Chapter 898: The Dao Protector on the Other Shore of the Starry Sky
"You... what did you say?" Ye Fan stepped back several paces, alarmed and unsettled. This was an ancient Buddha undergoing Dao dissolution. To meet him here was surprising enough, but his words were even more inexplicable.
The old monk was as thin as a skeleton, his body withered and dry, radiating a bright and holy flame. His entire form was translucent, almost transparent, allowing everything inside his body to be seen.
This stone platform was filled with peace, covered by an aura of the Great Dao, nearly crystalline. An ancient saint dissolving into the Dao was a world-shaking event. The purest Dao power flowed here, making this place extremely mysterious.
"A strand of thought clings to your bones. If this old monk had not seen the future before his passing, even as a saint, he would not have detected it."
The old monk spoke. His snow-white eyebrows turned to ash in the calamitous flames, and his Dao bones cracked and snapped, on the verge of destruction.
Ye Fan found it unbelievable. Could there really be a strand of thought on him? When had he become tainted with it, and how had it wrapped around his bones? He was half-doubtful, half-believing, but he could sense the old monk's sincerity.
Such a lofty figure had no reason to deceive him as he approached Dao dissolution. Moreover, if an ancient saint wished him harm, a single finger would likely be enough to obliterate him, or even forcibly convert him.
A slit opened on the ancient Buddha's brow, emitting a beam of light that could penetrate everything. It illuminated Ye Fan's body, rendering it transparent, and clearly revealed a slender cyan divine chain wrapped around the bone of his left arm.
"A strand of thought from a supreme existence beyond the stars... When was I entangled by this?" He showed a look of shock. Could it have originated from the ancient coffin pulled by the nine dragons back then? Or was it related to the ancient Yinghuo star where the Crocodile Ancestor was suppressed? Or had he provoked something during his time in the Ziwei Ancient Star Domain?
Ye Fan's thoughts raced, connecting various possibilities in an instant. He pondered continuously, finding each plausible, and then inadvertently recalled another scene.
Half a year ago, he, Li Tian, and Yan Yixi had returned from the Ziwei Ancient Star Domain. Above this ancient star, within the ruins of the outer domain battlefield, they had conducted various explorations. First, they obtained a divine flower, and then they witnessed an ancient ship crossing over from the depths of the universe.
It was a small metal ship, only about three meters long, tightly sealed. At the time, they sensed an extremely faint life force inside, as if its existence was nearing its end.
Back then, he, Li Tian, and Yan Yixi were all shocked. That ancient ship had sailed from the depths of the universe, who knew how many years it had existed, having endured a long passage of time. They dared not provoke it and quickly departed, descending to this ancient star.
Now, as Ye Fan carefully considered, he naturally recalled that scene. It was an existence he had encountered beyond the stars, and he had to suspect it.
"That mysterious existence left a strand of thought on me. Has something bad happened?" he couldn't help but ask.
"For now, there is nothing to worry about. That strand of thought only allows him to sense your presence, after all, the outer domain is too far from the surface. But the future is uncertain," the old monk said.
At this moment, his withered body was dissolving into the Dao, continuously turning into light, becoming strands of Dao principles that merged into heaven and earth. His flesh and bones flashed with golden light, cracking inch by inch.
Moreover, the kasaya he wore was clearly a saint weapon, also dissolving into the Dao along with him, becoming strips of crimson order divine chains intertwined together.
What kind of realm was this? His flesh, bones, and primordial spirit burned in the flames of light, continuously dissolving into the Dao, yet his face bore compassion, unmoved. Even if Mount Tai collapsed, he wouldn't furrow a brow.
Now, as he approached the end of his life, about to vanish from the world, he regarded it so lightly, completely indifferent. This was an ancient Buddha transcending the mundane world.
Ye Fan sighed inwardly. Such a carefree ancient saint was rare in the world. He never expected that their first meeting would be a farewell, witnessing his dissolution into the Dao until the end.
"Please, senior, shed some light and resolve my predicament."
"I will help you dissolve it." The old monk chanted "Amitabha," his entire body emitting dazzling golden light, drawing upon the Great Dao of all heaven and earth. The fluctuations of Buddha nature spread across the Ashoka Plateau.
"Boom!"
The Great Dao of the entire Western Desert seemed to be drawn here. The countless thoughts of sentient beings transformed into immeasurable light, radiant and brilliant, flooding heaven and earth, surging forth.
A great golden Buddha appeared, holding Ye Fan in its palm, then drawing the infinite Buddha light of the Western Desert, enveloping him in the resonance of heaven and earth's Dao. Billions of Buddha light beams, like golden waterfalls, cascaded down upon him.
This was a baptism. The pure thoughts came from Mount Sumeru, like an unparalleled Dao fruit overflowing, indescribable. They washed his Dao bones, cleansed his flesh and blood, making every inch of his body sparkle and shimmer, healing all imperfections.
"Clang!"
Ye Fan heard a soft sound from within his body, like an iron chain being severed. He felt as if he had broken free from some restraint, and was immediately startled. There was indeed something strange.
At the same time, a cyan divine chain flew out, clearly visible in the golden Buddha-nature divine radiance, trying to escape into the heavens, clanging as it went.
The golden Buddha radiance surged, trapping it, preventing its escape. The ancient saint monk, with a compassionate expression, used the thoughts of Mount Sumeru to pull the cyan chain into his own body, dissolving into the Dao along with it.
"Pop!"
With a soft sound, that strand of mysterious thought dissipated, merging into the Dao principles of heaven and earth. Ye Fan was completely free, letting out a long breath.
"Thank you, senior."
The pure thoughts coursed through his body. This was a gift, washing away the worldly impurities, consolidating his own Dao fruit, purifying everything. Ye Fan's flesh emitted a precious radiance like seven-colored glass, his entire body flawless and pure, as if he had become a deity, solemn and dignified.
At this moment, he felt even more ethereal, as if he could forcefully pass this barrier and defy heaven to sever the Dao. However, the golden divine radiance flickered, ultimately only stabilizing him.
Meanwhile, within the ancient ship in the outer domain battlefield, a fluctuation transmitted, saying: "Amitabha..." It too had arrived in this world. The Dao field was indeed most mysterious, using Mount Sumeru as its foundation to evolve something?
On the Ashoka Plateau, on the dilapidated stone platform, the old monk dissolved into the Dao amidst golden Buddha flames. Most of his body had burned away, yet his expression remained unchanged, blooming with a pure smile like that of an infant.
Ye Fan bowed again, expressing his gratitude, and asked: "Senior, what did you see?" He earnestly sought guidance, urgently wanting to know what would happen in the future.
"Before the flame of life was about to extinguish, I only saw a corner of the future. Like withered yellow leaves falling, occasionally blown by a great wind to the high heavens, I glimpsed a broader world. But in the end, I am but a single falling leaf. How could I comprehend the entire world? It was only a momentary glimpse."
Ye Fan was stunned. This was indeed an enlightened ancient Buddha, smiling faintly amidst Dao dissolution, calm, natural, and carefree, exceptionally transcendent.
"Buddhism speaks of cause and effect. Senior helped me resolve my predicament, but I do not know how to repay you."
"For you, the effect is in the present, the cause in the future. For me, the cause is in the present, the effect in the future." The old monk's body was nearly burned away, his Dao bones broken, yet still sparkling. The kasaya saint weapon on him had completely turned to ash.
"Please, senior, enlighten me."
"You will bestow grace upon our Buddhist faith, and I will be pleased to see the Dharma perfected. When you travel to the other shore of the starry sky, you will be the Dao protector of our faith." Amidst the flames, his bones shattered and his body broke apart, yet he remained peaceful and serene, holding a lotus flower as he smiled.
Ye Fan was astonished. This old monk was truly transcendent, even foreseeing his journey to his distant homeland. He was indeed an ancient Buddha.
Then, the old monk said something to Ye Fan that made him stumble, nearly falling to the ground: He would retrieve the true scriptures, and Ye Fan would be the Dao protector.
"Wait, what are you saying? Don't tell me it's something like 'Journey to the West to obtain scriptures'?" He couldn't bear such a burden.
The ancient Buddha smiled and shook his head, saying he was overthinking. It was merely a karmic connection and a destined encounter, not what he imagined.
Ye Fan calmed down, understanding what he wanted. A strange look appeared on his face. Buddhism cultivates the future. Did reincarnation and an afterlife truly exist? He asked seriously.
The old monk said: "Believe, and it exists; doubt, and it does not. As time passes, two identical flowers will eventually bloom in the world. After a thousand years of looking back, one flower withers, and one flower blooms."
"Senior, have you seen Shakyamuni?"
"Two thousand years ago, I traveled to the foot of Mount Sumeru and saw him descending the mountain." This Buddha walked among the mortal world, not originating from the Great Thunderclap Monastery, but usually residing in various wild temples.
Burying him on the other shore of the starry sky was the old monk's only request. After death, he would see all true Buddha nature clearly.
"You want to observe Shakyamuni's Dharma. Doesn't that contradict your own cultivation?" Ye Fan had doubts.
"I revere Amitabha, but I also acknowledge all true Buddha nature. I do not know if Shakyamuni is a demonic shell of the Buddha. I only seek a lost true scripture."
"May I ask, senior, which ancient Buddha are you?" Ye Fan really wanted to know. Buddhism speaks of reincarnation and the afterlife. This old monk likely had a great origin. Was he an ancient Buddha from mythological legends?
"Names are illusions, ultimately empty in the end. All Buddhas attain such blissful nature, until Nirvana. They come from nowhere, and go nowhere..." The old monk dissolved into the Dao amidst the flames, strips of order divine principles merging into heaven and earth.
Ye Fan was pushed by a gentle force to an infinite distance, otherwise he would have dissolved into the Dao along with him. This was a world-shaking event. The area was filled with mist, and golden Buddha light instantly flooded the plateau.
The old monk's bones were all broken, his flesh turned to light, and he ultimately completely dissolved into the Dao, erased from the world. Long after, Ye Fan walked over and found a relic in the ashes, the size of a child's fist, round and crystalline, radiating an immortal divine radiance.
The afterlife: believe, and it exists; doubt, and it does not. Ye Fan was silent, finally shaking his head and putting away the relic.
He walked forward across the Ashoka Plateau, seeing pilgrim after pilgrim. They kowtowed with every step, heading toward the Ashoka Sacred Lake on the plateau, utterly devout.
Along the way, there were soft grasslands and cold, hard stones, but they did not see this as suffering. Instead, they were spiritually fulfilled, with a belief in their hearts.
These scenes deeply shocked Ye Fan, making him thoughtful. A spiritual world with faith would not be empty. Adding thoughts to oneself was also a form of cultivation.
However, those seeking to attain the Dao could not believe in others; they must be the sole sovereign!
Perhaps for mortals, this was a form of solace, satisfying the soul. He couldn't help but gaze into the distance at the invisible Mount Sumeru, silently sighing that Amitabha was truly unfathomable.
Ahead, there was a sacred lake, clear and pure, shimmering with a bright, clean radiance. This was the Ashoka Lake on the plateau, a holy site of the Buddhist faith.
By the Ashoka Sacred Lake stood a temple, not grand or majestic, occupying little space. It was just a small temple, yet it was precisely the Ah Han Ancient Temple that Ye Fan sought.
A beautiful woman stood before the Ah Han Temple, ethereal and serene, washed of all worldly adornment, all charm restrained, like a lotus flower in bloom, standing quietly there. It was An Miaoyi.
"My master dissolved into the Dao, seeing the future clearly. You will journey far, and I already know everything." Her magnetic, melodious voice came, her true nature still present, not yet severed from him.
Then, neither spoke. They began to walk around the Ashoka Sacred Lake, side by side, like a pair of divine Buddhas transcending the mortal world.