A series of golden mummified remains and numerous Buddha corpses, all towering and imposing, drew attention. When linked together into the Great Buddha Array of Ten Thousand Buddhas, their presence became even more undeniable. Even from high above, one could spot them at a glance, yet now they had completely vanished!
This bizarre situation sent an ominous premonition through Meng Qi’s heart. The forewarning ability granted by the Bayi Primordial Art caused him to instinctively reach into his sleeve and draw forth a section of a translucent purple long blade.
When Sha Wujing carried out the mysterious corpse, the Great Buddha Array of Ten Thousand Buddhas still stood here, with none of the golden mummified remains missing!
Did some anomaly at Mount Ling cause their disappearance?
And what changes and dangers would their disappearance bring?
As these questions surfaced, Meng Qi stopped in his tracks, concealing his aura and masking his blade intent as he fixed his gaze upon the summit of Ling Mountain.
“The remnants of Kasyapa seemed to have gained a hint of awareness earlier, and now this Great Buddha Array has completely disappeared. Everyone must stay vigilant,” said Qing Qiu, the little fox spirit, as she likewise summoned the Demon Saint Spear. Its black-gold phoenix wings were enveloped in dark flames, lending a daring edge to her inherently alluring demeanor.
Tai Li snorted, “Indeed, there are anomalies on Mount Ling. Some forces truly do not wish for us to rescue the Great Sage.”
“We are all gathered here. Even if legends arise, how much chaos can they possibly create?” said Luo Jia, the Kirin Demon God, with a hint of arrogance.
Phoenix Demon God Hui Guang glanced at him, “If all the myriad Buddhas, Great Bodhisattvas, and Great Arhats gained a bit of sentience like Kasyapa and attacked together, could you hold them off? Could ten of you?”
“They were once the supreme beings across all realms. Even if they perished millennia ago, they cannot be taken lightly.”
Fei Xiang, the Demon God of the Kunpeng, laughed heartily, “Hui Guang, you’re overreacting. Didn’t we previously prepare for the scenario where the remains in the Great Buddha Array regained a bit of sentience? We lure them away, free the Great Sage, and everything settles down.”
“But previously, we considered the scenario where they still existed on the summit. Now, their mysterious disappearance demands caution,” Hui Guang said, her phoenix eyes scanning the surroundings for any clue.
The oldest and strongest emotion of sentient beings is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear arises from the unknown. The mysterious disappearance of the Great Buddha Array unsettled Hui Guang, making her heart race with dread at what terrifying changes might occur.
Luo Jia pondered for a moment, “Could it be that the blood-yellow river, resembling the Yellow Springs, which previously absorbed the remains of Ling Mountain, also took in the golden mummified bodies within the Great Buddha Array?”
“No,” Meng Qi, who had been silently listening, replied decisively.
Setting aside the mark he had left on the Yellow Springs, his past experiences alone were enough to justify this conclusion. Back at Mount Ling, when he had used the Yellow Springs corpse to battle Kasyapa’s remains, he had similarly summoned the blood-yellow river and absorbed countless zombies and evil deities. Yet, none of those actions had the slightest impact on the Great Buddha Array.
Tai Li looked at Meng Qi and nodded slightly, “If the blood-yellow river had indeed absorbed many legendary golden mummified bodies within the Great Buddha Array, its power would have been far greater, enough to wipe us all out.”
He made his judgment from another angle.
“To be honest, seeing the Great Buddha Array vanish also unsettles and worries me. But what we must fear most now is hesitation and delay—neither advancing nor retreating. This not only risks wasting opportunities but also leaves us in a dangerous situation. Therefore, no matter what decision we make, the most important thing is to decide quickly, avoiding indecision and retreat.”
Having lived for countless years and risen from weakness to become a supreme demon god, Luo Jia naturally had his own philosophy of action.
Hui Guang nodded, “I agree. Should we ascend the summit now, or inspect the surroundings?”
“What is there to inspect around here?” Fei Xiang laughed, looking around the summit, “In my opinion, we should act swiftly. We should immediately ascend the summit, retrieve the Golden-Hooped Rod, and rescue the remaining Great Sage. Even if His power is but a fraction of what it was, He would be enough to sweep away the Ten Thousand Buddhas whose golden bodies have merely regained a bit of sentience. At that point, even a couple of great cultivators with cosmic power might not be able to stop us. What is there to fear?”
“In this way, we can complete our mission and ensure our safety. What is there not to like? If we delay further, unforeseen changes might occur!”
Hearing his suggestion, Luo Jia nodded in agreement, “Hesitation is the most dangerous. As for certain existences, there are natural counterbalances!”
Tai Li and Qing Qiu exchanged a glance, then looked at Meng Qi, who seemed indifferent. Thus, they said, “Then let’s give it a try. I will stay with Master Su and Hui Guang to guard against changes, while you retrieve the Golden-Hooped Rod and break the seal.”
With their plan settled, the group advanced in a few swift steps and reached the summit, arriving near the Five-Finger Mountain and the Golden-Hooped Rod.
Qing Qiu stared solemnly at the translucent seven-colored Bodhi tree and warned in a grave tone, “Do not touch anything here, or none of us will make it out alive. At best, we’ll meet a wretched death; at worst, we’ll be turned into demonic Buddha puppets for eternity.”
Their gazes swept over the translucent and serene Bodhi tree before returning to the Golden-Hooped Rod, where flowers bloomed and withered, and thunder flickered and faded. Meng Qi, Hui Guang, and Tai Li spread out to guard the perimeter, while Luo Jia, Fei Xiang, and Qing Qiu moved closer, silently chanting lengthy incantations.
Meng Qi, being very close to the Five-Finger Mountain, felt his heart tremble with a subtle resonance, as if something within was suppressing him.
He took a deep breath, staying alert to external changes while also keeping an eye out for any demonic deities with ulterior motives who might attempt to unleash the Demon Buddha amid the chaos.
…
A cicada’s shell?
Countless thoughts and guesses flashed through Meng Qi’s mind as the “True Ding Tathagata,” yet he could not pierce through the veil of mystery to reach certainty.
If Jin Chan Zi might be the result of the Buddha reducing himself to attain emptiness, then why had his mortal body also undergone cicada molting?
Could this be the Buddha’s true path to transcendence—reducing oneself to attain emptiness, cicada molting, and escaping the Dao?
But why had Jin Chan Zi claimed to be the second disciple of the Buddha? That was clearly Ananda!
It wasn’t that he couldn’t pretend, but why go to such lengths? Even being the eleventh or twelfth disciple wouldn’t have mattered, unless there was a deeper meaning hidden within…
Slowly advancing, Meng Qi approached the cicada shell, his eyes flashing with wisdom as he carefully examined the split. Inside was completely empty, with no object present. The split area was filled with illusory dust of time, clearly indicating that this cicada molting had occurred long ago, enduring countless ages of erosion.
Had Tang Seng’s mortal body flowed here and immediately undergone cicada molting? Meng Qi pondered thoughtfully. Extending his right hand in the Abhaya Mudra, he emitted a golden light that enveloped the cicada shell, shrinking it down to the size of a thumb before storing it away. He intended to bring it back for his original body to examine using the “Cause of All Fruits” technique, to see where the threads of causality from the shell led.
After finishing this, he ventured further into the depths of Mount Ling. Rounding a mountain bend, his sight suddenly cleared as he spotted ahead a collapsed peak, unveiling a cave concealed deep at the foot of Mount Ling.
The cave was bathed in a radiant glow formed by golden characters, appearing to be an originally impenetrable seal that had now been shattered.
The white-robed monk, Meng Qi, activated his Eye of Wisdom, emitting a radiant Buddha light as he carefully observed. His heart sank when he realized, from the residual traces of the seal’s operation, that it had been broken not long ago!
Had some monster recently escaped its imprisonment?
What had been sealed here? Could it be the product of the cicada molting?
Tormented by these doubts, Meng Qi manifested his incomplete Tathagata Golden Body, transforming into a Buddha-like figure with a divine palm in hand as he cautiously entered the cave. Inside, it was densely packed with golden mummified corpses. At a glance, he spotted the remains of Manjushri Bodhisattva, adorned with five topknots symbolizing the five wisdoms!
In addition, the golden mummified bodies of countless tearful Buddhas were all here!
“This… this is the vanished Great Buddha Array!” The True Ding Tathagata was startled once again.
Had the golden mummified remains of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from the summit of Ling Mountain been relocated here?
Had the monster that broke the seal moved them here?
Meng Qi extended his right hand, shimmering with golden light, as he attempted to inspect Manjushri’s golden statue. The moment he made contact, the statue abruptly crumbled into dust, exposing only its hollowed-out shell—the interior had long since been emptied!
One by one, the golden mummified bodies of the Buddhas turned to dust, leaving behind only their hollow shells—as though someone had drained and consumed the very essence of their Dharmakaya!
Had this monster absorbed and digested all these golden mummified bodies of Buddhas, Great Bodhisattvas, and Great Arhats?
Meng Qi inhaled sharply. It seemed that some existence had deliberately broken the seal here!
And who had originally set the seal?
Where had the escaped monster gone?
At this thought, he raised his head in shock and gazed toward the summit of the Sacred Mountain!
…
At the summit, Meng Qi, Tai Li, and Hui Guang remained vigilant, not daring to relax in the slightest. Around Luo Jia, Fei Xiang, and Qing Qiu, gradually radiant lights emerged, resonating with the Golden-Hooped Rod with each pulse and sway.
At this moment, Meng Qi’s expression suddenly turned grave as he scanned the surroundings again. He had received the vision from the “True Ding Tathagata” manifestation.
Hui Guang frowned in confusion, “Why does it feel like it’s getting darker here…”
Luo Jia and Fei Xiang shook their heads, indicating they had no such feeling.
Meng Qi gently inhaled, for he too had sensed it—the summit seemed to have acquired a new shadow, as if covered by the silhouette of a vast presence!
…
Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, strange flowers bloomed and spiritual springs surged, with the Grotto Heaven Palace standing unchanged through eternity.
An elderly Daoist priest sat cross-legged in front of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, his eyes half-closed, flanked by golden and silver attendants who tended to the flames.
Suddenly, the Daoist elder opened his eyes, their depths swirling with what seemed to contain other myriad worlds. Slowly, he spoke, “It is time to open the furnace.”
“Time to open the furnace?” Jin Jiao Tongzi and Yin Jiao Tongzi looked back in astonishment at their master.
Was the immortal pill, which had been refining for over six hundred years, finally ready to be taken out?
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