Qi Yun stood in the void, no longer possessing a trace of Buddha's Rhyme or the noble appearance of a Bodhisattva.
He had changed into a simple, unadorned, wide-sleeved robe of pure white. The fabric, like clouds or mist, fluttered gently with the lingering aura of time.
His black hair was tied up with a simple wooden pin. His face was calm and gentle, yet his eyes held a profound tranquility—the kind that comes from surviving great tribulations and perceiving True Suchness.
His calm gaze swept across the distant Celestial Vault, over the True Monarchs and Bodhisattvas, each with their unfathomable auras and varied expressions.
Then, the corners of his lips curved slightly upward, revealing a frank and composed smile.
He held one hand before him. His voice, clear and resonant, was neither high nor low, yet it carried distinctly across the silent expanse of space that had just witnessed a cataclysmic battle:
"This humble Daoist greets you, fellow Daoist Friends."
The two words, "humble Daoist," landed like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake!
Across from him, the True Monarchs and Bodhisattvas, whose expressions had been grave due to the poetic pressure and strange phenomena, underwent a dramatic change!
This was especially true for the sixteen Buddhist Cultivation Bodhisattvas led by Dragon Elephant Wisdom Bodhisattva. The gravity and suspicion on their faces shattered like glass struck by a sledgehammer, replaced by the sheer rage of being utterly duped!
In contrast, the Righteous and Demon True Monarchs, such as Qingyuan Dao Seeking True Monarch, True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law, and Floating World Star Inference True Monarch, still had traces of astonishment and scrutiny in their eyes from watching Qi Yun stir the river of Providence and overcome his tribulation.
But a strange, amused smile slowly crept onto their lips, almost in unison.
"Heh..."
A low, hoarse chuckle, like an echo from the Nine Netherworld, rang out.
He stroked the short beard on his chin. His voice was just loud enough for every Bodhisattva to hear clearly:
"He said... 'humble Daoist'..."
Those few casual words were like a red-hot brand searing the hearts of the Bodhisattvas!
Dragon Elephant Wisdom Bodhisattva's seven-colored Buddha Light fluctuated violently. He glared at the distant, white-robed Qi Yun, whose aura was deep and unfathomable. He took a step forward, ripples of power spreading through the void beneath his feet. His voice had lost its previous grand Compassion:
"Daoist Friend... you... what... is the meaning of this?"
Hearing this, Qi Yun's smile remained unchanged. He was still the picture of calm composure, and with a hint of apology, he bowed his head again.
"Previously, in order to protect myself, I had no choice but to borrow the guise of the Buddhist Sect and deceive the heavens.
My deception was truly a last resort."
He paused, his clear gaze meeting the furious glare of Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva that seemed ready to spew fire. His tone was peaceful, but every word was distinct:
"I hope all you venerable Bodhisattvas can find it in your hearts to be magnanimous."
"Magnanimous?!"
"What a 'last resort'!
What a 'truly a last resort'!"
Another, more hot-tempered Bodhisattva, Vidyārāja Bodhisattva, could no longer hold back. Azure flames erupted around him, and his three-headed, six-armed Dharma Aspect flickered into view as his voice boomed like cracking thunder.
"Abomination! You stole the legacy of the World Honored One, blasphemed the true meaning of my Buddha, and dared to use it to fool us!
If I don't cast you into Eternal Hell today to burn for eternity, this hatred will never be appeased!!"
"Thief! You must be executed!"
"Enemy of Buddha! You must be destroyed!"
The other Bodhisattvas' Buddha Light also shot into the sky, their killing intent locking onto Qi Yun like a tangible, freezing tide!
The fury of being deceived, the anguish of having the opportunity of the "World Honored One's Handwriting" stolen, and the boundless killing intent toward this audacious man who had played the entire upper echelon of the Buddhist Sect—it all erupted at this very moment!
The vast pressure of the Bodhisattvas, mixed with the Dao Rhymes of their individual Pure Lands, was about to combine into a thunderous strike to obliterate this "abomination" who dared to defile the Buddhist Sect and steal its Supreme Treasure!
However—
"CLANG!"
A clear sword cry rang out first. A silvery-white beam of Sword Qi, so condensed it was almost solid, suddenly appeared like a chasm separating Yin and Yang, positioning itself between Qi Yun and several of the Bodhisattvas who were about to move!
At the edge of the Sword Qi, the void was silently annihilated.
"Masters, you are all ascetics who preach compassion and the salvation of all living beings."
Qingyuan Dao Seeking True Monarch had appeared at some point, his sword already sheathed. Standing behind the Sword Qi, his green robes immaculate, he spoke in a calm, unwavering tone that left no room for argument.
"To gang up on one person like this... isn't that... a bit inappropriate?"
At the same time, the figure of True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law quietly appeared on the flank of another Bodhisattva.
He didn't make a move, but the light, sound, and even the very "sense of existence" in that area began to distort and collapse, creating a silent threat.
Floating World Star Inference True Monarch's Starlight quietly laid out an illusion array, while the phantom Talismans of Everlasting Talisman Inference True Monarch sealed off the path of retreat...
The True Monarchs from both the Righteous and Demonic factions were displaying a shocking level of "tacit understanding" at this moment!
They might still have their own disagreements, and they might be just as wary and calculating toward Qi Yun.
But faced with the enraged Buddhist Cultivation Bodhisattvas, they had all chosen, without prior agreement, to obstruct them!
They were more than happy to watch the Buddhist Cultivators suffer a setback.
Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva's icy gaze slowly swept over Qingyuan Dao Seeking True Monarch, True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law, and the others. The flames of fury churned within his Buddhist heart, but he forcibly suppressed them.
'How could I not know what these Righteous and Demon True Monarchs are thinking?'
'They're just sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight, hoping to be the fisherman who reaps the rewards. That's all.'
However... Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva's gaze returned to the solitary figure of Qi Yun in the distance, a piercing glint of cold light flashing in the depths of his eyes.
'A True Monarch who just completed his ascension... even if he's a little strange, so what?'
'Faced with such an absolute gap in foundation, he can't possibly make a splash!'
'Since the Righteous and Demon True Monarchs want to interfere, then...'
"In that case, let my junior brother, the Vidyārāja, test the skills of this newly ascended 'Daoist Friend'," Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva said slowly, his voice returning to a cold calm.
Before his words had even faded, the Vidyārāja Bodhisattva, who had been the first to erupt with killing intent, could no longer restrain himself!
"ROAR!!"
With a heaven-shaking roar, this Bodhisattva was the first to move!
He didn't charge toward Qi Yun, who was being subtly shielded by the True Monarchs. Instead, he stomped heavily on the void in front of him!
"BOOM—!!!"
As his foot came down, a magnificent, realistic, and bizarre Realm, emanating endless flames of fury and Demon-Slaying Power, unfurled like a scroll from where he stood, spreading rapidly toward Qi Yun's position!
This Realm was incredibly real!
The moment it appeared, it seemed to replace the original Heaven and Earth Laws of that area!
Within the Realm, the ground was scorched earth burning with azure Karmic Fire, the sky was a blood-red firmament roiling with furious thunder, and the air was filled with a scorching Buddha Power that incinerated all worldly vexations and subjugated the Outer Dao!
One after another, colossal phantoms of Vidyārājas materialized within the Realm, wielding various Demon-Slaying Magical Artifacts and letting out silent roars!
The Realm was saturated with the complete Laws of the Dao that the Vidyārāja Bodhisattva had cultivated his entire life: the Daos of "Fury," "Demon-Slaying," and "Purifying by Fire"!
Here, his will was Heaven's will!
His Dao was the truth!
The [Divine Court].
An evolution transcending the Foundation Establishment Realm Heaven, achieved by using the [Fruit Position] to integrate a True Monarch or Bodhisattva's lifelong Dao Insights, resulting in a [Daoist Heaven and Earth]!
If a Foundation Establishment Realm Heaven is a Cultivator temporarily transforming an area to create a favorable "terrain" for themselves...
Then the [Divine Court] is the complete transformation of a piece of Heaven and Earth into the Divine Country of its master!
Within this Divine Court, the master's word is law, and all Daos follow their command, granting them near-absolute suppression over any intruders!
This was the most fundamental symbol of authority and manifestation of power that distinguished a True Monarch or Bodhisattva from a Junior Cultivator!
The Vidyārāja Bodhisattva's Divine Court, the [Wisdom King Heaven], unfurled with a roar, carrying a terrifying pressure capable of boiling seas, razing mountains, and suppressing ten thousand demons. Like a world of Buddha Fire streaking across the sky, it descended upon Qi Yun to envelop and crush him!
Facing this strike, powerful enough to level mountains and rivers for ten thousand li, Qi Yun remained where he stood. His white robe fluttered slightly as he looked up at the rapidly expanding Anger World that burned the Celestial Vault.
'A Divine Court, is it...'
'Perfect.'
He slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers pressing down on the void toward the descending Anger World.
"I also have a technique I'd like to test against yours, Daoist Friend."
Facing the majestic Divine Court that pressed down like a burning world, Qi Yun's expression was calm.
"HUMMMM—!!!"
A low rumble, as if originating from the very Dao Source, erupted from the void behind him!
A great sun—one without majestic ceremony but with the power to illuminate all—rose from nothingness with a roar!
This sun was neither gold nor red, but a pure, incandescent white—a white so extreme it seemed to contain the very origin of all light and heat in Heaven and Earth!
It was not stationary but rotated slowly. With each turn, brilliant rays of light shot out, carrying a supreme intent—to illuminate three thousand worlds, to see through all illusion, and to dominate reality!
Wherever the light reached, even the churning azure Karmic Fire and blood-red thunder at the edge of the rapidly expanding [Anger Fire Wisdom King Realm] were forced back for a moment.
At the boundary where light and flame met, space groaned as if under an unbearable load!
"This skill is called... Dharma Heaven and Earth!
It does not rely on a Fruit Position or any external object. Instead, it is the sublimation and external manifestation of one's own ultimate Daoist Intent and will—the will of 'The Great Sun Returns to Truth, Dominating the Present'—through supreme Heart Thought, transforming into a magnificent Dharma Aspect that reverses reality and remolds Heaven and Earth!
It is not the creation of a small, internal world, but the use of absolute will to temporarily replace and overwrite a part of the outer Heaven and Earth!
"Go."
Qi Yun uttered a single word.
The brilliant white sun behind him, carrying the immense power to crush all obstacles and reshape the present order, charged fearlessly toward the descending [Anger Fire Wisdom King Realm]!
The next instant—
"RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—!!!!!"
An indescribably terrifying sound erupted!
The light of the incandescent white sun and the blue-and-red world of the Wisdom King Divine Fire collided violently!
"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK—!!!"
A dense, scalp-numbing series of spatial cracks echoed like popping beans!
Centered on the point of impact, countless terrifying spatial fissures—some thick, some thin, all with edges flowing with a Chaos Color—spread out rapidly in all directions like a crazed spiderweb!
Deep within each fissure, bizarre chaotic void currents could be vaguely seen. They emanated an all-devouring suction, mercilessly tearing apart and annihilating nearby dust, shattered fragments of Buddha Light and Dao Rhyme, and even stray wisps of Spiritual Qi that passed by!
The aftershocks of the collision alone plowed through the surrounding tens of thousands of li of space, leaving behind a horrifying scene of devastation and cracks!
The incandescent white sun, its light radiating for miles, acted like a Stabilizing Needle, firmly resisting the downward pressure of the Anger World!
But the [Anger Fire Wisdom King Realm] was not to be outdone. Within the Divine Court, countless phantoms of Vidyārājas roared in unison. Their Demon-Slaying Power and the burning force of their Karmic Fire were pushed to the extreme, with blue and red flames and lightning frantically assaulting and eroding the sun's light, attempting to ignite and incinerate it!
The two immense powers thus formed a brief, suffocating stalemate in midair!
Light and fire intertwined and annihilated one another; Dao Principles and will clashed madly!
Evenly matched!
They were... evenly matched?!
This result made the pupils of all the spectating True Monarchs and Bodhisattvas shrink slightly.
This was especially true for the Vidyārāja Bodhisattva who had attacked. On the faces of his three-headed, six-armed Dharma Aspect, the initial rage and killing intent faltered slightly.
Then, a look of embarrassment and gloom slowly surfaced.
'Evenly matched? Indistinguishable in strength?'
'No!'
'I achieved the Bodhisattva Fruit Position over eight hundred years ago!'
'I have spent hundreds of years cultivating and refining my Divine Court; it has long been stable and powerful!'
'But this guy opposite me has only just ascended to True Monarch!'
Fighting a newcomer to a standstill... for him... was already a defeat.
Meanwhile, on Qi Yun's side, standing beneath the brilliant great sun, a flash of thoughtful understanding crossed his eyes.
'So that's how it is...' he murmured to himself.
'I am walking an unprecedented new path, not the Profound Yellow Dao Certification Method.'
'Without the support of a [Fruit Position], I naturally cannot create a small world like a [Divine Court] that contains a complete, true, and real Dao.'
'I can only use the great power of this Immortal Body, mixed with my Daoist Intent, to forge a Dharma Aspect.'
'One method works from the inside out, building a stable Divine Country; the other works from the outside in, remodeling reality.'
'The forms are different, the paths opposite.'
'But from the result of this first direct clash... on a purely power level, there seems to be little difference.'
'It seems...'
Qi Yun raised his eyes. His gaze pierced through the chaotic frontline where incandescent light and blue-red Karmic Fire intertwined, landing on the distant, sullen face of the Vidyārāja Bodhisattva. A sharp smile appeared on his face.
"If I want to truly defeat you, Daoist Friend, it seems this [Dharma Heaven and Earth] alone... is still a little lacking."
"It looks like I'll have to show some of my real skills."
...
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