Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1565 - 845: Return to the Ancestral Land, Revealing the Jade

"Quiet!"

Zhao Sheng narrowed his eyes, scanned his surroundings, and spoke in a sharp, admonishing tone.

Before the sound of his voice had even dissipated, an overwhelming, stifling pressure erupted from his body.

The gathering of monks instantly froze, terror washing over their faces as they scattered in a chaotic frenzy.

These monks, despite their mastery of Divine Power, vanished from sight within a heartbeat.

A sudden, suffocating silence descended upon the Teleportation Hall. Nearby, the Guest Monks huddled in the corners with heads bowed low, trembling too fearfully to even glance upward.

Zhao Sheng gradually withdrew his aura, his silhouette flickering until he disappeared completely.

Moments later, he strolled down a street paved with green stone. The air was thick with the scent of burning sandalwood, while the melancholic drone of scripture chanting drifted out from the nearby temples.

Dense rows of ornate temple structures, designed with the opulence of grand palaces, lined the street on both sides.

After traversing three or four miles, Zhao Sheng observed that every temple gate was overflowing with throngs of devotees, their expressions twisted into masks of fanatical devotion.

"Something is amiss here."

Witnessing such unhinged religious fervor, Zhao Sheng instantly realized that Muni City hid a dark secret.

Just then, a young monk with flowing hair and bare feet approached from down the path. His features were strikingly handsome, and as he passed, the devotees quickly stepped aside, offering respectful gestures.

With every step the young monk took, sacred lotus flowers bloomed silently into existence on the ground behind him.

As these flowers unfolded, releasing a faint, enchanting fragrance, the nearby crowd fell into a trance, frantically grasping for the sacred Buddha Lotuses.

The street devolved instantly into a scene of utter bedlam.

Oblivious to the turmoil trailing in his wake, the young monk continued forward, his pace rhythmic and steady.

An idea sparked in Zhao Sheng’s mind.

"You will do nicely."

His voice was lost to the breeze as he vanished once more.

At that exact instant, the monk’s expression distorted in panic. His body was pulled by an unseen force, spinning around and dragging him into a secluded alleyway.

As he crossed the threshold into the shadows, the young monk simply ceased to exist.

Thirty minutes passed before Zhao Sheng finally pulled his hand back, his face a mask of apathy. The young monk stood motionless across from him, his eyes vacant and his consciousness clearly shattered.

While the Soul Searching technique was undeniably efficient, it was not without its lingering repercussions.

However, he deemed these side effects negligible, as they could be easily mitigated with rest.

Zhao Sheng turned away without a second thought, completely indifferent to whether the monk would live or die.

He had discovered that this monk practiced malevolent Buddhist arts; he had even cruelly harvested the Buddha Yuan of thirty-three fellow novices to advance his mastery of the Mandala Great Treasure Realm, leaving him stained with immense karma.

As the sun dipped behind the western slopes, Zhao Sheng navigated the city until he found a derelict mansion where he could hole up for a few days.

Inside the meditation chamber, Zhao Sheng sat in a cross-legged position, deep in contemplation: "...Gathering to cultivate, using Will Power to advance Buddhism, asserting that I am the Buddha... Today, all beings support my path to Buddhahood, and in the future, the Buddha supports the destined... What an absurd concept for cultivation!"

Wait.

A flash of insight suddenly struck him. "Why does this feel so familiar?"

Zhao Sheng ruminated for a long while, finally dredging the answer from his past life’s memories: "...All beings support me, I support all beings, and only then is Great Freedom and Great Liberation achieved!"

A formidable figure, deeply merciful toward the world, manifested in his consciousness.

"Crimson—Dragon—Child!"

Boom!

The meditation room exploded into rubble. Zhao Sheng stood amidst the debris, his face grim, and with a wave of his hand, he erased the dust before flickering and vanishing into the air.

...

Half a month fled by in an instant.

Over the last fifteen days, Zhao Sheng had scoured Muni City, visiting seven of the most incense-rich temples.

Having analyzed hundreds of cultivation manuals, he had finally confirmed a terrifying truth.

A Great Ability was using Muni City as a testing ground, sacrificing countless practitioners and millions of commoners to force an integration of the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Dao into traditional Buddhist methods.

Both the Buddhist and Demon paths utilized extreme indoctrination, yet while the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Dao seized control of the mind, the Buddhists of Muni City were literal devourers, cannibalizing their own disciples.

The souls and Will Power of all living beings could assist one in achieving Buddhahood.

Once the peaceful, benevolent facade was stripped away, one could only guess how many unsuspecting followers had been consumed by the city.

Muni City had stood for ten millennia, widely hailed as a Holy Land of cultivation within the Ten Thousand Peak Spirit Domain.

He refused to believe that no one had ever noticed the perversions occurring within its walls over such a long span of time.

Yet, the city remained pristine and prosperous, serving as the heart of a vast "Buddha Country" that stretched for tens of thousands of miles.

Every piece of evidence suggested that a powerful, highly skilled entity shielded Muni City; otherwise, it would have been eradicated long ago.

Zhao Sheng strongly suspected that this figure originated from the Ten Lands Zhao Clan, likely possessing a cultivation level beyond that of the Returning to Void stage.

After all, the Ten Thousand Peak Spirit Domain existed effectively as the private backyard of the Zhao Clan.

Over two hundred thousand years of meticulous administration had ensured that Zhao Clan members permeated every corner of the region, wielding influence that no other faction could hope to rival.

Of course, this remained conjecture, but the truth remained for him to uncover personally.

...

A few days later, Zhao Sheng reappeared atop the teleportation platform.

Around him, a diverse array of Human Clan Cultivators, each exuding an extraordinary presence, were materializing just as he had.

None of them dared linger, instead hurrying off the platform toward the exit.

Zhao Sheng blended among them, quickly emerging from the hall.

Outside, the air was saturated with an incredibly dense concentration of nature’s spiritual energy.

The atmosphere began to flood into his pores without him having to guide his internal Cultivation Technique at all.

Looking up, Zhao Sheng noted a towering White Tower reaching into the heavens, pristine and glowing.

Mist and clouds swirled around the structure, manifesting into lifelike illusions of dragons, phoenixes, and qilins—all formed from pure nature’s spiritual energy.

Below this sea of clouds lay a city of unfathomable proportions.

Stretching to the horizon, the landscape was a sprawling, endless architecture of pavilions, towers, and immortal halls.

Gazing higher into the sky, he spotted countless Floating Islands suspended within the mist, each shielded by layers of shimmering, colorful barriers.

A slight smirk tugged at Zhao Sheng’s lips as he retrieved a piece of Bright Yellow Jade from his robe and secured it at his waist.

He then projected his Divine Thought and transformed into a streak of light, soaring toward the clouds.

The sun hung high, illuminating a sky that was a piercing, pristine blue.

A stream of light punctured the clouds, arriving high above the sea of mists.

The glow faded to reveal Zhao Sheng once more.

Hundreds of miles distant, a massive, vibrant continent floated with majesty. Above it, mythical birds and beasts circled, while below lay jagged mountain ranges and a network of rivers, creating a landscape akin to the heavens.

Suspended above the continent were palaces that radiated luminous light, majestic and celestial.

Occasionally, other lights could be seen weaving between these islands, moving with purpose.

Zhao Sheng paused to watch for a moment, but as he prepared to descend, his features shifted subtly. He spun around suddenly to face what was behind him.

A stern-looking young swordsman, clutching a long sword, was stepping out directly from the void.

"Halt, who dares trespass? Declare your name!" the youth demanded softly, his hand positioning the sword to point directly at Zhao Sheng.

The blade shimmered like calm, limpid autumn water; a cold, sharp Sword Intent surged outward, pinning Zhao Sheng in place.

Zhao Sheng felt his heart tighten. He realized instantly that this "swordsman" was not a living being, but the physical embodiment of a True Spirit.

Only a Spiritual Treasure that had reached the True Form Realm or higher possessed the capacity to manifest in humanoid form.

In effect, this swordsman possessed strength equivalent to a Half-Immortal of the Void, a force not to be trifled with.

"I am Zhao Sheng, from the Zhao branch of Red Cloud Spirit Domain. I have come to our ancestral lands to seek recognition. This is my Life Jade, please inspect it, senior."

As he spoke, he held out the jade, imbuing it with a sliver of his Divine Thought.

In an instant, the Jade burned with a fierce, blinding radiance, illuminating the sky with an unparalleled, royal brilliance.