Chapter 4103: The Loss of the Saha World
"Amitabha!"
A Buddhist chant rang out as Xuanyuan the Second saw a young monk appear before him, blocking his path.
Xuanyuan the Second casually sized him up.
The monk wore an old, patched robe, was disheveled and reeked of alcohol—where was the solemn dignity expected of a Western Buddha Realm cultivator?
Xuanyuan the Second was in a foul mood and said irritably, "Move along, move along. We're not the same kind of monk. Don't try to cozy up to me."
"Did this humble monk try to cozy up to you?"
Fan Chen asked in surprise.
Xuanyuan the Second suppressed his emotions, telling himself to remain calm and natural, and said, "Stop the nonsense. If you have something to say, say it."
Fan Chen said, "Are you really a Buddhist cultivator? Why are you so irritable? This humble monk merely saw that you, a Bone Clan member, have your heart set on the Buddha, and I admired you for it. That's why I wanted to befriend you..."
"Who are you calling a Bone Clan member?"
In Xuanyuan the Second's deep, hollow, bony eye sockets, two clusters of Death Divine Fire blazed.
"You... you're not a Bone Clan member?" Fan Chen was even more surprised.
Xuanyuan the Second let out a deep snort, swung his staff, and tried to sweep Fan Chen aside to continue on his way.
Fan Chen grabbed the staff and asked, "If you're not a Bone Clan member, how do you explain this white bone body? If you're not a Buddhist cultivator and deliberately wear Buddhist robes, you are blaspheming the Buddha. This poor monk must have a proper discussion with you about this."
Xuanyuan the Second, who had been anxious and impatient, instantly calmed down and carefully observed the young monk before him.
Just now, his light sweep, though not channeling divine power, was certainly "unstoppable when unleashed," growing stronger against resistance.
Who would have thought the other party would catch it so easily?
Xuanyuan the Second increased his force, but the staff remained completely still.
"So, the true master doesn't reveal himself! You're the real tough guy disguised as a monk, aren't you? Why not show your true form? Why play dumb and act mysterious?"
The number of powerful Buddhist cultivators in the world could be counted on one hand, and Xuanyuan the Second knew them all.
Suddenly, a stranger appeared and intercepted him. How could there be no problem?
More importantly, Xuanyuan the Second couldn't see through him, didn't know his depth, and couldn't deduce his past or future.
That was a bit frightening!
One must know that even the Dark Lord Ancestor, upon first glance, had thought Fan Chen was an ordinary monk.
It would be strange if other cultivators could see through him.
Fan Chen pressed his palms together and said, "This humble monk's Dharma name is Fan Chen. I am certainly not one to hide my identity."
Xuanyuan the Second secretly mobilized his Xuan Huang Divine Qi, and his white bones gradually turned golden yellow, saying, "That's probably not your real name, is it?"
Fan Chen pondered for a moment, recalling Zhang Ruochen's earlier words, and said, "This humble monk once had a name: Xuanyuan the Second."
"That's it. He's definitely here to provoke. He must have instructed Yuan Qiu to steal the Saha World." Xuanyuan the Second thought to himself, and a strong killing intent gradually emanated from him.
...
After parting ways with Fan Chen, Zhang Ruochen went to Tianhuang Sacred City, three thousand miles away.
Since he was feigning death to deceive the Ancestors and the Immortals, the fewer cultivators who knew he was still alive, the better.
Therefore, it was inconvenient for him to meet Xuanyuan the Second.
The Life-and-Death Boundary Star held a special geographical position in the Hell Realm. It was the confluence of several major tributaries of the Santu River and the starting point of several Ancient God Paths.
From here, one could take Divine Ships and Saint Vessels through the Santu River tributaries to many distant places.
Some of these even included planets or major worlds in the Heavenly Court Universe. However, after the war between the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm in the Middle Ages, these waterways were sealed off, cutting off all traffic.
It wasn't until the Quantity Organization was destroyed and the Nether Ancestor Faction and the God Realm emerged that relations between the Heavenly Court Universe and the Hell Realm eased in recent years, reopening two or three waterways.
These waterways, established along the Santu River tributaries, were completely independent of the real cosmic space.
In the real universe, an ordinary Divine Ship would need to fly for millions of years to cross a star domain. Traveling through the Santu River tributaries might only take a few hundred days.
It was just like the Ancient God Paths!
Only by walking such paths could Heavens-level powerhouses quickly traverse cosmic space and rush to star domains tens of thousands of light-years away to provide support.
If one looked into the starry sky, one could see a turbid river, wrapped in Death Yin Qi, flowing through the universe, passing through the enormous Life-and-Death Boundary Star, and heading into the dark beyond.
Every point of contact between the Life-and-Death Boundary Star and the Santu River formed an ocean.
There were seventy-nine such oceans on the planet.
Around each ocean, there were several ferry crossings leading to different places.
Beside the large ferry crossings, a Sacred City would inevitably be built to accommodate traveling cultivators for lodging, dining, trading, and entertainment. It was like the Qiyuan Ferry and Qiyuan Sacred City that Zhang Ruochen had visited before.
Tianhuang Sacred City and Dihuang Sacred City were both located on the shores of the Eight Divisions Sea, less than ten thousand miles apart, with ferry crossings leading to Tianhuang and Dihuang respectively.
Entering Tianhuang Sacred City, Zhang Ruochen found countless cultivators from all over the universe, from all clans, making the place overcrowded.
After some inquiry, he learned that this phenomenon had persisted for over a hundred thousand years. They were all fleeing to Tianhuang to avoid disaster.
Both the Heavenly Court Universe and the Hell Realm were too turbulent.
Unlike before, when gods were forbidden from participating in mortal conflicts.
Now, not to mention gods, even God Kings, God Venerables, Heavens, Indestructibles, Heavenly Venerables, and Half-Ancestors were fighting all over the sky. In a great battle, even the residual shockwaves could destroy half a star domain. Countless cultivators didn't even know the reason before they were annihilated.
Although Tianhuang had thinner Heaven and Earth Qi, and life-bearing planets were far apart, with very few places suitable for cultivation, it was at least a bitterly cold place.
But at least it wasn't so turbulent.
After the Entropy Calamity occurred, even more cultivators came to Tianhuang Sacred City.
Ferries that used to depart once every three months now departed once every three days, but it was still far from enough. Cultivators applying to the Meng Family Shipping Company to go to Tianhuang were already booked up twenty years in advance.
Although a great calamity of quantities would come after one Eon, destroying everything.
For ordinary cultivators, they just wanted to live out their lives in peace, perhaps a few hundred years, perhaps a few thousand years. The vast majority of gods only had a lifespan of one Eon anyway.
Zhang Ruochen certainly didn't plan to queue. He went straight to the City Lord's Mansion of Tianhuang Sacred City.
He knew that the City Lord of Tianhuang Sacred City was a god of the Meng Family, named Meng Ershiba.
Under the current circumstances, the Meng Family also wanted to expand. Those recruited to go to Tianhuang had to be promising young people or cultivators with a certain level of strength who could be incorporated into the Sacred Army.
The City Lord's Mansion was no exception. The cultivators gathered there blocked the roads completely.
Within a hundred zhang of the mansion gate were alien warriors about five meters tall, clad in silver armor, each holding a war spear, breathing out Saint Qi, giving an imposing and powerful impression.
Without showing real skill, there was no way to enter the City Lord's Mansion.
After observing for a while, Zhang Ruochen found that at least Saint King realm cultivators could enter the mansion gate. Saints and Half-Saints had to apply at the shipping company.
The threshold was extremely high.
Just then, a person quickly walked out of the City Lord's Mansion and posted a notice outside the gate.
"Recruiting Buddhist cultivators. All Buddhist cultivators above the Saint realm will be treated as honored guests. Upon completion of the task, there will be a generous reward."
...
"Why is the Meng Family recruiting so many Buddhist cultivators? The conditions keep being lowered, from Great Saints to Saint Kings, and now even Saint realm Buddhist cultivators are being recruited."
"Half a year ago, after the Meng Family announced the recruitment of Buddhist cultivators, not only the White Clothes Valley lineage of Buddhist practitioners, but reportedly many Buddhist disciples from the Heavenly Court Universe have also come."
"It seems the Meng Family has encountered some trouble."
"The Meng Family has an ancestor at the Heavenly Venerable level. What problem can't he solve?"
"Haha! What kind of existence is a Heavenly Venerable? It's a great figure whose every move affects the entire universe. If everything were solved by a Heavenly Venerable, the rest of the Meng Family cultivators wouldn't need to exist! Besides, I've heard that Meng Heavenly Venerable is not in Tianhuang, but lives permanently in the Yama Clan."
...
For an existence of Zhang Ruochen's level, finding the waterway from Tianhuang Sacred City to Tianhuang was not difficult; he could go alone.
But doing so would, first, make him too conspicuous. If he encountered a formidable character, it would be easy to expose his identity. Xuanyuan the Second's sudden appearance had completely caught him off guard.
Fortunately, Xuanyuan the Second was not a meticulous cultivator and seemed preoccupied, so he hadn't noticed anything amiss.
Second, Zhang Ruochen was not going to Tianhuang; he was looking for Bihuo Pass.
Therefore, he had to find a way to get on the Meng Family's good side.
Zhang Ruochen waved his wide sleeve, pushing aside the cultivators one by one, and walked out from the crowd, saying, "Boundless Heavenly Venerable! Is the Meng Family only recruiting Buddhist cultivators, not Taoist priests?"
Meng Buyi had sparse, graying hair, his body severely shriveled, looking like a skinny monkey sitting with his eyes closed to the left of the mansion gate. He was a False God. Sensing Zhang Ruochen's extraordinary nature, he opened his eyes and looked intently.
Before he could get up, a loud commotion came from afar.
"Move aside! Move aside!"
Xuanyuan the Second, holding a staff in one hand and dragging the monk Fan Chen in the other, strode towards the City Lord's Mansion.
Meng Buyi, whom others saw as unapproachable, had already risen and was respectfully bowing to Xuanyuan the Second.
Without even glancing at him, Xuanyuan the Second disappeared through the mansion gate.
In reality, besides Zhang Ruochen, no one present could clearly see Xuanyuan the Second's form or appearance. Even Meng Buyi could only see a mass of Buddha light.
"What's this? He got captured by Xuanyuan the Second just like that? I thought he was an expert." Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
Meng Buyi appeared before Zhang Ruochen and said, "It's not that we only recruit Buddhist cultivators. If your cultivation is strong enough, you can also become an honored guest of the Meng Family."
Zhang Ruochen's current appearance was not his true face. He looked about forty years old, slightly thin, with eyes as deep as the ocean, revealing a tranquility and profundity that transcended the mundane, as if he could see through all worldly phenomena.
His temples hung down to his chest, his smile was gentle, and he naturally exuded an extraordinary elegance.
It was this impressive appearance that first caught the attention of the False God, Meng Buyi.
Zhang Ruochen spread his palm, and in the center appeared a sea area spanning thousands of miles, with three islands in the sea. The islands were densely forested and had rugged, strange rocks.
All of this was condensed from Sacred Dao Rules.
"Twenty-three trillion Sacred Dao Rules, Half-Saint peak." Meng Buyi was secretly shocked and made a gesture of invitation, saying, "Please come in, fellow Daoist!"
Although Meng Buyi was stronger than a Half-Saint peak cultivator, once a Half-Saint peak cultivator transcended the tribulation and became a god, he would be far beyond the reach of a False God.
One must know that other Supreme Realm Great Saints, upon reaching the Half-Saint realm, could attempt to impact the God realm.
Those who could reach the Half-Saint peak were all outstanding talents. Their future achievements would certainly not be limited to Lower Position Gods or Middle Position Gods.
Moreover, in this era, transcending tribulations was far easier than before.
To meet Meng Ershiba, one's cultivation naturally couldn't be too low; one had to show some strength.
Although Zhang Ruochen had only just merged his consciousness and body, with no rules or Dao within him, grabbing a few tens of trillions of Sacred Dao Rules was as easy as picking up a handful.
Zhang Ruochen followed Meng Buyi into the City Lord's Mansion.
"What a powerful formation! Was it set up by the Buddhist great master who entered earlier?"
Zhang Ruochen was not flattering; he genuinely felt the formation was powerful, at least the work of an eighty-fifth-level Spiritual Power God Venerable. For a mere Sacred City to have such a divine formation, it must be hiding some secret.
"Remember, don't ask about things you shouldn't. Even this god doesn't know some secrets; they contain taboos." Meng Buyi kindly reminded him.
Zhang Ruochen said, "This poor Daoist was being presumptuous!"
Meng Buyi asked, "Reaching the Half-Saint peak is no easy feat; it requires a top-tier inheritance. May I ask where you were born and who your master is?"
Zhang Ruochen responded calmly, "This poor Daoist's Dao name is Sheng Si. If I trace my lineage, it has some connection to the Yama Clan. But it's too far back; we've long lost contact. I was able to cultivate to the Half-Saint peak entirely because of that shocking upheaval over a hundred years ago, where I was fortunate enough to obtain a bit of an opportunity."
Meng Buyi was slightly moved, "The upheaval where Imperial Dust fell?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded.
"Let's go. This god will take you to see the Twenty-Eighth Master."
Meng Buyi didn't ask further. Asking more would be too tactless, and the other party certainly wouldn't tell him what opportunity he had obtained.
In reality, every time a Heavenly Venerable or Half-Ancestor-level battle occurred, although it caused terrifying destruction, some lucky cultivators always survived in the embers and obtained opportunities, soaring to great heights.
...
The buildings in the City Lord's Mansion were quite unique, with white jade walls, blue tiles, and black beams, possessing an exotic style that was simple yet aesthetically pleasing.
Cihang Venerable's Buddha light was restrained within. Her black hair was tied up, and she wore a man's brocade long robe with a pitch-black belt around her waist. Her figure was slender and soft, yet her brows and eyes carried a heroic and spirited demeanor.
Even though she deliberately concealed her identity as a Buddhist cultivator, the holy, dignified, and transcendent aura about her was impossible to hide.
For other cultivators, the further they progressed, the slower their cultivation speed became.
But after Cihang Venerable entered the God realm, her cultivation speed only grew faster. She had long shed the title of "Fairy," and cultivators across the world all respected her when they saw her.
Xuanyuan the Second strode over and said, "There's no trace of him in Dihuang Sacred City. Did Master sense it wrong?"
Xuanyuan the Second, with his cultivation at the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite, was always arrogant. Apart from his ancestor, "Xuanyuan Xuandi," he looked down on everyone in the world.
But before Cihang Venerable, he restrained his arrogance and was extremely respectful.
He truly regarded her as his master.
A master in Buddhist Dharma and principles.
It was like when Kong Yinxue had once taken the Ancient Buddha Yunqing as her master. It had nothing to do with the level of cultivation.
Cihang Venerable said, "The aura of the Saha World is no longer in Dihuang Sacred City; it has come to Tianhuang Sacred City."
"Damn it! Is that little bald donkey playing hide-and-seek with us? Master, don't stop me. Today, I will raze this Tianhuang Sacred City to the ground and drag him out."
Xuanyuan the Second was, of course, furious.
Because he had been honored by the Heavenly Court's Buddhas as the Heavenly King of the Buddhist Guardian Dharma, responsible for guarding the Saha World.
The Saha World had never been lost in all its years in the Western Buddha Realm, yet it was stolen during his watch.
This was a huge loss of face!
If he didn't recover the Saha World, he would be a sinner of the Buddhist sect.
It wasn't just his own face that was lost, but the face of the entire Xuanyuan family, and even his ancestor, Xuanyuan Xuandi. After all, he had learned from Zhang Ruochen that the Buddha Jiaye was most likely the second life of Xuanyuan Xuandi.
The Saha World was the Ancestor Realm of Buddha Jiaye.
How could it be stolen on his watch?
"No, you absolutely cannot commit such slaughter."
Cihang Venerable gently shook her head and continued, "Yuan Qiu is only at the Qiankun Wuji peak in cultivation, yet he can repeatedly evade our perception. This shows that he either carries a heavy treasure that conceals his form and aura, or there is a very formidable figure by his side."
"Fortunately, I have an extremely subtle connection with the Saha World and can lock onto its general location."
"So, we must not alert the enemy. We cannot let Yuan Qiu know this, and we cannot let him know that we have tracked him to Tianhuang Sacred City. Otherwise, if there really is some incredible existence by his side who can also seal off the Saha World, we will completely lose the chance to recover it."
Xuanyuan the Second scratched his head and said, "Master, do you think that little bald donkey Yuan Qiu is waiting for someone? Why else would he keep hiding around Tianhuang Sacred City and Dihuang Sacred City, constantly changing positions, yet not leave?"
"That is a possibility."
Cihang Venerable's demeanor had a unique charm. As her eyelashes fluttered, the wisdom in her eyes shone through. "Yuan Qiu alone could not steal the Saha World. There must be a transcendent force behind him."
"Could it be the Meng Family?" Xuanyuan the Second asked.
Cihang Venerable shook her head. "If it were the Meng Family, Yuan Qiu would have already contacted them. Meng Ershiba's cultivation is average, but Meng Huang'e and Meng Huangni are both high-ranking members of the Meng Family and are qualified to be involved in such a great secret."
Xuanyuan the Second said, "Then why is that little bald donkey lingering here for so long? Does he want to go to Tianhuang, or Dihuang?"
Cihang Venerable frowned in thought. "Unfortunately, there are too many cultivators in Tianhuang Sacred City. I simply cannot lock onto him. If he appeared before me, I would have some confidence in identifying him, no matter how powerful the existence helping him conceal himself."
"Let's set him aside for now. Master, take a look at this monk. What's his background?"
Xuanyuan the Second shook his body, flicked his kasaya, and threw the monk Fan Chen out, letting him fall heavily to the ground.
"He calls himself Xuanyuan the Second, which is highly provocative, but his strength is very average. However... he is a bit strange. Sometimes he is very strong, sometimes very weak. I don't know if he's faking it."
Fan Chen got up from the ground, fumbled around for his wine pouch, found it, immediately pulled off the lid, and took a long drink, looking very intoxicated. "A monk does not lie. Before I became a monk, it is very likely that my name was Xuanyuan the Second. That friend of mine, his status and position are very extraordinary. He wouldn't deceive me."
Cihang Venerable carefully observed Fan Chen. At first, she only saw that his entire body was radiant with Buddha light, with Sanskrit characters imprinted into every inch of his flesh and blood, even his soul. She thought he might be some reclusive senior of the Buddhist sect.
After observing for a long while, she finally saw the truth.
A flash of unusual color passed through her pupils. "What is your Dharma name after becoming a monk, Great Master?"
"I'm no great master. Just call me Fan Chen." Fan Chen waved his hand.
Xuanyuan the Second asked, "What exactly is this monk's background? Why is he impersonating me?"
Fan Chen's mouth fell open, unable to close.
So this skeleton was the real Xuanyuan the Second?
Zhang Ruochen, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, was such a formidable great figure. Why did he like to deceive people? He even deceived a monk.
No wonder he had been beaten up.
Fan Chen pressed his palms together and quickly apologized, "Amitabha! It's a misunderstanding. It's all a misunderstanding."
Cihang Venerable smiled faintly, looking at Fan Chen with a meaningful gaze. "Since it's a misunderstanding, let's not pursue it further. Let bygones be bygones. Erjia, this Great Master Fan Chen has a very deep connection with our Buddha. Let's turn hostility into friendship!"
Erjia was Xuanyuan the Second's Dharma name, which he had chosen himself.
He insisted on this Dharma name!
"Hua!"
A mass of divine light appeared before them, containing a divine shadow within.
The divine shadow bowed. "The Seventh Lady and the Eighth Lady invite Cihang Venerable and Erjia Heavenly King to the Council Hall for a discussion on important matters."
"Understood. We'll be right there." Cihang Venerable said.