Chapter 59: The Great Powerful Dragon
The spiritual world of the hidden spirit star Galing Island Maoshen Cliff.
The majestic cliff is as high as a myriad of feet, with an entirely black body and not a single blade of grass growing on it. The glossy cliff was shrouded in a halo of black Buddhist light, with the sound of chanting rising straight into the sky. In the empty space, one could vaguely see a series of blurry lotus flower shadows supporting figures with shaved heads sitting cross-legged. Between each lotus flower, there were strips of light composed of countless black mantras connecting them. The black Buddhist light covered the entire sea surface around the cliff for thousands of miles, and on this vast sea surface, not a single ripple was stirred, nor did any waves rise. Even the fish and sea creatures that entered this area became calm and quiet, each poking their heads out of the water to listen intently to the chanting sound, losing all interest in hunting and preying.
Suddenly, a black light shot up into the sky, with a large black lotus flower wrapped in it. On the lotus flower, there were eighteen thumb-sized black sarira (Buddhist relics) floating on the waves. The lotus flower and sarira emitted boundless light, and the sound of Buddhist chanting filled the air. A strong and gentle Buddha's power surged forth, sweeping across the sea surface. As the sound of the bell faded away, dozens of ferocious sea beasts that had been living in the ocean for years and were about to transform into human form suddenly chanted a Buddhist mantra in unison. Their bodies glowed with light, and they shed their beastly forms to become human. The hair on their heads fell off one by one, and each of them was clad in monk's robes that appeared out of thin air. They walked onto the sandy beach of Penglai Island, facing the direction of Maoshan Cliff, and paid homage with reverence, reciting scriptures with piety.
In a humble thatched hut under the cliff of Moshen, the pale-faced Monk Tai sat cross-legged, holding a Buddhist scripture and reciting it loudly.
In front of Mie Qing Shitai, Shen Xiaobai, who had already grown into a delicate and lovely young girl, was kneeling in front of her. She looked at Mie Qing Shitai's calm face with concern.
"Xiao Bai, you have followed me for many years. You have already memorized the 'Pu Du Zhen Jing' and the 'Jin Gang Xiang Mo Fo Fa'. What you lack is nothing but cultivation and experience." Master Mie Qing suddenly stopped reciting the scriptures, slightly opened her eyes to gaze at Shen Xiao Bai, and said in a gentle voice: "Experience, you can accumulate it slowly over time. But as for cultivation, I can give it to you!"
Shen Xiaobai looked at Mie Qing Shitai in astonishment, a bad premonition rising to his heart. This master who was always cold and expressionless all year round, sometimes not speaking for a month, today's tone had actually become so kind and gentle, a hidden worry made Shen Xiaobai's face fall. He looked at Mie Qing Shitai with a bitter expression, silent for half a day.
Mie Qing Shitai was a remarkable figure, she saw through Shen Xiaobai's thoughts at a glance, and couldn't help but nod her head in satisfaction, laughing loudly: "You're also clever, you guessed the meaning of your master. Your master used to cultivate the Buddhist scripture 'Extinction Heart Sutra' from a side door. However, it lost the intention of universal salvation, strayed into a wrong path, and although I had a strong cultivation, I always fell short, unable to attain the true result. A hundred years ago, your master was fortunate enough to obtain the 'Universal Salvation True Scripture' and the 'Vajra Demon-Subduing Buddhist Scripture' in the ruins of a Chan temple, from which I gained insight into the essence of Buddhism, and my abilities have made great progress over the past hundred years."
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and said slowly: "Six months ago, I broke through to the Void Realm. However, I found that my foundation was still rooted in the 'Extinction of Heart Sutra'. This foundation has been established, although I obtained the 'Universal Ferrying True Scripture'. But if I want to achieve great accomplishment, it will take many years of hard work. However, if I abandon this life's cultivation and start from scratch, with my current understanding of Buddhism, restoring my cultivation to its current state would only take thirty years. Re-cultivating the 'Universal Ferrying True Scripture' again would be much easier."
"Master, you can't...!" Shen Xiaobai understood the meaning behind Mieqing Shifeng's words and was shocked. She quickly threw herself at Mieqing Shifeng, tightly wrapping her arms around her body, shaking her violently while loudly wailing: "You, you can't leave Xiao Bai behind! Xiao Bai's family is all dead, Xiao Bai only has you left!"
The nun slapped Shen Xiaobai's head with a loud slap and said in an eerie tone, "You still have another Lin brother! Have you forgotten him? The Buddhist Heart Method is most important for cultivating one's nature. As for grasping the heavenly mechanism and numerical fate, there is no one in the cultivation world who can surpass me. I have calculated your blessings and opportunities, all of which are tied to that Lin Xiaozi. I will abandon this stinky fleshly shell and reincarnate, you go find that Lin Xiaozi. Thirty years later, I will naturally come find you, what are you crying about?"
As soon as she heard Lin Xiao's name, Shen Xiaobai was slightly stunned. A red flush appeared on her pale face, and Shen Xiaobai whispered: "Lin big brother? I don't know what he's doing now"
She grasped Shen Xiaobai's ear and pulled it, and Mie Qing Shitai coldly hummed: "You heard Lin Dage, you don't need Master anymore. Hmph!"
Shen Xiaobai's face turned red like a burning fire, she deeply lowered her head and did not respond to Mie Qing Shitai's words. She indeed felt that Lin Xiao's position in her heart surpassed Mie Qing Shitai, even though Mie Qing Shitai had been carefully taking care of her and cultivating her with all his might over the past few years. As a Buddhist nun, Shen Xiaobai did not speak deceitful words, although she had not yet become a nun, she also did not want to tell lies. Therefore, when Mie Qing Shitai spoke in such a way, she just tacitly agreed.
She shook her head, and the nun said with a hint of helplessness and a bitter smile: "You're indeed a sensible little girl, but you won't even say something flattering to make your master happy. However, it's good this way, only true nature can achieve great perfection... Good, good, good!" Gently patting Shen Xiaobai's head, the nun gazed out at the vast ocean in front of the thatched cottage and said in a low voice: "This body of mine is really too weak, being able to break through to the Void Realm is already a blessing from heaven. I'll give up this body, bring the memories of this life with me, and restart my Buddhist practice - it's a great opportunity. You don't have to be sad about anything, thirty years later, I'll naturally come find you, at that time... we'll still have a chance encounter, hmm? Don't be sad anymore!"
Shen Xiaobai had followed Mieqing Shitai for several years and was well aware of her temper. When she said not to be sad, it meant not being sad, otherwise her buttocks would be whipped again with a few fierce strokes of the rattan stick. So she obediently wiped away the tears that had appeared on her face at some unknown time, and knelt down in front of Mieqing Shitai, staring blankly at her icy face.
The nun's face, like a thousand-year-old iceberg, revealed a hint of a smile as she gazed at Shen Xiaobai. She chuckled softly and said, "Today, I will transmit the Buddhist power that I have cultivated for hundreds of years to you through the secret method of 'Polishing the Top'. In just a few days, you will be able to reach the Void Realm's cultivation level. With the Buddhist treasures I've collected over the years, you won't need to fear anyone in the current cultivation world. However, when you encounter a true Void Realm expert, it's best to avoid them. After all, your cultivation comes from me, not from your own hard work, and your mental state is not sufficient to perfectly utilize the Void Realm's Buddhist power. You should be careful."
Before Shen Xiaobai could ask any questions, Mie Qing Shitai grabbed her and pressed her against her own body. With both hands holding down Shen Xiaobai's head, a vast and pure Buddhist power surged into Shen Xiaobai's body, replacing her tendons and washing her marrow, transforming her bones. Shen Xiaobai let out a comfortable moan and slowly fell asleep.
The Buddhist method of anointing the crown is incredibly wonderful, it is the only supreme secret in the cultivation world that can pour all its own cultivation into others without causing any harm to the recipient. If a cultivator were to exchange their cultivation with another, even if a master of the void realm were to infuse all their cultivation into a cultivator at the condensation stage, the only outcome would be for the cultivator to explode on the spot and have their soul scattered in all directions. Only the method of anointing the crown can perfectly transfer all the cultivation of one person to another without leaving any future troubles.
It's just that since the existence of the cultivation world, there have been only three to five people who have ever used the technique of pouring the elixir on top. The Buddha's power obtained through hard work and bitter practice, who would be willing to give it away for nothing? Extinguishing Emotions Shifu was so decisive in passing on her cultivation to Shen Xiaobai, but she herself took the wisdom of this life to reincarnate and start anew. Her heart and cultivation had reached a state of near perfection. As long as she gets a good flesh body in her next life, combined with the two secret books "Pu Du Zhen Jing" and "Jin Gang Xiang Mo Fo Fa" that she has enlightened in this life, her achievements in the next life will be immeasurable.
On the cliff of Moshen, a burst of black Buddha light suddenly converged. All the Buddha lights were absorbed into that black lotus flower floating in the air, and the eighteen black Sharira spun rapidly. The Extinction Master suddenly raised her head and shouted at the eighteen Sharira: "Cut off this life, huh!" With a loud shout, the eighteen black Sharira suddenly emitted a million-foot-long radiant light. A wave of light flowed on the surface of the black Sharira, and the black air rose. In an instant, the Sharira became white and lovely, each one floating and moving on the lotus flower, with less killing intent than before, but more vitality.
The Destroyer spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and the black lotus in the air fluttered wildly. The essence of her blood was sucked away by the lotus, which also emitted strong rays of light. The black aura on the lotus dissipated, revealing a pure white, almost transparent lotus flower in the air. Thin strands of white light shot out from the stamens of the lotus, pointing at the eighteen relics. A white rainbow streaked across the sky, and the faint sound of Buddhist chanting echoed through the heavens. The sea creatures that had just shed their beastly forms and taken on human shapes knelt on the beach, prostrating themselves without daring to lift their heads.
"Little White, see you in the next life!" With a light pat on Shen Xiao Bai's head, Mie Qing Shifu smiled faintly and shattered her own Tian Ling without any hesitation. A three-foot-high black glow enveloped a virtual shadow identical to Mie Qing Shifu, bursting out of the Tian Ling and transforming into a beam of spiritual light that disappeared into the vast emptiness.
Shen Xiaobai's head was surrounded by a white halo, and the white lotus flowers and eighteen sarira that were floating in mid-air were sucked into the halo, merging with it and entering Shen Xiaobai's body. Shen Xiaobai smacked his lips contentedly, curled up on the cushion where Mie Qing Shitai had been sitting, and fell fast asleep with a gentle snore. The earth-shaking Buddhist cultivation of Mie Qing Shitai was slowly merging with Shen Xiaobai, and gradually, a soft white glow began to emanate from under Shen Xiaobai's skin. Fine white light seeped out of all 84,000 pores on his body, and in his sleep, Shen Xiaobai unknowingly assumed the pose of a sleeping Buddha.
Dozens of Buddhist ritual objects suddenly floated up in the thatched hut, with spells and incantations flashing on them for a moment. The objects flew into Shen Xiaobai's body like birds returning to their nests. Shen Xiaobai yawned, her body floating uncontrollably, and took on the appearance of an angry Vajra Buddha three feet off the ground. Her left hand opened, revealing a golden vajra in her palm, while her right hand produced a fiery sword that sliced through evil spirits. Her feet stood on a golden lotus platform, surrounded by eighteen Buddhist ritual objects floating around her. Above her head floated an eighteen-layer crystal stupa, with a golden relic the size of a fist at its top emitting boundless golden light. The golden light shattered all evil spirits in the sky and earth, penetrating even into the ground, illuminating the underground of Gulong Island with clarity.
Seven days later, Shen Xiaobai quietly woke up from her self-imposed sleep, displaying countless divine transformations. She stared blankly at the withered remains of Mieqing Shitai, which had shrunk to about a foot high, and tears dripped down her face. Perhaps people only understand the value of what they've lost after it's gone. Shen Xiaobai gradually recalled the bits and pieces of her time with Mieqing Shitai over the years. Although Mieqing Shitai was extremely strict, although she never showed any expression for years on end, and although her words were devoid of warmth when scolding Shen Xiaobai, it couldn't be denied that she had been very good to Shen Xiaobai.
"Except for Lin, Master, you were the kindest to me, Xiao Bai!" Shen Xiao Bai knelt down in front of Mie Qing Shifu's memorial tablet and knocked her head several times with force. Her small mouth opened, and a cluster of seven-colored Buddhist flames spewed out, burning the memorial tablet clean, turning it into a wisp of pure blue smoke that dispersed between heaven and earth. "No attachment in this life, we'll meet again in the next. Master, Xiao Bai will go find you! Not in thirty years, Xiao Bai will be able to find you!"
Shen Xiaobai bit her lip hard, stood up, and looked at the simple thatched hut with holes all over it. This was where she had lived for several years. With a casual slap, a Buddhist flame burst out, burning the thatched hut to ashes. Her body emitted a white light and soared into the sky, flying towards the interstellar teleportation array of Pansheng Star.
"Yesterday, Master told me that Lin Big Brother is in a place called Meteor Boundary and also gave me the star map to get there." Shen Xiao Bai thought to himself as he flew quickly: "Master has entered the Virtual Realm. His ability to calculate and deduce is getting stronger and stronger. Lin Big Brother is so far away, it would take more than a hundred times of interstellar teleportation arrays from Prolific Spirit Star to reach him. Master actually knows where he is, it's really impressive. Hmm, Meteor Boundary? This place sounds interesting!"
Shen Xiaobai rode the white light into the distance, while the sea creatures that had transformed due to Mie Qing Shitai arrived at the thatched hut that Shen Xiaobai had burned down. They whispered a few sentences in their obscure beast language and hurried towards the lush vegetation of Galing Island to cut down trees and build houses on the site where the thatched hut once stood. Mie Qing Shitai did not expect, nor could Shen Xiaobai have ever imagined, that these sea creatures who had transformed due to Mie Qing Shitai would evolve into the Mieqing Buddhist sect on Galing Island's Mo Shen Cliff. As Shen Xiaobai emerged from the thatched hut and continued to advance through the starry teleportation arrays, she gradually transitioned from the desolate Puli Star Domain of the cultivation world to a place teeming with people. Gradually, more and more cultivators appeared near these teleportation arrays, and some had even been taken over by certain cultivation sects. Every cultivator who used the teleportation array, as long as their cultivation was still in the Yuan Ying period or lower, had to pay an additional three pieces of low-grade spirit stones as a toll to these cultivation sects, on top of the spirit stones required to activate the teleportation array.
Xiao Bai, who was a head shorter than the average girl, with a petite and delicate figure, and a chubby doll-like face that made people want to pinch her cheeks, was stopped by someone in Jieyuan Star, which was still three star domains away from Qiyuan Star. As she naturally walked towards the teleportation array to start it up and continue on her journey, two young men with slender builds and handsome faces blocked her way. One of them, a man in white clothes, looked at Xiao Bai with a raised head and a sideways glance, and said in a reserved tone, "Fellow cultivator, please hand over three pieces of lower-grade spirit stones."
"Why should I give you the spirit stone?" Shen Xiaobai widened her eyes, looking at the two young men in confusion. She was quite short, while these two men were among the best of Ling Xuan Star's Ling Xiao Sword Clan, handpicked for their exceptional appearance and tall stature. Shen Xiaobai furrowed her brow, taking a few steps back to get a clearer look at their faces. Another man in green robes gazed at Shen Xiaobai with an ambiguous smile. Shen Xiaobai wore only a coarse linen garment, with a thin vine tied around her waist, from which hung a palm-sized pouch that looked unremarkable. To the two men, Shen Xiaobai's pouch seemed small and unlikely to hold any valuable treasures, marking her as a novice who had just started out, likely from a scattered cultivation family without any backing or wealth.
This teleportation array leads to Qiyuan Star. The two young men instinctively thought that Shen Xiaobai wanted to go to the Yuanzong market to try his luck. These small birds who want to try their luck on Qiyuan Star, they can meet 20 or 30 of them every year, which is not surprising. How dare these small birds from scattered cultivation families conflict with the disciples of Ling Xiang Jianyuan? It's just right to take this opportunity to collect tolls and tease this little girl who looks tender enough to squeeze out water, isn't it a delightful thing?
Two young men with poor character exchanged a glance, and simultaneously revealed a sly smile on their faces. They were the kind of people who would bully the weak and fear the strong; when they encountered someone powerful like Mistress Meng, they would pretend to be obedient, but when they met someone weaker like Shen Xiaobai, they would act arrogant - this was their philosophy for survival!
The man in blue clothes took two steps closer to Shen Xiaobai, smiling complacently: "Little girl, this isn't the agreement we made, it's the rule of our Lingxiao Sword Sect! Either you hand over three pieces of spiritual stone and we'll let you continue on your way. Or... if you're not willing to part with those three pieces of spiritual stone, there's another way!" The man pointed at the white-clothed youth, laughing in a strange voice: "My senior brother just happens to be short one partner for dual cultivation, I think little girl's foundation is pretty good, if she were to cultivate dually with my senior brother for three to five days, wouldn't that make everyone one big happy family?"
Shen Xiaobai's mouth was agape as he stared at these two young people who seemed to be completely unaware of shame.
Those cultivators who passed by walked into the teleportation array one by one with expressionless faces, and they all activated the teleportation array to leave. Not a single person helped Shen Xiaobai speak out for justice.
Shen Xiaobai's anger flared up, her fists clenched tightly as she shouted: "Is this how your seniors taught you?!" Although young and inexperienced, Shen Xiaobai knew that the two youngsters' words were utterly despicable! Can such people establish themselves in the cultivation world? Will they be accepted by any cultivation sect? For the first time in her life, Shen Xiaobai clearly faced the dark side of the cultivation world.
The young man in white robes sneered coldly, his hands clasped behind his back, not even bothering to glance at Shen Xiaobai. "Either three pieces of spirit stone or you and I will cultivate together for three days, which would naturally cover the cost." The young man in white originally just wanted to tease Shen Xiaobai for fun, but when he drew closer and saw Shen Xiaobai's skin, which had become as white and delicate as jade after being refined by Buddhist power, and that adorable face that made one's heart skip a beat no matter how they looked at it, his playful intentions genuinely turned into a burning desire. He wanted to take advantage of the Ling Xian Sword Sect's influence to do some evil deeds.
The young man in the green robe chuckled and pointed to the dozens of Ling Xiao Sword Sect disciples standing beside the teleportation array, smugly saying: "My senior brother is..."
Shen Xiaobai's eyes emitted two piercing white lights, and she roared in anger: "No matter who your senior brother is, it's useless! You people shouldn't have appeared in the cultivation world!"
The actions of the two youths reminded Shen Xiaobai of the time she spent in the desolate mountains, holding the heavily injured Lin Xiao. The shameless words spoken by the Black Knife bandits came flooding back to her mind. These two youths had touched a sore spot in Shen Xiaobai's heart, causing her to recall one of the most unbearable periods of her life. As her anger surged, Shen Xiaobai no longer cared about what was right or wrong and flung out thirteen gleaming golden flying swords with a loud shout: "Great Majesty Heaven Dragon, descend and slay!"
