Chapter 1625: 116 Rod's Warning_3

Chapter 1625: Chapter 116 Rod’s Warning_3

Wang Ba frowned slightly.

This was precisely the greatest crux of the problem.

Master Xinyuan’s actions were not simply about choosing who should live or die. He originally intended to save everyone, but his decision only resulted in even greater and more tragic losses.

Therefore, from the perspective of outcomes, had Master Xinyuan chosen a different approach at that time, even if it meant doing nothing, the result might have been far better than it is now.

Master Xinyuan, in hindsight, clearly realized this himself, which is why he found it even harder to accept such a reality.

But as for the elderly monk standing before him, he swallowed his words, unable to voice them aloud.

“Master, none of us have ever blamed you…”

Zhao Jie’s face showed sorrow as he looked at the revered Master Xinyuan, who had now become this way, stepping forward softly to offer comfort.

He was met only with the furious roaring of the Demonic Thought’s phantom.

The Buddha’s Light from the Relic Pagoda illuminated the Demonic Thought phantom, but it couldn’t purify it. Instead, the phantom seemed to inch closer to Master Xinyuan’s physical body, as if attempting to return.

Wang Ba, noticing this scene, felt a chill in his heart. His mind raced, and he suddenly spoke in a deep voice:

“Xituo Continent has come to today, and yet Master blames none of those World Eaters, but instead shoulders all the guilt himself. That’s rather arrogant and self-important, wouldn’t you say?”

The Demonic Thought phantom halted upon hearing this, then turned its malicious gaze towards Wang Ba, its ferocious visage carrying a trace of confusion:

“…You, what are you trying to say?”

Meeting its gaze steadily, Wang Ba replied calmly:

“Master, since your body has merged with Heaven and Earth, surely you can perceive the state of the Outer Realm. The cosmos is deteriorating, the alien beasts outside the realm, the World Eaters—they’ve been eyeing Little Cang World for years. The Great Flood disaster would be unstoppable regardless of whether it took place on Xituo Continent, Fenglin Continent, or Huangji Continent, with the involvement of the World Eaters.”

“Master intends to save all beings with sheer personal effort, yet remains unaware that numerous Class VI World Eaters beyond the realm are waiting to feast on Little Cang World. Does Master truly believe that with your solitary strength, you can ward off such a vast catastrophe and resist all those World Eaters outside the realm?”

“And what do you make of the many Void Refining cultivators within Little Cang World?”

“Even they dare not entertain such presumptions!”

“If Master truly harbors such thoughts, Wang has just four words for you…”

“Overestimating oneself!”

“Tan Yue!”

Zhao Jie, unable to tolerate further insults, angrily interrupted in a low voice.

Even though he vaguely suspected that Xituo Continent’s current plight was closely tied to the actions of the former Master Xinyuan, he still couldn’t bear to see him ridiculed by Wang Ba.

Inside the Relic Pagoda, however, an unforeseen calm descended.

The Demonic Thought phantom stood dumbfounded beneath the Buddha’s Light. The demonic aura surrounding it rose like smoke under the purifying light, yet it seemed oblivious, mumbling a few words to itself:

“Overestimating oneself… Overestimating oneself…”

Sometimes furrowing its brows, sometimes glaring angrily, sometimes bursting into laughter…

With these words, the demonic aura on the phantom’s body gradually dissipated.

The tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and its ferocious face began to exude peace.

It sat cross-legged with hands clasped together in prayer.

Behind it, the fractures on the Buddha statue silently mended, the Demonic Qi vanishing with anguished howls.

A tiny auspicious red mole reappeared in the middle of the phantom’s forehead and Master Xinyuan’s physical body’s brow.

Pure white Buddha’s Light emerged from behind both their heads, as if a Buddha had attained enlightenment, washing away worldly impurities!

“This, this…”

Zhao Jie stared at the Demonic Thought phantom in disbelief, then turned to look at Wang Ba, his expression full of astonishment.

These were unmistakable signs of achieving Buddhahood and Dao!

But… he was clearly berating Master Xinyuan just now, so how could this…

The Relic Pagoda seemed to sense something as well, trembling slightly before slowly detaching from the Demonic Thought phantom and hovering mid-air, as if conversing back and forth.

The Demonic Thought phantom, now enveloped in pure white Buddha’s Light, was holy and immaculate, a stark contrast to its previous state of overwhelming malice.

It nodded faintly, its eyes flowing with innumerable sutras, gazing eastward as though seeing something profound, before speaking slowly in a resonant Buddhist tone:

“Go now. The impending catastrophe approaches, and Martial Nephew Ci Wu has already found my successor. It will need you more.”

The Relic Pagoda lingered momentarily with reluctance, then flew resolutely toward the east.

Watching this scene, Wang Ba seemed lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Zhao Jie was too overcome with excitement to form coherent words:

“Master, you, have you already…”

“I have already achieved Dao.”

The Demonic Thought phantom—no, Master Xinyuan’s phantom—smiled faintly, its expression serene and tranquil. Then, turning towards Wang Ba, it sat cross-legged mid-air, clasped its hands together, and bowed slightly:

“Thank you, young friend, for your guidance. Xinyuan previously committed a grave taboo of Buddhism, being excessively attached to ‘I-clinging.’ Those four words from you were like a hammer striking the head, and Xinyuan has learned much.”

Wang Ba did not shy away but instead acknowledged the gesture without hesitation.

‘I-clinging’ refers to the flaw of being overly attached to the self, placing too much importance on one’s own existence.

Master Xinyuan endured such suffering largely because he considered himself indispensable to the world, attributing Xituo Continent’s fate solely to his own choices. Yet, once he realized that he was just one among countless beings, and that the greater cosmic flow would remain unaffected by his decisions, such suffering no longer had grounds to persist.

Because his choices were insignificant; under the grand catastrophe of Heaven and Earth, no one could escape unscathed.

Still, Wang Ba had some curiosity:

“Master, what is your current state…?”

Master Xinyuan’s phantom answered candidly and calmly:

“I should now be entering Nirvana.”

“But if phrased in the terms of Fenglin Continent, I might also be considered to have ascended.”

Wang Ba was slightly startled: