Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 530: Outer Dao

The Pure Land, the Great Heroic Treasure Hall.

As far as the eye could see, auspicious mists filled the sky, guarded by a rainbow’s arch. Its spires scraped the high heavens, its foundations rooted in the very heart of Mount Sumeru. Golden tiles and ornate bricks were paved with agate, while from precious halls and jeweled thrones, Spirit Light pulsed.

This was the highest point in all the Pure Land.

Every single day, countless Monks rushed here from all corners of the West to pay homage. It was said to be a place beyond the mundane, where all mortal ties were severed upon arrival.

Yet this celestial paradise was now a scene of earthly clamor. The Arhats, who were normally so lofty and aloof, were now filled with fear, gritting their teeth in rage, or completely flustered. They were a chaotic mess inside the hall, their overlapping voices revealing the full spectrum of mortal drama.

"They’re here! They’re really attacking!"

"They’re mad! They’ve all gone mad!"

"The North, the South, the East, Overseas... they’ve all come! Several Ancient Temples have already lost contact. I’m afraid they truly intend to start a campaign of Killing in the West!"

Then, the Arhats all sensed something. They walked out of the hall and gazed into the distance, where a streak of light was rising from the earth.

The light pierced the heavens, igniting the firmament like a candle set against the canopy of the sky. The flame flared, flash-boiling the endless Cloud Sea into a crimson aurora. It surged like a colossal wave, sweeping up the celestial light and carrying a cold, resonant hum as it crashed down toward the Great Heroic Treasure Hall.

BOOM!

As the Arhats of the Pure Land watched, the sea of fiery clouds slammed into the mountain-like Great Heroic Treasure Hall, instantly erupting in a clash of Buddha Light and violet flames.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Though it was an ethereal Cloud Sea, it now pressed down with the weight of a true continent, its peerless force making the entire Great Heroic Treasure Hall shudder.

Layers of Buddha Light intertwined, forming an Array.

Streaks of violet flame erupted and coalesced.

All the Arhats immediately manned the Array, assuming wrathful visages, Vajra visages, and demon-subduing visages. They manifested countless forms of the Buddhist Dharma, yet they were all fundamentally one, converging into a single torrent of Buddha Light:

[Array of the Ten Directions in the Central World]

This Array was identical to the one at the Sea of Clouds, laid down by generations of Bodhisattvas. It was a Second Grade Array, placing it near the very pinnacle of its kind.

Alas—there was no one to master the Array.

No matter how powerful an Array or a Spiritual Treasure, they were still external objects. Without a Master to awaken them and manifest their Divine Effects, their high grade was utterly meaningless.

The next second, a deafening crash echoed within the Great Heroic Treasure Hall, nearly tearing apart the Supreme Dharma Hall. The Golden Bodies of all the Arhats inside the array shattered in unison, splattering blood across more than half of the Pure Zen Forest. Only after a long moment did they reform, revealing their terrified faces.

"Bodhisattva! Quickly, summon the Bodhisattva!"

The Arhats panicked for a moment before finally regaining their composure. They turned to face a Buddha Statue within the hall, and in an instant, they all dropped to their knees.

"The wicked Demon is here, intending to destroy our Pure Land."

"We implore you, Bodhisattva, to emerge from your seclusion and manifest the True Skill!"

The moment they finished speaking, a wild gust of wind erupted, instantly wiping all expression from the Arhats’ faces. The cacophony ceased.

"Amitabha."

Finally, in the hall, the Buddha Statue before which the Arhats prostrated themselves began to move. It slowly descended from its Lotus Platform, flakes of gold powder falling from its body.

By the time he walked out of the main hall and stood before the Arhats, he had transformed from the original Golden Buddha Statue into a true living person. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and an air of righteousness. His expression was grave and solemn, and behind his head, circles of pure, ripple-like light emanated outwards.

It was none other than the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva!

However, this Outer Path Bodhisattva of the Pure Land had not a trace of a smile on his face. He silently surveyed the Grand Ward around them, which was gradually being dismantled.

The Pure Land in the West and the myriad faces of its living beings were all reflected in his eyes.

After a moment, he shook his head and pursed his lips in frustration.

After all, not long ago, he had suffered the most terrifying ordeal of his long life: Ang Xiao had possessed him, leaving him utterly powerless beneath the Veil of the Trees.

As a result, the Fruit of Sand-Within Earth had fallen into the Netherworld, most of the other Earth Fruits were in the possession of the Dao Court, and he was unable to attain the only remaining one, the Fruit of Rampart Earth. Consequently, his status in the Pure Land had plummeted, to the point that he was now being treated as a disposable pawn, ordered to destroy his own Dao path to stop the Pure Land’s calamity.

And he couldn’t even refuse.

’Ang Xiao humiliated me, the Bodhisattvas have humiliated me, and now some junior... some Foundation Establishment punk comes to humiliate me too!’

The more the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva dwelled on it, the more despondent he grew, a numbness creeping over him. But now, with this humiliation delivered to his very doorstep, he felt a hot rage begin to burn.

At that moment, as the Grand Ward continued to crumble, a powerful voice resounded:

"Come out! Today, I will achieve Attainment by killing you!"

This domineering declaration of war, with an aura that could swallow mountains and rivers, made the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva’s expression darken further. He opened his mouth, his own voice booming like thunder:

"Patron, do you truly intend to start a war between Perfected Lords? Are you prepared for mutual destruction?"

The words had barely faded when a figure appeared high above the Great Heroic Treasure Hall. Lü Yang stood upon the sea of fiery clouds, hands clasped behind his back, gazing down upon the Pure Land with a cool indifference.

"You’re giving yourself too much credit, Senior. An Outer Dao practitioner counts as a Perfected Lord?"

Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva: "..."

He’s gone too far!

"You’ve only borrowed a Fruit’s power and can’t even wield its fundamental Divine Effect. You’re no different from me! The outcome is far from certain. Do you really think you’re invincible?"

Lü Yang wasted no time on words. He formed a Daoist Hand Seal, and a colossal Dharma Body instantly rose from the Cloud Sea. Its head pierced the Thirty-six Layers of Gang Cloud. Its body was forged from mountains, its head was the vault of heaven, its veins were the great rivers, and its eyes were the sun and moon. Without a moment’s hesitation, it lifted its foot and brought it stomping down on the Great Heroic Treasure Hall!

The Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva’s face fell in an instant.

Such audacity!

’This Demon Dragon... is he not afraid of death?’

Ever since the Bhagavat achieved enlightenment and established the Pure Land in the West, no one had ever dared to do such a thing. He wasn’t just stomping on the Great Heroic Treasure Hall of the Pure Land...

He was stomping on the very face of the Bhagavat!

BOOM!

With a deafening crash, the Great Heroic Treasure Hall—which had rested atop the highest peak—was stomped down from its perch by Lü Yang. The very mountain supporting it began to crumble, layer by layer!

This astonishing scene was reflected in the eyes of every Monk and the countless mortals across the West. For the Great Heroic Treasure Hall had always been visible from every corner of the land, a symbol of endless yearning. But now, that very design forced every Monk to witness the collapse of their spiritual anchor.

"Impossible!"

"Merciful Bodhisattvas, great Bhagavat... how can this be? How can this be!?"

For a moment, Monks all across the land were seized by shock and outrage. Their faces were masks of disbelief, and some even wondered if it were an illusion, refusing to accept what their eyes were telling them.

Seeing this, the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva finally let out a long, low sigh:

"Very well... very well. Today, I shall forsake my path and give you the battle you seek."

The moment he spoke, the Grand Ward dissolved. At the same time, the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva’s aura, once whole and embodying Perfection, shattered completely.

Instantly, a thunderclap ripped through the heavens.

This was the natural reaction of Heaven and Earth to the presence of a "foreign body"—an inevitable phenomenon that occurred whenever an Outer Dao True Monarch revealed their power without being integrated into the world.

An Outer Dao True Monarch!

Although not on par with an Orthodox True Monarch, Lü Yang was also only in a Fake Golden Position and couldn’t wield the fundamental Profound Mysterious of his Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire. Therefore, the gap in their power was not significant.

In fact, one could even say the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva had the advantage. After all, Lü Yang could only maintain his Fake Golden Position for the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, whereas the Bodhisattva had no such limit. If Lü Yang couldn’t kill him in that time, then Lü Yang himself was doomed!

BOOM!

In a flash, with no hesitation from either side, their Dharma Bodies crashed into one another!