CHAPTER 790: CHAPTER 013: INFINITE MERIT

Cultivators who had previously wanted to continue mocking Xu Yingxia suddenly all fell silent at this moment, rubbing their eyes fiercely, doubting whether they were seeing things incorrectly.

At this time, Xu Yingxia stepped into the void and flew onto that floating platform in the blink of an eye, proudly standing atop it, awaiting Fang Yunyin to make her next move.

However, Fang Yunyin was now barely able to stand up, overwhelmed by a heavy blow, and she certainly didn’t possess that bloodthirsty will that would have her standing up at all costs, even if it meant risking her life.

She didn’t have such a spirit. After suffering a heavy blow, her gaze immediately became despondent, her complexion turned ashen, void of any fighting spirit.

Just like a sapling that hadn’t weathered storms, encountering a hurricane, it perished prematurely.

This couldn’t but be described as a sadness.

An ineffable sorrow.

Such was the pride of the Cultivators in this holy land, in this ancestral land.

Weak in spirit, poor in resilience, endowed with great talent but completely lacking the trials of life and death, of blood and fire.

Zhou Yan silently observed this scene, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.

Perhaps comparing Earth to the Sword Burial Ancestor Star was unfair. But precisely because Zhou Yan’s most primal bloodline originated from this land, his emotions for this land were indescribable.

This land, this planet, was where Zhou Yan’s true roots, his true origin lay.

If it were the Sword Burial Ancestor Star, Zhou Yan wouldn’t care at all if its Cultivators were so dismal, so disappointing.

Disappointment arises because there is hope.

Where there is hope, there can be disappointment.

Without hope, there would be no disappointment, nor a reason to feel heavy-hearted, as it wouldn’t matter whether they lived or died, whether they were geniuses or useless.

Why feel heavy-hearted? Why feel disappointment? It is because of the profound love for this land.

The deeper the love, the greater the responsibility.

With the memories of his brother Lee Ran and his own, Zhou Yan regarded Earth as a sacred place, believing it was teeming with mighty individuals, omnipresent.

He thought that undergoing tribulations here, embarking on the path of ancestor worship here, would be a very sacred affair, and that Zhou Yan needed to confront it all with a heart full of reverence.

But reality proved contrary to desires.

All because the hopes were too high, the disappointments were too profound.

Fang Yunyin, extolled by Cultivators as a fairy of excellence; proud and arrogant, narrow-minded, and intolerant. Faced with a slight setback, she gave up on herself, lacking even the suicidal resolve that Xu Yingxia displayed.

Defeated by a single move, her spirit withered, she sank into despair, and no longer had an ounce of ambition.

Is this a Cultivator? Is this a genius? Is this a person of distinction?

How does this differ from being worthless?

Zhou Yan truly wanted to reprimand her, but he said nothing; he could only hope that what he was seeing was just one facet of the situation.

He hoped that not all Cultivators were like this.

Xu Yingxia ascended the platform but felt an unreal sensation, dazed, feeling that everything had changed too rapidly; she was even unable to come to her senses for a while.

Xu Yingxia was momentarily stunned, only to see Fang Yunyin already as pale as death, collapsed on the ground and unable to even get up, as if she were nearing her end. For a moment, Xu Yingxia even doubted whether she had indeed unleashed such a powerful move.

She was somewhat concerned about Fang Yunyin’s condition, after all, compared to the prestigious identity of an elite from a Great Sect, the Pure Yang Sect actually was nothing to sneer at.

Precisely because of this, Xu Yingxia suddenly grew very worried about bringing disaster upon her Sect, fearing that it would lead to its annihilation.

However, still on the Void Platform, Xu Yingxia found herself at a loss, neither able to advance nor retreat, somewhat at her wit’s end. For her, this was truly a first in her life.

At this moment, Zhou Yan was no longer standing in his original spot. Among the attentions of the other Cultivators, Zhou Yan stepped onto the Void Platform, and with one stride, he had already positioned himself at the highest level of the platform.

Here, Zhou Yan saw a damaged Tai Chu Rune Ancient Array, its traces imprinted deep within the void, making the void’s boundaries exhibit certain trajectories of the Supreme Dao.

Zhou Yan pondered carefully for a moment, sensing the profound and extensive nature within, but found that many parts had been eroded by time, already shattered beyond recognition.

This ancient land of Ancient Pine, too, was gradually losing its vitality, and the sparse Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth grew even more fleeting.

Zhou Yan unleashed all of his Soul Power, deeply sensing the Dao Traces left in this expanse of the void, yet he sensed the presence of a magnificent golden light flickering.

In a trance, Zhou Yan seemed to see an ancient mountain inverted, pinning a golden Divine Monkey beneath it. In the void all around, various Runes danced, each Rune carrying the power of Immeasurable Merit.

"Ami-tuo-fo."

"Infinite Merit."

"Merit Mountain, suppressing ancient Divinity, Immortal and unchanging, beyond life itself."

Invisibly, Zhou Yan saw a great Buddha suddenly stretch out a massive palm, which turned over so that its palm faced downwards, its center filled with countless scriptures, pressing down like mountains.

Between heaven and earth, a Divine Nine Aperture Spirit Monkey was being directly suppressed within.

It was a vast, primeval presence, a scene that instilled awe from the depths of one’s Soul.

Zhou Yan’s Spirit trembled slightly, and inside the Twelve Sword Souls, the Six-Eared Macaque, the Divine Monkey Sword Soul, felt a restless unease. This uneasy trepidation snapped Zhou Yan out of his trance.

Zhou Yan felt a chill throughout his body, as if he had seen the past, as well as glimpses of his own future.

To the point that Zhou Yan experienced a brief moment of bewilderment within the Dao of time.

A moment later, Zhou Yan came to his senses, feeling the pores of his skin bristling with cold, the sensation as if coldness was being funneled into his body, which was rather terrifying.

What level of profound strength must one possess to turn the hand and cover the sky with clouds, to raise it and suppress the Heavenly Vault?

"Void Heaven. Shichu Heaven. Where there is nothing, there is Heaven."

"The Three Worlds offer no safety, like a house on fire; filled with immeasurable suffering, truly fearsome."

"Infinite Merit..."

"No endless weight can overpower the body of the Nine Aperture Spirit Monkey, no force can suppress it. But Merit Mountain is so heavy that it cannot be borne, and thus, when Merit Mountain descends, it suppresses all things with a single blow."

"Merit Mountain, Merit Stele, Merit Arch... Why does all this feel so familiar?"

"The True God Plane, the ’Original Soul Power’ of the Fat Liu Family, could it be the ’Power of Merit’?"

"The Liu Jin Family’s Ancient Clan Treasure, the Infinite Soul Suppressing Tablet, could it truly be the Infinite Merit Stele?"

"If that really is the case, what exactly is the connection between the True God Plane and this world?"

Many doubts immediately surfaced in Zhou Yan’s mind, a succession of causes and effects seemed to suddenly unravel before his eyes.