https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-129-Another-Ascends-the-Foundation-Building-Stage-/13505991/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-131-The-Transformation-of-the-Ten-Thousand-Lives-Scroll/13505993/
Chapter 130: Are There Still Karmic Bonds?
Chapter 130: Are There Still Karmic Bonds?
Jiangxi, Blissful Purity Pure Land.
Within the Zen domain's sacred grounds stood countless temples, among them a modest monastery radiating brilliant golden light and resonating with deep, echoing bell chimes. Its main entrance bore a plaque inscribed with three majestic characters: Subduing Dragon Temple.
Pushing open the temple gates revealed the grand hall where a towering Arhat statue loomed. Beneath it sat a handsome youth with rosy lips and white teeth on a reed meditation cushion. Around him, disciples chanted sutras and wielded ceremonial instruments, conducting a solemn ritual.
Suddenly, a thunderous boom shattered the air.
"Hm?" The youth opened his eyes, his expression shifting to alarm. "Guanghai and Guanghui are dead? Only Guangming remains alive?"
Three of his most capable disciples had been sent to participate in the Dao Contention War at the Bodhisattva's request. Guanghai, the most powerful cultivator among them, followed by Guanghui and Guangming respectively. Yet now, astonishingly, only Guangming—the least talented—had survived.
But Subduing Dragon Arhat's face darkened further. "This is... the Nine Metamorphosis Dragon Art? No—it's the Ten-Thousand Chariots Dragon-Riding Dao Foundation! Someone has successfully foundation-built without my detection!?"
Though he had cultivated the Nine Metamorphosis Dragon Art, the Ten-Thousand Chariots Dragon-Riding Dao Foundation had been bestowed upon him by a prominent Pure Land figure. The "Ten-Thousand Chariots" referred specifically to the "True Dragon Slaughter Qi."
Ordinary cultivators who reached the third-grade true qi stage through the Nine Metamorphosis Dragon Art merely became raw materials for his plan—eventually transmuted into the temple's Dharmic guardian Vajras. His greatest fear was someone transcending the Nine Metamorphosis Dragon Art's limitations, forging their own Ten-Thousand Chariots Dragon-Riding Dao Foundation, and becoming a rival who could not only escape his control but also challenge him for supremacy itself.
"Whoever it is... must die!"
With this thought, Subduing Dragon Arhat's form dimmed as he activated the "Buddha Seal Transmission" technique, projecting his consciousness directly toward the source.
However, his expression shifted abruptly as three colossal, sky-filling Dharmic bodies appeared before him, their gazes converging on his soul.
"Which wandering cultivator dares trespass here?"
A voice rolled like thunder, shaking Subduing Dragon Arhat's Dao Foundation to the brink of collapse.
"Good indeed, good indeed."
A solemn Buddhist chant stabilized the void, rescuing his crumbling foundation and pulling him back from death's edge. The voice belonged to Qingcheng Feixue, a True Monarch.
"Master Lu, your haste is unseemly. Since Subduing Dragon and your sect's disciple share such deep karmic ties, why not let them meet first rather than resorting to violence?"
Subduing Dragon Arhat steadied himself, finally noticing the young man standing between the three True Monarchs. The youth's aura matched the Dao Foundation he'd sensed earlier—Ten-Thousand Chariots Dragon-Riding. His wary gaze confirmed his suspicion.
"Calamity!"
He instantly grasped the situation. This was a Primordial Sacred Sect prodigy! Eliminating him was now impossible—but this directly threatened his cultivation path.
Worse still, the youth's foundation was perfectly refined, already at the peak of Foundation Building's initial stage.
"A perfect Foundation Building?" Subduing Dragon Arhat muttered in dread.
Such innate perfection would accelerate his cultivation exponentially—allowing him to assimilate the first Celestial Vanguard Terrestrial Sha within thirty years, advancing toward the middle stage effortlessly. A true lifelong rival!
Clutching his prayer beads fiercely, Subduing Dragon Arhat turned to Lv Yang. "This cultivator and I share significant karmic ties."
"Really?" Qingcheng Feixue smirked, summoning the Jie Tian-embodied wonder, Ten Thousand Caves of the Hundred Insects, which spun elegantly in her palm. "Esteemed Daoists, shall we place this wonder in Jiangdong or Jiangxi?"
"Jiangxi seems suitable", another True Monarch mused.
"Amitabha!" The Pure Land True Monarch intoned. "Now that the Dao Contention War concludes, I must return."
"Why the rush?" Qingcheng Feixue teased. "What of karmic bonds?"
"None remain", the Bodhisattva replied with serene detachment, gesturing to Subduing Dragon Arhat. "Return with me."
Resentment flickering across his face, Subduing Dragon Arhat obeyed, casting one last glare at Lv Yang before retreating behind the Pure Land True Monarch. Moments later, their golden light faded as they returned westward, Guangming and a dozen surviving cultivators in tow.
Meanwhile, the Dao Court True Monarch fumed silently. While Pure Land preserved survivors like Guangming, his own forces had been utterly annihilated. Fortunately, Dao Court prioritized bureaucratic ranks over individual lives—the lost could be replaced through imperial examination appointments. His true fury stemmed from the Ten Thousand Caves of the Hundred Insects' relocation.
With a flourish of Qingcheng Feixue's jade hand, the wonder crashed down upon Jiangdong's borderlands. Instantly, cultivators below felt their cultivation difficulty shift.
At dawn's first light, morning mist condensed. The land's qi surged north-south, disrupting elemental balance. All cultivators practicing Metal-Water techniques felt inexplicable exhilaration—Qingcheng Feixue's karmic fruit had displaced the region's former influence, altering fate for countless practitioners.
Even Foundation Building Realm aspirants experienced dramatic changes—one novice's breakthrough odds plummeted from 40% to zero, while another's rose from 10% to 20%.
"Gratitude, Daoist friend!" Qingcheng Feixue laughed, while the Dao Court True Monarch silently departed, his dark countenance betraying seething anger.
Back in Blissful Purity Pure Land, Subduing Dragon Arhat confronted the Precious Vase Moonlight Bodhisattva, the Pure Land's True Monarch.
"Venerable Bodhisattva, what transpired in the Dao Contention War?"
"A mere defeat", she replied calmly. "Though we lost fewer, Dao Court bore the brunt."
"Guangming performed admirably. His timely betrayal saved our Bodhisattva disciples from annihilation. Clever lad, though we mustn't openly reward treachery."
"Understood, Holy One."
Subduing Dragon Arhat bowed, impressed by Guangming's survival. Yet his mind returned to the new Foundation Building practitioner.
The Bodhisattva's fingers danced. "Karmic threads severed. Your fate alone remains. Should you convince him to convert or eliminate him, Pure Land shall support you. Otherwise, we nurture no superfluous souls."
The warning hung heavy as Subduing Dragon Arhat crawled backward, leaving the hall with bowed head.
(End of Chapter)
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