pappabearbooks Chapter 407 - 373: Collapse of the Buddhist Court! Foundation of Blue Stone! Audience with Mahābrahmā!
Chapter 407 - 373: Collapse of the Buddhist Court! Foundation of Blue Stone! Audience with Mahābrahmā!
At the same time, inside Yellow Sand 011.Near one of the deepest points of the Demon Nest node.
Meng Chuan had arrived at the foot of the mountain early on and had been climbing for an hour.
Ever since he started ascending the mountain, he felt something was amiss.
Looking up at this moment, the summit was still out of sight.
He pondered:
"Before I climbed the mountain, the peak looked like a small mountain less than a kilometer high.
After climbing for so long, with my physical strength, I might soon break through the atmosphere..."
He stopped, surveying his surroundings.
A layer of yellow sand clung to the mountain surface, everything he touched was "solid."
He took a sniff, detecting the weighty scent of sand and earth.
Underfoot lay a stone path, "artificially" paved.
This was undoubtedly laid for some "creature" that frequently ascends here, facilitating its journey.
With his experience, Meng Chuan understood.
He hadn’t fallen into an illusion or the like; it was...
"The mountain is growing taller."
Meng Chuan squinted, gently rapping his knuckles against the rock layer, producing a muffled echo.
The mountain was massive, yet under his subtle perception, it was stretching upwards at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
Upon deeply probing the area, he finally discovered—
The ridge was incessantly swelling with new rock layers, akin to the heaving of a colossal beast’s back as it breathes.
Meng Chuan closed his eyes to contemplate, then opened them, suddenly speeding his pace.
"I just need to be faster than it grows..."
He raced upward in circles, gradually leaving the clouds beneath his feet.
After climbing for so long, he could now glimpse the palace faintly looming at the summit.
After a long while, until he shattered the last stair, his view suddenly broadened.
Meng Chuan saw that the entire complex of palaces was actually floating above the sea of clouds!
Golden-roofed halls shimmered with solemn Buddhist tones, nine tiers of white jade stairs encircled a glazed tower.
Prayer flags unfurled in the clouds, each beam and pillar carved with chants that Meng Chuan couldn’t decipher.
The entire architectural group was enveloped in a pale golden halo.
Meng Chuan squinted and observed, statues on lotus seats with four faces stood at the door.
Compassion, wrath, joy, contemplation.
Not knowing what they pondered, nor understanding their agitation.
All he knew was that the scene mirrored the mural exactly!
Inside the grand hall... would it be the same as the mural?
In the next moment, Meng Chuan exerted force beneath his feet, leaping onto the white jade platform.
In that instant.
The back of his head felt as if struck by a heavy hammer, and he abruptly plunged into ink-like darkness.
Dizziness enveloped his consciousness, his physical senses were normal, yet it was as if his vision were obscured.
Like a display suddenly losing power, all scenes forcibly extinguished in pitch blackness.
Meng Chuan’s perception at this moment seemed as if his spirit separated from his body, feeling akin to entering and exiting a world of imagery.
He awaited briefly, and the darkness gradually dissipated, revealing a hazy scenario before him.
Attempting to move hands and feet, yet catching no release from the mire.
"Illusion."
Finding no way out, he resorted to observing his surroundings with his eyes.
Seemingly suspended in clouds, overlooking a golden lotus platform where an indistinct-faced Buddha preached.
Amid wafting incense mist, he saw his kneeling figure receiving the baptism of Buddha’s light, yet as if through a water curtain unable to touch.
Sanskrit chants emerged intermittently, yet were indistinct, akin to a solemn yet illusory dream.
Just as Meng Chuan immersed himself in the ocean of Buddhist teachings, his understanding soared swiftly.
At this moment, black mist rose around him, suddenly surging to envelop heaven and earth!
The incense mist abruptly stagnated, Buddha’s light scattered like shattered glass, the golden lotus platform crumbled into ashes inch by inch.
Meng Chuan saw "himself" kneeling and bound by the mist, suddenly dragged into the abyss.
Sanskrit chants transformed into shrieks, countless fissures appeared in the clouds, spewing demonic qi sticky as tar, swiftly engulfing the whole dream.
The Buddha’s visage warped and collapsed, and all four lotus seat statues simultaneously seeped black blood.
"The Great Brahma... has been corrupted by the Celestial Demon?"
This seemed to be what the illusion intended to convey.
Meng Chuan struggled to close his eyes, only to find his eyelids also became void.
Black mist burrowed into his pupils, eroding his limbs and bones.
As the last glimmer of golden light vanished, he heard the roar of creation’s breakdown.
Upon reopening his eyes, it was as if his soul returned to his body, his form was once again his.
He looked around, the collapsed Buddhist temples were gone, the surroundings were pure chaos.
Once everything calmed down; speckled starlight seemed to descend, the vast starsea adorned chaos like countless resplendent gems.
An entity with four faces quietly appeared, ancient stars circulated around it, standing in the world.
It stood there, as if it was the center of the universe.
It raised its hand, causing the stars to invert their reflection; under its feet, chaos formed a lotus platform, the chant pierced through everything, even the void trembled in submission.
With four faces, watching all, controlling all.
This spectacle was precisely the Dharma form of the Twelve Celestial Kings, the image of the Great Brahma.
His thoughts shifted swiftly, recalling the earlier collapse of Buddhist principles...
Even such a presence... couldn’t withstand the terror of the encroaching black mist Celestial Demon!
Meng Chuan couldn’t help but contemplate.
Another peculiarity arose around him, unexpectedly the black mist surged again.
The exalted imagery surrounding him receded; he and the counterpart returned to the chaotic scene once more.
"I know you have many questions in your heart; you should see by now, this illusion has limited time, let’s keep it brief.
I’m afraid... I can only answer three questions for you, and thereafter, another fortune awaits you."
Meng Chuan regained his Heart Spirit and saw that the northern side had started showing signs of darkening, making him wary.
He had some suspicions about this place.
Without speaking of other matters, it is certainly related to the "Spiritual Power" of the Great Brahma Heaven.
He speculated:
"Perhaps... this place might be the spiritual realm of the Great Brahma Heaven."
Many Grandmasters and those skilled in the application of the "Divine" also possess similar means.
Especially the Buddhist Sect, which emphasizes mental cultivation alongside physical training.
To reach above the fourth threshold, one must be adept in the mastery of Spiritual Power.
As for the darkening face, it continued to spread.
It must be connected to the "black mist" from the scene in the Buddha Court earlier.
This black mist clinging to the Great Brahma Heaven signifies that His current state is not well and indeed "time is short."
Combining this with the "shadow in the hall" depicted on the mural before...
Meng Chuan had already guessed the general idea.
...
A few breaths later, Meng Chuan’s expression stabilized, having clarified what question he should ask.
"Do you have a split soul inside my body or nearby?"
The Great Brahma Heaven nodded slightly in all directions, indicating that this child is indeed not foolish, not falling into the "delusion of appearances."
Not asking useless questions like "Where is this place; what is your relationship with the Celestial Demon; are you the Celestial Demon?"
His discerning mind also understood Meng Chuan’s current confusion.
"I know what you are concerned about. This place is my Dharma Realm; consider it an illusion.
It is isolated from the outside world, which you humans refer to as the [Temple].
Other matters are known to human beings strong in Spirit; do not waste time on this."
"As for your question, I still have a split soul in the human world, which will follow my will to seek out the most enlightened guardian."
That would be himself, Meng Chuan continued to ask:
"Your purpose?"
"Continuous incense; speaking in Martial terms... eternal true essence."
"What kind of existence are you?"
In this regard, Meng Chuan did not know how to phrase it, wishing to clarify previous thoughts through this inquiry.
This world, does it have divine beings or innate gods?
Or did humans cultivate Great Magical Power and Divine Power to become gods and buddhas?
"No, I am... the [manifestation of all sentient beings] after Nirvana, now... merely a lingering obsession. Remember, only the human heart transforms appearances; illusions persist."
Meng Chuan nodded thoughtfully, speaking abstrusely; indeed, it was what he thought before.
Neither tangible nor substantial, faith leads to enlightenment, incense creates deities.
Seeing the black mist on His face still having gaps, he quickly asked:
"How should I help you?"
The current predicament of Great Brahma Heaven, combined with the previous portrayal on the cliff wall, was clearly not optimistic. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ????????????????????⁂????????????????⁂????????????
Receiving kindness naturally means repaying it.
Although at present, he is far from the black mist demon from that illusion, he still needs a direction to strive towards.
The Great Brahma Heaven frowned slightly, seemingly enduring tribulations.
The suffering of all beings.
"Just keep living; Martial Arts is the path to the heavens. Neither myself nor the gods and buddhas that you envision possess Great Divine Power or Great Magical Power.
Only by relying on the wishes of sentient beings can I temporarily help you evade Celestial Demon’s invasion, but ultimately... you must rely on yourself to break through illusions and attain truth."
As the words fell, the black mist had devoured the northern golden body, and the Buddhist chants abruptly ceased.
The scene darkened suddenly, the space around collapsed and twisted, and upon opening his eyes, Meng Chuan found himself in a closed space.
The walls were like jade, glimmering with a faint cyan glow, resembling the interior of a lotus bud.
The numerous changes in the surroundings gave Meng Chuan a deep sense of helplessness, unable to control his own destiny.
These consecutive experiences made him fully understand.
Only by becoming strong himself can he control his fate.
Coming back to his senses, Meng Chuan recalled what the Great Brahma Heaven said about giving him a [transformation].
He reached out to touch the surroundings, feeling them soft and warm like living flesh, and faintly sensing a weak pulse.
The inner wall of the lotus bud was covered with dense Buddhist scriptures, following the recent experiences, it seemed he could comprehend some insights.
A deep and pressing sound was heard in the distance, as if some great force was continually constricting the lotus bud.
Meng Chuan held his breath, concentrating, observing the dense patterns on the wall.
Though he couldn’t understand them, he could still grasp their flavor, ancient and solemn.
While carefully perceiving them, he was then aware that his spirit was exceptionally clear, thoughts swirling like lightning.
The previously obscure Buddhist scriptures now seemed to reveal their rhythm.
An inexplicable excitement surged from the depths of his heart, as if a force was propelling his awareness, continually ascending.
With each breath, his senses became sharper, able to distinctly discern the minute pulsations within the lotus bud’s walls.
The rise of Spiritual Power came suddenly, yet also naturally.
It was as if drawn by some mysterious force, continually breaking original boundaries.
"Is this... the transformation the Great Brahma Heaven mentioned?"
Indeed, for him, it was truly a great transformation!
The obscure scriptures on the inner wall emitted a glow, like keys unlocking the shackles deep within his soul.
Meng Chuan quietly apprehended this transformation.
Under introspection, though the quantity of Spiritual Power had not changed.
Only during the guidance was it condensed like a pump, starkly different from the previous faintly dispersed feel.
He understood, unlike the Tao Heart devouring Qi Blood to transform into Spiritual Power.
The transformation bestowed by the Great Brahma Heaven was filling the deficiency in his Divine Foundation!
With an unstable foundation, a great quantity of Spiritual Power is like rootless duckweed, ultimately difficult to mature.
The metamorphosis continued, as "Divine" coalesced like rivers flowing into the sea.
Under introspection, Meng Chuan could see faint golden traces emerging in the depths of his soul, echoing the scriptures on the lotus wall.
At this moment, his spiritual foundation had been solidified from "sand" to "blue stone."