“The Great Compassionate Buddha, who witnesses the measureless beginning and end, the Lord of the Pure World to come—”

Zong Shou listened, and could not help but let out a silent, wry laugh. “Why are you praying to Buddha again?”

The clear voice opened her eyes. Her gaze was transparent and tranquil, clearly having already transcended the boundary between life and death.

“Jing Yin is imploring the Future Buddha Lord to protect the Donor’s safety. The Donor is a good person and should not die here.”

Her gaze, however, was fixed on the mountain below. The battle raging on this peak had nearly shaved half of Mount Tianyan flat.

Yet, the millions gathered below were shielded by an immense power.

Despite their desperate situation, not a single one had sustained the slightest injury. Under the oppressive weight of Zong Shou’s intent, they could only kneel on the ground, thereby escaping the peril of trampling during a rout.

Zong Shou shook his head at her words. “I am hardly a good person. Furthermore, how can you be so certain that I will perish here? You foolish nun, whose side are you truly on? How can you crush people’s morale like this?”

Jing Yin blinked innocently, thinking to herself what other outcome was possible in this situation.

She had already reconciled herself to being implicated by Zong Shou and was prepared to die here at any moment. She only hoped for a swift end, free from humiliation.

Then, she heard Zong Shou adopt a stern expression, his tone complicated. “Were you not hoping for the boundless future Buddha to descend and save the common folk of this realm? Very well. Today, I shall grant your wish, Jing Yin. But you must remember, afterward, you must sincerely do one thing for me. Otherwise, I shall not rest in peace, and I will haunt you even as a ghost—”

Jing Yin responded with a soft ‘Eh?’, completely bewildered and filled with confusion.

She could not grasp the meaning behind Zong Shou’s words. Wishing for the boundless future Buddha to descend and save the populace of this world?

Her eyes were vacant, yet she nodded vaguely. Then, she closed her eyes again and resumed chanting the scriptures.

Though she did not know what Zong Shou sought, since he threatened to haunt her if he died unfulfilled, it must be something of extreme importance.

But after this, would either of them even be alive? This promise, she suspected, might only be fulfilled in the netherworld.

Meanwhile, Zong Shou let out a hearty laugh, and a ball of fire escaped from his sleeve. First, it manifested as a spirit beast resembling an earth dog, which then transformed into the shape of a gigantic Qilin. It possessed a majestic appearance, wreathed in flames, standing protectively before Zong Shou.

Zong Shou himself had closed his eyes, appearing as if dead. His soul-thought detached from his body, forming his unshaped True Form. Except for the still-blurry facial features, its appearance and bearing were virtually identical to Zong Shou’s.

While they were conversing, Lu Wushuang was paying respects to the three God-Realm cultivators who had arrived.

“I dare not accept the title of Young Master. Wushuang greets the three Elders! Today, Wushuang unfortunately finds himself in this predicament. I am immeasurably grateful that the three of you took the trouble to rush over. I implore you to lend Lu a little more strength. If this villain can be eliminated, I shall certainly repay the debt in the future.”

“You speak too highly! We came precisely for this purpose, to assist the Young Master. It is only proper. How could we dare expect repayment?”

The white-robed cultivator smiled, but his gaze ultimately settled upon Zong Shou and the primordial spirit ascending into the air.

A look of derision surfaced in his eyes. Abandoning the physical body for the escape of the primordial soul? He was indeed knowledgeable of the situation. Unfortunately, it was useless against him.

He instantly unleashed his magical power, forming a colossal hand wrought from solidified ice, which he cast toward Zong Shou’s divine soul from afar. Knowing that Zong Shou possessed methods for instantaneous spatial escape, the strike was launched by first sealing and isolating the surrounding area from the Great Dao Origin Layer.

At this point, even Lu Wubing faintly shook his head. Thinking of escaping now, isn’t it a bit late?

With his hands clasped behind his back, Lu Wubing leisurely watched the unfolding scene. To personally arrange the circumstances leading to the demise of such an unparalleled genius here—this feeling was exquisitely satisfying. This sense of accomplishment nearly rivaled the sensation of a major breakthrough in cultivation.

Zong Shou, suspended in mid-air, showed no intention of fleeing. Instead, he remained fixed in the void, merely extending a hand and gently pointing. The massive ice hand, now virtually within reach, shattered instantly, dissolving into fragments of ice without causing him the slightest harm.

How?

Lu Wubing frowned, a look of surprise crossing his face. He knew that while the white-robed cultivator’s move seemed effortless, that single grasp had fully exerted eighty percent of his power. Zong Shou’s Sword Dao was undoubtedly extraordinary, having comprehended the Soul-Grade Sword Intent mastered only by God-Realm cultivators. Yet, it should have been impossible to handle it so casually.

After shattering the colossal ice hand, a black sphere and a white sphere materialized around Zong Shou. One shone with blinding white, the other possessed a profound darkness. Gradually, they became impossible to perceive visually—

“Dharma Manifestation? What kind of Dharma Manifestation is this?”

This thought flashed through almost everyone’s minds. Yet, they all instinctively felt a strange, oppressive aura permeating the area. Even the three newly arrived God-Realm cultivators seemed unable to resist, retreating step by step.

Then, waves of Sanskrit chanting echoed across the heavens, as if countless beings were reciting Buddha’s name in unison. Regardless of pitch or rhythm, the sound was exquisitely beautiful and pleasing to the ear.

Petals of lotus flowers began to drift down from the sky, transforming the ravaged mountaintop into a scene of ethereal beauty. Though they appeared to be ordinary lotus petals, Lu Wubing knew this was the natural condensation of potent power of faith.

“Is that Buddha Light?”

At this moment, strands of seven-colored spiritual light also pierced out from Zong Shou’s primordial soul. They were not only brilliant and majestic but also seemed to possess the power to soothe the soul.

The sky above was now split in two. One side was utterly dark, impossible to look upon. The other side was glaringly white, equally impossible to open one’s eyes to.

And the features of Zong Shou’s True Form body were becoming increasingly distinct. Beneath his feet, a lotus pedestal composed of seven colors was forming, solemn and sacred.

The three God-Realm experts all wore grave expressions, tinged with confusion. They could not comprehend the nature of this anomaly.

“Stop playing tricks!”

One of the God-Realm cultivators, clad in armor and wielding a sword, lost patience first. With a cold snort, he swung his colossal sword down—

The might of several thousand Mount Sumerus was gathered within that single strike. It, too, was a Soul-Grade Sword Intent. As the sword was drawn, the entire space spanning a million zhang fell still.

The True Form body of the ‘Zong Shou’ finally opened its ‘eyes.’

It cast a vacant glance upon the assembled figures, then waved its hand casually. To the left of its body, the massive ‘black hole’ suddenly shifted, moving to meet the trajectory of the giant sword.

Silently, wherever it passed, nearly everyone’s spiritual perception was absorbed and distorted. They could only vaguely sense that the heavy sword had snapped in response, and then the entirety of the sword’s material composition was swallowed by the black hole.

It did not stop there, continuing its pursuit directly toward the physical body of the God-Realm cultivator. After a brief resistance, there was a deafening boom, like rolling thunder.

Then, everyone could only watch as the sky filled with exploding flesh and blood. The debris managed to scatter only about ten zhang before being drawn back by a fierce, sucking force, hurtling back into the black aperture. Upon probing with spiritual senses, the aura of this God-Realm cultivator was entirely gone from this space—vanished without a trace.

The figures on the mountaintop gasped in unison. What kind of divine ability was this? What kind of power could annihilate a God-Realm cultivator in a single blow?

Lu Wubing was similarly stunned into silence, unable to utter another word. In his mind, only one thought repeated incessantly: How could this be?

“Well prepared. If this were another realm, Zong Shou would likely have suffered spiritual annihilation and died full of regret.”

Zong Shou’s calm voice sounded again. Though not intentional, it carried an unparalleled majesty now. His gaze turned mercilessly toward the white-robed God-Realm cultivator.

“It is a pity, though. This place is the Azure Spirit World—”

As he spoke, the indistinct white light mass suddenly stirred and plunged toward the white-robed God-Realm expert. The latter roared, his body dissolving into a string of afterimages, desperately fleeing toward the distance while simultaneously attempting to break free from the Azure Spirit World.

Yet, he could not outpace the light. When struck in mid-air, his flesh exploded once more. Then, within the blazing light, his remains burned to ashes, reduced to fine dust.

Everyone watched, speechless and unable to react, simply staring at the scene.

Coincidentally, Jing Yin, still with closed eyes chanting scriptures, murmured softly, “The Buddha’s palm holds the power of the End, thus capable of restraining endless Darkness! The Buddha also holds the power of the Origin, thus capable of commanding boundless Light! When the Buddha descends, the heavens and earth will be divided. One side shall be Dark, the other, Light—”

Venerable Master Xiaoyue’s pupils contracted violently, and a cascade of emotions swept through his eyes: daze, realization, elation, regret, sorrow—

Finally, his expression returned to clarity. Tears glistened in his eyes, and he prostrated himself in devout reverence, bowing low.

“Great Compassion, Measureless Beginning and End. Our Buddha has descended, please protect the beings of our Leping Realm—”

Following this declaration, the millions gathered below also looked up at the sky with joyous exclamations, discussing excitedly.

“It is the Measureless Beginning and End—”

“The Future Buddha has truly descended upon our Leping Realm!”

“The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the myriad heavens have indeed not abandoned us!”

“Great Compassion, saving beings from suffering. May the people of our Leping Realm never again suffer the pain of losing a child—”

Some wept uncontrollably, while others laughed wildly.

Jing Yin continued chanting, but gradually realized something was amiss. She hurriedly opened her eyes and looked at the sky again. Her expression froze. Only after a long moment did she finally react.

Where had the two God-Realm experts gone? Why were Lu Yantian and the others trembling visibly? And the other God-Realm cultivator in the sky—why did his face look utterly drained of color?

Measureless Beginning and End?

Everything before her eyes matched the descriptions in the Great Boundless Prayer Sutra perfectly. Could it be that the figure above was indeed the Measureless Beginning and End, the Buddha of the Future?

Jing Yin felt her throat go dry and swallowed with difficulty. She recalled cleaning the Buddha’s body daily over a dozen days ago, and even washing that thing for him—

Her face instantly flushed crimson, and steam seemed to rise from her head. Jing Yin dared not think any further, quickly closed her eyes, and resumed reciting the Buddhist scripture.

Lu Wubing had been lost in thought for a long time before recovering. With a helpless, bitter sigh, he bowed his head in deference.

“It turns out the Tathagata of Brahma himself stands before us!”

Today’s defeat was not due to a fault in the battle itself, but he had lost absolutely everything—RQ

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