Chapter 220
Chapter 220
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Unknown]
Chapter Title: Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea, Sacred Fire Cliff
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In the Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea, at Sacred Fire Cliff.
Just as Many Treasures Child produced the Buddha statue and revealed his identity as a Pure Land infiltrator, attempting to recruit Profound Iron Sword Master, Clear Snow True Lord arched her embroidered brows.
The next moment, she lifted her head and gazed toward the direction of Jiangxi.
"A bald donkey wants to meddle too?"
Before her words even faded, a massive Buddha head as large as a mountain rose within the Pure Land. Its eyes gleamed like crafted crystal, and as its lips parted, a wave of Buddhist chanting echoed forth:
"Not at all."
A grand voice resounded through the vast hall: "It's merely a junior wishing to take advantage of this great battle to ferry some fated souls to our Pure Land for bliss."
"Hmph!"
A flash of crimson gleamed in Clear Snow True Lord's beautiful eyes, as if she could scarcely contain herself. "Fine by me. I'll leave that one alone, but you stay out of it too."
"If he dies north of the river, don't blame me."
"Amitabha. That is only natural."
The Buddha head smiled faintly. He had dispatched a late Foundation Establishment Great Arhat this time. Unless a perfected Foundation Establishment expert intervened, who could possibly kill him?
Yet those at perfected Foundation Establishment were all desperate to seek their Golden Cores. They most feared offending True Lords like these. Who would idly risk angering a Bodhisattva just to slay a late Foundation Establishment Great Arhat? It simply wasn't worth the cost—unless they never planned to seek their Core in this lifetime!
Thus, the Buddha head remained utterly composed.
In his view, Clear Snow True Lord clearly couldn't withstand the pressure from the Pure Land, Dao Court, and Sword Pavilion, so she had chosen to yield a step.
"A wise decision."
With that thought, the Buddha head withdrew his gaze, a hidden anticipation stirring within him as he recalled that fiend who cultivated the Nine Transformations of the Dragon Art, corresponding to [City Head Earth].
Previously, Treasure Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva had acted, only for Clear Snow True Lord to intervene, resulting in failure.
Now was a golden opportunity. With Clear Snow True Lord focused on protecting Heavy Light, she had no spare capacity for others. It was the perfect moment to ferry that fiend to the Pure Land!
At Dragon Guillotine Pass,
Gazing at Many Treasures Child and Profound Iron Sword Master before him, the Dharma body wreathed in Buddha light nodded in satisfaction. "I am known as Vimalakirti Venerable One."
In the Pure Land, Foundation Establishment cultivators were Arhats.
A late Foundation Establishment Great Adept was termed a Great Arhat there, also known as a Pure Land Venerable One who had realized the three meanings: Slaying Thieves, Non-Rebirth, and Worthy of Offerings.
Slayer of Thieves: Severing all delusions of view and thought.
Non-Rebirth: No return to the three realms.
Worthy of Offerings: Deserving of the world's great sustenance.
As the name implied, figures like Vimalakirti Venerable One could draw upon the World Honored One's insights at will, facing virtually no bottlenecks in cultivating divine abilities.
Moreover, their Dharma body achieved Nirvana in the Pure Land, with their soul abiding solely there, beyond reincarnation. Unless slain outright, they escaped the torment of rebirth and received offerings from countless Pure Land disciples, mages, and even Arhats—preparing the foundation for attaining Bodhisattvahood and ultimate fruition.
Only thus did they earn the title of Venerable One.
Upon hearing the newcomer proclaim himself Vimalakirti Venerable One, Profound Iron Sword Master's excitement surged, his expression growing all the more deferential.
"Please, Venerable One, save us from this sea of suffering."
"No rush."
Facing Profound Iron Sword Master's plea, Vimalakirti Venerable One shook his head with a smile. "Foolish mortals drown in the sea of suffering; I seek to devise means to save them all."
"This..."
Profound Iron Sword Master furrowed his brow at once. He had turned to the Buddha to preserve his life, yet now he was told there was no rush—what point was there in converting?
"Rest easy. Since you have chosen to abandon the darkness for light and join the Pure Land, how could I abandon you?" Vimalakirti Venerable One smiled faintly, then extended a finger, sending forth two rays of Buddha light. "Take this method and study it. Once you gather the required individuals, it will enable you to defeat the Saint Sect."
"This is..."
Profound Iron Sword Master and Many Treasures Child glanced at the divine sense projected by Vimalakirti Venerable One. In an instant, a technique imprinted itself in their minds:
Great Virtue Ox-Head Bright King Empowerment Method!
"This art requires males born in a solar year, solar month, solar day, and solar hour as mediums to cast. Only a pure solar fate can bear this Dao art."
"So long as you find such males and inscribe the Dao text I have transmitted upon their bodies, I can empower them remotely, transforming them into Virtue Bright Kings. With my status, I can briefly channel perfected mid-Foundation Establishment might through them!"
Many Treasures Child and Profound Iron Sword Master gaped in astonishment.
Perfected mid-Foundation Establishment!?
This was a force potent enough to alter the battlefield. No wonder they were called Great Adepts—even remote empowerment yielded such divine prowess!
"I'll arrange it at once!"
Many Treasures Child hurriedly sent a message to procure candidates. Profound Iron Sword Master's eyes shone brightly. "With the Venerable One's aid, we shall surely shatter the Demon Sect this time!"
A perfect chance to avenge the Sect Master and Sword Sect!
"That is secondary."
Vimalakirti Venerable One pressed his palms together, smiling calmly. "The Pure Land has come not for slaughter, but to ferry the fated."
Many Treasures Child blinked in confusion. "Who is fated?"
"That Yuan Tu of the Demon Sect has strong affinities with our Pure Land. At the battle's outset, I shall have the empowered Virtue Bright Kings seize him first."
"Perfect!"
Many Treasures Child burst into laughter, anticipation lighting his face. Though not his own power, if he could borrow Vimalakirti Venerable One's hand to thrash Lu Yang soundly, then coerce him to betray the Demon Sect and join the Pure Land, it would vent his grudge indirectly.
It would also prove his innocence in one fell swoop.
Heaven and earth as witness, sun and moon aglow—I truly am no Saint Sect spy!
"Then we shall rely on Venerable One at that time."
"Amitabha."
Vimalakirti Venerable One nodded, reflecting on the Bodhisattva's orders in his mind. He felt this maneuver posed no great issue.
Personal involvement in the fray invited heavy karma and calamity, ripe for later reckoning.
Yet employing a secret art through proxies, without deploying Great Adept-level force directly, carried minimal risk with a Bodhisattva's backing.
Moreover, he remained rational, harboring no greed.
Once Lu Yang was captured and converted, he could even assist the Saint Sect. Amid Heavy Light's pursuit of the Golden Core, none would pursue the matter.
"If there's any flaw..." Vimalakirti Venerable One pondered inwardly. "This Great Virtue Ox-Head Bright King Empowerment Method does have a weakness: the stringent requirements on the empowered. They must be pure solar-fated males. The Demon Sect once devised a technique specifically for this."
The technique's purpose was simple: turn a man into a woman.
Gender altered, the pure solar fate shattered instantly.
Not only would the empowered perish on the spot, but the technique's backlash could even harm the caster's true body, costing years of cultivation for naught.
"Though that technique only changes gender."
With that, Vimalakirti Venerable One swiftly regained his composure:
"Beyond countering the Great Virtue Ox-Head Bright King Empowerment Method, it holds almost no utility. No fiend would cultivate it deliberately..."