He still would have preferred to wait a bit longer , but it looked like it was time to collect .
Zac made sure all his preparations were in place as he walked to the mansion’s gate leading onto the peak . He smiled a bit as he crossed the pebbled courtyard . The patterns almost looked like skill fractals by this point , even a Dao Tapestry representing his path . The Sangha’s love and the Dao of Samsara were greatly muted already . He’d say his courtyard was already halfway attuned to him . Even Catheya and Ogras could make short visits , though they couldn’t leave his manor without risking damage to their Dao Hearts .
He reached the gate , and it only took a steadying breath for his view to change . The ghost temple looked the same as usual . To this day , the immense Buddha and its terrifying aura hadn’t returned . But would things stay that way? Doubtful . Zac began his approach , relying only on his conviction to withstand the coruscating waves of Dharma and Samsara .
The peak was rapidly coming alive , with new features appearing with every step he took . It felt like paradise was descending on the mundane plane , but Zac was unmoved by the call of the cosmos . He was the solitary rock in a river , letting the waters flow by him .
Soon , Zac reached the midway point . The spiritual pressure was intense , as was the crushing weight of the Dao itself . But Zac maintained his speed . He’d already been able to reach this point during his first attempt . And while he hadn’t made any huge breakthroughs since then , he had made many small improvements that accumulated into something substantial .
Zac continued toward the small temple that felt impossibly vast from the immense Dharmic aura it exuded . Dozens of Bodhisattvas and Devas lined the side temples , and the chants of thousands of monks reverberated across the peak . Zac couldn’t make out any words , but their tones rose and fell , forming a grand cycle that wanted to drag Zac’s soul out of his body . If he let them , he’d enter the cycle of Samsara .
The main temple was lined by eight towering figures , four to each side of the stairs leading into the shrine . Oddly enough , Zac couldn’t make out what they depicted . It was like his brain couldn’t take in their forms . Besides , he didn’t dare look at them long . Each emitted an intense aura of holiness like they were the embodiment of truth and virtue .
When they first appeared , they resonated as the final guardians of this trial . But as Zac continued his approach , he started doubting whether that was the truth . Were they the guardians , or were they the goal? The distance between Zac and the eight was filled with the unavoidable sea of Samsara , and the chains of Karma Zac had accumulated acted as sinking weights . To reach the statues and step onto the right path , you’d have to sever the past .
No! Zac shook his head with horror from having his perception twisted even when he held on to the Void of his self . For a moment , the statues emitted an aura of pure devilishness rather than holiness .
Yet , he kept trudging on . Each step was a rebirth , where the Dao of Samsara tried to wash away his past and urge him embrace the new . Zac refused to let go .
Kayar-Elu . Root Compact . Six Profundity Empire , - Zac muttered , his monotone voice almost like a chant .
One word after another emerged from his mouth . Places , people , and concepts which held a special place in his heart . His words lacked the rhythmic cadence of Buddhist Scripture , but they created a counterweight against the immense pressure on his path and self . They became the anchors preventing him from being swept away , from giving up his self in exchange for liberation .
Each step felt like an eternity , but he’d eventually crossed three-quarters of the distance . The peak was gone already , replaced by an endless square . The gargantuan avatar still hadn’t appeared , but Zac could feel a vast presence form in the sky . But it wasn’t the Buddha . The groan of ancient wood joined the chants , and Zac’s mind shuddered as he saw a huge wheel appear behind the temple , stretching hundreds of meters into the sky .
The wheel of Samsara .
The moment it appeared , Zac knew he couldn’t hold back any longer . The wheel radiated ultimate truth and finality , and the whole Buddhist complex came alive . The Dao Surge , the Dharma roared , and the Void of Zac’s self teetered on the brink of collapse . Six array disks appeared , forming a protective circle around Zac just before a storm of Dao came crashing down from the wheel . They shuddered but held on , supplied and nourished by Zac’s Dao .
Meanwhile , Zac took out the Mind’s Eye Agate] and urgently fastened it to his back . The crystal was already covered with a golden web of fine chains , and over fifty small array disks were fastened at its intersections . The crystal groaned ominously , and a few cracks appeared but managed to soothe Zac’s heart and soul . The storm stabilized a moment later , but the danger of the peak had increased by 50% since the wheel’s appearance .
Zac’s perception started to bend . His mind told him the eight statues were the wheel , and the wheel was the statues . They occupied different spaces , yet they were one . The wheel slowly turned . Zac’s heart shuddered . He didn’t have much time . The arrays had given him a window of opportunity , and the temple was only fifty meters away . He took a few hurried steps but his vision lurched at the ten-meter line .
The statues towered over him to his left and right . They were only three meters tall , yet they felt like mountains looming over and pressuring him . Zac hesitated before gritting his teeth , and a small crystal appeared in his hand . The pressure drastically decreased , but Zac looked down at the Void Engine] with worry . It could subvert the Dao and Energy , but he’d long since learned it wasn’t without limit . It would slowly weaken if left unattended in too rich an environment .
And when pressured by the Buddhist Sangha? It would only last seconds . Time was of the essence , so Zac hurried his steps . The aura of providence was a beacon in the raging ocean of Samsara . Just ten meters away .
Unfortunately , Zac found another problem just as he reached the top of the stairs .
He could finally see the interiors of the temple . Until this point , they had been obscured like the statues he’d just passed . Now , it was on wide display , but that didn’t help Zac much . The temple was only thirty meters wide , but its interiors were the size of a city . It was a huge temple beyond compare , with hundreds of enormous shrines and statues erected .
Far in the distance on the opposite side , Zac could vaguely make out the enormous Buddha he’d seen in the sky . It sat at the main position of the temple , mostly obscured by a thick haze of incense smoke . Zac couldn’t even see its face as it was so far up in the sky , but he felt a huge presence staring down at him . In an instant , dozens of cracks appeared across the Mind’s Eye Agate] , and the Void Engine] flickered ominously .
Luckily , the feeling only lasted a second , and Zac breathed out as he took a step forward , still silently mumbling his anchoring words . But just as he was about to step into the gate , he found himself unable to so much as move a finger . Two huge Niō had appeared to the sides of the entrance , each looking down at him with scornful eyes . And then they spoke .
IS THE COSMOS ETERNAL? -
IS THE COSMOS TRANSIENT? -
The words rumbled like an angry sea or claps of thunder . The words were the Dao itself , and Zac groaned as a deluge of impressions swept through him . A universe moving toward infinity , slowly growing with each beat . A universe crumbling , each beat a little weaker than the last .
The two questions reverberated through Zac’s mind , the words only increasing in ferocity and power . There were more questions somehow superimposed on those two , clamoring for dominion over Zac’s soul . The words felt like grindstones intent on grinding his self to dust , sending a pure stream of consciousness into the wheel of Samsara .