Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 534 This is the World Honored One in this world.
Nothingness is imminent.

Or rather, the land of true nature... is already right before our eyes.

Beside Ji Jingqiu, Taixu's figure was ethereal, as if he would vanish with the wind. Gazing at the distant divine mountain, he sighed:

“Following You’s guidance, we went to the Land of Return to Truth, where we saw the so-called truth that had troubled us for many years and found the source of this Boundary Sea. Now, let Brother Ji uncover all of this for himself.”

"I can roughly guess something," Ji Jingqiu said slowly. "The Land of Return to Truth, is it the core area of ​​that person's inner universe?"

He was referring to a being who had unified heaven and earth in this world, a being whose name he still did not know.

“Indeed,” Taixu remarked. “If the Boundary Sea is the myriad worlds within his inner universe, then the Land of Return to Truth is the greater universe.”

Do you know that person's name?

"I don't know."

Taixu shook his head.

"I have never seen that person. In our exploration, we know that person died long ago when this world was created. Otherwise, how could we, the later beings, have been born?"

"What remains is merely a wisp of thought lingering in the heart of heaven or the will of the boundary sea, perhaps wanting to see if there will be any 'successors' in the future."

He turned around and looked at the "newcomer" beside him, asking curiously, "Fellow Daoist Ji, have the ancestors made all the arrangements?"

Ji Jingqiu invited Taixu into his inner universe.

This inner universe has now been transformed into a brand new boundary sea.

The only true realm hangs at an infinite height, its celestial status equal to that of Ji Jingqiu, almost a condensation and evolution of the Great Dao's laws, real and true, destined to remain unchanged through the ages, and even tinged with a bit of... the aura of the Great Dao's ancestral land!

This originated from the remnants of the Land of Return to Truth brought back by the Lord of the Underworld, which contained the primordial Dao of the ancestral land. From this starting point, it projected, evolved, and gave rise to all the myriad worlds.

Every world was once a world of the Boundary Sea, and now, under the reflection of the Real World, it is reliving its past glory.

The True Spirit Heavenly Path serves as a bridge, connecting all realms with the Real World, allowing all beings to find their way and have a path to follow.

This almost endless universe supported the boundless power of the Dao, filling his position and allowing him to truly enter another incredible realm.

"Has the World Honored One already broken through to the complete unity of heaven and earth?"

Ji Jingqiu nodded, then shook his head. He remained silent for a moment, seemingly assessing his current situation, before saying:

"At this point, realms no longer matter. Whether it is or not seems to make no difference. There is no yardstick for measuring it. Perhaps only an evenly matched opponent can make me truly see my current realm."

"Next, Fellow Daoist Taixu, are you prepared to travel with me, or will you choose to dissolve your body here?"

Taixu was stunned and speechless for a moment, quietly gazing at Ji Jingqiu.

The latter stands in the void, surrounded by a phantom and ethereal river that is omnipresent and all-encompassing, resembling the mother of all things and nurturing all living beings.

This is the origin of the Great Dao of this realm, the origin of all things and spirits. It contains the Daoist principles and laws, which are ineffable and indescribable, yet they are real and true, beyond illusion and form. It seems to encompass all laws in the world and is a kind of convergence of the true nature of all beings.

It also has another name—the only way.

Even looking at the vast world beyond this boundary, it is unique and has the potential to replace the original Great Dao and create another Great Dao Ancestral Land after the collapse of the Great Dao Ancestral Land.

When Ji Jingqiu returned to the One World Sea and completely absorbed the One Dao into the Tree of the Great Dao, he was destined to become a brand new "One Who Unifies Heaven and Earth" in this world.

Beyond the Boundary Sea, in the vast world, such beings are none other than the greatest beings in the world, capable of establishing a legendary system with no bounds in projection, such as the Unique Heavenly Court or the Buddhism of All Heavens.

Even in the ancient Great Dao Ancestral Land, which was still intact and had countless powerful beings before it fell apart, such a being was revered as the "patriarch" by countless living beings.

He preached the Dharma according to the needs of all beings, enabling them to reach the other shore; therefore, he was called the founder of the teachings.

Ji Jingqiu suddenly seemed to be deep in thought. After he stepped into a new level, the remnants of the Returning to Truth seemed to be truly activated, emitting the aura of the origin.

Thus, his previous conjecture that the remnants of the Great Dao Ancestral Land existed in the Returning to Truth Land has been verified.

And his predecessor, back then, did he want to reopen the world and create a new Great Dao Ancestral Land after the collapse of the Great Dao Ancestral Land, so he sacrificed himself to open up the Boundary Sea.

—After I leave, I wonder how many people will establish their own religions and claim to be their founders…

The words inscribed on the stone tablet echoed, and Ji Jingqiu understood in his heart.

"An opponent?" Taixu said meaningfully, "Perhaps one will appear soon."

Ji Jingqiu laughed and said, "It seems that this is why you rushed back from the Land of Return to Truth, and why you couldn't wait to choose to reincarnate and start anew, and to elect a Returner of Oneness."

Before him at this moment, nothing could hide, not even the billions of thoughts that arise and disappear every second in the void.

Ji Jingqiu certainly wouldn't pry into the thoughts of those around him, but Taixu's words reminded him of the words spoken by the Demon Ancestor before his reincarnation.

At that time, the Demon Ancestor also specifically mentioned the Land of Return to Truth.

Taixu suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist Ji, what does it feel like to enter this realm?"

Ji Jingqiu remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "It's too quiet."

"Too quiet?" Taixu repeated, not understanding the meaning behind Ji Jingqiu's words. "The feeling of stepping onto the Great Dao... is it too quiet?"

“Silence in every sense of the word,” Ji Jingqiu said calmly. “It’s not just the loneliness of being at the top, but also the fact that the One Dao is trying to assimilate me. This is the Dao’s ‘instinct.’ Perhaps one day, I will completely become the One Dao itself, the most fundamental rule of the universe, and lose all emotions.”

Taixu said in a deep voice, "You need an anchor point!"

Ji Jingqiu laughed:
"That's one way to put it, but most of the anchors are no longer useful to me. This is probably the 'trouble' of those who have achieved oneness with the universe."

"There is no need to worry about me. As long as my heart does not waver, even the One Path cannot shake my true spirit."

"So this is what the scenery along the Great Road looks like," Taixu murmured.

“A glorious sight?” Ji Jingqiu shook his head. “Fellow Daoist, what kind of glorious sight is this? The real glory is only just beginning.”

At this point, Ji Jingqiu smiled:

"What interests me most right now is to see for myself the legends I read about in my childhood."

“Then this will be a long journey, and you will need some help.” Taixu clearly knew what Ji Jingqiu was referring to, and said, “Fellow Daoist, why don’t you go and take a look at Guizhen Land first?”

"Okay." Ji Jingqiu nodded and appeared at the foot of Wuwang Mountain.

He looked up at the mountain he had been searching for for many years.

This is also the mountain that Master He never managed to climb until the very end.

Master He had hoped that I could go and see for him what secrets were hidden on that high mountain deep in the desolate wilderness of the Nether Sea.

A figure was suddenly released, staggered in the void beside Ji Jingqiu, and then looked at Ji Jingqiu with a look of surprise, blurting out:
"You've already inherited that man's mantle?!"

Faced with Honglian's question, Ji Jingqiu seemed to be deep in thought.

Although he had no connection with that predecessor, in a sense, any being who walked out of this boundary sea can be regarded as his "successor".

"Fellow Daoist Honglian, you may return now."

Ji Jingqiu laughed,
“Go and tell those people that I have arrived.”

Honglian bit her lip tightly, her breathing rapid. Even as a true saint, she could not suppress her Dao heart.

As soon as she turned around, she saw the location of Mount Wuwang, but she could not sense the aura of the Boundary Sea.

This alone was enough for her to confirm that the person in front of her had indeed fulfilled his predetermined destiny!

Honglian gave Ji Jingqiu a deep look, then turned and left without hesitation, disappearing into the universe radiated by Wuwang Mountain.

Behind her, Ji Jingqiu took a step forward and began to climb the mountain on foot, as if he had lost all his magical powers and cultivation and was challenging this insurmountable sacred mountain with only his physical body.

He wanted to measure the imposing grandeur of Wuwang step by step.

At first, Taixu accompanied him.

"In the Guizhen Land, there are actually far fewer Transcendent-level experts than on our side, but each one of them is at the level of a Great Dao Ancestor because they possess the most correct path to transcendence."

Taixu walked alongside him, his figure slowly dissipating, but he didn't seem to care, only remarking with a sigh,

"Our advantage lay in our numbers. We besieged the place for a long time, but ultimately we failed to completely breach Guizhen Land. In the end, due to the invasion of foreign enemies, the people of Guizhen Land chose to temporarily establish a ceasefire alliance with us and told us the correct path to transcendence."

Taixu suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist Ji, why do you think that person chose to create this world but did not pass down the true path to transcendence?"

Between the Land of Return to Truth and the Boundary Sea, that senior clearly chose the latter.

"The Heavenly Court," Ji Jingqiu slowly uttered the two words.

Taixu suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. On our journey to Guizhen Land, we discovered that the beings there deeply resent us. Now it seems that the Heavenly Court is also involved."

Ji Jingqiu nodded:
"The feud between the Heavenly Court and the Land of Return to Truth a hundred centuries ago is a messy affair, with both sides at fault. The path that the Heavenly Court controls is the path of 'divine beings.' Since divine beings have no merit, they created the world."

"Emperor Yi from a hundred years ago actually had a considerable chance of succeeding in unifying the Boundary Sea and the Land of Return to Truth, and stepping into the unity of heaven and earth. However, the awakening of Doumu's true spirit and the Land of Return to Truth's inversion of the Sea of ​​Bitterness into the Boundary Sea ultimately led to his failure."

Taixu seemed to be deep in thought: "Then Fellow Daoist Ji also followed the path of a divine being?"

Ji Jingqiu shook his head: "My most fundamental path is the path of the perfect man, which complements the paths of the divine man and the sage, and ultimately the three paths are united."

"The Path of the Perfected One?" Taixu couldn't help but ask, "Is what you've stepped into truly the other shore?"

Ji Jingqiu shook his head.

In the years since he attained enlightenment, he has sorted out the timeline of the past concerning the He Master and the Wood Master, and seen many distant past events, which were not recorded or passed down.

For example, the spiritual realm he is currently entering is called the "Sea of ​​Bitterness" by Master Mu, which is the other shore in Master Mu's heart that he can see from afar but has never reached.

“I call it the ‘Sea of ​​Bitterness’,” Ji Jingqiu said calmly.

"sea of ​​bitterness……"

Taixu stopped and laughed loudly.

"Fellow Daoist, this is the end. I'll take my leave now. See you in the next life!"

Ji Jingqiu smiled and said, "Go ahead, Fellow Daoist Wan and the others have already been reincarnated in the Real World. I will wait for you to return to your peak in this life."

After saying this, he personally sent his fellow Daoist Taixu, who had accompanied him on his path to enlightenment for countless years, into reincarnation.

Ji Jingqiu continued climbing the mountain.

A beautiful figure appeared beside him.

Over the years, Hela has been dedicated to one thing—restoring the divine kingdom she created.

Including those people and things that have passed away, and everything she once cherished.

Because of the long history, this is an extremely thorny and troublesome matter for those who have transcended, but fortunately she still has Ji Jingqiu.

Ji Jingqiu has unified the timelines and destinies of all living beings in this Boundary Sea, including all the transcendent patriarchs.

From that moment on, the timeline of this world belonged to him alone.

Even other beings who have unified the universe cannot shake the timeline he exists in.

“Ji Jingqiu, you’ve entrusted the Bitter Sea to Fatty Tiger and that dead salted fish, and even Wu Zhou has other plans. What are you going to give me, your angel investor?” Hela followed beside him, demanding a reward with righteous indignation, adding, “Don’t forget, I’m still the chief protector of your Buddhist sect!”

"The birth of Fatty Tiger and the others is related to the Bitter Sea, and now they've returned to their rightful place," Ji Jingqiu said with a shake of his head and a smile. "Besides, haven't I already handed the Nether Sea over to you?"

Hela blinked: "Look, you now have a new tree. How about giving me that Bodhi tree?"

She was naturally referring to Ji Jingqiu's Great Dao Tree.

Ji Jingqiu said helplessly, "Stop fooling around."

"How stingy," Hela clicked her tongue, then rolled her eyes and said, "Ji Jingqiu, I heard from Honglian that there's an Eight Treasures Merit Pool in the Pure Land of Perfect Reward Body of the Buddhist Sects. Why don't you give it to me in advance?" Ji Jingqiu glanced at her, thinking, "You dare to mention it? I won't agree."

Seeing that Ji Jingqiu did not respond, Haila accompanied him up the mountain with a bored expression. The mountain seemed to have no end in sight, and it was unknown how long it would take to reach the summit.

"Ji Jingqiu, what are you planning?" Hela looked at him suspiciously, recalling how he had just let Honglian leave on his own initiative.

“You’re overthinking it,” Ji Jingqiu said calmly. “Back then, Master He hoped that I could climb this mountain on his behalf, that’s all.”

Hela tilted her head and asked, "What secret do you think the Land of Truth holds?"

Ji Jingqiu laughed and said, "Isn't the biggest secret already right under our feet?"

"You mean—this Wuwang Mountain?" Hela asked in surprise. "This is the fragment of the Great Dao Ancestral Land you mentioned? You climbed the mountain on foot to sense it?"

Ji Jingqiu shook his head. He was just hiking up the mountain; that was all.

As for sensing?

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the Boundless Spiritual Mountain was trying to sense his thoughts.

"What are you thinking about right now?" Hela noticed that Ji Jingqiu's mind was elsewhere and asked again, "Are you resisting the assimilation of the One Path?"

Ji Jingqiu looked up and slowly said:
"When I started learning martial arts at sixteen, all I wanted was to survive and see the scenery in the distance. But as I gradually achieved success in martial arts, my thoughts and desires also increased."

"I have traveled a long way, and seen countless beautiful and bad landscapes..."

"What now?"

"And now?" Hela smiled faintly. "A person who has attained enlightenment and experienced the sea of ​​suffering, would he still be troubled?"

"Of course not!" Ji Jingqiu laughed loudly.

He has traversed mountains and rivers, experiencing countless hardships and landscapes. Looking back now, he has become the highest mountain in the world.

Even though he had reached the highest peak, his spirit had not lost its fervor; it was calm yet still burning, steady yet ever more expansive.

At this time.

Hela suddenly sensed something and looked up at the summit of the Wuwang Spirit Mountain.

She looked at Ji Jingqiu and smiled, "Ji Jingqiu, there are still huge differences among those who transcend, so what about those who unite with heaven and earth?"

At this moment.

The man, no longer young but still full of vigor, who no longer looked up at the sky, said with great spirit:
"Since he is the World Honored One, he should be revered by the whole world!"

……

……

Return to the true nature.

Wuwang Lingshan.

A red figure streaked across the sky, breaking into the barrier between the universe and the heavens.

"Who dares to trespass into my Eight Heavenly Realms?!"

A stern voice boomed from below, immediately noticing the intruder, Honglian.

"Honglian? You're back?!"

Soon, the transcendent being guarding this realm confirmed Honglian's identity, his voice filled with shock.

The next moment, a middle-aged emperor appeared before Honglian and asked in a deep voice:
"Red Lotus! How is it? Now that you've returned, have you received that person's inheritance, retrieved the Investiture of the Gods, and merged with the Dao of the Sea of ​​Bitterness?!"

Honglian's expression was complicated. She looked up at the sky and instead of answering, asked, "Heavenly King, what has been the situation on Mount Ling these past few years?"

"The situation is worse than before you left," the middle-aged emperor sighed. "Your master attempted to ascend to the Oneness realm, but failed and was instead injured, rendering him powerless to resist the enemies from beyond the realm."

"I still haven't seen that person..." Honglian whispered.

The middle-aged emperor was stunned, and finally closed his eyes in anguish, saying, "This is not your fault, but you shouldn't have returned at this time, especially bringing back this news..."

Honglian realized something: "They're preparing to surrender?!"

The middle-aged emperor nodded indifferently: "Your master is seriously injured, and among the enemies invading from beyond the boundary, there has even emerged a being who has achieved the unity of heaven and earth. Even if this person's realm has problems, he is still not someone we can contend with. The Lingshan Grand Formation, which relies on Lingshan, is in the process of being destroyed."

Honglian took a deep breath. The situation had already reached this point...

In the past, she might have been furious, at a loss, and not knowing what to do.
Honglian remained silent for a moment before saying in a strained voice, "The enemy from beyond the boundary is no longer a threat."

For some reason, Honglian felt a sense of relief after saying those words.

"What do you mean?" The middle-aged emperor was taken aback, then his expression suddenly changed. "Someone in the Boundary Sea has broken through to the Unity Realm? Who is it? The Ancestors? Impossible, those guys only recently returned, and none of them reached the end of the Three Paths! Could it be someone from the Heavenly Court?!"

His expression shifted constantly. Compared to the great enemy from beyond the boundary who attempted to invade and seize Mount Ling, allowing the Heavenly Court in the Boundary Sea to attain enlightenment was also the worst possible outcome for them.

As they were talking, the entire universe began to tremble!

The middle-aged emperor's expression darkened: "They're here again."

Honglian asked, "Who exactly is coming?"

"It is the Lord of the Six Desires Heaven."

The middle-aged emperor said solemnly,
"This fiend has somehow entered the realm of the Unity of Heaven and Earth. Even if it is incomplete, it is beyond our ability to defeat. Some fellow Daoists have already been bewitched by him across a realm and fallen into the demonic path!"

“In previous years, if it weren’t for a skinny tiger that appeared out of nowhere, the Ling Mountain Formation might have been destroyed. But now, that skinny tiger, which was suspected of bearing the power of the Sea of ​​Bitterness, has also disappeared.”

Looking up, Honglian saw that beyond this realm, a colossal Dharma image, towering into the sky with three faces and six arms, was shaking the very foundation of this world!

In the void, countless intertwined and overlapping Udumbara flowers bloomed one after another, their colors so vibrant it was as if the Dao itself had arrived, and countless celestial maidens danced amidst the flower shadows.

This scene was so beautiful that even those who had transcended worlds were captivated, as if they were witnessing the profound mysteries of the Great Dao of all realms and the path to the unity of heaven and earth...

"Wake up!" Honglian shouted sharply.

The middle-aged emperor suddenly awoke, his expression extremely grim, and he looked at Honglian with a mixture of disbelief and astonishment:

"Red Lotus, how were you able to wake up from that person's spell so quickly?"

Honglian remained silent, yet a lamp of her own light flickered quietly between her brows, her expression revealing an extreme complexity.

“Heavenly King, there’s no need to worry,” Honglian suddenly said. “That one has the magnanimity to embrace all living beings, as long as…”

"As long as?" the middle-aged emperor pressed.

“As long as we’re not foolish enough to become their enemy,” Honglian said softly.

The middle-aged emperor seemed to want to say something more, but his expression suddenly changed, filled with despair. He then looked sharply at Honglian and urgently asked:

"How much longer will it take for that one in the Boundary Sea to complete their breakthrough?!"

Honglian was slightly taken aback, and then she saw the protective array that had guarded Wuwang Spirit Mountain for countless years shatter at this moment. The three-headed, six-armed Dharma image smiled playfully, looked down at all living beings, and laughed:
"Eight Guardians, why do you still not submit to me? In the future, you will still have a place on Mount Ling! But if you continue to be stubborn and unrepentant, I will not hesitate to conquer this world and devour you all."

Heaven and earth were silent.

The middle-aged emperor said in anguish and despair, "Those bastards not only chose to surrender, but also voluntarily dismantled the mountain-protecting formation!"

Honglian suddenly said, "He's already here."

next moment.

An incomparably magnificent and vast will rose from the foot of the mountain like the sun and moon!

It comes from mountains and seas, from heaven and earth, from the universe. It comes at this moment and in the past, encompassing all timelines.

All living beings within the radiant world of Wuwang Mountain saw a figure walking down from the foot of the mountain, yet it seemed to be a mountain range even higher than Wuwang Mountain itself.

The entire Wuwang Spiritual Mountain trembled continuously at this moment!

A sudden burst of light pierced through all darkness between heaven and earth!

A majestic ancient tree, verdant and serene, with a canopy of graceful form, its clear, crystalline light piercing the sky, supporting a perfect and pure land, spanning countless eons, illuminating millions of worlds in the three realms and ten directions!

The middle-aged emperor looked dazed: "Bodhi? It's Bodhi?! How could it be—"

Honglian slowly closed her eyes and softly recited the name of the Venerable One.

O World Honored One.

this moment.

Throughout all realms, both within and without, above and below the heavens, all sentient beings seemed to sense that the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth had come alive.

The Great Dao was surging, all spirits were rejoicing, and they all spontaneously sat cross-legged, jointly calling out that revered title:
"World Honored One!"

The sounds, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, shook the heavens and resounded throughout the myriad worlds, spreading to even more distant places, to those worlds that had been mired in suffering for far too long since the collapse of the heavens.

More and more beings are calling out to the new master of that title that has been gone for too long. Their voices pierce through the constraints of endless time and space, vast and boundless!
Under the Bodhi tree.

A figure slowly raised his head.

His brief pause caused earth-shattering changes in the joys and sorrows of all beings in the myriad realms and countless universes.

The world shrank continuously in his eyes, its vastness transforming into worlds in the palm of his hand.

His vision continued to expand. Whether it was macroscopic elements, single particles, or the self-contained rules and principles governing the universe, they all existed and operated in another form in his eyes.

He saw the Dao, the vast ocean encompassing all the heavens and myriad realms, and the countless beings within it, as well as those high above all others.

The outside world.

The celestial being, as if facing a formidable enemy, exclaimed in disbelief, "World Honored One, you have returned from your tribulation?! Impossible, you are completely dead! No, you are not Him!"

He suddenly erupted in fury: "You dare impersonate him?!"

However, the next moment, the God suddenly saw the skinny tiger roaring beside Ji Jingqiu, and his expression changed.

Is this person the backer of this tiger in the sea of ​​suffering?!

Ji Jingqiu turned his head to look, his gaze indifferent, as the shimmering light of the Qingzhu sword was reflected in his eyes.

A blade of light instantly filled the heavens and earth, its light flickering and creating a dreamlike illusion. It illuminated the three realms and ten directions, and even in the distant universe, a hazy and illusory blade mark appeared.

It felt as if we were separated by endless time and space, yet it also felt as if we were right in front of each other.

Countless people felt a pang of sympathy, and looking up, the knife scar came into view, leaving an indelible mark.

Before this single strike, the Lord of the Six Desires Heaven was nothing more than a stumbling block in his path, cut in two with a single stroke.

This strike was not the strongest strike he had created after entering the realm of transcendence, [Origin and Extinction], but rather [Sole Supremacy], which he had comprehended when he ascended to the summit of Jade Capital.

His will, his unique path, and his myriad laws radiated across the myriad realms at this moment, so vivid and so unrestrained, like an inextinguishable fire that quickly gained a place in the myriad realms!
This strike is not meant to slay the demons beyond the realm, but to tell all the powerful beings in the myriad worlds a lesson.

—Gentlemen, I, Ji, have arrived.

Here.

In the myriad realms, ancient and majestic figures stand in the endless void, overlooking countless worlds.

As they gazed into the distance, witnessing the birth of yet another great being, and hearing the solemn proclamation ringing in their ears, their expressions were more or less complex.

Because the position of the World-Honored One has been restored today.

(End of this chapter)