Longevity by Grinding Skills

He gave Xu Yunfan a deep look, as if remembering the fall of the Divine Martial Daoist Master. If that man were to learn the truth, he would likely forsake reincarnation entirely and run to the Puchen Pure Land just to curse them out in the streets.

’Fucking shameless.’

The World Honored One Tathagata had planted a hidden agent in the Divine Martial Realm long ago. Those who didn’t know the intricacies would have assumed it was merely a vacant Golden Core Fruit Position.

"The Dragon-Subduing Arhat, abbot of the True Martial Subduing Dragon Temple in the Pure Land, has now reached the end of his life and entered the cycle of reincarnation.

Even though he obtained a reincarnation decree from Miaodi Bodhisattva, which will allow him to awaken his innate wisdom and memories in the vast Sea of Suffering, his True Spirit must still find a suitable Buddhist vessel, accumulate enough power to traverse the cycle of reincarnation, return to the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm, and once again manifest the might of a peak Arhat Fruit Position.

The time required could easily be a century or more! This power vacuum cannot be filled by ordinary means."

"And you..."

Lv Chunyang’s gaze suddenly became incredibly clear and piercing as he stared straight at Xu Yunfan. "You possess the complete legacy of the *True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture*, and your mastery of this Dharma Gate has already surpassed that of the Dragon-Subduing Arhat. As it stands, you are the highest-level living practitioner of this scripture in the entire Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm, having reached Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment."

A Daoist Lord-level existence, whose plans are all-encompassing, would never overlook such a critical juncture.

Since the Dragon-Subduing Arhat was no longer viable, they would simply find a replacement.

"With your supreme mastery of the True Scripture, your very existence is the perfect ’vessel’ for the Buddhist Sect’s True Martial Demon Subduing Great Dao!"

"A being like the World Honored One Tathagata, who plays chess with the world itself, has set his sights on you. The karmic threads of Buddha’s Destiny are now wound so tightly around you that they can never be cast aside.

This journey to the Eastern Wilderness is fated to be a designated move on that chessboard. Regardless of how reluctant you are, you have no choice but to walk into the snare."

Xu Yunfan’s heart sank, as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.

’Is the karma of the Puchen Pure Land truly so heavy?’

But he soon realized something.

’It wasn’t so much that the karma itself was heavy.’

’Rather, the moment the World Honored One Tathagata cast his gaze upon me, my connection to Buddha’s Destiny became immeasurably deep.’

’How the hell is that fair?’

Heaven and Earth may be vast, but the Daoist Lords are supreme.

Even with the Celestial Lord present, a Daoist Lord could still find a loophole.

He couldn’t help but voice his greatest doubt. "Ancestral Master, please enlighten me! This disciple does not understand. I am merely a Cultivator who has just entered Foundation Establishment. What virtue or ability do I possess that would move the Puchen Pure Land to bind me with such great karma? Please enlighten me, Ancestral Master!"

Lv Chunyang did not directly answer the question of what made Xu Yunfan worthy of such attention.

He hesitated, glanced at Xu Yunfan, and considered whether the young man could bear the weight of such karma.

After all, to know of certain matters is to be implicated in them.

If you remained ignorant, you would remain uninvolved.

But then, as if recalling something, a strange expression flickered across Lv Chunyang’s face as he spoke.

"This matter is of the utmost importance. It is intrinsically linked to that World Honored One Tathagata’s own path to the Daoist Lord Realm."

"That being’s ambitions are vast. The Eastern Wilderness is plagued by Demon Fiends and foul evils. The world there is sullied and not a sanctuary of the Buddhist Sect.

They wish to enact an ’Eastward Spread of the Dharma,’ sowing Dao Seeds far and wide. Ostensibly, their goal is to promote good and eliminate evil, but in reality, they intend to use the boundless Karmic Force generated from slaughter and conversion. At a specific ’juncture,’ they will initiate a massive ritual that will cover the entire Eastern Wilderness and even parts of adjacent Star Realms! Once this ritual succeeds, it will draw the gaze of a supreme Fruit Position—one intimately connected to the highest foundation of the Buddhist Sect—from the depths of the cosmic Law of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm!"

"That Fruit Position..."

Lv Chunyang paused slightly, as if weighing the gravity of his words. "Its name holds supreme Buddhist might. It is called the Great Compassion and Great Mercy King of the Lotus in the Light Buddha!"

"This is an Ultimate Fruit of the Buddhist Sect, what one might call a Supreme Ultimate Dao Fruit Position. Even the Puchen Pure Land does not currently possess one, which is why they are trying every means possible to guide its descent."

Lv Chunyang looked at Xu Yunfan, his gaze becoming extremely solemn. "Once the projection of this Fruit Position is bestowed upon someone, if the recipient is capable and compatible enough, they will almost instantly achieve the Bodhisattva Fruit Position. Even in the worst-case scenario, it will trigger a monstrous anomaly and purify everything in all directions.

At that time, all the Demon Qi in the Eastern Wilderness will be forcibly purified and converted. The Dirt Qi will be cleansed, and a clear light will rise. With the recipient of the Bodhisattva Fruit Position as the core of its Law, an ’Earthly Buddha Country’ spanning countless miles of mountains and rivers will be established on the spot.

This will be the firmest wedge the Puchen Pure Land can drive into the easternmost frontier of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm, and it is a vital step for that World Honored One Tathagata to establish his own Buddha Realm.

This matter... The Puchen Pure Land has been plotting this for untold ages. Their foundations run extremely deep. Now, the time is at hand and the karmic threads are tightly woven. Your appearance and involvement, I’m afraid, perfectly fit a certain key ’catalyst’ in their plan."

As Lv Chunyang slowly explained, Xu Yunfan finally understood. He wasn’t just caught up in a single case; this was a cosmic game of chess planned by a Daoist Lord.

’And I’m just one of the pieces on that board, my path already set in stone!’

"Ancestral Master!"

Xu Yunfan was truly stunned. If all this was true, then even if he were the Sun Monkey, he wouldn’t be able to escape the Tathagata Buddha’s Five Finger Mountain.

"If that’s the case, am I not on a path to certain death? The Puchen Pure Land’s methods are beyond comprehension. If this disciple... shows the slightest defiance, wouldn’t I be..."

During his years at Cold Crow Pass, many Buddhist Cultivators had naturally come and gone for trade. By observing them with a detached eye, Xu Yunfan had managed to glean some insights into the secrets of the Puchen Pure Land’s Cultivation Methods.

He saw them chanting the name of the World Honored One Tathagata, piously worshiping the True Buddha, and even proclaiming, "Everyone is a Buddha, everyone is a World Honored One."

Beneath such a solemn and dignified facade, he had secretly obtained and examined several Pure Land True Scriptures.

Any Buddhist Cultivator who achieved anything of note within the Puchen Pure Land would have the very lifeline of their cultivation path almost completely subjugated by that World Honored One Tathagata, who sat enthroned high above the Pure Land!

It appeared as though anyone could become a Buddha, but in reality, their True Spirit Origin had long since been secretly branded with the World Honored One’s Seal, trapping them within the cage of his control for life.

"Hmph."

Lv Chunyang snorted lightly, a hint of derision in his voice. "Given that World Honored One Tathagata’s character of stopping at nothing to achieve his goals, if you, the catalyst, don’t perform to his ’satisfaction,’ or if you become an obstacle, it’s not impossible that he’d split off a sliver of his consciousness, descend upon the Eastern Wilderness, and personally force an ’ant’ like you to ’play’ his game.

The might of a Daoist Lord is impossible to fathom."

This was said so bluntly it was just short of calling the World Honored One Tathagata a shameless bastard. It was difficult for Daoist Lords to interfere personally after their ascension; the two Daoist Lords of the Wansheng Sword Sect and the Primordial Sect had not manifested their divine power in the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm for a very long time.

Only the World Honored One Tathagata, the last to attain the Daoist Lord realm, was constantly coming down to smurf.

The more Xu Yunfan thought about it, the paler his face became.

’A Daoist Lord. Personally descending to crush an insect like me?’

’It wasn’t out of the question.’

"I implore you, Ancestral Master, to show me the way!"

Xu Yunfan bowed deeply, nearly bending in half at the waist. This was his only hope.

Lv Chunyang pondered for a moment. His gaze swept over Xu Yunfan, pausing briefly on his Purple Mansion, where his aura was obscure but his Origin was stable.

"Directly resisting Buddha’s Destiny is the worst possible strategy, and confronting the Puchen Pure Land head-on is a death sentence. As a member of the Wansheng Sword Sect, I cannot help you much. After all, I have an ambiguous relationship with a certain Foundation Establishment Daoist Master from the Primordial Sect, which the other True Monarchs of the Sword Sect could use against me."