Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi

"Is this true?"

Zhang Yao’s expression was subtle as he grasped the key point in the elder monk’s words and asked:

"Have you gained the support of several Great Arhats? No, this can’t be... Could it be they have vulnerabilities or flaws that you’ve exploited?"

"The layman is truly a wise person."

The Passing Arhat did not hide anything and began to explain:

"Even the major sects that enjoy the benefits of the Celestial Continent undergo prosperity and decline, unable to escape the changing times."

"But our Mani Temple has had Great Arhats sitting in charge for generations, relying on the wish power of all living beings, and of course, there is a cost."

"Normally, every action by a Great Arhat consumes vast amounts of wish power, so they try to minimize actions and focus on deterrence."

"Within the borders of the Mani Kingdom, with the blessing of wish power, the strength of a Great Arhat is far superior to any Lord Nascent Soul of the same realm. However, if they wish to act outside the Mani Kingdom, the cost is enormous, having occurred only three times in thousands of years."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao suddenly understood:

"So, for thousands of years, the Mani Temple has fortified the land like an ironclad barrier, yet it lacks the power to expand outward, with its influence confined within the borders."

"Indeed."

The Passing Arhat nodded and continued:

"Their greatest vulnerability is that every sixty cycles, the Earthly Miasma undergoes massive upheaval."

"The upheaval of the Earthly Miasma is the easiest way to disrupt the balance between the muddy qi and wish power, making it the most fragile moment for the merit system, and most prone to sabotage."

"At this time, several Great Arhats must join forces and serve as the central node of the grand array in the underground Buddha Hall at Mani Temple, working with the twenty-four Demon Caves to suppress the muddy qi, unable to venture outside."

"If we act at this time, they naturally cannot intervene."

Halfway through hearing this, Zhang Yao felt something was amiss, but before he could stop it, the Passing Arhat had already finished.

"You..."

Furious and shocked, Zhang Yao glared at the Passing Arhat, his tone losing its courtesy, and his expression turned grim:

"Old monk, isn’t this too much? Must you drag me onto your pirate ship?"

Some secrets are best left unknown, for once known, one cannot easily disentangle oneself.

The upheaval of the Earthly Miasma is nearly the most guarded secret of Mani Temple, involving the safety of several Great Arhats and the inheritance of Mani Temple’s doctrine.

Knowing such a secret means you can’t pretend nothing happened; leaving easily is no longer possible.

"Hehe..."

The Passing Arhat was not annoyed, smiling, he said:

"If the layman had no intentions, how could I continue speaking?"

Zhang Yao was silent upon hearing this.

As the other party said, after realizing the Great Arhats couldn’t intervene, his mind had already begun weighing risks and rewards, subconsciously allowing the other to set a verbal trap.

No choice, the price offered by the old monk was too high, with the meeting gift being the Precious Luminous Golden Nectar. What of the actual terms?

"Alas..."

With a sigh, Zhang Yao spoke with a hint of resignation:

"Despite all calculations, I didn’t expect to be trapped by this old monk."

He waved his sleeves and spoke bluntly:

"Joining your plan is feasible."

"But on the condition, I have several key questions that you must answer clearly."

"Certainly."

The Passing Arhat nodded and gestured:

"The layman may ask."

"Hmm..."

Zhang Yao pondered for a moment before speaking gravely:

"First question, how did you know I needed the Precious Luminous Golden Nectar? Have you investigated me?"

"Hahaha..."

The Passing Arhat laughed heartily:

"The famous Elder Qingxu of the Southwest doesn’t need deliberate investigation; who doesn’t know you’re the ’Celestial Master’ of the Path of Array Refining and Body Integration, inheriting the doctrine of the Five Elements Wanderer?"

"To be honest, the Five Elements Wanderer of yore was indeed mighty, and before his death his cultivation technique scattered everywhere, and our Mani Temple also collected a copy."

"I see."

Zhang Yao nodded slightly and asked the second question:

"Can you guarantee that during our operation, those Great Arhats won’t intervene one hundred percent?"

This matter cannot be taken lightly, or they’d die miserably.

"Of course."

The Passing Arhat nodded affirmatively:

"The Great Arhats’ mighty power is granted by the wish power of all living beings. Once the merit system collapses and the wish power dissipates, they will fall from their realm, becoming inferior to even a Golden Core."

"When the Earthly Miasma upheaval occurs, as they embody vast wish power, they are the first affected and cannot avoid it."

"If they forcibly intervene, it would lead to imbalance in wish power and muddy qi, causing the collapse of the merit system immediately, saving us the trouble."

"So that’s how it is..."

Zhang Yao mulled over it before speaking again:

"You’ve planned for so long and mentioned having a fifty percent chance of success, you must be confident."

"Then how will you deal with the over hundred Golden Body Arhats within Mani Kingdom? They’re beneficiaries of the merit system and won’t sit idly by as you plot destruction."

"I’ve considered this."

The Passing Arhat spoke:

"Rest assured, the window of opportunity to act is very brief, only fifteen minutes."

"Once we drag beyond this time, the success will be achieved; thus, most Golden Body Arhats in various Buddhist temples won’t have time to aid."

"As for the Golden Body Arhats inside Mani Temple, I have a way to handle them. What truly needs dealing with are those stationed at the twenty-four Demon Caves."

"Especially those external Golden Core Cultivators, at critical moments, as long as Mani Temple’s upper echelon isn’t afraid to offer a price, they’ll surely come and ruin our grand plan."

"I understand..."

Zhang Yao slowly nodded and asked the final key question:

"You mentioned earlier that Mani Kingdom is trapped in an endless cycle of moral conflict, the populace reduced to livestock providing wish power, evil being deliberately nurtured, and the good enduring suffering and torment."

"This is your heart’s knot and Mani Kingdom’s root ailment."

"But we must admit, as long as the muddy qi problem isn’t solved once and for all, this is already the least costly method of suppression."

"At least on the surface, many people of Mani Kingdom live in a peaceful era."

"If your method leads to the collapse of the merit system... when the disaster resurfaces, what will happen to the living beings of this world?"

"Amitabha."

The Passing Arhat chanted a Buddha’s name before speaking:

"Destroying the merit system doesn’t mean giving up the wish power of all living beings."

"I once wandered the Celestial Continent and learned another method from the Nine Heavens Alliance to condense wish power."

"With the blessing of wish power, the Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Qi doesn’t necessarily need to suppress the muddy qi, it can choose to mutually extinguish."

"From then on, Mani Kingdom will become a desolate wasteland for cultivation with Spiritual Qi vanished, yet it will not suffer disaster anymore, the Buddhist sect will be reduced to mere faith, no longer condescending, controlling moral conflicts and viewing living beings as livestock."

"Whether good or evil, it will be confined to the human realm; the fate of living beings will be handed into their own hands."

He lowered his gaze and joined his palms together:

"Let the Buddhas return to the Buddhas, and the living beings to the living beings; this is the greatest vision of my life."

"...Alright."

Zhang Yao sighed and said:

"I must admit, old monk, your grand wish is indeed substantial."

"To accomplish this step, it might be extremely challenging...how much time do we have left?"

The Passing Arhat answered softly:

"Thirty-seven years."

"Only that little time left?"

Zhang Yao furrowed his brows and continued to ask:

"And the helpers, surely it’s not just the two of us?"

The Passing Arhat’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke:

"Naturally not...currently, aside from you and me, there is one more."