Chapter 808

Chapter 808: Stargate

In the year 7,670 of the Xia calendar, the unknown Star Domain.

This is an unnamed barren planet, with no water, thin air, and endless yellow sand. At night, the temperature can drop to below freezing, while during the day, it can soar to seventy or eighty degrees. A person cannot survive here for more than twenty-four hours.

At this moment, there are eleven Buddhist cultivators hiding here. They are the eleven arhats who came here with Bodhisattva Puxiang. They initially opened the Stargate to escape but did not go directly back to Lingjing Star, partly because it was too far away and partly because they were unwilling to accept defeat.

"Senior Brother Chengzang, where do we go from here?"

They have been hiding for a long time, and everyone’s strength has been greatly depleted. The supplies in their storage bags are running low. One arhat said to their leader, Chengzang, who is already half a step into the Bodhisattva Realm and the most powerful among them.

"Brothers, we have received news from Lingjing Star that Bodhisattva Puxiang has ascended to paradise, which is a great loss for our Buddhist sect. We should carry on Bodhisattva Puxiang’s wishes and fulfill our mission to greatly advance Buddhism. We should continue deeper into the Eastern Star Domain’s different worlds. What do you all think?"

"Senior Brother Chengzang, these cultivators have a deep hatred for us, and their strength is extraordinary. If we act recklessly, will it be too risky?"

"There is certainly risk, but if we fear risk and do nothing, how can our Buddhist sect grow? Without enough merit, how can we ascend to Ling Star and achieve the true Buddha fruit position?"

Chengzang said, preaching is their merit. The more followers they have, the greater their merit. This is extremely important for achieving the true Buddha fruit position. Only with enough merit can they ultimately go to Lingjing Star and enjoy paradise.

Chengzang’s words moved the remaining ten people. They were all Arhats, and the Buddhist practice system was very mature and complete. It could be said that, barring any accidents, at least half of them could reach the Bodhisattva Realm, and the true Buddha was not very far away. Most of the merits from Lingjing Star had already been divided up, so spreading the teachings of Buddhism to more distant places was their only way forward.

"Senior Brother, what do you think we should do?"

"The planet we encountered before had no living beings, so the other world is not there, but it must be nearby. We should split into several groups to explore. Do not use the Stargate Secret Technique; we will quietly use our bodies to sneak around and find the location of that world. First, we need to understand the situation of the beings in this world."

"We must trust the wisdom of Bodhisattva Kongyan. Surely, more Bodhisattvas are on their way. Let’s make preparations now, and when the time comes, whether it’s spreading the teachings of Buddhism or guiding others, we can achieve great deeds."

"Alright, let’s follow Senior Brother Chengzang."

"In that case, let’s split into three groups to search for a way out. Once we find the other world, we can share our findings."

The group concluded their discussion and decided to split into three paths to find the location of the other world.

········

Blue Star, Huaxia

Puxiang’s storage bag had already been opened. There weren’t many things inside—the only items besides a few spirit stones were some ordinary pills, books, and magical tools.

Lin Jiang had already sent the pills to Lin Huafei for research. Lin Huafei quickly replied that the pill-making methods were somewhat different from those on Blue Star, but not by much. Only by obtaining the complete pill-making techniques and formulas would it make some sense.

Lin Jiang and Cao Ying studied the books and magical tools. These books contained the training methods of the Buddhist tradition, but they clearly had problems; they had the techniques but no underlying principles.

Most of the training methods on Blue Star are complete, combining both techniques and principles, but clearly, these methods were not. It is unknown if this was to control lower-level cultivators.

"These scriptures are somewhat different from the ones I remember, but some are the same. I wonder if there is any special connection."

Lin Jiang stared at the books. Although he studied liberal arts back then and had read a lot, he had little exposure to Buddhist texts, only knowing a few popular anecdotes and Zen sayings.

For example, the saying about a heart moving but a banner remaining still, and the story of Buddha Lord slicing flesh to feed an eagle. The only famous scripture he knew was the Heart Sutra, but he couldn’t remember all its content, just recalling "prajna paramita."

However, as Lin Jiang looked at these scriptures, many things felt related to the Buddhist texts of Blue Star, reminding him of his origins.

"What are you thinking about, looking so lost in thought?"

Cao Ying walked in and saw Lin Jiang lost in thought. She asked with concern.

"It’s nothing. Did you take care of Puxiang’s Zen staff?"

"Yes, my magic treasure has absorbed the Item Spirit of the Puxiang Zen staff."

Cao Ying said that years ago, Yang Luo announced the method for refining spiritual treasures, both internally and externally. There was also a secret technique to absorb cultivators above Soul Changing into an Item Spirit and then let other Item Spirits absorb it.

Lin Jiang and Cao Ying also knew this method, but it was quite wicked, so they didn’t share it. The cultivation school in Huaxia did not know about this, and even other awakened cultivators were specially warned not to leak it.

This time it was a special case; to gain the secret of Lingjing Star, Cao Ying spent many years allowing the Item Spirit of her magic treasure to absorb the Item Spirit of the Puxiang Zen staff.

"So your magic treasure is leveling up?"

"It’s almost a top-grade magic treasure now."

Cao Ying nodded. Lin Jiang had many top-grade magic treasures. Besides inheriting the Sagittarius Bow from the Lin family, he also had others unearthed from the Qing State, all of which were first-rate top-grade treasures.

Except for Lin Batian’s Overlord Spear, Lin Jiang kept everything else for himself and did not share. Cao Ying didn’t have many good items in her hands.

"Many top-grade magical treasures have their crafting methods, but the techniques are not advanced enough, and they lack some materials. However, over time, we each can have a perfect magical treasure."

"Aren’t you curious at all about Lingjing Star?"

"Of course, I’m curious! With you around, how could I not be?"

"Haha, since you trust me this much, I won’t let you down. Lingjing Star indeed has many secrets. Thousands to tens of thousands of years ago, it was not a Buddhist cultivation world, but like our Blue Star, it was a true cultivation world. Its strength is a bit stronger than ours, with about ten Transmigration Stage cultivators and around a hundred Tao Achievers. In just under a thousand years, it transformed into a Buddhist cultivation world."

"Is the Buddhist sect really that powerful?"

Lin Jiang was shocked. Did they really wipe out a cultivation world similar to Blue Star in just a thousand years? Is the Buddhist sect that fierce? They even destroyed the Dao entirely.

"The Item Spirit of the Puxiang Zen staff was once a cultivator, who was guided by the Buddhist sect. However, he failed during the Transmigration Stage trials and willingly became the Zen staff of Puxiang, a treasured item of their temple, passed down through generations."

The Item Spirit was born at the end of the cultivation tradition. He didn’t know how the Buddhist sect appeared; he only knew that the Buddhist sect developed very quickly.

"Concentrate the process into a spell and pass it to me; I want to see."

"Okay."

Cao Ying nodded, and then she gathered a ray of spiritual light at her fingertips and placed it on Lin Jiang’s forehead. The light entered Lin Jiang’s mind, and a wave of information spread out.

The Item Spirit’s knowledge of the process is not complete. It only knows that when it set out to train, the Buddhist sect was already very powerful. It had established many temples in various places, and there were many disciples of the sect traveling everywhere, spreading the teachings and attracting countless believers. These believers offered their wealth to support them, allowing the sect to gain a lot of resources without needing to manage any territory.

The Item Spirit’s deepest impression is of the expansion of the Buddhist sect. They took in many cultivators, such as those who practiced forbidden arts and those who had offended others, claiming that they would put down their weapons and become Buddhas. With the power of the sect to protect them, their strength grew quickly.

They also suppressed other sects in various ways. When a sect expanded, battles were inevitable. The Buddhist sect would step in, citing the safety of ordinary people and independent cultivators as reasons to stop the fighting, gaining great fame.

At the same time, they actively competed for talented disciples. Many extraordinary talents were noticed by the Buddhist sect early in their journey, with the claim of having a connection with Buddhism. They continuously instilled some teachings into these talented individuals, and many of them became part of the sect.

If anyone resisted, it didn’t matter; they had their methods, such as forced enlightenment. In the memories of the Item Spirit, there is an example from the late unification of Lingjing Star, where a legendary sword cultivator from a great cultivation sect emerged. He had a naturally gifted sword body and could understand various sword techniques at first glance.

He became famous at a young age, starting from the Qi Refining Stage, where he constantly challenged talents from various schools, often at his peak. However, the Buddhist sect insisted that this person was full of killing intent and had a demonic aura; he was labeled as the Sword Demon. They dispatched a Bodhisattva-level expert to forcibly take him away for enlightenment, and he eventually became a protector of the Buddhist sect.

"Damn it, what a familiar smell!"

Lin Jiang finished looking at the memories of Item Spirit and shouted, "Isn’t this a familiar recipe, a familiar taste?"