Chapter 685: Buddha is Before the Eyes, Qishan Passes Away

Watching the Demon Sect Walker prostrate himself, Yu Liancheng's expression turned slightly peculiar.

They had just been fighting to the death, yet now he suddenly wanted to become an apprentice; he couldn't help but mutter in a low voice, "I clearly didn't hit his head, so how did this kid's brain get broken?"

"Mr. Yu, please take me as your disciple."

Tang said again, his voice solemn.

The reason he acted this way had indeed been carefully considered.

The Demon Sect was founded a thousand years ago by a Great Divine Official of Light and worshipped Pluto.

Because the Demon Sect's cultivation method involved absorbing Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi into the body, and because that Great Divine Official of Light had established his own sect, which was equivalent to betraying the Xiling Divine Palace, the Xiling Divine Palace had always united with Zhiguo to vigorously suppress the Demon Sect.

Under the suppression of Xiling, the Demon Sect had already been gradually weakening. Later, for reasons unknown, Kehaoran broke into the Demon Sect's mountain gate and washed the entire Demon Sect in blood, leaving the upper echelons dead or injured.

Coupled with the disappearance of the Sect Leader Lin Wu, the entire Demon Sect existed in name only.

Nowadays, the only public figures of the entire Demon Sect were Tang and his younger sister Tangxiaotang.

Tang was desperate to strengthen the Demon Sect.

This was also the reason he had taken the initiative to seek out Yu Liancheng, to see if he could pull this unknown expert into the Demon Sect.

And after the previous exchange of blows, he had clearly sensed the unfathomable cultivation of the other party.

Especially Yu Liancheng's first punch; it was an unimaginably vast power. It was wild, tyrannical, and full of explosive force.

In this punch, there was not the slightest fluctuation of Mind Power or Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi; it was pure physical strength.

This kind of power was so strong and perfect, with no sense of imbalance, and was perfectly controlled by the other party.

This surprised Tang greatly. Among the cultivation methods of various sects, only the Demon Sect absorbed Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi to cultivate. And the reason the Demon Sect's cultivation method was not recognized by the cultivation world, besides blaspheming Haotian, was that Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi was wild and disordered; absorbing it into the body was highly likely to cause one to explode and die.

If the Demon Sect's techniques were allowed to spread throughout the world, it was feared that countless people would die unnatural deaths.

Even a Demon Sect expert like Tang, who was in the Knowing Destiny Realm, faced the danger of going into Qi deviation.

If he could follow the other party to learn how to perfectly control his own power, then Tang was confident he could enter the "Heavenly Demon Realm," and once he entered above the Five Realms, there would be more hope for revitalizing the Demon Sect.

"Idiot," Yu Liancheng cursed.

Tang lowered his head deeply, his tone sincere: "Mr. Yu, I truly wish to take you as my master."

Hearing the sincerity in his tone, Yu Liancheng became a bit more interested: "I remember you are a disciple of the Demon Sect Leader Lin Wu."

"The Sect Leader has been missing for many years, and his life or death is unknown. Furthermore, in our Demon Sect, one can have multiple masters," Tang said. "If it really won't work, I can switch to your tutelage, sir."

"But I don't want to take any disciples," Yu Liancheng shook his head and turned to leave. "Especially a one-armed burly man; taking you out would ruin my image too much."

Tang was slightly stunned, his figure flickered, and he once again prostrated himself to block Yu Liancheng's path: "Mr. Yu, your cultivation is world-shaking and peerless; you will always need to find a successor. And absorbing Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi to temper the physical body is the authentic Demon Sect technique, which is shunned by the world. I am the Demon Sect Walker; I am the best choice for your disciple, sir."

"I already said, I don't take disciples."

Yu Liancheng pondered for a moment, his tone softening slightly: "However, the world says I am a person of the Demon Sect, and you are so pious, so I can leave behind a bit of a favor and pass on a supreme technique to you."

Tang revealed a hint of joy.

Yu Liancheng looked up at the sky and said leisurely: "Haotian is a great heaven and earth, while the human body is a small heaven and earth. Every acupuncture point and meridian is a treasure, and each houses a sleeping God. The technique I want to teach you is to find the treasures within your body and awaken the Gods. This technique is called the 'Origin-Grade Demon Body'."

Having said that, he tapped a finger on Tang's forehead.

Boom!

Waves surged within Tang's sea of consciousness.

A pure strand of divine thought, carrying an unknown amount of information, smashed into his sea of consciousness.

"You can pass this 'Origin-Grade Demon Body' to the Wild People, but I only drafted this technique; as for how much you can comprehend and what effects you can achieve, that depends on you all."

This 'Origin-Grade Demon Body' was something Yu Liancheng had drafted just a few breaths ago, based on the 'Origin-Grade Moha' and the 'World-Extinguishing Demon Body'. With his current cultivation, plus his massive accumulation of techniques, creating a technique was simply too easy.

After passing on the technique, before Tang had recovered, Yu Liancheng turned his gaze to Ye Su, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "Ye Su, do you truly believe in Haotian?"

After a short rest, although Ye Su's face was still pale, he finally had the strength to speak, and he sneered: "Do you think a few words from you can shake my faith in Haotian?!"

"You have traveled the world for more than ten years, but if I am not mistaken, the places you traveled were either prosperous and wealthy, or famous rivers and great marshes. Perhaps you have seen the sky and the earth, but you have not seen the sentient beings, nor have you seen yourself."

Yu Liancheng shook his head, flicked his sleeve, and sent out a burst of energy that sealed Ye Su's Snow Mountain Qi Sea, while at the same time, a book floated in front of Ye Su.

This book was one Ye Su was very familiar with; he had seen it many times at Zhishou Temple.

——The Heavenly Book Sha Scroll.

"Go and travel the world again. When you have seen the sentient beings, you will have seen yourself, and the seal on your Snow Mountain Qi Sea will naturally be undone. When that time comes, you can open the Heavenly Book Ming Scroll..."

Yu Liancheng had already walked far away, and his voice became increasingly ethereal, as if coming from beyond the sky, gradually becoming inaudible.

"Ye Su, I have high expectations for you, higher than for many others, so you must not let me down..."

Tang gradually recovered, the joy on his face not yet faded, and he kowtowed three times heavily in the direction Yu Liancheng had left, patted Ye Su on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

Ye Su's Snow Mountain Qi Sea was sealed, and he was no different from an ordinary person. He looked at the Sha Scroll in his hand, thinking of the words Yu Liancheng had said to him, and fell into deep thought.

On the other side, Yu Liancheng returned to the small town, met with Mo Shanshan and Tianmaonv, and after strolling for another half an hour, as the pedestrians grew sparse, he returned to the inn.

The next day.

The carriage headed toward the mountain road.

Along the way, the autumn cicadas did not stop; perhaps they had reached the end of their lives, and the sound of the cicadas seemed to carry a faint sense of detachment.

"Qishandashi is the most respected person in the Buddhist faith. He has been in seclusion for many years; if we can see him this time, this trip will not have been in vain."

In the carriage, Mo Shanshan's calm expression carried a hint of reverence.

The Yulan Festival would not begin for a few more days, and Yu Liancheng's group went up the mountain for the purpose of paying a visit to that high monk called Qishandashi.

Qishandashi was one of the highest-ranking people in Lanke Temple, and even in the entire cultivation world. It was even heard that he was half a generation higher than the Xiling Sect Leader. Except for the Academy, the vast majority of cultivators in the world had to perform the rites of a disciple in front of him.

Rumors in the cultivation world said that Qishandashi was the illegitimate son of the previous generation's Peak Master of Scripture Lectures. Of course, no one dared to verify this with him, and no one even dared to mention it; rumors could only remain rumors.

And the reason Qishandashi truly earned the respect of the cultivation world was not just because of his seniority or background, but also because of his noble character.

Decades ago, there was a very terrifying flood; the Dahe roared and overflowed, with muddy waves reaching the sky, submerging fertile fields.

Great Master Qi first brought the food and medicine stored by Lanke Temple to save the disaster victims, and later, dragging his severely ill body, he blocked the long levee that was about to collapse, persisting for a day and a night, saving the most important ten thousand hectares of fertile fields in Nanjin.

From then on, Qishandashi became world-renowned. However, he also paid a heavy price for this. His astonishing cultivation, which had nearly crossed half a foot into the Five Realms after decades of bitter practice, declined day by day, never to recover to its peak state. Such a pure and virtuous Buddhist could indeed win the respect of anyone.

The black carriage stopped before the mountain path.

Yu Liancheng looked at the temple faintly visible in the mountain forest, listening to Mo Shanshan recount the deeds of that Qishandashi, his state of mind calm.

The Buddhist sect in this world is deformed, and the filth and corruption within it are more severe than in any other Buddhist world before.

If one were to investigate the reason, in Yu Liancheng's view, it was still because the Buddha enslaved millions of serfs, to the point where the monks at the Hanging Temple looked at the serfs like ants from a young age, holding a high and mighty attitude toward the entire world. To be able to produce a true master like Qishan could be considered rising from the mud without being stained.

The group got off the carriage, and a young monk walked slowly along the mountain path; the monk had a dark complexion and a calm, composed expression, and walking to the front of the carriage, he said respectfully, "Guanhai pays respects to Mr. Yu."

He then exchanged greetings with Mo Shanshan and Tianmaonv respectively.

This was precisely the Guanhai Monk who had gone to Mogan Mountain to personally deliver the Yulan Festival invitation to Yu Liancheng.

The Guanhai Monk held no specific position in the temple, but because he was the closing disciple of Qishandashi, his seniority was extremely high.

"Take us to see your master," Yu Liancheng said.

"Please, Master has been waiting for a long time." The bell tolled leisurely, and the Guanhai Monk led the way.

The mountain path was quiet and secluded, the tall trees by the road still damp, and on the smooth, level path, some footprints were faintly visible.

Soon, Yu Liancheng and his party saw the legendary Qishandashi at the foot of a large Buddha statue in the Back Mountain.

Even though it was still autumn, this Qishandashi had already put on thick cotton monk robes, appearing extremely sensitive to the cold. Yet, wearing such thick clothing, he did not appear bloated; one could imagine how thin his body was underneath, and looking at his yellowish long eyebrows and his weary gaze, it was clear he was currently ill, or had been ill all along.

During the great flood years ago, in order to save the common people of the world, the master exhausted his heart's blood and cultivation, and this illness had lingered for decades; it seemed it would not be surprising whenever he passed away.

"Master, your health is poor, why have you come out? Be careful not to catch a cold." The Guanhai Monk hurriedly stepped forward to support Qishandashi.

Qishandashi shook his head with a smile, his gentle gaze looking at Yu Liancheng: "With guests coming from afar, the host should naturally come to greet them. And being able to see the demeanor of a hero of this generation, my heart is very happy."

Mo Shanshan and Tianmaonv hurriedly bowed, their expressions respectful.

Yu Liancheng smiled slightly: "I have heard that Washan once had three games of chess; the first two are not worth playing, but as for the last one, my hands are itching, I wonder if Qishandashi could instruct me?"

Qishandashi smiled slightly: "That is certainly possible."

Subsequently, Qishandashi, supported by the Guanhai Monk, walked under the vine trellis beside the stone terrace and sat down beside a Chessboard.

Yu Liancheng casually placed a black piece, his fingers touching the smooth Chessboard for a moment; it seemed no different from an ordinary chessboard, yet he sensed a vast Buddhist intent from the board, as well as... a world...

Qishandashi's white piece fell, his smile still gentle: "Apart from you, sir, four other people have played this game on this Chessboard over the past few decades."

Yu Liancheng said: "Who are they?"

Qishandashi smiled slightly: "Fuzi, Mr. Ke, the Abbey Dean, and Liansheng."

"Is that so." Yu Liancheng pondered for a moment and placed a black piece: "I want this Chessboard."

Qishandashi was not surprised, smiling slightly: "This Chessboard was left behind by the Buddha and has an important role for the Buddhist sect."

Yu Liancheng said: "I heard from the Guanhai Monk that you, Qishandashi, once said 'Buddha is in the West,' and had him travel west to search."

Qishandashi nodded.

Yu Liancheng said: "What is meant by 'Buddha is in the West'?"

"After Guanhai returned to the temple, he told the old monk about Mr. Yu's two inferences regarding 'Buddha is in the West,' both of which were very Zen. Even the old monk felt he benefited greatly." Qishandashi placed a white piece and sighed: "But 'Buddha is in the West' is 'Buddha is in the West'; it is its literal meaning."

"Since blocking the flood that year, my cultivation has declined day by day, and my body is not even as good as an ordinary person's. But that day, the old monk had a sudden impulse, and with my remaining cultivation, I activated the Buddhist 'Heavenly Eye' to look toward the West, and I saw a Human Buddha. Solemn, majestic, vast, and full of dignity, yet not lacking in compassion, which is why I let my little disciple head west."

"Then look again now, where is the Buddha?" Yu Liancheng smiled slightly, the Tathagata Aspect of the Thirty-Two Appearances merging with his mind and spirit.

Boom!

Mo Shanshan and the other two only felt Yu Liancheng give rise to a grand sense, and felt little else.

But before Qishandashi, he felt as if a sacred Buddha had descended into the human world, and he could not help but feel his eyes redden and fill with hot tears. He did not let the Guanhai Monk support him, but braced his body to stand up, recited the Buddha's name, bowed deeply in grand worship, and said in a voice that almost trembled: "Little monk Qishan, respectfully welcomes my Buddha's holy presence to Washan."

Yu Liancheng glanced at Qishandashi and said calmly: "Your time is up."

"Formation, abiding, decay, and emptiness; life and death are fated."

Qishandashi said respectfully.

Back then, Qishandashi was already severely injured from blocking the flood, and had not recovered for many years.

More than two months ago, he forcibly activated the 'Heavenly Eye,' exhausting his last bit of life force.

The reason he could still hold on to a breath was merely to see the "Buddha of the West."

And now, the Buddha is not in the West; the Buddha is before his eyes.

"I have seen your wish." Yu Liancheng looked at Qishandashi, his tone calm: "Under the Hanging Temple, a million serfs. All living beings, all to be saved by compassion. You were wrong, but it cannot continue to be wrong."

A smile overflowed from the corner of Qishandashi's mouth; he bowed to Yu Liancheng once more, turned his head slightly to look in the direction of the Hanging Temple, and let out another light sigh.

The bell tolled leisurely, and the sound of cicadas gradually ceased.

On the Chessboard, the intertwined black and white pieces all crumbled into powder.

"Master has passed away."