Chapter 1381
Reunion with the Ancestor's Lost Treasure
Ye Yang's voice echoed across the vast sea.
It quickly pierced through the layers of dense water vapor and plunged straight into the deep, dark blue seabed.
The sea breeze howled, and the giant waves rolled.
There was silence for about ten breaths.
An ancient and vast voice came from the depths of the sea.
"Fellow Daoist, please come in."
As soon as he finished speaking, the seawater in front of Ye Yang parted to the sides without warning, as if a huge curtain had been torn open by a pair of invisible hands.
Immediately afterwards, a staircase formed from shimmering water light appeared beneath his feet.
It winds downwards, leading straight into the bottomless darkness.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Yang stepped onto the water-light staircase.
The surrounding space instantly began to distort and transform, with light and shadow shifting and stars moving.
I don't know how much time passed, maybe a day, or maybe just a moment.
He only felt a blur before his eyes.
The immense pressure and coldness of the deep sea vanished without a trace.
Looking up, he realized that he was in a magnificent and ancient underwater palace.
The sky was filled with crisscrossing cracks, and on the parched earth, the skeletons of enormous sea monsters could be seen everywhere.
In the very center of this space grows a giant coral tree that is tens of thousands of feet tall.
However, this coral tree, which should have been crystal clear and full of vitality, is now completely grayish-white.
Most of the branches had withered and broken, with only a small cluster at the very top of the tree still emitting a faint blue fluorescence.
Under the dim fluorescent light, a gaunt old man sat cross-legged.
The Old Ancestor of the Vast Ocean wore an extremely loose, dark blue Taoist robe. His hair was sparse and gray, like withered grass in autumn, exuding a sense of desolation and death.
Upon seeing the figure ahead, Ye Yang couldn't help but gasp.
How long has it been? It seems like the Ancestor of the Vast Ocean has suddenly declined so much.
"What? Do you think that my current appearance is quite different from what you imagined?"
The Ancestor of the Vast Ocean slowly opened his eyes.
His once bright eyes seemed to be covered by a thick layer of gray.
But even in this murky depths, there remains a profound and weathered understanding of the world.
Ye Yang took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and still solemnly bowed.
"The senior's condition seems extremely problematic."
Upon hearing this, the Old Ancestor of the Vast Ocean let out a hoarse laugh.
With each cough, the deathly aura surrounding him intensified.
The light emanating from the towering coral tree behind them would dim slightly.
"Life and death, prosperity and decline, are simply the natural order of things. I've lived long enough that I've almost forgotten what it feels like for the years to pass."
"However, the aura emanating from you, fellow Daoist... is very strong, extremely strong. It's countless times more refined than the last time I saw you. You've already touched that Mahayana barrier, haven't you?"
Ye Yang's expression turned serious, and he made no attempt to hide anything.
"Ancestor, your insight is truly remarkable. I have come here today with great shame because of this matter. I have been at the peak of the Tribulation for quite some time and have accumulated sufficient strength, but the road ahead is shrouded in mystery."
"May I ask, Ancestor... what is Mahayana? And how can this junior break through the shackles of heaven and earth and ascend to the realm of Mahayana?"
Mahayana!
The moment those two words were uttered, the dark space seemed to tremble slightly.
This is the true pinnacle of the cultivation world.
It is an unparalleled realm that countless cultivators cannot reach, even after a lifetime of effort and countless tribulations.
Reaching this level means you're only one step away from becoming a true immortal.
A burst of light flashed in the turbid eyes of the Old Ancestor of the Vast Ocean.
He stared intently at Ye Yang, his gaze seemingly trying to see right through Ye Yang's soul.
"Mahayana..."
The old ancestor sighed deeply, his voice filled with endless longing and loneliness.
"Fellow Daoist, do you know what 'riding' means?"
“The word ‘乘’ means to carry or control. Ordinary boats and carriages are ‘乘’, which can cross rivers and lakes for thousands of miles; but the great vehicle of cultivation is to take oneself as a boat and the world as a sea, to transcend the other shore and rise above all things.” “During the tribulation of lightning, even if you have shed your mortal body and experienced the tribulation of lightning, you are still a living being nurtured by this world, and you are still barely surviving under the rules of the world.”
"But Mahayana Buddhism is different."
"The Mahayana path is the supreme path in this world! Once you step into this realm, you no longer follow the laws of heaven and earth, but 'rewrite' the laws! Your words become law."
"Your will is a part of the will of this world!"
Ye Yang was deeply shaken upon hearing this.
I felt as if a great bell was constantly ringing in my mind.
The invisible fog that had always blocked his way.
Incredibly, a huge rift was torn open by the few words of the Canghai Ancestor.
But he still had doubts in his heart.
"Senior, if you have mastered the laws, why is it that no matter how much I go into seclusion, I cannot even touch the threshold of those laws?"
"It's as if there's an insurmountable chasm between me and the laws of nature."
Ancestor Canghai looked at Ye Yang.
"Because you lack a key, a legacy."
"When I last saw you, did you still have the gift that I asked Yueji to give you?"
Ye Yang was stunned at first, then as if struck by lightning, his eyes widened suddenly.
Without any hesitation, he flipped his right hand...
In an instant, a jade pendant radiating a hazy, seven-colored glow appeared in his palm.
This jade is crystal clear and smooth as water, with seven small holes naturally formed on its surface.
Even more strangely, these seven orifices seemed to be alive, breathing slowly.
A jade pendant with seven orifices!
"Did the Ancestor mention the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Jade...?"
Ye Yang stroked the warm jade in his hand.
"good."
"Everyone thinks this Seven-Aperture Exquisite Jade is just a top-grade spiritual treasure. But they don't know that this jade is from a primordial world that was about to be destroyed deep in the ancient starry road."
"A crystal formed from the core of its world's origin at the very last moment of its collapse!"
"It contains the most primal and purest power of laws of a complete world!"
These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
Ye Yang gasped, his grip on the Seven Orifices Exquisite Jade tightening suddenly.
The power of laws!
"The realm of Mahayana is ethereal and elusive. Without the right opportunity, even ten thousand years of arduous cultivation will only result in a handful of dust."
"However, this naturally contains the power of the laws of a world. If you can comprehend the power of those laws, that will be the day you, Ye Yang, ascend to the Great Ascension stage!"
Holding the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Jade in his hands, Ye Yang felt that this small piece of jade was as heavy as a star.
"The kindness of our ancestors in imparting knowledge and skills, and in bestowing treasures and guiding us on the path, is something that even if Ye Yang were to be shattered to pieces, he could not repay even a fraction of!"
However, a huge question arose in Ye Yang's mind at the same time.
He raised his head and looked directly at the withered old ancestor.
"This junior is foolish. Why would the Ancestor bestow such a precious treasure, enough to cultivate a Mahayana-stage Venerable, upon this junior?"
"The Canghai lineage has produced many talented individuals. Even if our ancestor didn't use them himself, what he left to the descendants of Canghai would be enough to ensure the Canghai dynasty's eternal prosperity. Why should we exhaust the power of Canghai to benefit an outsider like me?"
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
The greater the favor shown, the more astonishing the price often comes from.
The Old Ancestor of the Vast Ocean coughed a few times, and a few strands of dark, dead blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
"You are a smart man, Fellow Daoist Ye."
Do you think that my current state of decline, like a lamp burning out, is because my lifespan has come to an end?
"What is that?!"
"That's... an external enemy. A predator from beyond the ocean." (End of Chapter)