The True Buddhist Land

Li Qi finalized the itinerary.

On the other side—

In the endless outer realms.

In the boundless void, countless Buddha's light surged.

A Buddha statue, whose height is immeasurable, sits cross-legged here, holding up the Buddha's realm in his palm, making a finger gesture with one hand, and wearing a smile.

Such a massive form of Buddha was surrounded by dozens of world groups revolving around it.

Each world cluster contains millions of worlds.

But even compared to the size of the world, it seems like the difference between a giant and a speck of dust.

Even at the speed of light, it would probably take tens of thousands of years to travel from the top of this Buddha's head to his feet.

Such a vast and magnificent image of the Buddha is shining with light.

His body radiates boundless light, illuminating countless worlds. In the void, the roar of a lion resounds, and numerous Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and laypeople beat the Dharma drum, blow the Dharma conch shell, wield the Dharma sword, erect the Dharma banner, thunder the Dharma, flash the Dharma lightning, shower the Dharma rain, and expound the Dharma, awakening all worlds with the sound of the Dharma.

All the Buddha's Divine Ability have reached hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddha lands.

The light shines upon countless Buddha lands, and all worlds are shaken in six ways, rising up in an endless wave. In the worlds illuminated by the Buddha's light's light, all things are adorned with pure and beautiful light, with unique shapes and colors, infinitely subtle and wondrous beyond measure.

Looking again at his Buddha-land in his palm, the Buddha holds up the boundless earth, extending from the earth to the sky. Palaces, pavilions, ponds, flowing water, flowering trees, and all things in the land are composed of countless treasures and hundreds of thousands of kinds of fragrances, adorned with wondrous beauty, surpassing Celestial Person, and its fragrance pervades the ten directions of the world.

Those dozens of world groups, countless worlds, were all bathed in the Buddha's light, and all attained the Samadhi of Purity and Liberation.

In countless worlds and among countless beings, under the Buddha's light, they do not give rise to desires, anger, or harmful thoughts; they are not attached to form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental objects; they attain the power of forbearance; they do not dwell on suffering; they are content with little; they are free from defilement, anger, and ignorance; their samadhi is always tranquil; and they have no false or flattering thoughts.

This is a true Buddha.

A genuine Buddha, possessing the qualities of 'immeasurable light', 'immeasurable life', and 'immeasurable wisdom'.

His Buddhist name is Amitabha Buddha.

However, the appearance of this true Buddha does not look very 'healthy'.

Indeed, because the endless darkness was dragging his body, the boundless Buddha's light was blocked, and it lost its nature of 'reaching all directions of the world as one Buddha land'.

Within this darkness, countless demons sink and emerge.

Amitabha Buddha did not destroy these demons, because it was meaningless; no matter how many he killed, he could never kill them all.

Because the number of demons here is 'infinite'.

Infinity in the literal sense.

However, since it is infinite but does not exceed the boundaries of this world, it can still exist.

It sounds strange, but it's actually a very simple principle.

How many digits are there between the two integers 1 and 2?

Anyone who has studied even a little knows the answer: there are an infinite number of numbers.

1.1, 1.11, 1.111 can loop infinitely, meaning that even within a finite size, there can be an infinite number of them.

The same applies to the demons here. In the finite existence of reality, there are indeed infinite demons. Therefore, to 'kill' in the way of mortals is nothing but a meaningless and wasteful thing.

But a true Buddha has the ability to deal with things like 'infinity'.

But then, the Dharma Image began chanting a verse. "Suppressing the demon realm, shaking the Devil Palace, all demons tremble in fear, and none fail to submit—"

As the Buddhist chant resounded, conch shells rang loudly in the boundless void!

He manifests his form like lightning, shattering the net of demons, freeing himself from all entanglements, breaking through the web of evil, extinguishing all views, transcending the Sravaka, and attaining the Samadhi of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. He skillfully establishes expedient means, revealing the Three Vehicles, and at the end of this transformation, he manifests Nirvana.

As the Buddhist chant reverberated, an indescribable and profound fluctuation, moving at a speed far exceeding the speed of light, affected countless demons. In an instant, even the concept of 'infinity' was annihilated.

It's actually a very simple principle.

If the boundless sea of demons before us is the infinite within the finite, then where does this infinite weakness lie?

It's very simple. There are infinite numbers between one and two. So what is there that absolutely does not exist among these infinite numbers?

It's a very clear and straightforward answer.

It is a number that is less than one and greater than two.

If the number is less than one but greater than two, it means that it transcends the infinite within the finite. If the number is greater than two, then this number 'greater than two' is greater than every individual within the infinite within the finite.

It's a similar principle, Amitabha Buddha, that transcends the infinite and the finite by doing a 'subtraction'.

It sounds simple, but all their battles are set against the backdrop of the 'universe'.

The universe encompasses all time and space. There is no concept of a multiverse in the universe. As long as spacetime exists, that is the scope of the universe. What ordinary people commonly know as the bubble-like universe should be called the 'world' according to popular understanding.

Set against the backdrop of the universe, rather than using the universe as a battlefield.

Zhu Fengdan and her companions fought against countless demons in the outer realms of the world, with the universe as their battlefield.

However, battles between those of the highest rank are completely different.

They look down upon the universe from above, using it as their canvas to freely create their own 'battles'.

Such battles rely purely on logic and the 'Tao'.

This battle is not a fight in the usual sense, but a struggle for the interpretation of this universe. Whoever has more "right to interpret" will have a greater impact.

However, in their last encounter, Amitabha Buddha had a slight advantage.

But the next moment, a sphere appeared in front of Amitabha Buddha.

It was not before the Dharma image, but before the true form of Amitabha Buddha, seated in the center of his Buddha-land, beneath the Bodhi Tree that was tens of light-years high.

"Ah, you've won again, and banished me from the real universe once more. Are you happy?" The black sphere, or rather... the Heavenly Demon, spoke to Amitabha Buddha in a slightly amused voice.

Amitabha Buddha remained silent, ignoring the sphere. All the other Bodhisattvas and Arhats around him sat cross-legged and silently chanted mantras. Immediately, the surrounding area was filled with the sound of chanting, and invisible pressure and Buddha's light began to gather, pressing down on the demon.

They took direct action.

As for arguing... there's no need for that.

Over countless years, countless eloquent Zen masters have debated with the demons, but the outcome was always the same.

The Heavenly Demon has never lost.

Because he always has countless excuses, and if even excuses don't work, then he'll resort to cheating.

Arguing with a demon is pointless.

"Ah, this kind of reaction again, how boring." The Heavenly Demon began to transform from a black sphere, gradually turning into a human form.

He became a strange... humanoid being.

It has no hair, its body is covered with sharp spikes and angular scales, it has bent, double-jointed hind legs, and a vine-like mist is wrapped around its body. Its hands have sharp claws.

The instant his form appeared, all those Bodhisattvas and Arhats who were watching his presence instantly felt the essence of the world suddenly press into their fragile hearts at an unexpected speed.

Passionate and sharp, a deep-seated chaos, a terrifying expansion!

The mere sight of a physical body was enough to exert immense pressure on Amitabha Buddha's followers.

This is not the malice of the Heavenly Demon, but merely the suppression of one's rank.

Then, the Mara of Self-Transformation said to Amitabha Buddha, "How much did you expend this time?"

Faced with this question, Amitabha Buddha suddenly spoke.

The Buddha's form was so enormous and magnificent, but his true body was just like an ordinary person, nothing special, just an ordinary old monk.

Amitabha Buddha said, "Among the Buddha lands of the ten directions, there are countless worlds, but for a Buddha land, the consumption is only a small amount."

"It's a small loss for the Buddhist land, but what about those people? Every time you suppress me, many people die. Although it's nothing to the whole Western Paradise, are their individual lives unimportant? Is this the essence of Buddha's compassion?" the Heavenly Demon asked with a grin.

He's always been good at this kind of thing.

Amitabha Buddha shook his head in response, saying, "Their sacrifice was all for the sake of sentient beings."

"For the sake of all living beings? Or for the sake of your Buddhist sect?" The Heavenly Demon curiously leaned forward, almost touching Amitabha Buddha, and asked.

"Isn't Buddhism one of the sentient beings? Not to mention, besides Buddhism, countless other beings will suffer your harm." Amitabha Buddha retorted.

"But I do not like killing. If I were allowed to come out, countless fewer people would have died over the years. Everyone knows that the Mara of Self-Transformation is kind and easy to talk to. I only give them choices and never kill anyone." The Heavenly Demon's body turned around, and his voice changed as well.

She transformed into a beautiful and delicate young girl and sat beside the Buddha.

This scene looks very harmonious.

Bodhi Tree, an old monk, Buddha's light, scriptures, and a beautiful young girl sitting beside it, her legs exposed, her expression shy yet full of curiosity.

Unfortunately, those who know the inside story only feel a chill run down their spines.

"The choices given by the demon will ultimately come at a price," Amitabha Buddha said, looking at the girl.

"I have never charged any price. The so-called price is nothing more than mortals fighting amongst themselves." The Heavenly Demon swung his leg, pouted, and said with dissatisfaction.

In fact, that is indeed the case.

The Heavenly Demon never takes any price, nor does she need those meager things. The reverence of mortals, their precious possessions, even their lives and souls, are all meaningless to her.

Their existence is merely to provide the demons with something interesting to do, just as the existence of this world is.

Those so-called costs and tragedies are nothing more than the result of infighting among mortals. The costs are taken by others, and the lives are taken by others. In most cases, the Heavenly Demon does not like killing.

"The source is crystal clear. The sacrifices made to stop you are far better than the chaos that would ensue in all the realms after you are released," Amitabha Buddha said.

"Sigh, really, you all have a point no matter what. Well, you're right. By the way, I'm going to eat now. Do you want to eat with me?" Tianmo yawned, lay down boredly, and said this.

Amitabha Buddha remained silent.

So the demon decided to eat it himself.

With a flick of her fingertips, a colossal world appeared in this Buddhist land.

Amitabha Buddha frowned slightly, but did not make any actual move.

Because it's meaningless.

This world quickly occupied the sky at this moment, but it was not enough to cover this Buddha Kingdom in the palm of your hand, not even one percent of it.

But it was magnificent enough; the edge of the world shimmered in the sky, and the red stars on the horizon grew ever more brilliant.

This is a world on the verge of destruction.

Within it were countless lives gradually annihilated, silently wailing, and bursting, brilliant stars, visible and invisible electromagnetic waves scattering in the dim space.

This lament may have begun since time immemorial, or it may have been brewing and accumulating, waiting for some coincidence. In the end, the waves of energy were calmed, and as far as the eye could see, there was only a monotonous accumulation of colors.

This is the beginning and the end of a world, and all of this is manifested in the sky above the Buddha's kingdom in Amitabha Buddha's palm, occupying one percent of the entire sky of the Buddha's kingdom.

In a world where billions of stars are heading towards destruction, naturally, the life within is also about to perish.

"Look, they died on their own, it has nothing to do with me," the Heavenly Demon said casually.

The other bodhisattvas and arhats around them all looked indignant, but no one came out to stop them.

Because it's too late, the world is beyond saving.

This world, suspended in the sky, has long been under the watchful eye of the Heavenly Demon, corrupted and fallen, heading towards internal strife and destruction.

A Fourth-Rank World, spanning hundreds of thousands of light-years in size, containing tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of star systems, with an unknown number of mortals within... but without a doubt, it was destined for destruction.

The Heavenly Demon watched with great interest as mortals developed themselves.

She did not kill any living beings; mortals only killed each other.

She just gave me a little push and said a few words.

Then, the Heavenly Demon gently clenched his fist.

The small portion of this world that was displayed rapidly shrank, turning into something resembling a 'starry sphere', which floated in the hand of the Heavenly Demon.

When the world floats in the void, it is usually smaller than its actual internal size, but not this small.

However, under the power of the Heavenly Demon, a world spanning hundreds of thousands of light-years can be compressed into a small sphere.

Those seemingly weak and delicate little hands deftly held the world in their fingertips.

Then, like eating a candy bean, she swallowed the world whole, taking a gentle bite.

A snap.

The incredibly thick barrier of the world was chewed up like the sugar coating on a candied hawthorn.

Looking at this scene, Amitabha Buddha asked, "What does this mean to you?"

"It means nothing to me," the Heavenly Demon said.

It's really pointless; eating ten more would just be a taste.

"However... it has great significance for him." As the Heavenly Demon spoke, a figure composed entirely of demonic energy appeared beside him.

He looks a lot like... Li Qi.