At that moment, a golden crack slowly appeared in the heart of the tree, like a flash of lightning, splitting the Blood Bodhi Tree in two, emitting a dazzling light that illuminated the surrounding world.

Yan Kong, the old monk, slowly stepped out from the heart of the tree. His steps were steady and slow, his coarse cloth monk shoes lightly crunching over the fallen leaves, making a subtle rustling sound.

What's surprising is that wherever he walked, tender green sprouts broke through the soil, as if his steps carried the vitality of spring, awakening everything in his path.

The kasaya on his body was loosely draped like a faded scripture banner, gently swaying in the breeze. A half-hidden tattoo of a blood vine was visible on his neck, a mark left by the Red Moon monk during his sojourn, now transformed into withered vine patterns, like the weathered marks of time.

King Lin instinctively threw a punch at the sight.

This was a defensive strike, an instinctual response from his body to a sudden perceived danger, still unable to achieve complete harmony after his breakthrough.

Then he realized something was amiss, and the aura around him suddenly stalled.

Was this the "Yan Kong" of old?

The old monk held a translucent relic in his palm, which emitted a gentle glow, reflecting his serene face, distinctly resembling the glazed bone structure possessed only by the great virtues of the Buddhist sect.

"Your punch far surpasses that of yore," Yan Kong slightly smiled, revealing a faint, light smile, as he extended his hand to gently stroke the tree trunk.

With his touch, the branch seemed to be driven by some mysterious power, instantly sprouting plump grains of rice, which lightly swayed in the breeze, exuding a faint rice fragrance.

"It's even more remarkable that when King Bull Demon set foot on the ground, you instinctively left seven parts of your strength to protect the field ridge. Well done." He nodded slightly, his words full of mystical Buddhist wisdom.

King Lin stared in a daze at his fist, his eyes filled with contemplation.

When he had instinctively thrown the punch just now, he hadn't noticed the subtle changes within it. At this moment, reminded by Yan Kong, he looked closely and saw that the cracks on the rock wall swept by the fist wind cleverly avoided all the bird nests.

The bird nests hung undisturbed on the rock wall, and the birds inside were not startled in the least, chirping happily.

Looking again, the bending posture of the Bull Demon phantom when retracting the fist unexpectedly corresponded perfectly with the posture of an old farmer gleaning in the field. This discovery stirred a wave of inexplicable emotion within King Lin's heart.

Xu Qing leaned against the tree root, with a somewhat casual and unrestrained look on his face, casually tossed a wine gourd toward Yan Kong, calling out loudly, "Master, do you now know what the most intense fire under heaven is?"

Yan Kong steadily caught the wine gourd, took a swig while tilting his head, and the spicy liquor flowed down his throat, causing a blush to rise on his face.

Suddenly, he coughed up a few drops of golden blood, which fell to the ground and instantly ignited into azure flames.

In the glow of the flames, his frenzied appearance when once controlled by the Devil Thought of the Red Moon was reflected, his eyes wide open, his face distorted, emitting an evil aura, starkly contrasting with his current tranquility.

"It is the wildfire of sentient beings that cannot burn away obsession." Yan Kong's face remained calm, as he gently pinched his fingers, instantly extinguishing the azure flame.

The Buddha beads on his wrist suddenly had seven beads turning gray-white, as if with this pinch, he extinguished the obsession in his heart as well.

"Fortunately, the martial saint intent contained in Lord Lin's fist has the power to kindle all things, shattering the last heart barrier for this old monk." His voice carried a touch of gratitude, looking at King Lin with deep appreciation.

This is where Xu Qing's prowess lies.

Having King Lin assassinate the Snowfield Living Buddha to make a breakthrough to Martial Saint was only the first layer of facade. The other layer was to forcibly take the Dusk Drum and, using King Lin's breakthrough martial saint intent, to shatter the last heart barrier in Yan Kong's tribulation and rebirth.

One could say everything was interlinked, achieving multiple goals in one fell swoop.

Only Xu Qing, as the current Demon Lord, could use such extraordinary methods to transform the cultivation obstacles and tribulations of two old friends into Creation.

With this maneuver, Xu Qing finally accumulated the momentum a creator of the Immortal Dynasty was supposed to have, truly qualifying to battle the Black Mountain old demon at the peak of its creation.

…

…

The sound of the Dusk Drum was melodious and profound, seemingly traversing time and space, echoing between heaven and earth.

Yan Kong's kasaya suddenly swelled like a sail, flapping loudly, and behind him appeared a phantom of a hundred mu of rice fields. In these fields, sunlight shimmered on the water's surface, creating a sparkling scene.

The workers were actually soul spirits within the Buddha Country Illusion Realm of the Snowfield Living Buddha, their stance of bowing and planting seedlings identical to the "old farmer style" in King Lin's fist postures.

Their movements were uniform, with each bow and rise imbued with a reverence for the land and love for life, as if enacting real life within this illusory field.

In the Snowfield Living Buddha's Buddha Country, they only needed to enjoy pleasures without needing to contribute anything.

But in Yan Kong's Buddha Country Illusion Realm, they needed to toil to gain fulfilling joy.

The difference lay in that within Yan Kong's Buddha Country environment, their souls would become more enriched, so that in the future they could be reborn.

Whereas in the Snowfield Living Buddha's Buddha Country, they could only eternally exist within it, until they could no longer regenerate any desire or pleasure, ultimately becoming an illusory dead thing.

King Lin's Bull Demon Dharma Form suddenly let out a long, deafening moo towards the heavens, as if attempting to break through the sky. Behind him appeared the illusion of a hundred thousand blacksmiths forging iron, sparks flying and the clattering sounds of anvils resounding one after another.

The fist wind roared past like a powerful storm, causing the Blood Bodhi Tree's three thousand aerial roots to simultaneously bear grain. The grains hung heavy and low, as if narrating the joy of a bountiful harvest.

Yan Kong laughed heartily, his laughter bold and unrestrained, blooming an eight-petaled Golden Lotus beneath his feet.

At the heart of the lotus was a boy with clenched fists, whose face was youthful but eyes resolute, precisely the manifestation of King Lin's newly realized first move of the Bull Demon Strong Fist, "Child Leading Bull."

And Xu Qing flicked his fingers, causing the gold script of the "Immortal Dynasty Code" to cascade down from the tree crown. It intertwined with the Brahma text of the Buddhist "Diamond Sutra," forming a web. The two ancient texts complemented each other, radiating a mysterious light, startling a mountain full of Crane Calls.

The flocks of cranes spiraled and danced in the sky, issuing crisp calls as if cheering for the wondrous sight.

…

…

Within the shrine ruins, the remains of the Snowfield Living Buddha sat peacefully, surrounded by chains seemingly transformed from heavenly rules and laws, while the remaining lamas chanted Esoteric Buddhist Scripture around them.

On the chains were the soul spirits previously seen in the Buddha Country Illusion Realm.

At this moment, each wore an expression of joy, as if experiencing some immense bliss.

A myriad of blissful emotions unexpectedly transformed into flames, igniting them.

The fire grew increasingly intense.

As a result, these soul spirits became increasingly joyous.

Gradually, the chains around the Living Buddha began to be consumed by the flames, breaking inch by inch.

However, during this process, the joy on the souls gradually faded, turning into calm.

And one by one, these souls became lifeless in the process.

By the time the last inch of chain was destroyed,

all the souls became equally lifeless.

No pain, no joy.

No savior, nor eternal Pure Land of bliss.

But they knew nothing anymore.

The Snowfield Living Buddha sighed softly:

"Mortals believe in 'self'."

With this simple "Buddha utterance," the surroundings became completely tranquil.

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