Chapter 895: Buddha and the Emperor Profound Water

The statement, "Amitabha is still alive," made the monkey's blood run cold. If this were true, the mere thought was terrifying.

Ahead, boundless Buddhist light, formed from the collective belief of sentient beings, shone pure and sacred, illuminating the earth with immense brilliance.

"That's just an idea, it can't be true. If he were still alive, how could anyone else achieve enlightenment?" Ye Fan said, though many doubts still lingered in his mind.

"Ancient Great Emperors didn't necessarily achieve enlightenment on this particular ancient star. Some came from other realms; even Emperor Amitabha himself was said to have come from beyond the heavens." The monkey's mood was somber.

This ancient star held countless secrets. Throughout history, an unknown number of powerful beings had arrived, all seemingly in pursuit of something. Even the primeval races had originated from other realms.

"That's true," Ye Fan nodded thoughtfully, yet still shook his head. Human power has its limits; no matter how strong an individual might be, they likely couldn't live for hundreds of thousands of years.

"Don't you believe it? I've always felt that the Western Desert is the most mysterious place. No other doctrines can establish themselves here; everyone devoutly worships Buddha, which is an unprecedented miracle throughout history," the monkey said gravely.

The sheer number of people revering Buddha, a tradition constant since ancient times, with everyone chanting Amitabha's name, is truly astounding. If all that accumulated power were concentrated upon one individual, perhaps they truly could achieve immortality.

Ahead, even a single ancient city projected boundless Buddhist light into the sky. What kind of scene would it be if all the collective belief from this entire land, past and present, were combined?

The mere thought sent shivers down the monkey's spine. He couldn't help but exclaim, "It's terrifying, truly chilling!"

Ye Fan murmured, "Amitabha," and immediately sensed a mysterious, peculiar energy flowing. This ancient land of the Western Desert truly felt incredible.

"Brother Monkey, it's likely only people like you, me, Huang Xudao, and Huoqilin who can sense this. Try chanting 'Amitabha' once and see what you feel."

The monkey tried, then exclaimed in surprise, "There's a divine power resonating across this land! I believe if Buddhists regularly chant the four words 'Amitabha,' it can enhance their own spiritual energy."

"Precisely so. The Western Desert is indeed unfathomable," Ye Fan stated.

"Because of this, I'm increasingly convinced that Amitabha is still alive and has reached an unfathomable level of power. Sentient beings chant his name to forge his immortal body, and in return, he bestows Buddhist power upon them, making his followers even more devout—creating a terrifying cycle."

"I don't believe Amitabha is still alive. I just sense that the Buddhism of the Western Desert runs very deep. We shouldn't investigate further, or great misfortune might befall us, especially since we are currently on this land," Ye Fan said, clearly sensing something.

"Are you suggesting that something might be able to sense what we're saying here?" The monkey looked into the void, then gazed towards Mount Sumeru.

Ye Fan murmured to himself, "The last Great Emperor before the Desolate Ancient Era was Wu Shi, and the last after was the Green Emperor. Both should have achieved enlightenment on this ancient star, so I believe Amitabha is no longer in this world."

"But if that's true, who has ultimately received all this boundless collective belief, which has accumulated like a vast ocean of Buddhist light from ancient times until now? Where has it all gone?" the monkey inquired.

Ye Fan replied, "As long as one is human, there will be a day of decay. Other Great Emperors, even those as formidable as the Ruthless Emperor, who reigned supreme throughout history, created world-shaking cultivation methods, and even manifested a divine fetus to achieve an alternative form of longevity—why did they not choose the path of collective belief? Even immensely powerful beings like Wu Shi, who could enter forbidden zones and effectively subdue the Great Dao, did not choose this path, which suggests that true immortality is exceedingly difficult. I don't believe Amitabha could have lived for hundreds of thousands of years simply by this means. This boundless Buddhist light and endless collective belief are not for forging his immortal body; they must serve another purpose."

"Then tell me, if the entire Western Desert is permeated with this pure divine power, who has it ultimately empowered?" The monkey pressed him for an answer.

"Buddhism focuses on the afterlife, which is profoundly mysterious. We shouldn't speculate rashly. The waters of the Western Desert run too deep for us to venture into at our current stage," Ye Fan warned.

The monkey nodded thoughtfully. As he possessed the bloodline power of the Battling Saint Emperor and was now in the Western Desert, he truly sensed a mysterious force. If they were to pursue it, they might indeed stir up something significant!

He looked worried as he gazed towards Mount Sumeru, the very heart of the Western Desert. The thought of countless millennia of accumulated belief being consecrated there genuinely troubled him.

"You don't need to worry," Ye Fan reassured him. "I believe your uncle has already uncovered something, seeing things more clearly than us. Perhaps that's precisely what drew him here."

"I hope so. If nothing comes of this, I won't want to return to the Western Desert in the future, unless I become a Saint one day." The monkey's fiery golden eyes emitted streaks of divine light.

The two continued their journey. The monkey was headed for the Great Thunderclap Temple, while Ye Fan made inquiries in various places, searching for An Miaoyi's whereabouts in the ancient temples. For now, they continued to travel together.

"Buddhism believes in the afterlife, cultivating the future Dao fruit. Do you think Amitabha might one day appear in the future?" the monkey mused aloud after a long silence on the road.

"Who can say what the future holds?" Ye Fan smiled wryly. He had considered these possibilities himself but was reluctant to discuss them in the Western Desert. Each time he uttered the four words "Amitabha," a mysterious aura permeated the air, and he wished to avoid any karmic entanglements.

"Then, could Sakyamuni truly be connected to Buddha? Is he his demonic shell, or perhaps related to his divine consciousness?" the monkey mumbled.

"Let's stop here. We can discuss this when we return. Don't mention it again while we're in the Western Desert," Ye Fan interjected, stopping him.

The monkey cleared his throat, bringing their discussion to an end. Ye Fan resumed his search for An Miaoyi, hoping for one last meeting before their departure. However, temples were ubiquitous in the Western Desert, making his search akin to finding a needle in a haystack. After several days of fruitless searching, he continued inquiring for a few more days, following clues related to An Miaoyi's cultivation methods, and finally obtained some leads, allowing him to roughly guess her destination.

Regarding emotions and desires, Buddhism has undergone a process of nirvana and transformation, evolving from original asceticism to utilizing the seven emotions and six desires for cultivation.

Ye Fan surmised that since An Miaoyi had arrived in the Western Desert, she would undoubtedly seek the roots and origins of Buddhist practices, exploring the evolution of this specific method. She would most likely begin with the "Sravaka-yana," which represents Buddhism's earliest approach to "emotion."

Tracing back to the source, it must be the Agama Sutras, which are the most fundamental Buddhist scriptures and contain the Buddha's foundational cultivation methods. If An Miaoyi intended to advance further, she would certainly begin by studying the origins.

A few days later, he learned of an ancient temple, the Ahan Temple, rumored to contain the true essence of the Agama Sutras. Unfortunately, it had been destroyed ten thousand years ago and could no longer be found.

This also illustrated the profound depth of Buddhism; despite a shared reverence for Amitabha, numerous schools existed, and their doctrines had conflicted during their evolution.

As they continued westward, they drew closer to Mount Sumeru. During his time in the Western Desert, Ye Fan was profoundly impacted by everything he saw and heard.

This was truly a flourishing era. The Western Desert was vast and boundless, yet it was dominated by a single Buddhist faith. It could be said that the power of this one doctrine rivaled the combined strength of all other religions in any other region.

In the current era, calling Buddhism the greatest religion in the world was no exaggeration. Ye Fan and the monkey visited numerous ancient temples, encountering several reclusive and unfathomably powerful divine monks.

Ye Fan vaguely felt that the entire Western Desert was extraordinary, as if it didn't truly belong to this world and might one day simply transcend or vanish.

"Legend has it that the Feathered Divine Dynasty attempted to ascend as an entire religion, but ultimately turned to ash. Does this Buddhist land also harbor such intentions for the future? After all, the collective belief here is immense; it's their very foundation," Ye Fan mused to himself.

The more he thought, the more complex his musings became, and his mind began to race. In an instant, he grasped many crucial insights, inexplicably realizing that this was a pivotal era, and Buddhism appeared to be even more thoroughly prepared!

Then, he suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and quickly asked, "Brother Monkey, the various primeval tribes are awakening in this era. Was this a calculated move by the Primeval Emperors, or did the various races have an ancient agreement, just coincidentally making this choice now?"

"It's a tradition passed down from ancient times in places like Divine Silkworm Ridge, Blood Phoenix Mountain, and Fire Qilin Cave. One could also say it's the result of the Primeval Emperors' calculations," the monkey stated seriously.

"That's it. As early as the Primeval era, people sought out this place. As for this current era, the ancient races are successively reviving. Calculating in this manner, the most crucial time has already been indicated..." Ye Fan murmured, then his eyes blazed with captivating divine light as he declared, "The most world-defying transformation in history will occur in this very era!"

In an instant, he perceived certain fundamental truths, comprehending many previously puzzling matters. This ancient star was undeniably special. Why did ancient Great Emperors come here? Why did the Ancient Emperors seal their own children until this very era?

For beings like them, perhaps only achieving immortality could be a true temptation. What else could there be? A world-shaking upheaval is bound to occur in the future!

"Most ancient Great Emperors likely came from beyond the heavens, and perhaps the Ancient Emperors did as well. From this, one could roughly infer the number of Great Emperors throughout history, and even how many ancient life-bearing stars exist..." Ye Fan's thoughts spiraled, as he continued to deduce.

"I wouldn't presume to speak for the entire universe, as it is simply too vast and boundless. But at the very least, within the sphere of influence radiating from this ancient star, the number of ancient life-bearing stars and Great Emperors can be deduced."

"Furthermore, the ancient star path is also crucial. Is it merely a path for the region connected to this star, or does it hold a deeper, more special meaning? Hmm, that seems incorrect. Laozi and Sakyamuni continued their pursuit without stopping..."

Half a month later, Ye Fan finally obtained a clue about the ancient Ahan Temple from a Buddhist follower. It had long since been rebuilt on the Ashoka Plateau, reaching high towards the heavens.

At this point, they were still hundreds of thousands of *li* away from Mount Sumeru. Ye Fan was astonished; even from such a distance, he could sense an immeasurable divine power emanating from ahead, its aura vast and magnificent.

In a daze, he saw boundless Buddhist light soaring into the sky, engulfing the entire expanse of heaven and earth before him. The pure collective belief, accumulated from ancient times to the present, had all converged upon that place, making it sacred and majestic.

Finally, Ye Fan and the monkey separated, each setting out to attend to their own affairs.

The altitude of the Ashoka Plateau was astonishing, surpassing that of mountains in other regions. It was covered in snow for more than half the year, making it bitterly cold and icy.

Now, however, it was the briefest season of warm spring and blooming flowers. The plateau was vibrant with life: grass sprouts pushed through the soil, flowers bloomed riotously, and the very breath of life permeated the air.

Suddenly, from a distance, Ye Fan felt an inexplicable power calling to him, sacred and serene, guiding him forward. He felt as though he were bathed in immortal radiance, his entire being filled with comfort.

"What's happening?" he murmured to himself, gazing into the distance.

Soon after, his heart was profoundly shaken as he sensed the power of "Dao-transformation"—a Saint was undergoing the process of merging with the Great Dao!

"Benefactor from afar, this old monk has been awaiting your arrival for a long time."

Ahead lay a dilapidated stone platform where an old monk sat cross-legged on the ground. His age was unknown, but his flesh and Dao bones were burning, on the verge of undergoing Dao-transformation. This was, astonishingly, an ancient Saint Monk, also revered as a Buddha.

"Saint Monk, do you know who I am?"

"You are from the other end of the starry sky. This old monk clearly saw the future just before his nirvana, and I have been waiting for you," said the gaunt, burning ancient Buddha.

"You..." Ye Fan gasped in astonishment.

"Before this, this humble monk will first borrow the power of Amitabha to help you eradicate a wisp of thought power from a supreme being from beyond this realm," the old monk said.

The moment his words ceased, within the ruins of an ancient Saint's battlefield far beyond the heavens, an ancient ship emitted a soft "clang," as if sensing something. A voice murmured to itself, "Amitabha?"