# Chapter 1685: Undercurrents
Bodhi trees grew everywhere. The broken Mount Sumeru no longer had its vast faith power, nor its golden light cascading like waterfalls. What remained was only greenery and vitality. Bodhi trees covered the mountains and fields, lacking ostentation but possessing a plain and true meaning.
Deep in the mountains stood an ancient temple. A great bell tolled slowly, and the sound of chanting arose, distant and profound, as if transmitting vows made five hundred years ago.
The wind blew, bodhi leaves danced and fluttered, like prayer wheels turning, with Zen chanting rising and falling.
Acquaintance five hundred years ago, looking back five hundred years later, prayers before the Buddha over five hundred years—finally, one green lamp, one stone Buddha, one silhouette, accompanying each other in solitude.
A fine drizzle fell, raindrops pattering down. Bodhi leaves drifted, wetting the temple, stirring the dust-sealed years. A pure white jade hand picked up falling bodhi leaves one by one in the rain, carefully carving each character filled with the power of aspiration.
The leaves drifted, carried away by the wind.
The sky was filled with raindrops, white and crystalline. The mountains were covered with bodhi trees, verdant green to the eye. The wind carried the sound of chanting, passing through the silent Sumeru, drifting away for five hundred years before returning—this was a cycle, winding around mountains and waters, stirring the heart.
What fell was merely a lifetime of lonely solitude, listening to one person's quiet desolation deep in Mount Sumeru.
One after another, bodhi leaves rose, riding the wind far away.
The mountain was tranquil, with nothing but the faint, elusive sound of Zen. Long Yuxuan and Zhang Wenchang and the others had no choice but to turn and descend the mountain.
"Forget it. Master came to the Big Dipper and must have been to the Western Desert. He should know the situation better than we do."
"What is this?" Zhang Wenchang exclaimed in surprise.
At the foot of the mountain, one after another bodhi leaves fell. Each leaf bore only a single character, but none of them were recognizable.
"How come I don't recognize them?" Long Yuxuan asked.
"Hmm, it's related to the faith power I've been researching. It contains the power of the next life!" Zhang Qingyang said in shock, sensing a pure force of thought.
He closed his eyes and used his heart to sense it, receiving great inspiration. The carver had acted on instinct, while he rose to the forefront of theory, undergoing sublimation and enlightenment.
For him, this was a tremendous gain, receiving inspiration and touch (chùdòng).
"Buddhism is as deep as the ocean. Perhaps even the Buddhas themselves never realized what kind of achievement this is—past, present, and future are full of mysteries and secrets."
Zhang Qingyang earnestly investigated, receiving inspiration but unable to accurately read these characters. He could only vaguely make out the words "meet in the next life." This power of aspiration could only be seen by specific people.
They took a deep look at Mount Sumeru, then departed with these bodhi leaves.
The three hurried toward the Central Province. There was a five-colored altar there that could lead to the distant depths of the outer starry sky; they needed to borrow this path to leave.
Five-colored divine radiance flashed, and they left this place, crossing the starry sky. In an instant, they passed through one sea of stars after another, traveling at extreme speed.
This was a wonderful (qímiào) process. Occasionally, through the barrier of time and space, they could see the shining starry sky outside and various scenes in the universe.
"That is... who? So terrifying, so powerful!"
When they passed through a sea of stars, they saw a man in white clothes covered in blood, but it was definitely not his own. He had been slaughtering various primordial divine beasts while pursuing them.
How could there be so many divine beasts? It was unbelievable.
Each white tiger was larger than a giant mountain, roaring and shattering the universe, their bodies radiating silver-white sacred radiance as he drove them to flee. Each azure dragon was tens of thousands of miles long, yet now they fled in panic.
From Hua Serpents to Vermilion Birds, everything was present—all divine birds and ancient beasts from the primordial barbaric era, driven to flee by this man, blood splashing as they were killed.
This was unreal. It was hard to believe.
"No, he's undergoing tribulation, but it's too terrifying. That tribulation simulates the Immortal Domain, manifesting immortal auspicious beasts and birds as if they were real. This is at least a great tribulation above the Quasi-Emperor Third Heaven!"
"Master has a powerful enemy!"
The three were shaken, extremely shocked. Someone who could cause the heavens to send down such a tribulation was definitely an extraordinary being. When Ye Fan underwent his Quasi-Emperor tribulation, the Immortal Domain had also descended, with various divine beasts and auspicious birds appearing. But no one else had ever heard of such a thing!
"Remember his appearance!"
Unfortunately, they were too far away to see clearly, and the man had his back to them.
Suddenly, the man turned around sharply, as if sensing something. His gaze pierced through the time-space passage, turning into two divine beams that attacked toward them.
"So terrifying!"
The three all changed color. What kind of person was this? His spiritual perception was too sharp. No one had ever heard of someone with such terrifying instinct, able to pierce through heaven and earth and even detect people crossing through the void.
The man in white charged over, the heaven and earth beneath his feet collapsing. Sun, moon, and stars fell rustling around him, like a primeval heavenly god descending to the mortal world.
Most shocking of all, his face was shrouded in chaotic energy, which then spread to his body, making him impossible to see clearly.
"Could he be a Chaos Body?" Long Yuxuan said in surprise. There had always been rumors that this physique was invincible under heaven. In the Mythical Era, it made even Heavenly Venerables wary, and those who had attained the Dao had shed blood because of it.
The only fortunate thing was that Zhang Wenchang and the others were crossing the starry universe. They only paused for a moment before instantly moving far away.
The newcomer was fast, but could not intercept them.
"If he advances one more realm, he might be able to intercept the transmission power of the five-colored altar. What kind of person is this?" All three showed worried expressions.
Behind them, chaotic energy surged, then began to form into a great Dao divine object, finally shattering and reforming into a Chaos Cauldron hanging above the man's head. His gaze was unfathomably deep.
But all this, the three could not see.
Traveling through the starry sky, one could sometimes see many bizarre things, and sometimes only darkness and solitude. Different individuals had different experiences and feelings.
Before the three could recover from their shock, their expressions changed again, because they saw a strange scene.
The time-space passage crossed through a star. This ancient life planet had a vast blue sea, with sun, moon, and star shadows sinking and floating within it, a magnificent scene.
Most astonishingly, countless azure lotuses grew in the sea, shining and emitting green radiance, blotting out the sky and covering the sun (zhētiān bìrì), each one like a huge ancient tree.
"Yan Ruyu!" Zhang Qingyang exclaimed.
They had been in the Big Dipper for many years and naturally knew and had seen this woman's divine image. They recognized her at a glance—one of the most outstanding members of the Demon Clan in the entire universe over the past ten thousand years.
"What is she doing?" All three were stunned.
In the center of the sea, there was a special azure lotus emitting chaotic energy, towering into the clouds. The lotus petals were white as snow, and in the center of the petals rested a heart, beating with a thumping sound.
Yan Ruyu sat cross-legged on a green leaf opposite, as if guarding this Chaos Azure Lotus, or as if using this ruby-like heart to cultivate and comprehend the Dao.
"That Chaos Lotus is the Green Emperor's weapon. According to legend, it was forged from his body. Very special."
"No way?!"
They stared at the blue sea, deeply shocked. Many thoughts came to mind. Yan Ruyu, who had disappeared for many years, was actually on such an ancient star, guarding an azure lotus to cultivate. This was truly strange.
Clearly, Yan Ruyu had entered a deep state of Dao comprehension. She would not wake up for several years and could not perceive anything.
They could not stay long either. Turning into flowing light, they disappeared, rushing toward the depths of the universe, vanishing into the other side of the starry sky.
Am Star was a small life-bearing planet, but it was an important hub in the universe. Due to its special geographical location, whether going to the Underworld, the Dao Palace, or the Imperial Dynasty, one had to pass through here.
On this star, there was an ancient divine platform used for transfer (zhōngzhuǎn), so many cultivators came here to borrow the path.
The five-colored altar could not cross the void indefinitely. After coming out, Zhang Qingyang and the others needed to change course here and continue toward the Heavenly Court. Fortunately, it was not far now.
"Line up, follow the order. First report the coordinates you want to go to, then pay the fee."
This was no longer a five-colored altar but a divine platform left by an ancient emperor. It could also perform directional teleportation (dìngxiàng chuánsòng), simple and fast, very convenient.
However, in front of the divine platform, there were powerful soldiers guarding it. Each held a heavenly halberd, wore armor, and exuded killing intent.
"You want to go to the Dao Palace? You need to pay a thousand sets of Fire God Copper Armor!" a soldier said to several people stepping onto the platform.
"So expensive?" The few immediately jumped up. They had already filled the divine platform with divine energy and could activate it, but they never expected to pay such a high toll.
"Expensive? If you wanted to go to the star region where the Divine Organization is located, charging you ten thousand sets of Fire God Copper Armor wouldn't be too much." A soldier commander sneered, his iron halberd heavily striking the ground.
The few were angry but dared not speak. Now that this place had fallen into the hands of the Underworld, the toll was shockingly high. But facing this behemoth, not many dared to resist.
Those ahead swallowed their anger, paid the corresponding amount of Fire God Copper Essence blocks to buy their passage, and departed.
When it was Zhang Qingyang, Long Yuxuan, and the others' turn, they reported that they wanted to go to the territory where the Heavenly Court was located. The soldiers immediately looked them up and down for a long time, then said: "Ten catties of Great Luo Silver Essence!"
"What? Are you robbing us? We're just borrowing the path, and you want this kind of divine material?" Long Yuxuan was furious.
"Broke? No goods? Then step aside. Going to the Heavenly Court is worth this price!" The soldier commander walked over, speaking coldly, and carefully stared at them again and again.
"Your attitude is too harsh (èliè)!" Zhang Wenchang said.
"Oh, what do I see? An old brother at the Immortal Platform Second Heaven. What a bizarre (qípā) character. With such cultivation, you want to travel in the universe? Hahaha..." The Underworld soldier commander laughed arrogantly (fàngsì), his iron halberd heavily striking the ground, full of mockery.
Zhang Wenchang did not argue. Zhang Qingyang, having long been tempered in the mortal world, was also unperturbed by honor or disgrace. Long Yuxuan shook his head and said: "We don't have Great Luo Silver Essence. How about we put it on credit?"
"Don't have it? Then get lost. Don't ask for trouble. You can't go to the Heavenly Court!" The commander's face turned cold.
"Who has such a big mouth? Aren't you afraid the wind will bite your tongue?" The void split open, and several people walked out together. One of them, with a shiny bald head, said: "The Underworld truly has great spirit, completely blockading the Heavenly Court, secretly mobilizing Yin soldiers and Yin generals. Are you trying to deal with us before the final battle between the four major forces? If you want war, then war. Who's afraid of who!"