Execution Ground

Upon arriving at the back of the mountain, Li Qi soon saw a square.

That's not a Buddha sculpture, but an execution ground.

In the execution ground, there were hundreds of demons and villains, all of whom were suppressed.

Some demons had their mouths hooked by iron hooks, which pierced their upper and lower jaws, forcibly pulling their mouths open and placing red-hot iron balls into their mouths, scorching their lips and tongues.

When it was put in, all that could be heard was a hissing sound, but its lips and tongue were rotten and its throat was blocked, so it could not utter a single groan. It could only whimper through its nose, suffering bitterness and pain, but unable to let out a mournful cry.

Some demons are impaled by iron spikes, which are extremely fine, like hair, so they penetrate very deeply and in many places, so that they are completely pierced from the inside out. From the outside, it seems that their entire body, including their eyeballs and mouth, is covered with silvery-white hair.

Others are wicked people, being devoured, dragged, chewed, and ruminated upon by jackals, tigers, and leopards. Their flesh falls apart, bones are broken, skin and flesh rot, pus and blood flow out, and they wail incessantly.

Seeing this, Li Qi, who was passing by, frowned and couldn't help but ask the wolf demon in front of him, "This behavior... isn't this the kind of compassionate Buddhist practice?"

To everyone's surprise, the wolf demon said matter-of-factly, "It is precisely because we are compassionate that we must punish them. With the Buddha's light upon us, it is merely a little bit of physical torture. Compared to the sins they committed in the past, what is it?"

As he spoke, he pointed to a naked villain wearing iron armor.

That was Human Race, a low-ranking cultivator, who appeared to be from the Ghost Shaman lineage.

His punishment was to wear iron armor.

This is no ordinary iron armor, but a set of restraint garments made of iron chains, which are scorched red-hot by real fire, shining like lanterns.

The red-hot iron armor covered his body, burning his skin and flesh, charring his bones and boiling his marrow. The bitterness and pain were immeasurable, and his wails echoed through the sky, making the listeners' scalps tingle.

"This person abducted infants, used the Innate Qi of newborns to cultivate, and killed seventeen people before being captured by a high-ranking monk from Fengde Temple and brought here to suppress him."

"These people often eat human brains, so they can endure torture. You see, although he is in pain, it is far from killing him."

The wolf demon said, "Those who are tortured here all have their reasons. Those who are tortured with needles over there are lewd and poisonous. They gathered a group to brand their wives, stripped them naked, and flogged them until their bodies were covered in wounds."

"The one who was executed by being cleaved in two had dug up the graves of his clan, stolen twenty-four coffins, destroyed his ancestral tomb, and sold the bricks and tiles. This angered the spirits of the dead, and the whole clan was outraged. He was bound and sent to the temple."

The wolf demon pointed and told Li Qi about the various tortures suffered by the victims.

The wolf demon clasped his hands together and said devoutly, "The eminent monks of Fengde Temple are compassionate. They used corporal punishment to stop evil, and then used Buddhist teachings to influence and transform evil into good. This is the true way."

Li Qi glanced at the group of people being tortured, then at the headband on the wolf demon's head, and boldly asked, "So... the protector is one too?"

"Everyone here, except for those few masters, is one of them," the wolf demon said earnestly.

"The Sea of Suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore. Laying down the butcher's knife may not make one a Buddha, but it can bring some peace of mind. Compared to mere corporal punishment, being entangled in evil thoughts, and being unable to extricate oneself from the Unseen all day long, is it not more painful?"

"To have endured such an ordeal and yet attain such profound enlightenment is truly a blessing for us. Countless people in the world are entangled by evil thoughts, sinking into the Sea of Suffering, unable to find liberation. With a master to save us and impart Buddhist teachings, what more could we ask for?" the wolf demon said calmly.

As they spoke, they had already passed the back mountain and the people who were being tortured.

Li Qi simply gave a few perfunctory "hmm"s before falling into deep thought.

Is this the kind of morality practiced by Buddhists?

He had just passed by those places, which were not taboo. He could see that many people were passing by and watching. In other words, anyone could come to that square. Although it was protected by Technique Method and could not reach the execution ground, everyone could still see it.

In fact, Li Qi had just observed quite a few people, who seemed to be relatives of the victims, watching the demons and monsters inside with a mixture of hatred and pleasure.

Am I doing something wrong?

Li Qi felt it was acceptable. Although there was no life for life, the horrific punishment was enough to satisfy most people, at least they wouldn't feel any sense of injustice.

In reality, many people probably feel that it would be better to die than to suffer such punishment, which would be more painless. Therefore, most of the victims' families have no objections.

They repented afterward very well. Whether it was forced or genuine repentance, these demons will definitely not go out and do those things again. They have all converted to Buddhism and become protectors of Fengde Temple.

That's the only problem.

In Fengde Temple, the number of senior monks has not increased by many, but the number of Dharma protectors has increased by several hundred.

There are those who are not ranked, there are those who are ranked ninth, and there are even a few who are ranked eighth. As for those who are ranked seventh or above, I haven't seen any yet.

With such martial prowess, not counting the monks, these Dharma protectors alone are enough to rival the major forces in Ezhou and not be at a disadvantage.

Unbeknownst to many, the influence of Fengde Temple has expanded to this extent.

His fame spread throughout the country, secretly influencing millions of people. The area within a hundred miles had become his private property, and he had gained hundreds of loyal henchmen.

Even Li Qi couldn't help but sigh, this Buddhist temple really has something special.

At first glance, they seem to have done a lot of good deeds, and in fact they have done a lot of good deeds without asking for anything in return or reward. They even let the worshippers bring their own incense. But unknowingly, as they did good deeds, they became one of the most powerful forces in the area.

I don't know if it's good or bad.

After walking another seven or eight miles, we were far away from the previous group of buildings and had completely entered the deep mountains.

However, the number of practitioners passing by did not decrease, but increased instead, and many of them were led by the protectors of Fengde Temple, clearly all of them were there to see the Buddha sculptures.

Li Qi didn't continue the conversation, but obediently followed along. After a while, they finally arrived at the Buddha sculpture.

However, as soon as he arrived, Li Qi frowned and let out a strange low exclamation. "Huh?"

He saw a Buddha sculpture, but it wasn't the kind of exquisitely carved Buddha sculpture that Li Qi had imagined. Instead, it was something like the kind of sculptures you see in tourist attractions, such as the Immortal Pointing the Way, the Immortal Peach, the Lion Playing with a Ball, or the Stone Shoes.

It was just a rock, and then everyone came up with some strange names based on their own imaginations, which just didn't seem like anything special.

Following this logic, even those oddly shaped, broken stones that we can't name could be given names.

Li Qi had no interest in that, so in his opinion, a stone is just a stone, and there was no point in imagining so much. The so-called Buddha sculpture in front of Li Qi didn't even look like a human being; it was just a piece of broken stone that could be picked up at will.

"This is the Buddha sculpture that has been making headlines recently. Are you satisfied, benefactor?" the wolf demon asked Li Qi.

Li Qi did not answer, but instead looked around.

There were quite a few people looking at the Buddha sculpture.

Some people, like Li Qi, frowned, their expressions revealing that they all felt they had been tricked.

That's ridiculous! It's just a broken rock!

Some people seemed to think they were dull-witted, so they studied it carefully, sat cross-legged in front of the stone carving, analyzed it carefully, and pondered it cautiously, trying to uncover its secrets.

Some people sit directly and recite Buddhist Scriptures, as if they feel there is a mystery in the stone. But the mystery cannot be discovered by simply looking at it. Instead, one must sincerely recite the Buddha's name and be grateful for the teachings. Then one can naturally receive the Dharma in the Buddha sculpture.

Of course, some people scoffed at it, only glanced at it a few more times, and then concluded that it was just a lie before turning away.

Li Qi originally wanted to be among the group of people who would turn around and leave.

But after thinking about it, he realized that the Buddha statue must indeed be somewhat magical, otherwise, could the little monk he saw have faked the Heavenly Eye?

There's no room for faking it. Li Qi trusts his own judgment. Unless someone with great power is arranging things for him, he would never be so foolish as to misjudge such a matter.

If someone with great power is arranging things for you, then there's no escaping it. You might as well just blindly follow the path and eventually find a way out.

It might have been arranged by the other party, but at that point, a senior member of the sect should have stepped in.

Besides, there aren't many truly powerful people who are so tasteless.

If you arrange things for my disciples today, then I'll set up a trap for your disciples in return. After a while, all the younger generation will be wiped out. What's the point of playing then? There must be rules under the table; it's not like we can just act so recklessly.

So he sat down cross-legged and examined the Buddha sculpture.

However, the more you look at it, the more this broken stone seems to actually have a bit of a Buddhist feel to it.

At this moment, the wolf demon beside Li Qi suddenly said to him, "Have you noticed anything amiss, benefactor?"

"It does look somewhat similar, but I guess it's just my imagination." Li Qi shook his head.

"It's not just in your head, it's in your heart," the wolf demon suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" Li Qi asked back, realizing that the wolf demon's words had a hidden meaning.

Upon hearing this, the wolf demon squatted down beside Li Qi and said devoutly, "Buddha means enlightenment. One who is self-aware and enlightens others, whose enlightenment and practice are perfect, is called a Buddha. If everyone has enlightenment in their heart, then everyone has Buddha in their heart. If one says that only clay sculptures and wooden carvings can be called Buddhas, then they are the Buddhas of foolish men and women."

"When you pay homage to one Buddha, you should visualize paying homage to countless Buddhas. When you pay homage to the present Buddha, you should visualize paying homage to the past and Future Buddha, so that you may have as many Tathagatas as Weichen in the ten directions and three times before you."

"Worshiping Buddha is not about worshipping a sculpture; it is about worshipping the Buddha in your heart. If you have Buddha in your heart, isn't this stone a Buddha sculpture itself?"

"Considering that among all beings in the world, only the Buddha can relieve people's suffering, and the Buddha is the Awakened One, all beings who are awakened are also Awakened Ones, rush to the Buddha's place, bow down and prostrate themselves, and sincerely take refuge in the Buddha's Dharma and the holy assembly, then from this perspective, wouldn't this Buddha sculpture be considered miraculous?"

The wolf demon said this to Li Qi, and as it spoke, it even winked.

Li Qi chuckled to himself.

These witty remarks actually came right up to him?

He shook his head without refuting, after all, this was a Buddhist temple, and there was no need to offend anyone.

Because what the other party said sounds reasonable, but isn't it just nonsense? If enlightenment really leads to Buddhahood, then what are those first and second-grade Buddhas?

However, Li Qi did not object to this view.

Because he knew that these words weren't entirely false.

Enlightenment does not necessarily lead to Buddhahood, but those who become Buddhas are certainly enlightened.

The word "enlightenment" sounds simple, but it is actually incredibly difficult to achieve. Perhaps the mystery lies within it, just like Li Qi himself.

The practice of Shaman Path does not seek external things, but only the inner self. As long as you can comprehend many details of the great Dao, you will naturally be able to use other resources to enrich your cultivation.

As long as one's foundation is solid and steady, cultivation is merely a slow and laborious process for the Shaman Path.

Therefore, this statement actually coincides with the cultivation methods of Shaman Path and has a certain degree of similarity.

However, Shaman Path seeks to comprehend is not self-awareness, but rather an understanding of the external world, including numerology, physics, natural relationships, ecological balance, and even various metaphysics. Each of these requires a great deal of time to learn and study, and one must constantly align oneself with the external world, using one's own microcosm to gradually fit the external world, ultimately achieving complete unity between the inside and outside, to the point where one person is the universe.

Although the Buddhist teachings also emphasize enlightenment, Li Qi couldn't understand what enlightenment actually meant, and the wolf demon probably couldn't explain it either.

Buddhism chants about enlightenment, but what is enlightenment about? Who can articulate a framework? Who can define a goal? What must one realize to be considered enlightened?

This is why Li Qi looked down on Buddhism.

The Shaman Path requires you to comprehend something, and that is a clear goal, which is this great external world.

But Buddhism requires you to attain enlightenment, but what is enlightenment about? Is it about engaging in esoteric dialogues?

Embarrassing.

Of course, this is Li Qi's opinion. For those who practice Buddhism, Li Qi would probably be the one ridiculed.

Li Qi was also aware of this.

Everyone has different paths, so their views will also differ. Otherwise, how could there be a saying like "Those who have different paths cannot make plans together"?

Only those who share the same ideals can have a good conversation.

However, Li Qi also began to try to put himself in others' shoes.

He looked at the Buddha Statue and fell into deep thought.

Since the two methods have something in common, both require establishing a rough outline of the Tao in one's mind, and then using this outline to observe the Buddha sculpture in front of one's eyes, one may gain something.

If one desires the Divine Ability of Buddhism but insists on achieving them through Shaman Path, that is naturally unacceptable. One must view things from a Buddhist perspective; only then might one gain insight and understanding.

Li Qi constructed this Buddhist 'enlightenment' in his mind, attempting to simulate a real Buddha Statue.

According to the Buddhist Scriptures that Li Qi had read, there must be Thirty-two Forms of a Buddha statue, which are also the foundation for constructing Buddha Statue.

The so-called Thirty-two Forms refer to the very obvious features of the Buddha's appearance, including a thousand-spoked wheel, slender fingers, a high and beautiful nose, a broad and thin tongue, and so on, totaling thirty-two features.

The Buddha's Thirty-two Forms of a great man surpass those of all noble people, inspiring reverence in all who see him.

Li Qi carefully observed the Buddha sculpture that had been formed that day.

Suddenly, he stood up, left the wolf demon's side, and approached the Buddha statue.

The Buddha sculpture is a strange rock with an ordinary tree growing beside it, standing next to the trunk and pressing down on the roots.

Li Qi examined the cross-section of the tree and carefully counted the annual rings.

One two three...

After counting for a while, he discovered that the tree had exactly one thousand rings.

This is Thirty-two Forms of a Buddha, the thousand-spoked wheel, which refers to the thousand circular wheels on the soles of the Buddha's feet.

And this tree happened to be pressed under the strange rock.