“I was Emperor Ming’s son. But now, I don’t think I am anymore.”
Zhang Ruochen continued, “800 years ago, I was killed by Chi Yao. But I don’t know why I reincarnated. And I don’t really know what exactly happened 800 years ago.”
“As far as I know, reincarnation is a Buddhist term. As a Buddhist Saint, you must know something about samsara and reincarnation. Does samsara really exist? Does reincarnation really exist?”
The Golden Dragon pondered for a while and shook his head. “Even a Monk has to become a saint first in order to have a possibility of reincarnating. Even if he reincarnates, he cannot keep his memory from the last life. I have never heard of anything like your situation.”
Suddenly, the Golden Dragon’s gaze sharpened. “But… in the Middle Ancient Times, there was an eminent monk. He had the power of time and could open the gate of time to the past and future.”
Zhang Ruochen thought of something and blurted out, “Saint Monk Xumi?”
The Golden Dragon nodded and replied, “What if you happened to meet Saint Monk Xumi when you died 800 years ago, and he sent your soul forward in time? Do you think it’s possible?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and answered, “Saint Monk Xumi was an eminent monk in the Middle Ancient Times. That was over a hundred thousand years ago. I’m afraid he had already reached Parinirvana. I don’t think I’ve ever met him.”
The Golden Dragon laughed. “You might be forgetting that Saint Monk Xumi had the power of time and could go into the future. He is called the Future Buddha. Throughout history, many monks claimed that they met Saint Monk Xumi. So it is not entirely impossible for you to have met him.”
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze sharpened and he thought to himself, “Was it really Saint Monk Xumi who transported my soul 800 years and put it in the ninth prince of Yunwu Commandery who had just died and gave me another life? If he didn’t, how come I have the Time and Space Spinel and the Mystery of Time and Space?”
Emperor Ming had given him the Time and Space Spinel. Did this mean Emperor Ming had already met Saint Monk Xumi and known he would have this kalpa?
But… that didn’t make sense.
There were countless dead people in Kunlun’s Field, why would Saint Monk Xumi have picked him?
Even if he had the power of time, he couldn’t interfere with other people’s lives at random.
The Golden Dragon said, “Of course, this is only a very small possibility. Don’t pay too much attention to it. Fact is stranger than fiction. There might be some other reasons this happened. Take things as they come. Don’t let it disturb your peace.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded and replied, “It makes sense.”
Golden Dragon smiled and said, “Just now, when you were fighting, I was a little confused when you performed the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm, I thought you must be a disciple from the Thousand Buddhas Sect. It turns out to be an old friend. How wonderful the world is!”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Did you let me in on purpose because you thought I was a disciple from the Thousand Buddhas Sect?”
The Golden Dragon nodded and answered, “Of course! Otherwise how could you get here safe and sound? I designed many tricks in the Dragon Tomb. Without my permission, even a Saint can’t get in, never mind you guys.”
Zhang Ruochen was suddenly enlightened. The reason they could get in so easily was because the Golden Dragon had let them in.
Di Yi even wanted to steal the Dragon Sarira. The Golden Dragon could easily kill him.
The Golden Dragon sighed, “My dragon body died long ago, leaving only a dragon soul. It has been 800 years. My mind tries to stay conscious, but it is growing weaker and weaker. I think it will disappear entirely and become a dead spirit soon.”
“So I must disperse my Divine Soul before I lose my mind completely, in case I leave a dead spirit and harm the world.”
A Saint’s Divine Soul couldn’t stay in this world forever.
After a certain amount of time, the Divine Soul would lose its mind and turn into a dead spirit.
The Half-Saint’s Divine Soul Zhang Ruochen met in the Chikong Secret Mansion had lost its mind and become a dead spirit. It had possessed Lu Han and turned her into a vampire.
Zhang Ruochen’s heart did a complete somersault. He asked, “Are you going to disperse your Divine Soul?”
The Golden Dragon laughed. “My Divine Soul has been lingering in Kunlun’s Field for 800 years. Actually, I am only waiting for the right person to whom I can leave the Buddhist Emperor’s Sarira. At last, you are here. I think you are just the right person.”
The Golden Dragon stretched out his arms and fingers.
The golden fire ball suspended in the air flew down onto the Golden Dragon’s palm.
There was a smooth oval peanut-sized golden stone inside, giving off a dazzling light.
“This is the Buddhist Emperor’s Sarira…”
Zhang Ruochen could clearly feel the great power of the Sarira. Under its power, the surrounding people, stone and vessels all flew up into the air.
The Golden Dragon said, “I set four seals in this Sarira. Only when you unseal all of them can you refine this Sarira and inherit what was left by the Buddhist Emperor and me.”
“From now on, whenever you unseal one seal, it will give out a certain amount of power. And you will temporarily obtain the Sarira’s power.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Does this mean if I can unseal the first seal, I will obtain great power beyond my realm for a short time?”
Golden Dragon smiled and said, “Based on your current cultivation, you can’t unseal the first seal. Only when you reach the Initial Stage of the Heaven Realm can you do so.”
“With the first seal, you can obtain the power of a warrior in the Fish-dragon Realm for a short time. With the help of the second seal, you can obtain the power of a Half-Saint. And with the help of the third seal, you can obtain the power of a Saint.”
Zhang Ruochen was very excited. Even though he couldn’t refine the Sarira now, it would give him three chances to get great power. It could potentially save him three times.
In other words, the three seals gave him three lives.
The Golden Dragon suddenly became serious. “Zhang Ruochen, do you know why I set three seals in the Sarira?”
Zhang Ruochen replied, “Sorry, I don’t know.”
The Golden Dragon answered slowly, “First, based on your current cultivation, you can’t refine the Sarira at all.”
“Second, once you get this Sarira, you will face endless danger. Many people will try to kill you and steal it. So the three seals give you three chances to save your life. But, you will face more than three danger. You must be very careful each time you unseal a seal.”
“Third, the Sarira can only increase your power for two hours. After that, your cultivation will return. What’s more, it might hurt your principal Qi greatly. So try not to rely on the Sarira’s power.”
Zhang Ruochen replied, “I understand.”
Unsealing the first seal called for the cultivation of the Initial Stage of the Heaven Realm. It needed much more when it came to the second seal.
So, actually, Zhang Ruochen could unseal at most one seal in a short time.
Golden Dragon stared at Zhang Ruochen deeply. Curiously he asked, “Your Qi Sea is emitting divine light. Have you ever drawn the Chord of Gods?”
Zhang Ruochen answered frankly, “Yes. I reached the Ultimate Realm in both the Yellow Realm and the Black Realm. I have drawn the Chord of Gods twice. Thus, I obtained the Divine Light Qi Sea.”
“How impressive!” The Golden Dragon exclaimed. “The Buddhist Emperor only reached the Ultimate Realm in the Heaven Realm and drew the Chord of Gods just once. As far as I know, the Nine Emperors in the past and Empress Chi Yao now have all reached the Ultimate Realm only once.”
“Alright! Since that’s the case, I will help you to reach the Ultimate Realm in the Earth Realm and draw the Chord of Gods a third time!”
The Golden Dragon suddenly struck the Buddha rod hard against the ground, causing a wave of golden ripples. The ripples of light flowed in every direction.
A crack appeared on the ground and started to grow wider on both sides.
The crack grew to more than 30 meters wide.
Millions of light beams shot up from the bottom of the crack. Each beam was like a sharp knife that could pierce through a person’s body.
A strong and horrible energy came up from the underground. Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen’s Spiritual Power was strong enough, or he would have been overwhelmed by the energy.
Zhang Ruochen looked down the crack. He could vaguely see a golden dragon. It was even longer than a mountain ridge.
The Golden Dragon stretched his arm, and a huge golden Dragon Pearl flew out from the dragon’s body.
The golden Dragon Pearl grew smaller and smaller. By the time it reached the Golden Dragon’s hand, it was only as big as a pigeon egg.
“Get ready, Zhang Ruochen!”
He pushed towards Zhang Ruochen’s chest and stuck the Dragon Pearl into his heart.
“SWOOSH!”
Bright radiance went into his body.
All of a sudden, Zhang Ruochen felt that his heart was on fire and his blood was boiling.
His body was enveloped completely by the golden light. Even his hair and bones turned into gold.
The Golden Dragon’s voice echoed in Zhang Ruochen’s ears, “Quickly! Use your exercises and Genuine Qi to refine the Dragon Pearl.”
Zhang Ruochen hunkered on the ground and transferred all of his Genuine Qi to his heart. The Genuine Qi enveloped the Dragon Pearl and started to refine it.
The Golden Dragon continued, “This Dragon Pearl is my original one. 99% of the power was absorbed by the Sarira so there is only a little power left. Originally, I intended to take it with me to the underground after my death. But since I met you at the last moment, I will give it to you and help you to reach the Ultimate Realm of the Earth Realm.”