Urban Undying Lord
Chapter 798: 817 Lingshan Leiyin

Chapter 798: Chapter 817 Lingshan Leiyin

Wind whirled the yellow sand across the sky, and the Milky Way poured backwards into heaven and earth, making the whole Western Continent seem wondrously beautiful. Yet, the reality was that it was an area filled with mournful desolation, and countless beings were trapped in the fire’s fierce heat.

An endless heavenly vault was torn open, and billions of miles of land had fallen. The war between the two great Heavenly Courts back then had ultimately unleashed an apocalypse, the disaster and consequences of which were unimaginable.

The Western Continent was the foundation of the Buddhist Sect of the West, reputed to have hundreds of millions of Buddhist disciples. Unfortunately, the once peaceful Buddha Land now lay in ruins, only the boundless yellow sand enveloping the skies remained—every day, mortal beings were buried under the sweeping sands.

Ye Xuan walked barefoot with steady steps, his journey had led him to see bones scattered everywhere—human, Demon Race, and also the skeletal remains of a plethora of Demon Beasts hidden beneath the sweeping yellow sands, resembling a human world turned into a purgatory.

Six Desires are Heartless, Heaven and Earth are indifferent. Although Ye Xuan carried the compassionate smile of a Buddhist, his eyes held only cold indifference. Even though countless spirits had perished in the celestial disaster, many of which were related to him, Ye Xuan barely felt anything.

Heaven and Earth go through reincarnation, and all things cycle from prosperity to decline—a necessary process. However, Ye Xuan believed that he had accelerated this process. As for the lives and deaths of all beings, it was their weakness that doomed them.

Weakness is the original sin!

Ye Xuan had always believed in this principle, so he needed to become stronger, never wanting to be subservient to others. Instead, he was determined to stand tall above the Nine Heavens and overlook the myriad things of Heaven and Earth.

Countless stars twinkled in the heavenly vault above, and the howling sand danced wildly across the lands. Ye Xuan walked through the sands under the moonlight, from night into day, and from day back into night, heading west with his body’s Buddha Light growing ever more serene.

Cloud Formation and Rainfall, casting spells and dispensing medicine, releasing the deceased from purgatory, and lamenting for the living.

Ye Xuan traveled through the Western Continent, propagating Buddhist Law everywhere he went. He performed Buddhist rites to ferry the souls of beings, and endless disciples knelt and prostrated before him, chanting his great name aloud.

Of course, this “great name” was not Ye Xuan but his Dharma name Qingming, for Ye Xuan knew that upon his reappearance in the Three Realms, he could no longer use the name Ye Xuan. He would become Qingming, stirring up the wind and clouds of Heaven and Earth, and step by step achieve his own goals.

As for his journey spreading Buddhist Law to save beings, it was merely part of building momentum for himself.

After a full twenty-seven years, Ye Xuan, like a wandering monk, had traversed the entire Western Continent. Everywhere he went, he left his mark; his good deeds gradually became known, and his reputation spread throughout the Western Continent.

Lingshan, The Thunderclap Monastery!

Spiritual Energy filled the sky, and Buddha Light shone brilliantly. The sound of the Buddha Bell echoed between heaven and earth, and the chanting of Zen filled the air. The Thunderclap Monastery stood unshakeable, with the ethereal images of the Bodhisattva Buddhas flickering in and out of the void.

“Who goes there, halt!”

At the base of Lingshan, two young novice monks guarded the gate. As Ye Xuan stepped on the void and appeared before them, the monks furrowed their brows and sternly chided.

“Monk Qingming here to see Duobao Tathagata.”

Ye Xuan smiled kindly, the Buddha Light dazzling behind him, causing the two novices to startle. The mere aura that Ye Xuan emitted shocked them, letting them know that the visitor was undoubtedly a great Buddhist power, someone they could not afford to offend.

“Esteemed monk, please wait a moment. I will go and announce your arrival.”

The two novices put aside any hint of neglect and hurriedly made a sign of respect before leaving. But before they could announce the visitor, a golden cloud rose thunderously from The Thunderclap Monastery, slowly drifting down towards the foot of Lingshan.

“Amitabha Buddha!”

A Buddha name resonated from within the golden clouds, and there appeared Duobao Tathagata seated on the Golden Lotus, with Heavenly Buddhas and Bodhisattvas behind him. Furthermore, three thousand arhats stood in the eight directions, all of whom now cast their gaze upon Ye Xuan.

“Duobao pays his respects to Uncle Master Qingming!”

Duobao Tathagatagata pressed his palms together, his Golden Lotus beneath him silently dissipating as he walked through the sky towards Ye Xuan. Approaching Ye Xuan, he offered a bow with the utmost humility. This scene left the two young novices dumbfounded on the spot, taking a good while to recover their wits.

“Pay respects to Qingming Buddha.”

Heavenly Bodhisattvas, Buddhas from all directions, three thousand arhats, and the Eighteen Arhats, along with all ranks within the Buddhist Sect, paid their respects to Ye Xuan. The Buddha names echoing through the heavens, and the Buddha Light that filled Heaven and Earth, conferred a sense of something vast and majestic.

Gazing upon this scene before him, Ye Xuan had a peaceful smile, yet his heart harbored a sense of strangeness. He hadn’t expected that Lingshan’s Thunderclap Monastery, with whom he once shared deep enmity, was now to be under his leadership from today.

As the tides of fortune turn, today they come to my home, Ye Xuan thought. If Duobao Tathagata knew that the Qingming Buddha before him was, in fact, the Ye Xuan of old, he wondered what his thoughts would be.

“The Saint has summoned me, and your nephew is aware. Please, Uncle Master, take your place at the Thunderclap Monastery. I shall slowly report everything to you in time.”

“Uncle Master, please.”

Duobao Tathagata was exceedingly humble as he extended the invitation to Ye Xuan, but a careful observer could detect a flickering uncertainty in Duobao’s eyes. He covertly scrutinized Ye Xuan, his gaze occasionally betraying a hint of surprise and doubt.

Duobao’s demeanor was understandable, for a decree from the Western Two Saints had announced that their disciple would take charge of the Thunderclap Monastery at Lingshan, and that all Lingshan’s Buddhas should obey Ye Xuan’s command.

With a command from a Saint, Duobao naturally dared not disobey, even though he had always been the Buddha of the Western Lingshan. Ye Xuan’s arrival naturally made him feel somewhat uneasy.

After all, to have one’s power taken away would unsettle anyone, but a Saint’s will could not be defied, and Duobao had to suppress any grievances.

Moreover, Duobao found one matter particularly strange: he had never heard of this Qingming Daoist. When had the Western Two Saints acquired such a disciple?

Of course, Duobao dared not question this. While he harbored doubts about Ye Xuan’s identity, he could only plan to test Ye Xuan in the future and see what relation he truly had with the Western Two Saints.

Escorted by Duobao and the Lingshan’s Buddhas, Ye Xuan took steps towards the Thunderclap Monastery with measured strides. Just at that moment, eighty-one Buddha Bells rang out, summoning all beings of Lingshan to convene at the Thunderclap Monastery.

The Thunderclap Monastery.

The banner of the Western Sect, also the lineage established by the Western Two Saints. Countless golden lotus platforms unfolded through the void, and mist steamed from the golden Spirit Ponds.

Bodhisattvas sat poised, Arhats stood erect, and the eight dragon kinds churned through the void. Ye Xuan, dressed in a Moon White Monk Robe, sat upon the Buddha’s Golden Lotus, with Duobao Tathagata and Randeng Buddha at his side.

“Uncle Master Qingming, have you brought the Dharma Decrees of the two Sect Hierarchs?” Duobao Tathagata pressed his palms together and bowed to Ye Xuan.

Hum!

A ray of gold spread forth, and the Saint’s Decree thunderously appeared. The golden Buddhist texts undulated within the Thunderclap Monastery, causing Duobao’s face to shift subtly. He promptly knelt down and kowtowed to the Decree.