563. Chapter 546: Namo Buddha of Candana Merit
On the deck of the Cloud Boat, Tang Song reached out and took a brocade handkerchief from an Attendant beside him, unhurriedly wiping the bloodstains from his fingers.
A smear of pale golden bloodstains clung to his fingernails. Within the bloodstains, a faint trace of Buddha's Light Vow Power was subtly discernible! It was like the blood water splattered when swatting a mosquito.
Beyond the sight of ordinary people, hidden within the pale golden Buddha's Light Vow Power was a deep Grievance Karma. These invisible Karma Threads clung tightly to Tang Song's fingertips.
Tang Song was very clear about these Buddhist Sect tricks.
"Karma Vow Power, Buddha Enemy. Just by killing a Clone of Purification Altar Messenger Bodhisattva, Master Xuanzang actually fantasizes about forming a connection with me through this. Isn't that too whimsical!
Are you perhaps thinking you can cross the Boundless Chaos Sea to convert me?"
Tang Song lightly snorted, his eyes opened. Eyes concealing immeasurable Divine Radiance swept across the horizon. The finger he had just wiped gave a slight flick, and a smear of bloodlight flashed in his palm. That smear of pale golden bloodstains directly vanished within the bloodlight.
Crack! On the now spacious deck, a sparse dozen or so Reincarnators were seated.
Some of these individuals had chosen from the start to come directly and meet Tang Song, this Grand Governor, and had not gotten involved in the battle to encircle and suppress Zhu Ganglie at Fuling Mountain.
Others had chosen to flee after seeing the Predator self-destruct, thus escaping a calamity.
These Reincarnators sat behind the long tables on the deck, facing the Soldiers standing with blades, each sitting upright and properly. It wasn't that they feared these Soldiers.
The gaze of these Reincarnators fell upon Tang Song, who was seated at the head, meticulously wiping his fingers. The fear in their eyes was completely undisguised.
Among these Reincarnators, there were not a few Cultivators with profound Cultivation Bases. In the instant Tang Song flicked his finger, a feeling of terror so powerful it couldn't be surpassed suddenly surged in their hearts.
After wiping the bloodstains from his fingertips, Tang Song picked up the rake from the long table and examined it closely, appreciating it.
At this moment, under his Dharma Power Restriction, the rake had transformed into a three-inch size, lying quietly in his palm for him to admire.
However, this Nine-Toothed Rake was truly formidable. After all, it was a Dao-Protecting Treasure of a Golden Immortal, and legend had it that it originated from Taishang Laojun's Eight Trigram Furnace.
This Marshal Tianpeng, Purification Altar Messenger Bodhisattva, once boasted:
"Taishang Laojun himself wielded the hammer, while Yinghuo personally added charcoal dust.
The Five Directions and Five Emperors put in effort, the Six Ding and Six Jia took pains.
Fashioned with nine teeth like jade fangs, forged with double rings like golden leaves.
Its body adorned with the Six Luminaries arranged like the Five Stars, its form aligned with the Four Seasons and Eight Festivals.
Its length and shortness determine Universe, its left and right divide Yin and Yang and the sun and moon.
The Six Yao Divine Generals align with the Heavenly Rules, the Eight Trigram Stars follow the Dipper's array.
Named the Supreme Treasure Golden Rake, presented to the Jade Emperor to guard the Cinnabar Palace Gate."
Tang Song swept his Divine Sense over the rake. Inside, Sanskrit chants resounded, and five-colored Radiance filled it. The Four Great Incantations of Earth Fire Water Wind intersected, and Divine Talismans and Ancient Seal Script were engraved upon it, flashing on and off. There were also faintly discernible tiny Golden Armored Divine Beings surrounding the rake's handle.
Tang Song saw clearly that these Golden Armored Divine Beings were Heavenly God Clones, including the Six Ding and Six Jia, and Yellow Turban Warriors.
The rake head's nine teeth were deep, like Fangs, their sharpness fully revealed. It resembled a Taoist School Magic Treasure, and also a Buddhist Sect Magic Tool, yet it carried the tragic Killing Intent of battle formations charging. It was both Buddhist and Taoist, yet neither Buddhist nor Taoist.
In terms of quality, even among the many Magic Treasures in his hand, those that could firmly suppress this rake did not exceed the number of fingers on two hands.
What interested Tang Song was not the rake itself, but the meaning it represented. When Tang Song transmigrated to the Jambudvīpa World, the Heavenly Court had long become an ancient Legend. The strongest individuals walking in the Mortal Realm were merely Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators, and even some Nascent Divinity Existences were called Old Ancestors or Patriarchs. Not to mention the legendary Immortals.
From this rake, it seemed that Spirit Mountain did not lack True Buddhas. Even Zhu Bajie and Golden Cicada were still there. What about that Monkey (Sun Wukong) with even greater Strength? And the three thousand Buddhas of Spirit Mountain? Are they still on Spirit Mountain? Or have they long since transcended?
What about the Heavenly Court?
The reason Tang Song went through such great effort and took such a large risk to reopen the Samsara Channel of This World was because he sensed the Aura of his Homeland in this World.
Jambudvīpa World, West Niuhezhou, a place of extreme subtlety. The sky is nine layers high, and above it is a Pure Land. Within the Pure Land, mountains surround it.
Surrounded by myriad mountains, there is a central mountain, forty-eight thousand feet high. It is enveloped by boundless Auspicious Cloud. Within the Auspicious Cloud are Golden Lamps, Sarira emitting Light, and Buddhist Radiance shining universally, illuminating the entire Pure Land day and night, making it completely bright.
Thirty-four thousand miles east of Spirit Mountain, there is a mountain. From afar, one can see mist and clouds swirling, the Aura is fresh, ancient trees are dense, Stone Platforms are arranged, the scenery is verdant and lush, there are secluded springs and mountain streams, pine forests and Bamboo Forests, and the sounds of birds and fragrance of flowers.
There are also stone steps carved out of the mountain. Between the mountain forests and green bamboo, there are temples with green walls and glazed tiles. Looking from afar, it's like a small dot!
"My rake!"
From the tranquil temple, a sharp Roar suddenly rang out. Following this, a golden Cloud Radiance flew out from the temple, paused for a moment at High Altitude, and flew towards Spirit Mountain.
The Cloud Radiance was pure gold in color, with a faint Azure Qi subtly visible within the Buddhist Radiance, clearly indicating it followed the path of Dual Cultivation of Buddhism and Taoism. As the Cloud Radiance flew with great speed, it landed in the Saha Pure Land of Spirit Mountain, only then revealing its True Appearance.
It was a Pig Demon wearing a kasaya. Compared to the Zhu Ganglie Tang Song had seen, this Pig Demon was completely plump and prosperous. Even its pig head wasn't as ferocious as a Wild Boar's; it was fair and chubby, even carrying a bit of cuteness. Only its belly was in no way inferior to Zhu Ganglie's.
The Pig Demon landed directly within a Bodhimanda on Spirit Mountain, pushed aside the King Kong and Novice Buddhist Monks blocking the way, and noisily entered that Saha Forest.
"Master, you have to give this old pig an explanation. You borrowed my rake, and it's only been a few days, and you've lost it! That rake was personally forged by Old Laojun. After the Heavenly Court fell into disrepair, that old fellow left This World. My rake is now a peerless item!"
In the Saha Forest, the White-Robed Monk who had been sitting in Meditation with closed eyes, evolving a World, opened his eyes and looked up at the newcomer.
Purification Altar Messenger Bodhisattva Zhu Wuneng noisily arrived before Xuanzang, spitting and shouting repeatedly. His small eyes, however, were flashing with shrewdness, tightly fixed on the Nine-Rank Lotus Flower circling before Xuanzang's chest.
A Nine-Rank Lotus Flower from the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, tsk tsk. It's good to have someone above you to get things done. To think that this old pig is a Bodhisattva after all, yet going to the Eight Treasures Merit Pool to pick a few lotus pods still gets him watched like a thief by the Golden Pool guarding the pool. His cheap Master became a Buddha not long ago and was immediately bestowed a Nine-Rank Karmic Luck Golden Lotus by the Buddha. Truly biased.
However, ever since the Buddha's Nirvana, the Dao Venerable and a group of Innate Divine Beings successively left This World, and the East-Coming Buddha (Maitreya) took the upper position, his Master's Resources have also been like Wang Xiaoer celebrating the New Year, getting worse year by year. Even he, this Altar Cleaner, doesn't enjoy eating the offerings anymore!
He should have known better and left This World with that Monkey (Sun Wukong) back then. Having lost his rake and filled with Resentment, Zhu Wuneng stepped forward, nudging Xuanzang, demanding compensation for the rake.
"Bajie! Your rake isn't lost, look!" Chandana Meritorious Buddha, Great Master Xuanzang, was grabbed by his monastic robe and shaken by Zhu Wuneng. Helplessly, he could only lift the Nine-Rank Karmic Luck Golden Lotus and let him look inside.
From within the Nine-Rank Karmic Luck Golden Lotus, a streak of Golden Light burst forth, manifesting the Figure of Tang Song holding the Nine-Toothed Rake and examining it closely.
"My old pig's rake! Master, who is this pretty boy? He's not your Illegitimate Son, is he? You borrowed my old pig's rake just for him!"
Zhu Wuneng looked at Great Master Xuanzang with a suspicious Expression, his Face full of Suspicion. He knew that his cheap Master's Six Senses were not as pure as one might imagine.
"Bajie, back then the Buddha removed the Golden Hoop Technique from Wukong's head and bestowed it upon me. I see your Forehead is bare, lacking decoration. This Golden Hoop Technique is just right for you to wear!"
Great Master Xuanzang looked at Zhu Wuneng with a calm Expression.
Zhu Wuneng looked at his Master's expressionless Face and only then realized that this Master before him was not the powerless Mortal he used to be. The first Six-winged Golden Cicada in the Jambudvīpa World was once known as the most ferocious insect between Heaven and Earth. If he didn't have this Innate Foundation, he wouldn't have been accepted as the Buddha's Personal Disciple.
"Master, this old pig is used to spouting nonsense, please don't mind it. Let's forget about this Golden Hoop Technique!"
Zhu Wuneng covered his long snout with both hands, his fan-like ears shaking like cattail fans.
"Bajie, during the last Era-End Calamity, those Chaos Gods and Demons who called themselves Old Ones wanted to invade This Realm. They were jointly driven into the Chaos Sea by the various Patriarchs. However, after this battle, the Great Heavenly Venerable perished, and the Buddha entered Nirvana! The various Patriarchs and the Dao Venerable, along with a group of Great Principle, also transcended This World and went to the Lair of those Old Ones!
We remained in This World to await the Buddha's birth!
However, after our Buddha's Nirvana, he must undergo thirty-three Kalpas before being born! One Kalpa for our Buddha is one cycle of creation and destruction for a Great Thousand World, which is 5.6 billion years! Thirty-three Era-End Calamities is 184.8 billion years!"
Great Master Xuanzang calmly recounted the past Matters.
The grinning Zhu Wuneng also fell silent at this moment. He had personally participated in the Matters of the last Era-End Calamity.
He had also once exchanged blows with the minions of those Old Ones. Although those Outer Gods and Old Ones were certainly powerful, the Forces of the Heavenly Court and Spirit Mountain were not weak. One could even say they easily crushed those Old Ones. Even though they clearly held the upper hand, the Great Heavenly Venerable inexplicably perished, and the Buddha also entered Nirvana at Spirit Mountain!
Later, it was said that several Patriarchs jointly crossed the river of Time, but only saw a patch of Mist and did not find the Great Heavenly Venerable's Figure. There was also Information saying that the Great Heavenly Venerable was assassinated by Hastur, the King in Yellow, leader among the Old Ones. Zhu Wuneng naturally scoffed at this claim. As the former Four Saints of the North Pole and Lord of the Heavenly River Navy, he had always maintained a sense of awe towards the Great Heavenly Venerable he once served.
The Emperor's heart is hard to fathom. This Great Heavenly Venerable's Cultivation Base was a mystery in the entire Jambudvīpa World. However, the only thing he could be certain of was that Hastur, the King in Yellow, was absolutely no Rival for the Great Heavenly Venerable. It is said that Hastur, the King in Yellow, was personally suppressed in a Buddha Kingdom by Amitabha Buddha. This Matter also became a complete enigma.
As for the Great Heavenly Venerable's true cause of death, Zhu Wuneng was a smart person. He was now the Purification Altar Messenger Bodhisattva of Spirit Mountain, no longer the Marshal Tianpeng who once served the Heavenly Court. The deceased is gone; he didn't want to sacrifice his own pig Life for the Great Heavenly Venerable.
Just like the Buddha who entered Nirvana at Spirit Mountain, according to the Buddhas who witnessed it, the Buddha entered Nirvana after failing to Discuss the Dao with Mara Wutian. Who would believe that claim! Mara Wutian, on the other hand, had his Six Yang Head severed by Lingbao Daojun with a Sword, and his Soul and Spirit Annihilated.
Just thinking about the various doubts within this matter made his Scalp tingle, and he absolutely dared not get involved. Yet, precisely his cheap Master, after the Buddha's Nirvana and the various Great Buddhist Powers left This World with the Dual Saints, became the implicit leader of the Buddha's faction as the Buddha's Second Personal Disciple.
Unfortunately, the one now sitting on the Buddha's esteemed Position in the Mahavira Hall is the East-Coming Buddha (Maitreya).
"Bajie, the Buddha's birth requires thirty-three Kalpas. Now, only one Kalpa has passed," Great Master Xuanzang said, pressing his palms together. "I have Compassion, unable to bear the Sinking of the six realms and Worldly Suffering. I am willing to sacrifice this Body to achieve Universal Salvation of Sentient Beings on behalf of my Buddha!"
When Zhu Wuneng heard Master Xuanzang's words, his heart skipped a beat, and he felt his legs tremble. He looked at his Master, whose Expression was as still as an ancient well, his Eyes filled with Compassion. He thought, 'This is bad, this baldy wants to rebel against Maitreya.'
"Master, the East-Coming Buddha (Maitreya) is the current Buddha. That one is at least a Half-step Hunyuan Patriarch Existence. You only just achieved Great Principle one Era-End Calamity ago. Anyway, there are still thirty-two Kalpas until the Buddha's birth. You don't need to rush, we can plan slowly..."
Zhu Wuneng felt that this baldy before him was likely insane. In his heart, he regretted it ten thousand times over. He should have known better than to come ask for the rake. Being dragged into this muddy water, even Great Principle experts might not come out unscathed, let alone him with this layer of fat.
As Zhu Wuneng secretly lamented, Great Master Xuanzang shook his head. "Worthless fellow, do you think I want to contend for that Position in the Mahavira Hall? Being a Buddha Venerable is not my wish. What I want to contend for is the Hunyuan Dao Fruit!"
Zhu Wuneng looked at Master Xuanzang in his white monastic robe, his small eyes blinking faster and faster. Hunyuan Dao Fruit? And you say you're not insane? You are merely a Great Principle Buddha of loose standing. Hunyuan Dao Fruit? It's more realistic to say this old pig wants to become the Great Heavenly Venerable.
"The Hunyuan Dao Fruit of This World was decided long ago. The Dao Venerable said that there are seven Saints destined by Heaven in This World. Now, only one Saint Position remains. I have self-awareness and naturally do not fantasize about this Saint Position. Bajie, our Opportunity to attain the Dao is not in This World!"
Zhu Wuneng became even more confused. "Master, back then, several Saints and many Great Experts left This World, but you insisted on staying! Even if you want to leave This World now, the Chaos Sea is boundless. By yourself, and this old pig isn't just saying this, there isn't a second Jianmu Tree now to build you a Chaos Boat!"
Great Master Xuanzang shook his head, looking at the Figure reflected in the Nine-Rank Karmic Luck Golden Lotus. "Bajie, the Foundation for Attaining the Dao is here!"
Great Master Xuanzang lowered his Gaze. In the Sea of Consciousness of those Outsiders who had intruded into his Golden Lotus World, he had also planted Buddha Affinity, and even converted some of the outsiders. Because of this, he had figured out the Background of these outsiders. He had originally thought these outsiders were Chaos Gods and Demons like the Old Ones.
He never expected them to be an Organization that spanned across the All Heavens and Myriad Worlds, the Heavenly Court, the Samsara Palace, and the Abilities to cross the Chaos Sea. He had also once sacrificed an ancient Buddha Sarira, hidden within the Sea of Consciousness of a Reincarnator, and traveled to that mysterious Samsara Palace. Although he was discovered by the Guardian of the Samsara Palace, he had no choice but to Self-Destruct that Sarira which contained the Magic Power accumulated over several Yuanhui. However, after exchanging blows with the Guardian of the Samsara Palace, he discovered that the controller of the Samsara Palace did not seem powerful. This also caused his Buddhist heart to stir. The Samsara Palace had a Buddha Affinity with him; this place was rightfully his Place of Attaining the Dao.
For this, he did not hesitate to Burn half of the Qi Luck of the Nine-Rank Karmic Luck Golden Lotus, dragging a Clone of the Samsara Palace's Lord into his Palm Buddha Kingdom, wanting to convert it and seize what he saw as his Place of Attaining the Dao. One must know that what was contained within the Nine-Rank Karmic Luck Golden Lotus was half of the Qi Luck of the Consciousness-Only Sect, and even Mahayana Buddhism, entrusted to him by Sakya Tathagata. The Burning of this Qi Luck would even cause Sakya Tathagata's birth to be delayed by three Kalpas.
Zhu Wuneng's Gaze turned towards the Images evolved by the Nine-Rank Karmic Luck Golden Lotus. Great Master Xuanzang chanted a Buddhist epithet. Only this time, what he chanted was no longer "Amitabha Buddha"!
"Namo Buddha of Candana Merit!" Great Master Xuanzang chanted thus.
(end of chapter)