Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2564: 257: The Highest, Part 2
Previously on Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant...
“Through gradual realization: water separates into pure and turbid, humans into good and wicked; purity and turbidity stand apart, good and evil oppose each other, yet in their core, they remain unchanged forever.”
“A Buddha’s mind gripped by attachments differs not from a demon’s; when a demon’s heart turns righteous, it can ascend to Buddha in a flash. But fixating on Buddha versus demon drags one into a lesser path.”
“Hence, the Void Demon Realm serves me as a road to awakening. Though fraught with ordeals, triumph brings ultimate liberation.”
Wang Ba took in the words and stayed quiet for a moment.
He spoke gently in advice:
“Enlightenment’s path doesn’t require lingering in the Void Demon Realm alone…”
Shen Fu kept a serene face, offering a faint smile without adding more.
That smile from Shen Fu made Wang Ba swallow his prepared words, hesitate briefly, shake his head instead of pressing, and let out a sigh:
“Your chosen road won’t be simple. When you rise to the Second Realm Sea later, will they label you Demon Dao, Buddhist, or Immortal Gate?”
Shen Fu’s look stayed composed:
“Past the heart, all is void. Thanks for your insight, brother.”
Witnessing Shen Fu’s firm resolve, Wang Ba managed only a soft sigh.
He’d long known Shen Fu’s inner turmoil stemmed from clashing identities and true self, born of past trials. Now, he’d scarcely found peace by embracing it all—a subtle release from every label.
He embraced being Xiahou Demon’s disciple in the Void Demon Realm, while knowing deep down he wasn’t truly of the Demon Dao.
All of it formed his cultivation journey.
In the turbulent Second Realm Sea, this route courted suppression from every side… Aware of that fate, he boldly turned down Wang Ba’s offer, another step in letting go.
Understanding all this, with Shen Fu’s mind set and his choices hard to sway once made, Wang Ba tried once more:
“Are you truly set against coming back with me?”
Shen Fu smiled:
“Should you vanquish the Supreme True Buddha, kindly fetch Bu Chan and Yi An; I find myself missing them somewhat.”
At those words, Wang Ba could only heave a quiet sigh…
…
Eastern Luli Buddha Realm.
Yan Poluo fixed a fierce gaze on Kong Zen, his expression brimming with despair, on the verge of frenzy:
“Buddha Lord, you—you’re truly set on unlocking Duanhai Cliff?!”
Kong Zen answered with growing irritation:
“You heard me clearly. I’ve repeated it enough: open Duanhai Cliff, and we gain a shot at toppling the Supreme True Buddha. Can’t you grasp that logic?”
Kong Zen’s response left Yan Poluo staring harder, fury and betrayal flashing in his eyes, nearly incoherent:
“But what of our Eastern Luli Buddha Realm?”
“Duanhai Cliff opened means inside and out merge seamlessly, the Domain teeters on instability, and our disciples’ fates—what becomes of them?!”
“Buddha Lord Tianyin fought to place you as Buddha Lord, yet now you discard our Eastern Luli Buddha Realm like trash. Do you honor Buddha Lord Tianyin’s faith in you?”
Kong Zen started merely impatient, but those words darkened his face, his eyes locking coldly on Yan Poluo.
Though no Mahayana, Yan Poluo flushed under that stare yet held firm, jutting his chin defiantly to meet Kong Zen’s gaze head-on:
“Before departing, Buddha Lord Tianyin charged me to support you fully, believing the Buddha Lord Nirvana ordeal would teach you restraint… I merely ask: scorning our Luli Buddha Realm this way, have you spared a thought for the disciples here? For Buddha Lord’s unwavering backing?”
Kong Zen’s features hardened to an icy chill, his cold stare piercing Yan Poluo’s.
After a short hush, the frost eased from his visage, replaced by steady calm that even tempered Yan Poluo’s rage.
Kong Zen stated evenly:
“As Buddha Lord, the Realm’s safety weighs on me, yet mere survival comes first; lose that, and if the Supreme True Buddha shatters the Buddha Realm, all else crumbles.”
“Regarding the Realm’s disciples…”
He halted, eyes boring into Yan Poluo’s, then continued flatly:
“I’ve got plans, but one condition: defeat the Supreme True Buddha’s blockade, no matter the price.”
Yan Poluo paused at that, catching the uncommon gravity in Kong Zen’s voice. After wavering, he nodded reluctantly:
“Understood, I’ll stand with you.”
Kong Zen said nothing, his eyes locked silently on the Realm Sea’s depths.
He sensed indistinctly that in that place, a colossal shadow beyond all imagination was stirring…
…
“We can’t delay any longer, even if we haven’t gathered enough people, we must quickly attempt to break through Duanhai Cliff!”
“I have notified fellow cultivators, many are rushing here quickly.”
Before the endless towering walls of Duanhai Cliff, following a short preparation, several Mahayana experts assembled once more.
Yet at this instant, a deeper gravity marked every face.
They had reached the utmost limit Realm Sea could hold in ordinary times, thus vaguely detecting the threat swelling ever more clearly from Realm Sea's depths.
This could be Realm Sea's own caution, aware of the peril ahead.
Or perhaps that danger zone had expanded to such an extent that even they, divided by vast distances, could sense it faintly.
Undoubtedly, that danger spot fell under Tianshang Buddha’s dominion, the fruition of the three major Dharma Realms.