Chapter 386: Chapter 42: Integration Dao: Nine Nether, Celestial Realms Level Avatar

"But in truth, if the East Emperor hadn’t tried to slay Wa Huang’s body, perhaps the resentment between the Immortals and Buddhas wouldn’t have erupted so quickly, and he wouldn’t have been hunted by so many Dao Fruits..."

As he spoke, Lamp Buddha sighed.

"That is all in the past."

Lu Xuan listened silently, lost in thought. A rough, blurry timeline was forming in his mind.

During the Three Emperors Era, Wa Huang fell. Taiyi failed to slay Wa Huang’s body. During the Five Emperors Era, the Dao Fruits hunted Taiyi, and the Ancient Celestial Court vanished. After that should be the Celestial Emperor’s ascension to the throne, with the dynasty moving to the Xia or Shang...

’I’ve been thinking about so many things. The Lady was born from Wa Huang’s mortal shell, and my master said that I could indeed be considered a child of the Lady, not of Wa Huang...’

’Why would he say that?’

Lu Xuan couldn’t figure it out.

He reined in his thoughts, sighed, and stopped dwelling on it. Instead, he began trying to comprehend "One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones" while discussing the Dao with Senior Brother Xuandu and Lamp Buddha.

Although Lu Xuan’s Cultivation was far inferior to the other two, his comprehension was extraordinary. His natural talent was comparable to that of an Innate Divine Spirit from before the Creation of Heaven and Earth, so he could keep up with their pace when discussing the Dao.

As the three discussed the Dao, the empty, silent, and desolate land gave birth to Golden Lotuses, heavenly blossoms, Immortal Flowers, and other auspicious omens. The sounds of the Dao, Buddhist chants, and immortal music rose and fell, filling the air.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

After one year and three months of being trapped here, amid the sounds of their Dao discussion, Lu Xuan had a sudden epiphany and clapped his hands, laughing loudly.

"I understand now!"

Then, he rose gracefully, channeling the Mediation of Creation and scattering Innate Material and Divine Essence.

To the utter astonishment of Xuandu and Lamp, he severed his second True Self Incarnation!

"Fellow Daoist."

The True Self Incarnation bowed to Lu Xuan, who returned the gesture with a smile.

"From now on, you shall be..."

"Nine Nether."

The True Self Incarnation, now named Nine Nether, had a chaotic and indistinct face. Lu Xuan had imbued it with the chaotic state of Cause and Effect from "Dao Generating One."

This made it not a physical entity, but rather a conglomeration of Cause and Effect. Though it had a human form, it was actually composed of Chaos Qi and Innate Material, like a shroud of mist.

Xuandu and Lamp Buddha snapped out of their stupor. They looked at each other, seeing the shock and disbelief in one another’s eyes.

’Just how long has it been...?’

One year.

One year!!

Lamp Buddha was one thing, as he didn’t understand "One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones," but Xuandu knew exactly how difficult this Dharma was!

After a long moment, Xuandu spoke, his expression complicated.

"Junior Brother, you didn’t give this incarnation a physical body? Why?"

Beside him, Lamp Buddha also nodded slightly and asked curiously,

"Nine Nether, is it? It seems to be in a state of chaos, its Cause and Effect mottled."

Lu Xuan smiled calmly.

"Ksitigarbha King was, after all, a contingency plan for a Dao Fruit. He was granted a portion of the Nine Nether’s authority by the one who controls Reincarnation. This place is close to the Origin, making it difficult even for Dao Fruits to peer into. Therefore, I suspect that even they are unaware of Ksitigarbha King’s death."

Lamp Buddha said thoughtfully:

"Are you thinking of... having Nine Nether replace Ksitigarbha King??"

"Correct." Lu Xuan nodded. "I’ve given this True Self Incarnation a chaotic state of Cause and Effect, making it untraceable to its source. It likely won’t be discovered for some time... But let’s put that aside for a moment."

With a thought, Nine Nether, which appeared as a misty mass barely holding a human shape, slowly dispersed and began to envelop the dim, flickering authority of the Nine Nether.

The two entangled and began to merge.

"Buddha."

Lu Xuan glanced at Lamp and bowed.

"Nine Nether is in a chaotic state and is extremely malleable. After it finishes merging with the Nine Nether’s authority, could I trouble you, Buddha, to mold its interior and exterior into that of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?"

"I can."

Lamp Buddha nodded.

"I am also well-versed in the path Ksitigarbha walked; it is within the realm of Buddhist Skill. I can forge Nine Nether into a convincing imitation of Ksitigarbha, but it won’t last for too long unless Nine Nether truly comprehends Ksitigarbha’s Dao."

"It won’t need to be for long. Just long enough to make a few public appearances, create the illusion that Ksitigarbha King is fine, and then have ’Ksitigarbha’ sever his own Buddha Foundation, abandon Buddhism for the Dao, and take the name Nine Nether."

"A good plan." Xuandu gave a rare nod. "Those below the Dao Fruit level might be fooled, but if a Dao Fruit were to investigate closely, they would surely discover the discrepancy."

Lu Xuan spread his hands.

"I doubt any Dao Fruit would be that bored, right? If one really does investigate closely, then I can only blame my bad luck... For now, we just have to wait for Nine Nether to finish merging with the Nine Nether’s authority."

As he said this, Lu Xuan’s eyes began to shine brightly.

"Speaking of which, if the fusion is successful, what kind of level can Nine Nether reach?"

After a moment of thought, Xuandu said,

"Outside the Nine Nether, it will be comparable to your true body—no stronger, perhaps even weaker. But within the Nine Nether..."

"It will likely be at the Celestial Realms Level, perhaps even stronger. Previously, Ksitigarbha didn’t use any Buddhist Skill, relying purely on the authority of the Nine Nether to fight. Once Nine Nether familiarizes itself with that authority, it could probably reach a similar level of power."

Hearing this, Lu Xuan’s eyes grew even brighter.

"So within the Nine Nether, it will be at least at the Celestial Realms Level. And in specific circumstances, like this place where Time and Years cannot manifest, it could even contend with a Daluo?"

"More or less," Lamp Buddha said with a smile. "Not only that, but if it can grasp more of the Nine Nether’s authority, it might even be able to stand firm in the Nine Nether and strike at the Human World, or even the heavens."

Lu Xuan grinned, his heart filled with joy. ’I haven’t even attained the Immortal realm, yet I’m about to gain a Celestial Realms Level incarnation... Life is truly unpredictable.’

He stopped dwelling on it and continued discussing the Dao with Xuandu and Lamp Buddha.

Merging with the Nine Nether’s authority was not something that could be accomplished in a day. This session of Dao discussion was exceptionally long, and time flew by, swift as a fleeting shadow.