On the Avenue.

Chapter 664 Buddha Country
Chen Shi could no longer sense the innocence and joy in Zhong Wuwang's eyes; all he could see was envy and jealousy from a fellow villager, which made him feel very sad.

—We were all chatting and laughing when we were in Xiniu Xinzhou, so how come we've become estranged now?

"The way he looked at me was like he was looking at a master," Chen Shixin said.

"How have you been doing these past few years, Erniu?" he asked.

Upon hearing this, tears involuntarily streamed down Zhong Wuwang's face.

A man doesn't easily shed tears, unless he's truly heartbroken. But if he is, he's willing to cry.

Now, Chen Shi had touched on his sore spot, which made him want to confide in someone.

Back then, in his battle against the Heavenly Venerable, he gained a huge advantage. He not only stole the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle, but also used it to refine the Heavenly Venerable's headless body. Moreover, he ascended to the Earthly Immortal Realm before Chen Shi arrived to kill him.

He would laugh even in his sleep whenever he thought about his performance in this battle.

Who would have thought that his luck would turn sour after he ascended to the Heavenly Court?

First, at the Jade Balance Gate, he was led by a divine official to the Jade Light Pool, where he bathed and drank the celestial elixir. He was then forced to sign a ten-year indenture. Afterward, he was ordered to conquer the Northern Continent, where he nearly died at the hands of demons.

His entire Heavenly Army camp was wiped out, but he was the only one who escaped death. He originally planned to take the opportunity to fake his death and get rid of the Heavenly Court's control. However, as soon as he escaped from Beiju Luzhou, he was targeted by an old monk who insisted that he was his disciple because he had taken the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle.

Zhong Wuwang didn't want to become a monk, so he explained that the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle was completed by someone else, and he had only taken it from that person. However, the old monk made a slight attempt to test him, using the Yin-Yang Daoist method. Zhong Wuwang found that he could not break it with other Daoist methods, and there was only one way out: death. Only by using Chen Shi's Yin-Yang Daoist field could he break it.

He didn't want to die, so he used the Yin-Yang Daoist technique to break the old monk's magic.

The old monk laughed heartily and, without saying a word, plucked all the hair off his head and burned it into a mark of ordination.

He couldn't reason with the old monk, so he had no choice but to become his disciple.

Over the years, he followed the old monk on Mount Ling, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures. The old monk would also ask him about the two energies of Yin and Yang, forcing him to teach him more about the principles of Yin and Yang.

Zhong Wuwang didn't know who his master and disciple were. Fortunately, although he suffered a lot, the old monk also passed on all his skills to him. Moreover, he learned a lot of Buddhist secrets on Mount Ling and his cultivation improved greatly.

The old monk was not very learned, but he was not bad to him. Seeing that he had made progress in his cultivation, he helped him find another Dao realm on Mount Ling.

Of course, the master of the Dao Realm refused to give it up, but after being beaten by the old monk, he finally relinquished it.

Zhong Wuwang originally followed the path of cultivating the Dao within his body, which was different from Chen Shi's path of uniting heaven and earth with my Dao. It was also a path he created in response to the anomalies of Xiniu New Continent.

He is in harmony with the Dao within his body, and is impervious to external forces; he is born with an indestructible body.

However, due to the limited space within his body, his cultivation level has an upper limit even at the same level. Initially, he is similar to other immortals at the same level, but over time, his cultivation level will be lower than others, and the higher the level, the lower it will be.

The old monk was indeed good to him. This time, the union with the Dao at Mount Ling helped him make up for his shortcomings, making his magical power far superior to his peers.

When Zhong Wuwang said this, the look in his eyes when he looked at Chen Shi was no longer filled with envy and jealousy, but rather with pity. He thought to himself, "My Dao Realm is in Lingshan, so I can be considered a person of the Earth Immortal Realm. But his Dao Realm is still in Xiniu New Continent, so he is just a country bumpkin."

He smiled to himself, thinking, "As for the true king, he's nothing more than a local tyrant in the countryside. He's not worth mentioning."

Chen Shi was unaware of what he was thinking. Hearing about Zhong Wuwang's tragic experiences over the past few years, he felt much better, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

He was also quite concerned about Zhong Wuwang's ascension. Firstly, he was concerned that the fellow had taken away his Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle, and secondly, he was genuinely worried about his fellow villager's safety in the Immortal Realm.

Seeing that Zhong Wuwang was safe and doing well, he felt much more at ease.

After venting his frustrations, Zhong Wuwang felt much better and asked, "Why has Chen Zhenwang come here?"

Chen Shi hesitated for a moment, then said, "I used to work in the Heavenly Army Camp. Some time ago, I offended Li Tianwang, and he wanted to take my life, so he sent me to the Wufang World to investigate."

Zhong Wuwang was even happier upon hearing this, and with the air of someone who had been through it all, he laughed and said, "Li Tianwang is sending you to your death. If he wanted you to die, he wouldn't kill you on his own, but would give you a dangerous mission to die. Back then, my Heavenly Army Battalion was sent to Beiju Luzhou to die because we offended Li Tianwang."

Chen Shi was slightly taken aback. Li Tianwang had asked him to go to the Sanyuan and Tailai worlds to investigate the damage caused by the Sutra of Eternal Freedom after a Thousand Tribulations. Could it really be Li Tianwang's scheme to kill someone with a borrowed knife?
Even if he dies in one of these dangerous places, Li Tianwang can still transform him into a celestial being!
"That guy, Li Tianwang..."

Chen Shi shook his head and asked, "Is the Wufang World dangerous?"

Zhong Wuwang said, "It was extremely dangerous for you, but now that we, master and disciple, are here, it is not so dangerous."

He paused, then added, "The Wufang World is a place where our Buddhist sect uses to hone our Buddhist teachings and enhance our merits. People from Buddhist sects all over the world often go there."

As they spoke, the star raft had already traversed the boundless starry sky, gradually slowing down until it arrived at an ancient ferry crossing.

There was only one guardian deity at this ferry crossing, an old man with white hair, leaning on a hook-and-sickle spear, sitting on the dock. Several monks were waiting nearby.

When the old god saw the star raft approaching, he raised his hook and sickle, hooked the star raft, and brought it closer to the dock.

The boatman jumped ashore, lit some incense for the old man, and said, "Thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist." He then slipped him some money.

The old deity accepted the incense and then crushed the coins in his hand. The extraordinary power within the coins erupted, greatly invigorating him.

Such deities, if not guarding vital transportation hubs like ferry crossings, would have long been forgotten by the world, their divine power dissipated, aging and dying. This boatman himself was quite powerful; offering incense to him was, in a way, prolonging his life.

The currency circulating in the Immortal Realm is called Tianyuan Jiaozi, which was refined by the gods of the Ministry of Finance with extraordinary power. It is widely circulated, and even immortals use this currency to buy and sell goods. Even if an immortal wanted to counterfeit Tianyuan Jiaozi, it would be a huge undertaking and would not be worth the effort.

The group jumped off the starship and the boatman instructed, "My boat comes once a month, and the next trip will be in a month. If you want to go back, remember to come to the ferry in advance, or we will not wait for you."

The star raft then sailed away on its own.

Chen Shi looked around and saw that the ferry crossing was located on a branch of the Milky Way. The branch of the Milky Way floated over the sky of a world, forming a dazzling galaxy in that world.

If you stand in that world and look out to the heavens, you can see a Milky Way hanging in the night sky.

Each person traveled along a branch of the Milky Way towards that world, their flying light appearing as slowly moving stars in the night sky.

Two or three days later, they finally arrived above the Wufang World.

These monks did not rush to enter the Wufang world. Instead, they stopped, some sitting cross-legged and chanting Buddhist scriptures several times, while others burned incense and silently recited mantras after bringing out images of Bodhisattvas or Buddhas.

When their bodies radiated a great light of Buddha, they rose one after another and flew towards the Wufang world.

Chen Shi, unaware of these things, stood aside.

The old monk, also bewildered, stood helplessly beside Chen Shi. Only Zhong Wuwang chanted Buddhist mantras, bestowing blessings upon the two. His Buddhist attainments were far superior to the previous monk's; as he chanted, a wondrous spectacle of chanting and celestial flowers raining down around Chen Shi and the old monk arose.

Chen Shi looked at the halo behind his head, and within the halo formed Buddhas, each sitting cross-legged, their chanting melodious and pleasant.

"Why don't you use Buddhist blessings, fellow Daoist?" Chen Shi asked the old monk.

The old monk truthfully replied, "I don't know."

Chen Shi was stunned, not understanding why his disciple Zhong Wuwang could do it, while he himself could not.

The old monk explained, “I am a demon cultivator, and my abilities are not from practicing Buddhism. I am the Golden-Winged Roc, born with Yin and Yang energies within me. As my body grows, these energies become stronger and stronger. I have come to understand the wonders of cultivation from this, but I have no master and have to figure it all out on my own.”

Chen Shi praised, "Brother Dao, you are a natural-born master of supernatural powers! Could you perhaps be of the bloodline of the Great Roc?"

He sincerely admired that, with such talent, one could cultivate to the level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal; such bloodline talent was truly formidable.

The old monk said, "I am the Golden-Winged Roc, not the Roc, but the eagle. My bloodline power is indeed quite extraordinary. I have just come of age and can already compete with the heroes of the world."

He sighed and shook his head, saying, "But later, others had masters and cultivation methods, while I could only figure it out on my own, and gradually I became inferior to them. However, although Mount Ling is wonderful, I cannot cultivate Buddhism. Fortunately, I took in a good disciple who taught me many things."

He was extremely satisfied with Zhong Wuwang.

After Zhong Wuwang blessed the two with Buddhist teachings, the three of them got up and flew into the Wufang World.

Upon entering the Wufang World, Chen Shi sensed an indescribable aura permeating the world—a sense of decay, corruption, and endless resentment.

These resentments were so strong that even he felt an urge to turn around and leave immediately!
"This is the resentment formed by the lives lost in this world."

The old monk said, "Resentment and calamity have mixed together, turning this place into a dangerous place. Monks from the Western Paradise who have achieved something will come here to train and verify the Buddhist teachings they have learned and understood."

Their purpose in coming to Wufang was to help Zhong Wuwang verify the Buddhist teachings, because Wufang was too dangerous and the old monk was worried about it, so he came along.

Zhong Wuwang has already reached the True Immortal realm, the second level of the Dao realm. He came to Wufang this time to break through to the third level.

Chen Shi was in mid-air and looked down. He saw that the world of Wufang was quite dark, but there were specks of light in the darkness, which must be the monks from the Western Paradise undergoing training here.

He roughly counted several hundred points of light.

Suddenly one of the lights went out, and Chen Shi couldn't help but take a second look.

The old monk said, "It must be that the Buddhist teachings were ineffective, and he was instead consumed by resentment, and has already died."

Chen Shi was stern and awe-inspiring.

Zhong Wuwang landed in a place heavy with resentment and calamity. Just as he was about to reach the ground, all the resentment and calamity in the world suddenly dissipated, the sky returned to clear and bright, and the earth and mountains became lush and green.

Chen Shi looked around and saw that they had landed outside a town. Many children were playing outside the town, their hair flowing freely as they ran, their joyful voices reaching their ears.

The river flows gently, and women wash clothes along its banks, the sound of their garments falling rising and falling.

Chen Shi followed two monks past. A bullock cart came from behind and passed by them. Several women and children from the countryside were on the cart, going to the market in the city. A girl looked at them curiously, seemingly very curious about their identities.

Because Chen Shi had died once, his eyes could see through life and death, yet these people appeared perfectly fine to him, not dead.

The old monk let out a soft "hmm" and said, "Something's not right. These people are all perfectly alive. Disciple, can you see anything?"

Zhong Wuwang's expression turned solemn as he said, "Life and death, reincarnation, are all appearances. I have come here to see through these illusions."

The old monk said embarrassedly, "I don't understand. Fellow Daoist Chen, do you understand?"

Chen Shi said, "What he meant was that whether the people here are alive or dead, or reincarnated, it's all just appearances. We shouldn't be influenced by appearances; only by seeing through these appearances can we achieve something."

The old monk said with frustration, "The Buddha always makes me listen to sermons, but I always say I can't learn these things. They insist on using riddles and cryptic language when a single sentence can explain it clearly."

They walked into the town.

The town was bustling with activity, as it was the temple fair held here every two weeks. People from the surrounding area had come to attend the fair, where goods were displayed in abundance and people thronged shoulder to shoulder.

Chen Shi, Zhong Wuwang, and the old monk were enveloped in a halo of Buddhist light, and Buddhist chants lingered around them, attracting much attention. Many children circled around them, some even touching the halo. The bolder ones passed through the halo, giggling and saying, "It's like passing through fog!"

The old monk's expression was solemn. He turned his head and asked, "Fellow Daoist Chen, can you tell?"

Chen Shi also looked solemn and nodded slightly, saying, "If they were ordinary demons or vengeful spirits, they would have revealed their true forms long ago when illuminated by Junior Nephew Zhong's Buddhist light. But these children were unharmed after being touched by the Buddhist light. They are not vengeful spirits."

Upon hearing the words "disciple," Zhong Wuwang felt somewhat displeased, but still said, "Over the years, I have diligently studied and researched on Mount Ling. I dare not claim to be the best among my peers in terms of Buddhist knowledge, but there are only a handful who are more accomplished than me. When my Buddhist light shines, all the ghosts and vengeful spirits within a radius of hundreds of miles are liberated and reborn in a better realm. Only the people here are unaffected by the Buddhist light. Although they may occasionally harbor resentment, it is nothing more than trivial family matters or entanglements of love and hate, far beyond what we see from beyond the heavens."

He was also quite puzzled, saying, "The more ordinary something seems, the more you must guard your inner Dao heart and never relax your guard in the slightest."

The old monk was already a Taiyi Golden Immortal, with boundless and profound cultivation. In terms of pure magical power, he was comparable to a Daluo Golden Immortal. He was unconcerned about the scene before him and laughed, "All changes can be broken by one force. Wuwang, if you can't solve it, your master will solve it for you. Don't worry."

Zhong Wuwang knew the old monk's strength, so he was naturally very reassured.

This old monk was the kind of demon who could swallow 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals in one gulp. His strength was extremely powerful. No matter how dangerous the Wufang World was, he could leave this world with just a flap of his wings.

At this moment, a burst of Buddhist light appeared ahead, accompanied by chanting. Chen Shi and the others stepped forward and encountered two monks, one a young monk and the other an Arhat. The Arhat was quite robust and highly skilled, and was surrounded by the scent of incense, indicating that he was a master of both immortal and divine cultivation.

"Senior brother."

The young monk greeted him with his palms together, saying, "This humble monk Zhengnian is a disciple of the Medicine Buddha of the Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli. This is my esteemed teacher, Arhat Tianyan."

Zhong Wuwang returned the greeting and said, "This humble monk is Wuwang, a disciple of the Buddha of Mount Ling. This is my esteemed teacher, the Venerable Yuncheng. This is Immortal Chen Shi. How long have you two been here?"

The monk said in meditation, "It has been thirteen years."

Chen Shi asked, "Thirteen years? You've been here for so long, have you noticed anything strange about this place?"

Tianyan Arhat laughed and said, "What resentment or calamity could there be here? It's just a rumor from the outside world. Even if there were resentment or calamity, it has long been purified. My master and I are preparing to go to the capital of Wotuo to spread the Dharma and turn this place into a Buddhist kingdom."

(End of this chapter)