Chapter 989 - 714: False Avatar Seeks Gold

At the same time, the eastern territory, deep within the Grotto Heaven of Heavy Water.

Inside the Grotto Heaven, Spiritual Mist surged, Earth Veins’ essence rolled heavily downward.

A meditating Daoist suddenly gathered the stillness around him as his eyes leisurely opened.

His voice was deep and weighty, each word resonating with a slight tremor in the surrounding airflow:

"Success or failure, this quest for Gold shall determine the final outcome!"

Before his words fell, his body erupted with immeasurable Treasure Body, the Dharma Aspect with eight arms manifested in the void.

Four Buddha arms and four Dao arms stretched out in interweaving patterns, the majestic divine power sweeping every inch of the Grotto Heaven.

Above his head, the Void Spiritual Light coalesced to form a pure, flawless Jade Ruyi, its patterns interweaving the star trails of the void, auspicious light rolled, vaguely intertwining with the Gold Attribute essence of the heavens and the earth.

The cultivators practicing in the Profound Sect’s Grotto Heaven of Heavy Water felt a violent shock in their Heart Spirits, each face heavy with them uttering startled cries in succession.

"Great Wisdom Hidden Void!!"

"How could he rashly enter our Profound Sect’s Heavy Water Grotto Heaven?"

"What is he plotting?"

"Something’s wrong, it’s the quest for Gold ritual!"

"He dares to attempt the quest for Gold to prove the Dao in our Profound Sect territory!"

The hearts of all changed dramatically, swiftly transmitting messages reporting outside transformations.

But just as the Spirit Light began at their fingertips, it was tightly confined by an endless Barrier of Law.

The entire Grotto Heaven was completely isolated from the world, no sound could escape, becoming a solitary prison of Secret Realm.

"Not good, we have been isolated!"

"No worries, the True Monarch will have a sense of it!!"

...

Above the Golden Position, a mysterious Immortal Mansion floats hidden in the Gang Qi of wind and clouds.

Within the mansion, tranquility and an ethereal essence, governing the eight directions of water and marsh.

A crowned female sat on a mat, draped in a Daoist Robe of cloud and water, leopard-patterned star marking faintly appearing on her sleeve, endless Gang Wind and Weak Water swirling around.

"This is..."

Her mind suddenly stirred, her closed eyes opened leisurely.

Her gaze pierced through the countless layers of spacetime barriers, myriad realms’ obstructions, instantly locking onto the figure casting techniques within the Heavy Water Grotto Heaven, every detail of the Jade Ruyi’s void spiritual light caught in her sight.

Ji Shui Primordial Monarch’s lips graced a faint smile, her tone playful:

"Void Sun, has it reincarnated?"

"How interesting, it seems the old monk’s fish is about to slip the hook!"

...

At Spirit Mountain, source of the Buddha Kingdom, the land where myriad Buddhas congregate.

The True Buddha of the Eastern Star Sun and Fate sat atop thousands of Golden Lotuses.

The starlight of the Golden Position behind his head swirled brilliantly, his majestic Buddha eyes opened suddenly:

"Golden Cicada Shell!"

"Well!"

His gaze cast towards layers upon layers of void, where countless Buddha realms resided.

At the very center, on the core lotus platform.

Great Wisdom Hidden Void Bodhisattva sat on high preaching the Dharma, countless monks bowed their heads listening, the Buddhist chant lingered, the scene solemn and respectful.

The True Buddha of Destiny’s expression turned indifferent:

"Such a superb deception with the divine transformation disguise, even momentarily nearly completely blinded me."

"Disperse!"

The faint sound of laughter fell, the mirage of preaching on the lotus platform smashed apart grandiosely.

The entire magnificent Buddha realm, countless Buddha kingdoms collapsed away instantly, all monks vanished into the void.

Buzzing...

In the void, only a red Treasure Wheel remained quietly suspended, it is the Tian Si Red Blaze Wheel.

The Treasure Wheel quivered slightly, sliced through layers of void, instantaneously folded back, landing securely into the palm of the True Buddha of Destiny.

The True Buddha lightly stroked the wheel, understanding flashed through his eyes:

"Using transformation and Red Blaze Wheel to muddle my sight, concealing the tracks of their true body, quite the meticulous scheme."

In the next moment, vast Buddhist intent traversed boundless spacetime, descending upon Heavy Water Grotto Heaven rapidly.

Facing the Golden Position Buddha might directly, Great Wisdom Hidden Void’s true body stiffened, a chilling fear from deep within his Divine Soul arose, unable to suppress fear and terror from his heart.

"Buddha!!"

The True Buddha did not glance at the panicked Puppet body, his gaze locked straightly onto the Jade Ruyi in midair, tugging the Gold Attribute.

He twirled a flower with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist Cheng Kong, since you’ve reincarnated, why not reveal your true form, and meet with me face-to-face?"

Buzz——

The resonant sound suddenly echoed through the Grotto Heaven.

In the next moment, the suspended Jade Ruyi’s Spirit Light shattered inch by inch, instantly turning into specks of star smoke and dissipated without a trace.

The Gold Attribute essence that was nearly formed responded by completely collapsing.

"Ah!"

"No!"

The air was torn by anguished cries of despair.

The body of the Great Wisdom Cang Kong disintegrated layer by layer, from the divine soul to the flesh, vanishing into nothingness in an instant.

The True Buddha of Destiny sighed softly in his heart as he watched the dissipating figure:

"Still as cautious as ever!"

Using a puppet to probe and set up the layout, leaving a backup plan to withdraw early, now all clues are completely severed, leaving not a single trace for investigation.

The turmoil subsided, and the ripples in the void gradually calmed.

The elegant figure of [Ji Shui Primordial Monarch] walked gracefully through the air, manifesting leisurely in the void of the grotto heaven.

The True Buddha of Destiny collected the sharp Buddhist aura around him, joined his palms in respect, and courteously greeted:

"Greetings, Primordial Monarch."

Ji Shui Primordial Monarch smiled faintly, the water and wind gently coursing around her, as she spoke with a laugh:

"This time, Fellow Daoist truly owes me a favor."

The True Buddha of Destiny nodded slightly, responding calmly:

"As it should be."

...

In the Southern Border region, the eerie and solemn Witch Divine Hall was shrouded in strange miasma year-round.

Inside the hall, the Witch Master sat alone at the main position, holding a grimly patterned ancient human-faced flag.

This flag was painstakingly arranged and refined by him.

He spent hundreds of years, expending energy to gather the original Dao Foundations of one hundred and eight cultivators with Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend fate, and by leveraging the emergence of the ancient Immortal Mansion, he collected countless rare spiritual objects to temper and forge it into form.

At this moment, the Witch Master placed the human-faced flag before him, using this strange flag as the foundation, to retreat and attack his fourth innate divine technique.

Inside the hall, black energy surged, eerie laws crisscrossed, and before long, the majestic brilliance of divine techniques pierced through the dome of the hall, spreading evil might that shocked all around.

The Witch Master raised his head and laughed heartily, full of spirit and pride:

"Success! My fourth divine technique is finally perfected! From this day forward, I am undisputedly the number one cultivator of the Southern Border!"

In the next moment.

A cold and indifferent voice suddenly rang out from nowhere:

"Being the number one cultivator of the Southern Border is not a good title."

The Witch Master’s face suddenly changed drastically, looking around the hall, he shouted sternly:

"Who hides in the shadows? Show yourself quickly!"

"No need to find, for I am you."

The icy words directly resonated from deep within the Witch Master’s divine soul.

The Witch Master’s pupils shrank to the size of needlepoints, his heart surging with tremendous shock.

He instinctively tried to activate the four divine techniques he had just mastered to contend with the anomaly.

However, it was all futile!

The divine techniques seemed not to belong to him, unable to be deployed.

Meanwhile,

his consciousness became rapidly chaotic and scattered.

How could he not realize he had long fallen into someone else’s trap!

At the verge of death, only one final question lingered:

"Since when has it started..."

The voice from within slowly answered, with a detached knowing:

"From the moment you embarked on the path of cultivation."

In an instant, scenes of past cultivation flashed rapidly through his mind, the Witch Master showed a bitterly self-mocking smile, his remaining consciousness completely dissipated.

The next instant.

The formerly lifeless body of the Witch Master suddenly opened its eyes, a pair of eyes deep and cold, with a demeanor entirely different.

He looked up at the changing clouds in the sky, murmuring to himself:

"The plan of pretending to reinstate the Great Wisdom Cang Kong has failed..."

"Indeed, they had long colluded with the Profound Sect!"

"However, this probing also completely erased my karmic traces. Henceforth, the world shall have no more [Western Tian Wudu Cheng Kong Buddha]."

"From now on, I am the Witch Master!"

...

At the same time, within Tianlong Temple.

The Venerable Toga sat quietly in the meditation hall, gazing at the flowing clouds outside the window, contemplating silently, a few plans flickering between his brows:

"The next rotation is about to arrive!"

"I should head back to Spirit Mountain, to pay respects to Senior Brother, and secure my position!"

Venerable Toga, guarding the Southern Border for many years, had accumulated countless rare treasures, with the Bodhisattva Fruit Position within reach, he was reluctant to leave.

Before the thought could finish, a message suddenly appeared in front of him.

Upon seeing the content, Venerable Toga’s whole body trembled, frozen in place, disbelief all over his face:

"Senior Brother failed to seek the golden position and has passed away in meditation!"

With the death of the Great Wisdom Cang Kong, he instantly lost his backing, becoming an idle and abandoned member of the Buddhist Sect.

Memories surged in his mind.

Once upon a time, he was high-spirited, replacing Wuchen Arhat of the Great Snow Temple.

Now his situation had flipped, with the current trend continuing, in a few more years, he would end up the same way, leaving in disgrace.