The Great Calamity of the Latter Dharma

"Stop wasting your energy," Zhuang Yan said to the opening of the jar. "Once you're in my treasure, even with heaven-defying abilities, you won't escape."

Moluo glared up, furious. "Who exactly are you? A mere Earth Immortal wouldn't possess such power!"

Zhuang Yan chuckled lightly. "There's much you haven't seen yet." With a slight shift of his thoughts, he cast the "One Thought Capture" technique. Golden light flashed across the horizon, and a treasure landed steadily in his palm.

He held the treasure above the jar's opening and said calmly, "Do you recognize this?"

Moluo stared intently and his face turned ashen with shock. "Primal Golden Body?! How could it be in your hands? Impossible! I clearly already..."

Zhuang Yan burst into laughter. "A mere illusion from Cundi Bodhisattva, trying to trick me out of the Golden Body? I already tampered with it. I was just playing along. How could you, a fiend, have anticipated my methods?"

He turned to Moluo, his tone playful. "This is the Primal Golden Body of the Buddha-Demon entering the world, isn't it? And what Lian'er is carrying must be the 'Manifestation of Worldly Dharma'?"

Moluo's expression was blank, but Zhuang Yan continued regardless. "The Primal Golden Body and Manifestation of Worldly Dharma of the Buddha-Demon must be extraordinary. Your Buddha-Demon is truly generous, gifting me such a precious present by descending to the mortal realm. Since that's the case, I'll gladly accept."

Before his words even fell, Zhuang Yan activated "Instantaneous Refinement," transforming the Moluo avatar within the earthen jar into a pool of black, viscous "Demon Poison." This was the essence of extreme demonic evil and toxicity. He unsealed the jar and stored it within his Infinite Space for safekeeping.

Although the amount of Demon Poison was small for now, if he refined more Moluo avatars and accumulated them, then purified them, they would be of great use in the future. As for the earthen jar sealing Lian'er, he put it away along with the Golden Body.

With the task complete, Zhuang Yan leaped up and flew off into the distance, continuing his search for the next target.

In the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, atop Mount Sumeru, the Great Amitabha Temple stood majestically.

This was Amitabha Buddha's dojo. This Buddha, who guided all sentient beings and illuminated the universe, was currently seated on a lotus pedestal on Kama Cliff. His Buddha-light shone like a wheel, reflecting across the three thousand worlds. Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Cundi, and other Bodhisattvas and Vidyarajas stood respectfully below.

Cundi Bodhisattva was reporting to Amitabha Buddha about being imprisoned by Moluo. According to an edict from Tathagata Buddha, the century-long rotation of duties was currently managed by Amitabha Buddha.

"If not for the Spirit Platform Prefecture Lord's intervention, I fear I would not have escaped Moluo's grasp," Cundi Bodhisattva said, clasping his hands.

Upon hearing this, all the Bodhisattvas showed surprise. Vajra Yaksha Vidyaraja couldn't help but ask, "The Spirit Platform Prefecture Lord is far away on Spirit Platform Mountain. How could he have rescued you in time?"

"He concealed his presence and tracked Moluo's avatar into Tianren Temple. He subdued Moluo first, then broke the seal to save me," Cundi replied.

Achalanatha Vidyaraja exclaimed in astonishment, "Has this person's divine power reached such a level?"

Mahamayuri Vidyaraja nodded slightly. "I met him once in the past. Though I knew his magic power was profound, to easily subdue a Moluo avatar is indeed something I underestimated." He then turned to Amitabha Buddha. "World Honored One, Moluo has appeared, and a Buddha Calamity has begun. How should it be resolved?"

Amitabha Buddha lowered his gaze. "Moluo's 'Manifestation of Worldly Dharma' has not yet formed. The calamity is only beginning, and there is no way to resolve it yet."

Suddenly, the Buddha-light behind his head flickered slightly. The Bodhisattvas looked up and saw a purple-black demonic shadow appear within the brilliant wheel of light!

Cundi Bodhisattva abruptly stood up and cried out in shock, "Moluo!"

The expressions of the Bodhisattvas changed drastically. They all rose and looked at the demonic shadow that had appeared in Amitabha Buddha's Buddha-light.

Amitabha Buddha, however, calmly raised his hand and said, "Do not be alarmed, everyone."

The Bodhisattvas stopped and stood still, gazing at Moluo within the Buddha-light.

Amitabha Buddha looked up towards the Buddha-light, and the demonic shadow instantly expanded from afar, approaching rapidly. Purple-black demonic light engulfed the golden Buddha-light, shrouding Amitabha Buddha in sinister demonic flames.

"World Honored One!" the Bodhisattvas cried out.

Amitabha Buddha smiled and waved his hand, and the demonic light around him fell to the ground. Moluo's true form appeared, and all the demonic light attached itself to him. At this moment, Amitabha Buddha shed all his Buddha-light and sacred appearance, becoming like an ordinary monk.

"Guiding Buddha, how did you see through me?" Moluo demanded fiercely.

Amitabha Buddha smiled gently. "From the moment you infiltrated my Buddha Heart, I knew. All demons arise from the heart. The Buddha Heart perceives with utmost clarity."

Manjushri Bodhisattva suddenly realized. "When the Buddha Heart harbors evil thoughts, demonic obstacles arise." The other Bodhisattvas understood and watched on peacefully.

Moluo sneered. "Even if you detected me, so what? Your Buddhist dharma has been broken by me. You are now just a mortal monk, how can you be called a Buddha?"

Amitabha Buddha replied calmly, "A Buddha is enlightenment, not magical power. Magical power can aid in becoming a Buddha, but the absence of magical power does not negate being a Buddha." He then sat in a cross-legged position, clasped his hands, and closed his eyes.

In an instant, his Buddha body withered and decayed, turning into white bone dust. The Bodhisattvas clasped their hands and chanted, "Namo Amitabha Buddha."

Seeing this, Moluo laughed maniacally, his demonic flames surging towards the Bodhisattvas. As his demonic might pressed down, myriad rays of Buddha-light suddenly erupted, forming a barrier. With a deafening roar, Moluo was repelled, losing thirty percent of his demonic power.

The Bodhisattvas, their minds unwavering, continued to chant the Buddha's name. Mount Sumeru shook, and immeasurable merit converged on Kama Cliff from all directions, illuminating the entire sacred mountain.

Brilliant merit gradually condensed into a nine-colored wheel of light. From the dust of Amitabha Buddha's dissolution, a golden, radiant Sarira suddenly rose.

The Sarira of Buddha bone floated leisurely into the nine-colored wheel, hovering steadily at its core. At that moment, Amitabha Buddha's Primordial Spirit appeared deep within the wheel of light. The kind-faced Buddha clasped his hands and softly chanted, "Moluo has appeared, the Buddha Calamity has descended. The monks are in distress, and the common people are uneasy. Now, with my Immeasurable Life Body, I shall enter Nirvana to face this calamity, resolving the disaster of Buddha and Demon, and bestowing immeasurable blessings upon the sentient beings of the Three Realms."

As soon as his voice fell, the Buddha's Primordial Spirit slowly merged into the Sarira. The nine-colored wheel of light contracted and finally disappeared into the Sarira, which pulsed with golden light. The Sarira then shot out of the sacred realm of Mount Sumeru, tearing through the sky and falling into the mortal world. All the Bhikshus in the heavens, seeing the Buddha enter Nirvana, wept with grief.

This Sarira, carrying the Buddha's vows, did not enter Reincarnation. Instead, it fell directly towards the mortal realm, awaiting the destined moment of a reincarnated spiritual child. Just as Amitabha Buddha completed his Nirvana with his Immeasurable Life Body, the Moluo avatar on Kama Cliff let out a roar of unwillingness and instantly turned to ash.

At the same moment, the Moluo avatars spread across the Four Great Continents were erased by the immense power of the vows. Within the wombs of women carrying demonic fetuses, the ferocious golden bodies shattered, their evil energy dissipated, turning into ordinary fetuses, and were even blessed with the fortune of Immeasurable Life. Even mortals who had died due to demonic fetuses devouring their destiny had their sins cleansed and their lifespans extended.

All beings who had perished in the Buddha-Demon calamity were now delivered. Their past transgressions were eliminated, and their next lives would surely be blessed with both fortune and longevity. On the peak of Kama Cliff in the Great Amitabha Temple, when the Bodhisattvas opened their eyes, the Buddha was nowhere to be seen.

The Bodhisattvas, their expressions solemn, bowed deeply in the direction the Sarira had fallen. "Amitabha Buddha, boundless compassion." It turned out the Buddha had used his Immeasurable Life Body to enter Nirvana, actively becoming the one to resolve the calamity. With the Buddha's Nirvana, the heavenly secrets gradually became clear. The Bodhisattvas deduced that seven-tenths of the Buddha-Demon calamity had already been resolved.

There were no more traces of Moluo within the Three Realms, leaving only three-tenths of the calamity hanging by fate. "Why does three-tenths of the calamity remain?" Trailokyavijaya Vidyaraja asked. After a long silence, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva said slowly, "It must be the true body of Moluo that has yet to appear."

Suddenly, solemn bell chimes echoed from the depths of Spirit Mountain. The Bodhisattvas, hearing the sound, said with serious expressions, "This is the Dharma sound of the Great Thunderclap Temple." They immediately mounted auspicious clouds and rushed towards the sacred realm. In a flash, the magnificent treasure temple appeared before them: its soaring golden roof connected to Mount Sumeru, and auspicious mists enveloped the sacred realm of India. Golden roof tiles gleamed in the sun, and agate steps blazed with purple flames. Pagoda shadows danced, and the fragrance of Utpala flowers permeated the air, truly an eternal pure land untouched by the mortal world.

The Bodhisattvas entered the Great Thunderclap Temple in order, ascended the treasure hall, and saw all the Buddhas returned to their positions. Tathagata Buddha sat on a lotus pedestal, his Dharma appearance solemn.

Manjushri Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva were already seated on lotus pedestals, their gazes clear and their compassion boundless.

After paying their respects to Tathagata, the Bodhisattvas ascended their lotus pedestals and sat down solemnly.

When all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were in their seats, Tathagata Buddha spoke. "Guiding Buddha, with boundless compassion, entered Nirvana to face the calamity. The reincarnated spiritual child will be born in a hundred years. Since Moluo's Manifestation of Worldly Dharma has not yet manifested, this great Buddha-Demon calamity will also be postponed for a hundred years."

The Bodhisattvas were all shocked. Akashagarbha Bodhisattva immediately asked, "May I ask, Buddha, by Guiding Buddha sacrificing himself to face the calamity, has he only postponed the great Buddha-Demon calamity for a hundred years?"

Tathagata nodded and said, "Indeed. The Buddha-Demon Calamity is a Dharma Calamity for my Buddhist Sect, not something one person or one Buddha can resolve. However, Guiding Buddha sacrificed himself to respond to the calamity, laying down seven parts of the major trend for the great calamity a hundred years from now."

The Bodhisattvas looked at each other in silence. Tathagata surveyed everyone and asked, "Do you know the origin of the Buddha-Demon Calamity?"

Manjushri Bodhisattva replied, "World Honored One once said that the Buddha-Demon is 'Heavenly Demon King Bo Xun,' whose Dharma manifests in the present world, born alongside the Buddha. The Buddha-Demon Calamity is when Bo Xun's incarnation descends to the world to destroy my Buddhist Dharma."

Tathagata nodded and said, "Excellent, but you only know one part of it."

He slowly said, "Buddha and Demon are originally one. One thought makes one a Buddha, one thought makes one a demon. My Buddhist Sect has spread Dharma for countless eons. In the beginning, the power of Buddha and Demon was weak, and the might of the great calamity was not even as severe as the cultivators' own tribulations. However, in recent years, the power of the calamity has grown stronger. Do you know why?"

A Bodhisattva replied, "Is it because my Buddhist Sect struggles to uphold the righteous Dharma, causing the Buddha to wane and the Demon to grow?"

Tathagata praised, "Precisely. My Buddhist Sect widely spreads Buddhist Dharma, yet those who uphold the precepts and maintain a righteous heart are increasingly rare. Let alone the monks and nuns in the mortal world, even all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas often have mortal thoughts. Thus, the demonic path naturally prospers, and the Buddhist path naturally declines."

"When the heart arises, the demon arises; when the heart perishes, the demon perishes."

"The righteous Dharma values a single heart. Why does the Buddhist Sect have the 'Great Calamity of the Latter Dharma'? It is all because the Buddha Heart transforms into a demon. In the future, my disciples will have few Buddha Hearts and many demon Hearts, and the Great Calamity of the Latter Dharma will naturally arrive."

The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas fell silent upon hearing this. Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva asked, "The Great Calamity of the Latter Dharma has not yet arrived, but is there a way to resolve it?"

Tathagata smiled, "When trees grow naturally, they will inevitably be crooked. Even if straightened by external force, they will only possess the form."

Cundi Bodhisattva asked, "According to World Honored One's words, is the Great Calamity of the Latter Dharma irreversible?"

Tathagata shook his head, "Predestined fate is difficult to change. Demons are born, Buddhas perish; demons rise, Buddhas fall."

"However..." Tathagata added, "Before predestined fate, variables arise. If one can grasp these variables, perhaps a sliver of hope can be found amidst the Great Calamity of the Latter Dharma."

The Bodhisattvas fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

Zhuang Yan sensed that all his incarnations of Moluo had vanished, and even the demon embryos had returned to their normal state.

"Could something have gone wrong?" Zhuang Yan's brow furrowed slightly, and he immediately activated his Heavenly Mystery Detection function, searching for clues about the incarnations of Moluo.

A crucial piece of information leaped into his vision. After reading it, Zhuang Yan's eyes darkened, and he sighed, supporting his forehead, "I only refined seven incarnations of Moluo..."

He then shook his head helplessly, "This Guiding Buddha is too resolute. With me here, why would he need to sacrifice himself to respond to the calamity."

Seeing Guiding Buddha use his Immeasurable Life Body to save all beings, Zhuang Yan still felt respect in his heart. Those who become Buddhas truly have extraordinary realms.

After closing Heavenly Mystery Detection, he took out a Green Jade Gourd from his Infinite Space.

Sealing light flowed across the surface of the gourd, which contained what he had refined from Moluo.

"This should be enough," Zhuang Yan muttered to himself as he put away the gourd.

Now that the Moluo of the Three Realms had been purified by Guiding Buddha's vows, he decided to return to Spirit Platform Mountain.

His figure transformed into a stream of light, streaking across the sky, and in an instant, he arrived in the territory of Guangci Prefecture.