Chapter 572: Past Events from a Hundred Years Ago (23)

After hearing this question, Mingxin did not answer immediately, but instead asked in return: "How does the Daoist feel about it?"

"I say, you black-hearted monk, don't answer a question with a question!"

Ren Yidao curled his lip. Ever since that day he discovered he had been deceived by this bald man's honest appearance, he felt more and more that this monk was not a good person, and he had become a "black-hearted monk" in his eyes.

Mingxin did not mind this title; he found it interesting and tacitly accepted Ren Yidao calling him that.

And this reaction made Ren Yidao even more convinced that this was a "white on the outside, black on the inside" type.

Hmm, even if not black, he was at least gray, though "gray-hearted monk" didn't sound very good.

Ren Yidao still held a relatively favorable view of Mingxin.

Kind, yet not foolish.

He had his own thoughts and a certain level of capability; although his strength was insufficient, his future was promising.

"My view, you ask..."

Ren Yidao did not refuse Mingxin's counter-question. After pondering, he said: "Heaven helps those who help themselves; Heavenly Dao rewards diligence."

This was Ren Yidao's consistent way of thinking.

Heaven cannot help you at every moment; you will always encounter temporary hardships. The Heavens will not favor someone who gives up on themselves, or at least, they shouldn't.

He hoped the world could have a bit more partiality toward those who work hard, that the harder one works, the luckier one becomes.

If the world had such a balance, that would naturally be excellent.

But if it didn't, then he hoped there would be.

"So that is how the Daoist thinks." Mingxin nodded upon hearing this and smiled, "Since that is the case, then my thought is: Heaven helps people first, and then people help themselves."

"Oh?" Ren Yidao raised an eyebrow, feeling that the black-hearted monk's words were somewhat interesting.

It wasn't because he truly thought this way, but because he himself thought the opposite, so he wanted to take the opposing viewpoint.

Playing word games with me, are you?

Although he didn't know why Mingxin was suddenly playing word games with him at this moment, he had always welcomed such challenges. He raised an eyebrow and smiled: "So your meaning is, even if mortals do not work hard, the Heavens will still actively help them when they encounter difficulties?"

"That is exactly it."

Mingxin nodded with a faint smile and said leisurely: "Just as the Daoist mentioned before, Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life; no matter what kind of natural disaster it is, it will not last forever. Even if mortals make no effort, they will still see change."

"Natural disasters will not change because of the efforts of mortals, nor will they disappear early; the Heavens have their own set numbers."

Ren Yidao curled his lip, then frowned: "Mingxin, these words of yours don't sound like something a monk should say! Don't you all say 'All living beings suffer, only one can save oneself'? Don't you say that the Buddha cannot save them?"

"If that is the case, why do mortals need to worship the Buddha in this life? They might as well not respect the Buddha and just seek happiness in this life; why bother seeking the next life?"

Ren Yidao could say some things because he was barely considered a Daoist, following Daoist principles and respecting Heaven and ancestors.

But Mingxin could not, because he was a monk, and they were meant to cultivate for the next life.

Yet Mingxin could say it, because he did not need others to provide for him; what he ate and used was all obtained through his own hard work.

"Hehe, I am just a little Novice Monk who understands nothing."

Mingxin pressed his palms together and chuckled, his smile holding a hint of cunning, "Besides, the current Buddha path has long since developed huge differences from the past; why bother about a heterodox thought like mine?"

"Regarding these changes, doesn't the Daoist have many things he wants to ask? Why have you never asked?" What Mingxin was referring to was, naturally, that "Buddha path" which looked like the Ghost Path in the eyes of outsiders.

"Regarding this Buddha path in your Western Desert, I indeed have many things I want to ask. I haven't asked you before because I wanted to use my own eyes to confirm it again."

It had been half a month since they left Lingxin Temple, and during this time they had visited two more temples, but the results were no different from before.

Every time Mingxin was "kicked out," Ren Yidao would enter the temple to witness it for himself... and every time, he left them a little gift.

Regarding this, Mingxin would always smile without a word, and no longer brought up the matter of "the Daoist's mouth being harder than his heart."

Because there was simply no need to say more.

Ren Yidao looked at Mingxin and asked in a deep voice: "Do the people of the Western Desert not feel there is a problem? Does truly no one notice the problem?"

He did not believe it.

No matter how foolish the Believers of the Western Desert were, they were not born idiots; they wouldn't fail to notice even a hint of discordance.

Moreover, according to what Yaoyue said, when she and others came to the Western Desert back then, it wasn't like this; there weren't so many Ghost Path demons.

Had such a huge change occurred in just a few hundred years?

Furthermore, even if short-lived mortals couldn't notice, were all the cultivators of the Western Desert dead?

Although the Western Desert Divine Continent was dominated by Spirit Mountain, logically speaking, it wasn't just Spirit Mountain's cultivators; there should have been other sects.

Just as Beiming had the Divine Path Sect, the Sword Casting Hut, and Wanhua Valley, the Eastern Wasteland had the Kings, and the Southern Border had the noble clans.

The Western Desert itself also had indigenous cultivator groups; where did those people go? Would they not feel that something was strange?

Regarding Ren Yidao's question, Mingxin was not surprised at all; he had long since prepared an answer, and he said:

"Opposition, naturally, there was. It's just that those people have all closed their mouths; whether voluntarily or involuntarily, they have no way to speak out anymore."

"Daoist, do you know? One hundred years ago, the Lingyu Sect was not called by this name, and it hadn't even been established."

"At that time, the Lingyu Sect was still three separate houses: the Joy Zen Sect, the Silk Road Immortal Pavilion, and the Taotie Sect... I presume the Daoist is not unfamiliar with these three names, right?"

Ren Yidao fell silent and nodded: "That is indeed the case."

Although he had vaguely guessed this, when he truly discovered that things were indeed so, Ren Yidao still felt some emotion.

"Spirit Mountain actually twisted these three houses together; what a grand feat."

These three were all super sects; their status in the Western Desert was equivalent to the status of the three sects like the Divine Path Sect in Beiming!

The strength of each of these three was not weak, and after merging, it was even more exaggerated.

Imagine if the three major sects of Beiming merged: the Sword Casting Hut providing weapons and men, Wanhua Valley providing Talismans, Arrays, and women, and the Divine Path Sect responsible for acting as a nuclear weapon to deter from behind... hmm, although it sounds a bit strange, that is exactly the feeling.

Perhaps because the lifespan of cultivators is far longer than that of mortals, and there are boundaries between the Divine Continents, many factors made the transmission of news between the Divine Continents quite difficult. Unless it was a major event, one would not get first-hand news in the shortest time.

But!

The merger of three major super sects is absolutely a top-tier major event in the world; how could it not have caused any ripples in the other Divine Continents?

If Ren Yidao hadn't come to the Western Desert himself, he wouldn't even have known this had happened.

What are those spies even doing for a living?

Are they just squatting in Wentian City every day waiting for gossip?

Either someone deliberately suppressed it.

Or... there was a bigger event that stole all the attention.

Ren Yidao narrowed his eyes and thought for a good while, then looked up, stared at Mingxin, and asked, "What happened one hundred years ago?"

The key node lies exactly one hundred years ago.

"One hundred years ago..." Mingxin's expression changed slightly, and finally, she said softly, "The Fozhu passed away."

To Heart Demon Believers, the Buddha is indestructible and immortal, and as the head of all Buddhas, the Fozhu's bones and foundation are even more eternal.

Such words must never be spoken; they would cause the Fozhu to bring down a great disaster!

But to this, Ren Yidao's reaction was very calm.

Cultivators are not Immortal Gods; no matter how high their cultivation, as long as they are still human, they will die.

Monsters die when they are killed, and cultivators are the same.

What's more, even if they truly were Immortal Gods, they would still die.

He had seen the skeletons of Immortals in Cave Abodes, seen the bodies of Demon Gods turned into cities, and even seen the confusion of countless people at the end of an era.

The previous Fozhu had at most the cultivation of the Ask Dao Peak; what was so special about him? Why couldn't he die?

"So, after the Fozhu passed away, what happened next? Did someone seize power?"

"No, the Fozhu arranged everything before he passed away and also selected the next Fozhu. Everything proceeded according to his arrangements; there was no abnormality." Mingxin shook her head, her expression somewhat heavy, and lowered her voice: "But the problem is, three days later..."

"He was resurrected."

!!?

"What?"

Ren Yidao raised an eyebrow, then quickly lowered it again.

Aside from truly reaching one's limit, it is indeed very difficult for someone at the Ask Dao Peak to die; faking death once or twice is not a difficult task.

Wait, something doesn't seem right.

Did I walk into the wrong scene?

Resurrected three days after death... are you a Buddha? Or the Lord?

Fozhu?

"Faked death? He wanted to see what would happen after he died?"

I didn't expect this Fozhu to be quite the player.

It seems this is also an old schemer.

"No, that is not the case."

Mingxin denied Ren Yidao's guess, "The Fozhu lived for nearly three thousand years; he had indeed reached the edge of his lifespan. This is known to all under Heaven."

Ren Yidao frowned slightly; if it was truly as she said, then it was indeed somewhat shocking.

The lifespan of the Human Race is shorter than that of the Demon Race; even an old demon like Ao Zhun is nearly dying of old age after living for three thousand years, let alone the Human Race. This Fozhu definitely belonged to the longest-lived among the long-lived.

"Furthermore, when the Fozhu passed away, my master was present at the time and witnessed that scene along with others who came from other Shenzhou."

Since the Fozhu lived so long and his status was high enough, other Shenzhou would naturally suspect whether this old thing was faking his death, so they all sent representative delegations of high-level experts with enough weight to come. On the surface, it was to pay respects, but in reality, it was to investigate.

"At that time, everyone confirmed that the Fozhu had indeed passed away. Although the Fozhu's physical body was immortal, his Divine Soul had completely dissipated."

Hearing this, Ren Yidao's brow was already completely furrowed. Since he had truly died, what was the deal with the subsequent resurrection?

"The change... appeared on the afternoon of the second day. The Fozhu's physical body moved."

"At first, everyone just thought it was an illusion, but later that trembling became more obvious."

"My master said that at noon on the third day, the Fozhu's physical body split open from the middle, and a young man walked out from his aged body."

"That young man claimed to be the Fozhu, and his appearance was indeed exactly the same as the portraits of the Fozhu when he was young."

"At the beginning, everyone naturally didn't believe it and thought there were treacherous people wanting to replace him, but the young man had high strength, the techniques he used were all ones the Fozhu excelled at, and his physical body and Dharma Power were even above those of the Fozhu!"

"Not only that, he also knew every word the Fozhu had said to others, and knew every detail he had entrusted to the originally decided next Fozhu."

"He was also proficient in every scripture. The entire Spirit Mountain debated scriptures with him, and after seven days and seven nights, not one person won by even a fraction."

"Up to this point, although some people still had doubts in their hearts, various signs indicated that this young man was the Fozhu—a newborn Fozhu!"

"The entire Spirit Mountain regarded it as a manifestation of the Fozhu, and countless people came to pay their respects."

"My master thought the same, believing that the Fozhu had lived out a second life."

When speaking of this history, Mingxin's expression held confusion, emotion, and also a trace of regret. She sighed: "If it had only been that, it would have been fine."

"What did he do?"

"He..." Mingxin looked up and said softly: "He sent invitations to the three great sects, asking the three sect masters to come to Spirit Mountain for a talk."

"The three gladly accepted the invitation and discussed the Dao with the Fozhu at Spirit Mountain throughout the night."

"The next day..."

"All three died."