Making a Move

The Abbot of Hongan-ji Temple looked displeased. "You speak this way only because you have never cultivated yourself. Most of us cultivate in this manner, and every generation of abbots has attained rebirth in the Pure Land; how could there be any problem?

If you have such doubts, it is merely because your understanding is insufficient. The Buddhist sutras do not deceive; it is simply that you have yet to step onto the path to Buddhahood!

Furthermore, what is your status that you dare to question the dharma transmitted by the Buddha? This is a grave act of disrespect toward the Buddha and you shall fall into the Avici Hell forever!"

Bai Sui was truly annoyed. "Heh, what a grand accusation. You say I shall fall into the Avici Hell, so I shall?

Those who enter the Avici Hell are those who have committed the five grave offenses. When have I ever committed these so-called five grave offenses? To speak so recklessly and curse others to hell—is this how a monk should behave?"

The Abbot's expression turned ugly. "It was a slip of the tongue. You are slandering the True Dharma and shall enter the Samjiva Hell!"

Bai Sui laughed. "Hahaha, well said! Slandering the True Dharma warrants entry into the Samjiva Hell. The Contemplation Sutra states: 'Some sentient beings commit evil deeds, the five grave offenses, and the ten evils, possessing all manner of wickedness. Such foolish people, due to their evil karma, shall fall into the evil realms.'

I wonder if the Abbot still remembers what the eighteenth of the Forty-Eight Vows is? 'If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the ten quarters, with sincere mind and joyful trust, wishing to be born in my land, even up to ten times, should they not be born there, may I not attain perfect enlightenment. Except for those who commit the five grave offenses and slander the True Dharma.'

Yes, the sutras explicitly state that those who commit the five grave offenses do not enter the Pure Land. I wonder, what was it the Abbot said earlier? You claimed that the Buddha is merciful, and that as long as one recites the name of Amitabha, even those who commit the five grave offenses and ten evils will reach the Pure Land if they are sincere. Is this not slandering the True Dharma? Is it not you, Abbot, who is destined for the Samjiva Hell?"

The Abbot's tone grew frantic. "You talk nonsense! My Buddha is merciful; all who have lost their way are given a chance. As long as they truly bow their heads and recite the Buddha's true name with a sincere heart, the Buddha will guide them! This is the mercy of the Buddha, a special favor from Amitabha to us believers!" By the end, the Abbot was nearly roaring.

"Heh, that's not quite right." Bai Sui did not care about the other's attitude; in any case, the man could not defeat him. "Was it not Amitabha who made the great vows? I just quoted the eighteenth vow correctly, did I not?

If he violated his own great vow, how could Dharmakara attain Buddhahood? And if he did not attain Buddhahood, how could he ferry you into the Pure Land? Or perhaps the Buddha did not violate his vow and did not guide those who committed the five grave offenses—which would mean you are lying, and thus, you are the one going to hell! I wonder which one it is?"

"Nonsense! You are slandering the Buddha; this is a grave disrespect! Men! All monks, seize this man!" By the end, the Abbot was shouting toward the door, clearly having no intention of debating with Bai Sui any further.

Since the other party was resorting to force, Bai Sui knew they had no interest in reasoning. He felt a sense of boredom; in his previous life, when Bai Sui chatted with high-ranking monks, even if they disagreed, they would not lose their temper and drive people away. It could only be said that this Abbot's cultivation was lacking.

Bai Sui was certainly not one to stand by and be beaten. Since the other party had struck first, he would not be polite.

He had not expected this temple to have some substance. Although the Abbot was merely an ordinary man, there were quite a few skilled individuals among the recruited monk-soldiers.

A squad of twelve men, all of whom possessed chakra, formed a formation within the courtyard.

"Wisdom Illumination: Immeasurable Light!" *12

The twelve monks connected their chakra to one another, condensing it into an image of Amitabha Buddha formed from chakra.

This Buddha stood five meters tall, radiating light from its entire body.

Bai Sui felt the chakra contained within the Buddha and his expression turned solemn.

Taking advantage of the moment Bai Sui ignored him, the Abbot had already fled behind the monk-soldiers. After confirming his own safety, he began to clamor again.

"Do you see? This is the power bestowed upon us by Amitabha. You, who slander the True Buddha, repent under the wisdom light of the Buddha! As long as you mend your ways and sincerely worship Amitabha in your heart, the Buddha will allow you to be reborn in the Pure Land and let you understand the mercy of the Buddha!"

It was rare for someone of his advanced age to have such a loud voice. Combined with the Buddha before them, it might have been convincing—if not for the fact that it was all nonsense!

Bai Sui was not unaware of the source of chakra, so how could he be deceived? Although some of the believers who had come to worship at the temple had already knelt, how could such a chakra aggregate make Bai Sui submit?

"What a fallacy. This Buddha is merely condensed chakra; it is nothing more than a rather unconventional ninjutsu. Oh, I see now. No wonder you were spouting nonsense; it turns out the light emitted by this Buddha is a form of genjutsu." Bai Sui had sensed spiritual fluctuations within the light radiating from the figure, realizing it was likely an illusion.

However, Bai Sui had already stepped onto the path of an Earth Immortal; his inner landscape was sealed, and no external influence could enter. Such genjutsu could not disturb him in the slightest, which was why he had not noticed the anomaly immediately.

Seeing that the genjutsu was ineffective, the Abbot stopped talking and quickly ran toward the back, clearly intending to distance himself from the battlefield to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Bai Sui did not care if such a mortal fled, especially since he needed to give the kneeling crowd time to disperse, so he allowed the man to retreat.

Perhaps feeling the distance was sufficient, the Buddha began to move. One must realize that this five-meter-tall Buddha was in a seated position; even the air currents generated by its movement caused the cheeks of those nearby to sting.

Watching the massive fist, nearly a meter in diameter, Bai Sui released his divine sense and gathered the Qi around his body.

Six or seven meters in front of him, a wall of earth shimmering with a metallic luster rose from the ground.

This earth wall was reinforced with a large amount of metallic Qi, giving it the appearance of solid metal.

Not only that, but once the giant Buddha-hand entered Bai Sui's domain, his divine sense began to analyze and make contact with it.

Although the Buddha-hand was filled with a vast amount of chakra, its composition was extremely loose. To Bai Sui, it was like a clump of willow catkins—it looked massive, but it was full of gaps.

Bai Sui immediately tore it apart and disintegrated it, scattering the Buddha-hand into countless strands of chakra and distributing them throughout his domain.

Feeling the sudden loss of so much chakra, the twelve monks in the formation looked astonished; clearly, they had not expected things to develop this way.

The Abbot in the distance looked bitter. He had sensed earlier that Bai Sui was no ordinary person and must have had some tricks up his sleeve, but he had not expected such a thing to happen.

Realizing the opponent was utterly vulnerable, Bai Sui even dispelled the earth wall before him.