Chapter 540: Chapter 539: Don’t Vie for the Saint’s Seat—Saints Are Shackles to You [Part 1]

He could only instruct Lin Heng: "What you need to do is to quickly improve your strength, whether to prepare for a battle with Yang Jian or to confront the Tathagata."

"Tathagata?" Lin Heng’s eyes subtly shifted.

The Shangqing Saint said: "One flower withers, another blooms."

"Though Luminous was forced there by me, my crossing the great river this time allowed Tathagata to exploit a loophole. I believe he will soon reappear in the world."

"By that time, you will have to face him yourself."

As he spoke, he also sighed: "This young Tathagata, his depth of scheming and far-reaching planning, even I must admire."

"This time, he used Maitreya as bait to force Luminous into making a decision."

"He wanted Luminous to have a karmic entanglement so that Luminous would lose freedom, allowing him to regain his."

Upon hearing this, Lin Heng’s eyes subtly tensed. He hadn’t expected that his pursuit of the East Buddha this time was actually intertwined with the power struggles of the Buddhist Sect saints.

"But, what is so special about this East Buddha?"

"Why does the Past Buddha, a Saint, go to such great lengths to protect his life?"

Lin Heng was extremely puzzled by this.

Because this was not the first time.

Last time, when Nuwa became a Saint in the Demon Realm and harbored a killing intention towards the East Buddha, the Past Buddha manifested. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

That stance.

As if to protect the East Buddha, he wouldn’t hesitate to fight Nuwa.

Initially, Lin Heng thought that the Past Buddha simply wouldn’t allow Saint Nuwa to interfere in worldly affairs.

But today, when he intended to kill the East Buddha, the Past Buddha also wanted to obstruct him. Moreover, according to the words of the Ancestral Master Shangqing, the Past Buddha was willing to manifest regardless of the great cost.

This left Lin Heng utterly confused, and he could only look at the Ancestral Master with curious eyes.

The Ancestral Master Shangqing pondered for a moment, then said gravely: "The future holds calamities, and all parties are seeking ways to avoid them. The Past Buddha has placed his bet on Maitreya; he has no choice."

Upon hearing this, Lin Heng was slightly surprised: "What calamity?"

"Is there another Heavenly Dao calamity?"

The Ancestral Master Shangqing did not explain further, only said lightly: "You will know in the future."

"Your urgent task now is to quickly improve your strength and elevate the Daoist Court to the Ascension Court."

"I don’t have much time. I must depart."

The great river beneath his feet already started to stir with waves, appearing in the void, twisting like a flickering flame, uncertain.

"Within the Four Immortal Slaying Swords, there is the Dharma Gate of the Immortal Slaying Sword Array, which you should comprehend well."

"Remember, there is no need to compete for the position of Saint; being a Saint is a shackle for you."

"Take care."

As his words fell, that river with waves finally gathered into the void and vanished from the world.

Lin Heng stood in a daze, silent for a long time before he softly said: "Farewell, Ancestral Master!"

Then, he calmed his thoughts and looked at the Four Immortal Slaying Swords surrounding him.

The Four Immortal Slaying Swords seemed to have already regarded him as their master, rising and falling with Lin Heng’s thoughts.

With a single thought, Lin Heng collected the four swords.

Lastly, Lin Heng glanced at the Buddhas within the Western Heaven; those Buddhas had extremely complex expressions filled with unwillingness.

Only the Medicine Buddha seemed indifferent, as if there were more important matters awaiting him.

Lin Heng did not linger, stepping out with the Somersault Cloud, disappearing at the boundary of the west.

...

In the following days, discussions about the appearance of the two great Saints spread to every corner of the Five Great Immortal Realms.

"Luminous Ancient Buddha formerly never intervened in the world, yet in these two months, twice manifested for the East Buddha of the Little Western Heaven. What secrets does this entail, enough for a Saint to be willing to incur karma?"

Many people were deeply puzzled by this.

It is well-known that Saints cherish their being and avoid karma.

Even during the Gods Sealing Calamity Era, when King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty desecrated Lady Nuwa, Nuwa did not personally take action to kill him.

After the Journey to the West Calamity, Daoism became a pitied stray, with its disciples and followers relentlessly pursued by the Buddhist Sect, yet the Three Pristine Saints did not reveal themselves.

But the Past Buddha of Buddha Country repeatedly appeared for the East Buddha, compelling some to secretly speculate whether there was an unspeakable relationship involved?

Some imaginative speculators even conjectured that the East Buddha might be the illegitimate son of the Past Buddha!

Needless to say, this guess was extremely audacious!

No surprise, the one spreading rumors suffered three thunder tribulations consecutively, ultimately falling from being an Immortal King to a crippled state.

This case indeed led others to become more cautious in their words, shifting their focus to the Shangqing Saint.

"The legendary Heaven-Reaching Sect Leader, thought to have disappeared with time, unexpectedly still exists in the world."

"That Lord of the Dao Court, with such an influential figure protecting him, no Quasi-Saint in the world would dare to attack the Dao Court anymore."

"Indeed, the Heaven-Reaching Sect Leader is too formidable; even the quickly burgeoning Luminous Saint of Buddha Country was soon defeated. In the future, surely no one will dare to provoke that Lord of the Dao Court."

Many people sighed.

Initially, with Daoism becoming this era’s Heavenly Dao catastrophe force, many had their eyes on this piece of cake.

But now, those seeking celestial Dao creation must carefully consider whether they possess the strength to face the wrath of a Saint.

Of course, many also expressed.

"Even without the Heaven-Reaching Sect Leader’s protection, what Quasi-Saints in the world would dare provoke that Lord of the Dao Court?"

"His strength now is universally acknowledged. Even the East Buddha, in possession of the Buddha Country’s holy weapons, was powerless against him. Which Quasi-Saint would seek unnecessary trouble?"

"True, ordinary groups of a dozen Quasi-Saints can hardly contend against that Lord of the Dao Court now unless they wield enough Extreme Sacred Weapons."

"But... that Lord of the Dao Court now not only holds the Book of Life and Death but also possesses the Four Immortal Slaying Swords; plus, inside the Eastern Desolate Daoist Court, there is the Nether Lord Banner; indeed, he has abundant holy weapons..."

Many strong individuals held mixed feelings, sensing that Daoism seemed on the verge of resurgence.

Even the loose immortals were this way; not to mention the major forces of all quarters.

"That fellow, who actually prompted the Heaven-Reaching Sect Leader’s protection, is now genuinely troubling."

The Demon Race Celestial Court of the Northern Immortal Realm has been shrouded in worries these days.

Not only due to learning about what transpired at the Western Heaven Boundary but more so because, during the last visit of the Demon Ancestor to the Eastern Desolate, the Demon Race Celestial Court was caught off guard, thrown into turmoil.

The initiating culprit was none other than the elusive True Monarch Erlang, Yang Jian!

Naturally, Yang Jian alone wasn’t enough to cause such chaos within the Demon Race Celestial Court.

His success was majorly attributed to Princess Iron Fan, who conspired with him from within!

Besides, the Human Slaughter Faction’s Divine Demon Legion, planted by the Great Qin Celestial Court within the Northern Immortal Realm, also participated in this matter.

The Demon Race Celestial Court not only suffered heavy losses but also lost a precious treasure, a significant setback for the Demon Ancestor indeed!

However, compared to seeking revenge, the now-calm Demon Ancestor was more concerned about the Lord of the Dao Court’s future revenge.

There was no doubt.

The Demon Race Celestial Court and the Eastern Desolate Daoist Court had already become rival forces.

With that Lord of the Dao Court’s audacious way of acting, it was only a matter of time before he came to trouble the Demon Race Celestial Court.