Struggling to Survive with Regression Power in the Primordial Saint Sect
Chapter 98: The Fundamental Sutra of Mahayana True Enlightenment

In Jiangxi, the Buddhist cultivators practiced the "Path of Deep Joy and Cessation," and the fact that they could remain in a secluded corner without being forced into exile overseas was already sufficient to prove the strength of their orthodoxy.

However, unlike the Sword Pavilion and the Holy Sect, which possessed numerous divine abilities.

The Buddhist cultivators of Jiangxi did not distinguish between cultivation methods and divine abilities; thus, they practiced only a single sutra, extracting both cultivation techniques and divine abilities from it.

It was named the "Fundamental Sutra of Mahayana True Enlightenment."

It was said that this sutra was transmitted by the World-Honored One of the "Path of Deep Joy and Cessation," with the aim of guiding people towards goodness, achieving nirvana after cessation, and thereby seeking the "true self."

However, this "true self" was not the Buddhist cultivator's own self.

Rather, it was the "self" of that World-Honored One.

Upon reaching the pinnacle of the Path of Deep Joy and Cessation, one would extinguish the self and comprehend the principle of "I am the World-Honored One, and the World-Honored One is me," becoming indistinguishable from the World-Honored One.

The sutra referred to this as "becoming a Buddha," "true enlightenment."

Because the World-Honored One was a Buddha, by becoming the World-Honored One, it was equivalent to becoming a Buddha.

All sentient beings were the same; all could become Buddhas, "I" was a Buddha, therefore all sentient beings could become "me," and understanding this principle was to attain supreme enlightenment.

In the "Fundamental Sutra of Mahayana True Enlightenment," there were forty-eight great mantras, said to have been established by the World-Honored One when he attained the Way; each mantra contained infinite mysteries and could give rise to countless divine abilities, and a complete mantra's effect was comparable to the great divine abilities of the Sword Pavilion and the Holy Sect.

The more mantras one mastered, the closer one was to "becoming a Buddha."

At this moment, facing Lü Yang's [Yama Palace], the Fulong Arhat touched the ground, formed a seal, and performed one of the great mantras, named "No Three Evil Paths in the Nation."

"If, when I become a Buddha, there are hells, hungry ghosts, or animals in my land, I will not attain supreme true enlightenment."

The Dharma sound was clear and resonant, illuminating with pure light.

Although it was a compassionate great mantra, its power was not at all merciful; how to eliminate hells, hungry ghosts, and animals? Just kill them, once dead, they no longer exist.

Moreover, it was evident that this divine ability was highly effective against yin and evil qi.

When the rosy light shone down, Lü Yang immediately saw the [Yama Palace] disintegrating inch by inch, and the guardian spirit Su Nu within emitted a sudden, mournful scream.

This was the true strength of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!

Lü Yang's heart was filled with awe; although the [Yama Palace] was invincible against the soul-only Peak Master of Mending Heaven Peak, that was actually due to a special attack bonus.

But a true mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, with both spirit and flesh perfected, like the Fulong Arhat in peak condition, even a single divine ability was enough to make the [Yama Palace] struggle to cope, and if not for the continuous infusion of yin and evil qi from the Skeleton Mountain's earth veins, it might have already been breached!

"Amitabha."

Seeing this scene, the Fulong Arhat's expression remained unchanged; he tossed the nine-ringed tin staff in his hand into the air, and immediately a thunderous clang of metal echoed.

'Not good!'

Lü Yang's pupils contracted; the [Yama Palace] was suppressed to the brink of collapse by the Fulong Arhat's "No Three Evil Paths in the Nation" great mantra and could no longer protect him!

Lü Yang had not anticipated this change in time, but the Fulong Arhat, with higher cultivation, had seized the opportunity in advance; before the [Yama Palace] fell, he had already raised the nine-ringed tin staff, and struck at the moment it failed, leaving Lü Yang no chance to remedy the situation.

In the blink of an eye, the nine-ringed tin staff had already fallen before Lü Yang!

At the critical moment, Lü Yang swiftly pulled the guardian spirit Su Nu from within the [Yama Palace] and held her firmly in front of himself.

Boom!

Su Nu didn't even have time to scream before being struck all over, her body cracked; only relying on the sturdiness of her pseudo-Foundation Establishment Dharma body did she barely withstand the blow.

"I can't continue like this!"

Lü Yang casually tossed Su Nu back into his dantian, his mind racing, knowing that continuing like this would only lead to passive defense, and defeat was only a matter of time.

He was contemplating countermeasures, but the Fulong Arhat was unwilling to give him the chance.

The nine-ringed tin staff, having missed once, circled in the air and fell again; the nine rings on the staff interlocked, clanging melodiously, enough to scatter one's soul.

Fortunately, Lü Yang had cultivated the "Thought-Severing Heaven-Seeing Silkworm Secret," and his spiritual consciousness had already transformed into divine consciousness, no different from a Foundation Establishment true person; although his head throbbed under the influence of the nine-ringed tin staff, he could still act through sheer willpower, using Su Nu to enhance his Foundation Establishment status, and then formed a seal on the spot.

The next second, the nine-ringed tin staff fell.

"Corpse dissolution is the transformation of form, the refinement and shedding of the true self, the escape and transformation of the physical body!"

Lü Yang did not resist, allowing the tin staff to strike, instantly pulverizing his flesh into dust, the exploded flesh and blood turning into a sky full of red mist.

However, in the next second, the red mist reversed!

The body that had turned to dust fled hundreds of miles away, finally barely landing on the edge of Skeleton Mountain before recombining, once again forming a physical body!

And the injuries the Fulong Arhat had just inflicted on Lü Yang, whether to the soul or the body, vanished after the "corpse dissolution," and Lü Yang even used this to escape the Fulong Arhat's divine consciousness lock; such a subtle escape technique made the Fulong Arhat show admiration:

"The benefactor is truly a prodigious talent!"

This was the divine ability of the [Immortal of Corpse Dissolution], not a combat divine ability, but a technique to avoid calamities and disasters; with the enhancement of the Foundation Establishment status, it became even more profound.

"Just a little longer."

Lü Yang exhaled deeply, having already revealed the heavenly secrets he had previously concealed; therefore, those with karmic ties to him could surely calculate that he was in a perilous situation.

At least that True Person of Chongguang could definitely deduce it.

And he still held the [Heavenly Corpse Fiend] that the True Person of Yinshan desired; just considering this, the True Person of Chongguang and the True Person of Yinshan would surely come to rescue him.

So he only needed to hold on until they arrived!

Just as Lü Yang had this thought, he saw the Fulong Arhat suddenly sigh: "What a pity, I originally wanted to keep the benefactor's physical body."

Before the words fell, the Fulong Arhat pressed his palms together.

"Amitabha!"

The next second, a brilliant spiritual light burst from his crown, illuminating the universe, and the [Fulong Temple] behind him simultaneously rang with great bells.

Within that spiritual light, a great dragon, its entire body burning with blazing white flames and as majestic as a mountain, coiled above; then the dragon's head lowered, suddenly becoming illusory, overlapping with the Fulong Arhat's head, and the two simultaneously exhaled, roaring out a flame!

Whoosh—

The blazing white flame, like a sharp arrow released from a bowstring, struck Lü Yang, its terrifying high temperature incinerating his body, turning him into a handful of flying ash in the blink of an eye.

However, soon, this flying ash reassembled in the distance, forming Lü Yang's figure.

Yet this time, even though he had performed the corpse dissolution technique, there were still lingering sparks on his body, clinging like a bone-infesting parasite.

Moreover, as time passed, this flame showed signs of reigniting!

"This is... [Blazing Fire Dragon]?"

Several months had passed since the battle with the Peak Master of Mending Heaven Peak, and Lü Yang had since mastered the inheritance of the Witch Ghost Path; now he was no longer ignorant of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Therefore, he immediately recognized that this was the manifestation of the Fulong Arhat's Dao path.

"[Blazing Fire Dragon] belongs to the Tian Gang position of [Yan Feng], pure yang wood, towering and majestic; wood burns in the hour of Chen to produce wood and dissipate fire, hence called fire blazing and riding the dragon."

In other words, the fire qi exhaled by the Fulong Arhat at this moment appeared to be raging and fierce, but in reality, the fire qi was merely the external appearance; in essence, it was using earth to generate wood, and wood to strengthen fire, so no matter what fire-restraining divine abilities were used, they were meaningless against this [Blazing Fire Dragon].

"To break it, one must use metal, or..."

Just as Lü Yang's thoughts were racing, he saw the Fulong Arhat stepping through the air towards him, a confident smile on his face:

"Does the benefactor wish to take refuge?"