Great Thunder Sound Temple.
The bell tolled long and loud, ding ding ding without stopping, the sound of welcoming guests.
Qin Mu carried the Village Chief up the mountain, and saw a solemn and majestic Tathagata Buddha leading all the monks to welcome them. At this moment, the young man felt a bit melancholic. Old Ma, with his cold face and warm heart, had finally become the Tathagata of Great Thunder Sound Temple, become a Buddha.
He couldn't let go of the place where he grew up. The monks of Great Thunder Sound Temple had indeed killed his wife and child, but that wasn't done by the old Tathagata, but by the monks below.
He was the old Tathagata's disciple, and the old Tathagata knew him deeply, while he also knew the old Tathagata deeply. The old Tathagata was old and couldn't control the monks below. The Arhats from Arhat Hall and the monks from other halls went down the mountain, and his wife and child died because of that.
The old Tathagata had cut off his own arm and returned it to him. Although it hadn't resolved the hatred in his heart, he still had to inherit his master's mantle, not letting Great Thunder Sound Temple turn to ash and smoke.
When he returned to his old place and sat on the Tathagata's throne, the wind swept past with dark clouds flowing by his side, and in the moment of smoke dissipating and clouds scattering, he suddenly attained true suchness, broke through the final realm of the Tathagata Mahayana Scripture, and achieved the Mahabrahma heaven.
From Sakra to Brahma was a sudden enlightenment, a perfect awakening.
On the golden peak of Great Thunder Sound Temple, Qin Mu looked at Old Ma who had raised and educated him, with all kinds of feelings in his heart, but in the end he still called out "Senior Brother."
This Tathagata of Great Thunder Sound Temple had cultivated to the supreme realm, the Mahabrahma heaven realm, with flesh body, spiritual awareness, and true suchness all perfected. Behind him were twenty layers of the heavenly realm, the Mahabrahma heaven king sitting cross-legged, with gods and Buddhas of all sizes surrounding him, eternal light, holy and compassionate.
"Senior Brother." Old Ma returned his salute.
Qin Mu felt dejected. Once Old Ma sat in this position, he was no longer the Old Ma from before, but the Tathagata. He needed to put aside his worldly affairs, with the four elements all empty.
Cripple was also there. Although nominally there to observe the ceremony, he was actually worried about Horse Master's safety, fearing that the monks of Great Thunder Sound Temple might do him harm.
However, Horse Master had now reached the highest realm of the Tathagata Mahayana Scripture, and didn't need his protection anymore. Cripple couldn't sit still. This Great Thunder Sound Temple was full of treasures everywhere, with rare and precious items scattered throughout the temple, making this old thief restless, wanting to steal them but feeling guilty. When he saw Qin Mu and the Village Chief arrive, he couldn't help but suggest leaving early.
Qin Mu wanted to stay a few more days, but at night, he saw the lights blazing in the north, which was the location of Qingmen Gate. Such brilliant lights meant that the battle at Qingmen Gate was fierce.
Beside Qingmen Gate was Nether Valley, the dwelling place of the two White Bats, not too far from Great Thunder Sound Temple.
The next morning, Qin Mu got up early to bid farewell, taking the Village Chief, Xiong Xiyu, and Cripple and the others to leave.
"When I met Old Ma, he was the most famous constable in the world, known as Ma the Divine Constable. He almost caught me."
Cripple turned his head. The golden peak of Sumeru Mountain radiated ten thousand rays of golden light, Buddhist sounds resounding vast and far, even becoming substantial, turning into text, turning into lotus flowers, turning into phantom images of Buddhas in the void, surrounding this holy land.
Cripple was lost in thought, saying softly: "He caught me many times, we competed many times. The one I feared most and respected most was him. When I was young, I was an orphan, had nothing, begged everywhere, and when I couldn't bear the hunger anymore, I stole. I didn't dare rob, because I was small and thin. Later, I was caught by an old constable. He didn't send me to the authorities, just wouldn't let me steal anymore. He taught me skills, like a father. I followed him, fantasizing that one day I could also become a constable. Old Ma reminded me of him, I felt Old Ma looked particularly like him when serious..."
Qin Mu sat on Dragon Qilin's back, silent, listening with the Village Chief and others as Cripple recounted the past.
"I had no father. I felt the old constable was my father. In the years I followed him, I worked especially hard and was especially happy. One day, the old constable died."
Cripple's eyes widened, his tone utterly calm: "At midnight, his enemies came looking for us. I was still sleeping, heard the sounds of killing outside, he burst in, risked his life to send me out, and said to me, 'Child, be a good person... run!' I wasn't wearing any clothes, ran bare-bottomed, ran and ran. I ran faster and faster, faster and faster. I cried and begged people for help, but no one came out, no one..."
A thin, weak boy running naked and helpless, begging for help, but no one helped him.
Cripple ran from night into day, ran over ten thousand li. When he came back to his senses and returned to the old constable's residence, it had already been burned to white ground. He only dug out the old constable's charred bones.
"He told me to be a good person. He himself had been a good person his whole life, but what kind of end did he meet? I won't be a good person! He wouldn't let me steal, so I stole."
Cripple said desolately: "I stole while running, stole and ran, ran and stole, my reputation grew and I was called the Divine Thief. What kind of bullshit seals, what kind of bullshit forbidden techniques, I didn't care about any of them. I ran faster than the wind, faster than the clouds, faster than lightning, stole across the world, any sect, any holy land, I went to steal from them all. I finally found his enemies, stole their heads. When I mourned the old constable, I wanted to be a good person, but I had gotten addicted to stealing and couldn't quit. Later I met Old Ma, he reminded me of the old constable. I wasn't afraid of him, I respected him. Now he's become a Tathagata, with a compassionate and solemn appearance, making me wonder if the old constable also became a Buddha..."
The Village Chief poked his head out from the medicine basket: "Old Ma won't become a Buddha. One day when a new Tathagata arrives, he'll take off the cassock and be the same Old Ma as before."
Cripple looked up at the sky and said: "If only that were true."
Qin Mu exhaled a long breath and said softly: "Horse Master will come back..."
On the journey, he had completely purged the poison from Xiong Xiyu's body, preparing several spiritual pills to nourish her vitality. They finally arrived at Nether Valley, and the two White Bats flew into the canyon of Nether Valley, hanging upside down on trees to bid farewell to Qin Mu and the others.
"Cult Master, come play when you have time! We won't eat you!" Fu Yuqiu said.
Qin Mu laughed heartily and waved goodbye. The two White Bats immediately flew into the valley, shouting: "Wake up the ancestors, get them to give birth to some baby girls to continue the species!"
"Even if they were born, they'd be our grandmothers. How could they continue the species? And what if both ancestors are male?"
"Shut up!"
...
Dragon Qilin left Nether Valley, and before long they saw a vast and magnificent battlefield. The forests of the Duck Bill area had been trampled flat. The Great Ruins' Duck Bill area stretched for nearly a thousand li, with forests and mountains rolling continuously. But now it had been pushed flat by both sides' forces, becoming the battlefield between Mandi and Yankang!
When Qin Mu and the others arrived, a massive battle was erupting. Hundreds of thousands of warriors from both sides were charging and fighting in front of two passes, divine powers covering the sky and blocking the sun. Enormous exotic beasts stamped their feet on the ground, carrying countless cultivators forward. The cultivators surrounded the beasts, floating in the air, landing on the beasts' backs.
Beneath the mountain-sized beasts were warriors, wielding swords and blades, charging forward wildly, colliding with ground enemies, and in an instant, flesh and blood flew.
Above the beasts' heads, massive tower ships traversed the sky, banners flying. The tower ships' cannons fired ceaselessly, beams of light as thick as buckets carrying the power of annihilation bombarded the enemy armies, evaporating everything they touched!
In mid-air, countless shining blade pellets and sword pellets spun rapidly, ding ding ding as blades and sword lights pierced through flesh and blood.
In the sky, some Golden Palace great shamans transformed into golden bird-headed human forms, spreading their wings to fly, shaking their hands, sending countless rays of light shooting in all directions.
Underground, elephant-headed golden giants charged and collided.
On both sides' passes, there were large flags and big mirrors. The mirrors shone in the air, reflecting the souls of cultivators. The flags rolled and turned, with wind and clouds changing, thunder striking the battlefield like rain.
Also, giant cloud carts were pulled by bare-chested giants, charging into the battlefield, sending flesh and blood flying wherever they passed. At the front of the battlefield, the giants stopped and overturned the cloud carts, which revealed countless gourds inside. The gourd mouths were opened, and Gu insects immediately buzzed into the air, covering the sky and sun, burrowing into enemy soldiers' bodies to gnfrantically gnawing.
Also, altars were pushed out, with Golden Palace golden great shamans performing rituals on them,not knowing casting what kind of shamanic arts, specifically targeting Yankang's generals, leaving them without leadership.
On Yankang's side, they dispatched teams of cultivators skilled in sword arts, cutting through obstacles, charging straight into the battlefield to kill the golden great shamans on the altars.
This scene was truly shocking. Both sides had apparently fought who knew how many times, fighting until the rivers flowed with blood, fighting until the Duck Bill area had become like hell.
This was the first time Qin Mu had seen such a magnificent scene, and his heart trembled. This was the battlefield that men yearned for, but also where men died.
Xiong Xiyu held Xiong Qier, her face somewhat pale, saying softly: "Such a big battle, how do we get through? My cultivation hasn't recovered yet..."
She had only recovered to the Celestial Being realm level. In such a battlefield, Celestial Being realm strength was utterly insignificant. Celestial Being realm experts in the battlefield could die at any moment when caught in a killing formation made up of Seven Star realm warriors.
Even Life and Death realm experts breaking into the battlefield would be hard-pressed to protect themselves.
After all, Xiong Xiyu had once been a Sect Master level existence. Looking out, she could see that wherever thirty to fifty people gathered in the battlefield, formation patterns would constantly light up, either on the ground or floating in the air, constantly rotating and changing. This showed that although the battlefield was large and the numbers were vast, the formations never fell into disorder.
Break in, and you would be ground up by the battle formation. If one battle formation couldn't kill you, another would.
Qin Mu tightened the medicine basket behind him. In the basket, the Village Chief laughed: "Just walk through. Mu'er, you've already learned 'One Sword Opens the Blood Ocean,' right? Let me demonstrate it for you one more time."
Qin Mu's heart stirred, and suddenly boundless sword light erupted, surging toward the battlefield. In an instant, the sword's radiance enveloped the battlefield in front of the two great passes, countless warriors bathed in the ocean of swords. Those sword lights swirled and coiled around their bodies, making them not dare to move at all!
The many warriors standing on the two great passes watched with their scalps tingling as the area below and ahead had become a vast ocean of sword light, everyone submerged in the sea of light!
"Sound the retreat gongs!" came the stern orders from the towers on both sides, but everyone in the battlefield stood in place, not daring to move. Not a single army retreated, and even the tower ships in the air froze in place.
Move, and it meant death.
If these sword lights moved, it would be a blood ocean!
"A master has arrived!"
On the tower of Qingmen Gate, a middle-aged man walked over and looked down, seeing a massive Dragon Qilin walking unhurriedly through the ocean of sword light.
"Imperial Preceptor!" the warriors all saluted.