parentshiftbook Chapter 260 The Union of Three Religions and the Mind of the Supreme Heavenly Venerable
Chapter 260 The Union of Three Religions and the Mind of the Supreme Heavenly Venerable
Chapter 260 The Supreme Heavenly Venerable's Mind and Image of the Unity of the Three Teachings (Thanks to the Guangdong Bribery Alliance Leader)
The sword strike unleashed by the Night Emperor's sword embryo was faster than anyone could imagine!
Its inherent killing power sent a chill down the spine of Hong Tianwang, who sat high on the altar and considered himself the incarnation of a god.
That was the long-lost fear of death!
"How is this possible?" Hong Tianwang was shocked.
He never expected that a "mere" Martial Saint and Out-of-Body Realm cultivator could unleash such a terrifying sword strike.
At this critical moment of life and death, the instincts of a Sequence Angel and the power of the [Crown of the Martyr] erupted, and he instantly transformed into a blinding holy light, attempting to retreat rapidly.
However, his attempt to dodge was ultimately a second too slow!
"—!"
A soft sound, like cloth being torn, yet carrying the strange texture of some sacred substance breaking.
As the sword light, filled with the intent of slaughter and annihilation, swept past, the holy light that Hong Tianwang had transformed into suddenly froze, and then he let out an uncontrollable groan of pain.
As the light dimmed, one could see that Hong Tianwang's left arm was severed at the shoulder, but there was no blood at the cut. Instead, a dense, liquid gold-like divine power of light was constantly writhing and trying to repair itself, but it was blocked by a stubborn sword intent full of destruction, and the repair was extremely slow.
quiet!
A deathly silence enveloped the entire battlefield!
On the city wall, Tang Yongzhen stared wide-eyed, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
Li Xijun, with a single move, severed the arm of a Sequence One Angel.
This is simply unbelievable! He would never have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes!
Lin Huaijin, the Ye family head, and others were dumbfounded, their bodies trembling slightly.
They had just personally experienced the terrifying power of Hong Tianwang, which was like divine punishment, and only by gathering the spirits of their ancestors could they barely withstand the attack.
But in the blink of an eye, this arrogant second son of the Light was severely injured by a young man with a single sword strike.
"Is Li Li, the Martial Saint, even human?" a cultivator murmured to himself, his worldview greatly shaken.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the city's defenders and warriors erupted in thunderous cheers; in their despair, they had seen a glimmer of true hope.
Outside the city, the hundreds of thousands of fanatical followers of the Light were plunged into an eerie silence.
Their fervent smiles froze, their eyes filled with bewilderment and disbelief.
How could the all-powerful Heavenly King, the Son of God, be injured?
How could someone have cut off his arm?
This must be an illusion, a devil's temptation!
"Blasphemy! This is blasphemy against the light!" A fanatic reacted and roared hysterically, but there was a hint of barely perceptible panic in his voice.
Hong Tianwang steadied himself, the excruciating pain from his severed arm and the lingering sword intent filled him with a mixture of shock and rage.
He stared intently at Li Xijun, who stood before him holding a sword, his golden pupils revealing for the first time a look of solemnity and even a hint of fear.
"No! The power within you is far beyond simple martial arts or the cultivation of the Nascent Soul Realm!"
Hong Tianwang's voice was no longer indifferent, but carried a hint of sharpness, "That's it! To reach such a level within a year, to be able to unleash a sword strike that wounded me—you must be hiding a tremendous secret!"
"A secret that transcends the limits of martial arts, and may even surpass the understanding of gods!"
Greed instantly overwhelmed shock, anger, and that slight unease.
Hong Tianwang realized that if he could capture Li Xijun and force him to reveal his secrets, he would no longer be merely the "second son" of the God of Light.
He may gain power comparable to or even surpassing the gods, and dominate the world.
The temptation is too great!
"For the glory of God, and for my imperial ambitions—Li Xijun, your secret is mine!"
A look of madness appeared on Hong Tianwang's face.
He no longer hesitated, and unleashed that deepest, and most reluctant, power:
He pressed his hands sharply against the crown of martyrs he wore, and began to chant an ancient and obscure prayer, no longer the hymns of the Church of Light, but directly directed at the God of Light himself in the darkness!
"Supreme Lord of Light, your humble servant begs for your mercy and your divine power!"
"boom!!!"
An indescribable, vast will, seemingly transcending endless time and space, suddenly descended!
The sky seemed to be illuminated for a moment, and endless divine power of light poured into Hong Tianwang's body like a celestial river pouring down.
"Aaaaaah!" Hong Tianwang roared in pain.
His body began to undergo terrifying mutations, his humanity was rapidly fading away, and his divinity, or rather, his distorted divine power, was growing wildly.
His once imposing body rapidly swelled and twisted, his skin turning like molten gold, flowing with a dazzling light.
The head became unrecognizable, as if composed of countless distorted halos and writhing sacred runes, with no clear facial features, only a dizzying light.
His body was sixty feet tall, comparable to the tallest city tower in Guangzhou. The wound on his arm, which had been broken, was now covered by pure light energy, forming an unstable light spear shape.
Instead of pure white wings, it stretched out countless eerie bands of light, composed of pure light, like tentacles or chains, dancing wildly in the air and scattering light dust that polluted the mind.
It was less a holy angel and more a luminous monster of indescribable form, radiating terrifying pressure.
Its enormous body stood between heaven and earth, and the radiance it emitted formed a huge "field of light". Within the field, all non-light-attribute energy was suppressed and purified, and even the air became viscous and scorching.
In the South China Sea, Situ Wenyan, who had been closely monitoring the battle situation in Guangfu, was ashen-faced, his eyes filled with despair:
"It's over! He has completely transformed into his angelic form—such power is beyond what ordinary manifestations can accomplish to avert the crisis in the southeast of Guangdong!"
On Gulangyu Island, inside the Wanguo Mansion, the two First Order Angels from the Storm Church and the Light Church exchanged knowing smiles. Everything was under control. The Storm Angel nodded and said, "Hong has finally taken this step. He has completely come into the glory of our Lord. This battle is now a foregone conclusion."
The Angel of Light gracefully raised his teacup: "Very well, now it's time to get down to business. Mr. Churt, how are your Church of the Mechanical God's preparations for the 'Nine Tombs Project' progressing?"
"Everything is basically ready, we're just waiting for that old emperor to become greedy for becoming a god."
After speaking, the mechanical church representative next to him, Churt, dressed in British gentleman's attire, obese, and smoking a pipe, exhaled a smoke ring, squinted at the water mirror image in the direction of Guangzhou, and spoke with a hint of mockery:
"The people of this country are indeed too ignorant, always fantasizing that there are heroes who can turn the tide."
"Little did they know, the tide of history cannot be stopped by the force of an individual."
"Once the southeast falls to you, it will belong to you. But according to the previous agreement, after the 'Nine Tombs Plan,' the beliefs of those ignorant people in the north will be attributed to the great god of machinery."
Outside Guangfu City, the followers of the Light Sect, seeing the Heavenly King manifest in such a "holy" and powerful form, once again erupted in fervent cheers and prayers:
"A miracle! This is a true miracle!"
"Long live the Heavenly King! May your light shine forever!"
"Purify heresy! Save the world!"
Meanwhile, Tang Yongzhen, Lin Huaijin, and others inside the city felt a bone-chilling cold.
Gazing at the enormous, suffocatingly powerful monster of light, their newly ignited hope was crushed once again.
"This...this is beyond the power of mortals to contend with—." The Ye family head's voice trembled.
"Can Li Wusheng still hold them off?" someone asked, clinging to a last hope, but their tone was filled with uncertainty.
At this moment, the entire Guangfu County, and even countless people in Guangdong and Guangxi who sensed the terrifying energy fluctuations here, were praying silently, hoping that someone could withstand the monster that was destroying the city in such despair. Their expectation for a savior transformed into a weak yet immense power of will, gathering in the darkness.
Just as he was circulating his cultivation technique, preparing to mobilize the spiritual energy within his body to deal with Li Xijun, who was facing an unprecedentedly powerful enemy, he suddenly stopped.
He clearly felt a warm and powerful, strange force carrying the earnest expectations of countless people, surging from the ground beneath his feet and from all directions, flowing into his sea of consciousness.
The three deities and Buddhas in his sea of consciousness shone brightly, and the golden body of the vow power seemed to come alive, resonating with this vast power of the vows of all living beings!
This is—the power of all beings' vows? The vows of yearning to protect and hoping for salvation—
Li Xijun was struck by a sudden realization, and the opportunity for me to break through and manifest divine power was right at this moment!
"By the wishes of the people of Southeast China, I unite my heart and soul!"
The next moment, he ignored the angel of light, whose size had nearly reached a hundred feet, and instead closed his eyes, sinking his entire mind into his sea of consciousness, guiding the vast power of his will to begin a profound and mysterious fusion with his own Yin spirit—
The overwhelming pressure from the monstrous angels of light outside, and the despair and hope of countless people inside and outside the city, all seemed to vanish in that instant.
Only within the sea of consciousness is an unprecedented transformation taking place.
The Unborn Mother described in the Sutra of the Descent of the Unborn Mother is surrounded by the light of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, representing salvation and emptiness.
The monk Xuanzang in "Xuanzang's Journey to the West and Overcoming Calamities" walks with firm steps and a heart as pure as jade, radiating great perseverance and wisdom in overcoming all difficulties and pursuing the truth.
The "Master's Lectures at the Apricot Altar" scroll reveals the most revered Master, tireless in his teachings, radiating literary brilliance, and carrying the responsibility of educating all beings.
The principles of benevolence and propriety were established.
These three visualizations, representing the highest realms of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in this world, resonated at an unprecedented frequency under the full impetus of Li Xijun, who based them on the "Supreme Dharma of the Convergence of the Three Teachings"!
"Buzzing—!"
The sea of consciousness trembled, and golden light shone in countless rays!
The three figures were no longer isolated, but began to slowly approach each other, their light intertwining and merging.
The compassionate vows of the Eternal Mother, the unwavering Zen mind of Master Xuanzang, and the noble literary spirit of the Sage Master, under the rule of this profound Dharma, are refined and harmonized, as if tracing back to the origin and condensing into an ultimate realm that encompasses, contains, and transcends everything.
At the same time, the immense desire for redemption that spontaneously welled up from the hearts of countless desperate people in the two vast regions seemed to have found its final destination. Like rivers flowing into the sea, it surged wildly into Li Xijun's body, propelling the final fusion!
"Hmm?" Hong Tianwang, who had transformed into an angel of light, emitted a puzzled mental fluctuation. He sensed that the aura of the tiny human below was undergoing a fundamental leap, and an aura that made him feel vaguely uneasy was brewing.
It waited no longer. Its enormous body of light swung its arms, which were made of light spears, and condensed a terrifying holy light spear powerful enough to evaporate mountains, ready to completely purify Li Xijun and the space around him.
At that very moment, Li Xijun suddenly opened his eyes.
His eyes were like Confucian classics, all-encompassing and full of benevolence and propriety; his right eye was like a Buddhist Zen mirror, penetrating the void and containing compassion; and deep within his pupil, a point of chaotic primordial light, like the creation of the Dao Mother, flowed!
His spirit instantly left his body, but it was not the illusory form of an ordinary person who leaves their body. Instead, it solidified and combined with the surging, vast power of will, soaring straight into the sky!
"Today, I, Li Xijun, borrow the wishes of the people of the Southeast and the spirit of the mountains and rivers of Guangdong and Guangxi, here at the foot of Guangfu City—"
A calm yet supremely majestic voice resounded clearly throughout the heavens and earth, drowning out all the noise of the battlefield, spreading throughout the Guangfu region, and even reaching the more distant southern Guangdong region!
"—Witness my divine manifestation on the Great Way, and let our hearts and minds unite on this hill!"
"Boom! Boom!"
The world changes color, and businesses surge like clouds!
Centered on Li Xijun's Yin spirit, a majestic and mysterious Dharma form, described in words, began to rapidly condense and manifest!
This Dharma image was already a hundred feet tall when it first appeared, and it is still growing wildly!
One hundred and twenty scenic spots! One hundred and thirty scenic spots! One hundred and fifty scenic spots... two hundred scenic spots!
In the end, a magnificent mental image, two hundred feet tall, stood between heaven and earth. Its radiance was gentle and pure, yet not dazzling, as if it contained the ultimate truth of heaven and earth, instantly dispelling most of the oppressive and eerie feeling brought by the monstrous light of Hong Tianwang!
This person's face bears a seven-tenths resemblance to Li Xijun, yet also carries the spirit of the sages of the three religions.
It wears the "Sage's Crown," symbolizing the highest achievement of Confucianism, and is draped in the "Square Image Robe," woven from Sanskrit script of Buddhism and Daoist script. In its left hand, it holds a scroll of the illusory "Western Emperor Scripture," and in its right hand, it forms a "Transcending Calamity Mudra," which embodies compassion and transcendence. Its body is surrounded by the radiant light of vows that shimmers like stars, and its feet seem to tread on a phantom of a long river of time that stretches through the past and future!
—【The Supreme Heavenly Venerable's Mind and Image: Unity of the Three Teachings】!
Once this thought was formed, a vast, majestic, righteous, and peaceful aura, yet surpassing all things, swept across the entire battlefield, even breaking through the fog of the South China Sea, and causing even more distant beings to sense it!
"Is this a divine manifestation?"
"And it is—such a powerful manifestation of divine power!"
On the South China Sea, Situ Wenyan suddenly stood up, his face filled with disbelief and ecstatic joy. "Two hundred scenes of Dharma manifestation, radiantly shining in the southeast—this is an unprecedented phenomenon!"
"Li Xijun—he actually did it...unite the three religions and attain sainthood!"
"God bless our Great Sheng! God bless the Southeast!"
Inside the Wan Guo Ling Guan, Ye Bao Tian Dan's coffee cup fell to the ground with a "crash" and shattered into pieces.
Guangming Tiandan's elegant smile froze completely, replaced by deep horror.
Even Churt, the representative of the Mechanical Church who had been acting as if it were none of his business, suddenly took the pipe out of his mouth, and for the first time, a solemn look appeared on his fat face.
"The unity of the three religions—a total of two hundred scenes of Dharma images—how is this possible? What kind of monster is this Li Xijun?!" Ye Baotian Dan exclaimed in shock.
Guangming Tiandan's eyes darkened: "Variables—huge variables, which must be reassessed."
Churt took a deep breath and said slowly, "It seems that the 'heroes' of this country are far more cunning than we imagined."
On the city wall of Guangfu, Tang Yongzhen, Lin Huaijin, and others were already so excited that tears welled up in their eyes and their bodies trembled.
Looking at that majestic Dharma image, which was even more magnificent, more sacred, and more awe-inspiring than the luminous monster of Hong Tianwang, they felt a surge of heat rush to their heads.
"A divine manifestation! It is the Manifestation True Lord!"
"Li Wusheng—no, Li Zhenjun—he has attained enlightenment and manifested sainthood!"
"A Dharma image two hundred feet tall! Never heard of before!"
"We're saved! Guangdong is saved!"
The city's garrison and civilians erupted in thunderous cheers, with many kneeling down as if witnessing a divine miracle.
Meanwhile, the cultists of light in the city of Ya were once again plunged into silence and chaos.
The aura emanating from that majestic heart-shaped statue made the divine power of light within them feel stagnant and uneasy.
Hong Tianwang, transformed into the Bright Heavenly Pill, unleashed a furious yet somewhat incredulous roar of spiritual energy:
"Manifestation of Sainthood? You actually broke through to Sainthood at this moment, and with such a strange and powerful mental manifestation at that? Impossible!"
Li Xijun's spirit merged with the "Heavenly Venerable's Mind Image on the Three Teachings Unity Hill" of the Two Hundred Scenes. The image slowly lowered its head, its gaze calmly looking at the ferocious, luminous monster, like a god looking down at an ant.
"King Hong, today I will show you what true divine power is!"
The sound was like a booming bell, spreading far and wide, announcing the birth of another divine and sage-king who stands atop these two peaks.