Chapter 436 - Chapter 436: The Lady in the Sea of Flowers (1)

Chapter 436: The Lady in the Sea of Flowers (1)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Western Lands, the place of Buddhist sects.

In ancient times, when the Buddhist sect was born, the Buddha attained enlightenment in the Western Lands and spread Buddhist Rhyme across this land. Since then, Western Lands nurtured countless eminent monks of the Buddhist sects.

The Western Lands weren’t prosperous. There were many temples here, but among them, there was poverty, not wealth, and many murals.

The people of Western Lands had a rich spirit world but a barren life, and a few cared about it.

Those who couldn’t bear the simplicity left the Western Lands voluntarily, as the Immortal Plane was vast with many opportunities.

After they left, the Western Lands remained the same.

Li Qingshan gazed into the distance and saw through the Emperor Space. He looked at the Western Lands, which had become increasingly desolate and silent.

Ever since the Buddha Realm was established, the Buddhist sects of the Western Lands had moved to the Buddha Realm and taken root there, leaving the Western Lands desolate and sparsely populated.

Of course, not all monks moved to the Buddha Realm. Some remained in the Western Lands, but few paid attention to them. Now, when people mentioned Buddhist sects, they first thought of the Buddha Realm, not the Western Lands.

The Western Lands had become so low-key that they were almost forgotten by the Immortal Plane. Only by personally visiting the Western Lands would one know that the Western Lands and the Buddha Realm were two distinct places.

In fact, the Western Lands were the origin of the Buddha Realm.

“The Heavenly Maiden of the Fox Race went to the Western Lands earlier and has not been heard from since. Now Hua Yun is also in the Western Lands. What exactly happened in this forgotten land?” Li Qingshan pondered. He stood in front of the bamboo hut and thought for a moment. He didn’t stay any longer. He left the Emperor Space and stepped on the road to the Western Lands.

Li Qingshan didn’t tell anyone about his journey to the Western Lands. He could travel anywhere in the Immortal Plane now.

He traversed space and arrived in the Western lands in an instant, a journey that would have been long for ordinary immortals. The first thing he saw upon his arrival was miles of desolation.

The land was yellow, the mountains stretched endlessly, and the Western Lands connected heaven and earth. This was a place closest to the sky, filled with beautiful scenery but harsh living conditions and thin immortal energy. The higher the altitude, the thinner the immortal energy, which is why the monks of the Buddhist sects chose to create the Buddha Realm and leave the Western Lands, as it was unsuitable for cultivation.

The Western Lands had large lakes and pure areas near the sky, some beautiful like mirrors, deeply blue and refreshing.

Upon arriving in the Western Lands, Li Qingshan scanned the surroundings with his Emperor primordial spirit but found nothing. The Western Lands were vast, and without a specific target, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Standing by a dark blue lake, Li Qingshan pondered how to search for Hua Yun in this vast Western Lands.

While he was deep in thought, a herdsman drove cattle and sheep to the lake to drink and curiously observed Li Qingshan.

Li Qingshan smiled gently and asked, “Elder, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Few people come to the Western Lands; we don’t see many outsiders in a year, so I naturally want to take a good look,” the herdsman, missing half his teeth, replied with a smile.

“Few people come, so the most beautiful aspects can be preserved. Only the blessed can see this scenery,” Li Qingshan replied with a smile.

“Young man, why have you come to the Western Lands?” the herdsman squatted down to wash his hands and asked curiously.

“I’m looking for someone,” Li Qingshan answered truthfully.

“Do you have a specific target?” the herdsman asked.

Li Qingshan shook his head and said, “The Western Lands are too vast. I only know she is here but not where exactly.”

“You should go to Mount Sumeru; it’s the sanctuary of the Western Lands and quite lively. Many locals go there for baptism, so you might find news there,” the herdsman suggested with a smile.

Li Qingshan nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll go there soon.”

“Goodbye then, and good luck, young man,” the herdsman wished Li Qingshan well and slowly left with his cattle and sheep.

Li Qingshan watched the old man leave, and then his own body turned into a cloud of smoke and dissipated by the dark blue lake.

He headed towards Mount Sumeru.

The Western Lands were established because the Buddha Amitabha attained enlightenment there, comprehending the essence of Buddhism on Mount Sumeru.

Since then, Mount Sumeru has become a pilgrimage site for countless people in the Western Lands.

Every year, many people made pilgrimages, bowing every three steps and performing grand ceremonies every nine steps to reach Mount Sumeru, circling the mountain and pagodas to express their devotion and calm their restless minds.

When the Buddha Realm was established, many Buddhist sects wanted to move Mount Sumeru to the Buddha Realm, believing the sanctuary should be there.

But for some reason, Mount Sumeru remained in the Western Lands. Now, only those knowledgeable about the Buddhist sects knew it was still there.

After communicating with the herdsman, Li Qingshan arrived at the foot of Mount Sumeru and saw the sacred mountain of the Buddhist sects.

It was neither tall nor steep. Mount Sumeru had many peaks, each with numerous temples and monks coming and going.

The monks of the Western Lands were different from those of the Central Yuan Empire. Li Qingshan calmly observed that monks from different regions and countries were different.

Perhaps the teachings were the same initially, but the same Buddhist scriptures, when translated by different people in different regions and civilizations, resulted in interpretations vastly different from the original doctrine.