Chapter 3795: Self-Observation of White Bones

Chapter 3795: Self-Observation of White Bones

The three stood by the shore of the Sea of Light, gazing into the distance.

On the Sea of Light, space rules were active, energy fluctuating between the real and the illusory, connecting to another world.

"Lihentian!"

Zhang Ruochen murmured.

Tai Shang nodded gently. "This is the entrance connecting Kunlun Realm and Lihentian, opened up by the Time-Space Ancestor in ancient times. The mountains we just passed through are the ancestral land of the Divine Fallen Clan. If the Nether Prison truly cannot be defended, we will have no choice but to take it to Lihentian!"

The Divine Fallen Clan were descendants of the Time-Space Ancestor.

A clear breeze blew across the Sea of Light, lifting Tai Shang's white beard.

Tai Shang continued slowly, "You once wrote to me, asking what the Time-Space Ancestor left behind. In truth, aside from the incomplete Seventy-Two Layer Tower, the Sundial, and the Time-Space Divine Martial Mark, perhaps this is all that remains!"

"The era of ancient times is too far from the present. Many things have been corroded by time and cannot be preserved."

Zhang Ruochen deliberated repeatedly before asking, "Grandmaster, do you truly believe that the Immortal does not exist?"

This was not the first time Zhang Ruochen had discussed this with Tai Shang.

But this time, Tai Shang was unusually solemn. After a long silence, he said, "Ten thousand years ago, the Heavenly Venerable recounted the place where the Twenty Heavens fought thirty thousand years ago."

Seeing Zhang Ruochen and Chi Yao's auras falter, Tai Shang smiled faintly. "What's wrong with you two? Can't handle the pressure?"

"We need a moment to steady ourselves! First, we discover the anomaly in the Nether Prison, suspecting a great terror like the Demon Dao Ancestor may be about to emerge. Now, Grandmaster is about to tell us the great secret of the Twenty Heavens' fall thirty thousand years ago. This truly tests our hearts' endurance. We're just two young ones!"

Zhang Ruochen said in a half-joking manner.

In truth, Zhang Ruochen felt the crisis looming more keenly than anyone else, never truly relaxed. Though the cosmic situation appeared calm, calamities that could destroy realms and clans could erupt at any moment. The life and death of one person seemed utterly insignificant. The undercurrents were swift and terrifying.

Tai Shang said, "The higher the cultivation, the greater the responsibility. With your current cultivation, you should know these secrets. But I will only tell Chi Yao, not you."

Chi Yao showed a surprised expression.

Zhang Ruochen said, "Grandmaster, what do you mean by this?"

Tai Shang said, "Your curiosity is too strong, and your courage too great. I fear you won't be able to suppress the urge to go investigate."

Zhang Ruochen had no retort. After all, when Void Heaven had obtained the God-Defying Stele, he had guessed the location of the ancient battlefields of the Twenty Heavens but, fearing he couldn't control the urge to investigate, had returned the stele to Zhang Ruochen. Void Heaven's cultivation was far stronger than Zhang Ruochen's, yet he still acted thus.

Tai Shang transmitted a secret message to Chi Yao.

Chi Yao's eyes showed surprise, then she nodded gently to Tai Shang. "If that day truly comes, we will naturally walk the path our predecessors walked, without hesitation."

Zhang Ruochen asked, "Which day are you talking about?"

"They say that when the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. If one day our generation can no longer hold it and all die, you will have to take over. Then, you will have no retreat."

Tai Shang said meaningfully.

Zhang Ruochen could feel Tai Shang's pessimism. Absorbing the Udumbara Flower had extended his life by three hundred thousand years, but the aura of decline had not diminished. Thinking about it, it was understandable—figures like Qishier Pin Lian, Ba'er, Jiusi Yitianhuang, and Kui Huangliang were already enough to drain Tai Shang's energy, and the great terror that might escape the Nether Prison at any moment pushed Kunlun Realm to the brink. The unknown of the Twenty Heavens' battle thirty thousand years ago could probably suffocate even Hao Tian.

Hao Tian, Tai Shang, and others stood at the pinnacle of the universe, but the pressure they bore was unmatched.

Tai Shang said, "Ruochen, you asked me if the Immortal truly exists. Before, it was hard for me to answer, but after learning some things from the Heavenly Venerable, I can tell you clearly: behind this brilliant star river, there should indeed be a monster that has lived for an extremely long time. Perhaps more than one."

Zhang Ruochen asked directly, "Was the monster of the Twenty Heavens' battle thirty thousand years ago the Nether Ancestor?"

Tai Shang narrowed his eyes. "Why do you speculate that?"

Zhang Ruochen said, "The Compassionate Sea Immortal of the Western Buddha Realm told me a story called 'The Buddha's Self-Observation of White Bones.'"

"She said that after Kasyapa Buddha attained enlightenment, he spread the Four Noble Truths to the world, saving the suffering and accumulating boundless merit. He saw all the myriad forms of the mortal world and all living beings, believing he had understood the truth of all things and the source of suffering. But he became confused about himself, suddenly realizing he didn't understand himself at all."

"So, the Buddha observed himself."

"In this observation, Kasyapa Buddha discovered that he was not a living being but a skeleton, a dead spirit. It was the skeleton that had given birth to intelligence and attained the Buddha's great path."

Chi Yao was clearly startled by this secret. "Kasyapa Buddha was a dead spirit of the Bone Clan?"

Zhang Ruochen continued, "After the Buddha's self-observation of white bones, he could no longer maintain his flawless Buddha heart and nearly fell into demonhood. As the saying goes, one thought is Buddha, one thought is demon."

"So, Kasyapa Buddha chose to separate his three bodies."

"The Reward Body, representing his merit and knowledge, chose reincarnation."

"The Response Body, representing the Buddha's myriad incarnations, was severed by Kasyapa Buddha himself. Only the incarnation of Vina Yaka escaped, carrying the Paradise Realm with him."

"As for the Dharma Body, representing the Buddha's true form and life essence, it vanished without a trace after the Reward Body's reincarnation and the Response Body's self-severing. Only the Saha World and the Mani Pearl remained."

Tai Shang said, "Ruochen, do you think Kasyapa Buddha is connected to the Nether Ancestor?"

Zhang Ruochen said, "I can't be certain yet. I need to go to the Western Buddha Realm myself. But the Nether Ancestor created curses, and the Mani Pearl can dispel all curses. How could there be no causal connection between the two?"

"I have been to the Soul Realm and visited the Nether Ancestor's transformation site."

"Xuanyuan Second said that the Nether Ancestor was born from Xuanyuan Xuan Emperor's transformation into a dead spirit, his second life. But the Nether Clan all evolved from dead spirits. If Xuan Emperor was still alive, how could he transform into the Nether Clan?"

"Moreover, the era of Xuan Emperor and the era of the Nether Ancestor are separated by more than a billion years."

"So, between Xuan Emperor and the Nether Ancestor, there must have been another life."

Chi Yao said, "Is Kasyapa Buddha the intelligence born from Xuan Emperor's bones buried deep underground for billions of years? Did Kasyapa Buddha's Dharma Body go to the Soul Realm and transform into the Nether Ancestor?"

Zhang Ruochen said, "All of this needs to be verified in the Western Buddha Realm."

Tai Shang shook his head gently. "I have never heard of such secrets. Truly, one thought becomes Buddha, one thought becomes demon!"

Chi Yao frowned. "Even Grandmaster doesn't know. How does the Compassionate Sea Immortal know such secrets?"

Zhang Ruochen said, "Because she is the ten-thousandth reincarnation of Kasyapa Buddha, having awakened some memories."

Tai Shang warned, "Ruochen, she told you such a secret out of great trust. You must keep it for her. A ten-thousand-life Buddha has accumulated ten-thousand-life merit. A piece of her flesh could extend a cultivator's life by ten thousand years!"

Zhang Ruochen said, "If it weren't for Grandmaster and Yao Yao being the people I trust most, I would never have revealed this secret."

The three left the Sea of Light and walked out of the ancestral land.

Seeing Zhang Ruochen hesitate to speak several times, Tai Shang smiled. "Is Ruochen still a child? If you want to ask something, you can speak frankly with Grandmaster."

"Has Wen Tianjun returned?"

Zhang Ruochen asked.

Tai Shang nodded, giving an affirmative answer.

Zhang Ruochen and Chi Yao were both greatly invigorated. Wen Tianjun, a hundred thousand years ago, was known as the number one expert of Kunlun Realm, even stronger than Tai Shang. Having such a powerhouse stationed there was reassuring. Of course, after learning that Princess Shen Ba had inherited Murong Bu Huo's divine heart, Zhang Ruochen was already ninety percent sure. This only confirmed it further. Back then, only Wen Tianjun and Tai Shang could have silently left behind someone like Murong Bu Huo.

Tai Shang said, "Wen Tianjun has long wanted to see you, but he has been busy eroding Murong Bu Huo's spiritual will, delaying the meeting until now."

Zhang Ruochen said, "Is he in Kunlun Realm now?"

"He is a very busy man. After eroding Murong Bu Huo, he has been running around everywhere. When the Dragon Nest emerged, he was actually in the Heavenly Dragon Realm. When Ba'er tried to kill the Dragon Lord, he secretly repelled him. This move probably scared Ba'er and the others, making them uncertain of the situation and unable to guess who it was. Since then, they have dared not act rashly!"

Tai Shang said.

Zhang Ruochen emerged from his heavy mood and smiled. "I thought it was the Heavenly Venerable who acted."

Tai Shang suddenly stopped. "With Ruochen's current cultivation, are you planning to go to the Destiny Temple to retrieve your father?"

"I do intend to go to the Destiny Temple. I believe that with my current weight and some methods, I can force Void Heaven to back down."

Zhang Ruochen said.

Tai Shang said, "The Destiny Temple might be more terrifying than you imagine."

Tai Shang was clearly not referring to Ba'er or Kui Huangliang, or he wouldn't have said it that way.

Zhang Ruochen said, "Grandmaster means?"

"The Soul-Devouring Lamp!"

Tai Shang continued, "Back then, your Grandmaster was captured because of a sneak attack by the Soul-Devouring Lamp. But with the cultivation of the Soul-Devouring Lamp's artifact spirit, it didn't have such power. So, there must be an invisible person controlling the Soul-Devouring Lamp!"

Zhang Ruochen said, "Legend says the Soul-Devouring Lamp was a divine artifact refined by the Life Ancestor. Could it be that the Life Ancestor's remnant soul has truly descended into this world long ago?"

Tai Shang said, "That's hard to guess. However, Wen Tianjun has already gone to Hell Realm to investigate this matter!"

"Wen Tianjun went to Hell Realm?"

Tai Shang glanced at Zhang Ruochen. "Because back then, when Wen Tianjun's blood stained the starry sky, he was also attacked by the Soul-Devouring Lamp and fled to the border universe to save his life."

"So, Grandmaster's imprisonment in the Destiny Temple back then was closely related to the Soul-Devouring Lamp?"

Zhang Ruochen said.

Tai Shang nodded. "Behind the Soul-Devouring Lamp, there must be a very terrifying invisible person. During the hundred thousand years Kunlun Realm was sealed, its projection was active in Kunlun Realm. I don't know its purpose, but fortunately, the Dao Soul Platform could oppose it."

"If you go to the Destiny Temple, you can bring the Dao Soul Platform. At a critical moment, it might save your life."