The second is the " Present Tathagata Sutra," which focuses on martial arts and physical cultivation, believing in using absolute and overwhelming power to cross the Bitter Sea and reach the Other Shore.
Its philosophy holds that everything is illusory, except for power, which is a real and authentic existence.
Only by cultivating the physical body to the highest level of Myriad Transformations and attaining Buddhahood can one truly unleash the power of this scripture.
Its general outline is the " Ten Forms of the Tathagata Divine Palm," which includes the Fundamental Seal, Wisdom Seal, Great Thousand Seal, Immeasurable Seal Nirvana Seal Formless Seal Bodhi Seal Moci Seal, Gate Seal Para Seal, and Paramita Mudra, supplemented by the " Bodhi Heart Method."
Specific techniques Tathagata Roar, the Tathagata Dharma Body, the Great Thunderclap Dharma Seal, and the immensely powerful "Tathagata's Palm - The Fist of the Present."
Although he started studying the " Present Tathagata Sutra " a little later, Li Qingshan used it as a foundation and drew inferences from it, eventually finding a new path in the profound parts and finally comprehending his own unique Yuanshi Eighth Seal, the Limitless Seal.
The third is the newly acquired " Future Lifeless Sutra," which specializes in the method of gathering and utilizing the incense and vows of all beings. It extracts and condenses the faith and beliefs in the thoughts of countless beings, forging them into an external incarnation with the appearance of an emperor.
These beliefs can also be fused into one's own soul, causing a surge in power. At the pinnacle of cultivation, one can even deceive the senses of masters, glimpse various paths and choices in the future, and even create something from nothing, forging the most advantageous path for oneself.
The true essence of the " Future Lifeless Sutra " lies in grasping the infinite changes of the future and then creating those same infinite changes.
Its seventh level requires at least 100,000 devout people to worship for more than ten years to master, and it can transform into red, black, green, yellow, and other colors.
The seven incarnations of the Seven Great Dipper Mother Mysterious Spirit True Gods —Azure, Blue, and Purple—are each comparable to Ghost Immortal. They can annihilate Ghost Immortal who has not yet undergone the Tribulation of Lightning with the flick of their wrist. This is the same level as the Lifeless Old Mother from before.
Upon reaching the ninth level, all nine return to one, achieving Immortal Primordial Spirit.
At the tenth level, the Immortal Primordial Spirit is completely integrated into the soul, and the Future Lifeless Sutra is truly perfected. It can absorb the faith of all living beings to enhance its magical power and cultivate an external avatar, becoming the Lord of the Future.
This " Lord of the Future " has a unique appearance: he sits cross-legged on a lotus platform, his hands are in a mudra, he wears a golden robe, his chest and breasts are exposed, and his feet are upturned.
It has a vertical eye between its eyebrows, and one eye each on its palms, soles, top of its head, and center of its back, for a total of nine eyes.
These nine eyes are the Heavenly Eye, Earthly Eye, Wisdom Eye, Intelligence Eye, Obscuring Eye, Dharma Eye, True Eye, Illusory Eye, and Mysterious Eye, which can see through heaven and earth and see through all kinds of changes in the past and future.
The Lord of the Future is similar to the Book of Changes, capable of calculating the changes in martial arts, Daoist arts, and even all things, conducting billions of calculations with every breath.
Hong Yi, the creator of the Book of Changes, was also inspired by the Future Lifeless Sutra.
If the Lord of the Future mastery is perfected, and combined with the secret of the "previous" character, his ability to deduce and perceive may become almost omniscient and omnipotent within a certain range.
Such a powerful technique could be obtained from an old woman, which shows how abundant the opportunities are in the Yang God World, truly a blessed land for transmigrators.
He secretly thought that if he returned to the Shrouding the Heavens World in the future, he might try to use this method to gather the power of incense and vows to forge Lord of the Future.
He savored the deeper mysteries of the Future Lifeless Sutra, especially the true meaning of the word "future." His gaze fell on the seven-colored halo behind the head of the Lifeless Old Mother, and his thoughts drifted away, pondering the different facets of the power of "faith" in different worlds.
In the Shrouding the Heavens World, the potential of the path of faith is equally unfathomable. There are ancient emperors like the Undying Heavenly Emperor and Amitabha Great Emperor, and even in the ancient Immortal Ancient Era, there were Monk Immortal King who achieved the Great Dao of Immortal King through this path. This path is extraordinary.
In the Shrouding the Heavens World, the one who has mastered the path of faith to its pinnacle is none other than the Amitabha Great Emperor.
He transformed the entire Western Desert into his own sacred land of faith, with hundreds of millions of living beings chanting his name and reciting his inscription, making the Western Desert almost an alternative extension of himself.
However, even the vast, ocean-like power of faith seemed unable to truly help him open the Immortal Gate, suggesting that this path might hold a hidden meaning in the Immortal One.
In the Yang God World, the power of faith is the fundamental resource for cultivating the Future Lifeless Sutra.
The stronger the faith, the more terrifying the power of the scriptures.
Crown Prince Yang Pan secretly supported the two heretical sects, Lifeless Dao Vacuum Dao, and vigorously developed their followers. His fundamental purpose was to draw upon sufficient faith power to help him push the Future Lifeless Sutra.
When we turn our attention to other worlds, the nature of the power of faith is entirely different.
In some worlds, the power of faith is like a deadly poison. To absorb it rashly is like drinking poison to quench thirst, damaging one's foundation and ruining one's future.
However, in other worlds where the laws of heaven and earth differ, the power of faith is a universal "hard currency," which can be used to condense supreme magical treasures, construct Grotto-Heaven, and even open up and expand one's own sea of consciousness, making the capacity of magical power ten times that of others of the same level, with endless mysteries.
It is evident that the laws governing the myriad realms are diverse, and the interpretations and applications of the same fundamental power vary greatly.
The core of the Future Lifeless Sutra lies in the absorption and transformation of "faith," refining the power of sentient beings' thoughts for one's own use, creating an external avatar, and controlling future variables.
Li Qingshan's mind raced, and he realized a crucial point: if a cultivator who practices the Future Lifeless Sutra also practices the Past Amitabha Sutra, using the Amitabha Form to stabilize their true nature, with the past and future resonating with each other, could they absorb the power of faith more efficiently and safely? A cultivator's faith thoughts are often chaotic and contain "toxicity," easily damaging the soul. However, if they supplement it with the unchanging nature of the "past" as a foundation, perhaps they can filter out the impurities and extract the essence, allowing their soul power to reach a near-invincible state.
This perfectly aligns with the highest ideal of Great Zen Temple, which emphasizes the "unity of the three scriptures."
The Past Sutra stabilized our true nature, preventing us from being misled by distracting thoughts of faith; the Future Sutra gather the power of all beings' aspirations, deducing changes and creating the path ahead.
The Present Sutra principle grants it the absolute power to sweep away reality.
The past, present, and future combined are theoretically enough to dominate the world, and no one can rival its power.
However, an unavoidable question arises: if the Great Zen Temple possessed such extraordinary three scriptures, why did it still suffer a catastrophic calamity decades ago, being jointly destroyed by the Great Qian Dynasty and various other forces?
The original work did mention it, but the root cause lies in the extremely closed and demanding nature of the transmission of knowledge.
These three supreme scriptures are only accessible to a select few eminent monks of extremely high status within the temple.
The vast majority of monks could only gaze at the treasure mountain but could not enter it.
While such systems ensured that scriptures would not be easily leaked, they also severely limited the development of the sect's overall strength, leading to a serious disconnect between high-end combat power and the middle and lower levels.
Those who are qualified may not all have the exceptional talent to cultivate the scriptures to a high level; while those who are talented may be limited by their status and have no chance to see the true scriptures. This is one reason.
Secondly, it is a crime to possess a treasure; the combined power of these three principles is enough to make any ruler uneasy.
The Past Sutra can preserve the true spirit and ensure unimpeded reincarnation; the Future Sutra can gather the faith of all beings and glimpse the secrets of heaven; the Present Sutra can forge an invincible martial body.
If such power were concentrated in one person, it could be considered the greatest variable and threat in the world.
At the very beginning of the Great Qian Dynasty's rise to power, how could it tolerate such a sleeping giant right beside its bed? It was imperative to take advantage of the fact that its power had not yet reached its peak and been consolidated, and to unite all forces that could be united to strangle it.
Thirdly, the internal structure may not be monolithic either.
The concentration of resources and traditions inevitably leads to dissatisfaction and divisions.
Under immense external pressure and potential internal divisions, even a colossal holy site is not immune to the risk of collapse.
Fourth, the cultivation itself is arduous. Even if one obtains the true scriptures, the path of cultivation is still full of thorns.
The trials of inner demons Past Sutra, the suffering of physical Nirvana Present Sutra, and the collection and purification of a vast amount of faith to Future Sutra —all are insurmountable obstacles.
Even at its peak, Great Zen Temple may not have truly cultivated a monster-level figure who had mastered all three sutras to perfection.
Li Qingshan recalled the earth-shattering war that destroyed the temple, where the flames of war illuminated the ancient temple, and many exquisite traditions were either destroyed or scattered.
The Monk Jingren fled far away with the Universe Bag, which contained the last relics of the Great Zen Temple and the hope for its revival.
The fact that even core secret techniques like the Future Lifeless Sutra were leaked out and mastered by a figure like the Lifeless Old Mother demonstrates the ferocity of the battles and the severity of the loss of the inherited knowledge.
"It's all about timing, luck, and fate," Li Qingshan sighed inwardly.
Any powerful system or tradition, if it fails to keep pace with the times, broaden the path for talent, and properly address internal and external challenges, will eventually decline after reaching its peak.
The destruction of Great Zen Temple was an inevitable result of a combination of factors, not just due to the presence of powerful enemies.
He brought his thoughts back, and the light once again became deep and dark.
The profound meanings of the Past Amitabha Sutra, the Present Tathagata Scripture, and the Future Lifeless Sutra flowed and collided within his heart.
His understanding of the essence of the power of faith and the differences in the laws governing different worlds has deepened.
His journey in the Yang God World is nearing its end. The knowledge and gains he has gained, especially his understanding of the Future Lifeless Sutra and faith, will undoubtedly provide immeasurable assistance for his future path in Shrouding the Heavens and other worlds.
The path of spiritual cultivation is long and arduous. Only by witnessing and understanding all the myriad laws of the heavens and integrating them can one go further.
Li Qingshan took a step forward, his figure fading away, leaving only wisps of Daoist charm and a lingering reverie about that Buddhist holy site lost to history.