Chapter 618: Daluo Dharma Assembly, the Truth of Spiritual Energy

Under the guidance of the monk in charge of reception, Zheng Fa flew to Leiyin Temple.

The white walls and white roof of Leiyin Temple look like snow on the top of a mountain from a distance, and are extremely holy.

Flying into the temple, the first thing that came to mind was a main hall, in which the Buddha's light was dazzling. Lu Yao was sitting high on a lotus platform, with two golden immortal Buddhas on each side, and several Bodhisattvas and Arhats standing behind him with their bodies bowed. It looked unattainable.

Zheng Fa suddenly realized that the one sitting on the lotus platform was probably the so-called Five Buddhas.

There were ten golden lotus pedestals on both sides. The receptionist led the way forward, and Zheng Fa found a lotus pedestal at the end on the right side and sat down.

Looking around, he found that the person he was dealing with was the Goddess of Bliss from Yaochi. When she saw Zheng Fa coming, she nodded and smiled at him, showing no sign of the indifference she had shown in the past few days.

Zheng Fa nodded in return, only to feel a pair of eyes fixed on him. Turning around, he saw that Nishang Yuanjun was looking at her nose with her eyes, and her nose at her heart with an honest look on her face.

This Nishang Yuanjun seems to have a strange attitude...

Seeing that Nishang Yuanjun seemed to have something to hide, he did not ask any more questions and just continued to look at the situation in the hall.

In front of the Goddess of Bliss, there are the Peacock Emperor and the Earth-Shaking Demon King of the demon clan. Judging from the seating arrangement of the Peacock Emperor, this person has a very high status in the Leiyin Temple, and he has the posture of the number one foreign golden immortal.

However, Tai Shang Dao and the Three Hidden Immortals did not come. I think they were a little proud of their status, or maybe they wanted to let people know that they were in a common cause.

Everyone didn't say anything and waited in silence for a while. Then the three Golden Immortals of Taishang Dao came with the three hidden immortals and their disciples.

Seeing that the five lotus pedestals on the left were empty, they all sat down. However, one of the three hidden immortals still had no seat, so he reluctantly sat down below Zheng Fa.

With the arrival of Tai Shang Dao and others, all the participants of the Daluo Dharma Assembly have finally arrived.

Suddenly, a bell rang from behind the hall, "dong, dong, dong," echoing throughout the hall. Then, qin, wooden fish, bell, and other Western instruments began to play, interspersed with the monks' chanting and praising of scriptures in a low voice.

Zheng Fa and the others looked outside and saw that every Buddhist temple on Xizhou was glowing, as if the starry sky was upside down.

There are so many cities, so many temples, and countless believers, but the chanting of Buddha is uniform, as if it were from one person.

He heard with his own ears a disciple of Tai Shang Dao gasp.

Even Zheng Fa himself was a little surprised - he had heard the Buddhist chanting in Xizhou a long time ago, but until he came here, he didn't know that Leiyin Temple had such a strong control over Xizhou.

When the music slowly faded and the chanting faded away, Lu Yao finally spoke:

"I am grateful to the celestial beings and Buddhas for generously descending upon the Western Land of Thunder Sound."

As he spoke, he bowed to everyone, as if expressing gratitude.

"Today's gathering isn't just for Leiyin Temple. The fate of the Mysterious Realm has been circulating for eternity; each Golden Immortal has his own path to enlightenment. However, with the advent of reincarnation, the Dao and the fruits of enlightenment fear each other, and the world loses its way, leading to a world of upheaval."

Zheng Fa only felt that the other Golden Immortals in the hall glanced at him vaguely.

He knew that Lu Yao might have done it on purpose. If it were someone else, they would probably feel very uncomfortable.

"Though this old monk is of limited wisdom and strength, I have experienced many calamities and cannot bear the pain. Therefore, I invite you all to my Leiyin Temple. Regardless of past connections or differences between East and West, I only hope that you will put aside your differences and come together to end hostility, so that Xuanwei can enjoy peace and all living things can live in peace."

After he finished speaking, the outsiders did not react, but the other four Golden Immortal Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas and Arhats of Leiyin Temple all seemed to be sincerely convinced and praised: "Our Buddha is merciful."

The Peacock Emperor, the Goddess of Bliss and the other two also stood up from the lotus platform, bowed to Lu Yao from afar and called out for mercy.

They were bustling with activity, while Zheng Fa and the Taishang Dao group watched coldly from the sidelines. After a long moment, Xuan Chengzi frowned and said, "We didn't come here to listen to your useless nonsense."

"Fellow Daoist Xuancheng, please be patient." Lu Yao continued calmly, "Since we are all gathered here, I know everything you are thinking."

Zheng Fa frowned slightly.

"Everything?" Xuan Chengzi seemed a little unconvinced and asked Lu Yao, "What do you know?"

"What this old monk knows is what Daoguo in the world is most worried about right now..." Lu Yao glanced at Zheng Fa and suddenly laughed, "It's the death of the body and the extinction of the Dao."

When Xuan Chengzi heard this, he was stunned for a moment, then he pursed his lips and looked suspicious.

When Zheng Fa saw Lu Yao's eyes, he was shocked and finally understood why the other party was confident in winning over so many Golden Immortals.

"Emperor Jiuyou established the cycle of reincarnation, which has brought great merit to all the heavens and worlds." Lu Yao continued, "But we Daoguo have cultivated diligently for several epochs, and now our future is in danger, reduced to ashes in an instant. How unfair is this?"

Everyone in the main hall was silent.

All that is here are fruits of the Tao.

Except for Zheng Fa, these Dao Fruits can be said to be victims of the establishment of reincarnation.

Lu Yao's words simply pierced these people's hearts.

"Buddha... is there a way?"

Xuan Chengzi's tone softened unconsciously.

Zheng Fa sighed inwardly - as expected, if you want unity, you need an enemy.

Although Tai Shang Dao looks proud and doesn't have much good feelings towards Leiyin Temple, he will certainly be tempted if he can deal with the underworld and change the current situation where Taoist fruits can lead to death.

"Reincarnation is the fruit of Taiyi Dao, so naturally I cannot change it." But Lu Yao shook his head and said, "No one in the universe can change it either."

Xuan Chengzi frowned and wanted to speak.

"But I can allow you to reincarnate and attain enlightenment again."

“…”

A flash of lightning flashed through Zheng Fa's mind, and the others also understood.

"The method of turning calamity into enlightenment?"

"Exactly."

The people of Taishang Dao in the main hall looked at each other, seemingly confused but also a little excited.

The method of turning disasters into enlightenment is the supreme method of Leiyin Temple. Its magical power can be seen from Lu Yao - reloading the save file.

Who doesn't want this?

"You mean, with this method of turning tribulations into enlightenment, even if we die, we can still cultivate back to our previous life's level in the future?"

Lu Yao nodded slightly.

Xuan Chengzi's tone was even more surprised: "Are you willing to teach this method to me?"

Lu Yao chuckled and said, "As long as you are willing to convert to my Leiyin Temple."

“…”

Zheng Fa could see clearly that when Lu Yao said this, Xuan Chengzi and others showed a look of relief on their faces.

Indeed, if Lu Yao said that he was wholeheartedly doing things for others without any self-interest or expectation of reward, Tai Shang Dao would probably not believe it.

But after Lu Yao showed his ambition, Xuan Chengzi and the others felt much more at ease.

Xuan Chengzi frowned slightly, "How can we, the Supreme Daoists, convert to your Leiyin Temple?"

"The Supreme Dao doesn't need to be incorporated into my Leiyin Temple." Lu Yao smiled, his tone extremely tolerant. "You just need to obey and uphold the laws of heaven and earth, and you will naturally be indestructible in the future."

Xuan Chengzi fell silent upon hearing this, then turned to look at the other two Supreme Dao Golden Immortals. After they exchanged glances, he finally asked, "What law?"

Zheng Fa's heart sank. Although Xuan Chengzi did not agree, the hesitation in his words was obvious.

Lu Yao had suffered greatly when Emperor Jiuyou established the Wheel of Reincarnation, but now he was actually using the threat that the Wheel of Reincarnation posed to the Dao Fruits to win over the other Dao Fruits, trying to unite all the Xuanwei Dao Fruits...

"The Xuanwei Chaos is due to the disorder in the inheritance of Taoism, which has led to the decline of spiritual energy."

Zheng Fa's heart moved, and he couldn't help but listen carefully.

The decline of spiritual energy was a major disaster that Zheng Fa knew about as soon as he came into contact with the way of immortality.

"In the past, when spiritual energy was declining, we could avoid Xuanwei and protect ourselves." Lu Yao continued, "But now, the cycle of reincarnation connects the heavens and myriad realms, and even we Golden Immortals have to endure the calamity of spiritual energy decline."

Xuan Chengzi nodded and said, "I've also sensed this—my spiritual energy, Xuan Chengtian, has also been slowly declining... It started from the emergence of Samsara."

The other Golden Immortals also nodded, as if agreeing with Xuan Chengzi's statement.

So, at the end of each era or the beginning of each era, the Dao Fruit does not reach the profound level, in fact, because they are afraid of being affected by the decline of spiritual energy?

If he were a Golden Immortal, he would also hate the Nine Nether Emperor...

However, what Lu Yao said, that the decline of spiritual energy was related to some disorder in inheritance, was the first time Zheng Fa heard of it.

Xuan Chengzi seemed a little puzzled: "What does the decline of spiritual energy have to do with inheritance?"

Lu Yao chuckled, held out his hand, and said, "Please look, everyone."

Everyone looked at his hands.

Then he saw a ball of chaotic energy spinning in his palm.

"What's this?"

"I've experienced tribulations four times and witnessed the decline of spiritual energy three times. This is the fourth time..." Lu Yao didn't answer this question. Instead, he talked about something unrelated. "Ever since the time of the Golden Crow, I have been wondering why spiritual energy has declined."

After hearing what he said, everyone in the hall listened even more attentively.

"When I was the Golden Crow, the Yang Divine Technique had just been released. That round of spiritual energy waned, and it didn't appear until five million years later."

"After I founded Haori Mountain, the spiritual energy of the Xuanwei Realm only lasted for three million years..."

"In the last era, after 1.5 million years, the spiritual energy disappeared."

"This era is even shorter, probably less than a million years."

After hearing what Lu Yao said, Zheng Fa fell into deep thought. The research on history in Jiushan Realm has been ongoing, but in this regard, historical witnesses like Tai Shang Dao and Lu Yao are naturally more persuasive.

According to Lu Yao, the intervals between the decline of spiritual energy are getting shorter and shorter.

Zheng Fa looked at Xuan Chengzi and the others. Xuan Chengzi nodded and said, "We have already discovered this."

Lu Yao continued, "In the past, I thought the decline of spiritual energy was due to the excessive number of cultivators... but later I discovered that although I could slow down the decline of spiritual energy, I couldn't stop its progress."

Zheng Fa knew that Lu Yao had destroyed the world once.

The other people in the hall remained expressionless and listened indifferently.

"Later, it was Tianhe that gave me inspiration."

"Tianhe?"

Zheng Fa was stunned for a moment.

"Tianhe is truly a talented person." Lu Yao glanced at Zheng Fa, his tone filled with genuine admiration. "He has a vague idea, and he may not even be aware of it..."

"What idea?"

"The essence of spiritual energy decline is not too little spiritual energy, but too much spiritual energy!"

Zheng Fa's eyes widened. This was really beyond his expectations.

For a moment, Zheng Fa seemed to have some understanding, but he didn't quite understand it.

The chaotic energy in Lu Yao's hand suddenly dissipated, and then, wisps of spiritual energy began to appear.

At the beginning, the spiritual energy was thin and clear, and Zheng Fa could see the structure clearly.

Later, the spiritual energy became more and more, entwining, colliding, and annihilating each other, and the complicated Zheng method was a little difficult to recognize.

In the end, the concentration of spiritual energy seemed to have reached an extreme, and the quantitative change led to a qualitative change, turning into a gray and misty chaos.

"This is……"

"Spiritual energy comes from the Dao Fruit cultivators' understanding of the Dao Law. As the number of Dao Fruit cultivators increases, the Dharma will be accepted by more and more people, and the spiritual energy will naturally increase, not decrease."

That's quite true.

Cultivators below the Dao Fruit stage do absorb spiritual energy.

But cultivators above the Dao Fruit level are producing spiritual energy - for example, the Fusang tree provides spiritual energy to the modern world.

“But when the amount of spiritual energy is too much, that is, when the number of Dao Fruits is huge and the corresponding number of believers and disciples is also large, the spiritual energy of the Xuanwei Realm will fall into chaos.”

Everyone in the hall was stunned.

"You mean, our Dao Fruits are the root cause of the decline of spiritual energy?"

"That's right." Lu Yao nodded slowly, and continued, "So when Tianhe wanted to destroy the mountains and temples and unify Xuanwei, he actually saw through the truth unintentionally."

Zheng Fa listened with a bit of bewilderment. Many questions exploded in his mind, making him even a bit bewildered.

"World Honored One," Blissful Goddess seemed a little confused as she asked, "You mean, at the end of every era, Xuanwei is actually filled with chaotic energy. How can there be spiritual energy then?"

Lu Yao nodded and said, "Xuanwei fetal membrane, this thing is a relic left by a powerful being. It will expel the chaotic energy. At that time, Xuanwei will experience a brief spiritual vacuum."

"Other than this, there is no method in the Xuanwei Realm that can reverse the creation of chaos."

After Lu Yao finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

But Zheng Fa's heart was struck by thunder. This statement was too similar to something he had learned in modern times in his early years - the second law of thermodynamics!

Zheng Fa had never understood the reason for the decline of spiritual energy.

Now that Lu Yao had explained it, he finally understood: Isn't this the so-called heat death?

Aura comes from the rules that Daoguo comprehended from chaos, or in other words, it comes from the rules themselves.

The legal tradition passed down by Daoguo absorbed and applied these rules, reorganizing, changing and developing them.

In this way, the higher the concentration of the mysterious spiritual energy, the more complex the interactions will become, until one day, it returns to chaos.

Isn’t the so-called "there is no way to reverse chaos" just another way of saying that the increase in entropy is irreversible?

That's why Lu Yao said that when Venerable Tianhe wanted to destroy mountains and temples and unify the methods of cultivation, it was actually an accident.

After figuring this out, Zheng Fa's mind suddenly lit up, and the various exercises recorded in the "Huangting Sutra" and the various knowledge he had learned in modern times began to boil in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Before coming to Leiyin Temple, Zheng Fa had already been sorting out his Taoist skills in order to deal with the nine tribulations of a wandering immortal, and he was even just one step away from success.

At this moment, when he understood the truth about the decline of spiritual energy, he finally kicked out!

Seeing that everyone was attracted by his words and fell into melancholy, Lu Yao couldn't help feeling a little complacent. He was about to continue talking, but when he saw Zheng Fa, he was stunned:

Zheng Fazheng was so excited that his soul flew away, his face was filled with joy, and he looked like he was attaining enlightenment.

...No, can you understand the truth just by what I say?

(End of this chapter)