Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

Not long after, Zha Jiedunzhu left the royal palace and arrived at the residence prepared by Da Xia within the inner city of Tiandu.

At this moment, a group of people from the Great Yuan were waiting here.

Upon seeing Zha Jiedunzhu's return, everyone immediately stood up. One of the subordinates, somewhat impatient, asked, "My lord, how did it go?"

Zha Jiedunzhu smiled slightly and said, "The Crown Prince of Da Xia and King Huai didn't say much. Whether they are willing or not, they will have to accept it. Tomorrow, we will set up a platform in Tiandu and spar with the so-called 'experts' of Da Xia to test their mettle."

Then, Zha Jiedunzhu's gaze shifted to the young monk clothed in red robes who had been silent all this time and said, "Ananda, you will preside over the platform tomorrow and engage with the warriors of Da Xia. Any problem with that?"

Upon hearing these words, everyone from the Great Yuan turned their attention to Ananda.

The young monk, Ananda, brought his hands together, nodded gently, and said, "Very well."

Seeing this, Zha Jiedunzhu nodded slightly. Although Ananda's strength was leagues behind his, his status in the Great Yuan was very high, not much less esteemed than his own. In fact, among the common people of the Great Yuan, Ananda's reputation even exceeded his own.

For Ananda belonged to the Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain, an organization held in high esteem in the Great Yuan, revered as the state religion with immense prestige within the empire.

Even the current top martial master of the Great Yuan, the National Preceptor Bastu, hailed from the Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain.

It could be said that many of the Great Yuan's experts and prodigious talents also originated from there.

The Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain could be considered the foremost sect in the Great Yuan, its origins tracing back to one of the six sacred lands held aloft above all creatures of the Nine Provinces!

The Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain was a lineage passed down from one of these six sacred lands, the Sumeru Buddhist Sect.

The Sumeru Buddhist Sect was proclaimed as the foremost among the countless Buddhas of the Nine Provinces, the very source of the current Buddhist traditions of the Nine Provinces. The Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain was a force that had split off from the Sumeru Buddhist Sect countless years ago.

Its internal teachings were mostly from the Sumeru Buddhist Sect of the six great sacred lands.

The martial arts of the Sumeru Buddhist Sect were largely inherited from antiquity.

Why do the six great sacred lands stand so high above all? Not only because of their strength but also their heritage.

The martial arts of ancient times were far more prosperous than those of the recent era, and the power of their martial arts was much greater than that of contemporary martial arts.

Most of the martial arts techniques within the six great sacred lands have been transmitted from ancient times, and with this heritage alone, no current force in the Nine Provinces can compare.

Being a branch from the Sumeru Buddhist Sect, the Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain naturally possesses ancient martial arts as well.

The "Dragon-Elephant Heart Sutra" practiced by Ananda was precisely such an art.

Of course, merely being a true disciple of the Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain could not compare to a top-tier grandmaster like Zha Jiedunzhu.

The more important reason was that Ananda was the reincarnation of a living Buddha!

The Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain had always maintained this belief, alleging that the original leader of the sect, also hailed as a "living Buddha" by the Great Yuan, was the one who had separated from one of the six sacred lands, the Sumeru Buddhist Sect, and subsequently founded the Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain in the Great Yuan.

When the living Buddha reached the end of his natural lifespan and was about to pass away, he prophesied that he would return one day. After death, a ray of his spirit would not scatter but would go through the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn, returning to the world.

And only such a person, once discovered by the Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain, would be brought back to the sect to be nurtured from childhood and also be bestowed with the title of "Buddha Child."

Ananda was born with a protective aura of Buddha light about him. According to Buddhist teachings, this is called "naturally occurring wisdom root," and such a phenomenon is possessed only by the reincarnation of a living Buddha.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

For someone like Ananda, as long as he grew up, he was bound to become a leader of the Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain in the future, his cultivation even surpassing that of Zha Jiedunzhu. He could be regarded as the pinnacle of the world, towering above countless warriors of the Nine Provinces.

This is because, within the Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain, there is an Empowerment Secret Method that only the reincarnation of a living Buddha is eligible to receive, inheriting the entirety of a predecessor's cultivation. Therefore, each appearance of the reincarnation of a living Buddha takes the Dragon-Elephant Sect, and indeed the Great Yuan, to its peak.

It has been over two hundred years since the last living Buddha incarnation appeared.

Once Ananda receives the empowerment of this strength, his power will surge to a terrifying level.

The current leader of the Great Yuan's Buddhist Sect, like Zha Jiedunzhu, is a top-tier martial arts grandmaster. Even if there is a loss of strength during the empowerment process, once the empowerment is complete, Ananda's cultivation will inevitably reach the level of Innate Realm. Coupled with his innate talent, his future achievements will be boundless.

This was the reason why Zha Jiedunzhu did not underestimate Ananda. Read exclusive adventures at empire

The reincarnation of a living Buddha possesses all sorts of wondrous aspects. The Great Yuan places a high value on Buddhism, so despite Zha Jiedunzhu's formidable strength, he showed no contempt for Ananda, but instead respected his views greatly.

Ananda sat quietly there, draped in red robes, his body radiating a faint golden glow, resembling a golden-bodied Arhat, commanding a solemn presence that inspired fear and reverence at first sight.

It is said that the reincarnation of a living Buddha is naturally protected by Buddha light. Once this Buddha light is released, it can instantly make a person reverent, becoming the most devout protector under the Buddha, as well as the Dharma King who guards the teaching of the Dragon-Elephant Sect of Greater Snow Mountain, protecting the living Buddha and the sect for life.