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A massive army of over a million soldiers marching swiftly, encountering unexpected changes, could only maintain strict discipline and unified coordination in a world of mortals.
Although some miscellaneous texts and historical records mention that the number of combatants in mortal dynasties exceeded a million, those were divided and managed separately. Hundreds of thousands of troops were organized into three armies, each with a complete system, from the general down to the lowest ranks, functioning like a colossal killing machine. The commander-in-chief was the brain of this war machine, steering its direction.
If a million heavily armed soldiers were to spread out, they would cover an area of several hundred miles.
If not for Meng Qingzhou’s cultivation level, which allowed him to amplify his voice to reach every ear and supervise every detail within his Sword Sense domain, any minor mishap in the swift march, such as someone tripping and causing a stampede, could trigger a chain reaction leading to a major disaster.
A large, rapidly moving army is both a terrifying war machine and extremely fragile, prone to collapse at any moment.
“Stop!”
“Form the Basalt Formation, hold your positions.”
Meng Qingzhou issued the command, his Sword Sense domain locking onto a few powerful presences a hundred miles ahead.
They no longer concealed themselves.
They approached openly.
As dawn broke, the horizon glowed with the first light of day, and the rising sun made it hard for the soldiers to keep their eyes open. They shielded their eyes with their hands, squinting and craning their necks to see ahead.
“Dragon Subduing.”
“Tiger Subduing.”
“Anger.”
Three half-naked monks in robes stood shoulder to shoulder, staring from dozens of miles away at Meng Qingzhou, who was surrounded by swirling Sword Sense like an emperor of swordsmanship.
“Benefactor, you may come and go as you please; my Buddha will not hinder you. But those behind you have slaughtered too many Zen disciples. They are guilty and cannot leave the Buddhist Kingdom’s territory without permission.”
“Please, do not make things difficult for us.”
“Stop and let them return to the oasis to atone for their sins until they exhaust their supplies and perish. After death, my Buddha will bless them, and they will not fall into hell.”
The three Arhats spoke one after another, their expressions cold and fearless.
Meng Qingzhou responded indifferently, “What if I refuse?”
The Anger Arhat stepped forward, his eyes turning golden, and a thousand-foot-tall six-armed Dharma King appeared behind him, holding various tantric artifacts, its face ferocious and eyes tearing, glaring at the world.
“Benefactor, you have no choice.”
“Do not think that after the battle with the Ancestral Sect, where you slaughtered a hundred Morning Glows and Langya killed the Lustful Arhat, you are invincible below the Sky-Reaching Realm.”
“The Buddha has comprehended the Bodhi Sutra, attained the true Buddha fruit position, and glimpsed the path to the Sky-Reaching Realm. With his guidance, we are no longer the same.”
As he spoke, the Anger Arhat’s aura grew even more immense, as if a deity had descended, shaking the entire Ten Thousand Mile Buddhist Kingdom.
The Dragon Subduing and Tiger Subduing Arhats stepped forward, manifesting thousand-foot Dharma forms, one with a coiled flood dragon on his shoulder, the other riding a wild beast tiger!
Within the three Arhats, there was a complete inner universe cycle, endlessly self-sustaining and forming their own Great Dao.
Meng Qingzhou frowned, probing with his Sword Sense, and the three Arhats did not conceal anything, allowing him to investigate.
“So that’s how it is.”
“The Buddha’s ambition is vast!”
Meng Qingzhou felt a slight tremor in his heart.
The Buddha had transformed his body into the Dao, turning the Ten Thousand Mile Buddhist Kingdom into his domain. He only thought of creating a paradise but did not delve deeper.
Now, after probing the three Arhats’ realities, he realized that they all had complete inner universe cycles and had integrated all principles into their bodies. This was a sign of breaking through to the Sky-Reaching Realm!
Three Sky-Reaching Realms?
Impossible!
The Buddha not only transformed the Buddhist Kingdom but also merged the Heavenly Dao of this region into his Dao.
“No wonder the Buddha has not acted; he is seizing a thread of the Heavenly Dao. Though not much, it’s enough. However, he is now suffering from the backlash of the Heavenly Dao, unable to act.”
“So, you eighteen Arhats… no, fifteen Arhats, including four Bodhisattvas, must have planted all your cultivation and principles into the Buddha’s creation Dao.”
“Like a vast river, you dug channels on the side, forming tributaries, sharing the Buddha’s Dao fruit and cultivation.”
“Possessing the might of the Sky-Reaching Realm but not its abilities, a false Sky-Reaching Realm.”
Meng Qingzhou remained calm, hands behind his back, as if chatting with old friends.
The three Arhats were confident, adopting a strategy of only pushing back and avoiding conflict, unwilling to start a major battle.
The Buddha’s grand plan was only halfway complete; they dared not defy his orders.
Meng Qingzhou chuckled silently.
He suddenly thought of something from his previous life, a mobile hotspot signal, somewhat similar.
However, even a false Sky-Reaching Realm still bore the name of Sky-Reaching, far surpassing ordinary Morning Glows.
The Buddha had hidden in the Wilderness for thousands of years, with no small ambition!
“Benefactor, since you have seen through our reality, will you lead your troops to retreat?” the Dragon Subduing Arhat asked.
Meng Qingzhou remained silent, his Sword Sense ringing, soaring into the sky.
His attitude was his answer!
The stronger the enemy, the more excited he became. If more Arhats like the Lustful Arhat appeared, he would only be disappointed.
“Very well, we understand the benefactor’s intent.”
“But rest assured, as a part of the Buddha’s plan, we will not kill you.”
The three Arhats stepped forward simultaneously. They had never underestimated the Space-Time Sword Saint, hailed by the Buddha as the greatest prodigy in history.
Meng Qingzhou showed no fear, grinning.
One step, three meters.
[Space-Time End and Beginning, activate!]
Two steps, a thousand meters.
[Time and Space. Reversing Time, activate!]
Three steps, ten miles.
[Space-Time Restart, ready to launch.]
Four steps, thirty miles.
[Space-Time Ocean Flow, activate!]
Both sides advanced towards each other at a steady pace, the three Arhats’ auras rising, their divine might awe-inspiring.
Meng Qingzhou was even more astonishing. Within the Reversing Time domain, everything was still. Even the Three Thousand Great Daos were frozen, some reversing, some accelerating towards the future.
Ten, a hundred streams of Space-Time Ocean Flow, forming sword embryos, floated above his head.
Swords emerged from the sky, the earth, and all directions, forming an impenetrable forest of Sword Sense.
“Morning Glow challenging the Sky-Reaching Realm, unprecedented in history. Can the first Human Emperor compare?!”
Meng Qingzhou laughed wildly, his usual gentle demeanor gone, like a flood dragon or wild beast breaking free, baring its fangs.
The three Arhats’ faces turned cold, their thousand-foot Dharma forms solidifying, the might of the Sky-Reaching Realm fully revealed!
“Kill!!”
Both sides roared in unison.
………
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