"This secret realm will grow!"
Yang Hong was stunned when he instantly teleported from the foot of the mountain to the peak of the Great Snow Mountain and observed the peculiar situation on the summit.
On the mountain peak, a mere two li wide, sat a hundred-li-diameter circular space, above which floated a colossal island a thousand li in circumference.
The continent atop the mountain peak plunged directly into the stratosphere of the Taiyuan Star. Under the cultivation of Buddhism, a veritable paradise had been created.
The continent in the sky not only possessed spiritual energy concentration equivalent to a ninth-tier spiritual vein but also boasted extremely pure spiritual energy, minimally contaminated by demonic energy.
"This secret realm should have only been two li in circumference originally. It has grown so much; the Buddhist sect must have put in considerable effort."
"If I were to collapse this secret realm, would the Buddhist sect weep?"
Yang Hong grinned wickedly, activating the World-Breaking Stone in his hand. He vanished in a flash of silver-white light.
He had made thorough preparations for this outing, leaving behind a clone, altering his appearance, and concealing his tracks.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Yang Hong had returned to the sealing space that had imprisoned him for decades.
As he reopened his eyes, all he saw was gold and green.
The entire space, from sky to earth, was covered in verdant vegetation. Countless green plants, radiating Buddhist golden light, grew wildly.
"129,600 Mahayana realm cultivators! And all at the late Mahayana stage!"
The moment he stabilized himself, Yang Hong's expression changed drastically!
Within this small circular space, only ninety-nine li in diameter, were the spiritual presences of twelve thousand nine hundred and sixty Mahayana realm cultivators!
A full Yuan count, Yang Hong even suspected that were it not for the spatial limitations preventing further growth, the number of Mahayana realm spiritual plants could have increased tenfold, a hundredfold.
"Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, while practicing the profound Prajnaparamita, perceived the five aggregates as empty and transcended all suffering.
Shariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. The same is true of feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness."
"Amitabha~"
"Seeing my Buddha~"
"Non-self is Buddha~"
As Yang Hong was filled with awe, countless Buddhist chants echoed throughout the sealing space. Golden Buddhist light, as if sentient, enveloped him and began to silently transform him.
"Damn it! The power of conversion in this space is terrifyingly potent."
Yang Hong shivered and snapped back to reality. He quickly circulated the "Pure Breeze Breathing Technique" to repel the seductive and converting forces.
Concurrently, he retrieved a Moonpetal Grass from his scale space.
"Ding~ You have bestowed 3000 days of cultivation upon the ninth-grade spiritual plant Moonpetal Grass, receiving a tenfold return, gaining 30 million days of cultivation."
"Ding~ The ninth-grade Moonpetal Grass has accumulated enough energy to begin evolving... Moonpetal Grass begins to shapeshift..."
Rumble~
The rules of the heavenly tribulation immediately descended, and the booming thunder temporarily suppressed the Buddhist chants.
The shapeshifting heavenly tribulation could still only strike the sealing space, adding energy to it.
"Haha, this rule hasn't changed. Perhaps I can now create more Mahayana realm spiritual plant demons."
"Come out~"
With a plan in place, Yang Hong summoned ninety Mahayana ninth-tier spiritual plant demons.
"Master, this space is converting us, and it's very powerful."
Upon emergence, Yu Ke'er frowned.
Her secondary cultivation technique, the "Great Light Buddhist Scripture," was most adept at converting sentient beings, making her highly sensitive to conversion forces.
"Yes, it is indeed conversion force. Now, all of you, circulate your techniques to resist the conversion force. I will bestow cultivation upon you.
Hua Xinlei, you first."
"Yes~"
Yang Hong did not delay. Without letting Hua Xinlei reveal his true form, he clasped his hand and activated the [System] deep within his sea of consciousness.
"Ding~ You have bestowed 30 million days of cultivation upon the ninth-grade spiritual plant Iron Birch, receiving a tenfold return, gaining 3000 days of cultivation."
Hearing this unprecedented and unbelievable notification, Yang Hong smiled.
He had obtained a new system, a conjecture from his long-term research, and it had unexpectedly succeeded.
The origin of the sealing space's heaven and earth was rapidly drawn. The origin that should have been returned to him was directly transferred into Hua Xinlei's body by the system.
...
Rumble~ Rumble~
The monks of the Jietian Temple, who were discussing how to deal with the Great Sui imperial family above the sealing space, initially paid no mind to the first thunderclap of the heavenly tribulation.
Thirty years ago, the space beneath their feet was constantly struck by heavenly tribulations. The rich spiritual energy of [Jietian Island] was precisely a result of these tribulations.
However, when the third thunderclap sounded, it startled a group of monks, and even the Buddhist practitioners from the Upper Realm who were in seclusion on [Jietian Island].
Rumble~
"Not good, it's a ascension tribulation!
All those who descended from the Upper Realm, quickly depart!"
A Buddhist Venerable roared and hastily concealed his aura, swiftly moving away. Following him were streaks of golden light rapidly retreating from Jietian Island.
However, in the next moment, the tribulation clouds above them, which were only a hundred zhang wide, rapidly expanded to a thousand zhang and continued to grow.
"Everyone~ Everyone leave Jietian Island~
Quick! Quick! Quick!"
The Buddhist Venerable shouted sternly as he watched the expanding tribulation clouds, retreating outward himself.
Instantly, tens of thousands of eighth and ninth-tier Buddhist cultivators on the entire Jietian Island also rapidly evacuated.
"My Buddha, what is happening? This heavenly tribulation appears to be an ascension tribulation!"
When the Buddhist cultivators regrouped, the scope of the tribulation clouds in the sky had already reached a hundred li in width!
It perfectly matched the size of the sealing space below.
"You mentioned before that thirty years ago, the formless space beneath Jietian Island was constantly subjected to heavenly tribulations, indicating that extraordinary beings were rapidly increasing their cultivation and undergoing trials.
They have likely reached a limit now and are about to ascend."
"In that case, will Jietian Island be destroyed by the heavenly tribulation?"
"I don't know. We shall see what fate has in store."
The Upper Realm Venerable ceased speaking and quietly observed the tribulation that had transformed into a forest of lightning.
...
"Hahaha~ The order I gave to the spiritual plants left in the sealing space was to guard this space. This order was their highest directive, and it remains effective even if they were converted by the space."
Yang Hong's 29 bestowals were all successful. The first batch of 29 spiritual plant demons had all begun to undergo ascension tribulations, yet the origin of the space was not significantly depleted.
Only the aura of those 129,600 ninth-grade spiritual plants had slightly weakened.
"As expected~ This time, at least 90 spiritual plant demons can ascend."
Time flew by. Nine hours later, the tribulation lightning in the sky simultaneously vanished. A golden ascension passage appeared first, about to draw Hua Xinlei and the others away.
"Wait! This is a Buddhist realm ascension passage, we need to enter the Immortal Realm."
Upon hearing Yang Hong's command, Hua Xinlei and the others, who were slowly ascending, quickly circulated their mana to halt their progress.
Following this, a white ascension passage, much smaller than the golden one, also appeared.
"This is correct! Enter!"
Hua Xinlei, Yu Ke'er, Xiao Kui, and the others first knelt in the air and kowtowed three times to Yang Hong before turning and charging into the white ascension passage.
Heh heh~ Still sentimental, are we?
Yang Hong felt a touch of gratification. These spiritual plant demons were not cultivated in vain.
Composing himself, he first put away the ninth-grade spiritual plant demons, waiting for the next day when the bestowal count would reset. Only then would he release them to continue bestowing cultivation and facilitate their ascension.
However, Yang Hong was unaware that in the Upper Realm Buddhist realm, the confined Puji Bodhisattva's cultivation was also rapidly increasing with the ascension of the spiritual plant demons.