Chapter Sixty: The Golden-Body Buddha (Part One)

As the sudden radiance of the Buddha’s light appeared, the very space surrounding my body was utterly transformed. Rays of sacred illumination flooded the entire realm. Raising my gaze, I saw above me a vast golden disc, its edges shedding ancient, mysterious symbols that drifted away.

“Master, we’ve struck fortune this time, true fortune. This is an enormous Yin-Yang formation, and within it are fragments of broken laws. Though these fragments are battered and incomplete, they are more than sufficient for condensing a formation,” said Tu, his voice trembling with excitement.

As I watched the flickering Buddhist lights and the archaic diagrams before me, waves of excitement surged through my heart. Formations such as these were far beyond ordinary Yin-Yang arrays; they were woven with fragments of law. Of course, these shards held no true power compared to complete laws, but in this age where the Dharma realm has faded and laws have vanished, these pieces had become exceedingly precious.

With countless ancient runes fading from the surrounding space, battered yet dignified diagrams slowly revealed their true forms.

“Master, look at the Sword of All Beings…” Tu exclaimed.

At his words, I turned toward the sword suspended not far away. Distracted by the shifting lights and ancient diagrams, I had overlooked the changes unfolding around the Sword of All Beings.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

Ancient sword-lights shot from the broken blade, countless rays of Buddhist illumination entwining around it. As I gazed upon the Sword of All Beings, I could feel a pure energy rising within me, clearing my mind and spirit, invigorating my soul in an instant.

“Master, the spiritual energy here is overwhelming, far purer than what lies outside. I can sense my soul being continuously cleansed.”

I nodded. I had already felt the effects. The environment now appeared completely before me—a grand palace, every corner adorned with ancient diagrams, their lines interweaving and filling the space like endless murals. Amid their faded textures, rays of Buddhist light flickered, making the entire space crystalline with sacred brilliance.

Crack!

Suddenly, the Sword of All Beings thundered, and a beam of Buddhist light burst through the center of this palace-like space, shattering layers of ancient, battered diagrams. That celestial light pierced straight into the Sword of All Beings.

Upon being penetrated by the sacred radiance, the sword’s encircling lights climbed upward along the fading beam, as if striving to break free from this mysterious, ancient domain.

Just as the divine light vanished, a resounding Buddhist chant echoed through the golden palace.

Amitabha…

The chant lingered, as if rising from deep within one’s heart.

Standing there, I felt a mysterious power settle my once-confused mind, bringing peace to my soul.

Looking at the myriad flickering remnants of ancient diagrams before me, my heart trembled—for they were slowly converging toward the sacred light.

At that moment, I sensed a shudder from the depths of my spirit. As the diagrams gathered toward the radiance, the entire space began to quake.

“Master, these broken diagrams do not seem to belong to the Buddhist realm. I feel my soul slipping from my control, being drawn and bound away…”

Tu’s voice betrayed his discomfort. As the Buddhist light shone upon me, I felt as if my soul was seized by a strange force, desperately tugged away.

“Tu, what is happening?” I demanded, bewildered, as if a gentle maiden had suddenly turned into a raging shrew.

Tu was suffering, his entire being howling in agony. His soul’s form blurred, seeming on the verge of vanishing.

“Master, damn it, what’s happening? My soul feels like it’s about to shatter!”

All around me, the remnants of ancient diagrams gathered into a river of symbols before my eyes.

The river of ancient diagrams surged toward the center of the palace, entwining with the sacred light.

Within its slow embrace, a figure emerged from the Buddhist radiance.

I could not make out its features, as the rays enveloped me.

Buzz!

A muffled sound echoed. As the light streamed toward me, a massive ethereal hand reached out, wrapped in faint golden glow.

“Master, I’m on the verge of obliteration!” Tu’s voice was filled with endless resentment and struggle. Yet I was powerless to move; the entire space shook, countless rays interweaving, and I felt I was about to lose my soul.

Buzz, buzz, buzz…

Countless voices resounded in my ears, and before my eyes appeared an enormous hand, wrapped in Buddhist light. Every cell in my body trembled, my soul quivering, as though about to break free.

“The Dharma is boundless; repentance is salvation!” An ancient, dignified Buddhist voice thundered from the terrifying light, shaking me to the point of collapse. Tu retreated deep into the core of the Slaughter Blood Formation Chart. The cloak formed from the chart on my body began to fracture.

“Amitabha…”

The palm descended, Buddhist light sharp as a blade!

“Sir!”

Just as I was about to collapse, a voice reached my ears. In an instant, the terrifying force that had threatened to cut me down vanished.

I drew a deep breath.

At the instant the giant Buddha hand touched my brow, sword-lights sliced through.

A blinding flash forced me to shut my eyes; as the sword-lights emerged, I felt myself enveloped by a spatial formation, separating me for a moment.

“Sir, are you alright?”

Dazed, I heard Nie Xiaoke’s voice.

I opened my eyes, and her beautiful face appeared before me.

“Sir…”

I nodded, then rose to my feet.

Only then did I realize I stood at the heart of a grand formation, surrounded by swirling, rampant sword energy…