Chapter 698: The Buddha Views Living Beings as Livestock, I View Monks as Ants

Seven or eight zhang beneath the feet of Yu Liancheng and his companion, the terrain suddenly dipped, forming an extremely steep cliff.

The abrupt appearance of a downward-sloping cliff in the wilderness was indeed a strange thing, but what truly left Lu Chenjia unimaginably astonished was not the cliff itself.

This cliff was incredibly wide, spreading out toward the front of the Wilderness, appearing boundless on both sides before closing up at the horizon to form an incomparably vast and deep Tiankeng, so large it was beyond human imagination. Even if one were to throw three Chaoyang Citys into the Tiankeng, it likely would not be enough to fill it.

And in the very center of the Tiankeng stood an extremely majestic mountain peak. Without a doubt, this was the most magnificent and precipitous mountain peak Lu Chenjia had ever seen, yet because this Tiankeng was so deep, only a tiny portion of the peak protruded above the ground. On the mountain, countless yellow temples appeared and disappeared within the mist.

Furthermore, because the bottom of the Tiankeng was quite humid, mist formed naturally, causing the majestic peak to be shrouded in clouds and fog; below the mountainside, it was completely invisible, as if it had vanished, appearing like a floating island suspended in the clouds.

Hanging Temple, truly living up to its reputation.

The Tiankeng was obscured by mist, and Lu Chenjia's eyesight could not see very far to begin with.

But because Yu Liancheng wanted her to see the true face of the Hanging Temple, her gaze pierced through the thick clouds to see the situation at the bottom of the Tiankeng.

Inside the Tiankeng, there were layer upon layer of countless terraced fields; besides the fields, there were murmuring rivers and crude dwellings. Many crops grew in the fields, and countless dark-skinned, raggedly dressed farmers were laboring there—a casual glance suggested there were at least ten thousand people.

Besides them, there were also sallow-faced women weaving cloth and washing clothes, their expressions indifferent.

The children, who lacked the capacity for labor, also lacked the vitality and playfulness of ordinary children; many simply stared at the mountain peak hidden in the clouds, their mouths seemingly chanting something.

In this Tiankeng, a rough estimate suggested there were at least seven or eight hundred thousand, perhaps even a million people.

And rather than calling them people, it would be better to call them serfs, tirelessly offering tribute to that temple suspended in the air.

"This... this... how is this possible?!"

Anyone who admired the Buddha Dharma would likely feel disappointed upon seeing this scene, just like the countless eminent monks who had come to visit the Hanging Temple in the past. The Buddha spoke of saving all living beings, so why did he turn a blind eye to the suffering masses beneath his feet?

Lu Chenjia was born in the Buddha Kingdom of Moon Wheel Temple and had been baptized by Buddhism since childhood; like all believers in the world, she regarded the Hanging Temple as a holy land, a Pure Land.

But now, when she truly saw the Hanging Temple, a feeling of immense disappointment welled up within her...

Perhaps for the monks atop the Hanging Temple, having a million serfs provide for their few thousand was naturally a Pure Land.

But for the million serfs below, it was truly a hell, and one from which they could never escape for generations, living from birth to death like frogs in a well.

"What is impossible about it?" Yu Liancheng's tone was indifferent.

"But, but why?" Lu Chenjia still could not believe it: "Why would the Hanging Temple do this?"

"The Four Unknowable Places are the holy lands for cultivators, and every cultivator requires a massive amount of resources to be accumulated, yet they themselves do not engage in production."

Yu Liancheng's tone was indifferent: "The Academy is provided for by the entire Tang Empire, and the Zhishou Temple has even more resources collected from across the world by the Xiling Divine Palace. As for the now-destroyed Demon Sect, not only could they plunder everywhere, but they also had the Wild People tribes as their backing."

"As for the Hanging Temple, they present themselves with the face of compassion and salvation, so they naturally cannot act as unscrupulously as the Demon Sect, nor do they have the ability to develop a massive force like the Academy or the Zhishou Temple. Thus, they imprisoned these million serfs, making the serfs provide them with food, clothing, housing, and transportation, so that they could cultivate all day and contemplate the Buddha Dharma..."

Lu Chenjia remained silent.

As a believer of the Buddhist faith, she had even once wanted to become a nun, but now her belief in the Buddha was shaken as never before.

The temples on the mountain peak appeared solemn and tranquil, a stark contrast to the world beneath the Tiankeng. One was a Human Buddha Land, the other a human hell.

The Buddha Sect claimed to be compassionate, so the monks living in the Hanging Temple should be even more like Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. With ten thousand, a million serfs suffering at their feet, how could they sit on the peak, stepping on the heads of the serfs, and still be able to calm their minds, practice meditation, and say with a clear conscience that "all beings are equal"?

Could it be that no one had ever tried to change all of this?

Lu Chenjia did not know that many truly compassionate, eminent monks of the Hanging Temple had once wanted to make changes. But once changed, the Buddha Kingdom would collapse, and the serfs below would be left with nowhere to turn.

Furthermore, how could such a behemoth as the Hanging Temple be changed by a single person?

They could not endure it, nor could they manage it, so they left the Hanging Temple one after another, choosing not to see so as not to worry, yet it gradually became a sickness of the heart for them. For example, Master Huang Yang of Datang, or Master Qishandashi of Lanke Temple...

"Amitabha." A Buddhist chant rang out, and an aged, dry voice said: "Benefactor, you are an outsider, and your misunderstanding stems from only having a superficial knowledge of the Buddhist holy land."

Lu Chenjia turned her head and saw an old monk with a dark, aged face, wearing tattered monk robes and covered in dust, who had appeared out of nowhere; he was clearly an eminent monk of the Hanging Temple.

Yu Liancheng did not answer, and was even too lazy to turn his head.

Lu Chenjia, however, seemed to have grasped at a final straw and hurriedly asked: "Greetings, Master. I wonder what the explanation for this Tiankeng is?"

The old monk said leisurely: "Countless years ago, the Buddha used great Vow Power to open up the Buddha Kingdom, raising countless temples upon the mountain peak. As for the people below, they are those whom the Buddha gathered during his travels in the world—people heavy with sin—to farm and herd here, allowing them to be nurtured by the Buddha Dharma so that they may wash away the sins upon their bodies. My Buddha is compassionate."

Lu Chenjia said: "But those beneath the Tiankeng now are merely the descendants of those sinful people; they themselves have no sin. Why must they live for generations in this place that never sees the sun?"

The old monk said calmly: "Sins of the past life are repaid in this life. Suffering in this life brings enjoyment in the next."

"Absurd. What next life, what current life—it is simply nonsense." Yu Liancheng shook his head: "And because the Buddha says a person is heavy with sin, they are heavy with sin? That is even more ridiculous. Does that mean if I say the Hanging Temple is a kingdom of sin, and the monks above are a bunch of demons and evil obstacles, then they should all be skinned and flayed one by one and cast into the Ten Hells?"

"The Buddha has great compassion and great enlightenment; how can mere mortals compare?" The old monk shook his head.

"It seems the Buddha is superior, above all living beings. Whoever the Buddha says is sinful, that person is sinful." Yu Liancheng shook his head and slowly turned around: "Master, do you see any sin in me?"

"You are... Benefactor Yu?! I never expected you to come here." The old monk's figure trembled slightly.

"Oh, old monk, do you want to kill me?!"

Yu Liancheng frowned slightly.

In this world, there were many who knew him.

But Yu Liancheng noticed that when the old monk saw his face, an undisguised killing intent flashed across his expression.

The wrinkles on the old monk's face gradually smoothed out, but the killing intent grew thicker: "This old monk is a Scripture Lecturer of the Hanging Temple."

"Scripture Lecturer..." A flash of insight crossed Yu Liancheng's mind, and he blurted out: "You are the illegitimate son of Daoshi."

The old monk's expression sank slightly, and his tranquil eyes revealed a look of pity: "My poor child was very likely to become the next Fozong World Walker, but unfortunately... Benefactor Yu, your sins are heavy indeed."

"That's right, I killed Daoshi. Sins of the past life are repaid in this life. According to your Buddhist teachings, this only proves that your son committed too many sins in his previous life."

Yu Liancheng shrugged: "But it looks like his sins from his previous life haven't been fully repaid yet, so you, as his father, must repay them together. I will send you down now so you can reunite with your son and be happy together."

"Amitabha." The old monk's expression was stern; he pressed his palms together, and an extremely pure Buddhist aura immediately welled up, transforming into a golden light shield that protected his entire body.

"The Buddha views living beings as livestock; I view monks as ants." A nondescript grain of sand floated up before Yu Liancheng: "Dust and sand can crush ants."

As these words fell, he flicked his finger, and that grain of sand shot out, piercing through ten zhang of space, carrying a sharp whistling sound as it headed toward the golden energy shield, as if a Divine Sword were piercing the void.

The energy shield collided with the grain of sand; ripples appeared on the shield, then a crack appeared, spreading rapidly until it shattered with a boom, and the dust continued toward the old monk.

The old monk knew that the person before him was a formidable enemy, so after releasing the energy shield, his right hand had already taken on a golden luster, appearing like a Buddha palm forged from pure gold.

The moment the crack appeared in the energy shield, the old monk blocked his chest with a movement that appeared slow but was actually incomparably fast.

At this very moment, the dust had arrived.

The force carried by the grain of sand was unimaginable, and it was incomparably sharp, piercing through the void.

With a crisp "ding," golden radiance bloomed; the old monk's entire palm was pierced through, and the dust, its momentum undiminished, pierced through the old monk's heart.

"Ami... Buddha..."

With this final Buddha-name, the old monk could no longer sit cross-legged; his head drooped, and his breath was gone.

Lu Chenjia pressed her lips tightly together; this guy was truly strong, unimaginably strong.

"Let's go." Yu Liancheng turned around.

"Go where?" Lu Chenjia was startled.

"To be a Buddha for once, a true Buddha."

Yu Liancheng reached out and caught Lu Chenjia by her slender waist; as her face flushed slightly and she was about to scold him, he leaped down into the Tiankeng, and his ears were instantly filled with the sound of wind.

In the vast Tiankeng hidden underground, clouds and mist swirled, and golden temples appeared and disappeared, such a peaceful place.

Suddenly, a very calm and distant Buddha-name rang out from the highest temple; this sound traveled far, and after a moment, it had reached the entire Hanging Temple, even spreading to the Tiankeng below. When the serfs in the Tiankeng heard this Buddha-name, they immediately knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.

After a while, dozens of Ascetic Monks wearing deep red robes climbed up to the ground along the steep stone paths between the cliffs. The leading monk, whose robes were different from the others, had a solemn expression; he was none other than Qimei, the Peak Master of the Venerable Hall of the Hanging Temple.

The Buddha-name that had previously sounded in the Hanging Temple came from the Scripture Lecturer, who held the highest status within the temple.

An incense stick of time ago, for some unknown reason, the Scripture Lecturer's Zen heart had rippled slightly, and he had ordered the monk soldiers of the Venerable Hall to go and see what had happened; although Qimei was the Peak Master of the Venerable Hall, he had to show himself in person.

Soon, they saw the Scripture Lecturer.

The Scripture Lecturer sat cross-legged with a serene expression, but Qimei could see that the Scripture Lecturer had already lost his breath.

"Who is it..."

Qimei's brows furrowed slightly; the Scripture Lecturer's strength was immense, and there were not many people in the world who could kill him. More importantly, there were almost no signs of a struggle in the surroundings, which meant that the Scripture Lecturer might have been killed by the opponent in an instant, without much power to resist. Moreover, the means of killing were very strange; not a single wound could be seen on the surface.

"Go and examine the remains of the Scripture Lecturer." Qimei waved his hand, letting a monk behind him who was proficient in forensic examination step forward to check the corpse of the Scripture Lecturer.

The monk walked forward, eyes narrowed, faintly smelling a trace of blood; he stretched out both palms, intending to undo the Scripture Lecturer's robes to inspect him carefully.

"Wait, don't touch him!

" A sudden ominous premonition arose in Qimei's heart, and he caught a trace of residual, sharp Sword Qi from the air, letting out a sharp shout.

However, his shout was a step too slow; the monk's fingertips had already touched the Scripture Lecturer's robes.

The Sword Qi carried by that grain of flying sand from Yu Liancheng was unimaginable and could never have been resisted by an expert like the Scripture Lecturer. Only a small portion of its power had broken the Qi barrier, pierced the palm, and penetrated the chest, while a large portion of the Sword Qi's essence remained within the flying sand. Now, the flying sand remained inside the Scripture Lecturer's body, forming a balance with the Scripture Lecturer's body.

And when the monk's fingertips touched the robes, this balance was broken. Thus, strands of tyrannical and sharp energy surged out from the Scripture Lecturer's body, sharp as swords.

In an instant, amidst his screams, the monk was churned into pulp by the countless sharp bursts of energy.

These bursts of energy continued to surge toward Qimei and the others; Qimei and the group of monks hurriedly scattered in all directions, but in the end, three monks were unable to dodge in time and were sliced into pieces.

"With such Sword Qi, I fear even Liu Bai could not do it; who exactly is it..."

Qimei's expression was gloomy; he had lost three capable subordinates without even knowing the identity of the intruder. He looked at the Scripture Lecturer's corpse again and stepped forward.

"Peak Master Qimei, be careful..." The remaining monks were still lingering in fear.

"It is fine."

Qimei stood before the Scripture Lecturer's corpse, and with a touch of his finger, the corpse actually began to turn into ashes; within the ashes were a few multicolored Sari.

The previously sharp energy had already been completely vented.

And the first thing damaged by the energy was the remains of the Scripture Lecturer.

Qimei lowered his gaze, looking at the Sari that no fire could incinerate, which now had several cracks, and his expression could not help but become even more serious.

"It is not Liu Bai; in this world, those capable of this, even above the Five Realms, are only a few people like Fuzi and the Temple Master, but they are not skilled in Sword Technique; perhaps... it is that Yu Liancheng..."

Before long, a distant bell toll rang out from the highest temple.

Then the bell tolling passed downward layer by layer, and one great bell after another rang in succession; finally, one thousand and eight bell tolls rang out simultaneously, echoing through heaven and earth.

A great enemy had come to the Hanging Temple.

PS: The next world will likely be Nine Cauldrons; I'm going to find some inspiration from two fanfictions of Nine Cauldrons Record.