Chapter 479: Chapter 479

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"

Upon hearing Master Xuanzang’s words, his own destiny seemed to turn from calamity to prosperity, causing Emperor Li Shimin’s emotions to fluctuate wildly as if on a roller coaster.

"Come, Imperial Brother, follow me quickly into the palace!"

Li Shimin grasped Xuanzang’s arm and walked towards the grand hall.

Meanwhile, at the base of the Southern Immortal Volcano, Wang Yang was currently meditating on the power within Pangu’s heart.

This crucial moment spawned one miraculous insight after another in Wang Yang’s mind as the formidable power hidden within Pangu’s heart slowly unraveled before him.

"So, Pangu’s true form is a transformation between the tangible and the intangible!"

A joyful smile appeared on Wang Yang’s lips, and at the same moment, his body emitted a startling divine radiance.

In the Phoenix’s eyes, Wang Yang’s body was undergoing a strange transformation; his figure began to slowly become transparent, and eventually, he disappeared from his physical form completely.

More precisely, he didn’t disappear out of thin air.

In the place where Wang Yang’s body had been, strands of the origin of the laws of Heaven and Earth emerged, among them a fierce flame that blazed voraciously.

"That’s the essence of the True Sun Fire, no, there’s also Samadhi True Fire, and the Nine Nether Earth Fire, that..."

"That is the ultimate source of fire in the world, the essence of fire from when the earth and heavens first opened, and chaos was destroyed!"

As a Chaos Demon born from the creation of heaven, the Phoenix had a vivid memory of such an extreme primal power.

More importantly, that blazing flame seemed to possess a deadly magical power, drawing her in!

The fluttering kindle of fire held an attraction for the Phoenix rooted deep in her soul.

The Phoenix knew this was because it was the origin of all fires in the world, the essence of flame from when the universe was born out of chaos.

Although the Phoenix was a Chaos Demon with innate Essence of Separating Fire, her path of fire was not perfect. In fact, it could be said that after the creation of heaven and earth, she had absorbed some essence of celestial fire, benefiting from Pangu’s legacy, which allowed those Chaos Demons to survive.

This was true for the Phoenix, the Qilin, and the Ancestral Dragon alike!

"Mother, what’s wrong?"

Watching the Phoenix suddenly step towards Wang Yang, Kong Xuan stood to the side, a trace of confusion in his eyes, and then he hesitantly spoke up.

Kong Xuan’s voice entered the Phoenix’s mind and momentarily helped her regain her senses.

Looking intently, she saw that she had, unknowingly, almost reached Wang Yang’s side and might rush towards the fluttering flame in the next moment.

Taking a deep breath, the Phoenix suppressed her craving for that source of all fires: "Xuan’er, stay here, guarding this Fellow Daoist. I need to check something outside the volcano, lest there be any disturbances at this time!"

Trying to appear calm, the Phoenix spoke to Kong Xuan, and then she rose and transformed into a blaze of red light, instantly flying out of the Southern Immortal Volcano.

After exiting the mouth of the Southern Immortal Volcano, the Phoenix silently stood in the void, casting a worried glance at the molten lava surging below.

This Wang Yang was too mysterious, his strength too enigmatic."

He could actually integrate the local flames into his body, forming the Source of Ten Thousand Fires.

And this Source of Ten Thousand Fires had an unimaginable attraction to her.

The Phoenix was certain that if Wang Yang completely refined Pangu’s heart, the Source of Ten Thousand Fires within him would grow even stronger, and its allure to the Phoenix would become even more direct.

To resolve this attraction, there were only two methods: either to devour or to submit!

The Phoenix was well aware that devouring Wang Yang was an unlikely feat, as the Source of Ten Thousand Fires, though rare and unique to him, was just one aspect of the innate Dao that had formed within him.

The Phoenix could clearly see that as Wang Yang’s body dissolved, it didn’t just reveal the essence of Ten Thousand Fires.

Earth, fire, water, wind, and even the mysterious chaos of the void were all present as she had perceived them.

Beyond that, there were still other forces evolving within him that she had not fully discerned.

In this respect, the power of this fellow Daoist exceeded what she could have imagined, perhaps even more powerful than she could conceive, maybe he was indeed destined to walk a path similar to that of the Great God Pangu.

Therefore, had she unintentionally acted against Wang Yang just now, the outcome would have been even worse.

On the other hand, if she couldn’t consume Wang Yang, the Phoenix understood more clearly that she would probably continue to sink step by step.

In fact, it wasn’t just her, as Wang Yang grew stronger, the Origin of Dao within him would gradually transform into the Source of Ten Thousand Paths. Eventually, among all who cultivated these attributes of Dao, especially those strong in a single attribute, all would be drawn to someone like Wang Yang, who possessed the Essence of Ten Thousand Paths.

At that time, their fates would resemble the current predicament of the Phoenix, either they would consume Wang Yang, or the Origin of Dao within them would be attracted and suppressed by the Source within Wang Yang, eventually leading them to submit.

With myriad thoughts in her heart, Phoenix eventually flew towards the horizon. Without going into detail, for now, she felt it better to keep her distance from Wang Yang.

At the base of the Undying Volcano, Kong Xuan watched the leaving figure of Phoenix, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion.

His path was that of the Transformation of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, which was more complex and profound compared to the average Dao.

Before Wang Yang had perfected his Origin of the Transformation of Yin and Yang and Five Elements Dao, his ability to attract and suppress Kong Xuan’s Dao was not very strong.

Thus, Kong Xuan did not feel the same as Phoenix.

Meanwhile, Wang Yang, unaware that his transformation induced such a different feeling in Phoenix, was immersed in the changes of his own power.

He utilized the power absorbed from Pangu’s heart as a guide, merging his own spirit with his bodily essence, thus integrating his power, spirit, and body into one.

Now, Wang Yang had fully realized that what was known as Pangu’s True Form indeed had no physical flesh; it was entirely Dao.

Pangu’s flesh was Dao, and Dao was his flesh; he could switch between the intangible Dao and the tangible bodily form.

Thus eventually, Pangu’s body could expand infinitely, ultimately transforming the internal myriad paths into mountains, rivers, grass, trees, and streams.

Wang Yang, of course, couldn’t achieve the depths reached by Pangu yet, but with the guidance from Pangu’s heart, Wang Yang had found his own breakthrough path.

Now, by refining his physical and ethereal true body using the Dao Principles inherent within him, from now on, Wang Yang’s body could also be considered, in a sense, a Saint’s Body, where the Dao never perishes.

Because he could always recover his body using the Dao of heaven and earth at any moment, and no longer differentiate between innate and acquired, for his body itself was directly transformed from the Source of the Great Dao.

In this regard, Wang Yang felt that his body could perhaps be considered a Saint’s Body.

While Wang Yang was undergoing unimaginable breakthroughs at the base of the Undying Volcano, the Three Realms also welcomed a great change.

In the Southern Continent Jambudvipa, in Chang’an, the capital city of the Great Tang, following an order from Emperor Li Shimin, the Great Ci’en Temple was established and the Wild Goose Pagoda constructed as a place for Master Xuanzang to preach and compile the scriptures.

The news of Master Xuanzang’s return from Seeking Scriptures spread widely within the Great Tang.

And with the issuance of this imperial decree, a tremendous merit descended out of nowhere between heaven and earth.

Buddhism’s Journey to the West had finally reached its conclusion with this one command from Emperor Li Shimin.

The universal salvation offered by Master Xuanzang while seeking the scriptures was indeed an act of boundless merit.

Buddhism was about to flourish greatly.

In the Imperial Palace, the master and three disciples who stayed overnight were silently covered by a brilliant golden light.

Though the merit’s golden light was dazzling, the guards stationed outside the window saw nothing; however, more of such golden light descended on Mount Meru of Western Paradise, Great Thunderclap Monastery.

Above the main hall of Mount Meru, thick strands of golden light of merit descended.

One fell upon Guanyin Bodhisattva.

One fell upon Manjushri Bodhisattva.

At the same time, countless fine strands of golden light spread across various lands of the Three Realms, sharing the merit with those who participated in the Journey to the West.

However, the largest cluster of golden light of merit, at that moment, fell upon Ancestor Buddha Tathagata.

Following the descent of this golden light of merit, a tremendously powerful aura suddenly emanated from Ancestor Buddha Tathagata.