Chapter 985: Buddha Light Emerges

Although Jue Ming's situation concerned the Seated Bright King, it wasn't so urgent that he needed to rush there immediately. There was no immediate sense of Jue Ming being in danger. However, the ominous feeling he had just perceived was extremely unsettling. As a Venerable Bright King, he could not simply ignore such a presence.

Although the Southern Wilderness was still some distance away, the Buddhist Seal Bright King's flying speed was extraordinary. Within a few days, he had already flown past the coastline of the Southern Wilderness, continuing onward by instinct without the slightest hesitation.

Flying through the thin clouds, the Seated Bright King’s Dharma eyes scanned in all directions. Below, he occasionally spotted mortal cities. Though the energies in these places were chaotic, there was nothing overtly wrong. The deep mountains and ancient forests also appeared perfectly normal.

However, the Seated Bright King did not believe he was mistaken. Although the human realm was clearly flourishing, to some extent suppressing the generation of worldly defilements, it still represented a state of disorder for the world as a whole. The frequency of malevolent demons and monsters appearing in the world was constantly increasing, and no possibility could be overlooked.

After flying for another two days, the Seated Bright King’s speed gradually slowed. A thought stirred within him, and he finally arrived above a large mountain filled with spiritual energy.

The Seated Bright King sat cross-legged on his lotus throne, observing the scene below. Some peaks were gentle, others rugged; there were secluded valleys and mountain springs, and naturally, verdant forests. The spiritual energy within the mountain circulated naturally, with surrounding energy converging inward, causing flowers, plants, and trees to grow lushly—a truly picturesque scene of spiritual mountains and clear waters.

However, the Seated Bright King’s brows furrowed. He slowly descended into the mountain, hovering above a high peak to survey the landscape, then flew to another peak.

After hovering for a moment, the Seated Bright King held one hand vertically in front of his chest in a Buddhist salute, then suddenly struck out with an empty palm downward, simultaneously emitting a thunderous Buddhist chant from his mouth.

“No illusionary method can escape. Reveal yourself!”

A hazy golden light appeared a hundred *zhang* in front of the Seated Bright King, transforming into a giant palm composed of golden energy. It swept towards the distant mountain, causing surrounding air currents to surge and spiritual energy to churn. This also stirred up a fierce wind in the mountain, making the trees sway erratically.

“Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…”

The entire mountain seemed to tremble. Immediately afterward, a shimmering, water-like layer slowly dissipated from top to bottom, revealing a different scene at the mountain’s center to the Seated Bright King.

There were pavilions, towers, suspension bridges, and sculpted rock formations. Coupled with the circulating spiritual energy, it was clearly an immortal's abode. However, at this moment, the immortal residence appeared completely deserted. The Seated Bright King slowly descended to a stone archway at the immortal’s abode, looking up slightly.

“Imperial Spirit Sect? It appears to be an immortal sect’s dwelling. But where are its immortal cultivators?”

The Seated Bright King murmured, then a ripple subtly disturbed the calm of his heart. He slowly closed his eyes, sat cross-legged beneath the stone archway, and placed one hand on the mountain ground.

“Namo Mahakaya Buddha Dharma… Bright King World-Honored One, savior of all sentient beings… Heart like Buddha, clear as a mirror; all malevolent spirits shall be broken. Namo Mahakaya Buddha Dharma… Namo…”

The Seated Bright King’s Buddhist chant initially resonated only around him. Gradually, the sound grew louder and spread wider, eventually shaking the entire mountain range, as if ancient Buddhas were chanting scriptures from both heaven and earth.

“ROAR—Damn monk, stop chanting!”

A terrifying roar suddenly erupted from the mountain, filled with malevolence and unwillingness. Faintly, it also contained the howls and explosions of wind, rain, and thunder. Yet, the Seated Bright King seemed deaf to it, continuing to chant the Buddhist scriptures and mantras, his voice growing louder and higher in frequency.

“Namo Mahakaya Buddha Dharma, World-Honored Bright King subdues all evil…”

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE…

The Seated Bright King felt the ground beneath him constantly shaking. He instantly opened his eyes and leaped into the air.

“BOOM!”

The mountain where the Seated Bright King had just sat suddenly exploded, pulverizing the nearby stone archway and immortal abode buildings. Countless rocks and gravel flew into the sky, like cannonballs and sharp swords scattering in all directions.

“BOOM… BOOM… BOOM BOOM BOOM…”

The surrounding peaks and structures all suffered from the exploding mountain, struck by raining rocks with resounding rumbles.

“Damn monk, I told you! Stop chanting! ROAR!”

A mass of turbid energy rose from the mountain, twisting. The Seated Bright King’s Dharma eyes stared intently in that direction, perceiving it as an indescribable malevolence, or demonic energy, or even a convergence of various negative emotions: from mortals, from beings of all realms, and even from animals that had not yet gained sentience. Had it not spoken twice, it would hardly have seemed like a living entity.

“What kind of evil creature are you? Was this immortal sect, the Imperial Spirit Sect, destroyed by your hand? Did its immortal cultivators fall victim to your malice?”

The turbid energy in the mountain floated and moved, coalescing into various shapes—sometimes bestial, sometimes humanoid. Voices also emanated from it.

“In the current path of Buddhist cultivation, there are surely few monks with your level of cultivation. You must be that Buddhist Bright King, then? Since you’ve disturbed my peaceful slumber, you shall repay me with your lifelong cultivation and vital energy!”

WHOOSH…

Like a bursting wave, the previously gathered turbidity suddenly split into countless turbid black-grey streams, surging towards the Seated Bright King from all directions in an encircling motion. The Seated Bright King rapidly retreated in the air, and his lotus throne descended from above to his feet.

The Seated Bright King pressed his palms together, his golden Dharma eyes fixed on the surging turbidity, his face contorted into the wrathful expression of a Vajra.

“You think you can take my life? Die, you evil creature! My Buddha brings forth flowers!”

The Seated Bright King opened his clasped hands outwards, adopting a posture as if to embrace. Buddhist light emanated from his hands like bronze. Countless tiny golden flowers rotated and appeared between his palms, constantly scattering outwards and growing larger as soon as they left his front, becoming golden lotus flowers.

These lotus flowers were imbued with Buddhist light and sound. As they rotated, their blooming form grew increasingly dazzling, then collided with the vast expanse of turbid energy pressing down from the sky.

“Watch me subdue you!”

After dispersing the surrounding turbidity, the golden lotus flowers did not vanish. Instead, they scattered into various parts of the mountain. The Seated Bright King had also descended from the air, sitting cross-legged on the mountain ground once more. One hand was raised as if to support the sky, while the other hovered before him, then turned to strike the ground.

“Rise!”

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE…

Earlier, the mountain had shaken due to the turbid power exploding a peak. Now, the entire mountain range vibrated, as if the Seated Bright King’s palm had made it continuously sway. A golden light flashed from beneath the Seated Bright King’s palm, instantly flowing to every corner of the mountain. Simultaneously, his heaven-supporting hand seemed to draw the sky closer, creating a sense of oppression akin to Ji Yuan’s Heaven-Tilting Sword Form. However, its momentum was not as rapid, nor did it feel like an immediate collapse to the ground. Instead, it was as if heaven and earth were drawn together, clamped tightly from top to bottom!

“Hear my Buddha’s voice, and be delivered from all suffering…”

HUM, HUM, HUM…

A resonant sound echoed between the mountains and the sky. Listening closely, it was a magnificent Buddhist chant—precisely the voice of the Seated Bright King reciting scriptures.

“Who is fighting ahead?”

A thunderous sound came from afar. The Seated Bright King subtly turned his head, seeing two pure immortal lights emerge on the horizon—one profound and vast, the other exceptionally sharp. A smile immediately appeared on his face.

“Evil creature, today is the day heaven will destroy you! Two fellow immortal cultivators, this venerable one is currently battling a demonic creature in the mountain!”

The Seated Bright King’s voice carried for a hundred miles, and the two powerful immortal cultivators seemed to have already discerned the situation.

“So it is Venerable Seated Bright King! Venerable, I have come to lend you a hand!”

“Master Dizuo, are you well? Allow me to first help you eliminate this evil creature, then we can catch up!”

The first voice was somewhat unfamiliar, but the second sounded quite familiar to the Seated Bright King. He immediately recognized the speaker, and even the Seated Bright King showed visible joy.

“So it is Fellow Daoist Ji! Even this venerable one finds this fiend almost impossible to suppress. It’s perfect to use your peerless sword art to eradicate it, saving me the laborious effort of slowly converting it!”

The two immortal cultivators in the sky had arrived nearby, standing to his left and right. One held a mirror-like magic treasure, and the other had a sword hovering at the tip of his sword-finger. Both were poised to strike but had not yet acted.

“ROAR—ROAR!”

The turbid energy, suppressed by the Seated Bright King, seemed to realize something was amiss and began to roar and howl relentlessly, unleashing immense power to strike wildly in all directions.

The Seated Bright King knew that the two highly skilled immortal cultivators were afraid of breaking his Heaven and Earth Seal, which would inadvertently allow the demonic creature to escape. They were waiting for him to provide the opportune moment.

“Fellow Daoists, prepare yourselves. This venerable one will unseal the Heaven and Earth Seal and drive this demonic creature into the sky. Then, all three of us shall strike together!”

“Very well!” “We shall heed the Master’s words!”

“Praise be, my Buddha is merciful!”

The Seated Bright King pressed his palms together, continuously building up momentum amidst the ceaseless Buddhist chants. Encountering such a demonic creature today truly shocked him; it was clearly chaotic yet had no discernible weaknesses. Originally, he might have needed at least ten years to suppress it, wrestling with it in this mountain. To have two highly skilled immortal cultivators assist him was indeed a stroke of luck.

“Open!”

At this moment, the Buddhist Seal Bright King opened his hands. The Heaven and Earth Seal suddenly opened a huge gap from above. His left and right palms, one in front and one behind, emitted brilliant Buddhist light, and his entire body was bathed in this light, turning a bronze color.

The turbid energy shot into the sky, and at this moment, the Seated Bright King swung out both palms.

“Evil creature, die!”

“Die!” “Swiftly!”

The two immortal cultivators in the sky attacked almost simultaneously.

The turbid black-grey energy in the sky trembled and dispersed in patches, but more than half of it remained unaffected, instead continuously coalescing.

The Seated Bright King, with a Vajra’s wrathful gaze, stared wide-eyed at the sky, then slowly lowered his head. An immortal sword was plunged into his chest.

“CRACKLE, CRACKLE…”

The immortal sword twisted fiercely at that moment, then pierced through his body, gushing out a large spray of golden blood. Simultaneously, a bright magical light, emanating from a mirror in the sky, shone upon the Seated Bright King.

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE…

The surrounding mountains continuously shook and trembled. Infinite Buddhist power erupted around the Seated Bright King but was suppressed by the mirror’s radiance. The turbid energy in the sky fell once more, rushing towards the Seated Bright King with grotesque laughter, attempting to enter through the torn wound in his chest.

“Senior, a Bright King’s body is rare; we wouldn’t trouble you to claim it!”

The person holding the mirror said this, then swung the mirror light, flinging the Seated Bright King away like a kite. The sword cultivator, meanwhile, held his sword in silence.

“Heh heh, heheh…”

The turbid energy chuckled several times, merely lingering nearby and no longer approaching the Seated Bright King.

The fierce expression on the Seated Bright King’s face gradually softened. Ignoring his wounds, he slowly pressed his palms together.

“Praise be, my Buddha is merciful. Fellow Daoist Ji, this venerable one truly did not expect even you to fall!”

“Master Dizuo, we have known each other for centuries. Ji naturally cannot bear to see you come to a miserable end. A great calamity is approaching for heaven and earth, and the Master’s lifespan is also nearing its end. Ji is merely helping the Master achieve transcendence in another form.”

“From ancient times, evil has never triumphed over righteousness. This venerable one will not sit idly by and wait for death. Even if it means sacrificing my lifelong cultivation and the utter destruction of my spirit and form, I will eradicate you evil creatures!”

A furious expression reappeared on the Seated Bright King’s face. His muscles bulged, and golden blood burst from his chest like a small waterfall…

In Lanzhou of the Western Regions, a wave of Buddhist chants accompanied by bell sounds echoed through the air, reverberating across numerous Buddhist nations. Buddhist light appeared in the sky like a miracle, causing countless devotees to bow towards heaven.

Within the Buddhist Seal Bright King’s Buddhist nation, Ji Yuan and the Buddhist Seal Old Monk, who had been discussing the Dao, suddenly fell silent. Both listened intently. Even the Buddhist Seal Old Monk, who rarely showed emotion, revealed a look of shock.

“Venerable Seated Bright King… has entered nirvana!”