Becoming a Deity from Planting the Bodhi Tree-Chapter 365 - 176: The Origin of the Nine States, The Second Blade, Infinite Tribulations_3

Beneath the Bitter Sea, too much decay, yet no prosperity in sight, as if under the Infinite Tribulations, everything shall meet silent annihilation, all efforts in vain.

If everything is doomed to silent annihilation, then why struggle?

This sense of powerlessness kept piling up in his heart, even the Glazed Glass Light couldn't fully illuminate through.

In his Inner Realm world, the Bitter Sea that cascaded down from above his head, at this moment, seemed to be stirred, the blood rain filling the skies was even more fierce than before.

Fatty Hu lying under the Bodhi Tree lifted his head alertly;

The carp belly-up in the Lotus Pond also flipped over, looking up beyond the Pure Land;

Even that invisible and formless Formless Wind seemed more urgent at this moment, swirling and whistling past Fatty Hu's ears.

Fatty Hu scratched his ear and got up to shake his body, trotting towards the outside of the Pure Land, his fur gradually stained with blood, the bloody patterns on his body surface flowing like molten lava.

The carp in the pond swung its long tail, leaped over the Dragon Gate, turned into a black dragon, and with a soft chant, rushed out of the Pure Land, moving at will amidst the blood rain, soaring through the clouds and mist.

They were helping Ji Jingqiu in their own way, to dissolve the gradually accumulating intent of silent annihilation in his heart.

In a trance.

Ji Jingqiu seemed to see a very young figure sitting in the boundless Void ahead, bowing his head in Dao contemplation, turning his back to all living beings, and also turning away from him.

At this moment, all was silent, except for an indistinct whisper by his ear—

[At the origin of worldly affairs, Bodhi is seen, in the aspect of silent annihilation, the True Self is realized]

Like the evening drum and morning bell, as enlightening as baptism by sweet dew.

Ji Jingqiu's eyes closed, the ripples on the lake surface of his heart gradually returned to calm at this moment. He forgot the world's complex All Phenomena, entering the Pure Land in his heart, listening to the rhythm of life.

Gradually.

The sounds of sprouting vegetation and trickling water reached his ears.

He heard the sound of wild grass that couldn't be burned out, breaking through the earth from the stone crevices...

That was the Newborn after all had fallen silent.

It was also the longing for life of the myriad living beings, unwilling to succumb to annihilation.

He once again felt the profound weight of life, spanning vast historical years, filled with the tenacity rooted in dark years, the rebirth through the flames of wildfires...

In a split second, the seasons revolved, wind swept across the horizon.

Everything before his eyes was changing in the blink of an eye.

Until a falling leaf, slowly drifting down from above his head, fell into the palm of his hand.

...

"A True Seed daring to observe the Infinite Destruction and able to watch for such a long time..."

The black-clothed woman showed a look of surprise.

She had estimated this child's abilities as high as possible, but his performance still exceeded her expectations.

Not to mention the True Seed Realm, even ordinary Heavenly Persons would not dare to observe a realm's demise for so long.

"Should one say he is truly a descendant of the World Venerable Lineage?"

She glanced sideways into the Void, surveying all the genius martial artists participating in the trials within the various Divine Temples.

Among the young people who came this time, although there were some good ones, they still fell short by quite a bit to match the standards of the Cangqing Lineage Inheritor.

The only one that caught her eye was precisely the one who had already received the World Venerable Lineage's law.

"Let it be, choose a few alternatives, and consider it leaving a few seeds for the Cangqing Lineage."

The black-clothed woman sighed lightly.

After all, time waits for no one.

Her gaze swept over, noticing all the geniuses above the Eighth Ring, most of whom had once been affiliated forces of the Cangqing Lineage, their ancestors being members of the Cangqing Temple or followers.

Among them, many talents close to the Ninth Ring yet almost all followed the path of blood lineage.

Some of them might enter the Pure Blood status, but one could see their future potential was limited, with little room for improvement, unless they could break through the shackles of their bloodline.

The only two that caught her eye...

One cultivated [Obedience to Heaven and Loyalty], walking the path of the Heavenly Blade Taoist Body with the body as a substitute for Heaven.

One cultivated [Void Return to Netherworld], walking the path of merging the nether heart with the Void, Heaven and Earth together in silence.

"You from the Yanhuang Federation, really the odd one out in All Realms?"

The black-clothed woman muttered to herself and beckoned three people over.

Without waiting for the three people to stand firm and take in their surroundings, the woman's cold and lofty voice reached their ears.

"From today onwards, you three are named disciples of my Cangqing Lineage. Each bestowed with a Cangqing Divine Seal, after reaching the Heavenly Person status, you may return here to receive the inheritance."

The woman in black spoke in a calm yet dominant tone, not even asking the three if they were willing before waving her hand, branding them with the Divine Tree Mark on their foreheads.

Amongst the three, there were two women and one man.

One of them was shockingly a "familiar face" to Ji Jingqiu, an underage elf girl named Mu Rouzhi, who had not yet undergone soul awakening. At first glance, she recognized Ji Jingqiu sitting on a meditation cushion in the distance, with his eyes closed, comprehending the Dao.

Upon seeing the sapling rooted in the center of the Pure Land, Mu Rouzhi felt a palpable thrill from the depths of her soul and prostrated herself in fervent worship.

Among the other two, one was a woman with indifferent expression and aloof temperament, short-haired, with an unsheathed blade in her hand still stained with the blood of her foes, emitting an aura as sharp as if she were a Heavenly Blade without handle.

That person was none other than Qin Qingjue from the Qin Family.

She too noticed the presence of Ji Jingqiu, her gaze flickering.

"Senior, may I ask if that person is also a recorded disciple from the Cangqing lineage?" The third, a man, asked in a deep voice, his gaze profound and demeanor steady, exuding the prestige of a grandmaster, like a deep and towering mountain. This was Ke Pingluan, a martial artist cultivated by the Ke family at the expense of their entire foundation.

Upon seeing Ji Jingqiu on the meditation cushion, his breath also became slightly disordered.

In truth, after hearing that this person had self-proclaimed Innate status, he considered him a major adversary, even ranking above Qin Qingjue.

Ke Pingluan's gaze suddenly sharpened as he caught sight of the ethereal Bodhi Tree behind Ji Jingqiu, and his heart trembled.

Could this place be where Marshal Mu attained his enlightenment in years past?!

This was the opportunity he had dreamt of!

Such luck truly is enviable!!

"The Cangqing lineage cannot make room for this great Buddha," said the woman in black with a smile that was not a smile, "Here's the deal: among the three of you, whoever can defeat him in the future shall directly be listed as the sole Divine Son of our Cangqing lineage."

These words made the three people's expressions tense.

Was the first half of her statement a joke, or was she being serious?

Qin Qingjue's normally still eyes revealed a ripple, and she looked towards Ji Jingqiu with a hint of eagerness to try.

Ke Pingluan's gaze deepened, and his face grew stern.

He heard the subtext in the latter half of her words; in the eyes of this mysterious and powerful figure, they were none but a match for Ji Jingqiu at the moment!

Ke Pingluan took a deep breath, suppressing the chaotic emotions in his heart.

"Go ahead, offspring of Heavenly People, you may use the Divine Tree Mark to sense the whereabouts of the Bodhisattva World."

The woman in black waved her hand, sending the three away.

At this moment.

The sapling behind her swayed slightly, emitting a hazy emerald light.

The woman frowned and said solemnly, "You wish to bestow the second True Seed to him? Although he has passed the Ten-Ring Divine Son assessment, he is not only from the World Venerable Lineage but also carries the legacy of the 'South Emperor'."

The sapling branches swayed as if shaking its head, then the emerald light around its trunk condensed into a True Seed.

After forming this True Seed, the glow around the sapling faded considerably, and it seemed somewhat weary.

Observing this, the woman's eyes darkened, but she didn't stop it. Taking the True Seed, she sighed softly,

"You're right; in the face of the great calamity, we need to place bets in various directions. Perhaps today's fate will bear unexpectedly good fruits in the future."

"The World Venerable Lineage, with its ambitions as high as the sky, does possess the broad-mindedness to shoulder the weight of all beings, unlike those fickle and trivial clowns... This child indeed merits an early investment from the Cangqing lineage."

...

Ji Jingqiu sat with closed eyes, embodying a special aura of the Dao.

It was a blend of transcendence from life and death and the purity of a sinking demise, as if encompassing the tribulations of all heavens, filled with the dread of Eight Sufferings—birth, aging, illness, death, love, hatred, and all entanglements, followed by a soaring killing intent, as if willingly courting demonization!

This murderous intent, borne from the Bitter Sea of sentient beings, did not consume Jing Qiu's rationality; instead, he used it as a whetstone to sharpen his own Sword Skill.

The Eight Sufferings, akin to the mortal world, are fearsome and horrible, yet they also nurture infinite possibilities and hope.

This is the Bitter Sea of the mortal world, as well as the dojo for the cultivation of all beings.

All beings are vying for a passage, in search of a sliver of hope.

During this moment.

Ji Jingqiu integrated the experiences of his past life into his first sword move "A Sliver of Hope," which he created, as if sending an old blade into the forge for remaking.

He had initially grasped part of the Martial Arts Dao Intent left by Senior He on the second Ten Thousand Ancient Blade, creating a second style of sword technique that was uniquely his.

The first sword was named [All Laws are Void], containing the profound truth of the word "Void."

And under this sword, the truth encapsulated is the word "One."

To seek a sliver of hope.

To cut through the Infinite Tribulations.