BOOK 2: CHAPTER 421: WESTERN CONTINENT BUDDHA LIGHT, HEAVENLY RIVER’S LAST MOVE

Vol 2 Chapter 421: Western Continent Buddha Light, Heavenly River’s Last Move

Zheng Fa stared at the Life and Death Register for a long time, then shifted his gaze to the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

Now he almost understood this Demon Ancestor’s purpose.

On the surface of the Life and Death Register, black, white, and mysterious light intertwined, with a faint clear radiance spreading.

The surrounding white mist grew thicker, rushing outward in all directions.

Within the mist, it seemed a new land was emerging.

Zheng Fa had a feeling that the scale of this underworld was expanding.

“He’s refining a treasure!” Lady Nishang shouted fiercely from within the light screen. “This is incense fire Divine Path!”

Li Sanxian, standing beside her, suddenly changed expression. “Incense fire Divine Path? Where is the incense fire coming from?”

Lady Nishang shook her head as well.

Although she had the Tongjian, she couldn’t see the live broadcast.

Within the Heavenly River Sect today, besides the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s faction, only Zheng Fa likely knew the full details.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor had staged such a grand spectacle.

Apart from revenge, it was to refine a treasure—borrowing the incense fire power attracted by the Tongjian to forge the treasure.

There were only a few cultivators who possessed the Tongjian, but their strength was formidable:

Besides the Jiushan Sect disciples, those who could afford a Tongjian were at least Golden Core cultivators.

More importantly, a single Tongjian could be viewed by multiple people.

Therefore, the number of viewers it radiated to was likely far greater than the number of Tongjians themselves.

...

“Incense fire can come from this too?” Xie Qingxue was a bit stunned.

She wasn’t doubting Lady Nishang, after all, she was a professional.

She just hadn’t expected the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor to play such a trick.

The Heavenly Emperor body thought for a moment and nodded. “The essence of incense fire lies in the word ‘faith.’”

“My cultivation path is incense fire Divine Path, so I have some profound insight into this.”

“In the future, you might think incense fire power only comes from mortals’ faith in deities.”

“But according to your observation, the disciples within the Four Mountains Primary School admire you not because of worshipping gods, but more like admiration for a mentor.”

Senior Sister Zhang understood. “The Four Nether Demon Ancestor is not like that.”

“With a single live broadcast, he toyed with the Four Sects at his fingertips.” The Heavenly Emperor body nodded. “My frailty, my ideals, were enough to make cultivators believe and fear.”

“Perhaps, after the Four Nether Demon Ancestor, he pursued the truth behind the Heavenly River upheaval to seek recognition.”

Once the live broadcast started, it was hard for cultivators to feel sympathy or even faith toward the Four Nether Demon Ancestor.

These feelings, in the form of incense fire, fed back onto the Life and Death Register.

“I’ve actually been wondering why such a powerful Nine Nether Demon Ancestor would use the Slaying Immortal Sword Formation to lure the Four Sects instead of attacking directly,” the Heavenly Emperor body said again. “Before, I thought the Four Sects each had their trump cards, and the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was cautious by nature.”

“Now it seems the Life and Death Register has limitations as well.”

Senior Sister Zhang found this reasonable. Just as she was about to speak, the Tongjian trembled.

She looked down, frowning tightly.

“Something’s wrong in the Western Continent?”

...

The one sending the message to Senior Sister Zhang was Sun Daoyu.

He had recently advanced to Nascent Soul and was assigned to the sea region to guard trade routes, currently stationed at Hongsha Island.

This island was the node closest to the Western Continent on the maritime trade route, extremely important. He was not only responsible for dealings with the Yaochi people but also for gathering intelligence on the Western Continent.

Sun Daoyu held considerable prestige among Jiushan Sect disciples and had inherited some of Uncle Pang’s diplomatic skills, which earned him this important mission.

He thought it was alright:

With Lord Shuyu Dragon’s intelligence, there wasn’t much danger.

It was just that being away from the Jiushan Realm, stuck in the vast sea, the days were dull and boring.

Fortunately, he could watch the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s chaos with the Four Sects unfold.

Sun Daoyu was happily watching the live broadcast.

The more unlucky the Four Sects’ disciples were in the broadcast, the more his mouth curled into a smile.

Just as he was getting into it, a disciple suddenly ran up to the academy gate shouting,

“Senior Brother Sun! Senior Brother Sun!”

He quickly put the Tongjian away in his sleeve, face serious, and asked, “What’s the matter? Why such panic?”

“Western Continent... Western Continent Leiyin Temple...”

“Leiyin Temple?” Seeing the disciple panting heavily, Sun Daoyu realized something serious had happened. He flashed out of the courtyard, looking toward the Western Continent, immediately feeling his eyes about to go blind:

From Hongsha Island, half the coastline shimmered with magnificent and dazzling seven-colored Buddha light.

Behind the Buddha light came endless streams of praise.

Even though separated by hundreds of miles, he could faintly smell sandalwood incense.

Although he didn’t understand what this phenomenon meant, he knew something major was happening and hurriedly sent a message inside.

...

After reading Sun Daoyu’s message, Senior Sister Zhang picked up the Tongjian, thought for a moment, and asked Lord Shuyu Dragon, “Dragon Lord, the Western Continent has changed. Do you have any clues?”

Lord Shuyu Dragon seemed to have noticed the situation as well, replying quickly:

“I saw it too.”

“I’m not sure of the cause.”

“But I suspect it’s related to the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.”

Nine Nether Demon Ancestor?

Senior Sister Zhang immediately turned to look at the light screen in the main hall.

Sure enough, the situation inside the Heavenly River Sect had changed again:

Old Monk Zhizhong sat cross-legged on the ground, hands joined in prayer, and behind him appeared a Buddha.

But the Buddha’s facial features were vastly different from before, as if it had become another person.

The compassion in the Buddha’s eyes was gone, replaced by a supreme self-importance.

The sound of ten thousand families in the Western Continent chanting Buddha’s name followed.

Countless restless souls in the City of the Wrongfully Dead were influenced by this chanting, their faces gradually showing peaceful joy.

Within the short span of half an incense stick’s time,

The gloomy and cold underworld suddenly became peaceful and harmonious.

The only discordant note was the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s roar:

“Lu Mo!”

Zheng Fa was startled and looked carefully at the Buddha’s face, feeling it was unbearable to gaze upon.

How did Lu Mo get into the Heavenly River Sect?

What was he doing?

...

Lu Mo smiled faintly, eyes looking at the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor as if greeting an old acquaintance:

“Nine Nether Benefactor, long time no see.”

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, who hated him intensely, only sneered coldly. “You came to the underworld of your own accord when there was no gate! If you were hiding in Leiyin Temple, it would have taken me some effort to kill you.”

Zheng Fa frowned.

He could see that although the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor spoke confidently, his eyes were full of suspicion.

Clearly, Lu Mo’s appearance exceeded his expectations.

Lu Mo seemed much more confident than him.

He did not answer the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s words but glanced at the Life and Death Register floating in the void, his eyes full of joy.

“Nine Nether Benefactor, I have finally awaited this Life and Death Register.”

“Awaited?”

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s expression changed slightly.

“The Transcendence Calamity Holy Technique can achieve Taiyi,” Lu Mo smiled patiently and answered, “But what I seek has never been only Taiyi.”

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor understood.

“You want the Life and Death Register to perfect the Transcendence Calamity Technique?”

“Nine Nether Benefactor, you are indeed exceptionally sharp.”

Lu Mo praised with a smile.

But seeing the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s expression, it was obvious he did not take it as a compliment.

Zheng Fa was also somewhat surprised.

He hadn’t expected Lu Mo to be scheming for the Life and Death Register.

But where did Lu Mo’s confidence come from?

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor remained silent, but his robes fluttered violently, clearly he was not as calm as he appeared.

The Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram slowly rose behind Yin Mountain, radiating ten thousand sword rays.

The black and white mysterious light on the Life and Death Register flickered.

“Back during the Heavenly River upheaval, you wanted the Life and Death Register?”

He asked slowly.

Lu Mo laughed, not denying it at all:

“Unfortunately, the Heavenly River Venerable gave you the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram.”

A flash of surprise crossed the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s eyes, then changed to sudden realization:

“So, he did it for...”

His voice gradually lowered, almost inaudible, but his gaze grew even brighter.

Zheng Fa knew the half sentence the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor didn’t finish:

The Heavenly River Venerable left the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram to the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor to guard this Dao legacy.

Speaking of which, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s later tragic fate seemed closely tied to the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram.

From the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s perspective, it was hard not to feel confused:

You, Heavenly River Venerable, knew the Heavenly River Sect was problematic, a huge pitfall, so why leave this pitfall to me?

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s own explanation was:

The Heavenly River Venerable trusted no one else and hoped he would inherit the legacy.

But Lu Mo’s interest in the Life and Death Register gave Zheng Fa another guess:

Whether or not the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was the Heavenly River Sect’s heir, Lu Mo would not let him go.

The Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram was actually a means to keep the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor alive.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor seemed to have thought of this possibility as well.

His expression was complicated, unsure whether it was joy or sorrow.

“If you have already proven the Dao of Golden Immortal and entered my underworld, I would have no way to deal with you,” the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor slowly reined in his complex expression and said coldly, “But you are only a True Immortal...”

Lu Mo laughed, lowering his eyes and looking toward Zhizhong.

Zhizhong’s face also revealed a faint smile.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, murmuring:

“Trapped in endless suffering, how can one find release?”

“Turn to my Buddha, and you will reach ultimate bliss early.”

Zhizhong kept repeating these two lines.

In the void, it seemed like millions of people were singing in harmony.

The chanting of Buddha grew louder and more distant.

Amidst this chorus, Zhizhong began to self-immolate.

Golden flames surged from the rotting earth beneath him, spreading from his legs to his entire body.

His flesh burst open, revealing a hundred bones;

he looked like a giant wick.

Ten thousand candlelights illuminated all directions.

The rotten mud on the ground instantly turned into colored glaze.

In the deathly silent City of the Wrongfully Dead, trees sprouted rapidly, full of life.

The dark Yin Mountain brightened, transforming into a sacred mountain forged from seven treasures, brilliant and radiant.

Clear and pure spring water flowed from the mountain foot, tinkling melodiously.

A wave of indescribable joy surged in Zheng Fa’s soul.

“This is...”

He looked at Zhizhong in amazement.

Zhizhong’s soul, spiritual power, and physical body all became fuel.

This turned this endless hell into a glazed Buddha land.

Zheng Fa sensed trouble and turned to look at the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor. Sure enough, half of his body was shadowy and dark, while the other half radiated Buddha light.

It was obvious he was being infected by the Buddha light.

Zheng Fa naturally didn’t know what methods Lu Mo used but roughly guessed the principle.

Essentially, this was very similar to how Zheng Fa controlled the Qingping Sword.

The Heavenly River Method had its pros and cons.

Its biggest advantage was that cultivators could gain combat power far beyond ordinary people.

For example, Xie Qingxue was actually only Nascent Soul, but with the Qingping Sword, she was almost invincible below the rank of Scatter Immortal.

On the other hand, relying too much on the Qingping Sword meant that if Zheng Fa could control it, he could influence her in return.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor seemed no different in this restriction.

The Life and Death Register evolved just now, and the underworld expanded;

it could be imagined that the relationship between the underworld and the Life and Death Register was like the Sun and Moon Bell and the Jiushan Realm—once a whole.

Now the underworld was about to become Buddha land.

The Life and Death Register seemed influenced by Lu Mo as well.

Therefore, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor appeared constrained.

This shocking change left everyone in the Jiushan Realm dumbfounded.

“Lu Mo is refining the Life and Death Register?” Elder Yu frowned. “This is not good...”

Indeed, it was not good.

“Who would have thought Lu Mo could make a True Immortal from Leiyin Temple willingly die.”

Anyone could see that the biggest reason Lu Mo’s move could succeed was Zhizhong’s sacrifice.

Lu Mo’s cultivation in this life was only True Immortal and an outsider at that.

Leiyin Temple was actually willing to pay such a huge price.

Using a True Immortal’s lifetime accumulation to pave the way for Lu Xuan.

Looking at the Taishang Dao!

That stingy guy Xuanding!

To be honest, Zheng Fa was starting to think of converting to Buddhism.

...

Senior Sister Zhang’s expression was also very unpleasant. “If Lu Mo refines the Life and Death Register, he might directly prove the Dao of Golden Immortal.”

“Very likely...” The Heavenly Emperor body agreed. “When Lu Sanxian died before, he didn’t intervene;

it shows how eager he is to prove the Dao.”

“Now that he has emerged, he’s probably aiming straight for Golden Immortal.”

Elder Yu stroked the beard on his chin, murmuring, “Maybe even beyond Golden Immortal.”

This sentence plunged the Heavenly Palace into silence.

According to Lu Mo’s words earlier, his Dao proof seemed disdainful even of Taiyi.

Yet a single Golden Immortal was enough to devastate the entire Jiushan Realm.

“I wonder if the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor can hold on.”

Everyone watched the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor in the light screen. He sat cross-legged atop Yin Mountain, golden light and black-and-white radiance battling each other—neither yielding.

It was clear he was resisting Lu Mo’s refinement with all his might.

But anyone could see the Buddha light growing stronger, seeming to overwhelm the original black and white mysterious light.

“Western Continent... Lu Mo can obtain the incense fire power of the Western Continent!” Senior Sister Zhang suddenly exclaimed as if recalling something. “Over time, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor will inevitably be defeated.”

Everyone in the Heavenly Palace grew even more silent.

Everyone understood that Lu Mo’s success in proving the Dao posed a greater threat to the Jiushan Realm than the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

“What do we do?” Uncle Pang asked anxiously. “Should we attack Leiyin Temple?”

...

Uncle Pang’s reckless side was indeed terrifying.

Senior Sister Zhang frowned but truly considered it:

“If forced, that’s the only way. Even if Taishang Dao and Yaochi don’t help, the Jiushan Sect will give it all we have, plus Lord Shuyu Dragon;

maybe we still have a chance.”

As she spoke, she drew the Innate Eight Trigrams in the air, then shook her head. “Leiyin Temple holds great danger.”

The Heavenly Emperor body nodded:

“The Four Sects should all have secret trump cards.”

“Moreover, whether Lord Shuyu Dragon is willing to fight to the death for us is uncertain.”

Uncle Pang’s expression dimmed somewhat, muttering, “Then what?”

“First, try to find the Heavenly River relic.”

...

“Heavenly River relic?” Senior Sister Zhang was stunned. “Will it help?”

“Only hope,” the Heavenly Emperor body’s expression showed hesitation. “If we can find the next step of the Heavenly River Method, it might free the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor from the Life and Death Register’s restraint.”

Senior Sister Zhang nodded slightly. “We can only seek life in death.”

The Heavenly Emperor body knew that Senior Sister Zhang didn’t have much hope.

Frankly, whether finding the Heavenly River relic could change the situation was uncertain.

Many things were just Zheng Fa’s guesses.

But Senior Sister Zhang always stood by his side, almost unreasonably supporting him.

Actually, Zheng Fa had other plans for seeking the relic that he couldn’t say for now:

The best outcome would be that the Heavenly River Venerable had a last move to counter Lu Mo.

If not, Zheng Fa wanted to find the origin of the Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant—he wanted to try if he could move the Jiushan Realm into the modern world to avoid Lu Mo’s threat.

The worst outcome was that he and the Jiushan Realm couldn’t avoid Lu Mo, so they would have to find a way to sever the connection between the Xuanyi Realm and the modern world—at least to save the modern world and keep the last hope.

He already had the worst-case plan.

Uncle Pang asked a crucial question: “How do we find it?”

The Heavenly Emperor body smiled, waved his hand, and a phantom of the Trapping Immortal Sword appeared before everyone.

“I observed many talismanic diagrams within the previous sword formation. Comparing them with the diagrams on the Trapping Immortal Sword, I managed to discern some secrets of the sword formation.”