Despite the dire situation, Red Dust did not despair. His Dharma Heart was unparalleled, one of the best among all the monks in the Eternal Ascension World. Before the Saint ascended to a higher state of being, even her will and determination were not on par with his. He used the brief reprieve he had to access the court’s world source reserve and used as much as possible to forcefully remove the prototype Saint Will inside his body.
"Hmm?" Wan Yani muttered as she watched the monk regenerate his body. ’That fluctuation — did he use World Source?’ Typically, it would be unheard of to use such valuable resources in this way. But Wan Yani already knew the primordial tiline had created an ingenious system to save and utilize world sources for the war.
"What a waste," she murmured before slashing the connection. Red Dust’s expression turned grave: without the world source, he won’t last even half an hour against this woman.
[Unbreakable Karmic Ties]
Everything is karma, everything has a cause and an effect. So karma can be repaid, but others, no matter what actions taken, cannot be compensated for — for example, any kind of heinous cri. After all, what can soone do to repay for the act of killing soone’s loved one? For causing so much pain and loss to another? With a flick of his finger, Red Dust reinforced the karmic connection to the court’s source pool with the karmic bond of countless sinners.
Red Dust’s completion turned pale as he suffered backlash from the attack. However, he gritted his teeth and continued to reinforce the connection. His actions were obviously futile, but this was one of the only choices he had. The sinful monk gritted his teeth. Staying passive was not the way to go, so he steeled his heart to attack.
[Bridge of Forgetfulness]
A terrifying black bridge appeared between Heaven and Earth, with an old woman sitting atop it. A cauldron stood in front of her, and she calmly scooped a bowl from it. The elderly then glanced at Wan Yani before dropping the soup on her.
Wan Yani imdiately felt her mories slowly evaporating even before the soup touched her. ’This is not simple mory wiping, but erasing my past — erasing my sins. Is his Dao related to Atonent?’ While all of Red Dust’s attacks appeared to be Death/Samsara Dao, Wan Yani could tell that it was not his exact Dao — just a significant aspect of it.
’I guess it doesn’t matter as long as I kill him as soon as possible,’ Wan Yani concluded. She raised her palm, and the bridge — along with everything else — turned into black ink that morphed into palm. Red Dust’s heart skipped a beat as he watched his own attack being redirected toward him.
"What the hell did she just do?’ Whatever technique that was, it had nothing to do with Erasure Laws. A sense of death lood over him as the black palm descended toward him: this attack not only contained the original Death Laws, but it was also even more potent than when the monk used it.
A thousand towering and intimidating golden Buddhas manifested in this dinsion, and they used their palms to protect Red Dust. For the first ti since this fight started, he successfully blocked one of her attacks, but he was not happy. He was forced to draw on the power of the Ten Thousand Buddha Haven, which he could use only a few tis as a last resort.
’How am I supposed to last long enough against this terrifying woman?’ Red Dust has faced countless individuals before, but none have ever left him so overwheld.
’I have a plan.’
’Qiyuan?’
’Do as I say and you will not only accomplish your mission but also benefit.’
’Oh? I’m listening.’ Red Dust’s eyes shone with brilliant light: such an ingenious plan. There was no need to hesitate. A projection of a red world exited from Red Dust’s body. The world displayed a truly horrifying sight: an incalculable number of sinners having their cris read out loud before being tortured. The strange thing is that all the prisoners or sinners were different variations of Red Dust himself.
"Can you bear the weight of all my sins?" Red Dust calmly asked as he threw the Sinner World at Wan Yani.
"You should know such tactics won’t work on ," The First Commander calmly stated as she erased all the sins coming her way. Her hand moved as if holding a brush and molding a canvas. Her movents were graceful while hiding the terrifying power of each stroke.
’How much sin has this man committed?’ Wan Yani thought. More than a minute had passed, and there was still a significant portion of sins remaining. ’Sothing is wrong. It seems like he’s using a desperate tactic to stall for as long as possible, but there is a hidden calmness and composure to his action.’
With a thought, Wan Yani combined Red Dust’s past, present, and future into one so she could have a better understanding of his opponent and predict what he’s doing. Unfortunately, the [History Lock] rendered the present and past useless, leaving only the future — which was originally her primary objective. With only one glance, Wan Yani saw a golden being of purity and radiance.
’No, I’ve been tricked.’ Unfortunately, it was too late. The last sin was erased, and Red Dust’s red-gold aura turned pure golden. A pure, harmonious, and holy light emitting from the monk’s body with the natural power to soothe the mind and soul.
"My father was a sinner, his face branded with a tattoo as an eternal mark for his atrocities," Red Dust said. "The only good thing he has ever done in his life was selling to a temple for money to gamble.
"The mont I started my cultivation journey, one question has always plagued : What does it an to be a Buddha? I asked all my fellow disciples and seniors, and I received different answers. So said a Buddha is soone with a high cultivation realm. Others claid that a Buddha is soone detached from the woes and suffering of the world, soone praised and revered by mortals, or a higher being who will save all sentient beings from their suffering.
"I couldn’t completely agree with their definition, so I traveled the world to search for my Buddha. After years of searching, ditation, and a bit of luck, I ca to realize that a Buddha is soone capable of saving a sinner like my father — soone capable of redeeming all the sinners in the universe. So, I made an oath that I will never beco a Buddha until all the sins in the world are eradicated.
"On the path of fulfilling my oath, I have arrested countless sinners and absorbed their sins to purify. I’ve garnered the ire of the Yama Kings by breaking into the Underworld to absorb countless sinners and redeem their poor souls."
Red Dust calmly glanced at the frowning Wan Yani, his body still releasing the pure golden lights. "Thank you, donor, you’ve helped take a small step forward toward my grand ambition." Red Dust looked in the distance; his soul resonated with sothing, making him smile.
"Today, I have condensed the Bodhisattva Fruit, and from today on, I shall be known as Ksitigarbha. Heaven and Earth be my witness, my oath shall remain eternal even if I am sanctified." An unknown power descended into Red Dust — no, Ksitigarbha — soul, further reinforced his oath. Then, a cloud of golden rits descended from the sky to condense a third-rank Golden Body of rit.
Wan Yani frowned. ’Is this Spirit Inheritance?’ She knew that so powerful entities — mostly Saints — could revive themselves in another form through Spirit Inheritance. The person who inherits their spirit will take on their nas, cause and effect, and goal/obsession. However, this thod is not technically a revival but more of a passing of the legacy. Of course, plenty of cultivators use the Spirit Inheritance for nefarious ans, but usually, it’s a manifestation of a Saint’s obsession.
Ksitigarbha rushed toward his opponent for a direct clash of their bodies. Wan Yani sneered. The bastard had already used her to achieve his grand cause, pissing her off. Did she think a third-rank Golden Body of rit was enough to make up for their gap in strength? With a gentle palm, she was prepared to severely injure him. However, at the last minute, Wan Yani retracted most of the force — resulting in a small backlash, forcing herself to put so distance from the monk.
Ksitigarbha did not let this opportunity pass and pursued it. However, the sa action repeated itself. As she was about to strike, Wan Yani was forced to reduce most of her attack strength.
’Damn it,’ she cursed. This monk was using his status as a [Sage] to threaten her. Every ti she was about to attack, he would remove all the protection of the golden body and even reduce his defensive abilities, wishing she could kill him.
’I cannot kill a [Sage] of this caliber, or my Transcendent Path will be ruined,’ Wan Yani thought with gritted teeth.
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