Seeing Buddha, Seeing Demon

Mietian's gaze pierced through layers of palaces, landing on this world.

This prophecy is easy to understand.

The Buddha descended to earth and became an ordinary mortal.

But does "the mortal world" refer to this very world?

If this world exists, where is that Buddha now? And in what capacity has he descended to earth?

Those outsiders?

It seems to be getting more and more interesting.

"Your Majesty, I must now go into seclusion. The Nirvana Assembly will proceed as scheduled in six days." Mietian looked at the kneeling king before him and said gently, "During this time, I hope Your Majesty will safeguard the land."

The king's face changed drastically. He crawled on the ground towards the direction of the Mietian, his face filled with terror. "Grand Preceptor, Grand Preceptor... If you go into seclusion, who will guard my Turbid Kingdom? Has I done something lately that displeases you...?"

Mietian gently placed his hand on the top of his head, as if stroking a small beast he had raised for a long time, and sighed:

"Your Majesty has always done very well, far better than the 'Your Majesty' I saw in my dream. My choice of the Turbid Kingdom back then was the most correct decision. Therefore, Your Majesty need not worry that I will abandon the royal family. There are countless monarchs in the world, but only Your Majesty is obedient."

Feeling the coldness from the top of his head and the palm of his hand, the current king of the Turbid Kingdom breathed a sigh of relief, but still looked troubled.

The remaining major powers in the surrounding area have already joined forces to deal with their Turbid Kingdom. When the Grand Preceptor was alive, he could suppress the court and control the situation. But if the Grand Preceptor went into seclusion, who would deal with those supreme experts?

"Your Majesty need not worry, I was prepared." Mietian clapped his hands and said with a faint smile, "When Jingchen and the others launched a surprise attack on the Imperial Preceptor's residence, I thought they had seen through my plan, but fortunately, I was overthinking it."

He clapped his hands.

Five figures walked in from outside the house one after another.

They were all dressed in monks' robes, and without exception, they were silent. There was no joy or anger in their eyes or brows, not even a trace of the emotions that a living person should have. They were like five stone statues whose features had been shaved off.

The king suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Grand Preceptor, these people... aren't these the same guys you asked me to search for throughout the country back then? I remember they were just ordinary people at the time."

Mietian smiled and said, "They are ordinary people in this world, but they may not be in other worlds."

"Has Your Majesty ever considered that the world is not limited to this small area of only tens of thousands of miles in circumference? There are heavens beyond heavens, and boundaries beyond boundaries."

"These people may live a mediocre life in this world, plagued by poverty and illness, but if they were in another world, in another era, they might be the leader of a sect, a peerless demon of evil paths, or a powerful figure who roams the world."

"In this world, they only lacked an opportunity, and I have given them that opportunity."

"It's a pity," Mietian said with regret. "His Majesty only found five people, which would have been enough, but now that external forces have intervened, we're a bit short-handed."

The king was about to speak when Mietian raised his hand to stop him. He looked at the five people with great interest and introduced them to the king:

"I changed their names accordingly."

"These five, from left to right, are Qingxuzi, Xue Wuya, Yellow Springs Daoist, Tantai Yinglong, and Yang Ming."

As each name was called, the corresponding person would bow slightly, their expression remaining completely devoid of emotion, as if they were merely clay or wooden sculptures carrying out orders.

This scene startled the king, giving him a new understanding of the Grand Preceptor's methods.

"They will take over my duties for the next six days to guard the Turbid Kingdom and apprehend outsiders."

"Six days from now, I will emerge from seclusion to initiate the Nirvana Assembly, inviting all citizens of this Turbid Kingdom to share in my Changsheng."

After saying this, Mietian slowly closed his eyes, and the Buddhist light under the lotus platform rippled slightly, enveloping his entire body in a layer of pale golden light.

"As for the rest, Your Majesty may decide for yourself."

The king of the Turbid Kingdom was already beaming with joy, feeling that the Grand Preceptor's methods had far exceeded his comprehension. If even these ordinary people could be transformed into supreme experts, what kind of scene would they be after Nirvana?

"Respectfully seeing off the Imperial Preceptor!"

The houses on both sides of the road were low and crooked, with faded cloth banners hanging from the eaves. The street surface was uneven yellow earth. Dingguang carefully avoided the puddles and escaped the pursuit of the soldiers.

He traveled from the border into the heart of the Turbid Kingdom, and along the way, he witnessed all sorts of upside-down phenomena that constantly challenged his understanding.

He felt as if he had entered a legendary demon kingdom, where everything contradicted the beautiful vision of Buddhism.

After seeing so many things, Dingguang couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

Are these people suffering or enjoying life?

According to the master, the purpose of observing Buddhist precepts is to eliminate afflictions, purify the mind and body, and ultimately achieve liberation and enlightenment.

It is not just about Shougui, but also the foundation of spiritual practice, helping people reduce suffering at its root.

But those who break the precepts live far more freely and happily than those who keep them.

"Stop it! Let me do the first strike!"

"No, no! It was you yesterday, today it's my turn!"

Why not me?

Suddenly, the sound of children arguing and shouting came from ahead.

Dingguang glanced over carefully and saw a group of children about his age chasing a puppy in the alley.

They surrounded the huddled puppy, holding stones and wooden knives, arguing about who should strike first; there were both boys and girls among them.

Suddenly.

"Woof woof woof--"

A large dog suddenly darted out from the side, broke through the children's encirclement, grabbed the puppy in its mouth, and ran away.

"Grab it! Grab it!"

A group of children, like generals on a battlefield, began a new round of encirclement and pursuit.

Dingguang stood at the alley entrance for a long time.

Killing can be done to protect life, but it should never be done merely for amusement.

Animals still have the instinct to protect their young, but humans, who are supposed to be the most intelligent of all creatures, seem to have lost their compassion and mercy.

This world...

It's so different from the cave.

Is this the real world that Master and my fellow disciples often talk about?

He didn't know, or even why, why he left Little Formless Temple and stepped into this demonic kingdom alone.

He just felt...

He should come, he must come, and he needs to meet certain people.

Dingguang lowered his head, quickened his pace, and hurried away from the alley.

Although he didn't know where he should go, Dingguang still remembered what his master had said: everything is a convergence of causes and conditions.

Fate will lead him to the answer he was destined to receive.

Dingguang hurried on his way, and as night fell, he happened to pass by a dilapidated temple in the north of the city, where he decided to stay for the night.

Along the way, he discovered that the Turbid Kingdom had once built many temples, but most of them were now in ruins. Only a few temples permitted by the National Preceptor's Office still existed, enshrining Buddha statues made of real gold. The surrounding people would worship there day and night, making them very popular.

He quietly entered the dilapidated temple, only to find a little girl of eight or nine years old inside.

She was wearing patched old clothes and squatting in the temple, feeding millet to a little sparrow with an injured wing. Her movements were very gentle, and she was softly murmuring, "Does it hurt?" Her eyes were clean and soft.

Dingguang suddenly froze.

Because he recognized the little girl in front of him as one of the people from the alley during the day.

During the day, she would join other children in the neighborhood, chasing cats and dogs, fighting over things, and putting on a fierce act.

But now, she is rescuing an injured sparrow.

why is that?

Dingguang asked himself this question, and instantly found the answer.

Here, being soft-hearted is considered "malicious," and kindness is seen as "evil." Anyone who shows even a hint of goodwill will be ostracized by their peers and scolded by adults.

So every day she could only sneak into the dilapidated temple and, facing a little bird, release the tenderness she had kept hidden all day.

The little girl in the temple heard footsteps and trembled with fright. She hurriedly hid the sparrow in her bosom, her eyes filled with fear, like a frightened little animal.

Upon recognizing Dingguang's monk's robes, she paused, then whispered a reminder, "Little Master, you should leave quickly. The authorities are currently issuing warrants for the arrest of all monks."

Dingguang silently stepped forward and took the injured sparrow from the little girl's hands.

He slowly closed his palms together.

When he opened it again, the sparrow in his hand chirped and fluttered its healed wings in his palm.

The girl's eyes lit up immediately, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Little Master, you know Law Technique too?"

At that moment, Dingguang looked into the girl's bright and pure eyes, and suddenly felt a deep empathy for her, tears streaming down his face.

Suffering is true suffering.

The innate pure and kind heart is twisted into a distorted shape in this quagmire, and can only survive by hiding the light in the darkness. This is the suffering of having one's nature slowly tortured.

He suddenly turned to look at the city and uttered two words:

"Ignorance."

Right and wrong are reversed, good and evil are misplaced, and all beings are blinded by demonic sounds, mistaking suffering for pleasure and evil for good. They toil and sink in the mire, yet believe they are in paradise.

This is Ignorance, also known as the Darkness of Ignorance.

He had never memorized any Buddhist scriptures, yet at this moment, verses appeared in his mind, shining brightly, as if speaking through his voice to this world:

"From beginningless time, all sentient beings have been deluded in various ways, like a lost person who easily changes direction, mistaking the four elements for their own body and the shadows of the six sense objects for their own mind, just as someone with diseased eyes sees flowers in the sky and a second moon..."

Dingguang murmured to himself, and with a gentle pull of his hands, the healed sparrow spread its wings and flew around the girl, eliciting a clear laugh from her.

Amidst such innocent smiles, Dingguang silently embarked on his journey once more.

He had already seen the Darkness of Ignorance in the Turbid Kingdom, but he didn't know how to break through that darkness.

Deng Canglan led the way, carrying a blue lantern, followed by the Bao Household members.

"Follow this direction and you will leave the border of the Turbid Kingdom and reunite with Abbot Jingchen," Deng Canglan said. "I will leave you here."

After escaping the capital, they left the Turbid Kingdom under his guidance.

The absurd scenes they encountered along the way completely overturned the Bao Household's understanding.

Like a Buddhist scripture whose truth has been turned upside down, every word of it contradicts the Buddhist School precepts they have been familiar with since childhood, making it hard to imagine that this is the Buddhist kingdom of a great Arhat!

If an ordinary monk were to step into this place and see this demonic land where precepts are shattered and right and wrong are reversed, he would probably be shaken and his faith would be destroyed!

Therefore, she was extremely shocked by the so-called Dharma Master Miemo who claimed to be from the Vajra Chan Temple.

This Human Dao's Dao heart far surpasses that of others of the same level, even exceeding hers.

Deng Canglan said, "You should go to Little Formless Temple as soon as possible and meet with Abbot Jingchen. After today, there are only six days left until the Nirvana Assembly. We must stop that Demonic Monk Mietian before then."

The thought of that Demonic Monk who looked exactly like the Heavenly Demon Kou Ziling made Bao Ruyin's heart sink.

"What exactly do you know?" she stared at Deng Canglan and asked, "Is that Mietian really Kou Ziling?"

"Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't." Deng Canglan turned around, carrying the blue lantern. "Let's leave as soon as possible."

Bao Ruyin his retreating figure, her brows furrowed, and asked gravely, "Are you really going back?"

Deng Canglan stopped.

He looked up towards the direction of the capital of the Turbid Kingdom.

The Tongtian pillar of Buddha's light had disappeared, but in his eyes, there seemed to be a great Buddha sitting cross-legged in the direction of the capital, surrounded by a heavy black color, like a demon Buddha sitting in karmic fire.

He said, "I want to know, what exactly is 'demon'?"

Little Formless Temple.

Upon receiving a plea for help from Commander Fu of the Eastward Coming Kingdom, Jingchen immediately divided the group into two teams.

Among them, Bai Yu, as the projection of Sword Immortal Qingyang, remained in the temple to help each family's External Scenery adapt to the rules of this world and reduce the barriers between heaven and earth.

Otherwise, they simply wouldn't have enough combat power to join the battlefield.

The remaining three, including Jingchen, along with Yu Tunzhou filled in, quickly headed to the Eastward Coming Kingdom's encampment.

After the four arrived above the encampment, Abbot Jingchen said in a low voice after just one glance:

"It's Demonic Contamination!"

Upon hearing this, Fuhu breathed a sigh of relief, but his brows furrowed again.

"The good news is that it wasn't Mietian attack, but the bad news is that this army from the Eastward Coming Kingdom will likely find it difficult to advance in the short term."

Jingchen sighed, "Without the army's Sha Qi Incense and Fire Prayer Power and vows across the Turbid Kingdom, it's impossible to weaken the ' Buddha Golden Body ' that Mietian. It seems this fiend was prepared all along."

"Let's go down and meet up with Commander Fu first," suggested the young monk, whose Buddhist name was Wuchen.

Several people nodded.

It was during the descent that Yu Tunzhou truly understood what "Demonic Contamination" meant—it was essentially a weaker version of the Turbid Kingdom!

"Three abbots, you have arrived."

A figure leaped up from below, gracefully arriving and nodding slightly to Jingchen and the other two. Then, his gaze fell on Yu Tunzhou, carrying a hint of scrutiny and inquiry.

Who is this?

Fu Tingxue's gaze fell directly on Yu Tunzhou, and a glint of light suddenly flashed in her eyes.

Having reached the pinnacle of this realm for many years, his sensitivity to the flow of energy far surpasses that of ordinary people. The young man in the blue robe before him seemed to have an aura that blended seamlessly with the world around him, without the slightest hint of the stagnation of an outsider, as if he were connected to the mountains and the earth's veins.

The powerful, mountain-like Fist Intent was hidden within his body. It appeared calm, but in reality, the slightest leak of it could overturn the entire camp.

A formidable enemy!

Moreover, it's the kind of thing that's unfathomable.

While Fu Tingxue was shocked by the fact that Abbot Jingchen had somehow recruited such a powerful expert, Yu Tunzhou was even more astonished.

He stared blankly at the elegant young master from a prominent Aristocratic Clan who held a folding fan in front of him.

It just feels absurd.

He even raised his hand to rub his eyes.

It's not that I doubted I was seeing things; it's just that it's so horrifying.

Old Mo?!

Fu Tingxue is actually Old Mo's projection?!

This is like Xie Linchuan and Old Mo combined!

Like the kind in Dragon Ball where each character has a single earring?

"This is Master Yu Tunzhou, who comes from the Upper Realm," Abbot Jingchen introduced, then said to Yu Tunzhou, "This is Fu Tingxue from the Eastward Coming Kingdom, and he is the most skilled in military formations and overall planning among us. He comes from a prestigious family."

Yu Tunzhou: "..."

Just then, a sword light streaked across the sky, and Daoist Qingzhi, standing in the air, immediately met Yu Tunzhou's gaze.

Their eyes met, and the meaning in each other's eyes was crystal clear.

Fish: Is this Old Mo?

Qing: I was about to ask you the same thing!

Fish: You've blinded me!

Qing: I'm already blind!

Yu Tunzhou looked up at Fu Tingxue beside him again, and his lips twitched.

They're more than just similar in appearance.

They're practically identical, except their skin is a bit fairer, but their personalities and habits are worlds apart.