The sound of chanting rose.
At this moment, all of Central Province fell into absolute silence.
Purple qi came from the east for thirty thousand li.
A host of brilliant stars illuminated the Nine Provinces.
Ancient stone statues resonated one after another.
Between heaven and earth, it seemed as though chants rang out again and again.
"The Dao that can be spoken!"
"Is not the eternal Dao!"
"The name that can be named!"
"Is not the eternal name!"
"The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth."
"The named is the mother of all things."
The chants seemed as though sages of antiquity had returned to life in this age, reciting this supreme scripture.
Countless powerful figures throughout Central Province revealed shocked expressions as they gazed toward Great Luo Holy Land.
And in the Western Desert.
Within Little Thunderclap Temple.
Buddhist light spread for ten thousand li, and the Ten Thousand Character Buddhist Seal hovered in the void. Within the Great Hero Hall.
Thirty-three thousand, three hundred and thirty-three Novice Monks sat around the hall. Thirty-six Bodhisattvas, eighteen Arhats, four Venerables, four divine monks, and the presiding Master Puzhi had all gathered here.
"The Dao that can be spoken!"
"Is not the eternal Dao!"
As the ancient chanting began, Buddhist light shone everywhere throughout Little Thunderclap Temple. All manner of sutra chants arose, automatically resisting this Dao sound.
"The Daoist sect has produced a remarkable existence as well."
After a long while, Master Puzhi slowly spoke within Little Thunderclap Temple, drawing curious looks from every Buddhist disciple.
"Is that Great Luo Eldest Senior Brother truly so formidable?"
A Novice Monk could not help asking, filled with curiosity.
"To speak Great Dao Truthful Words the moment he opens his mouth—if that is not formidable, what is?"
Master Puzhi said calmly, then sent forth a beam of Buddhist light.
In an instant, a mirror appeared. Within it was the scene at Great Luo Holy Land.
At this moment.
Great Luo Main Peak.
As purple qi came from the east for thirty thousand li, the entire Great Luo Holy Land was submerged in purple qi.
Lu Changsheng emerged from the main peak's great hall.
Rather than walking down the mountain step by step, he directly trod upon golden lotuses and headed toward the Dao Discussion Hall.
As Lu Changsheng recited the Tao Te Ching, three figures emerged behind him, making everyone's eyelids twitch.
Golden lotuses blossomed beneath Lu Changsheng's feet, while rays of light wound around him.
The Great Dao's Five Elements circled above his head, forming a Five Elements canopy. Yin Yang Qi coiled around him, forming a Yin Yang Taiji Diagram. Most terrifying of all were the three supreme phantoms behind him, further emphasizing Lu Changsheng's mystery and might.
Countless young prodigies in the Dao Discussion Hall were dumbfounded.
They had known that Great Luo Holy Land had produced an extraordinary Eldest Senior Brother, but they had never imagined he would be so exceptional.
"The Yin Yang Qi winding around him is Innate Yin Yang Qi. Our holy land's Supreme Elder could exhaust his entire life and still fail to cultivate even a single strand of Innate Yin Yang Qi."
"Innate Five Elements Qi! Too strong, simply too strong! The Innate Five Elements Qi around him has formed a Great Luo canopy, blessed by destiny!"
"Gasp! I just used the Son of Heaven Qi Observation Technique to glance at him. There were actually nine heavenly dragons coiled around him—his destiny is this powerful?"
"Purple qi came from the east for thirty thousand li. He walked to song, stepping on golden lotuses in the void, with phenomena appearing one after another. Extraordinary, truly extraordinary."
"What a fool, Senior Brother, what a fool you are! You actually let a genius like this go to Great Luo Holy Land!"
Voices rang out one after another. At this moment, no one could remain calm.
Lu Changsheng's phenomena were simply too terrifying.
Three phantoms.
Golden lotuses beneath his feet.
Yin and Yang around him.
The Five Elements blessing him.
Purple qi coming from the east for thirty thousand li.
And he was even reciting Great Dao Truthful Words, every word capable of clearing away confusion and granting sudden enlightenment.
This bearing surpassed Dharma Master Xuanxin's a thousandfold, ten thousandfold.
At last, Lu Changsheng descended.
He arrived at the center of the Dao Discussion Hall and looked at Dharma Master Xuanxin, who sat not far away.
"This humble monk greets you, Benefactor."
When Dharma Master Xuanxin saw Lu Changsheng, even his unruffled gaze could not help revealing shock.
Lu Changsheng's appearance was simply breathtaking.
It was not merely because his phenomena were powerful.
More importantly, it was his temperament.
That temperament of an immortal.
"Greetings, Dharma Master Xuanxin."
Lu Changsheng remained perfectly calm. As expected, his guess had been entirely correct. Once the Tao Te Ching emerged, it had drawn such terrifying phenomena and thoroughly bluffed everyone.
But next came the true debate of doctrines.
"The debate begins! Silence!"
Just then.
The voice of Great Luo's sect leader rang out.
With those words, the debate of doctrines officially began.
The two sat cross-legged, facing each other.
A debate of doctrines was ten questions and ten answers.
One side asked, and the other answered.
The questioner could ask freely, while the respondent had to answer correctly to win. If he could not answer, the other side would answer instead.
If the other side could not answer either, it would be considered a draw.
After ten questions and ten answers, if victory remained undecided, they would continue asking and answering until one side lost completely.
At this moment, everyone fell silent.
Countless gazes rested upon the two of them.
Since Dharma Master Xuanxin had come to Great Luo Holy Land to debate doctrines, Lu Changsheng would be the first to ask.
"May I ask, Xuanxin, what is Buddha?"
Without any hesitation, Lu Changsheng spoke directly, asking an exceptionally incisive question from the start.
What was Buddha?
Everyone fell silent. Some highly cultivated Daoist experts nodded in satisfaction. This was how a debate of doctrines should be—sharp as a blade. Only by striking first could one seize victory.
Everyone watched Dharma Master Xuanxin, awaiting his answer.
Dharma Master Xuanxin pondered for a moment before speaking.
"He who saves the people of the world is Buddha."
That answer was acceptable. Buddhism emphasized saving others; one who saved the people of the world was Buddha. It was perfectly reasonable.
Yet Lu Changsheng shook his head.
"Wrong!"
That single word, wrong, was especially eye-catching.
These past days, Dharma Master Xuanxin had become immensely famous throughout Central Province.
He had debated the Ten Great Holy Lands and achieved nine consecutive victories, never losing once—not even in a single exchange of questions and answers.
Yet no one had expected that Lu Changsheng would reject his answer on the very first question.
"Please enlighten me, Benefactor."
Dharma Master Xuanxin revealed a curious expression as well.
He did not believe that what he had said was wrong.
"All living beings are Buddha."
Lu Changsheng spoke, using five words to explain everything.
"Why?"
Dharma Master Xuanxin frowned slightly.
"Buddha has no fixed form, and takes all living beings as his form."
"The myriad living beings are all Buddha!"
Lu Changsheng had not thought up this argument at random. In his previous life, he had read books about Buddhist debates, and this was the debate that had left the deepest impression on him.
A wise man once asked the Buddha, what was Buddha?
What he meant was: who was Buddha?
The Buddha answered that all living beings were Buddha. This was a lofty realm.
Upon hearing this, Dharma Master Xuanxin fell silent for a moment before finally pressing his palms together. "What the Benefactor says is most true!"
He had lost, because Lu Changsheng's answer better embodied Buddhism's highest ideal. If he argued further, he would instead be diminishing Buddhism.
"Benefactor Lu, this humble monk wishes to ask: what is the Dao?"
The next moment, Dharma Master Xuanxin posed the same question.
This question was exceptionally sharp.
Because Lu Changsheng could not answer with the same reasoning.
If he gave the same answer, he would be indirectly admitting that Buddhism and Daoism were one family. That was not allowed.
Yet Lu Changsheng remained utterly calm.
"I am the Dao."
The moment those words were spoken.
The entire hall cried out in shock.
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