Chapter 879: The Great Accomplishment Saint Body's Ghost...
In the ancient tomb of the sea demons, the old monk sat opposite Duan De, discussing the eerie phenomena within the burial chamber with great authority. He had vanquished many evil spirits, but none compared to the one suppressed by Shakyamuni—a being of earth-shattering terror.
"He said that was a Great Accomplishment Saint Body transformed after death into a ghost, a veritable ghost saint, a supreme malevolent thought. In its time, no one could subdue it; it was ferocious to the extreme."
In the end, Shakyamuni intervened, using a wondrous Buddhist technique to strip away ninety percent of its cultivation, uprooting its Dao foundation, thereby subduing it and sealing it forever beneath the Great Thunderclap Monastery, casting it into the eighteen levels of hell.
"The malevolent thought of a Great Accomplishment Saint Body?" Pang Bo was astonished, a contemplative look crossing his face. "Could it be a Deity's Thought?"
"He said it was a kind of vengeful spirit, having become a saint and an ancestor. Thinking back now, it must be what is called a Deity's Thought!" Duan De said.
Legend has it that a Deity's Thought is a malevolent thought born after a deity's death. Yet first there was the Immortal Emperor, then the Sun Saint Emperor, and then the Great Accomplishment Saint Body—all had such evil manifestations after death. They were not gods, which was astonishing.
"Who in this world has ever seen a god? In my view, it's just that the most powerful beings of an era are infinitely deified by people, praised as gods." Black Emperor said.
Ye Fan's heart sank. The vengeful spirit was the Deity's Thought of a Great Accomplishment Saint Body, making him deeply uneasy. Was there some karmic connection with him? It seemed to have some link, coming for him.
"That old monk said that what Shakyamuni suppressed could be called a domain's deity. Some beings are hard to destroy; even after death, a single 'thought' lingers in the world, tied to their past merits." Duan De said.
"What are you talking about?" the Monkey asked.
Ask the world, who can avoid death? This was a puzzle that even the ancient Great Emperors pondered bitterly, never solved, though they had groped for many methods to extend immortality and prolong life.
Those with great merits in the world, praised by people, could forge an immortal legend, allowing their Dao fruit to endure, even living for two lifetimes. This was what the ancient Great Emperors had explored.
When countless beings in the world revered a single person, worshipping daily, it was like forging a collective thought force, imbuing the Emperor, allowing them to further approach immortality and eternity.
Such beings were hard to destroy. The Deity's Thought suppressed by Shakyamuni was someone with great merits in life. After death, people still remembered, silently reciting his glorious virtues, thus allowing a wisp of his divine consciousness to be reborn as a Deity's Thought.
"Is that how Deity's Thoughts are born?" The group gained insight. They had to admit, the knowledge of a Quasi-Emperor was indeed extraordinary, possessing some of the aura and vision of the ancient Great Emperors.
"Bodhi everywhere, faith condensed, establishing a religion for immortality..." Li Tian thought of the prophecy of the two spirit children from Heavenly Village, exchanging glances with those present.
"Such things are bestowed by others. The key lies in oneself; otherwise, why wouldn't the ancient Great Emperors take this path as the sole method of immortality? They must have discovered its flaws." Ye Fan said.
"Let's get back to the vengeful spirit. Daoist Duan, you're not telling us that the black ghost in the bronze coffin is the Deity's Thought of the Great Accomplishment Saint Body, are you?" Pang Bo asked.
Duan De nodded. "I think so. It came from beneath the Great Thunderclap Monastery on the ancient Yinghuo Star. What else could it be?"
The group gasped. The vengeful spirit's origins were so great—it was a Deity's Thought. Such things were the most terrifying, nearly divine in life and immortal after death, possessing power beyond the laws of the world.
"This is no ordinary Great Accomplishment Saint Body. It must be one of the nine undefeated ones of ancient times!" Black Emperor said.
In the past, the Great Accomplishment Saint Body had shaken the entire ancient star, vaguely becoming the number one physique in the world, mainly because the nine that appeared in the ancient desolate era were too powerful. Each was invincible across heaven and earth, sweeping through the heavens, suppressing everything.
One would perish, and soon another would emerge, continuing this glory. It was impossible not to shake people's hearts, impossible for the world to forget.
It could be said that in that era, their achievements and radiance illuminated the entire world. Every living being on this ancient star worshipped them. Only such beings could give birth to a Deity's Thought.
"Yes, it must be so. The Immortal Emperor was revered by all races, so a wisp of his divine consciousness remained after death. The Sun Saint Emperor's status on the Ziwei Ancient Star Domain was the same, also worshipped by all living beings, giving birth to a Deity's Thought."
"Exactly. Of the nine undefeated Great Accomplishment Saint Bodies, several left this ancient star for the outer realms. Some never returned. This must be the malevolent thought born from one of them after they sat in meditation and passed away."
They made various deductions, their thoughts many, feeling they were close to the truth.
"That day, the poor Daoist and the old monk discussed for a long time, talking about various ghosts with cultivation. We had a common view: they fear their former selves, their past glorious bodies, yet also covet and desire them." Duan De said.
The group exchanged glances. Ye Fan felt a chill run down his spine. The vengeful spirit in the bronze coffin was mainly coming for him, because they shared the same physique. It both feared his physical body, wanting to destroy it, and coveted it, wanting to possess it—a contradictory psychology.
Duan De said, "Actually, there's no need to worry. That old monk said the Deity's Thought of the Great Accomplishment Saint Body had ninety percent of its cultivation stripped by Shakyamuni, even its Dao foundation uprooted. After being suppressed for nearly two thousand years, it's already extremely weakened."
Moreover, sacred blood naturally restrains such post-death malevolent thoughts. It couldn't get close, especially now, without its Dao foundation. Even if it had recovered some cultivation, it was limited.
"If it's as we suspect, the vengeful spirit of the Great Accomplishment Saint Body is nothing to fear. It can't harm Ye Fan."
"It took three people: Liu Yunzhi, Li Changqing, and Wang Yan. They are all pawns, and they may have entered the Immortal Palace." Pang Bo said solemnly. These people knew Ye Fan extremely well, had learned some terrifying techniques, and were in the shadows—definitely great enemies.
"This damned Immortal Palace! Why can't I get in? The poor Daoist has wandered around here many times but never had the chance to go in and see the ancient."
"Tomb raiding?" Duan De never did such things. In his words, it was archaeology, exploring ancient secrets, revealing prehistoric mysteries. He took it upon himself, sparing no effort, willing to dedicate his life.
Finally, they left this mountain range, disappearing into the vast wilderness. Knowing who the enemy was, they finally had a foundation in their hearts and could make targeted preparations.
Half a month later, the Heavenly Demon Treasure Pavilion, the Ji Family Divine Tower, the Jiang Family Treasure Pavilion, the Yao Chi Immortal Studio, and other major auction houses, as well as countless commercial societies across the land, all began purchasing five-colored precious stones simultaneously.
As soon as this news broke, it caused an uproar across the five domains, triggering a considerable storm. No one knew what was happening. Why had all the major financial powers mobilized together?
Finally, well-informed individuals unearthed the ultimate secret: someone wanted to build a five-colored altar, to rush into the outer realms, into the boundless and brilliant starry sky.
"Who is it? Have they truly gone mad? Or are the Holy Lands planning to do this? A great era is upon us, and they all want to develop in the outer realms?!"
People were shocked, the world buzzing with noise, causing a huge uproar.
Five-colored precious stones were not jade but crystals formed from an ancient spiritual tree. The tree species had long gone extinct on this ancient star, and occasionally some crystals could be dug up underground, making them very rare.
The major commercial houses acted together, frantically searching, naturally driving up the price of these precious stones. All source hunters abandoned their original trade and joined the stone mining industry.
Everyone sensed that a storm was coming. With such a large-scale collection of five-colored stones, someone might indeed succeed in entering the outer realms in the future.
During this time, in various black markets and auction houses, people were also collecting all ancient teleportation arrays. Anything related to crossing star domains, even just a corner of an array pattern, would fetch a heavenly price.
Furthermore, some array pattern masters and ancient lineages received rare treasures, inviting them to come out of seclusion to a mysterious place to jointly study the five-colored altar, to open a path to the outer realms. Many masters were needed to work together.
Later, even the various ancient clans were affected. Someone offered high prices, with irresistible rare treasures, to purchase a kind of divine stone they could find.
Many knew that not only five-colored altars could cross star domains; the Ancient Emperor Divine Platform could as well. That was how Ye Fan had returned from the Ziwei Ancient Star Domain back then.
Clearly, the person behind the scenes was very desperate, wanting to use both methods simultaneously, urgently wanting to go to the outer realms. They began collecting both types of precious materials on a large scale, waiting for an opportunity.
Even some ancient clan masters proficient in array patterns were invited, tempted by rare treasures, gathered together to study, showing the urgency of the person involved.
"Who is doing all this?" Everyone wanted to know. Vaguely, people felt it was likely the work of a single major power.
Finally, Mortal World and Hell made their move, looting two financial groups, plundering the various precious stones they had acquired. They learned that it was indeed collected for the same power, which had promised heavy rewards.
On the same day, someone issued a bounty in retaliation, offering a heavenly source for every disciple of the two assassin divine dynasties killed, causing the storm to escalate further.
This made people even more astonished. Who was spending so lavishly? Which major power was being so extravagant? Was there really an immortal treasure in the outer realms?
In the following half month, members of the assassin divine dynasties kept falling. Those sent on missions all failed. Someone was targeting them, as if bearing a great grudge.
"It's the Human Sacred Body collecting the five-colored precious stones!"
Finally, on this day, Mortal World revealed such a bombshell. They had looted another financial group and, following the clues, finally found some leads.
As the news broke, the world was in an uproar. What did Ye Fan want? Daring to spend source like that, scouring everywhere for five-colored precious stones, did he really want to build an altar and leave this world?
Many knew he had been to the outer realms and returned successfully, full of curiosity about him, all wanting to know the truth.
"I feel like he's fleeing, desperately wanting to leave. What's going on?"
That very day, Ye Fan and those around him denied the rumors, saying they were not the ones collecting the five-colored precious stones. They didn't know who was doing it, and people shouldn't make baseless associations.
Two days later, an ancient clan array master revealed a secret. Someone had moved him with a small piece of Great Luo Silver Essence, inviting him out of seclusion to a mysterious place to be responsible for repairing a corner of an array pattern.
"And they still say it's not the Human Sacred Body Ye Fan? Only he could produce such a priceless divine material."
According to that master, he was taken to a very mysterious place. There was a five-colored altar, almost complete. Each master was only responsible for a small area; as long as they could repair it, the task was considered complete.
All parties were shaken. The world was astonished. Did the Human Sacred Body really have such a grand plan? Had he restored a five-colored altar? Was he truly about to open the path to the outer realms?
"I reiterate: this matter must be someone else's doing. It has not a single copper coin's connection to me!" Ye Fan came forward to deny it again, then disappeared from public view.
"Which madman is doing all this? What for?" People were confused, feeling a storm brewing. Something major was about to happen!
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