wentesi told the story vividly. Though it was outrageously absurd, it was powerfully affecting.
Below him, Walker, whose mind was already simple, had been converted and was filled with devotion. As he listened to the mysterious story, he grew more and more confused and could not help asking:
"Master, is that Dragon of Great Love you?"
Wentesi gave a dragon cough and continued preaching.
"Where is the sacred place he traveled to? Could you tell me? I'd like to see it."
Wentesi gave another dragon cough and continued preaching.
But as though deliberately trying to undermine him, Walker asked a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth question in succession.
Wentesi could bear it no longer. With a thought, he shut Walker's mouth, and the world was finally quiet.
Ever since recovering from his injuries, Walker the gnoll had displayed the wisdom of a great fool who was truly foolish.
Wentesi was able to finish recounting the origin of the Dao lineage. He then solemnly announced that he was a wisp of the Dragon of Great Love's divided soul, and that, realizing there was too little great love in the world, he had come here to purify the people of the world.
He took the opportunity to proclaim the core commandments of the Great Love Dragon Religion, radically altering, reskinning, and reshaping every Buddhist precept so that all the rules ultimately served him.
Those who joined the Great Love Dragon Religion were to harbor great love in their hearts, help their fellow members, encourage one another in cultivation, and remain true to their original hearts.
All merit earned through cultivation, accumulated foundations in Dao methods, and gains from cultivation had to be offered to the Dragon Lord. They were to abide by the Dragon Religion's rules, follow them for life, and obey Wentesi absolutely, without the slightest defiance.
Kru and Walker listened with utmost attention, their expressions solemn and devout, without a shred of doubt in their hearts.
That was the terrifying part of the Field of Merit.
The two had long since been bound to the Golden Land and become tenants, giving them an inherent, unconditional trust in Wentesi. His words were the truth of the Heavenly Dao, utterly free of error.
Walker in particular was already simple-minded, and now he had become blindly obedient. If Wentesi said east, he would not go west; if Wentesi said black, he would not acknowledge white.
Had unconverted Devil Beasts been present, they would certainly have scoffed at this preaching Wentesi had made up and performed himself, finding it ridiculous.
But to the two Fields of Merit, it was the only truth in the world.
During his preaching, Wentesi instructed the two to diligently cultivate the Great Love Dragon Scripture, and not to slack off or waste their time.
He also had them receive instruction in spreading the teachings and convert as many living beings in Wentesi's territory as possible into members of the Great Love Dragon Religion.
The Great Love Dragon Scripture was another name for the Hairy Head Sun Method, a name Wentesi had changed.
When he finished preaching, he raised his dragon wings and flew out of the dragon's lair.
A lurking danger weighed on his mind.
It was the secret the devil Abishai had told him:
In three years, an Abyssal rift would appear in this wilderness.
If it was true, blood would surely flow like rivers through the wilderness, turning it into a killing ground for demons.
And the direction he was flying now led to the Great Tree Sage.
He estimated that the Great Tree Sage was at least High Extraordinary in strength, perhaps even approaching Sanctuary.
That was also why Wentesi treated him respectfully.
The Great Tree Sage was also one of the few sages in the wilderness, often answering other beings' questions.
Wentesi had once consulted the Great Tree Sage about managing his territory and benefited greatly.
If one wanted to find a being in this wilderness who possessed both strength and wisdom, it could only be the Great Tree Sage.
He wanted to find the Great Tree Sage and verify whether this information was true.
If there was supporting information, he would make plans early and flee at once.
As long as the green hills remained, there would be no fear of running out of firewood.
He spread his wings and soared through the sky, the breeze brushing his face.
But as he flew, an irresistible wave of weariness suddenly swept over him. Wentesi felt his dragon hide grow heavy as the instinct to fall asleep gained the upper hand.
Wentesi shook his head, trying to clear it, then realized why he was growing sleepy.
He was about to enter a slumber.
Hatchling dragons aged five to six would undergo their first deep slumber at a set time. During that sleep, they would receive the origin of the dragon race and complete their transformation, advancing from hatchlings to young dragons.
The same was true of every subsequent transition between age stages, from adolescent to adult to prime-aged dragon.
And every period of slumber was also crucial to a true dragon's leap in strength.
Two periods of slumber could allow a dragon to advance ten life levels, showing just how valuable they were.
Wentesi quickly sensed the changes in his body, calculating and weighing them in his mind.
The longest he could delay was about three weeks. His slumber cycle was already drawing near.
In three weeks at most, he would have to enter his slumber. His ability to respond to changes in the outside world would surely be greatly diminished then, leaving him in danger.
Quite a few true dragons had been killed by dragon slayers during their slumber.
These dragon slayers often calculated when a true dragon would sleep, and since the dragon had no means of defending itself during its slumber, it was easy to kill.
Suppressing his weariness, Wentesi sped through the air, soon crossing the mountain forests and reaching the Great Tree Sage.
As before, the towering ancient tree was lush with branches and leaves, brimming with green. An aged face slowly emerged from the center of its trunk.
"Wentesi, did you kill that Devil Beast you mentioned a few days ago?"
His tone carried a hint of curiosity as the Great Tree Sage's branches swayed in the wind.
Wentesi heard the Great Tree Sage's question as soon as he landed. His expression froze slightly, and he gave a casual excuse:
"No. That Devil Beast was exceptionally alert, and it got away."
"Oh... hahaha..."
The Great Tree Sage mocked him without the slightest restraint, his booming laughter echoing through the forest.
The Great Tree Sage was about to tease him further when the corner of his bark-bound eye suddenly twitched.
He sensed a trace of the power of the rule of light.
And that power of the rule of light was coming from Wentesi.
The Great Tree Sage was shaken. Even with his thousands of years of experience, towering waves surged in his heart.
"What's going on? Why is the power of the rule of light appearing on Wentesi? And it's the presence of the origin of light!"
The Great Tree Sage began to speculate.
After analyzing the matter and ruling out the possibility that Wentesi had forcibly robbed the Church of Light and taken the origin, he arrived at the most unexpected yet most reasonable conclusion.
"Could it be a gift bestowed by the God of Light or the Church of Light to bring Wentesi under their banner?"
He had been willing to help Wentesi all along because he valued his chaotic neutral alignment and his background as a nonbeliever.
And Wentesi had appeared in the wilderness as soon as he hatched. He was simply the most perfect believer the wilderness could have.
That was why he had wanted to guide Wentesi into worshipping the God of the Wild and becoming a believer.
But why had the God of Light and the Church of Light gotten ahead of him?
The Great Tree Sage was struck by an illusion that left him feeling utterly aggrieved.
It was as though a spirit tree sapling he had carefully tended and nurtured had, in the end, been brutally snatched away by a wild boar next door, which then occupied its place.
Heartache, helplessness, regret, and countless other feelings intertwined, leaving him bitterly distressed.
The Great Tree Sage forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and asked with a feigned casual smile:
"By the way, little red dragon Wentesi, why is the power of the rule of light surrounding you?"
Hearing this, Wentesi recalled that the devil in the ring had said the same thing.
Considering the Hairy Head Sun Law Power he cultivated,
he guessed that its properties were probably very similar to the power of the rule of light in his world, making the two extremely easy to confuse and misidentify.
The devil had misidentified it last time, and now the Great Tree Sage had made the same mistake.
Wentesi laughed it off and gave a vague answer, unwilling to discuss it further, and simply glossed over the matter.
The Great Tree Sage had lived for countless years and was exceptionally perceptive. He saw at a glance that Wentesi was deliberately hiding something.
The regret and sorrow in his heart grew heavier. He was now certain that this one-of-a-kind little red dragon had ultimately been snatched away by the God of Light.
He could not help feeling a trace of anger toward the God of Light.
"I was clearly here first."
Wentesi's thoughts were entirely on the matter at hand, and he did not notice the ancient tree's complicated expression. He spoke of the real reason for his visit:
"Great Tree Sage, your mom's about to split open."