A Glimpse of Prajna

"This monk is quite strange. I used the Kitchen God's Flame to bombard the clouds of Qi and Blood, stirring up the anger within them, and then used the flames of rage to set him ablaze, but I failed to make him burn himself. Instead, he channeled the fire to the ground! Now he wants to invoke an unknown will. How can I let him have his way?"

Qiu Yan felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that the will gathering from the Void was extraordinary. He immediately activated the Fire Pillar, and the "pillar" exploded, turning into a dense rain of fire that rushed towards the center of the Marshfolk!

Now that he knew the source, Qiu Yan naturally wouldn't give the monk a chance, lest things get complicated.

Each of those sparks of fire released a bright flame that refined and scorched, yet also contained a hidden, angry fire. The combination of the two created a magnificent and boundless atmosphere, giving people a sense of a violent storm.

The Marshfolk who were Fenglin Stockade had never seen such a scene before. When they saw the flames flying towards them, they immediately panicked, some running away and others kneeling down.

Some screamed, some cursed, some clasped their hands in prayer, and some spoke recklessly. The encirclement was in chaos. Then, the Marshfolk holding torches suddenly had their torches explode, flames rolled, and Fire Star landed on their hands and bodies, scorching their skin, flesh, bones, and fat. Terrified, they threw down their torches and fled in panic.

Several flames immediately shot up in the grass and woods, like bonfires.

These flames rose up, merging with the fire rain from the sky, rising and falling, swaying and vibrating, like a hundred birds paying homage to their ancestor, converging on the monk.

Run!

Beside the monk, the animals pulling the cart kicked and struggled to escape, but the cart itself was already broken, so how could they be stopped? They scattered immediately.

The people beside the car were terrified and turned to run away.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

These things may seem complicated, but they actually happen in an instant. The moment the monk formed a hand seal and True Words, Heavenly Fire descended upon him, enveloping him completely, severing his mental connection, and preventing the spiritual force in the Void from descending!

But the next moment, the monk suddenly looked up, his eyes softened, and a smile appeared on his lips, radiating compassion. Then he raised his hand and pointed lightly, making a point in the air in front of him.

Click!

A shattering sound rang out, and a crack appeared out of thin air, unleashing a powerful suction force that drew in the incoming flames, causing them to fall into the crack!

"With a single finger, the space of the Mortal Realm was shattered, creating a spatial rift?"

Qiu Yan was no stranger to the sight of cracks appearing out of thin air; he himself had even done it before. But those were mostly in illusions, dreams, or the world of Scholar Forest's thoughts, caused fortuitous opportunity chance. Since they were all illusory and moved with thought, even cracks appearing out of thin air were nothing special. But this monk shattered the mortal Mortal Realm space with ease, and it felt as if he were doing something effortless.

"Previously, this monk uttered three words to create clouds. Although his cultivation was extraordinary, he was only at the Third Realm level of Life Cultivation. How could he have achieved such a feat? It seems that although the Void Will has not yet arrived, it can still interfere here!"

After a moment's thought, Qiu Yan came to a conclusion. He was not here in his true form, but rather through the will of the believers and the Kitchen God statue, a projection formed by the combination of divine power and the Domain Derivation Domain of Law. He could control flames and incite anger, which was no problem for ordinary people or cultivators, but the monk in front of him was clearly not an ordinary person.

"Buddhist Sect, Buddhist Sect, does Buddhism exist in this world?"

As he pondered, the flames that had not been swallowed by the crack spun in mid-air and condensed into a shape, which was a figure wearing a gray robe with hair like fire. The whole person was illusory and uncertain, a Divine Spirit Projection. Then, without stopping, he condensed a flame and rushed out!

"Amitabha..."

Just then, a magnificent sound suddenly resounded in the sky, vast and layered, extremely deep, as if millions of people were speaking at once, or as if a single voice was loud and clear.

Then, the monk sat cross-legged, and a tender sprout emerged from the soil beneath him. This sprout was emerald green and crystal clear. As soon as it appeared, it grew rapidly, producing leaves the size of palm fans. Its stem hung upwards, revealing flower buds. The flowers bloomed and divided into petals, and in the blink of an eye, it had twelve petals.

Twelfth-Grade Lotus.

The flower stem grew, carrying the monk straight into the sky. His compassionate spirit spread everywhere, and the panicked Marshfolk immediately stopped what they were doing. They felt peace in their hearts, clasped their hands together, and knelt down, their faces full of longing. Their eyes shone with light.

The monk raised his hand, and a gust of wind arose from the ground, blowing the flames controlled by Qiu Yan into the Beyond Heaven and repelling the rapidly approaching Divine Spirit Projection. Then, he smiled and said, "Excellent, excellent. Buddha-Nature is called the Ultimate Emptiness. The Ultimate Emptiness is called wisdom. The emptiness spoken of does not see emptiness or non-emptiness..."

These words echoed throughout heaven and earth!

In an instant, a radiance arose within each of the Marshfolk, and a faint image of a Buddha appeared in their hearts.

"Good heavens! Just a little yearning, and it takes root, planting the image of Buddha in the hearts of living beings? This kind of method is far superior to mine, a Fourth Grade deity! Could this Buddha also be a deity?"

Qiu Yan's projection stabilized, but the monk raised his hand and waved it, causing him to lose thirty percent of his divine power. This made him even more surprised and uncertain. Before this, he had never been in contact with the Buddhist Sect in this world, nor had he ever heard of any monks in Great Rui. He was not familiar with Buddhism scriptures, so he could not judge the other party's strength.

In fact, this time, he felt the plight of Fenglin Stockade and knew that if he wanted to spread the worship of the Kitchen God among the Marshfolk, he could not let the village be eroded by Buddhism, so he projected his will over there.

"Very well, let the main body come and meet 'Buddha'. I intend to perform the Kitchen God sacrifice, and I'll have to face him sooner or later. Rather than being completely clueless at the time, it's better to have some contact with him now, so I can at least gain some understanding!"

Actions have both gains and risks; avoiding risks only brings temporary peace. After careful consideration, Qiu Yan made his decision.

Just then, all the Marshfolk below bowed in unison, and a bit of Buddha-Nature rose from their bodies, converging on the monk. Golden light flashed around his body, and his Three Souls emerged together, merging with the Void Will. He turned in mid-air and transformed into a person with a solemn and dignified appearance. Beside him was a bronze oil lamp, whose bright light dispelled the darkness and made the area within ten miles as bright as day!

Immediately afterwards, the golden figure swelled up, reaching the sky and standing tall in the blink of an eye, shimmering with golden light, its skin as smooth as glass, bringing an indescribable sense of oppression!

Then, the figure looked down and a gleam appeared in its slender eyes.

Prajna! Prajna! Prajna!

Qiu Yan's projection immediately shook, and the divine power that had condensed his Divine Body was rapidly dissipating. This was not because the other party had glanced at him, but because the villagers of Fenglin Stockade had seen his enormous golden body.

The projection exists because it is Domain Derivation. The statue stands in the village, and the Kitchen God silently prays in his heart. However, this huge golden figure has shaken the minds of many Fenglin Stockade, naturally causing the divine power to diminish.

Suddenly, a sense of danger erupted. Before Qiu Yan could think it through, the Divine Spirit Projection shattered. The last thing he saw in his vision was a pair of eyes.

Clear as a spring, deep as an abyss.

But Qiu Yan was not unprepared. He appeared calm at the moment, but he was actually gathering his strength. After the projection shattered, a spark of extremely concentrated Fire Star flew out, moving swiftly and heading straight for the head of the golden giant!

It had only flown halfway when it could no longer proceed. The golden giant flicked its finger, and the Karma around Fire Star collapsed, forcing it to retreat!

"What kind of magic is this?" Qiu Yan sensed the situation with his consciousness. While surprised, he also sent a message to make the Fire Star explode. Instantly, flames rolled in the sky, the firelight overshadowed the light, and the flames spread across the golden body. The golden giant was shaken by the impact, and its figure became faintly transparent!

"Hmm?" Qiu Yan's heart stirred upon sensing this scene, but the golden giant quickly calmed down and returned to its previous state. Then, he raised his head and looked up.

A figure hovered in the air, clad in a gray robe, with a fiery scarf binding his hair—who else could it be but Qiu Yan?

His projection had just shattered when his true form arrived. Nine Spirits Mountain was right in front of him, and Stove Mountain was only a few miles away, not far from the gods.

Two beams of light shot from the golden giant's eyes, enveloping Qiu Yan's Divine Spirit Body, and it spoke, "All phenomena are but consciousness, gods are illusory; it is better to convert to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qiu Yan felt his Divine Body enveloped by a profound and mysterious aura, which was trying to invade and forcibly Spirit Transformation body. Furthermore, a vast and powerful will surged forth, attempting to assimilate Qiu Yan's thoughts!

"I have never studied Buddhist scriptures, but I have heard that the Buddha was also a human being, whose physical body had limitations and whose lifespan was finite, but whose wisdom was profound and who was a person of great enlightenment! How could he be as all-knowing as you? You are not even human! You clearly think of yourself as a god!"

Qiu Yan's words were not spoken casually, but rather based on what he knew from his previous life. Although he had never been exposed to Buddhism scriptures and was unaware of the conflict between the Theravada and Mahasanghika schools regarding the Buddha's divine and human nature, he was not entirely ignorant of the Buddhist Sect. That is why he spoke in this way. He then used the Incense Faith to shatter the mental imagery that was entangling his body. With a turn of his body, he broke free from the pillar of light.

Seeing this, the golden giant narrowed his eyes, withdrew the beam of light, and then uttered two words—

"Demon Subduing!"

As soon as he finished speaking, six orbs of light appeared around the giant, each perfectly round like a cinnabar pill and emanating a different aura.

A mass of heaviness, a mass of flow, a mass of fury, a mass of lightness, a mass of nothingness, a mass of change!

Earth! Water! Fire! Wind! Space! Consciousness!

As soon as the six great formations appeared, they resembled a sphere or a ring, and the "emptiness" trembled and quickly dissipated.

Qiu Yan suddenly felt darkness envelop him, and the surrounding scenery vanished. He swept his Divine Sense around him but could not detect any matter. It was as if he had arrived in a phantom land, with nothing but the golden giant in front of him!

At this moment, the giant stretched out his arm, opened his palm, and slowly reached out to grab Qiu Yan. In Qiu Yan's vision, the giant's body grew larger and larger!

"No, it's not that he's getting bigger, it's that I'm getting smaller!"

With Divine Sense, Qiu Yan threw a punch, and a Black Dragon flew up from his arm. It was incredibly heavy and emitted an extremely cold aura, rushing towards the palm.

Click! Click! Crack!

The giant hand was frozen by the cold air.

Boom!

Amidst the violent tremors, the Black Dragon pierced through the palm, then, undeterred, charged towards the giant and pierced his brain!