Chapter 358 - 329: Above the True Monarch
It’s about the path of the Great Dao that lies ahead, the final Perfection and transcendence of their own Dao Fruit.
For this, they are willing to pay unimaginable prices and make decisions that ordinary people cannot comprehend."
He looked at Qi Yun, his small, golden face unusually solemn:
"If the ’key’ in the hands of the Overseas Buddhist Cultivators can truly open the door to the realm ’Above the True Monarch’—even if it only offers a glimpse of that possibility—it would be enough to drive every True Monarch who learns of it into a frenzy!
What are Sect foundations, battles for orthodoxy, the fate of a Dynasty, or the lives of billions? In the face of the temptation to reach a higher path of the Dao, all of it could be unhesitatingly placed upon the sacrificial altar!"
Cai Shen’s words were like a splash of ice-cold water, swiftly cooling the ripples that had instinctively risen in Qi Yun’s heart at the mention of a "higher Realm."
"Blinded by being in the midst of it all..." Qi Yun repeated the phrase under his breath, his eyes churning with thought.
’For True Monarchs who desperately seek to advance on the Great Dao but see no path ahead, this is indeed an opportunity they cannot refuse.’
’Even if it might be wrapped in deadly, poisoned bait.’
Those high and mighty True Monarchs who command Heaven and Earth, in their search for a path forward, could form a massive and controversial organization like the Celestial Court, explore the myriad heavens, and attempt all sorts of unimaginable methods.
It was a near-instinctive yearning and obsession for "something higher," engraved into the deepest parts of a Cultivator’s soul.
Now, a chance that might point directly to the realm ’Above the True Monarch’ was laid out in Nanyin, right before every True Monarch who knew of it.
Who would dare to stop it?
And who *could* stop it?
Perhaps a True Monarch of the same level would have a say.
But faced with a temptation that might hold the ultimate answer to their own path of the Dao, how many True Monarchs could remain perfectly clear-headed and restrained?
These waters were deeper, murkier, and far more dangerous than he had imagined.
"So," Qi Yun began slowly, his voice returning to its usual calm, yet it was now deeper.
"Nanyin’s transformation into a Buddha Country probably isn’t just about spreading faith or controlling territory.
The Overseas Buddhist Cultivators and the True Monarchs who have tacitly allowed this are playing a game of chess that involves the very foundation of this world.
And the entire Nanyin Buddha Country, along with its billions of living beings... have all become quantifiable pieces on the board."
Cai Shen nodded, the golden, illusory figure hovering slightly on Qi Yun’s shoulder:
"Correct. You are now part of this game, and you’re wearing the guise of the Buddhist Sect. You must act with extreme caution.
Do not touch the core of the matter lightly.
At least, do not expose yourself before you figure out exactly what they want to do and how they plan to do it."
Qi Yun was silent for a moment before asking:
"Senior, in your opinion, what form is this so-called ’communication with the realm Above the True Monarch’ most likely to take?
A sacrificial ritual?
An Array?
Or some kind of special medium?"
Cai Shen pondered, "In the fragmented ancient texts of the Golden Tang Dynasty, there are scattered mentions that communicating with the supreme requires a ritual of Heaven and Earth...
Buddhist Cultivators are experts in studying the power of the heart and mind, Wish Power, and are skilled in large-scale ritual ceremonies. Nanyin was also once a Dynasty with an accumulation of humanistic fortune... Many of the conditions seem to vaguely align."
’Arrays... rituals...’
Qi Yun quietly caressed the string of ordinary, imitation Prayer Beads in his hand.
The wood was cool to the touch, each bead smooth and round.
The conversation with Cai Shen made the news brought by Xuan Ping Master even clearer, and also much heavier.
All the actions of the Overseas Buddhist Cultivators in this place over the past thirty years.
Building Revolving Wheel Temples far and wide, organizing the Earth Veins, guiding the Wish Power of all living beings—at this moment, it all seemed like a long prelude to some final ceremony.
...
The next day, before the sky had brightened, Qi Yun quietly left the inn where he was staying.
The procedure for leaving the city was simple. The monk-guards at the gate saw that his ordination permit was in order, his aura pure, and that he had a faint Buddha Light behind his head. After a few questions, they respectfully let him pass.
He stepped onto the official road leading to the Nanyin Capital.
The scenery was different from the surroundings of Yingtian City.
The road grew wider and flatter, paved with enormous bluish-white stone slabs. A fine, golden moss grew in the cracks, emitting a faint, calming fragrance.
Every hundred paces along the roadside stood a stone-carved lamp pillar shaped like a budding lotus. There were no candles inside; instead, they absorbed sunlight on their own and would emit a soft, milky-white glow at night.
The surface of the lamp pillars was covered in dense, tiny scriptures.
When the wind blew past, a faint Brahma Chanting could be heard.
Pedestrians were endless but orderly.
One could hardly see any mundane carriages or horses. Most were devout believers on foot, alms-seeking monks on pilgrimages, and a few Buddhist Sect practitioners with heavy, condensed auras who were clearly Cultivators.
Everyone wore solemn and peaceful expressions, their steps steady. There was little conversation, and even when people spoke, it was in low, soft tones, with the content mostly related to Buddhist Skill cultivation.
The sandalwood fragrance and the strange, calming rhythm that soothed one’s Heart and Spirit were many times stronger than in Yingtian City.
The further south he went, the more the terrain began to rise and fall.
In the distance, a continuous expanse of faint golden light began to appear on the horizon—a permanent, enveloping haze of Buddha Light.
In the towns and villages along the way, the architectural style was highly uniform: white walls, golden roofs, and upturned eaves from which hung Copper Bells and prayer flags.
Every household had a small Buddhist Shrine by its door, with incense burning day and night.
Amidst the fields and pathways, enormous stone-carved Buddha Statues were half-hidden among the green mountains and clear waters. Their Dharma Aspects were solemn as they silently received the worship of endless streams of believers and the infusion of Wish Power from all directions.
Seven days later, the view before him suddenly opened up.
A plain of indescribable vastness unfolded before him. At its end, the earth abruptly swelled upwards, a "mountain" that rose gradually like a colossal golden lotus platform.
That was the former capital of Nanyin.
Now, it was the Central Buddha Country.
Taking a single step into the mountain range, one was met with boundless golden light that seemed to fill Heaven and Earth.
The golden light was like an ocean, rippling and flowing, reflecting upon the sky and turning it a clear, golden-glazed color.
The wisps of clouds were dyed gold, appearing as if they were within arm’s reach.
On Spirit Mountain itself, it was difficult to see the original colors of its rocks and earth.
From the foot of the mountain to a height the naked eye could not reach, it was densely packed, row after row, with countless temples, Buddha Towers, Scripture Towers, Zen Temples, and cloisters.
Golden glazed tiles, jade pillars, ornate railings, and inlaid jewels glittered in the boundless Buddha Light. It was brilliant without being gaudy, instead exuding a sense of sacred splendor.
Countless wide "Celestial Steps" wound their way up from various points at the mountain’s foot like golden ribbons, connecting the platforms on each level with the main halls.
On the Celestial Steps, innumerable black dots moved slowly—devout believers and ascetic Buddhist Cultivators from all directions, prostrating themselves fully every three steps as they kowtowed their way forward.
Higher up in the sky, monks with profound Cultivation rode on lotus platforms, auspicious clouds, or simply traversed the void, traveling between the peaks. Their robes fluttered, and a faint Treasure Light emanated from them.
All over the mountain, giant Buddha Statues could be seen standing tall.
Some were half-embedded in the mountain cliffs, their Dharma Aspects full of Compassion as they gazed down upon all living beings.
Others were hundreds of zhang tall, cast entirely from an unknown golden material, one hand pointing to the sky and the other touching the earth, their sacred appearance solemn.
A tangible golden light of Wish Power flowed around these giant statues, resonating with the ocean of Buddha Light that enveloped the entire mountain, producing a low and eternal background of Brahma Chanting.
Above the mountainside, clouds and mist swirled.
The upturned eaves of pavilions and towers were faintly visible, and shimmering, radiant illusions of the Pool of Seven Treasures and the Water of Eight Merits could be seen.
And at the very highest point of Spirit Mountain, piercing through the sea of golden clouds, the silhouette of a gigantic palace, majestic beyond imagination, could be vaguely seen.
At its apex, what seemed to be a nine-tiered, gilded roof pierced the heavens, surrounded by countless smaller floating peaks, mid-air stupas, and slowly rotating illusions of Scripture Wheels.
Merely gazing at it from afar, one could feel a vast, sacred, and undeniable pressure washing over them.
The sandalwood fragrance in the air had become so thick it had turned into a faint golden mist. Inhaling it cleared one’s Divine Soul and banished distracting thoughts, yet it also brought a subtle feeling of invisible shackles and a power of assimilation.
At the end of the official road stood a massive Jade memorial archway.
Qi Yun raised his head slightly, gazing at the three words rendered in large Ancient Seal script, which were so saturated with the rich Buddha Light that they looked as if they were cast from solid Gold:
[Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm]
...