Chapter 420: Supreme Bodhisattva, Seeking a Chance For Survival Amidst Endless Suffering

Meanwhile, the Western Continent.

Deep within the territory of the Benevolent Buddha Hall, an ancient temple that had remained silent for countless years suddenly began trembling.

*Om!*

A profound buddhist chant echoed from the depths of the temple.

It was neither loud nor hurried, yet the moment it sounded, countless buddhist statues throughout the Benevolent Buddha Hall simultaneously released brilliant golden radiance.

Dharma symbols emerged from the void one after another, numbering in the tens, hundreds of thousands.

Endless Sanskrit characters slowly covered the sky, forming an enormous golden buddhist domain that stretched across an immeasurable distance.

Countless cultivators throughout the Western Continent looked up in shock.

"What is happening?"

"Such immense buddhist light..."

"Could it be that some ancient treasure has awakened?"

Before anyone could determine the answer, an incomparably terrifying pressure suddenly descended.

It wasn’t oppressive in the same manner as a demonic powerhouse, nor did it possess the sharpness of a Sword Immortal.

Instead, it carried an indescribable sense of vastness and compassion, like an endless ocean capable of embracing all living beings beneath heaven.

Just then.

*Boom!*

The golden buddhist light erupted as an enormous Dharma Avatar slowly emerged from the depths of the Benevolent Buddha Hall.

The Dharma Avatar was so enormous that it stretched across the heavens, its lower half seemingly submerged within endless clouds while its upper body reached far beyond the atmosphere.

It was a female Dharma Avatar wearing ancient buddhist robes, her expression incomparably tranquil.

Even though she did not have hair, a brilliant buddhist dharma light flowed down her head like a magnificent waterfall.

Her features were neither stunningly beautiful nor particularly majestic, appearing exceptionally simple and serene.

It was a serenity that seemed to have experienced countless births and deaths, countless joys and sorrows, yet had ultimately returned to complete detachment.

Her eyes contained endless compassion, but beneath that compassion, there was an extremely faint sorrow, so subtle that almost no one could perceive it.

The moment the Dharma Avatar appeared, countless mortals across the Western Continent were completely stunned.

They had never witnessed such a magnificent sight before; the enormous golden figure covered the heavens and endless buddhist light descended as the surrounding clouds transformed into golden lotuses.

Even the sunlight seemed to have become much gentler.

"It’s a Buddha!"

"The Buddha has appeared!"

"An Immortal Buddha has descended!"

One mortal after another knelt down in rows, and before long countless mortals throughout the cities, villages, dynasties, and other remote regions and states of the Western Continent fell to their knees.

Some clasped their hands together, some bowed repeatedly, and some began praying.

"Great Buddha, please save us..."

"Please protect our families..."

"Please bless our children..."

"May the Buddha save the world..."

Their voices spread throughout the land, drowning out all sounds between heaven and earth.

However, powerful cultivators couldn’t help becoming somewhat solemn, understanding that this wasn’t some ordinary Buddha.

The existence standing before them was not a mortal deity worshipped by ordinary people, she was a genuine Vagrant Immortal standing atop the heavens of the Mortal World!

Moreover, she was an ancient Vagrant Immortal from the same distant generation as the Sword Venerable!

A figure whose name had once resounded throughout the Lower Realm, the Supreme Bodhisattva of the Benevolent Buddha Hall!

For countless years, she had remained in seclusion, and many younger generations had never even seen her true appearance.

Some old Vagrant Immortals had even assumed that she had already perished.

But now, she had awakened once again.

Within the enormous Dharma Avatar, the Supreme Bodhisattva slowly opened her eyes, her gaze passing across the vast Western Continent.

Innumerable scenes entered her vision one by one.

She saw countless mortals kneeling, cultivators hurriedly preparing their inheritances, ancient sects activating defensive formations, parents desperately searching for ways to protect their children old people sitting silently beneath the sky, wondering whether they would live long enough to see another sunrise.

Countless emotions were visible on those innumerable faces.

There was fear, there was confusion, and there was also despair.

The entire Mortal World was shrouded in a layer of gloom and panic at this moment.

For a moment, the sorrow within her eyes became slightly deeper.

Yet, it disappeared almost instantly.

The Supreme Bodhisattva had cultivated for countless years, and her Dao Heart had long since become as calm as still water.

Even witnessing the destruction of countless civilizations throughout the passage of time could no longer easily shake her. After all, that could be considered the cycle of samsara, constantly undergoing change.

But this time... it was different.

This was not some natural calamity or a great war between races who brought it upon themselves.

This was a Cleansing, and one advanced by seventy million years at that.

An event deliberately initiated by beings standing at the highest levels of heaven and earth, an event that would erase countless lives simply because their existence had become inconvenient.

The Supreme Bodhisattva slowly sighed.

That sigh was extremely soft, yet it somehow spread across millions of miles.

Countless cultivators and mortals heard it, and although many didn’t understand its meaning, but their hearts became inexplicably heavy for some reason.

Just then, several enormous fluctuations suddenly emerged from the Benevolent Buddha Hall.

*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*

One figure after another appeared around the enormous Dharma Avatar.

There were several Half Immortals wearing buddhist robes, their bodies radiating immense Dharma light, and the weakest among them possessed cultivation at the Mid Stage of the Half Immortal Realm.

Among them was the Truth Endeavoring Arhat as well, having achieved the Mid Stage of Half Immortal Realm not long ago.

At the forefront stood an old monk with a thin body and bald head, his face containing countless wrinkles, yet his eyes remained exceptionally clear.

There was a faint golden mark between his brows.

He was none other than the Hall Master of the Benevolent Buddha Hall, a supreme existence at the Grand Perfection of Half Immortal Realm.

At this moment, even someone of his status displayed an extremely respectful expression.

The surrounding Half Immortals simultaneously bowed, their voices echoing across the heavens.

"Greetings, Bodhisattva."

The Supreme Bodhisattva looked down at them, her enormous Dharma Avatar remaining completely still for several breaths.

At that moment, the Truth Endeavoring Arhat stepped forward instead of the Hallf Master of the Benevolent Buddha Hall.

After all, although he was among the weakest in terms of cultivation in this group, in terms of seniority... he was even higher than the Supreme Bodhisattva.

The Truth Endeavoring Arhat clasped his palms together and bowed deeply.

"Bodhisattva, what should we do?"

His voice was calm, yet there was a trace of heaviness hidden beneath it.

The Supre.e Bodhisattva did not immediately answer, her gaze once again passing over the Western Continent.

After a long silence, she slowly spoke.

"How many years?"

The Truth Endeavoring Arhat immediately understood what she was asking.

"Fifty years."

The Supreme Bodhisattva’s eyes lowered slightly.

"Fifty years..."

She softly repeated those words.

For mortals, fifty years was a lifetime, but for moderately accomplished cultivators, it was merely a brief retreat.

For her, it was not even considered a blink of an eye.

Yet, after fifty years, everything would change.

The Supreme Bodhisattva slowly closed her eyes, "Then, we must act."

The Truth Endeavoring Arhat’s expression became solemn.

"Bodhisattva, do we..."

He hesitated, not finishing the sentence.

There were simply too many possibilities.

Should they preserve their inheritance and flee, or should they fight?

The Benevolent Buddha Hall had existed for countless years, and their roots were deeply embedded within the Lower Realm.

If they abandoned this world, what would happen to the countless mortals who had worshipped them for generations?

The Supreme Bodhisattva seemed to understand his thoughts, her voice echoing out slowly.

"Since the Immortals and Gods have abandoned virtue and chosen to go against the Dao, intending to plunge the Mortal World into a sea of suffering..."

The golden buddhist light surrounding her Dharma Avatar suddenly became brighter.

Her voice remained gentle, yet beneath that gentleness was an indescribable firmness.

"... then we shall become the guides, the boat, and even the current."

The Truth Endeavoring Arhat’s pupils contracted slightly as endless buddhist light surged around the Supreme Bodhisattva.

Her enormous Dharma Avatar slowly raised one hand, a golden lotus appearing within her palm.

It slowly bloomed, petal by petal, countless Dharma patterns erupting throughout the heavens.

"To guide all living beings through this sea of calamity and seek a chance for survival amidst endless suffering."

The Truth Endeavoring Arhat’s expression gradually became solemn as he bowed deeply.

"Understood."

The other Half Immortals simultaneously clasped their palms, "Understood."

The Supreme Bodhisattva looked towards the distant heavens.

"Then... let’s begin."

*Boom!*

The enormous buddhist domain suddenly trembled.

Countless Sanskrit characters scattered throughout the sky transformed into streaks of golden light, descending towards various regions and states of the Western Continent.

They entered ancient temples, secret realms, bodies of cultivators, and even mortal villages.

The Benevolent Buddha Hall had begun moving.

One Half Immortal after another disappeared, going to do their own tasks.

The Truth Endeavoring Arhat remained behind for a brief moment longer.

He looked up at the Supreme Bodhisattva, hesitating to speak.

"Bodhisattva... do you believe we can survive?"

The Supreme Bodhisattva didn’t answer immediately, her expression as calm as an ancient, vast ocean.

Then, she slowly replied.

"Whether we survive or not is not something we can know."

She looked up towards the endless heavens, the starry sky stretching beyond the Mortal World, her gaze seeming to penetrate the barrier separating dimensions.

"But whether we should resist, that is something we can decide."

The Truth Endeavoring Arhat lowered his head.

"Yes."

His figure slowly disappeared, leaving behind the enormous Dharma Avatar towering over the world.

Countless mortals below continued praying, some asking for protection and others for salvation, while many simply begged the heavens not to destroy their homes.

The Supreme Bodhisattva looked down at them, her eyes contained both compassion and sorrow, for she knew that the road ahead would be extraordinarily difficult.

Even she did not know whether the Benevolent Buddha Hall could survive.

Perhaps in fifty years, the golden buddhist light illuminating the Western Continent would disappear, the ancient temple would become ruins, and everyone who stood behind her today would perish.

Perhaps even she herself would fall beneath the blade of the Upper Realm.

But none of that mattered now.

She had cultivated the Buddhist Dao for countless years.

If she could not protect all living beings, then at least she could protect as many as possible, and if she could not defeat the Immortals and Gods, then she would at least make them pay a price.

The Supreme Bodhisattva slowly lifted her head again, her gaze penetrating the endless clouds and reached towards the distant heavens.

For a brief moment, an extremely complicated emotion flashed through her eyes.

Within those eyes was disappointment, sadness, and remembrance before all of it transformed into extreme detachment.

"Immortals and Gods..."

She softly murmured.

"Have you truly forgotten why you became Immortals and Gods in the first place?"

The Supreme Bodhisattva slowly closed her eyes, the enormous Dharma Avatar gradually becoming transparent as the golden buddhist light slowly faded.

Soon, the Western Continent returned to normal.