Ch. 332 - Revisiting Tathagata

The Celestial City was a place where great powers gathered, mighty beings from the Eastern Wilderness, royal descendants of the Middle Continent, and formidable clans from the Northern Reaches often appeared there.

Everything in this city radiated extravagance and splendor. The Drunken Immortal Tower, known as one of the Eight Great Restaurants of the Celestial City, floated in midair.

It was a palace of jade and stone, every brick and tile carved from precious materials, magnificent and dreamlike, as if from another world.

Ye Fan and Blackwater declined other invitations and joined the Crown Prince of Grand Xia and Yao Yuekong in ascending to the Drunken Immortal Tower. The young nun naturally accompanied them.

Mist swirled around the floating structure. The palace, with its golden beams and painted rafters, gleamed in brilliance, like a remnant of the ancient Heavenly Court.

As they ascended the white jade steps and looked back, clouds and fog swirled below, and the world beneath seemed distant, as if they had truly entered the realm of immortals.

“May I dare ask the heavens, do immortals truly exist?” The Crown Prince sighed, murmuring softly.

Ye Fan froze for a moment. The contrast between his past and the present left him lost in thought.

In this world, cultivators could burrow through the earth or soar freely in the skies, walking on clouds and traveling a thousand miles in an instant. In his homeland, such a person would indeed be called an immortal.

The white jade avenue stretched ahead like a bridge to heaven. They walked forward step by step while rare celestial birds and beasts flitted among the drifting mists.

Between the towering palaces, sixteen young maidens descended gracefully from the air, bowing respectfully to lead them onward.

The Drunken Immortal Tower was built with meticulous care. Its ancient architecture bore the weight of centuries, grand and dignified, with a sense of timeless depth.

Blackwater chuckled. “Everything here belongs to the Northern Reaches’ Imperial Gold Bloodline. Brother Yuekong, aren’t you afraid of causing trouble by coming here?”

“Guests are guests. They won’t dare act rashly and ruin their own reputation.”

Yao Yuekong’s strength was formidable, unmatched among his generation. Not long ago, he had fought the heir of the Imperial Gold Bloodline to a draw, leaving behind deep enmity.

“This way, honored guests.”

The sixteen young maidens, all cultivators of decent strength, could only serve here as attendants, pouring wine and setting dishes.

“Southern Heavenly Gate?” Ye Fan’s eyes flickered. Three ancient characters were engraved on the massive gate ahead. Beneath their feet, clouds rolled endlessly.

“This place was modeled after the legendary Heavenly Court,” the Crown Prince explained. He was clearly a frequent guest.

“I’ve never heard of any ‘Ancient Heavenly Court,’” Ye Fan asked.

“Over ten thousand years ago, the Green Emperor once spoke of building such a Heavenly Court. He even outlined its structure, but in the end, he perished before it was realized,” Yao Yuekong replied.

The Green Emperor was an ancient Grand Emperor of the demon race, an ancestor of Yan Ruyu. No one knew how long he had lived, nor the full extent of his history.

“Could it be that such a Heavenly Court really once existed and later collapsed?” Ye Fan mused.

“Impossible. The Green Emperor merely mentioned the idea.” The Crown Prince shook his head.

Passing through the Southern Heavenly Gate, the world suddenly opened up before them. The space was vast and divided into four distinct regions, spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Ye Fan was astonished. “This place is… enormous.”

Indeed, it was far larger than it appeared from below. Palaces sprawled across four quadrants, each containing its own season.

“There are four great formations here,” Yao Yuekong said. “Though they can’t compare to the particle worlds created by ancient sages, they’re nearly self-contained spaces. The Imperial Gold Bloodline of the Northern Reaches has deep mastery over the Dao of Space.”

A gentle voice asked, “Honored guests, which quadrant would you prefer?”

In the end, Ye Fan chose winter. Since arriving in this world, he had never again seen a season of falling snow.

The air was crisp and cold. Before them, silver-clad palaces gleamed as snowflakes drifted down like feathers. Standing beneath the eaves, all they could see was endless white.

Ye Fan drifted into memories, snow, people, and moments from another life. Across the stars now, it was nearly impossible to meet those he once knew.

A faint fragrance wafted through the air. Sturdy plum trees stood proud against the snow, blooming in defiance of the chill, scattering crystalline petals into the wind.

They sat, drinking fine wine while watching the snow and blossoms, a quiet, poetic scene.

After several rounds of strong drink, even the young nun’s pale face turned rosy, her bright eyes sparkling.

“Princess, how can a woman of the temple drink wine?” Ye Fan teased.

The little nun hadn’t shaved her head, her hair was hidden under a white hood. She wrinkled her small nose and murmured, “I am training in the mortal world.”

Yao Yuekong smiled. “I’ve long heard that Buddhism possesses all sorts of mystical techniques and supernatural arts, though I’ve never witnessed them.”

Ye Fan wished to learn more about Buddhism, to find clues about Śākyamuni, but the Crown Prince and the young nun remained reticent.

He had Blackwater casually ask, “What is the Buddha now called? The Past Buddha, or the Tathagata Buddha?”

“The Buddha is the World-Honored One. He has no other name,” the young nun replied.

“What about Śākyamuni Buddha?” Ye Fan asked casually.

The young nun’s face froze. Her bright eyes lowered toward her cup, and she fell silent.

The Crown Prince’s expression turned grave. “Alas, let’s not speak that name. In the Western Desert, it’s taboo. I’ve searched the oldest scriptures, yet all I could find was this: ‘From that day on, Buddhism no longer had a Tathagata.’”

“Why?” Ye Fan pressed.

“It seems… the Buddha has perished.” The Crown Prince slowly shook his head.

“Come now, Brother Xia,” Blackwater said, raising his cup. “You can’t leave us hanging like that.”

The prince’s name was Xia Yiming, and the young nun was his sister, Xia Yilin. Having grown familiar, the group had dropped formalities.

“Some say the World-Honored One both is and isn’t. Some say a traitor was involved. Others claim he became the Buddha’s demonic shell.” Xia Yiming stopped there, refusing to elaborate.

Yao Yuekong frowned. “Your Highness, since you’ve said this much, can’t you go further?”

“That’s all I know, a secret not to be spoken. Repeat it, and you risk death.” Xia Yiming’s tone was firm.

“Who would kill us?” Ye Fan asked.

“Let’s not speak of this anymore. It will only bring harm.” The prince’s gaze swept the snowy expanse. “Mount Sumeru is not a place ordinary people can discuss.”

Seeing his seriousness, no one pressed further. The prince clearly knew little more.

Ye Fan shifted the topic. “How long has Buddhism existed?”

“Since ancient times, it has always been,” Xia Yilin answered softly, her pure eyes full of confusion, as if wondering how he could even ask such a question.

“Always existed?” Ye Fan was stunned. Buddhism had existed long before Śākyamuni, thousands of years prior. That realization left him speechless.

“In the Eastern Wilderness, few know of Buddhism,” Yao Yuekong said, smiling. “It’s not strange that some think it began recently.”

Ye Fan pondered. On the other side of the stars, Buddhism was said to be founded by Śākyamuni, yet records showed that monks existed long before him. He hadn’t created it, merely reformed and illuminated it.

Some ancient texts even recorded that when Śākyamuni traveled the world, he saw ascetics torturing their bodies and declared it the wrong path, thus arose the Way of the Tathagata.

He felt he had grasped something but chose not to probe further.

Outside, the world was pure white. Snow fell endlessly, plum blossoms spread their fragrance, and the group drank freely, lost in thought.

The banquet cost five hundred catties of source, an immense sum, yet it was nothing compared to the legendary “Immortal Banquets.”

“The Immortal Banquets cost tens of thousands of catties of source,” Yao Yuekong explained. “They’re prepared only for Saints and Supreme Giants, and must be booked long in advance. Even gathering the ingredients is nearly impossible.”

“Isn’t that excessive?” Ye Fan asked.

“Not at all,” the Crown Prince replied. “Take one dish, Phoenix Divine Wings. It’s cooked from a bird with traces of divine phoenix blood, containing its entire life essence. An ordinary cultivator who eats it could break through a realm instantly.”

Ye Fan raised an eyebrow. “Do they have Leviathan Wings too?”

“They used to,” Yao Yuekong said. “But after the Ancient Leviathan Monarch went on a rampage, that dish was banned.”

Ye Fan was speechless.

Blackwater said, “Immortal Banquets are held only a few times a year, when a Saint hosts other Supreme Giants. But what I really want to try is the Enlightenment Tea. They say even Supreme Giants can attain sudden insight from it.”

Yao Yuekong shook his head. “The Enlightenment Tea is priceless, even at Immortal Banquets, it’s rarely served. There’s only one Enlightenment Tea Tree in the entire Eastern Wilderness, and it yields barely thirty leaves a year. Countless eyes are fixed on it.”

“Only one tree?” Ye Fan was astonished. “Where is it?”

“In the Undying Mountain,” Yao Yuekong said.

Everyone gasped.

The Undying Mountain, one of the Seven Forbidden Burial Grounds of the Eastern Wilderness, lay in the north-central region. It was a place of death.

“The only Enlightenment Tea Tree grows there,” Yao Yuekong continued. “Even with the greatest means, only a few dozen leaves can be brought out each year.”

“It’s not far from the Holy Cliff, is it?” Ye Fan asked.

“Indeed. It’s said that the Holy Cliff was once cut from the Undying Mountain by a being of unimaginable power.” Yao Yuekong, as the demon prince, clearly knew much.

Ye Fan nodded. He would have to visit that place, and soon, because the Holy Cliff contained one of the Nine Secrets.

The Holy Cliff and Undying Mountain were connected. It was there that a Grand Empyrean of the Primordial Era had perished, staining the cliff crimson with his blood. Even an ancient Emperor had carved formation patterns there.

Surely, that place hid many mysteries.

Suddenly, the soft chime of a zither echoed through the air. In the neighboring palace, a girl in white played alone. Spirit birds gathered, enchanted by her melody.

These palaces were open, designed for guests to enjoy snow and blossoms, and it was easy to see into one another’s halls.

“It’s An Miaoyi…” Ye Fan’s expression shifted.

“Why is Fairy An here, playing alone?” asked the Crown Prince.

“I had reserved a banquet here as well,” An Miaoyi replied, her voice like wind-chimes. “I wished to offer a toast to Brother Gu Feng, but he refused me.”

Gu Feng was Ye Fan’s alias. He couldn’t use his real name within the Celestial City.

“Fairy An, why speak that way? Why don’t we join tables and drink together?” Ye Fan smiled.

Yao Yuekong and the Crown Prince both extended their invitations. An Miaoyi laughed softly, nodded, and glided toward them.

She approached gracefully, her eyes flicking toward Ye Fan, a teasing smile playing on her lips. “Brother Gu Feng, you’re the first man ever to refuse me. You know, I can hold a grudge.”

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