333: Tathagata Holy Land

In the extreme west of the Kong Sang Realm, there is an endless desert, which is also known as the West Desert by the world due to its location at the westernmost part of the continent.

There are rumors that in ancient times, this vast desert was once a boundless ocean.

During a great catastrophe, the seawater evaporated, and it then transformed into this desert.

Deep within the desert, there is a rare Spiritual Mountain.

Upon the Spiritual Mountain stands a magnificent temple.

Walls of white jade, floors paved with golden bricks.

On the grand roof, seven treasures are embedded, Spiritual Qi encircles it, and Buddhist chants resonate.

Many pilgrims come and go, and when they meet the novice monks cultivating within the temple, they respectfully greet them with 'Amitabha Buddha,' and the novice monks often return the Buddhist salute.

This place is precisely the outer court of Rulai Holy Land.

The cultivation of Rulai Holy Land differs from that of the Holy Lands in the Eastern Continent.

Cultivators in the Holy Lands of the Eastern Continent practice reclusion.

They remain in famous mountains and great rivers, avoiding interaction with Mortals, lest the Mortal World disturb their Dao Heart.

Rulai Holy Land, however, practices cultivation within the Mortal World.

Rulai Holy Land is divided into inner and outer courts; this temple is the outer court.

The inner court is hidden within the outer court, forming its own Grotto-Heaven.

Gu Liangyuan, who had rushed over, witnessed this scene and was astonished.

A Grotto-Heaven?

According to his understanding, even in the ancient times when Spiritual Qi was abundant, Grotto-Heavens were extremely rare.

The world had a ranking: thirty-six Grotto-Heavens and seventy-two Blessed Lands.

A Grotto-Heaven is different from the small world within the Jade Pond; the small world in the Jade Pond was Acquired, while a Grotto-Heaven must be Innate.

"No wonder there's such a Spiritual Qi-rich mountain in this Spiritual Qi-scarce desert; it turns out there's a Grotto-Heaven hidden within."

He sighed inwardly but did not ponder further, fearing that his wild thoughts might interfere with the advancement of the two Origins.

"Sun Wuchen, get out!"

Exhaling forms clouds, breathing out creates wind, and exhaling Qi transforms into thunder!

Gu Liangyuan settled his Qi into his Dantian and let out a loud roar, like a sudden clap of thunder, reverberating between heaven and earth!

It shook the entire Spiritual Mountain, making it tremble three times!

The pilgrims below were startled, some crouching and holding their heads, some looking around frantically, and some frozen in place.

"Who dares to be presumptuous in my Rulai Holy Land!"

A voice immediately followed Gu Liangyuan's.

This voice was like a tiger's roar and a lion's bellow, startling to the soul!

The sound waves transformed into an invisible Qi surge, heading directly for Gu Liangyuan's Divine Soul.

Gu Liangyuan made no move to dodge or defend, allowing the Qi surge to strike him.

The Qi surge passed through his body, but Gu Liangyuan remained motionless, not even blinking an eye.

As the Qi surge disappeared, a burly man with a shaved head and no beard, wearing a kasaya draped over one shoulder, appeared out of thin air.

The burly man held a dark long staff in his hand, and his entire body exuded the pressure of a Mahayana Peak Cultivator, confronting Gu Liangyuan from a distance, his face full of solemnity!

His previous Lion's Roar attack had once injured a Thunder Calamity Realm expert.

Yet, the person in front of him, whose Aura was only at the Mahayana Late Stage, was able to withstand his attack without any harm.

When did such a figure appear in the West Desert?

If it were an ordinary Cultivator who dared to be so presumptuous at the gates of Rulai Holy Land, this burly man would undoubtedly have attacked first without a word, then questioned them.

But through the recent probing, the burly man dared not be careless.

With a casual gesture, he suspended the staff in his hand in the air:

"Fellow Daoist, this humble monk is the Guardian Vajra of Rulai Holy Land."

"May I know why Fellow Daoist has come?"

Gu Liangyuan slowly spoke:

"Sun Wuchen of the Sun Family from Ancient Mo once tried to kill me, but he fortunately escaped."

"I know he is hiding in your Rulai Holy Land; hand him over to me, and I will leave."

Upon hearing this, the Guardian Vajra's tiger-like eyes narrowed:

"You are Gu Liangyuan?"

Gu Liangyuan did not answer, but repeated again:

"Hand over Sun Wuchen."

Hearing this, the Guardian Vajra reached out and gripped the staff in his hand again.

Although he said nothing, his actions already showed his stance.

"Ha!"

The Guardian Vajra roared, his body growing three zhang tall, and his skin turned a bright bronze color, gleaming with golden light.

His eyes widened, and he stood with his head held high and chest out, looking exactly like a Vajra.

Whoosh!

The Guardian Vajra looked cumbersome but was unusually agile.

In a blink of an eye, he appeared above Gu Liangyuan's head, raising his wooden staff high, and with the force of ten thousand jin, brought it down directly onto Gu Liangyuan's skull!

This strike from the Guardian Vajra had once shattered mountains!

He thought that if Gu Liangyuan took the full brunt of it, even if he didn't die, he would be severely injured!

Bang!

The wooden staff struck Gu Liangyuan's skull as expected, but the scene the Guardian Vajra imagined did not occur.

He only felt as if he had struck not a person, but a humanoid Spirit Treasure.

Not only did Gu Liangyuan remain completely still, but he also felt a huge rebound force.

This rebound force came too quickly, too suddenly!

He felt a numbness in his tiger's mouth and was sent flying backward.

At this moment, he could not make any reaction, only exerting all his strength to firmly grip his weapon.

After flying several tens of li, the Guardian Vajra finally dispersed the force.

He looked down and saw a clear crack on his Medium Grade Spirit Treasure.

Looking at his hands again, his tiger's mouth was completely torn, and his arms, comparable to a low-grade spirit treasure, had multiple fractures.

Yet, throughout this entire process, Gu Liangyuan didn't even glance at him, but kept his head down, as if searching for something.

At this moment, the Guardian Vajra's Dao Heart began to waver.

How could this be?

He was also a Prodigy, one in ten thousand years, as others called him!

Foundation Establishment at twenty, Core Formation at fifty, Soul Transformation at a hundred!

In less than five hundred years, he had cultivated to his current Mahayana Peak realm.

He had even heavily injured a Thunder Calamity Realm expert!

Killed a First Grade Great Demon!

Among those of the same realm, he had fought across the West Desert with no equal!

He had heard of Gu Liangyuan's deeds.

He thought that even if he couldn't defeat Gu Liangyuan, he could at least survive under his hands.

It was with such confidence that he dared to attack Gu Liangyuan.

He wanted to test what methods this world-renowned person possessed.

But he never expected that not only did he fail to exchange a single move with Gu Liangyuan, but Gu Liangyuan didn't even move from beginning to end, and he was already defeated!

In fact, it couldn't even be called a defeat.

The premise of winning or losing is that the opponent must make a move!

How could this be?

Am I not an invincible Prodigy?

"Found it!"

As the Guardian Vajra fell into self-doubt, Gu Liangyuan suddenly spoke.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the Tai Xuan Sword appeared in his grasp.

Since acquiring the Tai Xuan Sword, Gu Liangyuan had never let it leave its sheath.

The sword had been hidden for nearly three years, and the Sword Servant had nurtured it day and night.

When the sword is unsheathed, it will surely shake the heavens!

Just as Gu Liangyuan was about to unsheathe it, a woman's voice suddenly came from below:

"How can you be like this, sir?"

"First, you disturb the masters' pure cultivation, and then you injure someone. How can you be like this, sir?"

Someone beside the woman echoed:

"Exactly, exactly. You disturb the pure land of Buddhism; you will go to Hell after death."

Seeing someone take the lead, others joined in, one after another, in condemning Gu Liangyuan.

They became more and more excessive, eventually almost resorting to curses.

And within Rulai Holy Land, a continuous stream of people joined the condemnation army.

A bewildered Gu Liangyuan was somewhat confused.

Gu Liangyuan confirmed that these people were pure Mortals, without even a Spiritual Root.

I, Gu Liangyuan.

You, a mere Mortal.

Cursing me?

No, are the Mortals of the West Desert all so brave?

Have they been brainwashed into foolishness by these monks?