The collaboration between Seek Dao Sect and the Dynasty to exterminate the Ruthless Sect caused such a commotion that anyone with even a slight connection to the intelligence network knew about it.

Even the great powers of the Cultivation World were so shocked by this news that they were rendered speechless for a long time.

Moreover, upon hearing this news, some great Cultivation powers slumped into their chairs, their faces a picture of disbelief.

"Old Buyu has reached the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, how is that possible?"

The housekeeper wore a troubled expression, "Whether it's true or not, I don't know, but I heard that this news was deliberately spread by Daoist Buyu himself."

"...That does seem like something he would do."

"He formed his golden core just one day before I did and boasted about it right in front of me. If he has really reached the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, imagine how insufferable he'll become?"

"If that guy can reach the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, there's no reason I can't."

"Heavens are blind!"

"Cultivation retreat! Cultivation retreat!"

Similar scenes played out across the Cultivation World, with many significant figures cursing the heavens while deciding to go into retreat.

Even those in the Demon Territory and East Sea at the Body Integration Realm were not exempt, all attempting to make a breakthrough to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage.

When Zhu Tian attended the court, he found more than half the ministers absent, and only upon inquiry did he learn they had all gone into retreat.

With Daoist Buyu's ascension to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, the bustling Cultivation World suddenly became quiet.

Those with keen senses suddenly had the feeling that a Great Era was approaching, and after this collective retreat, it's feared that many would emerge at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage.

"I heard there's a saying in the East Sea, 'When a whale falls, all creatures rise,' which perfectly describes the current situation."

"Isn't the phrase 'a whale falls' used when a whale dies? Daoist Buyu isn't dead, is he?"

"We can pretend he's dead."

Of course, the quiet referred to the upper echelons of the Cultivation World. Those cultivators who had not yet reached the Body Integration Realm were not very familiar with Daoist Buyu and were unaffected.

...

Buddha Country.

Across the boundless desert, a figure whizzed by in the air, leaving the camel-riding travelers below no time to discern its form before it disappeared. Shortly after, several more figures flew by, pursuing the one who had passed first.

"Ye Zijin, stop right there! If I don't adjudicate you by the proper Buddhist teachings today, how can I face the ancient sages?" Several well-known high monks of Buddha Country were chasing after their second brother, Ye Zijin, with the monk Pu Xuan leading them.

Ultimately, they were accomplished monks who had clashed with Ye Zijin not just once or twice, and after some struggle, they finally surrounded him.

"Ye Zijin, what nonsense have you added to the sages' writings!" The monks glared at Ye Zijin in anger.

Knowing he could not defeat them, Ye Zijin quickly gestured to prevent conflict, "Eh, eh, eh, let's not be hasty, we're all monastics, no need for violence."

"All I did was add a couple of lines, look how worked up you all are."

"Adding annotations next to the scriptures is a tradition of our Buddha Country. You all can annotate the works of the ancients, and I, Ye Zijin, even as a simple saintly monk, have the right to annotate the scriptures. There's no issue with that."

"You always say that Buddhist teaching is vast and unfathomable, that even a lifetime of study will only touch the surface, so what's wrong with praising it as 'Buddhist teaching is boundless'?"

"In Buddhism, we often say 'only now do I realize that I am myself,' which means after pursuing Buddhist teachings for a lifetime, the ultimate answer lies within oneself, right?"

"Then, if I write 'Buddhist teachings are boundless; turning back is the shore,' that's not wrong either."

"Nonsense, that sentence clearly encourages others to return to secular life. If a disciple of Buddhism saw your words and had a great enlightenment, then returned to secular life because of it!"

Ye Zijin hurriedly said, "You can't recklessly blame me for that, it's his lack of understanding, not my fault."

"I, Ye Zijin, am wholeheartedly devoted to Buddhism, and that's widely acknowledged in our Buddha Country. How could I possibly encourage someone to leave Buddhism?"

The several high monks, upon hearing this, were fuming with anger. What widely acknowledged? Everyone wants to erect a stele for you!

"Then what's the meaning of placing a copy of the 'Eternity Technique,' which can make hair grow, next to the scriptures?"

"Oh, that. I lost it. Since you found it, can you return it to me?"

"Not to complain, but you guys get angry too easily. This constant cultivation of the mind doesn't seem to be very effective. Now, look at my master. Now that's real cultivation of the mind; always cheerful, he's even made a breakthrough to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage."

Upon hearing Ye Zijin mention Daoist Buyu advancing to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, Master Pu Xuan's veins bulged with rage.

He was a contemporary of Daoist Buyu and had not expected Buyi to reach the Transcendance Tribulation Stage before him.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, his breath fluctuating wildly as he gritted his teeth and chanted the scriptures.

"This aura... he has to be cautious at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage!" The other masters noticed Master Pu Xuan's fluctuating aura, were thrilled beyond measure, and quickly formed a circle to protect him.

Ye Zijin felt a twitch in the corner of his eye.

"Come on, how can a breakthrough happen just from a few words? Is advancing to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage that easy?"

Ye Zijin took advantage of Master Pu Xuan's tribulation and the other monks' protections, which left nobody to watch over him, and he sped up his escape from the desert.

"I need to find a place where Master Pu Xuan won't find me. Anyway, now that he's advanced to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, he shouldn't bother with a junior like me anymore. If anyone, he should be looking for my master."

Ye Zijin brought his hands together in front of his chest, radiating a peaceful and holy light, indeed resembling a saintly monk, "Master, I presume after your advancement to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, there are few who can match you. Worried that you might be too lonely, I've found you a rival to give you some pressure. As your disciple, there's no need for thanks."

...

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were totally unaware of the changes happening outside, nor did they care. With their low cultivation levels, they were merely minor figures and had no need to know too much.

The two had a rather comfortable ten days in the prison. The leaky roof issue was quickly fixed by an officer skilled in earth magic from Ye City, and collapsed pillars from the battle were also repaired by an officer adept in wood magic.

"I didn't realize there were such convenient magic skills." Lu Yang witnessed the entire process of the prison's repair, admitting the officers' specialized skills. Although his cultivation level was higher than these officers, when it came to the technique of building a prison, he was far inferior.

He could only draw dungeons without even a door.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Cultivation was aided by using Array Methods to increase control over the spiritual essence within the body.

There was also no need to worry about food. Daoist Xiantian, although exonerated, didn't return to the Seek Dao Sect but stayed in Ye City, bringing meals from Ye City's finest restaurant, Fu's Delight, to Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou every day.

"Ancestor, you are too generous," Lu Yang said, somewhat embarrassed, though he knew that such an amount of Spirit Stones meant little to Daoist Xiantian.

Daoist Xiantian was certainly not short of money; on the contrary, he could be considered extremely wealthy. The Seek Dao Sect had a retirement system, and retired elders received a sum of Spirit Stones each year.

This meant that Daoist Xiantian had not claimed twelve thousand years' worth of retirement funds, an unimaginably immense sum of Spirit Stones, making him one of the wealthiest in the Body Integration Realm.

After ten days, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou ended their secluded cultivation in the prison and escorted Daoist Xiantian back to the Seek Dao Sect.