The Only This Shore, Reflections of the Other Shore

"My Buddhist name is Jingchen. These two are Fuhu of the Namo Kingdom and Mr. Bai Yu of the West Cliff Kingdom."

The elderly monk at the head of the group clasped his hands together, his voice deep and calm, and introduced himself, along with the middle-aged monk and the woman in white beside him. Then, he asked curiously:

"It seems this master mistook me for an old acquaintance?"

Jingchen...

Yu Tunzhou was shocked. Was Old Gang Leader Su the Abbot Jingchen?

According to the nun, Jingchen has been a pillar of strength in resisting the Turbid Kingdom for many years, but the face in front of him is indeed exactly the same as that of Old Gang Leader Su.

What exactly happened?

A flurry of thoughts rushed through his mind, and he stood frozen in place, unsure of what to say.

Seeing his furrowed brows, Jingchen smiled and said, "Master, is something troubling you? If so, let's change the subject. May I ask, Master, what is the purpose of your visit?"

"My surname is Yu, and my given name is Tunzhou." Yu Tunzhou put down the Little White fox, cupped his hands, and said, "I have come here to search for Dingguang."

"So this is Master Dingguang, whom the young monk Dingguang often mentioned." Jingchen smiled, seemingly having heard of his name before, but then sighed, "To be honest, Master Yu, the young monk Dingguang disappeared on the border of the Turbid Kingdom. We returned empty-handed this time, and we were unable to find his whereabouts."

After saying this, Jingchen solemnly said, "If Master Yu wishes to leave this lower realm, he will ultimately have to become an enemy of that Demonic Monk Mietian. Therefore, this old monk humbly invites Master Yu to join our camp in the campaign against the Turbid Kingdom."

Looking at the face of Old Gang Leader Su, Yu Tunzhou felt uneasy.

Is this person really just someone who looks like Old Gang Leader Su?

Before he could respond to the invitation, he saw a group of figures approaching the temple from afar.

The leader was a young monk, followed by a group of powerful External Scenery from the Outer Realm, whose faces were either dazed or horrified. They were all representatives of various factions within the cave.

These guys were invited too?

Seeing so many helpers arrive, Jingchen's smile and relief deepened. He clasped his hands together, bowed to everyone, and reintroduced himself.

At that moment, the people outside the External Scenery saw Jingchen and the other two, and they all showed expressions of shock, far exceeding what they had seen before. Chen Dingxin was among them.

"Old Gang Leader Su, Master Wuse..."

Chen Dingxin's pupils dilated in shock, his expression revealing his horror. When he saw the last woman in white with her hair tied up, his gaze fell on the ring-pommel sword at her waist, a deep sense of doubt showing on his face.

"You... you are the Sword Immortal Qingyang of the Qingyang Sword Sect. You have returned from overseas?"

As he rattled off each title, Yu Tunzhou's heart was also filled with turmoil.

He naturally recognized Old Gang Leader Su, who was currently ranked seventh on the Beggar Sect ' Sect leader Heaven Ranking and the master of the Dream Arhat Dharma Aspect.

The Master Wuse mentioned by this person is a divine monk from Shaolin Temple, ranked fourth on the Heaven Ranking, even above Old Gang Leader Su. He is also the grandmaster of Dharma Master Jiese and created the legendary Kashyapa Dharma Aspect!

The Buddha held up a flower, Kasyapa smiled.

Yu Tunzhou subconsciously looked at the middle-aged monk and saw that he had a rugged appearance, a burly figure, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a string of thick prayer beads around his neck, each bead the size of a fist.

It's a bit hard to imagine the brilliance of this "smile"...

Yu Tunzhou thought to himself, "Could this be the meaning of 'a heart of a tiger, yet a gentle touch like a rose'?"

As for the last one, the Sword Immortal Qingyang.

Yu Tunzhou turned to look at the ring-pommel sword hanging at the white-clad woman's waist. Shouldn't it be a sword?

Sword Immortal Qingyang is currently ranked number one on the Earth Ranking.

Originally, those whose titles included the word "immortal" were at least at the Dharma Aspect level, but no one in the world doubted whether this person could be ranked among the immortals, believing that it was only a matter of time before he reached the Dharma Aspect level.

Not only did he achieve Dao Path manifestation that was in no way inferior to that of the Supreme Sword Lord Yan Huifeng, but after reaching the Peak External Scenery, he also received a celestial sword to protect him and drifted off to overseas.

Yu Tunzhou first learned of this person not from the Earth Ranking, but from Master Lu.

Master Lu had once given him several examples of people who were imprisoned but eventually reached the pinnacle of Martial Dao, and this was one of them.

In his youth, he was hailed as a once-in-a-millennium Sword Dao prodigy, but due to internal strife within his sect, his father died a violent death, and he himself had his sword bones removed and his sword heart shattered. In the end, he endured hardship for thirty years before finally escaping the confines of his sect.

When she reappeared before the world, her sword flashed across the Thirteen Commanderies of Donghua, slaying all her enemies, and then she climbed step by step to the peak of Martial Dao.

It turns out that it wasn't just Abbot Jingchen who resembled Old Gang Leader Su!

The people around him were all in similar situations!

Yu Tunzhou suddenly looked at the young monk who had come with Chen Dingxin and secretly sent a telepathic message to Chen Dingxin, asking him who this person was.

"... His face is almost exactly the same as Ji Yaoyang of the Great Yan Imperial Family when he was young!" Chen Dingxin replied subconsciously.

Yu Tunzhou's expression was solemn; yet another Dharma Aspect!

That person, ranked twelfth on Heaven Ranking, though at the bottom of the list, is Dharma Aspect Dharma Aspect!

He instantly realized the seriousness of the situation.

The four before me are all among the strongest in the world today, and the weakest are top-tier Grandmaster who are only one step away from the Dharma Aspect stage.

Yet they all appeared here, seemingly suffering from collective amnesia, completely unaware of the outside world. For example, how could the Dharma Aspect of the Great Yan Imperial Family possibly have entered a Buddhist monastery?

Their strength had also dropped significantly. In his perception, three of them were at the External Scenery Fourth Layer, and one was at the External Scenery Third Layer.

"Amitabha."

Seeing the various expressions on everyone's faces, Jingchen clasped his hands together, his eyes filled with a mixture of inquiry and curiosity.

"Do you gentlemen recognize our faces? Could it be that there are others in the upper realm who look exactly like us?"

The other three exchanged glances and looked over with interest.

The Fuhu, who bore a striking resemblance to Master Wuse, chuckled heartily.

"Interesting! I wonder what that friend who looks exactly like me does in the mortal realm? Could he also be a meat-eating, wine-drinking, reckless monk?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present exchanged glances, none daring to respond.

After a long silence, someone whispered, "You are also a highly respected monk outside..."

Abbot Fuhu smiled helplessly, "It seems this humble monk was born to guard the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp; it's the same wherever I go."

Jingchen asked gently, "May I ask you gentlemen, what is the identity of that person who resembles this old monk in the Upper Realm?"

Someone respectfully said, "Outside, you are the leader of the Beggar Sect' Sect. Although you haven't entered the Buddhist order, you practice the authentic Buddhist School methods."

"The leader of the Beggar Sect' Sect?" Abbot Jingchen repeated in a low voice.

The young monk smiled and asked, "I wonder what the person who resembles me is in the outside world?"

Upon hearing this, all the External Scenery experts from various Aristocratic Clan fell silent, and a subtle atmosphere permeated the air.

The young monk seemed to be deep in thought, sensing some hostility. A hint of regret appeared in his eyes, and he did not press the matter further.

The woman in white didn't ask any questions. She glanced at Chen Dingxin and already knew the answer. She unconsciously reached for her long-time sword.

Was that woman from the upper realm who looked so much like me actually a sword immortal?

At this very moment.

Yu Tunzhou wondered to Huntian, "These people look exactly like the powerful figures from the outside world. Could it be that the Venerable One deliberately replicated these top figures from the outside world and placed them in the Buddhist Kingdom as NPCs?"

If that's the case, then this place seems like a meticulously planned scheme.

But Huntian remained silent for a long time, his unusual silence suggesting he had stumbled upon a long-forgotten secret.

After a moment of silence, Huntian slowly said:

"Fellow Daoist should know that above immortals Immortals and Gods lies Forming a Heaven of One's Own, also known as ' Wuji Primordial Unity, Infinite and Unreliant,' hence the name [Primordial Unity]."

"Having reached this point, no matter where one is in the world, one will be the supreme being. Heaven and earth will follow one's will, all things will follow their nature, one can do whatever one desires, and what one hates will be difficult to repeat."

"But this state has a crucial prerequisite—completeness."

"This wouldn't even have been a prerequisite in the past, but everything changed after a great calamity in ancient times."

Upon Huntian here, Hun Tian's voice became extremely heavy, because Yu Tunzhou could clearly sense Huntian's emotional changes while he was in his own Primordial Spirit Heaven and Earth.

There was doubt and confusion, as well as fear, trepidation, and disorientation.

It seems that even as a witness to that great upheaval in ancient times, it failed to uncover the truth.

After an unknown amount of time, Huntian spoke again in a low voice:

"... Before that great upheaval, all living beings lived in a world centered on the Central Plains. The present-day Central Plains is only a small part of that early world."

"After the great upheaval, heaven and earth split apart, giving rise to countless realms and endless universes, just like a second..."

"[The Creation of Heaven and Earth]!"

"At that time, I was far from reaching the level of Great Sage, and I was completely ignorant of the source and specific process of this great change. Even after I attained enlightenment and tried to explore it again, I could not find the answer. Those who knew the answer all kept it a deep secret."

"I accumulated considerable merit in battle for this, and in exchange for a few words from the Demon Emperor, I learned that the world beneath our feet is the only ' this This Shore ' in the world; while those worlds that were created, split, and reflected are collectively called ' the Other Shore '."

"The Other Shore is a reflection of this This Shore."

"Not only is heaven and earth a reflection, but the countless beings born on this This Shore are also reflected. During the great calamity, the True Spirit of all sentient beings on this This Shore fell at the level of the origin of life, and their True Spirit differentiated, reflecting countless 'selves' scattered in different times and spaces."

"It is this incompleteness that makes it increasingly difficult for later generations to ascend to higher levels, but it also makes the power of those in high positions ever stronger, making it even more difficult for those in lower positions to overstep their bounds."

Yu Tunzhou: A sudden sense of clarity dawned on him.

Parallel spacetime? Mirror projection?

So, are Jingchen, Fuhu, Bai Yu before us the reflections of Old Gang Leader Su, Master Wuse, and the Sword Immortal Qingyang on this This Shore?

Yu Tunzhou suddenly said, "So, 'I' am not complete either, and there are millions of 'me's' in other worlds and realms?"

"Fellow Daoist attained enlightenment in the Primordial Era long ago. Even if you were to reincarnate by severing your own life, you would not be affected by the great calamity of the Primordial Era. Naturally, you possess a 'complete' body where your True Spirit has returned to oneness."

Huntian shook his head, thinking to himself that this person's attainment of enlightenment was probably far beyond his own, how could he be affected by this?

Speaking of which, this person really cut off his own life completely, forgetting everything. Did he really think he could sever all karmic ties from his past life? But in the end, wasn't he still found by Laojun and the Human Emperor?

Or perhaps...

Only in this way can one evade the spying and searching of certain beings?

It secretly guessed what was going on in its mind, but outwardly coughed lightly, reassuring Yu Tunzhou.

"If you are worried, fellow Daoist, I also have a Secret Method that can be used to test the integrity of one's True Spirit. After leaving this Buddhist kingdom, you can use it to verify it yourself."

"As for this Buddhist kingdom, there's no need to try. Only by establishing oneself in the Central Plains can one sense the existence of other realms. From the perspective of the Central Plains, even this Buddhist kingdom belongs to the 'lower realm.'"

Yu Tunzhou nodded, finally understanding why the Central Plains had been the core of contention among various races since ancient times.

Besides... family members know their own affairs.

He wasn't the real Grand Dharma Master Xuandu, but a true transmigrator, so he was likely like everyone else, with an incomplete True Spirit.

After he leaves this time, he will use the Huntian Technique to test it out.

If his guess is correct, then he will actually feel relieved.

But if the opposite is true, and he is the one who achieves True Spirit unity as Huntian claims...

Therefore, his time travel was not a coincidence.

Could I really be the reincarnation of the Grand Dharma Master Xuandu?

His gaze swept over the External Scenery of the various locations, including Chen Dingxin's, and all of them looked blank and shocked, clearly unaware of the secrets behind it all.

Yu Tunzhou suddenly had a thought.

If they could find Old Gang Leader Su and the others in this world, could they also find "themselves"?

Do the other Dharma Aspect also have projections in this world?

An Ruyu, Lin Yueheng, Dharma Master Jiese...

Even the Old Mo?

Thinking of this, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he quietly began to make a plan.

After a moment, Yu Tunzhou spoke up, "Abbot, we are willing to join your side to jointly punish the Mietian Demonic Monk of the Turbid Kingdom."

The other External Scenery seemed to awaken from a dream, and immediately became restless.

So they were taken in by this representative?

They didn't even know what had happened!

Coupled with the astonishing "appearances" of the people in front of them, Chen Dingxin and the others were still in a daze.

Faced with the unrest of the crowd who dared not speak out, Yu Tunzhou extinguished it with a single, concise sentence:

"To leave this realm, we must defeat the Mietian Demonic Monk of the Turbid Kingdom. That Demonic Monk has reversed all Buddhist School within the Turbid Kingdom; he is a thoroughly evil monk."

Everyone's expression changed drastically. If that were true, then their conflict with the Turbid Kingdom would be irreconcilable.

Jingchen took in everyone's expressions and discovered that these top-tier experts were actually quite afraid of the young man before them.

He didn't ask any further questions, but put his hands together and said, "You have all come from the upper realm, so please enter the hall to rest first. We will tell you everything in detail, and then you can choose whether to stay or leave."

"Furthermore, since you are all new to the lower realm and not yet accustomed to the rules of this world, we will try our best to help you harmonize, and you should be able to recover about 70-80% of your strength."

Abbot Fuhu also said in a deep voice, "The Nirvana Grand Ceremony of the Demonic Monk Mietian will be held in seven days. Once the ceremony is completed, there will be no more pure land in this world!"

Faced with these two people who looked remarkably like the outside world's Old Gang Leader Su and the Shaolin monk, the crowd clearly felt a sense of awe and entered the main hall at their invitation.

This is also key to their understanding of the origins and history of this world.

Yu Tunzhou then asked, "Abbot Jingchen, are only the four of you holding this for yourselves?"

Jingchen pondered for a moment and said, "Fu Tingxue of the Eastward Coming Kingdom has just returned to the border camp and will join us shortly. The five of us are the strongest in the world to eliminate the Demonic Monk of Mietian."

"Furthermore, while we were in the Turbid Kingdom, we discovered several masters who appeared to be from the upper realm. One of them, a woman, was at a similar level to us. She has now been rescued by our friend, the Miemo Slayer, and should be joining us at the temple soon."

Fu Tingxue... Yu Tunzhou secretly praised, "What an elegant name. Just from the name, one can tell that he is a dashing and romantic person. I wonder which powerful figure in the outside world he corresponds to."

Furthermore, could these powerful outsiders, whose cultivation levels are similar to these, be members of the Bao Household?

This is incredibly bad luck! I landed directly in the capital of the Turbid Kingdom. It's practically like being given a freebie at the start!

Yu Tunzhou was suddenly filled with doubt and suspicion. If he had been the first to enter the gate instead of the Bao Household and others, would he have been the one who ended up in the capital?

At Jingchen's invitation, he entered the main hall to listen to the origins and history of the Turbid Kingdom.

Several local powerhouses recounted the history of the Turbid Kingdom over the past century, one after another.

The air was filled with the fragrance of incense, and as the somber narration unfolded, a long-forgotten upheaval slowly began to reveal itself to the audience.

More than a hundred years ago, Turbid Kingdom was just a small country with limited land and a small population, and it was often bullied by its neighboring countries.

One day, a monk entered the royal palace of the Turbid Kingdom. No one knows what he said to the Turbid Kingdom, but from that day on, the capital of the Turbid Kingdom gained a new residence for a royal preceptor and a temple called [Formless Temple].

At that time, various countries saw that the temple's name was similar to that of the Little Formless Temple where Jingchen was located, and they secretly investigated it. As a result, they only found that the monk was an ordinary person, and he was the only one in the entire Formless Temple.

Seeing that they couldn't stir up any trouble, the countries quickly put the matter behind them.

After that, nothing changed in the Turbid Kingdom. The monks of Formless Temple never stepped out of the temple gates, and they did not even appear at the funeral of the old king.

Thirty years later.

That year, the Turbid Kingdom clashed with its neighbor, the Joyful Wandering Kingdom, over their border. In the past, the Turbid Kingdom had only been able to apologize to the latter.

But this time, a figure who had been forgotten by all sides emerged from the Imperial Preceptor's residence.

He went to the Joyful Wandering Kingdom alone, and in just one day, he single-handedly defeated all the top masters in the Joyful Wandering Kingdom.

The following day, the royal family of the Joyful Wandering Kingdom announced that it would be incorporated into the territory of the Turbid Kingdom.

The world was shaken.

Before anyone could react, the states bordering the Turbid Kingdom fell one after another.

What was once a tiny country has, in just three years, swallowed up all surrounding lands and become the largest country in the world.

As a result, it has been subjected to joint suppression by other countries.

On that day, the Grand Preceptor of the Turbid Kingdom fought against the strongest people in the world. Jingchen and Fuhu were present at the time.

According to Jingchen, the Demonic Monk of Mietian at that time was on par with him back then, and had already been included among the strongest, but was still far from being able to withstand the combined forces of all the powerful figures.

Therefore, the Turbid Kingdom was defeated in that battle.

The Turbid Kingdom ceased its expansion and began to lie low once more.

This time, all parties kept their eyes on the Imperial Preceptor's residence, but little did they know that he had once again entered seclusion. Once the temple gates were closed, another thirty years would pass.

When the second thirty years came to an end, the monk who called himself Mietian walked out of Formless Temple, looked up at the sky and sighed, claiming that he had reached the limit of this world and could not go any further.

These arrogant words naturally attracted the attention of the strongest people in the world.

But the outcome of this battle chilled everyone to the bone.

Even with Jingchen and the others joining forces, they could only barely avoid defeat!

After this battle, Mietian undisputedly ascended to the top of the world.

However, after the war, he did not resume the expansion of the Turbid Kingdom, but returned to Formless Temple and entered his third period of seclusion.

On the day the third thirty-year period ended, a pillar of Buddhist light pierced the Tongtian and the earth, emanating endless chants of sacred sounds, enveloping the land of the Turbid Kingdom, and beginning a long...

enlightenment.

From that day onward, other countries discovered that the Turbid Kingdom was gradually turning into a den of demons.

There, people were neither truly abstinent nor truly human, neither truly Buddhist nor truly devout.

All concepts are turned upside down: black and white, right and wrong, human nature...

That person was like a great demon, gradually transforming countless citizens of the Turbid Kingdom into something completely different from their original forms.

The other countries initially just stood by and watched him run amok in his Turbid Kingdom, destroying his own foundation.

Until Abbot Jingchen realized this person's true purpose!

"We have already reached the upper limit of this realm, and the path ahead is cut off, with no way to advance even half a step. But Mietian has somehow obtained a Buddhist treasure that can gather the Incense and Fire Prayer Power to forge Buddha Golden Body."

Jingchen said in a deep voice,

"He uses this Turbid Kingdom as a furnace, polluting the Buddha's treasures with the karmic force of all beings breaking precepts, and then refining them for himself. According to our calculations, when his Golden Body is fully formed, he will be able to substitute his own heart for the will of Heaven and forcibly take that final step."

Upon hearing this, Yu Tunzhou couldn't help but wonder, "That Buddhist treasure was originally capable of absorbing the power of incense offerings to forge the Buddha Golden Body?"

"Good."

"Then why would this 'Mietian' go against the grain and defile the Buddha's treasures with the karma of all living beings? Is what is created in this way a Buddha or a demon?"

Jingchen remained silent for a few moments before saying, "We initially had the same doubts, guessing that he couldn't control this Buddhist treasure and thus corrupted it first. However, during our battle with him, we received confirmation from him personally that the 'righteous path' is impassable in this world."

"It's blocked?" Yu Tunzhou asked. "What does that mean?"

Jingchen sighed, "According to his logic, this world can never give birth to a Buddha."

Yu Tunzhou's expression turned serious.

Unable to give birth to a Buddha, he took a different approach, using the evil of all beings to create a great demon?

This person truly has excellent skills; he is indeed worthy of being his next enemy!

Just as Jingchen and the others were explaining things to everyone, a monk rushed into the main hall, looking somewhat flustered, and said:

"Abbot! Commander Fu has sent out a distress signal!"

Jingchen's expression hardened, and he abruptly stood up.

"Not long ago, Commander Fu ventured alone into the Turbid Kingdom to meet us. We fought our way out, while he returned to his army..." Jingchen said solemnly, "Could it be that the Demonic Monk is heading straight for Commander Fu?"

Abbot Fuhu stood up and said, "Enough of the small talk, let's rush to the border together!"

Turbid Kingdom, capital city, Grand Preceptor's residence.

"Grand Preceptor, the Demonic Contamination Gu was planted in the army while Fu Tingxue was away, and it should have already broken out."

A middle-aged man dressed in a dragon robe lowered his head, not daring to look directly at the monk sitting cross-legged in front of him.

"This humble monk understands." Mietian sat cross-legged on the lotus platform, his crimson robe trailing in dust, and smiled slightly. "I'm troubling you, Your Majesty."

"I wouldn't dare!" the middle-aged man quickly replied, well aware of the man's methods.

"Does Your Majesty know what I have been doing for the past ten years?" the monk Mietian suddenly asked.

"Isn't the Imperial Preceptor preparing to create Buddha Golden Body?"

"That could be said," the monk Mietian sighed softly. "To be honest, Your Majesty, I've been having the same dream frequently lately."

"A dream?" the King of the Turbid Kingdom asked in disbelief. "With the Imperial Preceptor's unparalleled strength, how could he be troubled by a dream?"

"Indeed, it did happen." Mietian recounted, "In the dream, I was still assisting Your Majesty, but Your Majesty refused to believe me and kept things from me, which greatly troubled me."

The man in the dragon robe turned pale instantly, his body swayed precariously, and he collapsed to his knees before Mietian with a thud.

Mietian ignored him completely.

He gazed out of the temple, murmuring a prophecy he had recently learned—

"The Dingguang Buddha was reborn as an ordinary being in the Saha World..."