Chapter 958 - 682: Lingyao Realm

Spirit Mountain.

Ninefold heavenly golden radiance descended like a waterfall, spanning across the void of the Cloud Sea.

Ancient Buddhist light runes drifted slowly between Heaven and Earth, each inscribed with the primordial true principles of the Buddhist Sect, vast and boundless, eternal and undying.

In the Seven-Treasures Pool, a sea of lotuses stretching ten thousand acres blossomed in turn, layers upon layers of Golden Lotuses spreading from the front of the White Jade steps all the way to the end of the Cloud Sea.

The petals circulated seven-colored precious light, shining brilliantly; Brahma-sound arose of itself without drum or bell, winding through all heavens, each note ferrying the world.

Miao Shan Arhat stood calmly before the lowest tier of the White Jade steps, his plain robes free of a speck of dust; the Buddha light about him was gentle and restrained, neither ostentatious nor revealed, yet naturally possessed the pure and sacred dignity of an Arhat.

He bowed slightly, his etiquette reverent; his voice was calm and clear, spreading steadily throughout the entire lotus-platform Dao arena:

"Miao Shan pays obeisance to the Great Brahma-Might Bodhisattva."

At the center of the lotus sea, a thousand-petaled Treasure Lotus hung loftily in the air.

The Great Brahma-Might Bodhisattva sat upright upon it, the Dharma Aspect solemn and unfathomable, beyond depiction.

With eyes lightly closed, all sounds were Annihilated, the myriad heavens at peace; with a slight movement of the gaze, ten directions of worlds were born and destroyed, turned, collapsed, and reborn within the depths of those eyes.

The Buddha light around that body was as vast as an ocean, unfathomable; each inhalation and exhalation was boundless merit, suppressing the meditative fields of ages.

The Bodhisattva lowered His eyes to gaze down, and a bell-like voice resounded through Spirit Mountain:

"Miao Shan, ascending Spirit Mountain today, what is it that you seek?"

Miao Shan pressed his palms together, lowering his posture yet another fraction; his mind was as clear as Glazed glass, without ripple or wave:

"This disciple has ascended the mountain this time solely to seek a chance of fortune for a newly accepted disciple under my door."

The gaze of the Great Brahma-Might Bodhisattva narrowed slightly, brushing across a trace of astonishment:

"Oh?"

"You have cultivated in purity all your life, indifferent and without demands; yet today, for the sake of a junior disciple, you personally come to Spirit Mountain to open your mouth and ask for a bestowal?"

Miao Shan slowly lifted his eyes, his gaze firm and limpid, without the slightest hesitation:

"This child’s innate root is uniquely favored by Heaven, his disposition tenacious and transparent; he is sufficient to bear the thousand-ancient Dao lineage of my Great Snow Temple."

"This disciple is willing to exhaust a lifetime of painstaking Brahma Skill, and beseeches the Bodhisattva to bestow a single strand of—[Seven-Treasures Brahma-Void True Qi]."

When the words fell.

The Brahma-sounds over the whole of Spirit Mountain suddenly stalled.

The myriad Buddhist light runes flowing in the void instantly froze in place.

The ten directions fell silent; wind ceased, clouds stilled, even the flow of the Great Dao paused for half a breath.

[Seven-Treasures Brahma-Void True Qi] belonged to the rank of First-Grade True Qi, a supreme treasure of Spirit Mountain, the very pinnacle of Foundation Establishment sources between Heaven and Earth.

Even an ordinary Arhat might never touch a single mote of it.

The Great Brahma-Might Bodhisattva quietly fixed His gaze upon Miao Shan at the foot of the steps; His eyes pierced through the fleshly shell, as though seeing through his karmic ties and far-reaching designs.

After a long while, the Bodhisattva spoke slowly:

"First-Grade True Qi forges an unparalleled Dao Foundation and can nurture a generation’s Buddhist Sect prodigy... that you are willing to relinquish a lifetime of Brahma Skill shows your true heart."

"Very well!"

"In former years you debated the scriptures and suppressed the Dao, your merit and position matching, not failing the orthodox line of Spirit Mountain... this strand of True Qi shall be bestowed upon you."

A faint light flashed in the depths of Miao Shan’s eyes; a trace of joy was restrained within his heart as he once more bent deeply at the waist, bowing with utmost sincerity:

"Many thanks to the Bodhisattva for fulfilling this."

He also harbored private intentions in his heart; this act had never been a purely altruistic bestowal upon a junior.

His years of Cultivation were nearing their end; his great limit pressed close at hand.

Reincarnation stretches vast and hazy, the Heavenly Dao inconstant; even with Spirit Mountain’s reception, the chances of fortune in the next life remained elusive and difficult to grasp.

Though he possessed the power to shake the world by scripture debate, in the end he was but an ordinary Arhat, not yet having certified the Bodhisattva Fruit Position.

Once he entered a new life, his Cultivation would be wholly dispersed, his memories scattered; the road ahead would be entirely unknown.

Yet if his Direct Disciple could stand firm in the world and attain the Dao to become a True Master, then that disciple could ferry him out of the confusion of Reincarnation, guiding him back to the orthodox path of Spirit Mountain.

"Today I ferry you to take root and establish the Dao; another day you ferry me to re-certify the Fruit Position..."

This was, for the Buddhist Sect, the most secure of karmic arrangements.

More crucially, the Great Snow Temple, as the root-source Zen temple of Spirit Mountain, stood among the orthodox of the Buddhist Sect.

Once his great limit was reached and he fell, with no Arhat left in the temple to sit in town, the Dao lineage would have no one to inherit it; the orthodox foundation might be usurped in a single day.

Taking a disciple was to continue the Dao lineage.

Seeking Qi was to pave a road for his later self.

What seemed like merely nurturing a junior was in truth killing two birds with one stone, each step part of a long-planned layout.

...

At the same moment, in the Great Snow Temple, Scripture Pavilion.

The ancient hall was deep and secluded, the scent of incense heavy and profound.

A great serpent, entirely crimson, lay coiled in stillness within the hall; its scales were translucent, faintly flowing with light—this was none other than Chen Sheng, hibernating in quiet Cultivation.

His long crimson tail slowly unfurled; the jade-like scales at the tip quivered lightly, and with precise accuracy tapped upon the invisible Buddhist Sect forbidden seal on the ground.

Buzz—

In an instant!

The myriad ancient books and scriptures of the Scripture Pavilion trembled and resonated all at once; layer upon layer of Brahma tones spilled out from the scrolls, winding through the entire ancient hall.

Benefiting from his Identity as Miao Shan’s Direct Disciple, with the exception of a few core Arhat inheritances, all the Cultivation Techniques, meditation methods, patriarchal notes, travelogues of realms, and Spirit Mountain secret records that the Great Snow Temple had accumulated over countless years were completely opened to him without reservation.

At the instant when the Red Scale touched the Dharma Seal, an immense catalogue of texts, vast as smoke, suddenly became clear in Chen Sheng’s Heart Spirit, neatly arrayed, not a hair out of place.

"’Biography of the World-Honored One · Spirit Mountain Zen Mind Notes’, ’Travelogue of the Lingyao Realm’..."

Chen Sheng casually chose several top-tier classics that matched his own nature, and his Heart Spirit sank wholly into them.

After a brief perusal, many hidden truths of Heaven and Earth suddenly aligned; he murmured inwardly:

"So this place is no longer the Divine Land Continent of old."

"This Heaven and Earth is called the Lingyao Realm, an independent, brand-new dimension."

In former days he had, from a dimensional vantage, gazed down upon the vast Sea of Dimensions; thus, matters of rotation and cross-realm passage did not surprise him.

"Only, all other Purple Mansion True Masters who reincarnate remain bound to the same dimension. I alone reincarnate across dimensions, unlike any other."

"I do not know whether this is due to the reincarnation authority of the Hundred Generations Book, or the primordial empowerment of the Reincarnation Golden Position..."

The conjecture had no answer; Chen Sheng temporarily suppressed his thoughts and continued reading the secrets of this realm, seeking to discern the foundational roots of Cultivation in this Heaven and Earth.

This Lingyao Realm possesses two supreme orthodox lineages, suppressing all laws of Heaven and Earth.

The first is the Spirit Mountain Buddhist Sect, which holds the myriad Zen methods of the Buddhist Sect, governing the Great Dao that ferries the world, the orthodox line of the Buddhas and the Dao across the heavens.

The second is the Taiyi Profound Sect, which holds the mysteries of Longevity within the Dao, anchoring the very source of worldly Cultivation, the orthodox line of the Immortal Dao.

The Profound Sect’s Cultivation proceeds in orderly progression, with five clearly defined Realms: Breath Absorption, Dao Foundation, Purple Mansion, Golden Core, Dao Embryo.

The Buddhist Sect’s Fruit Position system forms a complete lineage of its own:

All Bhikkhus, relic monks (Dharma Masters), Arhats, Great Bodhisattvas, Buddhas, World-Honored Ones.

Among these, Arhats and Great Bodhisattvas correspond fully to the Purple Mansion Cultivation Realm.

Once a Cultivator condenses three Arhat Divine Techniques, he may advance to the Bodhisattva Fruit Position, equivalent to a Late-stage Purple Mansion Great True Master of the Profound Sect.

Having entirely grasped the dual orthodox Cultivation systems, the correspondences of the Realms, and the tiers of strength—

Chen Sheng nodded slightly, saying inwardly:

"In the Divine Land Continent, the path stopped at the Golden Core; this dimension holds yet another Realm, which indeed seems to offer a further prospect."

...

Before long.

Chen Sheng’s gaze pierced through the Scripture Pavilion, toward the distant, majestic vastness of the Great Snow Mountain, eternally capped in ancient snow.

The Great Snow Temple in which he presently dwelt was the root-source Zen temple of Spirit Mountain’s orthodox bloodline, holding the orthodox inheritance of the Four Golden Lodgings.

The words "Root-source Zen Temple" were the supreme crown of the highest Buddhist Sect monasteries.

Among the myriad ancient temples and Zen courtyards in the world, even if an Arhat presided, most were but side branches of the Buddhist Sect, without hope of touching the orthodox source-stream.

Only temples that received the empowerment of a Great Bodhisattva, or had established tremendous merit, could ascend into the ranks of the root-source orthodoxy.

"This master of mine is truly extraordinary."

The orthodox root-source status of the Great Snow Temple was won solely through the power of Miao Shan Arhat.

In years past, at the grand debate on the Dharma between Buddha and Dao at their pinnacle, Miao Shan Arhat ascended the dais alone; his tongue blossomed with lotus, successively defeating thirty-nine Great Powers of the Profound Sect, shaking the entire Lingyao Realm.

It was in that very event that he forcibly secured the orthodox foundation for the Great Snow Temple, allowing it to firmly seat itself among the root-source Zen temples.

...

Several days passed in a flash.

At a certain moment, a thunderous boom resounded from beyond the heavens; an extremely gentle yet vast and pure aura of the Buddhist Sect tore through the Cloud Sea and crashed down upon the Great Snow Temple.

It was Miao Shan Arhat returning from Spirit Mountain!

Clad in plain robes unstained by cloud or dust, with remnant golden radiance and Brahma qi of Spirit Mountain about him, he stepped calmly into the Sect.

With a lift of his hand, a wisp of resplendent flowing light burst forth from his fingertip.

Within that flowing light, Seven Treasures rose in profusion, lotus blossoms sprang forth of themselves, Brahma tones concealed their resonance; the Dao opportunity within was incomparably vast.

This was that hard-won first-grade "Seven-Treasure Brahma-Void True Qi."

Miao Shan’s gaze fell upon the crimson serpent in the hall; his voice was calm, filled with expectation:

"Unite breath and apertures, and plant firm the Dao Foundation."

"Wuchen, enter the Dao at once!"

The crimson serpent in the hall raised its head high; the Red Scales along its entire body instantly lit with layer upon layer of Treasure radiance, dazzling beyond compare, illuminating the whole Scripture Pavilion.

Chen Sheng gathered his Heart Spirit into unity, casting aside all stray thoughts, and without the slightest hesitation guided the vast first-grade True Qi into his body, through his meridians, falling into the empty apertures...