Xiuxian: I studied abroad in modern times

Chapter 618 The Great Luo Dharma Assembly, The Truth About Spiritual Energy

Guided by the guest monk, Zheng Fa flew towards Leiyin Temple.

Leiyin Temple has white walls and a white roof, and from a distance it looks like snow on a mountaintop, extremely sacred.

Upon entering the temple, the first thing one sees is a grand hall, where dazzling Buddhist light shines. Lu Yao sits high on a lotus platform, flanked by two golden Buddhas on each side, with several Bodhisattvas and Arhats bowing and standing behind him. He appears unapproachable from afar.

Zheng Fa realized that the one sitting on the lotus platform was probably the so-called Five Buddhas.

There were also ten golden lotus platforms standing on both sides. The hostess led the way, and Zheng Fa found a lotus platform on the right side near the end to sit on.

Looking around, he found himself facing the Blissful Maiden of Yaochi. When she saw Zheng Fa arrive, she nodded and smiled at him, showing no trace of the coldness she had shown him in the past few days.

Zheng Fa nodded in return, but then felt a gaze fixed on him. He turned his head and saw that the Lady of the Rainbow Robe was looking down at her nose, with an honest expression on her face.

This Lady Ni Chang's attitude seems rather strange...

Seeing that Lady Ni Chang seemed to have something difficult to say, he didn't ask any further questions, but continued to observe the situation in the hall.

In front of the Blissful Celestial Maiden were the Peacock Emperor and the Earth-Shaking Demon Lord of the demon race. Judging from the Peacock Emperor's seating arrangement, he held an extremely high position in Leiyin Temple and seemed to have the air of being the number one Golden Immortal from outside the region.

The Supreme Daoist and the Three Reclusive Immortals were absent, perhaps out of pride in their status, or perhaps to deliberately let others know that they were acting in concert.

No one spoke, and they waited in silence for a while before the three Golden Immortals of the Supreme Dao arrived with the three reclusive immortals and their disciples.

Seeing that the five lotus platforms on the left were empty, they all took their seats. One of the three reclusive immortals still had no seat, so he reluctantly sat down to the left of Zheng Fa.

With the arrival of Taishang Dao and others, all the participants of the Great Luo Dharma Assembly were now present.

Suddenly, a bell rang out from behind the hall, its sound echoing throughout the hall. Then, various Western musical instruments, such as chimes, wooden fish, and gongs, played in unison, interspersed with the chanting and praise of monks, which sounded like soft singing.

Zheng Fa and the others looked out and saw that every Buddhist temple on the Western Continent was shining brightly, like the starry sky hanging upside down.

With so many cities, so many temples, and countless believers, the chanting of Buddhist prayers was perfectly synchronized, as if from a single person.

He heard with his own ears a disciple of the Supreme Dao gasping for breath.

Even Zheng Fa himself was somewhat surprised—he had heard the chanting of Buddhist scriptures in Xizhou before, but he had not come here and did not know that Leiyin Temple had such a high degree of control over Xizhou.

As the music faded and the chanting subsided, Lu Yao finally spoke:

"Thanks to all the heavenly immortals and Buddhas who generously descended upon Leiyin in the Western Land."

As he spoke, he bowed to the crowd, seemingly in gratitude.

"Today's gathering is not for the sake of Leiyin Temple alone. The Xuanwei Realm's destiny has flowed through countless ages; the Golden Immortals and their Dao Fruits each have their own paths. However, with the emergence of reincarnation, the Dao Fruits fear each other, and the world has lost its way, which can be described as an upheaval."

Zheng Fa felt that the other Golden Immortals in the hall were glancing at him, almost imperceptibly.

He knew that Lu Yao was probably doing it on purpose; anyone else would have felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Although this old monk is of meager wisdom and limited strength, I have experienced many tribulations and my heart is filled with compassion. Therefore, I have invited you all to my Thunderclap Temple. Regardless of past ties or differences between East and West, I only hope that you fellow Daoists can set aside sectarian prejudices, cease hostilities, and let the Mysterious Mystery enjoy peace and tranquility, so that all living beings may live in peace."

Before the outsiders could react after he finished speaking, the other four Golden Immortal Buddhas and the various Bodhisattvas and Arhats of Leiyin Temple all seemed to be convinced and praised, "Our Buddha is merciful."

The Peacock Emperor and the three Heavenly Maidens also stood up from the lotus platform, bowed to Lu Yao from afar, and uttered words of mercy.

They were making a great fuss, while Zheng Fa and the Taishangdao group watched coldly from the sidelines. After a long while, Xuan Chengzi frowned and said, "We didn't come here to listen to your useless nonsense."

“Fellow Daoist Xuancheng, please calm down.” Lu Yao said unhurriedly, “Since we are able to gather together, I already know what you are thinking.”

Zheng Fa frowned slightly.

"Know everything?" Xuan Chengzi seemed somewhat skeptical, and asked Lu Yao, "What do you know?"

"What this old monk knows is the thing that worries the Daoists of the world the most right now..." Lu Yao glanced at Zheng Fa and suddenly laughed, "It is death and the dissipation of one's Dao."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Chengzi was stunned. He then pursed his lips, his face filled with suspicion.

Zheng Fa saw Lu Yao's eyes and was shocked. He finally understood why the other party was confident in winning over so many Golden Immortals.

"The Nine Nether Emperor established the cycle of reincarnation, which brought great merit to all the heavens and myriad realms," Lu Yao continued. "Yet we, who have cultivated our Dao fruits for countless epochs, now live in constant fear, turning to ashes in an instant. How unjust!"

Inside the main hall, everyone fell silent.

Everything here is the fruit of the Tao.

Apart from Zheng Fa, these other practitioners can all be considered victims of the cycle of reincarnation.

Lu Yao's words struck a chord with these people.

"Buddha... could there be a way?"

Xuan Chengzi's tone softened unconsciously.

Zheng Fa sighed inwardly—indeed, to achieve unity, one must have an enemy.

Despite the arrogance of the Supreme Dao and its lack of affection for Leiyin Temple, it would certainly be tempted if it could deal with the Underworld and change the current situation where Dao Fruits can be killed.

“Reincarnation is the Dao Fruit of Taiyi, and I naturally cannot change it.” But Lu Yao shook his head and said, “In all the heavens and myriad realms, no one can change it either.”

Xuan Chengzi frowned, about to speak.

“But I can enable you all to be reincarnated and attain enlightenment again.”

"..."

A thunderous thought flashed through Zheng Fa's mind, and the others understood as well.

"The method of reincarnation and attaining enlightenment?"

"Exactly."

Inside the main hall, the members of the Supreme Daoist sect looked at each other, seemingly puzzled yet also somewhat tempted.

The Transcendental Enlightenment Method is the highest Dharma gate of Leiyin Temple. Its supernatural power can be seen from Lu Yao's experience—reloading the save file and starting over.

Who wouldn't want this?
"You mean, with this method of reincarnation and enlightenment, even if we die, we can regain our previous cultivation levels in the future?"

Lu Yao nodded slightly.

Xuan Chengzi's tone was even more surprised: "You are willing to teach us this method?"

Lu Yao chuckled and said, "As long as you are willing to convert to my Leiyin Temple..."

"..."

Zheng Fa could see clearly that when Lu Yao said this, Xuan Chengzi and the others actually looked relieved.

Indeed, if Lu Yao were to say that he was selfless and did not seek anything in return, the Supreme Dao would probably not believe it.

But after Lu Yao revealed his ambition, Xuan Chengzi and the others felt much more at ease.

Xuan Chengzi frowned slightly. "How can we, the Supreme Dao, convert to your Leiyin Temple?"

“The Supreme Dao does not need to be merged into my Leiyin Temple.” Lu Yao smiled, his tone extremely tolerant. “You only need to obey and uphold the laws of heaven and earth, and you will naturally be indestructible for countless eons to come.”

Xuan Chengzi remained silent upon hearing this, then turned to look at the other two Supreme Dao Golden Immortals. After exchanging glances, he finally spoke, "What law?"

Zheng Fa's heart sank. Although Xuan Chengzi hadn't agreed, the wavering in his words was quite obvious. Lu Yao had suffered greatly at the hands of the Nine Nether Emperor's establishment of reincarnation, yet now he was actually using the threat that reincarnation posed to Dao Fruits to try and win over the other Dao Fruits, even suggesting a united front of all Xuanwei Dao Fruits…

"The chaos in the Xuanwei realm stems from the disordered transmission of Daoist teachings, which has led to the decline of spiritual energy."

Zheng Fa's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but listen attentively.

The decline of spiritual energy was a major calamity that Zheng Fagang knew about as soon as he came into contact with the path of immortality.

“In the past, when spiritual energy was weak, we could protect ourselves by avoiding Xuanwei,” Lu Yao said. “But now, the cycle of reincarnation connects all the heavens and myriad realms, and we Golden Immortals must also suffer the calamity of weakened spiritual energy.”

Xuan Chengzi nodded and said, "I also sensed this—the spiritual energy of my Xuan Chengtian is also slowly declining...it started when reincarnation began."

The other Golden Immortals also nodded in agreement, seemingly showing their approval of Xuan Chengzi's statement.

So, at the end of each era or at the beginning of each era, the Dao Fruit does not enter the profound mystery because it is afraid of being affected by the decline of spiritual energy?

If he were a Golden Immortal, he would also hate the Nine Nether Emperor...

However, this was the first time Zheng Fa had heard of Lu Yao's claim that the decline of spiritual energy was related to the disorder of inheritance.

Xuan Chengzi seemed somewhat puzzled: "What does the decline of spiritual energy have to do with the inheritance?"

Lu Yao chuckled, extended his palm, and said, "Please take a look, everyone."

Everyone looked at his hands.

A wisp of chaotic energy swirled in his palm.

"what is this?"

“I have gone through four tribulations and witnessed the decline of spiritual energy three times. This is the fourth time…” Lu Yao did not answer this question, but instead talked about something unrelated, “Since the time of the Golden Crow, I have been thinking about why the spiritual energy declined.”

Hearing him say this, everyone in the hall listened even more attentively.

"When I was the Golden Crow, the Yang God Technique had just been introduced, and that round of spiritual energy was waning. It didn't appear until five million years later."

"Later, when I founded Haori Mountain, the spiritual energy of the Xuanwei Realm only lasted for three million years..."

“In the last era, 1.5 million years later, spiritual energy had already disappeared.”

"This era is even shorter, probably less than a million years."

Upon hearing Lu Yao's words, Zheng Fa fell into thought. The Nine Mountains Realm had been conducting research on history, but in this regard, those who had personally experienced history, such as Taishang Dao and Lu Yao, were naturally more persuasive.

According to Lu Yao, the intervals between the decline of spiritual energy are getting shorter and shorter.

Zheng Fa looked at Xuan Chengzi and the others, and Xuan Chengzi nodded and said, "We have also discovered this long ago."

Lu Yao continued, "In my early years, I thought the decline of spiritual energy was due to the large number of cultivators... but later I discovered that although it could slow down the decline of spiritual energy, it could not stop its process."

Zheng Fa knew that Lu Yao had destroyed an entire world once.

The others in the hall remained expressionless, listening indifferently.

"Later, it was Tianhe that gave me inspiration."

"Tianhe?"

Zheng Fa was stunned for a moment.

“Tianhe is truly a genius.” Lu Yao glanced at Zheng Fa, his tone filled with genuine admiration. “He has a vague idea, one that he himself may not even be aware of…”

"what idea?"

"The essence of the decline in spiritual energy is not that there is too little spiritual energy, but that there is too much spiritual energy!"

Zheng Fa's eyes widened; this was truly unexpected.

For a moment, Zheng Fa felt as if he had grasped something, but he didn't quite understand it.

The chaotic energy in Lu Yao's hand suddenly dissipated, and then wisps of spiritual energy began to appear.

At first, the spiritual energy was in wisps, thin and clear, and Zheng Fa could see its structure very clearly.

Later, as the spiritual energy increased, it intertwined, collided, and annihilated each other, making the complex laws of Zheng somewhat difficult to discern.

In the end, the concentration of spiritual energy seemed to reach an extreme, and the quantitative change led to a qualitative change, turning into a gray and hazy chaos.

"This is……"

“Spiritual energy comes from the Daoist understanding of Daoist laws by Daoist cultivators. As the number of Daoist cultivators increases and the number of followers of the Daoist tradition increases, the spiritual energy will naturally increase, rather than decrease.”

That makes a lot of sense.

Cultivators below the Dao Fruit level do indeed absorb spiritual energy.

However, cultivators above the Dao Fruit level generate spiritual energy—for example, the Fusang tree provides spiritual energy to the modern world.

"However, when the amount of spiritual energy is too large, that is, when the number of Dao Fruits is too large, and there are also many believers and disciples, the spiritual energy of the Xuanwei Realm will fall into chaos."

Everyone in the hall was stunned.

"You mean that we, who have attained the Dao, are the root cause of the decline in spiritual energy?"

“That’s right.” Lu Yao nodded slowly and continued, “Therefore, when Tianhe wanted to destroy the mountain and temple and unify Xuanwei, he unintentionally saw through the truth.”

Zheng Fa listened, somewhat bewildered. Many questions exploded in his mind, leaving him even more confused.

"World Honored One." The Blissful Celestial Maiden seemed a little confused as she asked, "You mean that at the end of each era, the Mysterious Subtle Realm is actually filled with chaotic energy, so how can it have spiritual energy again?"

Lu Yao nodded and said, "The Xuanwei membrane is a remnant of a powerful being. It will expel the chaotic energy, and at that time, a brief spiritual vacuum will appear in the Xuanwei."

"Besides this, there is no way in the Xuanwei Realm to reverse the creation of chaos."

After Lu Yao finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

But Zheng Fa felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his heart. This expression was so similar to something he had learned in modern times in his early years—the second law of thermodynamics!

Zheng Fa had never understood why the spiritual energy was declining.

After Lu Yao's explanation, he finally understood: This thing is what is called heat death, isn't it?
Spiritual energy originates from the rules that Dao Fruit comprehends from chaos, or rather, it is the rules themselves.

The lineage of Daoguo, in turn, absorbed and utilized these rules, reorganizing, changing, and developing them.

In this way, the concentration of profound spiritual energy will be higher and higher, and the interaction between them will become more and more complex, until one day, they will return to chaos.

The so-called lack of a way to reverse chaos is just another way of saying that entropy increase is irreversible.
That's why Lu Yao said that when Venerable Tianhe wanted to destroy mountains and temples to unify cultivation methods, it was actually a mistake.

Having figured this out, Zheng Fa's mind exploded with inspiration. The various techniques recorded in the "Huang Ting Jing" and the knowledge he had learned in modern times began to boil in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Before coming to Leiyin Temple, Zheng Fa had already been working on his Taoist skills to prepare for the Nine Tribulations of a Loose Immortal, and he was almost there.

Just then, after he understood the truth about the decline of spiritual energy, he finally kicked out!
Seeing that everyone was captivated by his words and had fallen into worry, Lu Yao couldn't help but feel a little smug. He was about to continue speaking when he glanced at Zheng Fa and was stunned:

Zheng Fazheng's soul seemed to fly to the heavens, his face beaming with joy, as if he were attaining enlightenment.

...No, what I say will make you enlightened?
(End of this chapter)