Terran Guardian - Chapter 3731

Chapter 3708 The Great Path of Karmic Fire

On this day,

within the Great Sage Secret Realm

, a golden celestial light suddenly shot into the sky, manifesting as a phantom Buddha, instantly alarming the numerous powerful figures guarding the Longevity Immortal Mine.

Even the cultivators responsible for mining the immortal ore were somewhat shocked by this extraordinary phenomenon.

Upon closer inspection, they could even discern that the Buddha’s phantom face bore a striking resemblance to Shen Changqing.

At this moment,

the entire secret realm trembled.

The dormant Great Sage Daoist essence revived.

“Has this person truly comprehended the Great Sage Daoist essence of this place?”

Lian Qianchou’s expression was somewhat shocked.

He now understood Shen Changqing’s identity and knew that the other party had reached this stage in less than ten million years since ascending to the Upper Realm.

But even knowing that the person before him was an unparalleled genius, seeing that the other party, with the cultivation of an Immortal Emperor, could truly comprehend the Great Sage Daoist essence still made him somewhat apprehensive. This was,

after all

, the Great Sage Daoist essence.

Lian Qianchou, representing the Poison King Holy Land and guarding the Longevity Immortal Mine, had been trying to comprehend the Dao of this place for years, but with little success.

There was no way around it.

The Dao of the Great Sage was boundless and vast.

Even for a Half-Saint, comprehending it was difficult.

Yet

now, a Celestial Emperor had comprehended such supreme Dao in less than 100,000 years—how could this not be astonishing?

However, it wasn’t just Lian Qianchou who was shocked; the other Half-Saints were as well.

This phenomenon didn’t last long before gradually dissipating.

The moment the phenomenon vanished, Shen Changqing opened his eyes, a golden light appearing in them, but disappearing in an instant.

“The Great Dao of Karmic Fire!”

“This is the path walked by that Great Sage of Tribulation!”

Shen Changqing looked inward into his sea of consciousness, where a celestial fire was already being nurtured. This celestial fire seemed weak, yet it was as if it had existed since ancient times, difficult to truly extinguish.

This—

was Karmic Fire!

It was the power that Shen Changqing had condensed after comprehending the Great Dao of Karmic Fire.

Karmic Fire!

It can burn even the soul!

It’s all-pervasive!

As long as a cultivator possesses karma, that karma can be transformed into nourishment, thus giving rise to karmic fire.

This method is enough to kill enemies invisibly.

More importantly, the more karma a person possesses, the stronger the karmic fire that is generated.

Although Shen Changqing has only barely comprehended some of the mysteries of the Great Dao of Karmic Fire, barely reaching the entry level, he is still far inferior to the Great Sage of Crossing Calamity.

However, with this power of the Great Dao of Karmic Fire, it is enough to stir up the karma of a half-saint, causing them to be consumed by karmic fire. It’s

just that, with his current strength, it is currently unknown to know to what extent he can unleash the power of the Great Dao of Karmic Fire.

Noticing the gazes of the other half-saints, Shen Changqing didn’t care. His mind had already returned to this secret realm.

After a while,

Shen Changqing withdrew his divine sense.

“It seems this is the limit!”

He shook his head inwardly.

Every Great Dao has its limits. When a cultivator’s strength is insufficient to master it, forcing themselves to comprehend it is largely meaningless. This is

currently

the case with the Great Dao of Karmic Fire.

Although the Daoist principles left behind by the Great Sage of Tribulation are at the true Great Sage level, theoretically, if one could fully comprehend them, they could potentially become a second Great Sage of Tribulation.

Unfortunately,

Shen Changqing’s current Immortal Emperor realm cultivation has become a shackle.

Reaching even the initial understanding of the Great Dao of Karmic Fire is his limit; continuing to comprehend it is utterly meaningless.

The throbbing pain in his soul made him realize that the subsequent stages of the Great Dao of Karmic Fire were beyond his current capabilities.

However,

Shen Changqing was not greedy.

Ten thousand years of enlightenment,

allowing him to master another supreme Dao, was not a bad thing.

But now that he had reached a bottleneck in his comprehension of the Great Dao of Karmic Fire, there was no need to remain here.

Shen Changqing took a step forward, and his figure vanished.

At the same time…

Inside a celestial abode within the Great Sage’s Secret Realm, three figures sat beneath a tree: Venerable Jiuyue, Shen Changqing, and the Demon God Chang Geng.

Venerable Jiuyue brewed celestial tea, its delicate fragrance permeating the entire abode. Within a radius of ten thousand miles, vegetation flourished, and some spiritual herbs even seemed to develop sentience, stepping into the path of cultivation.

“This is Bodhi Heartless Tea,” Venerable Jiuyue said with a smile. “Legend has it that only the places where Buddhist and Taoist masters attain enlightenment and pass away can nurture this top-tier celestial tea.

I was merely fortunate enough to find some in this secret realm, and now I’ll let you two taste it!”

Bodhi

Heartless Tea!

Shen Changqing had never heard of this name before, but with so many rare and precious celestial teas in the Upper Realm, it was impossible for him to have heard of them all.

He took a small sip and immediately felt his mind clear. The fatigue from ten thousand years of enlightenment vanished instantly.

Even more so,

his understanding of the Great Dao of Karmic Fire seemed to have subtly increased.

Previously perplexing points now seemed much clearer.

“Excellent tea!”

Shen Changqing exclaimed in admiration.

Venerable Jiuyue also picked up his teacup, took a sip, and a look of lingering satisfaction appeared on his face.

“This is indeed excellent tea. How can the Bodhi Heartless Tea, cultivated by ordinary Buddhist and Taoist cultivators during their enlightenment and passing, compare to the immortal tea cultivated by a Great Sage Realm Buddhist or Taoist expert?

I searched the entire Great Sage Secret Realm and only managed to obtain three ounces of this immortal tea.

If Fellow Daoist Shen likes it, there is still half an ounce here, which I will give to you!”

As Venerable Jiuyue spoke, he took out a palm-sized jade box and pushed it in front of Shen Changqing.

At the same time

, a barely perceptible look of regret appeared on his face.

Just as Venerable Jiuyue said, this level of Bodhi Heartless Tea was extremely rare and difficult to find.

After all…

This is a divine tea that can only be nurtured by the dissipation of the Dao aura of a Great Sage Realm expert who has attained enlightenment and passed away.

This Great Sage Secret Realm, as the tomb of the Great Sage of Crossing Calamity, is rich in Dao aura, yet Venerable Jiuyue only obtained three ounces of Bodhi Heartless Tea.

Of course,

Venerable Jiuyue also knew that

such a vast Great Sage Secret Realm couldn’t possibly contain only three ounces of divine tea.

The rest of the Bodhi Heartless Tea probably fell into the hands of other Half-Saints.

But one thing he was certain of

was that even including the Bodhi Heartless Tea in the hands of other Half-Saints, the quantity wouldn’t be too large, at most a pound or two. Right now   ,

Venerable Jiuyue only had three ounces, and giving away half an ounce was bound to be painful. However   , despite the pain,   he still had to give it.   In Venerable Jiuyue’s view, using half an ounce of divine tea to strengthen the relationship between the two sides was a sure win.   Shen Changqing opened the jade box and saw a small amount of immortal tea inside. Each tea leaf shimmered with a faint golden light, and every pattern seemed to manifest the Great Dao, revealing glimpses of Buddha and the evolution of galaxies.   This immortal tea was clearly extraordinary at a glance.   Therefore,   Shen Changqing didn’t feign reluctance and readily accepted the half-ounce of Bodhi Heartless Tea from the jade box.   ”Speaking of which,” he said, “I spent ten thousand years comprehending the Dao in the Longevity Immortal Mine, and I can barely say I’ve gained some understanding. Since Fellow Daoist Jiuyue is here today, how about we discuss the Dao?”   ”If Fellow Daoist Shen is so inclined, then that would be wonderful!”   Venerable Jiuyue’s eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed.   Discuss the Dao!   If any other Immortal Emperor had said this, Venerable Jiuyue would have scoffed.   After all, he was a sixth-order half-saint, having cultivated for countless eons; his understanding of the Great Dao was far beyond what any so-called Immortal Emperor could match.   To put it bluntly, cultivators at this level wouldn’t even be qualified to listen to his lectures, let alone discuss the Dao with him.   But—   Shen Changqing was different.   After truly witnessing Shen Changqing’s strength, Venerable Jiuyue never treated him as a junior Immortal Emperor, but as an equal.   Furthermore, Venerable Jiuyue had also witnessed Shen Changqing’s enlightenment in the Great Sage Secret Realm.   Such an unparalleled genius was destined to defy conventional judgment.   Discussing the Dao with him would undoubtedly bring numerous benefits.   ”Since Fellow Daoist Jiuyue agrees, then I will offer my humble opinion!”   Shen Changqing immediately began expounding on the Great Dao. As his words fell, the void of the Immortal Mansion trembled, a great river of the Dao flowed through the nine heavens, and the Great Sage Dao aura of the entire secret realm was stirred, manifesting countless mysteries.   At first,   Venerable Jiuyue still wore a smile.   But as time passed, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression, not daring to relax in the slightest.   The Chang Geng Demon God, standing to the side, was now also listening intently to Shen Changqing’s exposition of the Great Dao, observing the evolution of this supreme Daoist essence.   Time passed slowly.   After an unknown amount of time,   all the strange phenomena of heaven and earth dissipated, and Shen Changqing’s lecture had ended.   However, neither the Chang Geng Demon God nor the Nine Peaks Venerable spoke, remaining in a state of enlightenment.   After yet another unknown amount of time, the Nine Peaks Venerable was the first to awaken. When he looked at Shen Changqing, his eyes held a mixture of emotion and astonishment.   ”What a magnificent Great Dao of Karmic Fire… Thank you so much, Fellow Daoist Shen, for your guidance. In truth, I owe you a tremendous favor!” With   that,   the Nine Peaks Venerable rose and bowed to Shen Changqing in gratitude.   Now,   how could the Nine Peaks Venerable not understand that Shen Changqing’s supposed discussion of the Dao was actually an exposition of the Great Dao of Karmic Fire to repay the karmic debt from the Bodhi Heartless Tea?   In the Nine Peaks Venerable’s view, he had gained a great advantage.   While the Bodhi Heartless Tea is indeed precious, how can half an ounce of it compare to the Great Dao of Karmic Fire?   It must be understood that   the latter is the true path of the Great Sage.   Although Shen Changqing’s comprehension of the Great Dao of Karmic Fire is only a superficial understanding of the Great Sage’s path, it is still a true entry point.   To put it bluntly, receiving guidance from Shen Changqing has allowed him to glimpse the mysteries of the Great Dao of Karmic Fire.   In this way,   Venerable Jiuyue can use the power of this Great Dao as a medium to truly comprehend the Great Sage’s Dao essence within the secret realm, thereby perfecting his path to immortality.   The latter is crucial to whether he can overcome the next Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man and reach the Seven Tribulations Half-Saint realm.   Therefore,   in Venerable Jiuyue’s view, such a favor is naturally incomparable to half an ounce of Bodhi Heartless Tea.