Chapter 987: This Wish Moves Heaven and Earth

Monk Huotong and several eminent monks from Daliang Temple exchanged surprised glances. Normally, a monk's Dharma name does not change, with succession being one of the rare instances where it might.

A few days prior, upon learning of the Sitting King of Light's nirvana, Huotong entered samadhi beneath the Buddha Seal King of Light statue in the temple. Through the Dharma of the King of Light, he achieved wisdom in his meditation, confirming the truth of the news.

Now, hearing that Jueming had inherited the Dharma name incorporating the character "Di" (Earth), they understood he was essentially the designated successor of the Sitting King of Light. No Buddhist monk would dare falsely claim such a Dharma name, as other great Buddhist masters and the Revered Kings of Light would easily see through the deception, leading to self-destruction.

"Namo Amitabha! Our Buddha has found a successor!"

"Namo Amitabha! Congratulations on the birth of Master Kṣitigarbha!"

Huotong and the eminent monks from Daliang Temple performed Buddhist salutations. Naturally, inheriting the Dharma name did not instantly elevate Master Kṣitigarbha to the status of a King of Light; that requires extensive cultivation and enduring numerous trials. However, it provided Master Kṣitigarbha with a significant head start, as he received spiritual anointing from a King of Light. This also served as undeniable proof of his profound innate talent and spiritual insight, marking him as a monk whose Buddha-nature was recognized by a King of Light.

Jueming, now known as Kṣitigarbha, also rose and bowed to the eminent monks of Daliang Temple.

"Namo Amitabha!"

After completing the Buddhist salutation, Kṣitigarbha turned to the Bodhi tree behind him and performed a profound Buddhist rite towards this tree, which aids in cultivating tranquility and wisdom.

"Through Zen meditation and seated contemplation, Bodhi wisdom arises! Master Huotong, esteemed masters, this place is destined to become a Buddhist holy site!"

The monk Kṣitigarbha sighed before turning around, and Huotong immediately spoke.

"While wisdom indeed blossoms beneath the Bodhi tree, making it a sacred spot, our Daliang Temple merely serves as its guardian. This tree does not belong exclusively to our Buddhist faith."

The monk Kṣitigarbha looked up at Monk Huotong, a look of understanding dawning on his face, and nodded slightly.

"Master Huotong is absolutely right; this humble monk was caught by appearances. Thank you for your hospitality during my stay. Should you require anything of me, please do not hesitate to ask!"

"Master Kṣitigarbha, you are too gracious. Daliang Temple merely offered its humble hospitality; there is no need for such formality, Master!"

The abbot of Daliang Temple expressed his sentiment, and the other monks nodded in agreement. The monk Kṣitigarbha said nothing further.

"Then, many thanks to you all. Kṣitigarbha bids farewell!"

After another bow, the monk Kṣitigarbha stepped away from beneath the Bodhi tree, leaving the temple's rear courtyard. Accompanied by many eminent monks of Daliang Temple, he passed through nearly half of the temple complex. As he did, all the monks of Daliang Temple seemed to feel a profound stirring, dropping their current tasks to bid him farewell.

The temple had already experienced an unusual surge in incense offerings due to the earlier manifestation of Buddha light. Witnessing the monks' actions now, many pilgrims grew curious, and quite a few followed them.

A pilgrim, seeing a familiar monk pass by, quickly approached him with a question.

"Master, what is happening?"

The hurrying monk merely glanced at the person beside him, joined his palms, and chanted a Buddha's name.

"Namo Amitabha, benefactor. This humble monk is joining the temple's brethren to see off an eminent monk."

Without another word, he hurried to catch up. Other monks were doing the same. By the time the monk Kṣitigarbha was a dozen *zhang* beyond the temple gates, a wide circle had formed behind him. Over two hundred monks from all ranks of Daliang Temple were gathered there, even including several young novices.

In the spiritual sight of the many monks and the physical view of the pilgrims, a faint halo of Buddha light appeared around the monk Kṣitigarbha. Miraculously, everyone present fell silent.

It was as if a silent vow had been made: he would not turn back until the vision in his heart was realized.

The monk Kṣitigarbha had simply continued walking forward, and only at this point did he seem to belatedly turn around. He then saw the numerous monks outside Daliang Temple, as well as the pilgrims beside them, who themselves did not know why they remained silent.

"Master Kṣitigarbha, may I ask where you are headed?"

Only Monk Huotong broke the silence, posing the question to the monk Kṣitigarbha, who responded with a calm expression.

"The Yellow Springs are surely burdened with accumulated karmic debts, where the wrath of heaven and earth converges. I attained enlightenment by contemplating 'The Yellow Springs' and gained wisdom while seated beneath the Bodhi tree. This humble monk wishes to exert his meager strength to deliver all souls within the Yellow Springs!"

Although "The Yellow Springs" was primarily penned by Wang Li, much of its content was undoubtedly influenced by Jiyuan. The latter three chapters contained Buddhist teachings, including methods for using peaceful Buddhist Dharma to suppress and guide the accumulated malevolence of the Yellow Springs. This undertaking absolutely demands immense perseverance, profound wisdom, a heart of great compassion, and formidable spiritual power.

The monk Kṣitigarbha's voice seemed to reverberate, his words a grand vow infused with profound conviction. Upon hearing this, Huotong immediately grasped the immense significance of his aspiration.

Not to mention the monk Kṣitigarbha before them, even a King of Light himself would find it nearly impossible to fulfill such a grand vow.

"Master... the souls of the world are countless, and karmic debts and malevolent energy ceaselessly accumulate. How can they all be delivered?"

The monk Kṣitigarbha offered a rare, slight smile and bowed to Monk Huotong with a Buddhist salutation.

"Namo Amitabha! May our Buddha be merciful!"

Offering no further reply, after a single "Namo Amitabha," the monk Kṣitigarbha turned and walked away without looking back.

Huotong paused, momentarily stunned. As a monk of a hundred years, he felt a profound sense of emotion welling up within him. He bowed deeply, performing a great Buddhist prostration.

"May our Buddha be merciful!"

The monks of Daliang Temple were similarly moved. Whether or not they fully grasped the monk Kṣitigarbha's intent, they felt a stirring in their hearts and reacted, performing a great Buddhist prostration just like Monk Huotong.

"May our Buddha be merciful!"

The monk Kṣitigarbha's figure gradually receded until he vanished from sight. He continued moving southeast at a steady pace, yet the distance covered with each step progressively increased.

A few nights later, outside the City of the Netherworld, the monk Kṣitigarbha gradually slowed his pace, eventually stopping just beyond its walls. He knew of the Netherworld Underworld, though he had not initially known its location. He had simply followed an inner calling, arriving at this very spot, where a profound realization confirmed his destination.

At this moment, Kṣitigarbha still appeared to be wearing worn monastic robes and a kasaya. Yet, amidst the pervasive Yin energy, though no visible Buddha light radiated from him, a unique Buddha-nature spontaneously emanated, causing all the ghosts at the city gates to feel an indistinct, profound presence. Even the ghost soldiers and the gate-guarding general outside the City of the Netherworld dared not treat such a monk with anything but utmost respect.

The gate-guarding general himself emerged from within to greet him.

"May I ask who you are, Master, and what brings you here? This place is for the departed; living beings without urgent business are advised not to enter."

The monk Kṣitigarbha bowed to the ghost general and the ghost soldiers accompanying him.

"This humble monk's Dharma name is Kṣitigarbha. I have indeed come to this Netherworld Underworld, and I request that you report to the Netherworld Emperor that this humble monk seeks an audience!"

It would be utterly impossible for an ordinary mortal to utter such a request directly. This further convinced the ghost general, who already perceived the monk's extraordinary nature, not to delay. The sensation the monk evoked reminded him of a powerful immortal, so he quickly assented.

"Master, please wait. I will go and report at once."

"Namo Amitabha. I am grateful for your trouble."

Soon after, Xin Wuyai personally received the monk who had journeyed from afar. He was uncertain of the monk's true identity, but he felt an undeniable sense that he should be treated with great importance.

This was Xin Wuyai's first encounter with such an eminent Buddhist monk, and he naturally wished to maintain a degree of gravitas while showing due respect. However, upon hearing the monk Kṣitigarbha's true purpose, he was utterly astonished, instinctively rising from his chair behind the desk.

"What? Is what you say truly so, Master?"

Had anyone else uttered such words, Xin Wuyai might have dismissed them as a jest. Yet, coming from the Master Kṣitigarbha before him, despite the seeming absurdity, he had an inexplicable feeling that the monk spoke the truth. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but seek confirmation aloud.

"By the great Dharma of our Buddha, I vow to deliver all karmic burdens in the Yellow Springs. This is this humble monk's grand aspiration, steadfast and unceasing until death!"

Xin Wuyai gazed intently at Master Kṣitigarbha in the hall. A faint Buddha light subtly emerged from the monk, initially indistinct and dim. However, as Kṣitigarbha completed his Buddhist salutation and looked up, the light intensified, filling the gloomy, Yin-energy-filled underworld hall with a sacred, Dharma-infused radiance.

A deep, continuous rumbling...

A peculiar vibration rippled through the City of the Netherworld. Though the buildings themselves did not shake, all ghost cultivators distinctly felt it, and Xin Wuyai's perception was even keener. He looked around the hall, experiencing what felt like two simultaneous visions: one clearly seeing the grand hall, and another where the pervasive Yin energy seemed blurred by the tremor.

In Nanhuangzhou, the entire Hengshan Mountain seemed to vibrate subtly, almost imperceptibly, yet the flowers, plants, and trees within it remained completely still. Paradoxically, many spiritual animals residing on the mountain appeared startled and fled from their abodes.

The divine consciousness of the Hengshan Mountain God had always enveloped Hengshan, diligently overseeing the Nether Spring at its base. But at this moment, the spring waters appeared to be boiling, and their current grew increasingly powerful. This formidable force made it extremely challenging for him to suppress it.

A thunderous rumble...

Dark clouds amassed over Hengshan. From within them burst a mountain-shaking peal of thunder. Lightning and deafening cracks of thunder sent the mountain's animals into a frenzy. The more the Hengshan Mountain God tried to suppress the Nether Spring, the more violently the thunder roared with each successive peal.

At this moment, an ancient, stony human face manifested on Hengshan's main peak, seemingly attuned to the will of heaven and earth.

"This is Heaven's will! So be it..."

With a low sigh, the mountain god released his suppression of the Nether Spring.

At this moment, the surging Nether Spring beneath Hengshan swelled dramatically. Instead of piercing through its existing confinements, it ascended directly into the air. Wherever the spring water flowed, it directly opened up a Yin realm, spanning vast distances across the void.

Simultaneously, far away in Lanzhou, Western Regions, Jiyuan felt a jolt in his heart, as if the heavens and earth themselves were communicating that an event capable of reshaping the world had just transpired.

In Yunzhou, Eastern Lands, where the Netherworld Underworld was located, the vibration intensified. At one point, the already dense Yin energy of the ghost city suddenly surged with renewed intensity.

"Boom! And a tumultuous gushing sound..."

Sensing the profound shift, Xin Wuyai glanced at the monk Kṣitigarbha, then stepped and instantly appeared on a section of the Netherworld City wall. Simultaneously, countless ancient ghosts also emerged, and the monk Kṣitigarbha followed closely, taking his place on the city wall.

All ghost cultivators stared in stunned silence towards the direction outside the city. Following their gaze, a somewhat turbulent stream had appeared not far beyond the city walls, constantly widening as its waters surged forward. It flowed steadily into the distance, and wherever it passed, Yin energy naturally coalesced, opening a Yin realm.

The Yellow Springs had arrived, at this very moment, in a manner beyond anyone's wildest expectations!