Chapter 1503: Converting the Western Desert
The grand formation sealed the heavens. The majestic Mount Sumeru and the imposing Great Thunderclap Monastery all vanished from people's sight, leaving only chaotic mist spreading everywhere.
This method sent chills down everyone's spine. Could the Human Sacred Body truly defy heaven by opposing the Buddhist Sect like this?
Boom!
Clearly, those on the mountain could no longer remain calm. They mobilized the power of faith, attempting to launch an active attack and break the formation. However, the outcome held no suspense. The Imperial Artifact's boundless killing intent directly refined the surging faith power.
"I haven't moved yet, but you've already struck first." Ye Fan sneered, activating one runic law after another. The Imperial Artifact exerted its might, beginning to refine Mount Sumeru.
Rumble!
The magnificent giant mountain shook, no longer able to maintain its former tranquility. It seemed on the verge of collapse, emitting immeasurable Buddha light.
The aura of an ancient Great Emperor permeated the area, causing even Great Sages to frown and all the mighty experts to be greatly alarmed. They instantly fled far away, avoiding any potential involvement as much as possible.
Throughout history, who had ever besieged Mount Sumeru? When truly fighting, the Buddhist Sect had never been weak against anyone, yet now they found themselves at a disadvantage.
The mountain quaked, ancient temples trembled, and purple-gold tiles clattered as if about to fly off, denying Mount Sumeru any peace.
"Could it really break through the mountain gate?"
The Dharma-Protecting Heavenly Kings and Golden Body Arhats on the mountain all frowned, unable to remain detached and calm, revealing hidden worries.
Wave after wave of Imperial Artifact fluctuations combined to form a field of laws, descending upon Mount Sumeru like a divine punishment sea falling from the celestial realm.
The sky was tearing apart, the stars trembling, as if the end of the world had arrived.
The Source Heaven Forbidden Array drew upon the essence of all things. Now, with the Imperial Artifact as its source, its power was simply unimaginable!
The vast fluctuations surged upward to the Nine Heavens and downward to the Nine Netherworlds. The tidal waves of divine power rose and fell violently, overwhelming the world.
The peaceful Mount Sumeru had become a battlefield, transformed into a cursed land. It shook continuously, with even boulders rolling down, as if it might collapse at any moment.
However, this situation persisted for two hours, yet remained unchanged. Mount Sumeru could not be breached, and the rolling stones had mostly stopped, the shaking no longer so intense.
The crowd was astonished. Was this a mountain gate or an immortal gate? Even in such a state, they still couldn't break in. The depths of Mount Sumeru were too profound. Just what kind of array patterns had Amitabha Great Emperor inscribed? There were likely more than one!
Ye Fan sighed softly. Even like this, he still couldn't take down Mount Sumeru. How frustrating.
Given the current situation, unless there was a Great Emperor's killing formation to attack with, or a Quasi-Emperor appeared to oversee everything here.
"Amitabha, virtuous, virtuous." Great Sage Mo Ke's voice rang out again. Though his tone carried compassion, in this context, it was full of provocation.
Even using several Imperial Artifacts as the source for attack was not enough.
Nevertheless, this forbidden array pattern ultimately severed Mount Sumeru's connection with the outside world, trapping it like a cage. The Buddhist Sect was powerless to strike out.
The Buddhist mountain gate was sealed, and the entire Mount Sumeru vanished from the world, hidden within the chaotic mist. This result was still astonishing, leaving all the experts staring in shock.
After this battle, regardless of the outcome, Ye Fan's fame would shake the Burial Emperor Star, intimidating experts from all races. If he dared to seal Mount Sumeru, what wouldn't he dare to do?
"Forced by circumstances, now that I've trapped the Buddhist Sect on Mount Sumeru, I'll use soft methods to wear them down and dismantle their foundation!" Ye Fan said coldly.
Since the battle had reached this point, backing down would seem anticlimactic. His next move was to "convert" the entire Western Desert.
"Let the roots of the Heavenly Court take hold in the soil of the Western Desert, sprouting branches and leaves!"
This had been discussed with Qi Luo and others long ago. What did the Buddhist Sect care about most? Naturally, it was the power of faith. They would attack and dismantle them from this angle.
The star domain was vast. Amitabha Great Emperor had once spread his teachings across the myriad heavens. His dojos were not limited to one place, but the Amitabha Ancient Star Domain and the Big Dipper were the most prominent.
Especially the Western Desert, which was the foundation he ultimately chose. Even the Great Thunderclap Monastery was built here, and the Imperial Weapon was left behind.
By acting in this way, Ye Fan was undoubtedly striking at the heart of the Buddhist Sect, causing them a strong sense of crisis.
"To succeed, it will inevitably be a long process. Truly unifying in a short time will be very difficult. We can't wait that long. Each of us must manifest divine powers, descend to a region, show miracles, and convert the masses."
Converting a pure land was different from targeting and converting a single person. The former involved giving and taking to achieve a paradise. What the old monk Mo Ke did belonged to the latter—pure suppression and enslavement.
"Some ancient scriptures show that the Western Desert was extremely important to Amitabha. He once measured it on foot, regarding it as his eternal kingdom. If the Immortal Domain were to open one day, the entire Western Desert would ascend as a whole. Mount Sumeru will certainly not sit idly by and watch us destroy everything here."
"Unfortunately, Mount Sumeru is sealed. They can hardly come out to interfere, only watch helplessly."
"Sever the Buddhist Sect's foundation!"
After Ye Fan and the others discussed, they split up to act. Everyone here was a powerhouse. With so many Saints, one person converting one region was more than enough.
Dragon Horse, Ancient Golden Peng, and others—among them alone were eleven Saint Kings. What a formidable force this was! Adding Ye Tong, Qi Luo, Dongfang Ye, and many more, there were too many to count.
If it were just for spreading teachings, using powerhouses of this level was a waste, but that was exactly what they intended to do.
On this day, a great sect called the Heavenly Court appeared in the Western Desert, converting all directions. This was not ordinary preaching. The Saints manifested in their true forms, spreading their teachings.
Whatever was asked, they would surely answer.
In some places suffering from drought and lack of rain, prayers to the Heavenly Court were always answered. Sweet dew fell from the sky, moistening the dry earth.
In some places, great mountains blocked the way. When countless commoners prayed to heaven, Saints descended like gods, moving mountains and opening roads, building a smooth path.
In some places, war broke out, causing suffering. When the people prayed, heavenly soldiers immediately descended, quelling the chaos and restoring peace, turning the area into a pure land.
...
Without a doubt, this was like a boulder thrown into a lake, stirring up huge waves. Everyone in the Western Desert knew that a true Heavenly Court was spreading its teachings.
Because it was too effective. Wherever a great disaster occurred, as long as they prayed to the Heavenly Court, divine beings would descend from heaven to resolve it, immediately causing an uproar across the Western Desert.
"Is this real? The Heavenly Court from myths and legends has truly emerged, converting all beings and bestowing blessings."
"It's so effective! Whenever there is great suffering in the world, just sincerely pray to heaven, and divine beings from the Heavenly Court will descend to solve our problems."
...
The Buddhist Sect was deeply rooted. Instantly reversing it was impossible. However, the manifestations of the Heavenly Court's Saints had an astonishing effect. Commoners saw it with their own eyes and eagerly discussed it.
Before Mount Sumeru, Ye Fan and the others used the Void Imperial Mirror to project these scenes into Mount Sumeru, letting all the eminent monks of the Buddhist Sect witness this. Every one of them changed color.
"This is just the beginning, and already some believe in the Heavenly Court. If this continues, with divine manifestations appearing constantly, you don't need to think hard to understand what the outcome will be. You know what trend this will become!" Ye Fan shouted.
Great Sage Mo Ke changed color. If Ye Fan and the others truly intended to drag this out, the consequences would be unimaginable. They were sealed here, unable to descend from Mount Sumeru, forced to watch helplessly as the Western Desert became the Heavenly Court's dojo.
This was Amitabha Great Emperor's eternal kingdom. It must not be lost. This was the predecessor's instruction; they could not tolerate it.
Because if this continued, the Heavenly Court would truly take root and sprout. Then, this place would change course, with Heavenly Court banners planted everywhere, and the Buddhist Sect would be destroyed.
The Western Desert was the root of eternal life, the foundation of Amitabha. If it were occupied by the Heavenly Court, all the Arhats and Bodhisattvas on Mount Sumeru would be sinners!
"You won't succeed." The old monk Mo Ke said coldly, showing this expression for the first time, no longer the unchanging look of sorrow.
In just a few days, the Heavenly Court had spread throughout the Western Desert. Whether they believed or not, everyone knew of it, because it was too effective. Any natural disaster, as long as enough people prayed together, guaranteed that heavenly gods would descend.
"Amitabha, who are you people, disturbing our Western Land, disrupting the peace of our Western Gate?" Some monks from various temples could no longer sit still.
Today, they heard that Mount Sumeru was trapped. Each was terrified but did not go to rescue, because it was useless. If even the Demon-Subduing Pestle and the Great Emperor's array patterns couldn't protect it, going would only mean death.
However, this group of cultivators manifesting divine powers made them uneasy. This was destroying their foundation.
Faced with questioning, the Heavenly Court people continued as they pleased, still spreading teachings, answering every prayer, and manifesting constantly.
Eventually, some Buddhist experts could no longer hold back and tried to cause trouble. The result was, of course, without suspense. These were Saints, not comparable to them.
In response, Dragon Horse, Black Bear Saint, and others showed no mercy. They directly used the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable's Salvation Scripture to suppress them, imitating the Buddhist Sect and taking them for their own use.
As a result, when commoners saw former virtuous monks joining the Heavenly Court, prostrating in worship, this became a tidal wave, directly leading many to begin revering the Heavenly Court.
In just half a month, the Western Desert already had many followers of the Heavenly Court!
This speed was astonishing, leaving many onlookers dumbfounded. This was truly stepping on the Buddhist Sect's corpse to spread teachings, advancing rapidly.
Yet no one could argue. The Heavenly Court was truly doing its utmost to alleviate the world's suffering, converting all directions. It was only when the Buddhist Sect tried to condemn them that they were suppressed and converted.
"Enough, stop!" When the old monk Mo Ke saw these scenes projected by the Void Imperial Mirror, he could no longer sit still. The Western Desert, this most important future pure land, must not be tainted. Otherwise, he would become a sinner of the Buddhist Sect.
"You say stop, and we stop?" Ye Fan sneered.
Doing this was to put pressure on the Buddhist Sect, using softness to overcome hardness. Seeing this trend was enough to make them feel it was unbearable.
But Ye Fan sighed inwardly. To convert the Western Desert, this speed was still too slow. Would they really have to wait decades or centuries to convert it?
He could wait, but would the several Imperial Artifacts also have to be stuck here all this time? It was a headache.
"Benefactor Ye, you should understand that continuing like this gives you no chance. No matter what, you cannot breach Mount Sumeru." Great Sage Mo Ke said.
"Then let's wait and see how the Heavenly Court takes root in the Western Desert, blooming with the most brilliant radiance in the world." Ye Fan said calmly.
"You..." Mo Ke's face turned cold. He did not want the Western Desert to be lost, but he remained tough, hinting that they could continue like this and see who could outlast whom.
"Since that's the case, I have no choice but to go all out. Everything will be resolved today!" Ye Fan replied, his expression serious.