Chapter 585: The Salvation Scripture
A vast emerald lake stretched out before them, and a man drifted leisurely upon it. He set down his bamboo pole and stood with his hands clasped behind his back, yet his face remained unseen.
At that moment, over a dozen great figures sensed something amiss. The imperial lord of the Central Province Divine Dynasty, the Demon Lord and War Lord of the Southern Ridge, and the Divine Monk of the Western Desert all felt their hearts tremble and their expressions shift.
"Who are you?" asked a peerless imperial lord, who had lived for nearly three thousand years and dominated the world, yet now felt a chill of dread.
On the bamboo raft, the man remained unmoved, still standing with his hands behind his back, silently propelling the boat forward. Nothing in the external world could stir his fundamental heart.
"Who exactly are you? Our imperial lord is speaking to you—did you hear?" An elder stepped forward, his hair and beard white, a figure at the Supreme Elder level.
"Pop!"
The man on the small boat cast a cold glance and raised a hand to point forward. A spray of blood burst from the elder's forehead, and he instantly collapsed into the lake, staining the emerald waters red.
"Splash!"
The crowd erupted in uproar. Who was this man? So audacious as to kill someone right in front of an old imperial lord—utterly arrogant beyond measure.
"Madman!" A Half-Step Great Power strode across the waves, stepping forward boldly. He opened his mouth and spat out a cauldron, which descended like a black mountain.
"Smack!"
The great cauldron was shattered by a single finger from the straw-cloaked man on the boat. The broken pieces fell like sand and gravel, pattering into the lake.
"A weapon interwoven with Dao and principles, crushed so easily by a finger... This man is too powerful! What is his background?!" Everyone was terrified, their hair and bones chilled.
A scream rang out as the Half-Step Great Power was involuntarily drawn forward. He stomped on the lake's surface, sending water splashing everywhere. He struggled violently, but could not resist, and was pulled onto the small boat.
The man in the straw cloak extended a hand and grabbed his neck, while keeping the other hand behind his back, all done with casual ease.
"Ah..." The Half-Step Great Power screamed, as if encountering the most terrifying thing. His feet left the ground, and he hung suspended in midair, thrashing.
"Pfft"
With a soft sound, the Half-Step Great Power's head shattered. Blood and brain matter flowed down together, soaking into the powerful arm, yet the straw-cloaked man showed no disgust.
"Plop"
He released his grip lightly, and the corpse fell into the lake, dyeing a large area of emerald water red. The headless body floated, horrifying and impossible to look at directly.
Now, no one could remain calm. Everyone retreated. Who was this man? He had strangled a Half-Step Great Power with one hand—such terrifying methods!
"He's the being from the ancient tomb, come here again..."
Someone screamed in terror, finally recognizing him as the mysterious figure who had appeared after Ye Fan shot down eighteen stone mountains.
But even now, no one realized he was a Divine Spirit Remnant. Not everyone, like Duan De and the Old Blind Man, had such broad and varied knowledge.
The small boat cut through the water, not fast, but it struck fear into all hearts. The mysterious man stood with his hands behind his back, his sleeves stained with blood and brain matter, utterly indifferent.
"Swish"
In the sky, an imperial lord from the Central Province and the War Lord from the Southern Ridge acted simultaneously. Each formed a hand seal and pressed downward.
"Boom!"
Heaven and earth erupted, and emerald waters surged skyward. They manifested a great seal and a large bell, both formed from divine power and interwoven with innate patterns.
"The Central Imperial Seal!"
"The Southern Demon Bell!"
The crowd exclaimed. Though struck hastily, these were constructs of laws from peerless experts, terrifying enough to easily obliterate ordinary Great Powers.
"Chi, chi"
The Divine Spirit Remnant raised his head, still standing with hands behind his back. Without any other movement, his eyes shot out two demonic beams, tracing long, brilliant, and beautiful arcs.
"Clang!"
In the sky, the Southern Demon Bell boomed, then rapidly cracked, tearing open a massive black hole before vanishing without a trace.
"Crack!"
The Central Imperial Seal fared the same. Cracks appeared like bones gnawed by a wild dog, then shattered and crumbled, vanishing into nothingness in an instant.
"Who is he? What kind of being is he?!" People cried out in alarm.
"Could it be the Mad Old Man from the Eastern Wasteland?" someone speculated. In this era, only such a sage remained; otherwise, who else possessed such means?
Just two beams from his eyes had neutralized the attacks of two peerless figures. The Buddhist sect had indeed encountered such a being before.
People had to marvel. The Western Desert Buddhist sect had an ancient, profound, and deep heritage. An ancient Buddha had once subdued a Divine Spirit Remnant, a supreme demon.
"Divine Monk, cast your spell quickly and subdue this demon!" urged an imperial lord.
"We must join forces and recite the Buddha's Rebirth Divine Incantation together," the old monk replied.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort—the first sound from the Divine Spirit Remnant, this demon. It made everyone feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, cold air bursting from their pores, their bodies trembling.
This voice seemed to rise from the bottomless abyss, stirring fear and dread in their souls!
"Namo Amitabha, Tathagata, Tathagata, Amritabhava..."
At that moment, the Divine Monk from the Western Region began to chant. He sat cross-legged in the void, solemn and majestic, a halo of Buddha light swirling behind him, like an ancient Buddha reborn.
"Everyone, chant together to subdue the demon!" an imperial lord shouted.
"Recite the Dharani for eradicating all karmic obstacles and attaining rebirth in the Pure Land..." The crowd joined in, the Rebirth Divine Incantation echoing across the great lake.
Clearly, a patch of light rose from each person, connecting together, pressing down toward the demon.
The demon did not strike, seemingly intent on resisting the Rebirth Incantation and deciphering its meaning. He revealed a cold, sinister smile. Though humanoid, his expression was ferocious beyond measure.
"The Buddhist divine incantation is truly extraordinary—it can actually hold back that demon!" Dongfang Ye exclaimed in surprise.
Beside him, Jue Youqing held a Bodhi branch, her face full of compassion, Buddha light radiating from her. She chanted another ancient scripture, the Great Compassion Mantra, her voice soft yet resonating through heaven and earth.
She was like a Bodhisattva reborn, her white robes like snow, a golden lotus mark on her forehead shooting out auspicious rays that merged with the Rebirth Incantation, amplifying the Buddha's voice.
Not far away, the demon's body trembled slightly. His eyes shot out two cold beams, devoid of any human emotion. The Buddha light pushed the small boat back.
"The Buddhist ancient scriptures are truly wondrous..." Duan De was amazed, never expecting they could actually suppress the demon.
Every person possessed boundless potential. Some Buddhist scriptures allowed ordinary people to unleash specific divine powers. The Rebirth Incantation was one such—when chanted by the masses, it could transcend gods and demons.
But if used in single combat, it was somewhat weak, requiring other ancient scriptures to supplement and strengthen it.
"Does the Daoist sect have similar ancient scriptures? If there were divine texts to chant together, wouldn't that be even better?" Ye Fan murmured to himself.
"Hmph!" The Old Blind Man didn't like that, casting a sidelong glance at him. "The Daoist sect doesn't like to establish doctrines; we are all free spirits. Today, I too will chant a scripture to help subdue the demon."
"You're not going to recite some fortune-telling spell, are you?" Dongfang Ye didn't trust this charlatan, always thinking he was a fraud.
"Accumulated yang forms spirit; within spirit is form. Form is born from the sun; the sun is born from the moon. Accumulated yin forms shape; within shape is spirit..." The Old Blind Man sat cross-legged on the lake's surface, chanting a true scripture, drawing many to involuntarily join in.
The old fellow was quite sharp. Hearing the scripture, he grasped its meaning—it was meant to dissolve the yin-born demon. Dao light flowed around him, like a golden-bodied Dao Ancestor.
"When the mind's source is clear, one glance shatters ten thousand things. When qi battles with strength, ten thousand sensations cease in one breath. With one mind, observe ten thousand things..." The Old Blind Man sat in the void, growing more ethereal, as if transmitting his voice from beyond heaven and earth.
"This is the legendary Salvation Scripture!" Many top-tier Great Powers changed color, all deeply shocked.
The Salvation Scripture was not an ancient scripture from a Human Great Emperor, but it had extraordinary uses. Though not strong in combat, it could transform and save all living beings.
Once the Salvation Scripture was chanted, more and more people joined in, reciting together. It seemed as if some mysterious force in heaven and earth was being drawn forth.
"Roar..."
The demon let out a great howl, transforming into a streak of black light and vanishing from his spot. The Buddha light and this mysterious force were naturally restraining him.
"Everyone, don't stop! Otherwise, we'll all die here. This demon can return at any moment," a Great Power transmitted.
In truth, no one needed to be told—they couldn't stop. Once the Salvation Scripture began, even the Rebirth Incantation was somewhat suppressed. With both scriptures chanted together, the latent divine energy within people surged out endlessly, impossible to halt.
The great lake blazed with light, radiant for ten thousand zhang. Many were immersed in a strange state, continuously chanting scriptures.
"So everyone possesses such powerful and terrifying divine energy..." Ye Fan was lost in thought, not drawn into it himself.
"Swish"
At that moment, the top-tier Great Powers all moved, charging up the heavenly ladder toward the place of transcendence. They too had not been immersed in the Salvation Scripture.
"Damn it! These old bastards have us chanting scriptures while they run off to seize the Great Emperor's divine treasure," Dongfang Ye grumbled indignantly.
"We can't fly up," Ye Fan frowned. At this moment, only Great Powers were unbound and could fly; everyone else had no way to ascend the heavenly ladder.
Just then, the Old Blind Man opened his eyes, calmly withdrawing from the strange chanting state. He casually cast a divination, the tortoise shell rattling.
"We can go up too—it all depends on him," he said after the divination, pointing at Duan De.
Fatty Duan cursed, "You old coot, always up to tricks and nonsense!"
"Fatty, don't waste time! If you delay any longer, everything will be snatched up!" The Old Blind Man glared, a far cry from the ethereal, transcendent aura he had while chanting.
"You charlatan!" Duan De's brow flashed with light, and a river of stars flew out, hanging directly on the heavenly ladder, carrying them up with ease.
"Is that... the legendary treasure of the Star River Daoist? But he sat in meditation and passed away twenty thousand years ago. This peerless king's divine object was buried with him underground." The Old Blind Man's eyes widened. "You actually robbed the ancient tomb of the Star River King?"
"Don't stare at me like that. I just accidentally fell into a pit and picked it up," Duan De said guiltily, then fumed, "I, Daoist Duan, once had a treasure trove, but some bastard stole it all. Now I'm seriously short on treasures."
Ye Fan: "..."
The Barbarian: "..."
Fatty Duan cursed endlessly, but the two dared not respond, letting the aggrieved party rant, afraid he might catch on.
They finally ascended the heavenly ladder, walking upward until they vanished into the sky, arriving at a place where all things were first born.
Here, spiritual energy was like water, nearly liquefied. Spiritual medicines covered the ground, vegetation was lush, and pure Source was even forming, the process clearly visible.
"This is a primeval heaven and earth!" The few were greatly surprised.
"Be careful. Since there's a Divine Spirit Remnant, this place is likely an ancient burial ground for a god," the Old Blind Man warned.
"Caw..." A cry rang out as a streak of golden light shot across the sky.
"That's... a three-legged Golden Crow flying past!"
At the same time, Ye Fan's expression shifted. He spotted Xiao Taishi and Xiao Zhi flying through the distant mountains.
"This is a realm within a realm—small, not very large. We must find the ancient coffin where the god is buried!" Duan De gritted his teeth.