Chapter 2490: Years Old
Ye Futian watched as Saint Zhenchan left. His expression was calm. After the other party left, he said, “It appears that I am not the main reason why Saint Zhenchan came to Spirit Mountain.”
The various Buddhas also realized this. It turned out that Saint Zhenchan had come to Spirit Mountain to meet Medicine Buddha Lord. It seemed that his injuries were very severe. With his cultivation, it might be that he couldn’t recover from it on his own. Hence, he needed the aid of Medicine Buddha Lord.
“Still, you should be careful,” mumbled Chen Yi as he walked up next to Ye Futian. Ye Futian nodded his head. Saint Zhenchan’s threat was still ringing in his ears. Saint Zhenchan’s main reason for coming here was to seek treatment; his secondary goal was to deal with Ye Futian.
As long as he had the opportunity, Saint Zhenchan would naturally not let Ye Futian go.
The grudge between them was established, and not just in Western Heaven. Most likely, even if Ye Futian returned to the Divine Prefecture, Saint Zhenchan would not let him escape. After all, without the divine body, Ye Futian couldn’t go against Saint Zhenchan.
“Spirit Mountain is a place for quiet cultivation. Everyone, please return to your own cultivation courts,” said Bitter Zen as he walked up before the ancient peak and bowed into the distance with his palms placed together.
Although there was no one before him, in reality, the various Buddhas were all looking to where he was. He was asking the various Buddhas to leave.
Very soon, the Buddhas retracted their auras. Seeing that the incident had been resolved so easily, they naturally did not see the need to remain here. All of them left one after another.
“Benefactor Ye, you may continue cultivating in peace,” Bitter Zen said as he turned to face Ye Futian.
“Many thanks, Master,” replied Ye Futian as he bowed back at Bitter Zen. Bitter Zen and Yumu then bid farewell and left.
Chen Yi walked up beside Ye Futian and asked, “What do you plan to do now?”
Ye Futian was marked by Saint Zhenchan. If he remained in Western Heaven, he needed to be on his guard at all times. If he took the opportunity to leave now, he might be able to return to the Divine Prefecture before Saint Zhenchan recovered from his injuries.
Ye Futian replied, “Since Saint Zhenchan wants to kill me, he probably won’t let this opportunity slip past him so easily. If I leave, we might be stalked.” After all, Saint Zhenchan should be well aware that if Ye Futian returned to the Divine Prefecture, it wouldn’t be as easy to kill him there as it was in Western Heaven.
If Ye Futian were in Saint Zhenchan’s shoes, he would have arranged for Ye Futian to be stalked.
“So, you plan to continue cultivating in Western Heaven?” Chen Yi further inquired.
“Hmm,” responded Ye Futian as he nodded his head. He would first reach the ninth tier of the Renhuang Plane. Even if he returned to the Divine Prefecture, his main goal would still be to continue cultivating. It was a rare fateful encounter for him to be able to cultivate on Spirit Mountain.
Aside from cultivating Celerity, his aim was to reach the final tier of the Renhuang Plane. That way, when he returned to the Divine Prefecture, he could do as he pleased and need not be restricted by others.
“Alright,” answered Chen Yi as he nodded his head. Spirit Mountain was indeed very suitable for cultivating.
After they made their decision, their group continued cultivating here. The peaceful mountain seemed to make them forget the flow of time. In the blink of an eye, Ye Futian welcomed his 100th year of life.
Before the ancient peak, Ye Futian gazed at the golden Sea of Clouds. Hua Jieyu sat beside him, accompanying him in silence.
“It has been 100 years,” whispered Hua Jieyu with a smile. Both of them were the same age. They were now 100 years old.
“100 years passed by in a flash,” replied Ye Futian as he smiled. He recalled the time when they had met in Qingzhou Academy in the city of Qingzhou. It felt like a dream that had lasted for decades.
“Although it passed in a flash, we have also changed greatly since then,” said Hua Jieyu with a smile. The times they spent during their youth in the city of Qingzhou were so happy. Everything had changed since then.
They also never imagined that they would spend their 100th year alive on Spirit Mountain, the holy land of Western Heaven.
“Although we have changed, in the end, we are still together,” said Ye Futian in a gentle tone as he hugged Hua Jieyu. Ever since they knew each other, they had been apart longer than they had been together. Fortunately, they were still a couple.
They would remain together forever.
“Hmm,” responded Hua Jieyu as she nodded her head gently. She leaned into Ye Futian’s embrace and closed her eyes. She did not move, seemingly quietly falling asleep.
After looking at his lover in his embrace, Ye Futian gazed out to the golden Sea of Clouds. It was as beautiful as a dream.
During his first 100 years of cultivation, he had pursued the peak of the Renhuang Plane. For the next 100 years, he would aim for the peak of cultivation.
He also closed his eyes and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the moment.
In the distance, Hua Qingqing’s beautiful gaze revealed a faint smile as she watched this peaceful scene. She turned around and did not disturb them. She then saw Fang Cun and the others peeping. When they saw Hua Qingqing smiling at them, they quickly scurried away.
No one disturbed Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu from enjoying their time together. They watched as the two of them enjoyed this peace that was hard to come by. The golden Sea of Clouds shone with the Light of Buddha. The clouds kept shifting. Waves of rainbow light shone down on Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu. The scene was like a painting. It was a peaceful sight to behold.
This scene lasted for a long while. They seemed detached from the world around them. No matter how the golden clouds shifted, they did not move at all. They seemed to have entered a state of meditative consciousness.
A few days later, Hua Qingqing, Chen Yi, and the others looked at the two of them from afar. Someone asked in a low voice, “What’s going on?”
“They are one with nature. They merge with the heavens and the earth,” Hua Qingqing explained softly. “This is what happens when someone enters the state of meditative consciousness. When a cultivator enters into this state, it’s easier for them to achieve enlightenment. Perhaps, this is a fateful encounter for them.”
“Hmm.” Chen Yi nodded in agreement. The changes in the Sea of Clouds intensified as the clouds shifted frenziedly. They could faintly sense an aura of the Great Path flowing in the sky. This caused Chen Yi and Hua Qingqing to reveal a surprised expression.
This was a sign. Who was about to break through to the next plane?
Was it Ye Futian? Or was it Hua Jieyu?
There were howling winds and churning clouds in the sky above Spirit Mountain. A terrifying aura flowed in the air. The golden Light of Buddha dispersed, and dull thundering sounds could be heard. The sacred space was covered with a layer of haze. The aura was menacing, causing people’s hearts to tremble in fear.
“It’s a divine tribulation!” Chen Yi mumbled as a glint of surprise flashed past in his eyes.
The person who was about to experience a breakthrough was Hua Jieyu.
If Ye Futian were experiencing a breakthrough, he would advance to the ninth tier of the Renhuang Plane. There would not be any divine tribulation involved.
Only if Hua Jieyu faced a breakthrough would the Divine Tribulation of the Great Path occur.
Ye Futian sensed something. He opened his eyes and took a look at the sky. Joy flashed past his eyes. Hua Jieyu, who was in his embrace, similarly opened her eyes. They looked at each other and smiled. Then, she left his arms. Clearly, both of them were well aware of what was going to happen.
Ye Futian thought to himself. He did not expect Jieyu to be the first of them to experience the Divine Tribulation of the Great Path. However, after recalling Hua Jieyu’s experience and fateful encounters, he felt that her advancement was natural. Hua Jieyu had a deeper understanding of the teachings of the Great Emperor compared to him. Back when she returned to his side in the Divine Prefecture, she was already at the peak of the Renhuang Plane.
Hua Jieyu stepped forward and marched towards the Sea of Clouds.
“Be careful,” reminded Ye Futian softly. He had witnessed how Emperor Xi experienced his divine tribulation. The process was perilous.
“Hmm.” Hua Jieyu smiled and nodded her head. She seemed unworried about it.
Chen Yi and Hua Qingqing approached them. Blind Tie, Fang Cun, and the rest joined them too. All of them watched as Hua Jieyu walked towards the Sea of Clouds.
Countless people exhausted their lives wanting to experience the divine tribulation and advance to the next level. Yet, they couldn’t achieve their goal. Who would have thought that Hua Jieyu had actually managed to do so after having an enlightenment?
“Why haven’t you broken through to the next plane?” Chen Yi asked Ye Futian.
“Right! Even Masteress is undergoing the Divine Tribulation of the Great Path. Yet Master has yet to advance to the next plane,” said Fang Cun with a smile. He was teasing his Master.
Ye Futian revealed a pondering look. Before this, when he was in the state of meditative consciousness, he felt that he had entered into a miraculous realm. With his current ability, he should be able to break through to the next plane. However, he seemed to encounter some hindrance that prohibited him from doing so. Up until now, he had yet to get to the bottom of this problem!