Enfeoffment, Changes

Kunlun Mountain, inside the Jade Void Palace.

Two figures appeared almost simultaneously on the high platform of the main hall.

Yuanshi's face was ashen, Taishang stood beside him, his expression indifferent.

Upon seeing Taishang and Yuanshi, all the Chan Sect Disciple inside the hall bowed in unison, saying, "Welcome back to the palace, Master (Senior Uncle)!"

As the eldest disciple of the Chan Sect, Nanji was the most meticulous, and he noticed that his master's expression was not right.

He stepped forward and asked cautiously, "Master, just now I suddenly felt the heavens and earth tremble violently, and sensed your auras clashing in the west. I wonder what happened?"

The battle between the sages was earth-shattering; how could they not sense it!

Upon hearing Yuanshi, Yuanshi's eyes blazed with fury.

"Randeng! Manjushri! Samantabhadra! Juliusun! Cihang! These five wicked beings have apostasyed!"

"What?!"

"Apostasy?!"

"That's impossible!"

The hall erupted in an uproar, filled with exclamations, questions, and angry rebukes.

The faces of all the disciples were filled with disbelief.

The Vice Sect Master the Randeng Sect held a highly respected position.

Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Cihang, Juliusun are among the Twelve Golden Immortals.

They usually discussed doctrines together, fought against external enemies, and had a deep bond of friendship. How could they suddenly all betray their sect?

Taiyi suddenly stepped forward. He was the most upright of them all and had a close relationship with Juliusun, Cihang, and others. He said urgently, "Master! Is there some misunderstanding? Let's put Vice Sect Master Randeng aside for now. Manjushri Brother Manjushri has always been calm and steady, and is wholeheartedly devoted to planning for the Chan Sect."

"Junior Brother Cihang is also very compassionate and values the bond between fellow disciples the most!"

"How could they commit such a treacherous act of betrayal and disloyalty? It must be... it must be that Western sorcerer who used evil magic to bewitch them!"

He simply couldn't believe that his fellow disciples, with whom he had known each other for millions of years, would betray him.

Guangchengzi's face darkened. He snorted coldly, his voice like the clang of metal. "Taiyi Brother Taiyi, you can't see into people's hearts! How could Master speak such nonsense? It must be that those two Western Saints used some despicable means, promising great benefits to bewitch their minds!"

"Our Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect are of one blood and lineage, yet such a scoundrel has emerged from among them! It is an utter disgrace!"

"That must be it!"

"Western Teachings are going too far!"

"Master, let's storm Mount Ling now, capture those five traitors, and punish them according to the sect's rules!"

The disciples were filled with righteous indignation, each expressing their own grievances: hatred for the traitor, condemnation of the Western Teachings, and calls for war.

The main hall was in complete chaos, which annoyed Yuanshi.

"Enough!!"

Yuanshi a loud shout, the sage's aura swept across the entire hall.

The disciples felt their primordial spirits tremble violently, their blood and qi surge, and those with weaker cultivation turned pale and almost lost their balance.

"Shut up, all of you!"

Yuanshi stood up, his gaze sweeping over the disciples below, filled with murderous intent. "From this day forward, Randeng, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Juliusun, Cihang are no longer disciples of my Chan Sect! They are traitors!"

He paused, then continued, "Issue my decree: Any Chan Sect Disciple, wherever they may be, whoever sees these five traitors, shall kill them without mercy! I will reward them handsomely!"

"However, if I discover that any of you harbors disloyal intentions or secretly colludes with the Western Teachings Sect... you will be executed without mercy! Your soul will be banished to the deepest hell, never to be reincarnated!"

The last paragraph struck a heavy blow to the hearts of every disciple.

Everyone was terrified, feeling a chill run from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.

"We disciples will strictly obey the Dharma's decree! We have no disloyal intentions! We swear to be mortal enemies with traitors!"

All the disciples knelt down in unison to show their loyalty.

Yuanshi looked at the disciples kneeling on the ground and waved his hand. "All of you, step back and go back to cultivate diligently."

"Yes, Master!"

After bowing respectfully, all the disciples withdrew from the main hall without daring to linger for even a moment.

Taishang sighed softly, looked at Yuanshi, and said slowly, "Yuanshi, in all things, the greater good must be taken into account. You should remember what your master said."

"The struggle between sages is so great that a single hair can affect the whole situation; one should not act rashly unless absolutely necessary."

Yuanshi's eyes were filled with resentment. "The bigger picture? Elder brother, you saw it too! They've gone too far! They've even poached people from my Chan Sect! Those were my carefully nurtured disciples."

"If they dare to undermine my Chan Sect today, they'll dare to reach out to your Daoist Sect tomorrow!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, "If one day, that Jieyin and Zhunti ran to your Eight Sceneries Palace and bewitched Xuandu with that bullshit Buddhist Dharma, promising him the position of Buddha and urging him to go to the Western Paradise, would you still be so calm and collected?!"

"Presumptuous!"

A sharp glint flashed across the Taishang's face!

A terrifying aura erupted, causing the entire Jade Void Palace to shake violently, but fortunately, it was protected by an array!

Immediately, Taishang took a deep breath and withdrew his aura.

He glanced at Yuanshi, his expression complex.

"That's enough. This matter ultimately belongs to your Chan Sect. You can decide how to handle it, but just don't cross the line."

After saying this, the Taishang's figure disappeared from the main hall.

Yuanshi calmed down, looked ahead, and murmured, "I thought I had treated you well, imparting the Great Dao to you and bestowing upon you Spiritual Treasure... and yet you... have treated me like this..."

The West, Mount Ling.

Eight Treasures Merit Pool.

Nourished by the waters of the Merit Pool, the injuries of Randeng, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Juliusun have been largely healed.

Not only were their damaged foundations repaired, but the vast power of merit contained in the pool also subtly improved their magical cultivation, and their understanding of the laws of the Great Dao seemed to become more profound.

Zhunti stood by the pool, looking at the Merit Pool where the water level had dropped by half, his heart bleeding silently.

This Eight Treasures Merit Pool is the foundation of the Western Teachings, and the accumulation of merit is not easy. Today's loss will probably take several eons to slowly recover.

But then he thought again, it was worth it!

As long as it can promote and develop the West, this price is absolutely worth it!

"Disciple Randeng, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Juliusun, I am deeply grateful to the two saints for saving my life and healing my wounds! I will never forget this kindness and virtue!"

After leaving the Merit Pool, the four disciples, including Randeng, Zhunti bowed to Jieyin and Zhunti.

Jieyin shook his head. "Four fellow Daoists, you flatter me. You are all deeply rooted in wisdom and have a karmic connection with our Western Paradise. Your willingness to take refuge is truly a blessing for our Western Teachings and a sign of the great flourishing of Buddhist Dharma. Protecting you is our duty."

Zhunti chuckled, his smile becoming even more amiable, "Indeed, with the addition of several fellow Daoists, our Western Teachings is now like a tiger with wings, its fortunes flourishing."

"From this day forward, Mount Ling will be your home. We shall work together with one heart and one mind to study the supreme Dharma and save all sentient beings."

Upon hearing this, the four men with the Randeng nodded.

They didn't receive this kind of treatment in the Chan Sect.

This trip to the West was the right one.

Soon, Jieyin and Zhunti summoned all the disciples of Mount Ling.

The guide announced to the Jieyin: "Today, Randeng, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Juliusun have taken refuge in the Buddha. This is a testament to their great wisdom and courage, and they should serve as models for all beings."

The voice of Zhunti, transmitted through Mount Ling, Zhunti: "He specially appoints Dipankara, Randeng, Manjushri, Samantabhadra Juliusun as ancient Buddhas, the Past Buddha."

Upon hearing this, many of the original disciples of the Western Teachings below, though outwardly unaware of any dissent, couldn't help but feel a stir in their hearts.

Randeng is one thing, after all, he was a quasi-saint and the former Vice Sect Master of the Chan Sect, so it was justifiable for him to be conferred the title of Buddha.

It's Juliusun and his companions, who were only at the peak of the Great Luo, were directly granted Buddhahood?

Manjushri and Samantabhadra exchanged a glance, stepped forward again, and put their palms together, saying, "Amitabha, thank you for your kindness, sage. However, our cultivation is shallow, we are new to Buddhism, and have not yet made any contributions. We dare not overstep our Buddhahood."

"Furthermore, Brother Cihang has not yet returned to his rightful place. We are willing to stand with him through thick and thin. It will not be too late to discuss the Buddha's position when we have both broken through the illusions and attained Quasi-Sainthood, and Brother Cihang's true spirit has returned to his rightful place."

Their actions demonstrated humility, avoiding excessive dissatisfaction from their former Western followers, preserved their camaraderie with Cihang, and showed their respect for Buddhist attainment rather than greed—a win-win situation.

Upon Jieyin this, Jieyin Zhunti looked at him with approval and nodded in agreement. "Excellent! We will grant you the status of Bodhisattvas, as you both wish."

Juliusun, on the other hand, accepted it calmly. He had joined the West for a position, and at this moment he was quite pleased with himself.

After the investiture was completed, Zhunti smiled slightly and waved his sleeve lightly.

In an instant, four golden rays descended from the sky, enveloping the four people, including Randeng.

As the light faded, the four people's appearances had changed drastically.

The Daoist Randeng wore his hair in a topknot and a crimson kasaya with dark gold trim.

Juliusun's right hand forms the abhaya mudra (gesture of fearlessness), his left hand holds a bowl, and he wears a right-handed kasaya (monk's robe).

Just as the four people's images completely changed.

"Buzz!"

The entire Ling Mountain trembled slightly, and the Buddha Light suddenly brightened by three-tenths!

A vast amount of fortune merged into the long river of fortune of the Western Teachings.

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, both overjoyed.

All the calculations and sacrifices were worth it at this moment!

Zhunti smiled as he looked at the four people, including Randeng, as if he could see the Western Teachings flourishing.

Meanwhile, Yuanshi, far away in the Kunlun Mountain, sensed that half of the fortune belonging to the Chan Sect had disappeared.

He suddenly looked up, gazing westward, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

Just you wait and see.