Up in the sky, several gigantic lotus-shaped warships hovered, emitting a brilliance that dispersed even the surrounding Nether Fog.
"Buddha Land! Celestial Dragon Armor!"
Before Taixuan Tianyi could even react, his vision went black. A burly, bare-chested figure with golden skin appeared, grabbing him by the neck and carrying him toward a temporary camp in the distance.
Vajra Warriors. This was a common Profession in the Buddha Land. Through special methods, they could be mass-produced, reaching up to Tier Nine at the highest.
"How did the Buddha Land find this place?!" Taixuan Tianyi was filled with dread and completely at a loss. He could only let the Vajra Warrior carry him into a temporary camp made of large, white-gold metal Treasure Banners. Even the ground was paved with metal flooring that gave off a white fluorescence.
"Father!"
Soon, Taixuan Tianyi saw many familiar faces in the cages on both sides.
"Grandfather!"
"Tianyi!" Those trapped in the cages also saw him and cried out in grief. "Why did you come back at a time like this? It’s not the time... It’s really not the time!"
"How did the Buddha Land find us?" Taixuan Tianyi’s face was pale. The Vajra Warrior holding him didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping their communication.
Before his clansmen could answer, a gentle voice echoed in Taixuan Tianyi’s ear. "Taixuan Tianyi, True Radiance Talent... You are destined to be with my Buddha Land!"
As the voice sounded, Taixuan Tianyi was thrown to the ground. He struggled to his feet and looked toward the source. His pupils immediately shrank.
It was an old, kind-looking monk with bare feet and a bald head. A radiant canopy hovered above him. He wore no cassock, only a misty white, close-fitting robe that seemed to be woven from some kind of metallic material. The metal treasure wheel behind his back emitted a blue fluorescence.
"Boundless Buddha." He immediately recognized him as a Moonlight Tier of the Buddha Land—one of the four Dharma Guardian Buddhas.
Then, he noticed a middle-aged man standing behind the Boundless Buddha. The man’s face carried a faint, barely detectable trace of shame.
"Second Uncle?" Taixuan Tianyi was stunned. "You..."
He instantly understood and yelled through gritted teeth, "You betrayed the family!"
"Betrayed?" A flash of humiliation and anger crossed the middle-aged man’s face as he retorted sternly, "After the Saint Monarch fell, the Taixuan family dwindled from tens of thousands of people to a mere dozen or two today! All because of that illusory position of the Saint Monarch!
"Over these 1,200 years, you’ve been the one with the highest talent in our Taixuan family, but what’s the use? Is the gap between Three Dragon Shadows and a Chosen One just a matter of a step or two?
"Even if you become a Chosen One, so what? You’ll still have to strive for the Morning Star and Moonlight positions. Do you know how hard that is?
"It’s better to trade it for protection. I’m the one truly acting for the good of the Taixuan family." The middle-aged man’s voice grew louder and more confident the more he spoke.
"You... You..." Taixuan Tianyi breathed heavily, his face alternating between pale and livid. His second uncle definitely hadn’t just come up with this idea while he was away.
He had probably harbored these thoughts for a long time but lacked the bargaining chips—until Taixuan Tianyi could truly enter the Flame Space. He must have used that as his trade.
"You must forgive your second uncle," the Boundless Buddha said with a smile. "It’s good that you’ve returned. Your second uncle mentioned that your family completed a sacrifice and sent you into the Flame Space. Tell me, how are things there?"
Taixuan Tianyi felt a surge of anger. Just as he was about to speak, the other party seemed to sense his thoughts and said slowly, "Do not say anything you will regret. The lives of your father, your mother, and your clansmen all rest on your shoulders."
Taixuan Tianyi froze. He glanced at his clansmen in the nearby cages. Some glared at him, seemingly urging him not to cower, while others averted their eyes with pleading expressions.
He had already lost his qualification to become a Chosen One. Why get all his clansmen killed over this secret?
He thought of those six Moonlight Tier Professionals and remained silent for a long time. The Boundless Buddha did not interrupt him during this process.
After a long while, he slowly exhaled. "I understand."
"Good." The Boundless Buddha nodded in satisfaction. "Give me the Fire-igniting Ash."
Taixuan Tianyi pursed his lips and shook his head. "I don’t have it."
"You don’t?" The Boundless Buddha’s gaze narrowed slightly.
Taixuan Tianyi replied, "Something went wrong. There are six Moonlight Tier Professionals in the Flame Space."
"What?" As the words fell, Taixuan Tianyi felt as if a massive mountain was pressing down on him. He looked up in bewilderment.
The Boundless Buddha was suddenly right in front of him. Yet, the closer he got, the more indistinct his face became, appearing like a hazy expanse of the Star Universe. Taixuan Tianyi only heard his urgent, stern questioning, "Six Moonlight Tiers? Is this true?"
Taixuan Tianyi nodded nervously. "Of course it’s true. I was captured by them as soon as I entered, and the Fire-igniting Ash was shattered by them."
"Where do those six Moonlight Tiers come from? The Abyss Realm?" the Boundless Buddha pressed, staring intently at Taixuan Tianyi.
Taixuan Tianyi shook his head. "No... They’re not from the Abyss Realm. They should be from an Outer Realm called the Dust Star Sea, but I don’t know the exact location."
"An Outer Realm... An Outer Realm with six Moonlight Tiers..." The corners of the Boundless Buddha’s mouth stretched into a smile tinged with excitement and eeriness.
Although the Spirit of Sun was important, in reality, the Boundless Buddha could no longer be chosen. However, these six Moonlight Tiers that suddenly appeared might help him achieve something else.
But then, the Boundless Buddha suddenly realized something and narrowed his eyes. "Since you were captured by them, how did you manage to escape?"
"The Spirit of Sun still remembered my Taixuan family’s sacrifice. Thanks to his help, I was able to return from there." After some thought, Taixuan Tianyi chose to hide the existence of "Taixuan Hong."