Qin Mu, Old Ma, and the others quickened their pace, but Old Ma needed to stabilize Grandma Si's mind and was finding it increasingly difficult, causing their speed to gradually slow down.
Cult Master Li's growth was rapid, and Grandma Si's cultivation was growing stronger by the day. Old Ma didn't dare use his full strength, fearing he might harm Grandma Si's soul. This added many unpredictable variables to their journey.
Grandma Si woke up less and less often, while Cult Master Li woke up more and more frequently. Qin Mu was anxious but powerless.
This basin had once been an ocean, likely the East Sea mentioned by the Heavenly King's statue. The terrain was incredibly complex, with deep chasms reaching nearly ten thousand zhang and towering mountain ranges as sharp as blades.
The original East Sea had turned into dry land, the seawater completely gone. Yet Qin Mu found it strange—according to the villagers here, at night the ocean would float into the sky, flooding the area with water, but during the day it vanished without a trace.
So where did the seawater go?
The deeper they went, the stranger and more powerful the creatures became. Luminous jellyfish flew through the air, and at nightfall they would retreat into the temples, hanging like colorful lanterns.
They also encountered living flood dragons. Some lived in deep ravines, others in volcanoes, each claiming their own territory.
As long as no one provoked them, these flood dragons rarely ventured out. On several occasions Qin Mu saw them fly from their lairs to villages to catch people. When they spotted him and the others, recognizing their strength, they didn't dare cause trouble and flew past obediently.
Leaving the basin, Mount Sumeru was only two days away.
These past few days, none of them dared relax even while sleeping, always ready to awaken and suppress Cult Master Li. It was exhausting. Only Dragon Qilin slept soundly and ate well, his fur and scales gleaming with a healthy shine.
Qin Mu and the others simply jumped onto Dragon Qilin's back, letting the enormous beast carry them toward Mount Sumeru.
Gradually, more and more villagers along the way were believers in Buddha. Every household had Buddhist statues, and some even placed them alongside the local stone idols, worshipping both deities.
After asking around, Qin Mu learned that monks had come to preach and heal the sick, winning the hearts of the people.
The Buddhist sect had designs on the Great Ruins too.
The Blind One chuckled. The Great Thunderclap Monastery helping the abandoned people of the Great Ruins did have an air of equality for all beings. But it was rather opportunistic—they seemed to be leveraging the stone idols' reputation to accumulate merit.
The closer they got to the Great Thunderclap Monastery, the more temples they found. Some were thriving with incense, each housing different forms of Buddha statues. Yet at night, the people and exotic beasts of the Great Ruins still didn't shelter in these temples—they continued hiding near the stone idols and divine statues.
Qin Mu thought to himself that the Tathagata's intentions were earnest, but he still couldn't compete with the deities of the Great Ruins. He could heal the sick, but couldn't save them from death.
Nearby mountain peaks grew more numerous, with temples of all sizes dotting the landscape. After passing several temples, night fell, and they decided to seek lodging at one.
The temple was prosperous, home to several hundred monks who showed no fear at night, continuing their chanting and recitation.
Did these monks possess great divine powers to withstand the darkness of the Great Ruins? Qin Mu was surprised.
But then he saw many Buddhist statues emanating a faint divine glow in the darkness, keeping the blackness at bay. Approaching one statue for a closer look, his face darkened.
These monks had coated the stone idols of the Great Ruins with a layer of clay, fired them into Buddhist statue shapes, and covered them with gold leaf to create golden Buddhas. At night, when the stone idols protected an area, it appeared as though the Buddhist statues were displaying their might to safeguard all beings.
With his heavenly eye, Qin Mu saw it was actually the deities of the Great Ruins radiating their divine light, not Buddhist illumination.
Inside the temple were also some ferocious exotic beasts that stayed within its grounds during the day. The monks seemed accustomed to them, letting the beasts wander freely without restraint.
Remarkably, these man-eating beasts were docile in the temple, appearing to observe Buddhist precepts, their savage natures completely transformed. A Great Ruins villager staying there said this was the power of Buddhist dharma.
Yet Qin Mu noticed the monks secretly feeding the beasts large chunks of bloody meat, the flesh carrying a distinct scent of sedatives.
Qin Mu was stunned and frowned.
"Don't get too involved, Mu'er," the Blind One whispered. "The Great Thunderclap Monastery is near. Smashing this temple will only alert them and make our task harder. They might not save Grandma Si."
"Hypocrisy!" Grandma Si sneered. "This is Buddhist hypocrisy. Lacking any true divine power, they appropriate others' abilities and claim it's Buddhist dharma. The Blind One, Old Ma—you're both hypocritical too! You need the old Tathagata's help and dare not expose these bald monks' tricks!"
Qin Mu said, "Whether they have true divine power—we'll know when we meet the old Tathagata at the Great Thunderclap Monastery, won't we, Cult Master Li?"
Grandma Si giggled. "Headmaster Qin, are you even fit to lead our Holy Cult? You're the headmaster of the Heavenly Saint Cult, yet you go begging a rival sect's Tathagata for help—what a disgrace to our reputation! Wait until I fully recover and return to the cult. I'll show you what a true headmaster should do!"
Qin Mu remained composed. "And what should a headmaster do?"
"Tear off these old bald monks' hypocritical masks and smash their Buddhist statues to reveal the stone idols underneath!"
Grandma Si continued leisurely, "Then release the sedatives in these beasts, let them devour people and show their true nature. Let them bathe these monks in blood and eat every last one! Let these foolish people see that so-called Buddhist dharma is useless—nothing but a pretty facade! Heh, the so-called righteous path is just dogshit. Let the dogshit reveal its true nature instead of slapping gold on a mud statue! That's the true teaching of the Heavenly Saint Cult—pure adherence to nature, the true and correct interpretation!"
Qin Mu felt she made sense, though her methods were extreme. He had wanted to release the beasts from their sedation too, but knowing they would devour people once awake, he let it go.
Finally, the Great Thunderclap Monastery came into view. From afar they saw a towering mountain standing tall at the center of the Divine Severance Mountain Range. Other ranges had been cut apart by an immense force, forming cliffs and precipices impossible for birds to cross, their peaks covered in snow. Yet this mountain remained vast and expansive, its many peaks standing guard around the main summit.
Oddly, these peaks formed layered tiers. At the bottom were three thousand peaks arranged in a great circle. The second tier held nine hundred and ninety-nine peaks, then ninety-nine, then nine—all arranged in ascending layers, encircling the central peak.
Temples of all sizes dotted these peaks, each enshrining a massive, imposing Buddha statue. Some peaks had been carved entirely into giant Buddhas, with temples built in their palms or nestled in the hollows of their hearts.
Quite the extravagant display.
The Blind One remarked, "Old Ma, why do Buddhist temples always prefer to dress in gold and silver? All this splendor—if they used it to help the poor and suffering, wouldn't that be better? Monks claim to renounce the four elements, yet their hands are never empty."
Old Ma replied evenly, "Without grandeur, who would come to worship or offer support?"
Grandma Si sneered, "Hypocrisy..."
"Shut up!" Qin Mu snapped. "Wait till the old Tathagata refines you to death!"
"You brat, how dare you shout at your mother!" Grandma Si was furious.
Qin Mu faltered. "Oh... it's you, Grandma. Don't take it to heart. I thought Cult Master Li had come out again."
Grandma Si coldly said, "These bald monks are clearly hypocritical. Old Ma, I'm not talking about you. Look around—where are the temples not grand and luxurious, dripping with opulence? Which Buddhist statue isn't clad in gold and silver? Of all temples, these monks' are the most extravagant! They don't produce, don't pay taxes. Touch their interests and they complain, raise monk soldiers, even rebel—wanting to control the world's fate."
"Demon, silence!"
A furious shout came from midair. Looking up, Qin Mu saw a monk radiating Buddhist light, his bearing solemn, who had clearly overheard Grandma Si's words and was rebuking her.
Spotting Old Ma, the monk was startled and fled at once, shouting, "Disaster! Disaster! Ma Wang Shen is coming up the mountain again!"
On every peak, temples erupted in commotion. Monks rose into the air in a flurry, forming battle arrays as if facing a great enemy.
Old Ma said calmly, "Last time I came for my arm, I made quite a stir. Let's head up."
Flames bloomed beneath Dragon Qilin's feet as he charged toward the central peak.
The main summit hung above a sea of clouds, illuminated by sunlight into a golden glow—hence its name, the Golden Summit. Even Dragon Qilin needed time to ascend, and along the way were countless temples and monasteries, home to many enlightened monks of great power. Yet none dared block their path, nor would they allow the intruders straight to the Golden Summit.
More and more monks flew out, riding various exotic beasts, encircling the Golden Summit in formation—layer upon layer, densely packed, prepared to subdue these demons.
Qin Mu couldn't help but admire Old Ma. Last time he'd come, he must have fought his way straight to the main peak.
Old Ma halted Dragon Qilin and spoke toward the wall of tens of thousands of monks guarding the Golden Summit: "I've come to see the Tathagata. I have a favor to ask."
His voice resonated, and instantly phenomena filled the mountain. Golden springs bubbled from the earth, lotuses fell from the sky, and the Eight Legions of Heavenly Dragons appeared as shadows in the air. Above them, the Twenty Heavens descended from the high heavens—phenomenon after phenomenon, brilliant light radiating, all chanting Buddha's name.
This display of true words stunned countless monks.
At that moment, an aged voice drifted down from the Golden Summit: "Ma Wang Shen's cultivation surpasses even the past. You must have reached the Great Brahma Heaven realm of the Twenty Heavens in the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra. One step further, and you'd be the Tathagata himself. Monks, withdraw. Let him ascend. I've been waiting a long time."
The Twenty Heavens? Qin Mu blinked, looking at Old Ma.
The wall of monks parted, and Old Ma guided Dragon Qilin up the mountain. He explained, "These are the twenty celestial realms of the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra. Complete all twenty, and you become the Tathagata. When I left the Great Thunderclap Monastery, I had reached the nineteenth—the Sakra Devanam realm. Even then, I was among the most powerful beings under heaven."