Chapter 1815 — Henceforth, Each to the Ends of the Earth
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 5
Some tens of days later, his realm having stabilized, he rose and came to the capital of Jingping to pay his respects to the Heavenly Emperor, and then at once took leave of the others, preparing to depart the Yuan Realm for the Ancestral Court. Thus Emperor Yanfeng took the imperial title, and the heavens and myriad realms all abandoned their thoughts of rebellion.
Meanwhile, the Dao Ancestor and Gongsun Yan caught up with Taishi and bowed, saying, "Dao Brother, Lord Mu has given the order that beings of Heavenly Venerable rank go to the Ancestral Court to temper themselves.
Now that you have attained the dao, Dao Brother, you may well travel in our company. " The young Taishi said, "That is well.
Shen Fengqing and the Lord of Heaven also possess the battle strength of Heavenly Venerable rank—why have they not come?
" "They are charged with Youdu and Xuandu, sustaining the workings of the heavens and myriad realms; they cannot free themselves. " The Dao Ancestor laughed and said, "In another thousand or hundred years, Jingping will again have a host of beings of Heavenly Venerable rank going to the Ancestral Court to temper themselves. By then the Ancestral Court will surely be a place of uncommon clamor.
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" As they passed Mount Sumeru, the Dao Ancestor's smile faded. His gaze fell upon this holy mountain of the Buddhist Realm, and he saw that the Buddhist order had flourished once more; the Buddhist Realm had gone from its former twenty heavens to its present twenty-eight heavens.
Upon the twenty-eighth heaven, a great Buddha lay deep in slumber, giving rise to thunder sound, and the thunder sound turned into rain and dew that fell from the heavens. Gongsun Yan knew his thoughts, and asked, "Has the Dao Ancestor not sought out Great Brahma? " The Dao Ancestor shook his head and said, "I found his physical body, but his primordial spirit was gone.
This old friend of mine cultivated the Infinite Kalpa Sutra, wandering in dreams through the great chiliocosm.
I do not believe he has simply dissolved into the dao.
" Gongsun Yan asked, "Has the Dao Ancestor asked Lord Earth to search for him? " "There is no need.
I am certain he is still alive.
" The Dao Ancestor laughed and said, "Only in casting off the identity of Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha is he a true Buddha, free and unfettered.
Were I to seek him out, I would instead set his dao realm back a notch. Since he is free and unfettered, then let us forget each other in the jianghu—that is rather to his fulfillment. " He was wholly unrestrained, laughing heartily, and left the Buddhist Realm together with Taishi and Gongsun Yan.
At the foot of Mount Sumeru, an old monk raised his head and watched the divine light they left behind as they departed, and a smile appeared on his face.
The old monk closed his eyes and fell into a dream.
In the instant he entered the dream, his whole body transformed into a swimming fish, leaping into the river before the temple, swimming to and fro with the other fish, utterly at ease. The Ancestral Court, Jade Capital City, upon the first Chaos Long River.
The golden ship of salvation suddenly paused lightly, halting upon the river's surface.
All around, wind and waves surged, the wind high and the waves steep; the winds of cold silence and the winds of heat death rolled up great chaos waves that battered the golden ship—a perilous place indeed! Shen Mu smiled faintly and said leisurely, "Third Brother, has your hand grown back?
" Behind him, the Chaos Hall flew out and suppressed the Chaos Long River, and at once the wind and waves subsided.
"Shall I return it to you?
" Shen Mu said with a smile.
The figure of Third Young Master Lingxiao rose slowly from the river, the Lingxiao Treasure Hall standing behind him, blazing with light.