Secret Buyer

But He only caught a vague glimpse of a treasure robe radiant with glorious light, and nothing more.

The robe blocked all discerning gazes.

Golden-threaded robe.

The legend says, the robe that prevents one from falling into reincarnation—why would it appear beside Shi Zhengyuan?

Zhang Fusheng’s mind raced with thoughts, was it a coincidence?

What a hammer of coincidence!

The Nine-Ring Scepter was already in Old Shi’s hand, and now the golden-threaded robe appears beside him!

Though he didn’t know exactly what happened, someone had to make a trip to the Dragon Boat.

Mulling over his thoughts,

Zhang Fusheng used his mind in two ways simultaneously, one part was controlling the True Man, reading out to Kong Shentong the High Heaven principle of ’Heavenly Path, supply the insufficiencies with excess,’

While the other part of his mind quietly returned to reality itself.

When He opened His eyes, He sensed this piece of heaven and earth became exceptionally clear in His thoughts. The many foundational authorities between heaven and earth were completely accessible to Him, to be summoned at will!

Wind, rain, cloud, fog, earthquake, mountain shift...

All such elements were within a single decree, and He could even call forth the wind, fire, and thunder—the three disasters—to wipe out a small world with one command!

This is the [Ascension to God].

God united with Heaven, replacing Heaven’s mind with one’s own heart.

Zhang Fusheng did not dwell much on sensing the changes after breaking the second Spiritual Limit. With a gentle thought, Lin Changle’s figure appeared out of thin air before Him.

The latter first looked around in a daze, then awoke in shock, hurriedly paying respect:

"Changle greets the World Venerate."

Zhang Fusheng nodded, walked forward, stretched His hand to Lin Changle’s forehead, and solemnly intoned:

"By my decree, I allow you to step a hundred thousand miles, allow Buddha’s light to follow you like the sea, allow you to embody divine majesty, with Brahma Sound surrounding you fearlessly."

Each sentence spoken was a decree of heaven and earth;

Each decree of heaven and earth turned out to be true!

Behind Lin Changle emerged a sea of Buddha’s light, around her resounded the incessant great Brahma Sound,

In conjunction with Zhang Fusheng’s decree, granting her the position of Guanyin. While it did not constitute a true celestial position, under the enveloping Buddha’s light,

She indeed embodied a semblance of the compassionate and merciful Bodhisattva Guanyin!

"Guanyin." The World Venerate spoke, his voice like a morning bell and evening drum.

Lin Changle paid her respects:

"Changle.....Guanyin is here, listening to the World Venerate’s decree."

Her expression was exceptionally solemn; after all, after years at the Public Security Headquarters, she understood that when the ’leader’ called by ’title’ rather than name, there was serious business to attend to.

Thus,

She heard the World Venerate’s low command:

"You are ordered to carry the ten-thousand-foot Bodhi, personally to the Golden Province, head for Dragon Boat City, and retrieve the golden-threaded robe and Nine-Ring Scepter."

Lin Changle initially nodded in response, then cautiously asked:

"Where in Dragon Boat City should I search?"

Zhang Fusheng pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke:

"Go to find the Governor of Dragon Boat, my ten-thousand-foot Bodhi follows, then you will know what to do."

"Yes, World Venerate."

Lin Changle carefully exited the thatched cottage, turned around, and tentatively took a step.

With one step down, she was outside the Other Shore World, having traveled a hundred thousand miles.

All kinds of divine gazes fell from the Celestial Vault,

Yet in the sea of Buddha’s light behind the young woman, a ten-thousand-foot Bodhi grew, its canopy like a floral cover, dispelling all gazes that tried to look down!

"I indeed step a hundred thousand miles....." Lin Changle murmured, took another step, and arrived at Jin City, and another step, back within the Golden Province.

.........

Dragon Boat City.

"What is this?"

In the spacious office of the Governor, an elderly figure spoke gently, a virtual figure playing with an ancient token in his hand.

On it flowed Immortal Tao Rhyme, engraved with the words ’High Heaven.’

In front of him, Shi Zhengyuan sat in the chair, unable to move, just staring intently at the virtual figure:

"Place it down."

Shi Zhengyuan spoke with difficulty.

"You care about it, huh?"

The old man’s virtual figure smiled peacefully, glanced at the calendar, and said lightly:

"It’s January 10th, one month left until the destined time..."

Shi Zhengyuan gasped with difficulty:

"Who are you, really??"

The virtual figure smiled, playing with the High Heaven token, staring down at this ordinary Grandmaster:

"Who am I? I come from the old world, from a radiant time, I am the Ancient One, the return of the destined time..."

He murmured lowly, his voice like a great bell and a majestic drum, reaching out, the Nine-Ring Scepter slowly floated into his hand.

Shi Zhengyuan desperately tried to struggle, tried to communicate with the Nine-Ring Scepter and Dragon Boat Buddha Country,

But was completely unable to do so,

The shadowy figure emerging from the Nine-Ring Scepter so effortlessly took everything away from me.

The Buddha Staff, the Buddha Country, even the High Heaven Order.

Shi Zhengyuan inquired once more:

"Who exactly are you??"

The shadow maintained a chant-like tone, its voice rising high:

"In the ancient old world, I was the supreme walking the skies, I was the savior marching on earth, I was the one born under the divine mandate..."

"I once presided over a grand temple of the old world, and I once forged a golden body in fire."

A radiant smile appeared on his face,

As if he was intoxicated by the joy of returning to the mortal world, casually tossing the mysterious token aside and carefully caressing the Nine-Ring Scepter.

"The Nine-Ring Scepter bestowed by the Buddha..."

The old man murmured to himself, his eyes almost overflowing with excitement!

He actually didn’t know why it was him.

But the heavens played an enormous joke, and it just had to be him—the old man roughly understood the state of the present world,

The once dazzling Immortals and Buddhas had vanished, leaving only himself, only himself!

"I hold this Nine-Ring Scepter, my heart feels something."

The old man spoke in a deep voice:

"It seems some event is replaying, this time, I will be the protagonist, I will replace Tang Xuanzang..."

’Knock!’

Suddenly, a soft knocking sound resonated in the air, followed by an indifferent grand voice—"The High Heaven is now open, permission to audience granted."

Shi Zhengyuan’s eyes widened, his breathing rushed, only to see the phantom-like old man, merely a soul spirit, leisurely rise:

"Above the High Heaven? What is that? Who is speaking?"

He raised an eyebrow, draped in a treasure that returned with him—a monk’s robe.

A dreamt-of monk’s robe.

The robe is made of Ice Silk, adorned with Seven Precious Jewels, reflecting the principle of the Seven Treasures,

Just wearing it isolates all prying eyes, and the wearer of the robe will not fall into reincarnation; the bearer of the scepter will not be poisoned,

The two in a sense are one, and at this moment they seek to add to him, he is destined to become a Buddha!

"Audience..."

The old man sneered, speaking coldly:

"In this current world, who dares demand an audience of me? I have returned from reincarnation, I am the oldest of the present age... all beings should come for an audience with me."

"I am—Buddha!"

He sighed softly:

"Amitabha!"

Shi Zhengyuan’s heart pounded, dizzy, at this moment he understood, the figure that suddenly emerged from the Nine-Ring Scepter, seemed to have an intimidating origin!

The oldest one, supreme of the old world...

Shi Zhengyuan thought, such an existence might even call the Great Celestial Venerate a friend?

He spoke:

"Above the High Heaven... it is Celestial Venerate!"

"Celestial Venerate?"

The old man sneered once more, having awoken for only a few hours, he already grasped the state of this world, speaking lightly:

"A rabble occupying the Celestial Position, dare they call themselves Celestial Venerates?"

He turned his head, gazing at Shi Zhengyuan:

"Since I have returned, and I feel called towards the destiny of the westward journey—it means, the Buddha chose me."

"Do you know the Buddha? Do you know the World-Honored One Tathagata? No, you know nothing!"

Shi Zhengyuan was stunned again, the World-Honored One Tathagata... wasn’t that the voice that resounded across the world earlier?

He blinked in confusion.

The old man continued loudly:

"I am the one chosen by the Buddha, I bear the Zen Staff, wear the monk’s robe, what can the false immortals and false Buddhas of this world do to me?"

He raised the Nine-Ring Scepter, lifting it high, about to smash it down towards the High Heaven Order!

Shi Zhengyuan’s eyes widened, yet he was powerless.

Outside the window, suddenly, an immeasurable light surged in like a tide, grand and mighty, covering the sky and hiding the sun.

Along with it came a faint, continuous sound of Brahma Sound.

"Hmm?"

Elder Jinchi was surprised, holding the Nine-Ring Scepter, wearing the brocaded monk’s robe, opening the door to look beyond the glass curtain wall.

He saw an expansive sea of Buddha’s Light, saw a Bodhi Tree reaching the sky and earth, saw a dignified and graceful woman stepping on lotuses with each step.

"By the Decree of the World-Honored One."

The woman was solemn and serious, chanting profoundly in Brahma Sound:

"I have come for the Nine-Ring Scepter and the brocaded monk’s robe."

Elder Jinchi was dumbfounded, his legs softened, and he actually prostrated, calling out:

"Guanyin... Bodhisattva Guanyin!"

The sea of Buddha surged, the Bodhi was pure, the woman standing beneath the Bodhi only clasped her hands together, sighing:

"World-Honored One Tathagata!"