Chapter 328: Blooming Beyond, Dizang Faces the Calamity

Chapter 328: Blooming Beyond, Dizang Faces the Calamity

Debt?

"That's called reversing cause and effect," Ji Jingqiu corrected.

Hela said, "Since Mu Shitian severed his report body, he has been using its convenience to travel through the Macroverse. So, he rarely appears in the Three-Thousand Yanfu Ti."

"I only know that Mu Shitian is suspected to have connections with all five pillars, but I'm not sure what they have achieved."

"Even the other three guys are no exception in this regard. I don't know if they've figured it out in the past ten thousand years."

As she spoke, Hela glanced at the well-behaved Wu Zhou.

And a certain Wu Zhou who had been suppressed at the foot of the mountain, already on the verge of death.

She didn't expect that the Bitter Sea's suppression of Wu Zhou would be so overwhelming.

The mere illusion of the Bitter Sea's water almost prevented this guy from turning over.

Hela, rarely serious, said,

"But one thing is certain. Since they have decided to formally invade your Federal Youhai Region, they must have a good grasp of the situation and would never fight a battle without confidence, especially against Wu Zhou."

"Even if they don't know that Mu Shitian's report body still exists, they would definitely prepare for the worst-case scenario."

Ji Jingqiu deeply agreed with this point, as he had witnessed Wu Zhou's planning.

Even Mu Shixiong, who had entered the Grand Master stage in his early years, often lost to Wu Zhou.

As they conversed, the Guardian Deity from Ji Jingqiu's inner Heaven-Earth emerged and stood behind him, shoulder to shoulder with the True Buddha's projection.

In a sense, the Guardian Deity's original foundation was a fragment of the True Buddha, which underwent various transformations over time, leading to its current state.

It was at this moment—

"Is the Sutian Lineage here to repay their debt?"

From the depths of the void, cold and unfriendly words reached Ji Jingqiu's ears, like a blade against stone, hoarse and rough, making it impossible to discern the gender.

Unlike the predecessor of the Qingzhu Lineage, who would joke and tease upon meeting, this person held ill intentions towards the Sutian Lineage, perhaps even disrespect.

Ji Jingqiu instinctively sensed the malevolence of the speaker.

"What debt?"

Ji Jingqiu asked, feeling the wind calamity within him, reaching the middle to late stages, almost at its end.

Although the local Yin Wind assisted, enhancing its effect far beyond ordinary wind calamities, Ji Jingqiu still felt something was missing, not quite reaching the "limit."

But clearly, there was no time for that now.

"Is the Sutian Lineage going back on their word?"

Compared to before, this voice was even more unfriendly, as if suppressing a certain emotion.

"In the past, you took without informing, leaving behind a promise. When will you repay it?"

Along with this voice, the Yin Wind swirling through heaven and earth suddenly roared, making Ji Jingqiu feel like he was in the Nine-Yin Hell, with the coldness invading his self.

The most severe was that his inner Heaven-Earth, which was on the verge of collapse, took another step forward!

Ji Jingqiu took a deep breath, maintaining suppression, feeling that something was missing earlier, but now it was just right.

Just right, if he could sustain it for a while longer, he might be able to pass through a wind calamity without precedent.

"Your reversal of cause and effect is taking without informing?" Hela chuckled.

Ji Jingqiu laughed awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed, but not overly so.

"Don't be hasty, fellow cultivator. When I return, I'll ask Wood Master if he has forgotten any old friends."

Ji Jingqiu stood tall, fully activating his inner Heaven-Earth to suppress the Yin Wind within him.

Although he didn't know the identity of the other party, who could it be, waking up at this critical moment?

At most, they would be of a higher generation but lower cultivation level, like a princess.

Hearing his words, even Hela couldn't help but marvel.

Good job, Ji Jingqiu. Living up to your claim of being invincible in the Macroverse, you speak so boldly to the descendants of the former five pillars, even calling them fellow cultivators.

The Yin Wind around them suddenly rose, swirling and roaring like a serpent, containing an essence so high that Ji Jingqiu's body tensed slightly.

Is he angry?

A chilling roar sounded, "Ask him? You go down there and ask him!"

Ji Jingqiu shook his head, "Fellow cultivator, do you think Wood Master is dead? How absurd is that?"

"Even the former Saint King didn't truly die, leaving traces in the world, waiting for his return. Wood Master's Dao fruit has long surpassed his predecessors, so how could he truly perish?"

"I've heard that the Former Heaven God Lineage has always been exceptionally arrogant, treating all living beings as insignificant. But I've never heard that this arrogance could be directed towards higher beings. It's truly absurd."

In the inner Heaven-Earth, Hela praised, "Well said. These Former Heaven Gods, with their heads in the clouds, are no different from the Eight Realms and other creatures and servants. You're right to suppress them with your cultivation."

This time, the source of the voice fell silent for a moment.

Ji Jingqiu didn't rush him, focusing on suppressing the wind calamity within and refining his inner Heaven-Earth.

"Have you seen that Saint King?" the other party suddenly asked, "Where?"

Ji Jingqiu calmly replied, "Right at the third ascension platform."

This time, the other party fell silent again, as if searching their memory for related information to confirm that Ji Jingqiu wasn't making things up.

After a moment, they asked again, "Is your Divine Light bestowed by Him? What did He say to you?"

Ji Jingqiu thought for a moment and said, "He said he has a daughter..."

"What?!"

This time, the voice was so shocked that it was unbelievable. Ji Jingqiu paused briefly before interrupting.

"How is that possible?!"

Ji Jingqiu was perplexed, "What do you mean by 'how is that possible'? Are you underestimating me, fellow cultivator?"

It's just that he would have to give her some leeway in the future.

He, Ji Jingqiu, certainly had the strength to do so.

"To withstand a Yin Wind capable of dispersing a Heavenly-Human Perfected, and you've endured it, indeed, I underestimated you."

A faint strand of Qi from the depths of the starry sky approached, carrying an indescribable chill, and the voice from the void finally revealed a bit of its true nature.

Ji Jingqiu's pupils contracted sharply, and without a second thought, he harnessed the power of his Heart-Soul Holy Embryo, using the essence of 'Ubiquity' to 'ascend' and finally gain some clarity on the opponent's true form.

"The Boundary-Devouring Serpent?!" Ji Jingqiu exclaimed in shock.

Before him, a colossal serpent exuded an ancient and decaying aura, seemingly long dead. Yet, the portion of its body that he could see stretched for tens of millions of miles, spanning the starry universe! Each of its scales was large enough to form a continental plate, seemingly containing an independent universe within, yet also emitting a sense of deathly stillness and decay, as if the end had come.

As if a droplet had splashed from the river of time, Ji Jingqiu witnessed a scene from the past within the splashing water and fire—

In the starry river, a massive serpentine figure raised its head, its eyes a chilling shade of dark green. With each breath, countless mottled scales rose, giving birth to streams of black storms that instantly extinguished thousands of stars ahead, extinguishing countless suns...

At this moment, Ji Jingqiu finally understood the origin of the Yin Wind in the 'Divine Gale and Ghostly Abyss'.

"This is the Jiuyouying Serpent!"

A warning from Hela echoed in Ji Jingqiu's heart, "Along with your Boundary-Devouring Serpent, it belongs to the Void lineage, one of the earliest born Void Beasts. It had already reached the peak of its race, and even in the Mingxu lineage, it was renowned for its formidable power. I never imagined that its corpse would end up buried here after death..."

Ji Jingqiu exhaled slowly and looked again, but the previous scene had vanished, leaving only a cold serpent corpse curled up in the starry sky.

At this moment, there was no trace of the barren plain; everything was the Yin soil derived from this serpent's body.

Ji Jingqiu paused for a moment and asked, "Are you sure it's really dead? I'm not saying this, but even Qianfa is still alive..."

Hela whispered, "The one who killed it back then was Yan. With Yan's methods, for this guy to leave behind a corpse, it must be thanks to the timely intervention of that Mingzhu."

"The Death Demon... Is it the path of annihilation in terms of karma and time?"

Ji Jingqiu's gaze continued to sweep across the ancient serpent's body, where a cloaked figure sat, shrouded in darkness, making it difficult to discern their features.

"So, this is the real owner?" Ji Jingqiu took the initiative and introduced himself, "My name is Ji Jingqiu. How may I address you, fellow cultivator?"

"I am Youjiu," the figure under the black robe said, extending a hand to rest on the serpent's body beneath them. Their voice remained cold, "Is the Wind Calamity over?"

Ji Jingqiu nodded slightly, grateful for the extra 'fire' that had helped him through the Wind Calamity, which had now passed, giving way to a new life after the disaster.

Three calamities and three rebirths were the foundation for the creation of all things.

He had already firmly stood on the threshold of the Small Heavenly Position, and with his understanding of 'I Am Who I Am', the second level of Heavenly Unity, posed no obstacle for him as a Middle Heavenly Position cultivator.

"Three thousand kalpas ago, your Sutian Lineage promised to help our Mingxu Lineage establish the Yin Soil, but it wasn't until today that you deigned to show yourself."

"Let me see if your Sutian Lineage has the qualifications to fulfill its ancient promise."

Under the black robe, the figure extended a hand as white as jade, gently pressing it onto the serpent's body below, their voice carrying a hint of mystery.

A faint sound of ocean waves seemed to echo through the heavens and earth.

Ji Jingqiu's face twitched, about to call out and ask if this figure had made a mistake.

A kalpa is 10,800 years, but three thousand kalpas...?

Their federation had only risen to prominence within a single kalpa!

But Hela's distracted murmur left Ji Jingqiu in a state of uncertainty.

"The river of time... Could it be that Mu Shitian was swimming against the current, laying plans for eternity, and enduring ten thousand calamities?"

Ji Jingqiu's heart stirred as he wondered what Mu Shitian had promised.

The sound of ocean waves echoing through the heavens and earth became increasingly grating, and Ji Jingqiu's expression changed slightly as he looked towards the source.

Countless mindless wraiths rushed forth, not particularly powerful but infinite in number.

Especially from the distant pitch-black mountain, it was as if the Yellow Spring had descended, and countless fierce ghosts and wraiths surged like a tidal wave towards this place, causing Ji Jingqiu's expression to turn solemn.

The nearest wraiths were about to engulf the ground where Ji Jingqiu stood.

Ji Jingqiu reached into the void and drew out Qingzhu, the light flooding into the long blade, enhancing its power. At this moment, Qingzhu seemed unusually heavy, containing infinite power that warped the void.

This strike held nothing back and was not meant to destroy, but rather to purify. As the blade slashed out, it was like a great sun rising, hanging over the netherworld, illuminating the four directions as bright as day!

Countless wraiths had nowhere to hide under the light, and the five poisons and eight sufferings within them were dispelled, causing their expressions to become dazed. They stopped their mindless charge and gradually returned to tranquility.

However, as more wraiths surged forward in an endless wave, those who had been cleansed of their karmic debts were involuntarily pushed forward.

Ji Jingqiu's eyebrows furrowed. How could they resolve this endless tide of wraiths?

What concerned him the most was that as the number of wraiths increased, a terrifying presence began to manifest between heaven and earth, unlike the will of the macroverse. He couldn't describe even a millionth of it; it was like the collective will of countless wraiths.

At this moment, wraiths filled the heavens and earth, leaving no sun, moon, wind, or clouds—only an endless sea of wraiths.

"Is the Yin Soil the cycle of reincarnation that the Mingxu Lineage wanted to establish?" Ji Jingqiu suddenly asked.

"Yes. These are..." Hela replied in a somber tone, "the descendants of the Yin Soil Lineage from long ago."

"In the past, the Mingzhu wanted to establish the Yin Soil without regard for the opposition from the other four lineages. But in the end, he was blocked by the Sea of Suffering, falling just short of success. All the countless divine nation's descendants became wraiths..."

"Which is what you see before you."

"They are nearly immortal and indestructible. Only by guiding them to transcendence can they be saved. But even for the Mingzhu, to guide all these wraiths and dispel the eight sufferings within them would mean falling from the divine seat and sinking into the Sea of Suffering, never to escape."

"Later, the Mingzhu thought of a way. He used his divine nation as the burial ground for the Yin Soil, accommodating all the wraiths. This happened around... three thousand kalpas ago?!"

Hela suddenly stood up, "Could this be related to Mu Shitian? But what did he take without telling us?"

"!"

Ji Jingqiu paid no heed to the overwhelming tide of countless wraiths, like a vast ocean, swarming and terrifying beyond human comprehension.

He chose to sit in meditation, summoning the Bodhi, creating a Pureland, and attempting to suppress and enlighten the spirits.

Meanwhile, he also communicated with the Guardian Deity behind him, curious about this sudden appearance from the Inner Realm of Heaven and Earth, and the purpose of their visit.

As he sat down, the Guardian Deity followed suit, assuming the lotus position, hands in a seal, serene and unmoving, eyes closed in recitation.

Ji Jingqiu heard the deity reciting the Sutra of Rebirth and Salvation, a scripture passed down in the lineage of the World-Honored One. With each verse, the world gradually revealed a jade-like hue, both inside and out, becoming crystal clear.

At this moment, the projection of the Supreme True Buddha merged into the body of the Guardian Deity, forming a golden body, as if countless layers of time and space were stacked, each with a Buddha sitting, filled with compassion.

Ji Jingqiu felt a connection and urged the Bodhi to shower its pure light onto the Guardian Deity.

A Pureland emerged from nothingness, forming and expanding outward in an instant, blending with the Buddha's Pureland, omnipresent, encompassing the myriad worlds, boundless, and drawing in the endless Youhai spirits into the Pureland!

"The King of Heaven's Dharma Body?"

Not far away, Youjiu whispered, repeatedly confirming that this was not the physical shell of the World-Honored One, and that there was an extremely close connection with Ji Jingqiu, as if they shared the same origin.

"It's the Reward Body, not the Dharma Body..."

"Can a mere heavenly being manifest the King of Heaven's Reward Body?"

After comprehending certain secrets, Youjiu fell into deep thought.

The lineage of the World-Honored One seemed not to be empty words...

As the sutra spread, the endless spirits in the forefront were enlightened, their vengeful spirits dissipating, their twisted and contorted forms calming, leaving only peace and bewilderment.

They were like lost travelers, unaware of their origins or destinations, until golden divine flowers bloomed in the void, guiding the lost.

The Buddha's light rippled from the golden body, opening golden flowers in the void of the Yin Earth, not like lotuses or banyan trees, yet guiding the spirits to sit in the Pureland.

At the same time, the Bodhi tree, rooted in the void, rustled with life, its sturdy trunk pulsating with vibrant vitality. A gentle mist of pure light enveloped the tree, emitting a sense of joy.

At the tip of the branches, a drop of water slowly condensed, falling onto the seat of the Guardian Deity, where a golden lotus platform opened in the void, transforming into a golden lotus of merit.

At this moment, Ji Jingqiu seemed to sit opposite the Guardian Deity.

"This place is where my karmic connection lies. I beseech the World-Honored One to allow me to stay here."

The Guardian Deity joined their hands together and bowed in entreaty.

Ji Jingqiu's gaze moved past the deity, falling upon the spirits who had shed their vengeful spirits and sat in peace. A soft sigh escaped his heart.

In the past, when you were named Dizang, I never imagined that one day, this name would come true.

"Can you sense their suffering?" Ji Jingqiu asked softly.

The Guardian Deity, named Dizang, shed a teardrop of blood, rolling down their cheek, refracting a kaleidoscope of scenes. In a fleeting glance, Ji Jingqiu witnessed countless tragic and painful events, seeing the struggles of the spirits in the Yin Earth.

Indeed...

"What will you do?" Ji Jingqiu asked. "How many of these spirits occupy the Yin Earth? Can you truly enlighten them all?"

The Guardian Deity remained silent.

The spirits revealed here were merely a fraction of the Yin Earth, a mere one in a billion. The number was truly like the grains of sand in the Ganges.

Even for the deity, the task seemed daunting, fearing that in this life, there would be no chance to serve by the World-Honored One's side.

"Please, World-Honored One, teach me."

Ji Jingqiu spoke softly, "I once heard that a Buddha made a grand vow: 'As long as the hells are not empty, I will not attain Buddhahood. When all sentient beings are saved, I will then attain enlightenment.'"

The Guardian Deity's eyes widened slightly.

Ji Jingqiu's expression remained calm, and behind him, the Supreme True Buddha manifested.

With each word spoken, the Guardian Deity repeated—

From this day forward, in hundreds of thousands of millions of kalpas, in the worlds that should exist, in all the hells, and in the three evil paths, I vow to save all sentient beings suffering from sins and evils, from hells, from the realms of animals and hungry ghosts, and from such karmic retributions, to attain Buddhahood, and only then will I attain true enlightenment...

The divine will descended, the Buddha's voice thundered, vast and grand, illuminating the boundless void with divine light. The endless ghostly realm was illuminated, revealing a jade-like clarity, as pure light rained down.

Youjiu, who had opened a corner of the Yin Earth, was shaken, sensing the grand divine will descending from the heavens.

Is this... a vow to carry the divine will?

At this very moment, the Guardian Deity, having merged with a portion of the True Buddha's essence, slowly rose, bowed once more to Ji Jingqiu, and took the initiative to approach the endless spirits ahead. The golden lotus platform beneath them transformed into Buddha light, following them, bringing warmth, peace, and purity.

With each step, a golden divine flower bloomed beneath their feet, resonating with the Buddha's voice, eradicating the sins and karmic debts of sentient beings.

It was not a golden lotus or a banyan tree, but the other shore.

The flower blooms on the other shore!

With each step, the deity ascended, and wherever they went, the other shore bloomed. The obsessions of the endless spirits vanished, and they silently followed behind, finding refuge in the Pureland, heading deeper into the Yin Earth.

At this moment, Youjiu, wishing to close the gateway to the Yin Earth, found it beyond their control!

Shaken, they tried various methods, but to no avail, and could only watch helplessly as the mysterious "deity" entered the Yin Earth!

Youjiu stood up abruptly, gritting their teeth, unsure if their reckless actions would bring uncontrollable changes.

They turned to Ji Jingqiu, about to say something, but met a pair of calm eyes, as if piercing through everything with their depth.

Through the Guardian Deity's grand vow, carrying the divine will of the Macroverse, Ji Jingqiu witnessed a corner of the light of the past, piercing understanding.

It was a figure standing on the river of time, reprimanding the Supreme Yin Lord for their arrogance, going against the natural order, disregarding the lives of countless spirits under their command...

Ji Jingqiu spoke slowly, "The promise of the past was not made to your Mingxu Yimai, but to the billions upon billions of lives within it."

"The lineage of the World-Honored One has never owed the Mingxu Shenxi."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end