/
Yang Wen was just about to speak.
The clear breeze caused the white mist to dissipate a little.
He was a little puzzled and wondered, ‘Why did a clear breeze appear out of nowhere?’
However, before Yang Wen could say anything, Ye Ping’s voice sounded again.
“Ah, Eldest Senior Brother, I’m enlightened.”
His calm voice made Yang Wen freeze on the spot.
‘You’ve gained an enlightenment?’
‘What did you get enlightened about?’
‘You can get enlightenment from this?’
‘Have you long seen through my disguise and discovered that I’m not your Eldest Senior Brother so you’re deliberately trying to humiliate me?’
Yang Wen froze in place.
He was distressed.
Putting aside the fact that he was confused by Ye Ping’s actions, the fact that he had an enlightenment alone was puzzling enough.
The expiation sutra was a subjective thing in the first place, and the speed of cultivation varied depending on individual aptitude. Those with better aptitude would comprehend faster. Ye Ping was obviously the type with ordinary talent.
Otherwise, how could he have only reached the second level of Qi Refinement?
If Ye Ping was truly a genius, he would have long been hidden well and protected by his sect. Why would he go down the mountain and frolic around when he was only at the second level of Qi Refinement?
Since he was not a genius, how did he manage to comprehend the sutra in just an incense stick’s worth of time?
‘Does he take me for a fool?’
Yang Wen did not mean anything else.
If Ye Ping could really comprehend this expiation sutra in one incense stick’s worth of time, he would go straight to reincarnation and stop being a ghost as he was too embarrassed.
1
‘This kid obviously saw through me and is deliberately stalling for time.’
‘Forget it, should I just take action right away? Since we’ve already made it here, that monk can’t do anything even if he has sensed it.’
Yang Wen thought to himself.
He was considering if he should take action now and absorb Ye Ping’s Yang energy.
However, when Yang Wen was hesitating, Ye Ping suddenly started chanting the sutra.
“All beings are born from suffering and pass away due to hardships. Their resentment is like a sea and their obsession is like a knife. They’re filled with greed, anger, hatred, love, resentment, and they can’t let it go. All things come and go because of suffering.”
“Supreme Dharma, opening a realm with Dharma, those with obsessions may enter the supreme realm. Within the realm, all beings are equal. There are 360 million Dharmic formulations that can wash away all sins, eliminate all hatred, reincarnate, and have a blessed afterlife. They will not fall into the path of beasts or the paths of the Asura.”
The chanting of the sutra sounded.
He wasn’t very loud, but his words and pronunciation were very clear.
At this moment, the golden light coalesced around Ye Ping, and he looked rather divine and auspicious under the light with golden lotuses emerging from the ground. As they bloomed one after another, a peculiar fragrance emanated and the ancient Sanskrit words sounded like that of the Afterlife Incantation.
Yang Wen’s expression changed drastically.
“Golden Light of Expiation?”
Yang Wen was astonished.
The golden light of expiation could only be coalesced by Dao experts.
Back then, the Ghost King of the Linhe Ghost Grave almost got expiated by the Golden Light of Expiation.
‘If he can condense that golden light, he should at least be in the Golden Core realm, right?’
‘The man in front of me is only at the second level of Qi Refinement.’
‘He can condense the Golden Light of Expiation at just level 2 of Qi Refinement? Has he expiated the masses in his previous life? Otherwise, how could he have condensed the Golden Light of Expiation?’
‘This is outrageous.’
‘Are you putting up a pretense?’
Yang Wen did not know what to say, but his heart was filled with fear and terror.
However, when he was shrouded in the Golden Light of Expiation, Yang Wen froze in shock.
He originally thought that it would be painful, but he didn’t expect to feel like he was immersed in warm water when the golden light engulfed him. He felt like he had gained a huge release and felt a burst of relief all over.
When he heard the Sanskrit words, he felt like he was praying for himself.
A burst of black smoke floated out from the body, which was his obsession and sins.
*sizzles*
The black smoke rolled and Yang Wen’s original appearance was soon restored under Ye Ping’s expiation. His resentment had disappeared and was replaced by a state of emptiness.
It was as if he had gained wisdom and everything else had turned into a passing cloud.
He had been expiated, and thus, he had naturally let go of his obsessions. He could start reincarnating.
Yang Wen froze in place. He simply didn’t expect that he would one day be reincarnated.
Over the years, he had consumed a large amount of Yang energy even though he hadn’t hurt anyone’s lives. Hence, he was laden with sins, and if proper cultivators saw him, he would be forced into expiation.
However, Ye Ping’s expiation method didn’t make him feel a single trace of pain, and instead, he felt an indescribable sense of liberation.
However, even then, Yang Wen was still confused.
He didn’t expect Ye Ping to have expiated him.
‘Is the expiation sutra used for sealing the Ghost King that powerful?’
‘But why was the Ghost King in so much misery while I feel like I’m about to become an immortal?’
‘Is it because I’m too weak?’
‘Or is it that my obsessions weren’t deep enough?’
Yang Wen didn’t have time to think about too many things because the light of reincarnation was already shining on his body, and he couldn’t resist at all. He could only comply.
At the next moment, Yang Wen vanished on the spot. He proceeded to reincarnate.
1
As Yang Wen disappeared in the same place, a faint stream of yellow light entered Ye Ping’s body.
It was the power of merit and virtue, which was much more obvious than the stream of light that Kong Hai got previously.
Yang Wen vanished.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn out, Ye Ping woke up from his enlightenment.
“Senior Brother, I’ve been enlightened.”
As soon as he woke up, Ye Ping immediately reported the good news to Su Changyu.
However, at the next moment, he realized that there was no one around him and Su Changyu had disappeared too.
“Eldest Senior Brother!”
Ye Ping called out but did not get any response.
That made Ye Ping a little confused.
However, he soon figured it out.
“I guess the Ghost King is going to be revived and Eldest Senior Brother is going to deal with him. Yes, yes, Eldest Senior Brother should have gone to deal with the Ghost King.”
“Eldest Senior Brother is really a formidable man.”
Ye Ping pondered in his mind.
After thinking it through, it was the only possibility he could come up with.
Thinking of this, Ye Ping did not panic.
Soon, Ye Ping began to slowly comprehend the supreme expiation sutra.
Indeed, the expiation sutra was worthy of its name. Ye Ping took an incense stick’s worth of time to comprehend it.
That expiation sutra had two expiation methods.
The first method was through chanting a sutra that would allow the Golden Light of Expiation to be condensed and the resentment to be washed away. They could reincarnate and if the subject of expiation didn’t commit any heinous sin, the effects would be the best.
Those whose hands were stained with blood and who had sinned greatly would be in extreme pain and expiation would be difficult.
It was not only effective for ghost cultivators but also for ordinary people. For example, a person with great resentment could also be reincarnated.
In other words, if one formed feuds with others in the future and the enemy resented them, they would be able to expiate them.
1
It was a supreme Dharmic formulation that would help with the aftermath of forming enemies.
The second one was expiation using the Golden Light of Expiation and turning it into a Dharma artifact that was to be targeted at sinful ghost cultivators who harmed others. It would kill to protect life and exterminate negative karma but not people.
There were a total of four realms to the Supreme Expiation Sutra
They were namely the Golden Light realm, Golden Wheel realm, the Bodhi realm, and the Grand Supreme realm.
A hundred rays of Golden Light of Expiation could turn into a Golden Wheel and a golden halo would appear at the back of one’s head, which represented enlightenment and wisdom. There was no need for the chanting of sutras for the expiation to be completed.
When one condensed nine Golden Wheels, one would reach the Bodhi realm. By then, the Light of the Bodhi realm would be used for expiation.
The Grand Supreme realm was a little too distant and Ye Ping wasn’t very clear about it.
However, what surprised Ye Ping was that after he comprehended the Supreme Expiation Sutra, there was an additional power of merit.
Ye Ping could not understand where the power of merit came from.
However, after thinking about it, he didn’t feel anything.
It was better than nothing. Besides, it wasn’t for free, and Ye Ping couldn’t help but be in a pleasant mood.
Soon, he mobilized the power of merit in his body in a bid to try if it was menacing or not.
In an instant, as Ye Ping mobilized the power of merit in his body, a surging wave of spiritual energy appeared in his body.
The power of merit seemed to have turned into a torrent that washed his body.
In just ten breaths, Ye Ping’s cultivation level had broken through to the third level of Qi Refinement.
Yes, the third level of Qi Refinement.
Sss!
Sensing the increase in his realm, Ye Ping was dumbfounded.
1
Normally, if one wanted to cultivate from the second level to third level of Qi Refinement, it would take them at least two or three days, and because he had already gone through re-cultivation once, his cultivation speed was much slower.
1
However, he didn’t expect that a single power of merit would allow him to advance by one level.
‘What if there are ten? Or a hundred?’
‘Wouldn’t I ascend then?’
Ye Ping was suddenly shocked.
The power of merit in his body was also depleted directly.
“Merit! I want to get merit!”
After sensing the terrifying power of merit, Ye Ping couldn’t sit still and contain his emotions.
After meditating painstakingly for a total of two to three days, he only managed to advance by a single level.
A random power of merit allowed him to advance by one realm.
‘Who would be able to stand that?’
At the thought of this, Ye Ping stood up and walked away.
His thoughts were simple. While Su Changyu expiated the Ghost King, he would expiate the smaller ghosts, and if he encountered danger, he would flee. If not, he would expiate as many as he could.
Just like that, Ye Ping’s figure disappeared in the white mist.
At this moment, in the white mist, Kong Hai was sitting quietly under a tree.
His gaze was calm and he was fiddling with the Buddhist beads with a peaceful mind.
He wasn’t afraid of the ghosts there as he was a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment realm in the first place. Besides, he was proficient in Buddhist teachings, so he was the best at expiating ghosts.
“651, 652, 653, I only need 654 more power of merit to be able to try and condense the Golden Buddha Body.”
“If I can condense the Golden Buddha Body before the age of twenty-five, I will be able to nurture the Golden Light of Expiation before the age of thirty.”
“Ah, it’s time for me to set a new record for the Buddhist sect of Jin Nation by obtaining the Golden Light of Expiation before the age of thirty. Kong Hai, why are you so outstanding?”
“Do you know that you’ll make others jealous by being so outstanding? By then, you will create jealousy and be embroiled in more negative karma.”
“Kong Hai, promise me you will stop being so outstanding in the future.”
2
Kong Hai muttered to himself. Although he seemed to be warning himself, he also seemed to be bragging conceitedly.
However, before the time it took for an incense stick to burn, a stream of golden light flashed past abruptly.
In an instant, Kong Hai couldn’t help but be stunned.
“Golden Light of Expiation?”
“Is there an advanced Dao expert here?”
He was surprised.