Chapter 34

So... Zhuang Yan fell into thought. Could the fetus in that demoness's womb be a Demonic Fetus?

"That is correct." Elder Guangde nodded in confirmation.

Zhuang Yan toyed with the Buddha-Demon Golden Body, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes. After a moment, he cupped his hands toward Elder Guangde in apology. "Since this was a misunderstanding, I apologize to Elder on Fire Spirit's behalf." With that, he released the restraints.

Elder Guangde hurriedly returned the gesture with palms pressed together. "You honor this humble monk too greatly."

Seeing the burns on the elder's body, Zhuang Yan casually cast a spell. Within ten breaths, the wounds caused by the Profound Yang True Fire had healed completely.

Elder Guangde was deeply shaken and gained an even greater appreciation for Zhuang Yan's divine abilities. He respectfully pressed his palms together. "Thank you, Prefecture Lord."

Zhuang Yan waved a hand indifferently. "This must have been Moluo's doing. Having lost the Buddha-Demon Golden Body, he will certainly make a move. We shall wait and see."

"It would be safest to leave this object in the Prefecture Lord's care." Elder Guangde's expression was grave. "Moluo has appeared in the world. Buddhism may soon face a great calamity, so this humble monk must immediately return to Tianci Temple and inform the various courtyards."

Zhuang Yan smiled and cupped his hands. "Elder, please do as you wish."

After Elder Guangde departed, Zhuang Yan turned to the Fire Spirit True Immortal. "Cundi Bodhisattva is about to arrive. Go greet her outside the mountain."

The Fire Spirit True Immortal accepted the order and left, wholly unsurprised. After following Zhuang Yan for so many years, she had long since grown accustomed to such things.

The moment she left Danchi Ridge, she saw auspicious clouds swirling through the sky, with countless streams of divine radiance. A bodhisattva clad in colorful robes arrived upon a Lotus Throne. The Fire Spirit True Immortal stepped forward and bowed. "Are you Mother Zhunti Bodhisattva?"

The bodhisattva put away her Lotus Throne and returned the greeting with one hand. "I am. Is the Spirit Platform Prefecture Lord present?"

"The Prefecture Lord sent this minor deity to greet you. He is waiting in the hall. Please, Bodhisattva."

The two rode clouds into the mountain and headed directly for the Mountain God Hall.

Inside the hall, Zhuang Yan greeted her with a smile. Cundi Bodhisattva pressed her palms together in greeting. "Spirit Platform Prefecture Lord."

"Bodhisattva, you have honored my humble residence with your presence. I failed to welcome you from afar, so please forgive me." Zhuang Yan invited her to take a seat, while the Fire Spirit True Immortal served Spirit Tea and immortal fruits.

"May I ask what brings the Bodhisattva here?" Zhuang Yan asked as he poured tea.

Cundi Bodhisattva smiled. "I have come to ask a favor."

"Please, speak freely."

"I hope the Prefecture Lord will entrust Moluo's Buddha-Demon Golden Body to this humble monk, so I may take it back to the Western Heaven for disposal."

Zhuang Yan's expression shifted slightly. "How did the Bodhisattva learn of this matter?"

"If one could not perceive the secrets of heaven, how could one attain Bodhisattva fruit status?"

Zhuang Yan understood at once. "So that is how it is."

"Moluo's appearance is a great calamity for Buddhism. I hope the Prefecture Lord will honor our past friendship and grant my request."

Zhuang Yan nodded. "Since the Bodhisattva has come in person, how could I let you return empty-handed?" As he spoke, he took out the golden body and offered it to her.

Cundi Bodhisattva accepted Moluo's golden body, sealed it with Buddhist light, and tucked it into her sleeve. Pressing her palms together, she said, "Amitabha Buddha. The Prefecture Lord's deed is of immeasurable merit. This humble monk is deeply grateful."

Zhuang Yan rose and returned the greeting. "The Bodhisattva is too courteous. Eliminating demons and defending the righteous path is my duty."

"This humble monk deeply admires the Prefecture Lord's generosity of spirit." Cundi Bodhisattva said with a smile.

"The Bodhisattva's compassion is even more worthy of admiration." Zhuang Yan raised a hand. "Please have some tea."

Cundi Bodhisattva politely declined. "Moluo's matter is of great importance. I must return to Spirit Mountain at once to deal with it. Please forgive this humble monk for taking her leave first."

Zhuang Yan tried to keep her. "Why not stay a little longer?"

"The Buddha-Demon calamity is no trifling matter. It cannot be delayed." Cundi Bodhisattva apologized repeatedly.

Zhuang Yan could only see her off. "Then I shall accompany the Bodhisattva for part of the way."

"Please remain, Prefecture Lord." Even as Cundi Bodhisattva declined, she had already been escorted outside the divine manor. Watching her receding figure ride away on the Lotus Throne, Zhuang Yan's gaze narrowed slightly.

The Fire Spirit True Immortal sighed. "That Bodhisattva seemed rather kind."

Zhuang Yan replied meaningfully, "Don't you think she was a little too worldly?"

Prompted by this, the Fire Spirit True Immortal recalled the earlier scene and suddenly understood. "Indeed. Her eagerness upon seeing the golden body did not quite match her status as a bodhisattva."

"But the golden body has already been handed over to her." The Fire Spirit True Immortal looked somewhat worried.

Zhuang Yan smiled calmly. "Naturally, I left a contingency in place." He had secretly placed a One Thought Seal upon the golden body, yet even when he had used the Cave Heaven True Sight earlier, he had failed to see through the deception.

Zhuang Yan then activated Search Heavenly Secrets and entered two words. More than sixty thousand pieces of heavenly information immediately appeared, each recording scenes of Moluo appearing in different regions.

"Heavenly Demon King Bo Xun..." Zhuang Yan frowned. Of those chaotic heavenly secrets, only one was real. He then searched for Moluo's true incarnation descending into the world. The results shrank to more than seven thousand entries, yet it was still difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Finally, he searched for Mother Zhunti Bodhisattva. The sole heavenly secret revealed that her true body was currently trapped within her own sacred site, Tianren Temple.

Zhuang Yan normally kept the Search Heavenly Secrets function activated. It could continuously investigate heavenly omens related to him.

That was why Zhuang Yan had known in advance that Cundi Bodhisattva would visit. However, because he had not specifically divined the heavenly secrets concerning Cundi Bodhisattva, he had not received more detailed information.

Only now did he understand that the real Cundi Bodhisattva had already been trapped within her own sacred site, while the one he had seen earlier had actually been Moluo in disguise.

Zhuang Yan was deeply shocked. Spirit Mountain was a holy Buddhist land, the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, a sacred site of ten thousand Buddhas. Moluo had actually managed to imprison Cundi Bodhisattva there. His demonic power was plainly formidable, so much so that even Zhuang Yan's Cave Heaven True Sight had failed to see through his disguise.

With this in mind, Zhuang Yan gave a few instructions to the Fire Spirit True Immortal before setting out at once for the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars on Mount Fangcun.

Cloudy Boy had long been waiting before the mountain gate. Upon seeing Zhuang Yan arrive, he immediately greeted him respectfully, and the two entered together.

After taking their seats, Zhuang Yan asked Patriarch Bodhi, "Fellow Daoist, did you know that Cundi Bodhisattva visited my Lingtai Divine Manor earlier?"

Patriarch Bodhi smiled faintly. "That Cundi Bodhisattva was a fake. Did you not notice, young friend?"

Zhuang Yan smiled. "I did have some suspicions, but my divine ability to see through things did not discover any flaw. Why was that?"

Patriarch Bodhi explained, "That Cundi Bodhisattva was actually transformed from Moluo. Moluo is a Buddha-demon, a demon among Buddhas. Buddha and demon are separated by only a single thought. A thought toward goodness makes one a Buddha, while a thought toward evil turns one into a demon. Therefore, when a Buddha-demon disguises itself as a bodhisattva, it is naturally difficult to discern. The two are originally of the same source."

Zhuang Yan immediately understood and added, "I just divined the heavenly secrets and discovered that the real Cundi Bodhisattva has been imprisoned by Moluo. I wonder whether she is in danger?"

He thought rather highly of Cundi Bodhisattva, and seeing that she had met with disaster, he could not help but worry.

Patriarch Bodhi's expression turned grave. He immediately sat upright, closed his eyes, and began calculating the heavenly secrets.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked at Zhuang Yan with slight surprise. "Young friend's perception of heavenly secrets is remarkably swift. Cundi Bodhisattva has indeed been trapped by Moluo."

Zhuang Yan asked in confusion, "Why have the Buddhas of Buddhism not yet taken action?"

Patriarch Bodhi replied, "This Buddha-Demon calamity is clearly aimed at Buddhism. The heavenly secrets seen by the Buddhas are more complicated than those seen by outsiders like us."

Zhuang Yan nodded, then asked, "As Lord of Lingtai Dongming and the foremost deity of Guangci Prefecture, how should I protect Guangci Prefecture through this calamity?"

Patriarch Bodhi smiled. "It may be exceedingly difficult for others, but it is no hardship for you, young friend. With your strength, protecting an entire prefecture is more than within your capabilities."

Zhuang Yan said modestly, "Fellow Daoist overpraises me."

Patriarch Bodhi waved his hand. "That is no empty praise. Young friend truly possesses such ability. However, there is one thing you must remember."

"Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist." Zhuang Yan cupped his hands.

Patriarch Bodhi said solemnly, "You must be wary of those Demon Seeds and Moluo's golden bodies."

Zhuang Yan's heart stirred. "Moluo has more than one golden body?"

Patriarch Bodhi explained, "Moluo first sends his golden bodies into the mortal world, then uses them to mate with women and plant Demon Seeds within them. Thus, the number of Demon Seeds is the number of Moluo's golden bodies."

"What use do these golden bodies serve?" Zhuang Yan asked.

After a brief moment of thought, Patriarch Bodhi replied, "When a Demon Seed is born, Moluo's golden body merges with it, granting the Demon Seed Moluo's power."

"Equivalent to Moluo's avatars?" Zhuang Yan pressed.

Patriarch Bodhi nodded with a smile. "They can indeed be regarded as another Moluo."

Zhuang Yan's expression changed drastically. No wonder the heavenly divination had shown more than sixty thousand Moluos descending into the world. It had not been false; every one of them was real.

Such a catastrophe truly deserved the name Buddha-Demon calamity.

"However, these Moluos vary greatly in strength. With your current cultivation, young friend, the Buddha-demons will find it far from easy to stir up trouble in Guangci Prefecture."

"Besides, this old Daoist is here. I can lend young friend my aid at any time."

Patriarch Bodhi said this to Zhuang Yan with a beaming smile.

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly. He had never feared Moluo in the first place. He had come seeking guidance only because this was something he had never encountered before.

Now that his doubts had been resolved, he no longer had any concerns.

After bidding farewell to Patriarch Bodhi, Zhuang Yan left Mount Fangcun and returned to the divine manor.

Meanwhile, the Cundi Bodhisattva who had obtained the golden body returned to the Tianren Temple sacred site. Her followers, mounts, and boys all came forward. Cundi Bodhisattva said sternly, "A Buddha-demon has appeared in the world recently, and heaven and earth are in turmoil. You must all cultivate diligently. Without a decree, none of you may leave the sacred site."

Everyone answered respectfully and withdrew one after another.

Cundi Bodhisattva entered the meditation chamber and saw another Cundi Bodhisattva imprisoned within by crimson Buddhist light.

The impostor looked at the captive true body and laughed. "They say the Spirit Platform Prefecture Lord possesses vast divine abilities, yet he turned out to be nothing but a mediocre fool. I reclaimed my Primal Golden Body right before his eyes, and he noticed nothing at all. How laughable."

The true body remained silent, merely casting Moluo an indifferent glance.

Moluo continued toying with the golden body. "That was close. This Primal Golden Body is the foundation of my descent into the lower realm. It nearly fell into the hands of an immortal official. Now that it has returned to its rightful owner, I need no longer fear all my previous efforts going to waste."

Cundi Bodhisattva said calmly, "This is Spirit Mountain. Even if you reclaim the golden body, you will not escape the net of Buddhist Dharma."

"Hahaha!" Moluo burst into laughter. "Do you think I would leave the golden body in Western Ox Continent?"

Before his words had faded, the golden body in his hand had already turned into green smoke and vanished.

"It has long since left this place." Moluo stared at Cundi Bodhisattva. "After fighting for so many years, I do not understand why you remain so stubborn. What charm does Shakyamuni possess that makes you so unwaveringly loyal? If you are willing to convert to the Buddha-Demon path, a place will surely be reserved for you in the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas at the Great Thunderclap Temple one day."

Cundi Bodhisattva smiled. "The Great Thunderclap Temple is not a place you can lay your hands upon."

Moluo smiled as well. "Shakyamuni himself foretold that in the Dharma-Ending Age, Buddhism would ultimately return to the demonic path. Knowing that this is the ending, what meaning is there in your persistence?"

Cundi Bodhisattva replied with composure, "The Dharma-Ending Age can be discussed when it arrives. Heaven's mandate has yet to change. Who can say that after extinction, there will not be rebirth?"

Moluo snorted coldly. "We shall see how things turn out." He stared at Cundi Bodhisattva. "What a pity. After eighty-one more days, the cultivation of your entire life will become a relic of enlightenment."

Cundi Bodhisattva showed no fear. She merely closed her eyes again and continued silently reciting Buddhist scriptures.

Seeing this, Moluo snorted once more before turning and leaving.

At the same time, within the divine manor at Danchi Ridge on Spirit Platform Mountain, Zhuang Yan summoned all the local earth immortals of Guangci Prefecture to discuss an important matter.

In the great hall, Zhuang Yan issued a decree to the immortal officials, ordering them to thoroughly investigate all pregnant living beings within their respective territories.

If any signs of a Demonic Fetus were discovered, they had to report them immediately to the Lingtai Divine Manor.

The method for distinguishing a Demonic Fetus from an ordinary fetus was the Yin-Yang Fetal Observation Technique taught by Patriarch Bodhi.