Chapter 566: Intercepting Midway

Making a grand vow?

While hiding near a weathered rock, Meng Qi overheard the former crown prince Zhao Qian’s words and immediately this thought surfaced in his mind.

This sounded very similar to the Buddhist method of making grand vows to cultivate one’s Reward Body, a practice where one declares, “If I attain such and such, then I will do thus and thus.” However, Meng Qi, who had once listened to explanations from Doumu Yuanyun regarding Lanke Temple and the Reward Body cultivation method, felt something was vaguely amiss.

Ordinarily, cultivating a Reward Body involves gradually aligning one’s actions and nature closer to a certain cosmic principle or natural law, thereby receiving a corresponding reward. As one becomes more aligned, one eventually transforms into that very principle, much like a person punching a wall and experiencing the counterforce of the wall punching back—this is called the “Reward.”

Therefore, making grand vows is a gradual process, dependent on how closely one aligns with a certain cosmic principle. If the vow exceeds one’s alignment by a large margin, it becomes empty and baseless, yielding no reward. For example, imagine a drum located atop a mountain; to produce its sound, one must either climb to the summit or grow strong enough to throw a stone from afar and strike it. Otherwise, attempting to ring the drum while still at the foot or halfway up the mountain will only result in futility.

Taking Lanke Temple as an example, Hong Neng, a legitimate disciple, began with small steps—making modest vows and constructing Buddhist temples to provide shelter for travelers in the vast desert. He did not waste time fantasizing about the grand vows that previous masters might have failed to fulfill, nor did he attempt to seize their unclaimed vow power in hopes of instantly attaining the golden body of a Buddha. After all, without sufficient cultivation of the Reward Body, such vows are merely empty boasts—how could they possibly yield any true “reward”?

Making grand vows, cultivating the Reward Body, and attaining a certain Dao are by no means shortcuts to instant success!

Yet at this very moment, in Meng Qi’s eyes, the former crown prince Zhao Qian seemed to have undergone a transformation merely through verbal vows alone—his aura now exuding solemnity, sanctity, vastness, and transcendence. The array formed by nine Buddhist masters and the nearby weathered rocks radiated a sense of purity and bliss, as if every grain of sand and every black pebble had blossomed into a golden lotus. The desolation itself transformed into a pure land, utterly real and without artifice.

“Could it be the power of the array formed by nine high monks and their treasures?”

“It seems insufficient…”

“Could it be that the Yuanyun never fully grasped the Reward Body cultivation method, after all, she wasn’t a Buddhist practitioner…”

As Meng Qi pondered in confusion, he focused his senses even more intently.

Suddenly, he inwardly exclaimed. He sensed a faint, almost imperceptible force descending from some unfathomable height, entering Zhao Qian’s Niwan Palace!

This force seemed solemn and unfathomable, exuding boundless compassion, liberation, and bliss. Meng Qi had barely sensed it when he felt as though all his worries had vanished, as though worldly affairs were but illusions, and it would be better to simply retreat into monastic life, tending a solitary lamp before an ancient Buddha.

Meng Qi forcibly reined in his focus, afraid to probe further. This was terrifying!

Could Zhao Qian truly be the reincarnation of a great Buddhist master?

Using an array temporarily to enhance his own perception, connecting with his own pure land, and thereby attracting the essence of the Buddha’s palm technique?

That Zhao Qian would attempt such a feat at this critical moment, Meng Qi could deduce with his little toe—it must be related to the ultimate manual of the Buddha’s palm!

For some reason, Meng Qi suddenly felt both uneasy and hopeful. Would Zhao Qian succeed?

As soon as this thought arose, he saw a Bodhi tree, half-dead and half-living, abruptly appear as if breaking through the void itself. It radiated the essence of transcending life and death, of purity and dissolution. Its trunk hollowed, first revealing the image of a monk—seeming both present and absent, neither existing nor non-existent.

The Bodhi of Life and Death, the ultimate manual of the Buddha’s palm?

It had truly arrived!

The nine eminent monks each formed hand seals, with objects such as a green lamp, sutras, and a wooden fish floating before them, emitting a faint lapis lazuli glow. Upon seeing the approaching Bodhi tree, they instinctively smiled—some with the serene joy of old age, others with the youthful confidence of vigor.

“The highest inheritance of the Buddha is finally about to fall into our hands!

“As long as we seize it, we can calmly ‘depart’ before the Dharmakaya masters arrive!”

Undoubtedly, they had prepared thoroughly to escape safely once they succeeded.

Zhao Qian’s expression shifted from solemnity to compassion, his face now betraying an unmistakable joy. After meticulous planning, he was finally about to “see the Tathagata”!

Eunuch Wei Gao glanced at the nine high monks, suppressing the urge to reach out and seize it himself.

The Bodhi of Life and Death, half-alive and half-dead, half-pure and half-withered, flew closer in an instant, growing larger and clearer. Farther away, the Dharmakaya masters had only just reacted.

It’s here! Zhao Qian’s heart stirred with excitement, unable to maintain his meditative calm. If not for his need to remain at the array’s center, maintaining the connection to the Pure Land, he would have already flown up to greet it!

Just then, a hawk suddenly appeared midair. It had a black beak and a blue body, its wings spanning nearly a meter. Opening its beak, it directly seized the “Bodhi of Life and Death”!

It grabbed it…

Zhao Qian and the others were all stunned. Previously, they had focused entirely on guarding against approaching Exteriors, paying little attention to other living beings. But how could such a massive hawk escape the notice of a Venerable?

“Where did this damned feathered beast come from!”

This hawk was none other than Meng Qi in disguise. The opportunity was too good—he couldn’t resist stepping in to snatch the prize!

The hawk spread its wings, as if preparing to soar high. Unbeknownst to others, a massive door had silently appeared in the sky, covered in strange patterns.

The door opened soundlessly, releasing a talisman of chaotic color. It radiated an ancient aura, swirling with misty energy, its surface bearing massive, floating characters and seal script, seemingly containing profound cosmic truths!

As soon as it appeared, auspicious vapors surged forth, radiant light piercing the heavens.

Opening the door, summoning Yunhe!

Within a hundred-mile radius, the natural laws shifted, manifesting a myriad of phenomena—Buddhas, immortals, demons, monsters, golden crows, jade rabbits, and stars from the primordial void all emerged, trapping the nine Buddhist Venerables and the crown prince within the array.

Yunhe seized the moment, sweeping his sleeve to envelop the Myriad Manifestations Gate. The auspicious clouds expanded, covering Meng Qi, golden light radiating from his body. He retrieved the talisman, seemingly preparing to employ a powerful escape technique to flee this place, relying on numerous Daoist arts to evade the Dharmakaya masters’ pursuit.

Compared to his tense anticipation, Meng Qi remained surprisingly calm. The “Bodhi of Life and Death” in his hand felt so real—the ultimate manual was indeed in his grasp. After this, things would become much simpler!

If Yunhe couldn’t escape, Meng Qi planned to have him retreat into the Myriad Manifestations Gate, then shatter the Wheel-Turning Talisman, wandering freely in some other world for a couple of months to deeply comprehend the manual. Even if he never became a monk, mastering one true strike of the Buddha’s palm using the Eight-Nine technique would make it a genuine ultimate weapon!

Compared to him, the other Dharmakaya masters were unaware of the Wheel-Turning Talisman’s secrets. They would undoubtedly wait in place for him, expecting only a confrontation with Chonghe. What danger could there be with a Tianzun watching over things?

Of course, more importantly, if things turned dire, Meng Qi—who had already completed his comprehension—could simply toss out the “Bodhi of Life and Death,” redirecting the danger and seizing the chance to escape!

I really am brilliant!

The nine Buddhist masters and former crown prince Zhao Qian, along with Eunuch Wei Gao, were caught off guard by the sudden array. Even after the talisman’s suppression ceased, the layered formations, filled with myriad phenomena, still took them a full breath to break through. By then, they only saw a golden light transform into evening clouds, vanishing into the distance.

“Pursue!” The duck they had nearly cooked had suddenly flown away. Despite Zhao Qian’s refined demeanor and deep Chan cultivation, he could not help but lose his composure, his expression darkening.

As they rushed toward the distance, several Dharmakaya masters near the Fish Sea had already determined the direction and arrived in an instant. The fastest among them were not Chonghe, but “Sword Madman” He Qi, “Great Asura” Meng Nan, and the Dushe Dharma King, who had once again merged into the void.

The Stupas and the array-summoned sixteen-foot golden warriors could not leave the Fish Sea and Tahan frontline, and thus vanished in disappointment, while Dharmakaya masters wielding swords and relics chased behind, trailing at the end alongside the abbess of Shuiyue Nunnery, the current Joyful Bodhisattva, and Master Shoujing.

As the array dissipated, the fortunate Exteriors at the edge of Fish Sea and Tahan, who had not yet perished in the Dharmakaya battle, finally gained their freedom. Feeling weak and dizzy, they nonetheless hurried to leave, repeatedly reminding themselves never again to let greed cloud their reason.

After escaping Zhao Qian and the Buddhist masters, Yunhe Daoist released Meng Qi, preparing to employ Daoist techniques to erase their traces, conceal their auras, and evade pursuit.

Just then, he sensed a pure and compassionate force descending from some unknown height!

Meng Qi’s heart tightened. Though this compassionate force did not carry great power, it subtly altered certain things. The surrounding world transformed into a Buddhist Pure Land, every principle of law rejecting him. He could no longer sense the ocean of primordial energy in the heavens and earth, nor could he draw upon natural forces. His body lost its ability to float in midair, plummeting like a stone!

Before Yunhe floated the Hunyuan Yiqi Shangqing Divine Talisman, barely stabilizing his form as he tried to grab Meng Qi, but a moment too late.

Meng Qi twisted in midair, dispersing the force of his descent, then executed the Thousand-Pound Drop technique, accelerating his fall toward the Boundless Sea.

His left hand already gripped the Wheel-Turning Talisman, ready to activate it at the first sign of danger.

If not for sensing that this pure and compassionate force could not directly descend to attack him, he would have used the Wheel-Turning Talisman long ago, without waiting for Yunhe Daoist!

Strong presences emerged in the distance. Suddenly, a thought struck Meng Qi—back in the capital, all six paths had “withdrew,” and he had waited several days before returning. With so many Dharmakaya masters present today, would the Wheel-Turning Talisman still work?

This thought made him break into a cold sweat.

Bang! His feet hit the ground, leaving deep craters in the gravel.

Zheng Hui, who had been helping Hong Neng carry rocks, stared in shock at the scene before him—the familiar figure, and the Bodhi of Life and Death, whose aura felt strikingly similar to the “Flower Sermon Smile” he had once experienced.

Not only had the ultimate manual descended from the heavens, but so had his senior apprentice brother…