Ning Chenxin remained in Cold Soil Village for two reasons.
The first point is to preach to the villagers of Cold Soil Village and instill a correct belief system instead of the cult-like practices of the past.
The second point... is to wait for the attitude of the Buddhist Sect community.
This was also Ning Chenxin's goal. Since the other party cared so much about the Power of Faith, Ning Chenxin only needed to change the faith of a village during the investigation, which might alert the Buddhist Sect to take action.
If the Buddhist Sect takes action, it means that the other party's actions are just as one had guessed.
Now, it turns out that the direction of their guess was indeed correct.
Ning Chenxin had arrived at the center of Cold Soil Village, quietly looking at the Buddha statue with an expressionless face.
The surrounding villagers had already returned to their homes, looking out their windows with tense expressions.
At this moment.
A solemn man dressed in plain clothes suddenly appeared beside Ning Chenxin. The moment he appeared, the golden light emanating from his body connected with the Buddha statue, and a sacred Buddhist Dao aura instantly filled the Cold Soil Village.
"Amitabha Buddha, this humble Dabei has come to seek an explanation."
Ning Chenxin didn't turn her head, still looking at the Buddha statue, and said calmly, "An explanation? I think it's your Buddhist Sect that needs to give an explanation to those who believe in you, not asking me for one."
Dabei shook his head. "Everything has its destiny, and destiny is determined by human actions. Since it is you who have disrupted the order, we naturally have to ask you for it."
"So, you say 'everything is predetermined by human intervention'? Then what your Buddhist Sect is doing now, isn't that disrupting order?" Ning Chenxin glanced at Dabei and said calmly, "Freedom of belief? In my opinion, it's more like brainwashing and coercion."
"Oh? Where does the coercion come from?" Dabei asked expressionlessly.
"Leaving the Devil Beast roaming freely around the village without any expulsion, and then luring Devil Beast in if anyone doesn't cooperate, forcing you to come out and deal with them—isn't that a form of coercion?"
Dabei shook his head and said, "This forest is the home of Devil Beast, why should we drive them away?"
Before Ning Chenxin could speak, Dabei continued to argue, "Moreover, where does your claim that Buddhist Sect disrupts order come from?"
"If it weren't for the Buddhist Sect restrictions on Devil Beast, these ordinary people would have been unable to survive here long ago. How can it be called coercion? It's just the natural iteration of the food chain."
As he spoke, Dabei took out a prayer mat and sat cross-legged under the Buddha statue.
"Since this is a discussion of principles, let's begin."
After saying this, Dabei Bei released his Buddhist Dao aura, and when the villagers of Cold Soil Village looked at Dabei, it was as if they were seeing a great Buddha!
Their lingering faith in the Buddhist Sect compelled them to kneel and worship the Dabei.
Sensing this Buddhist Dao aura, Ning Chenxin became slightly focused.
Dabei did not release his cultivation level, but the Buddhist Dao aura he released, along with his immense Power of Faith, was able to completely suppress the Confucian Dao aura on Ning Chenxin's body.
It is conceivable how profound Dabei's attainments in Buddhist Dao were. Coupled with his astonishing Power of Faith, if classified according to the levels of cultivation, Dabei's attainments in Buddhist Dao and Daoism could probably reach the Divine Realm.
Ning Chenxin also had a suspicion: could such terrifying Power of Faith have been directed at him?
If it were someone else, they might be overwhelmed by the power of Dabei's Power of Faith and the aura of Buddhist Dao, and become a follower of the other party.
However, Ning Chenxin's Confucian Dao cultivation was not weak either; his years of secluded cultivation were putting to good use at this moment.
The moment Ning Chenxin took out the Ning Chenxin Dao Scripture, a Vast Righteous Qi swirled around him, greatly resisting the impact of the Power of Faith.
Within his soul, Lu Changsheng's restrictions prevented this Buddhist Dao Power of Faith from invading.
This caused Dabei to show a puzzled expression, then he nodded slightly. "No wonder you have come to my Buddhist Sect to discuss the Dao."
Ning Chenxin waved his hand, and a long table appeared in front of him. He then sat down beside the table and laid the Dao Scripture scriptures flat on it.
"I have only one question. If you can convince me on this point, then perhaps your approach is correct."
Upon hearing this, the Dabei One, enveloped in the power of Buddhist Dao Power of Faith, closed his eyes, smiled, and clasped his hands together, saying, "I am willing to resolve your doubts, benefactor."
" Buddhist Sect believes that if a Bodhisattva has the marks of self, others, sentient beings, or a life span, then he/she is not a Bodhisattva."
The principle is simple: when others do good deeds, they often seek something in return. But Buddhism doesn't. What's done is done, and you should forget about it like a fleeting dream.
"But nowadays, regardless of whether Buddhist Sect has achieved this, what is the purpose of resorting to any means for the Power of Faith? Is it to become stronger and then educate this dog-eat-dog world, or is it simply to become the strongest, the top of the food chain in this dog-eat-dog world?"
This is also the question Ning Chenxin wants to answer.
Is it truly right to use one's strength to educate the world after becoming powerful? Or will it be like Buddhist Sect, which merely uses strength to intimidate others?
Upon hearing Ning Chenxin's Buddhist words, Dabei was slightly taken aback and repeated, "A Bodhisattva has a self-image... therefore, he is not a Bodhisattva. I did not expect that you, benefactor, are so proficient in Buddhism and have such profound attainments..."
"However, perhaps you were wrong from the very beginning. You prejudicially believed that Buddhist Sect has selfish motives, so your view of subsequent issues will naturally be full of prejudice."
"As for that last question..." Dabei shook his head and said, "I'm also looking for the answer to that."
Ning Chenxin to himself, "Self-interest? Everywhere I look, everywhere I go, is filled with what I've said."
Buddhism teaches cause and effect, Daoism speaks of karma.
Dabei clasped his hands together and said, "But Buddhism has indeed provided shelter for the mortals around us, and it has indeed done some things, hasn't it?"
Ning Chenxin countered, "Bodhisattvas should practice giving without attachment to anything, that is, giving without attachment to form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental objects. Our Dao has something similar, 'Great virtue carries all things'... Yet you Buddhist Sect constantly talk about these things; isn't that already being attached to appearances?"
That brings us to this.
Within the Dao Scripture, the Vast Righteous Qi transformed into a soaring white light, which actually coalesced behind Ning Chenxin into an old man wearing a Daoist robe with white hair and a long beard!
The old man held a scroll in his hand, and the transcendent aura he exuded made it seem as if one were looking at a vast ocean, boundless and limitless!
In an instant, the golden light of the Buddhist Dao, Dabei, was suppressed by this vast white light!
Dabei was also slightly taken aback.
He never expected that the person in front of him, who was not Buddhist Sect, would have such a profound understanding of the Buddhist Sect, even surpassing some abbots!
These are words that have never been uttered even within their Buddhist Sect.
Little did he know that after Ning Chenxin broke through the Buddhist Buddha Mountain in the Wilderness Realm, she had asked Lu Changsheng about Buddhist teachings.
Lu Changsheng casually copied a book about Buddhism and tossed it to him.
These words are all from that book.
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P. S.: This chapter took a while to write; there are still three more chapters to go.