The lights were blazing.
Duobao Tongzi stared blankly at everything around him; all he could see were the lit torches, with the most intense flames engulfing the Xuan Iron Sword Master beside him.
At that moment, they were in conversation.
The two had barely escaped from Zhalong Pass and were discussing plans to smuggle themselves into the Buddhist lands of Jiangxi when a radiant glow suddenly emanated from the Xuan Iron Sword Master's body.
Then he spontaneously combusted.
There was nothing they could do, no time to react; Duobao Tongzi could only watch as the Xuan Iron Sword Master's despair-filled eyes turned into two fireballs, his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation transforming into fuel, and the flames that ignited from him instantly spread across several cities.
The world fell silent.
Only the flames continued to spread quietly, turning the sky a fiery red. Duobao Tongzi stood amidst it all, feeling as if he were inside a pill furnace.
"Jiangbei Demon. Primordial Saint Sect. What a Saint Sect!"
At this moment, Duobao Tongzi's past resentment towards the Primordial Saint Sect was like the millions of lives, mountains, rivers, and valleys consumed by the fire—completely burned away.Only ash-like fear remained.
Millions of people! Countless cultivators! Even if he killed them himself, it would take three days and nights. Yet now, they were all ignited by a single flame!
How could this still be considered human?
The next second, a gentle breeze blew past Duobao Tongzi's face, carrying the scorching heat of the flames, causing him to involuntarily squint his eyes.
Where did the wind come from?
Duobao Tongzi looked around but found nothing, then suddenly realized: "Foundation Establishment Realm!? It's the Bì Wind! The fire is reaching into the Foundation Establishment Realm!"
Boom!
With this thought, Duobao Tongzi immediately fled into the Foundation Establishment Realm. As expected, what he saw was an endless sea of raging fire.
However, amidst the towering flames, he also saw countless jade towers and pavilions being reforged in the fire, rising from the ground. Various landscapes transformed from illusions under the intense heat into reality, eventually radiating brilliant light in the Foundation Establishment Realm, like a sun about to rise into the sky!
"Rise!"
In an instant, a clear and loud shout echoed in all directions, and then he saw that sun-like blazing land actually ascending into the sky of the Foundation Establishment Realm!
The Blessed Land Ascends!
"It truly succeeded. Chongguang has begun his ascension, seeking the Golden Fruit, and the Blessed Land is ascending! Once he attains the Fruit Position and transforms into a Cave Heaven, he will become a True Lord!"
"The millennium catastrophe draws even closer!"
At Zhalong Pass, True Person Yinshan showed an excited expression:
"Zhong Xin. It's actually Zhong Xin! Senior Brother's plans are far-reaching, fully prepared this time, and with True Lord Feixue protecting the Dharma, this ascension is almost certain!"
At the same time, beside True Person Yinshan, a man in golden robes stepped forward. His chiseled face showed a hint of anticipation; it was none other than Hong Ju, who had previously sent Vimalakirti Venerable back to the Pure Land with a single move. However, now his body was covered with fine cracks.
His time was almost up.
After all, with the death of Daoist Hong Yun, Hong Ju, as his creation, was like water without a source. Every action consumed his limited lifespan.
This time was his final gamble.
If he succeeded, Chongguang would ascend, and he could extend his life, living freely. If he failed, he would return to the void, his consciousness dissipating, without even reincarnation.
Despite this, Hong Ju remained calm.
Because he still retained the memories of Daoist Hong Yun's ascension. In his view, Chongguang True Person's preparations were far more thorough than those of Daoist Hong Yun.
"With a True Lord protecting the Dharma, the Pure Land's intervention severed, the Dao Court and Sword Pavilion can only acquiesce. Chongguang himself has refined complete metal nature, blood-sacrificed the entire Kingdom of Qing, using this spectacle as the driving force for his Blessed Land's ascension, and avoided the impact of heavenly punishment."
"That's a spectacle!"
"Among all the resources usable for breaking through to True Lord, a spectacle is considered top-tier. If not for the inevitable heavenly punishment upon acquisition, countless people would fight over it."
"With the support of a spectacle, ascending the Blessed Land is almost effortless."
"At the same time, he used the method of 'seizing power' to reverse the Dao Court's rules in the Kingdom of Qing, causing the emperor to lose his position and order to collapse, undoubtedly attracting the favor of the Fruit Position!"
Thinking of this, Hong Ju looked up at the sky.
Not the sky of the present world, but the sky of the Foundation Establishment Realm. There, a golden lamp light gradually lit up, manifesting the image of the "Overturning Lamp Fire"!
At this moment, Hong Ju reached his conclusion:
"The chance of success is ten out of ten!"
Indeed, in his view, the probability of Chongguang's breakthrough this time was ten out of ten, with no flaws, theoretically absolutely impossible to fail!
Meanwhile, within the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Chongguang True Person stood with hands behind his back, his entire essence, energy, and spirit, along with his four innate talents and perfected divine abilities, all supporting the Blessed Land of Dongyang behind him.
The brilliance of the "Overturning Lamp Fire" grew closer.
At this moment, Chongguang True Person felt a sense of relief, as if rising step by step from the depths of the sea, finally breathing fresh air.
Soon, everything changed.
What he saw was a void; this was the "sky" of the Foundation Establishment Realm, also the location of the Fruit Position, described differently in various traditions.
In Jiangnan and Jiangbei, the Ascension Dao described it as "a realm of light surrounding the Dharma realm, the void shining with the heart of heaven."
In Jiangxi's Pure Land, the Buddhist cultivators described this area as "neither born nor destroyed, clouds dispersing in the azure sky, mountain colors pure, neither coming nor going, wisdom returning to meditative tranquility, the solitary moon wheel."
In Jiangdong's Dao Court, the description changed to "entering sudden enlightenment from gradual practice, entering non-action from action, entering true emptiness from non-emptiness."
All these descriptions ultimately referred to it with a simpler term:
The Sea of Suffering.
"Above the Foundation Establishment Realm lies the Sea of Suffering!"
"All beings in the mortal world are tumbling in the Sea of Suffering!"
"The Fruit Position is like boats on the Sea of Suffering; only by becoming a True Lord can one ascend the Blessed Land, float above the Sea of Suffering, and take control of those boats!"
So where does the Sea of Suffering come from?
Before long, Chongguang True Person developed many sensations, vaguely seeing many cultivators who had practiced techniques related to the "Overturning Lamp Fire."
Qi Refining cultivators were meaningless.
What was useful to him were cultivators who had established their Dao foundation. With his ascension, the Fruit Position, as a "boat," became much heavier with someone boarding it.
In an instant, countless ripples spread.
These ripples were insignificant in the Sea of Suffering, but when they fell into the Foundation Establishment Realm below, they turned into a powerful wind capable of eroding souls.
The Bì Wind!
Every True Person who had established a Dao foundation related to the "Overturning Lamp Fire" endured the Bì Wind, using their own Dao foundation and lifelong cultivation to support the "Overturning Lamp Fire." Why did the Foundation Establishment Realm have the three great tribulations of wind, fire, and thunder? It was because of the Fruit Position and Cave Heaven above!
"So that's how it is..."
A look of realization appeared in Chongguang True Person's eyes; this was a secret only True Lords could see and comprehend, forever inaccessible to those who hadn't become True Lords.
But it made sense.
Foundation Establishment True Persons are "people," while Golden Core True Lords are "lords." Looking at the world, where is there a "lord" who doesn't levy various harsh taxes from the "people"?
This was also one of the reasons Golden Core True Lords controlled the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators!
Because if the taxes were too heavy and there were too many people, they would rebel. If there were too few people, the taxes collected wouldn't be enough, affecting the lord's condition.
"The mortal world is a vast Sea of Suffering..."
Thinking of this, Chongguang True Person couldn't help but sigh. However, this sigh quickly turned into excitement because he was about to reach the shore!
But at that moment.
"...Hmm?"
As he got closer to the "Overturning Lamp Fire," he suddenly noticed that the "Overturning Lamp Fire" before him was different from what he had expected, causing him to freeze in place.
"This is... but how could it be?"