Chapter 333: Revisiting Tathagata

Divine City was a place where influential figures converged. Mighty cultivators from the Eastern Wasteland, royalty from Central Province, and great tribes from the Northern Plains frequently appeared here.

Everything in this place was exceedingly luxurious and prosperous. Drunken Immortal Pavilion, renowned as one of Divine City’s eight immortal-family restaurants, floated in mid-air.

It was a realm of magnificent jade palaces, where every brick and tile was carved from jade, exquisitely beautiful and grand, like a dream or an illusion.

Ye Fan and Li Heishui politely declined other invitations and ascended to Drunken Immortal Pavilion with the Great Xia Prince and Yao Yuekong. The young nun naturally accompanied them.

White mist swirled around as this palace complex was perched among the clouds, with carved beams, painted rafters, and dazzling golden splendor. It was as if they had arrived at the ancient Heavenly Court.

The group ascended into the air, treading on white jade steps. Looking back, the clouds were hazy, and overlooking the world below, it truly felt as if they had ascended to the immortal realm.

“Dare I ask Heaven, are there immortals?” the Great Xia Prince spoke with emotion, casually reciting a line.

Ye Fan paused, startled. Contrasting the past with the present, he was momentarily lost in thought.

In this world, cultivators could fly through the sky and burrow into the earth, soaring freely through the air. Clouds passed beneath their feet, and they could travel thousands of miles in an instant. If this were his homeland, he would already be a divine immortal.

A grand white jade path stretched forward, like a bridge to the heavens. They strolled along it, moving forward step by step, as numerous spiritual birds and rare beasts flew amidst the clouds.

Among the majestic palaces, sixteen young maidens flew through the air. They descended into the mist, respectfully bowed to the group, and led them forward.

Drunken Immortal Pavilion was meticulously designed, with ancient-style architecture. It seemed to have endured thousands of generations, bearing the marks of time. Its grandeur did not detract from a profound sense of heritage and depth.

Li Heishui chuckled, saying, “Everything here belongs to the Northern Plains’ Golden Family. Aren’t you afraid of causing trouble, Brother Yuekong?”

“Guests are welcome here,” Yao Yuekong replied. “They wouldn’t be unreasonable and ruin their own reputation.”

Yao Yuekong’s combat prowess was astonishing; it was difficult to find an opponent among his peers. Not long ago, he had fought the successor of the Golden Family to a mutual defeat, creating enmity between them.

“Esteemed guests, please follow this way.” The sixteen young maidens were all formidable cultivators, yet here, they only served as guides and helped pour wine and serve dishes to guests.

“South Heaven Gate?” Ye Fan’s expression shifted. On the magnificent gate ahead, these three ancient characters were carved. By the time they reached it, clouds were swirling everywhere beneath their feet.

“This was built to mimic the legendary ancient Heavenly Court,” the Great Xia Prince explained, evidently a regular patron here.

“How come I’ve never heard of the ancient Heavenly Court?” Ye Fan asked.

“The Azure Emperor, who lived over ten thousand years ago, once mentioned it,” Yao Yuekong explained. “He intended to build a Heavenly Court and had laid out such a plan, but ultimately he fell.”

The Azure Emperor was a Great Emperor of the demon race from tens of thousands of years ago, an ancestor of Yan Ruyu. How many years he truly lived is unverified and difficult to ascertain.

“Could it be that some ancient Heavenly Court really did collapse?” Ye Fan wondered, feeling suspicious.

“Impossible,” the Great Xia Prince shook his head. “The Azure Emperor merely mentioned it once.”

Passing through the South Heaven Gate, the area ahead was incredibly vast. It was divided into four sections, each representing one of the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

“This place…” Ye Fan exclaimed in surprise. It was far more expansive than it appeared from the ground, with many palaces, and the four sections surprisingly displayed the distinct scenery of four different seasons.

Yao Yuekong said, “There are four distinct barriers here. While they can’t compare to the small worlds created by ancient sages, they are almost self-contained spaces. The Northern Plains’ Golden Family has profound mastery of spatial techniques.”

A maiden beside them spoke softly, “Please choose your preferred section, esteemed guests.”

Ultimately, Ye Fan chose the winter scene. Since arriving in this world, he had never experienced a season with falling snow.

Cool, crisp air drifted towards them. This palace complex was draped in silver, with goose-feather snow dancing through the air. As they stood beneath the palace, everything before their eyes was a boundless expanse of white.

Ye Fan was momentarily lost in thought, remembering the past. The same season of falling snow, those people and events. Now, separated by a starfield, it was hard to meet them again.

A subtle fragrance wafted over. Sturdy plum trees, defiant against the snow and wind, bloomed in the bitter cold, their crystalline blossoms shimmering in the biting air.

They sat down, drinking wine while watching the snow and admiring the flowers. It had a unique charm.

After several cups of fine wine, even the young nun’s face was flushed, and her large eyes sparkled.

“Princess, aren’t you a renunciant? How can you drink alcohol?” Ye Fan teased.

The young nun, whose hair was unshorn and hidden beneath a white hat, wrinkled her delicate nose and softly mumbled, “I’m practicing in the secular world.”

Yao Yuekong said, “I’ve long heard that Buddhism possesses various divine abilities and wondrous arts, all of which are extraordinary techniques in this world, but I’ve never actually seen them.”

Ye Fan wanted to inquire about Buddhism, hoping to subtly gather information about Siddhartha Gautama (Sakyamuni). However, neither the Great Xia Prince nor the young nun elaborated.

“What is the Buddha called now? The Past Buddha, or Tathagata Buddha?” Ye Fan secretly had Li Heishui ask this question on his behalf.

“The Buddha is the World-Honored One, with no other name,” the young nun in white said.

“What kind of Buddha is Siddhartha Gautama?” Ye Fan asked casually.

The young nun’s flushed face instantly stiffened. Her bright eyes fixated on her small wine cup, and she said nothing more.

The Great Xia Prince’s expression turned serious. He sighed, “Ah, we really shouldn’t mention that name. In the Western Desert, it’s a taboo. I also wish I knew exactly what happened, but after searching through ancient texts, I could only find one conclusion: from then on, Buddhism had no Tathagata.”

“Why would they say that?” Ye Fan pressed, puzzled.

“It seems... the Buddha has passed into Nirvana,” the Great Xia Prince said this, then slowly shook his head.

“Brother Xia, that’s not fair,” Li Heishui said, raising his wine cup and drinking from it himself. “You’ve said so much already, why are you still being so vague? You’re intentionally trying to keep us in suspense!”

The Great Xia Prince’s name was Xia Yiming, and the young nun in white was Xia Yilin. After they became acquainted, their forms of address became more casual.

“They say he is the World-Honored One, and yet they also say he is not. A traitor might be connected to him, or some even say he is the demon shell of the Buddha.” The Great Xia Prince Xia Yiming stopped speaking, unwilling to say anything more.

Yao Yuekong said, “Your Highness, you’ve already said so much. Can’t you be a little more specific?”

“This is all the secret information I’ve heard, there’s nothing more,” replied the Great Xia Prince Xia Yiming. “You absolutely must not repeat this, or it could bring about a deadly disaster.”

“What secret? Who would kill us?” Ye Fan asked.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore. There’s really no benefit to it.” The Great Xia Prince Xia Yiming shook his head firmly.

“Brother Xia, with your status, what taboos could you still have?” Yao Yuekong asked, perplexed.

“We really shouldn’t say too much about Buddhist matters.” Xia Yiming looked around, gazing at the vast expanse of snow, and said, “Mount Sumeru is no ordinary place.” Seeing his reluctance, the others found it difficult to press further, and it was clear the Great Xia Prince’s knowledge was indeed limited.

Ye Fan asked another question, “How long has Buddhism existed?”

“It has existed since ancient times!” the young nun, Xia Yilin, whose innocent large eyes were filled with confusion, gave him a look that implied, “How could you not know even this?”

“Since ancient times?!” Ye Fan was astonished. Buddhism existed long before Siddhartha Gautama two thousand years ago. This left him lost in a daze.

“Not many in the Eastern Wasteland know about Buddhism, so it’s natural they wouldn’t know it’s been around for so long,” Yao Yuekong said with a smile to the young nun.

Ye Fan pondered. In the other end of the starry sky, concerning Buddhism, though it was said to have been founded by Siddhartha Gautama, there were already Buddhist followers before him. Rather than him creating it, it was more accurate to say he promoted and developed it.

Some ancient scriptures record that when Siddhartha Gautama was traveling, he saw Buddhist practitioners harming themselves in their cultivation. He believed this was not the true Dharma, and thereafter, the Dharma of Tathagata came into being.

He felt he had suddenly grasped something, so he didn’t press for more details. After contemplating it carefully for a while, he returned to his senses.

Outside the palace, the view was boundless, a vast expanse of white with heavy snow falling. The subtle fragrance of plum blossoms drifted from the bitter cold, and the group chatted merrily while drinking.

This banquet, valued at five hundred catties of source stones, was quite expensive. But compared to the legendary immortal banquets, it was truly insignificant.

“The immortal banquets here can cost tens of thousands of catties of source stones,” Yao Yuekong explained. “They are specifically prepared for Holy Lords and powerful cultivators, and require advance booking. Otherwise, it’s difficult to even gather all the ingredients.”

Discussing immortal banquets, even Yao Yuekong, the young master of the Sky Demon Palace, clicked his tongue in awe.

“Isn’t that too exaggerated?” Ye Fan asked.

“Not at all. Take the dish ‘Divine Phoenix Wings’ as an example. It’s truly prepared from a bird king with a partial Divine Phoenix bloodline, condensing all of its essence. An ordinary cultivator who consumes it can break through an entire realm.”

Ye Fan suddenly asked, “Are there Heavenly Roc Wings?”

“There indeed used to be Heavenly Roc banquets,” Yao Yuekong replied. “However, the old Roc King caused a great commotion over it, and ultimately, the ‘Golden-Winged Roc’ dish was canceled because of him.”

Ye Fan parted his lips, truly speechless for a moment.

Li Heishui said, “Immortal banquets are rare, happening only a few times a year. They are only occasionally held when Holy Lords invite powerful cultivators, so let’s not dwell on them too much. However, I really want to drink a cup of the Enlightenment Tea served at an immortal banquet. It’s said that even powerful cultivators might achieve enlightenment from it.”

Yao Yuekong shook his head, saying, “Enlightenment Tea might not even appear once in several years at an immortal banquet. This kind of thing is a priceless divine item! There is only one Enlightenment Tea tree in the entire Eastern Wasteland, and it’s considered good if they can collect thirty-odd leaves each year. Who knows how many pairs of eyes are watching it.”

“There’s only one Enlightenment Tea tree in the world? Where is it?” Ye Fan asked, surprised.

“It’s in the Undying Mountain,” Yao Yuekong replied.

“Oh,” everyone gasped.

The Undying Mountain is one of the seven great life forbidden zones in the Eastern Wasteland, located in the northern part of the central region.

Yao Yuekong said, “The only Enlightenment Tea tree grows in the Undying Mountain. Even with various methods, they can only transport out thirty-odd leaves each year.”

“That’s not far from the Saint Cliff, is it?” Ye Fan asked.

“That’s right, it’s not far,” Yao Yuekong confirmed. “It’s said that Saint Cliff was once a section of the Undying Mountain, cut out by someone with peerless power.” As expected of the Sky Demon Palace’s young master, Yao Yuekong was well-versed in many matters.

Ye Fan nodded. He definitely had to visit that place, and the time wouldn’t be too far off, because Saint Cliff held the Nine Secrets.

Saint Cliff was connected to the Undying Mountain. A Great Accomplishment Ancient Saint also perished there, and the cliff face was stained dark red with blood. Furthermore, a Great Emperor had carved formation patterns there.

Ye Fan felt that there must be many secrets there.

Suddenly, the clear notes of music rang out. In the adjacent palace, a white-clad maiden was playing a zither solo, drawing a flock of spiritual birds to her.

These palaces were all open, allowing distinguished guests to view the snow and admire the plum blossoms. Sometimes, people could see each other between them.

“It’s An Miaoyi…” Ye Fan’s expression changed.

“Fairy An, why are you playing the zither solo here?” the Great Xia Prince asked.

“Miaoyi also arranged a banquet here, intending to offer a toast to young Brother Gufeng, but it was declined.” An Miaoyi’s elegant brows curved, and a faint smile graced her flawless jade-like face.

Gufeng was Ye Fan’s current name; he couldn’t walk openly in Divine City under his real name.

“Fairy An, why speak like that?” Ye Fan smiled. “How about we join together and drink?”

Yao Yuekong and the Great Xia Prince also extended invitations. An Miaoyi chuckled, nodded, and gracefully approached.