Chapter 983: A Land of Ultimate Bliss

When everything happened, Enlightened Jiuyi was completely baffled.

He had only just entered seclusion to recover from how thoroughly Chu Liang had drained his energy when a thunderous crash shook the mountain. A massive lotus flower had fallen from the sky, slamming into the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals with such force that it left a deep crater and nearly shattered on impact.

"What the heck is going on?!" Enlightened Jiuyi shouted as he burst out of his chamber and soared into the sky. "Are people from the Buddhist Cloud Monastery just throwing things from the sky now?"

The disciples of Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals rushed over like a swarm of bees. When they looked up, they saw a gaping hole torn through the sky. When they looked down, a massive crater had been blasted into the earth.

From the abyss that stretched all the way to the seabed, a seven-colored lotus slowly rose into view. This was the Dharma Lotus Platform. Dhyana Master Dayu sat upright on top of it with his qi and blood seething with unrest.

In a deep and steady voice, he said, "The Noble Dharma was a Hallowed One of the ancient Buddhist sect! He has returned to reclaim his corporeal body, and he intends to prove his understanding of the Great Dao of Longevity by slaughtering all life in the world!"

"What?!" The experts of the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals were all shocked and enraged.

They were stunned to discover the Noble Dharma’s hidden identity and furious at the sheer scale of his terrifying ambition. But if even Dhyana Master Dayu, armed with a legendary artifact, had been beaten to such a state, just how powerful had the Noble Dharma become?

Enlightened Jiuyi flipped his hand and summoned a ball of golden light. In a loud voice, he declared, "I'll go fight him!"

"If you can stop him from obtaining the Ancient Nameless Buddha’s corporeal body, that would be ideal. But if not, Sect Leader Jiuyi, you must retreat before it is too late. The sects of the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten cannot be destroyed one after another," Dhyana Master Dayu warned.

With those words, Dhyana Master Dayu rose once more into the sky atop the lotus platform.

Enlightened Jiuyi swept his sleeve through the air. "Evacuate the sect disciples!"

The disciples of the various immortal sects could not intervene in a battle of this scale, but they represented the future of the sect. The next generation of human cultivators would emerge from among them, making them invaluable to their sects.

Whether it was the Buddhist Cloud Monastery or the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals, their first response was to evacuate.

The Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals was located in the East Sea, far from the land of the nine provinces. They were rarely involved in conflict. Because they had a good relationship with the Penglai Supreme Sect, they had always been able to obtain spirit plants without fighting bitterly for them.

Because of this, its disciples lacked experience in defending their home from an attack. For a moment, many were left frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

In this regard, they were far inferior to the disciples of the Mount Shu Sect.

It was no exaggeration to say that if an attack on the scale of Evil Ksitigarbha’s power struck again, the whole of Mount Shu would be reduced from a place of life and energy to scorched, lifeless ground.

Amid the swirling golden clouds, the Noble Dharma stood still, staring at the body that had belonged to him twenty thousand years ago. He had ascended to the higher realm, reshaped his corporeal body, and cultivated a completely different Great Dao. However, he was still the same person. His original life essence had never changed.

Yet, this body was rejecting him so vehemently.

He wondered if it was because this was his original corporeal body from when he was at the ninth realm, shaped through his fusion with the Great Dao of Primordial Origin. He was no longer the being who had once reached the pinnacle of radiance, yet this body remained forever frozen at that peak.

Before he could take another step, a golden radiance surged from below and wrapped around him in a brilliant halo of light.

Enlightened Jiuyi’s voice rang out in fury. "How dare you, Noble Dharma! How dare you act with such impudence!"

As he spoke, he activated the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams, trapping the Noble Dharma in golden light. Divine rays then burst forth like arrows fired from a blazing sun.

"Let’s see what you’ve got!" he shouted.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In an instant, the Noble Dharma was swallowed by scorching brilliance. Without hesitation, he pulled the body in front of him and used it as a shield. Not even the divine rays from the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams could leave a mark on the white robes it wore.

Such was the power of a body that had once reached the ninth realm.

At the same time, rainbow-colored light bloomed in the sky as Dhyana Master Dayu descended once more atop the Dharma Lotus Platform, attempting to suppress the Noble Dharma from above.

The Noble Dharma arched his brows, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. Two halos abruptly detached from his body. They were the Cosmic Ring and the Chrono Wheel. As soon as they emerged, they transformed into twin vortices that pulled at both time and space, blasting the seven-colored lotus platform away with a thunderous shock.

With a flick of his hand, the twin vortices struck the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams, which was still binding him, and sent it crashing into the sea with a deafening roar.

He was not the Dao Master of Infinity, and the power he could unleash with the East Sea Chrono Wheel alone could not surpass Daoist Cangsheng. Nevertheless, he was still far more skilled than Daoist Cangsheng when it came to merging the Cosmic Ring and the Chrono Wheel.

This was because the Noble Dharma’s current cultivation and understanding of the Great Dao were far more refined and in harmony.

Enlightened Jiuyi was flung into the sea. Realizing he was no match, he immediately shouted, "Dhyana Master Dayu, I’m leaving first!"

"Don’t worry. I left before you did." Dhyana Master Dayu’s voice came from over a hundred li away. He had already flown off on the lotus platform.

If they had truly been fighting to slay these monsters and defend the Dao, the two Eminent Ones would not have hesitated to risk their lives. But what truly weighed on their minds was the possibility of losing their legendary artifacts. If that happened, and the sects within the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten were defeated one after another, the consequences would be disastrous.

Fortunately, the Noble Dharma made no move to chase after them.

He simply picked up the ninth-realm body he had once inhabited, stepped into the glowing portal of the Celestial Cosmic Ring, and returned to the Holy Mountain in the Northern Regions.

...

Whooooooooosh!

The Noble Dharma stepped out from the oasis behind the Holy Mountain.

What had once been a quiet and unremarkable patch of green had now drawn the gaze of the entire world.

The old tree that once stood modestly in that spot had grown into a towering pillar, stretching straight into the heavens. Its presence was overwhelming and terrifying.

"Since you refuse to merge with me again, then become nourishment for my new Great Dao!"

With a furious roar, he slammed the ninth-realm body to the ground and buried it beneath the giant tree using the Buried Alive in Dense Earth technique. In the dark soil, countless roots instantly wrapped around the body, siphoning its spiritual energy.

"Divine Phoenix King! Wuchao!"

His voice echoed through the Frostveil Domain.

Soon after, two figures appeared, one in red and the other in black. The Divine Phoenix King of the West Sea and Grand Ancestor Wuchao, of course, did not dare appear in their true form. It was clear that these were only their clones.

Now that the three had come together again, the circumstances were completely different.

Back then, the Noble Dharma had spoken of recruiting Evil Ksitigarbha to deal with the Heavenly Star factions and Baize. No one had expected Evil Ksitigarbha to become his nourishment instead. Now, as the Divine Phoenix King and Wuchao stood before him again, they no longer treated him as an equal. Their eyes were filled with awe and wariness.

"At this point, I won’t bother hiding my identity from you," the Noble Dharma said before giving a brief retelling of the story he had shared at the Buddhist Cloud Monastery.

His real identity as someone who had ascended twenty thousand years ago shocked the two beings on the brink of ascension.

"Now that Evil Ksitigarbha is dead, I’ve taken the upper hand," the Noble Dharma said coldly as he looked at the two of them. "If you no longer intend to compete with me for the ninth realm and instead choose to follow me, then when I open the Path to the Heavens, I can take you with me. You may ascend to the higher realms at my side."

The Noble Dharma continued, "But if you still harbor thoughts of becoming Hallowed Ones yourselves, then turn away now. When we fight again in the future, don’t blame me for casting aside the bonds of our former alliance."

His words weren’t loud, but they carried immense weight. The Divine Phoenix King and Grand Ancestor Wuchao exchanged a glance and fell into deep thought.

It was Grand Ancestor Wuchao who spoke first.

"With the human immortal sects standing in the way, our chances of becoming the Hallowed One are already slim. If you truly can take us with you when you ascend, then I, Wuchao, will follow your lead."

Seeing that Wuchao had agreed, the Divine Phoenix King narrowed his eyes, then gave a slow nod. "I am willing as well!"

"Good." The Noble Dharma smiled with satisfaction and turned his gaze toward the vast lands to the south. "Go and gather the world’s beasts and spirits. Tell them I intend to establish a Land of Ultimate Bliss. There will be no divide between human and demon and no separation between yin and yang. Anyone who wishes to ascend with me must make their way to Mount Mang City."

...

Mount Shu.

Staring at the colossal tree that reached into the heavens in the Northern Regions, the Mount Shu Sect was momentarily stunned. But soon after, reports began arriving from all directions, each one more troubling than the last.

"Evil Ksitigarbha has fallen," Yan Zi said with a frown as she sat across from Di Nufeng.

"Huh?" Di Nufeng blinked in mild surprise, then glanced down at her fist. "Did I hit him too hard?"