Chapter 602: You and I, We Have Affinity

"Greetings, Lord Fozhu."

After traversing a long road that seemed to have no end, Mingxin finally saw Fozhu in front of a simple wooden hut.

He was truly as young as his master had described; he looked nothing like the great mountain that had suppressed the Western Desert Divine Continent for a full hundred years, and one could not tell that it was he who had bound everyone together a century ago.

He wore no ornaments, looked extremely plain, and appeared just like a young monk one might see anywhere, sitting cross-legged barefoot in front of a small tree tinged with blood-red.

But Mingxin dared not be the slightest bit presumptuous.

Those eyes looked exceptionally clear, yet when one looked closely, one could feel the traces left behind by the passage of vast time within them.

Because the young monk, just by sitting there, made Mingxin feel an incomparably immense pressure.

At that moment, he felt as if he were facing the entire Spirit Mountain, or even the entire Heaven and Earth.

It was impossible to look directly at him.

Mingxin dared not look any longer, dared not think any further, and could only lower his head deeply, kneeling respectfully before Fozhu.

Here, every move Fozhu made was like the Heavenly Dao; he was the ultimate principle of this world.

"Child, rise."

"Hehe, do not be nervous." The moment Fozhu's warm voice sounded, the pressure on Mingxin's body was swept away, and the feeling of being scrutinized by Heaven and Earth vanished.

"Come, sit here."

Mingxin knew that this first hurdle was now passed.

If Fozhu had felt no affinity for him from the start and had not wanted to see him, then no matter what preparations Mingxin had made, he would never have been able to satisfy the conditions for Buddhist affinity, and everything would have ended.

Mingxin stood up, sat obediently on the meditation cushion Fozhu pointed to, and performed a salute once more.

"You are the one who stood out among the prospective Fozi this time? What is your name?"

"In reply to Lord Fozhu, this disciple is Mingxin, the current abbot of Kurong Temple."

"Kurong..."

Upon hearing this, Fozhu seemed somewhat melancholy; not knowing what he recalled, he murmured the two words "Kurong" and did not reply for a time.

"Jinglian Shangren was my master." Seeing this, Mingxin took the initiative to speak, took out the items he had prepared long ago, and held them up with both hands to present them before Fozhu.

"My master had a final order, commanding me to bring these to Spirit Mountain after he passed away and to hand them to Lord Fozhu."

In his palm lay a Jade Slip and a Relic that faintly shimmered with seven-colored brilliance.

Fozhu returned from his memories; his expression remained unchanged as he took the Relic from Mingxin's hand, rubbed it gently in his palm, and said, "A Relic... did even you pass away?"

"I held your master in high regard back then, but it is a pity that he later refused to seek guidance from me, insisted on his own views, walked a crooked path, and left Spirit Mountain alone. I never expected that he would not even come to see me at the very end."

"Do you know? The Fozi of this generation was originally not Jiexing, but your master. Although his strength was insufficient, his insights into Buddhism were very much to my liking."

"As long as he nodded to become the Fozi, I had countless ways to help him improve his strength, but he refused them all and chose to leave Spirit Mountain alone. This matter has always made me feel very regretful."

"And now, as his disciple, you are able to take the initiative to choose to become the Fozi and have walked to this point... very good."

Fozhu nodded slightly, seemingly very satisfied with Mingxin's return from the wrong path.

If this were in the past, Mingxin would have been extremely excited to meet Fozhu and receive his praise.

But now, after hearing this, Mingxin pursed his lips, lowered his head slightly, and said softly, "Master was always like this; once he decided on something, he would never change it, no matter who tried to persuade him."

"Well said, he did indeed have that temper." Fozhu shook his head, sighed lightly, and then shifted his gaze from the Relic in his palm to Mingxin, scrutinized him for a moment, and nodded: "You and I have affinity."

Mingxin lowered his head and did not answer.

Buddhist affinity—is this enough?

This thought flashed through Mingxin's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

No, not yet; this alone was far from enough to end it.

The true test was only just beginning.

Sure enough, after finishing their conversation about their relationship, Fozhu, while gently rolling the Relic between his fingertips, asked as if casually: "Tell me more about your insights into Buddhism. I am quite interested in what you told Jiexing just now."

Mingxin was not surprised that Fozhu knew of the conversation between him and the Fozi Jiexing; this was Spirit Mountain, the Buddha's earthly Buddhist kingdom, and every blade of grass and every tree here should be under his control.

He was actually somewhat worried about Ren Yidao going out last night; although he had returned successfully and seemed not to have attracted anyone's attention, he was still uneasy, because such a bold move was undoubtedly dancing under Fozhu's very nose.

There were only two possibilities for Ren Yidao to be safe and sound.

Either Fozhu truly did not notice, but in Mingxin's view, it was basically impossible to completely deceive Fozhu.

Or, he disdained to pay attention, or for some reason did not point it out.

Mingxin composed himself, straightened his posture, and the aura on his body changed silently.

At this moment, he was no longer the subservient Buddhist disciple before Fozhu, but a debater expounding on his own Buddhist Dao.

"My Buddhist Dao is but one wish for the world... that everyone may be a Buddha."

"Everyone may be a Buddha."

Mingxin's expression was calm as he looked directly at Fozhu, no longer dodging.

"All sentient beings possess Buddha-nature; everyone has the potential essence of enlightenment or the possibility of becoming a Buddha. Every person possesses the potential to reach the highest enlightenment and liberation, regardless of their background, regardless of their experiences... if one has a Buddha in their heart, one can become a Buddha."

"This disciple believes that Buddha-nature is not on the distant other shore, nor within the Buddha kingdom, but in the hearts of all sentient beings. It should be realized through cultivation and Enlightenment, not by relying on rituals or authority."

"Therefore, Spirit Mountain should save all sentient beings, allowing everyone to learn Buddhist teachings, allowing all sentient beings to transcend."

These were actually the concepts of Mahayana Buddhism, which Mingxin had learned during his conversations and exchanges with Ren Yidao, and after realizing them, he had integrated them into his own philosophy.

In Ren Yidao's view, the original style of Spirit Mountain in the Western Desert Divine Continent was actually more like Hinayana Buddhism; they focused on individual cultivation, emphasized individual liberation, and the ultimate goal was to become a Buddha with powerful Dharma Power.

Mahayana Buddhism emphasized a broader mindset of compassion and care for all sentient beings; it sought to save all sentient beings, enabling them to transcend the bitter sea of reincarnation and attain the realm of liberation and Bodhi.

And the current Fozhu's move a hundred years ago to pull everyone into Buddhism seemed to Ren Yidao to have some of the Mahayana idea that everyone can transcend, a feeling of Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism mixed together.

"An interesting idea."

Fozhu had already heard Mingxin say it once, and now he smiled: "And then? What else is there that you haven't said? You held back when speaking to Jiexing earlier, skipping the most critical parts. You don't need to continue disguising yourself in front of me."

Mingxin fell silent.

He did not expect that he had actually been seen through...

No, or rather, he had actually guessed this outcome, but still held onto some wishful thinking, believing that Fozhu would not see through his heart.

Yes, the realm of Mahayana Buddhism was not Mingxin's true goal either.

"..."

"It's fine, speak." Fozhu saw through the hesitation in his heart, shook his head, and chuckled: "Do you really think your thoughts could be more unorthodox than mine?"

!!!

Mingxin's eyes widened in shock; he never imagined that Fozhu would actually say such a thing.

He actually admitted that he was doing something unorthodox!?

Could it be that he...

No, why would he say these things to me?

"..."

At this moment, Mingxin's heart was in chaos; he had no time to ponder the answers to these questions, as only one path lay before him—to speak his true thoughts without reservation.

Thus, under Fozhu's encouraging gaze, he spoke slowly but firmly:

"If everyone is a Buddha, then... there is no Buddha in the world."

"If there is no Buddha in the world, then Spirit Mountain does not exist."

"Lord Fozhu... this disciple intends to destroy Buddhism, to make Buddhism cease to exist."

Destroy Buddhism.

Mingxin's true purpose was to destroy Buddhism...

To let all living beings study Buddhist teachings, to make Buddhist teachings no longer exclusive to Buddhism, to make Buddhism cease to exist.

This viewpoint came from that headless Demon Buddha, but it did not come entirely from the Demon Buddha; rather, it was a conclusion Mingxin reached within his own heart after observing thousands of Buddhist paths and witnessing countless tragedies in the Earthly Realm.

No Buddha in the world!

If Buddhism cannot bring benefits to the world, if Buddhism only lets all living beings struggle in suffering for a lifetime, if Buddhism is only established for a few people, then... Buddhism has no need to exist.

Destroy Buddhism.

Boom!!!

The moment Mingxin spoke, the entire Spirit Mountain began to tremble violently. It was as if it were reacting to his rebellious words!

Yet, the very next moment after the trembling, Fozhu raised his eyebrows slightly and looked upward.

And after that one look, all the changes vanished, and everything returned to calm.

!!!

This scene made Mingxin feel somewhat strange; he had risked a great deal by saying these words, and he would not have been surprised if Fozhu had directly purged him from the sect the next second, but now it seemed... Fozhu did not seem to care about his thoughts.

Fozhu offered no explanation for this, but instead smiled and commented: "A good idea."

Good?

Before saying these words, Mingxin had thought of many, many possibilities; Fozhu might be furious, astonished, or lost in thought... but he never expected that Fozhu would actually praise him.

"Is it very strange?" Fozhu smiled, appreciating Mingxin's flustered appearance, his fingers gently twisting the Relic.

"... Disciple, indeed, never thought of this." Mingxin's lips moved, and in the end, he lowered his head and whispered.

How could it turn out like this?

"You have the courage to truly speak your heart's real thoughts, very good."

"You are very good."

Fozhu put away the Relic of Master Jinglian, nodded with satisfaction, and then asked: "Why did you think I would be angry?"

Mingxin blinked, not understanding what Fozhu meant by this.

Why?

Why would there need to be a 'why'? He wanted to destroy the Buddhist lineage, yet the supreme leader of Buddhism was not only not angry, but actually asked him why he thought he would be angry?

Fozhu clearly did not intend to let Mingxin answer this obvious question, so he continued to ask rhetorically: "Then, do you think, what is the ultimate goal of what I have done in the Western Desert?"

"Is it for me to transcend alone? Is it to ascend to the Ascension Realm once more?"

"Hehe, you can probably guess my true identity; that's right, I am not the Fozhu in the eyes of the world, but an evil spirit possessing his body."

"I was once a Buddha; I do not need anyone's help to ascend to the Immortal Realm again."

"I do not need to transcend, because I have already transcended myself."

Fozhu spoke eloquently, his words devoid of the slightest arrogance or nobility, just like chatting casually with a junior.

Upon hearing Fozhu's such frank words, Mingxin did not feel excited, but instead felt his whole body go cold, a bone-chilling cold!

Such a secret, it was impossible for him to tell anyone, no one could know, and now that he had heard him admit it himself, what did this mean?

"Do I not know that making everyone a part of Buddhism is wrong? Do I not know that the current Buddhist path in the Western Desert has fallen into the Demon path?"

"I know."

"I have always known!"

Fozhu laughed heartily and clapped his hands lightly.

"Then, child, what do you think... I am doing these things for?"

"That's right!"

He stared at Mingxin, who had completely crashed, and said slowly:

"I wish to destroy Buddhism."

"Just as you think."

"You and I, we have a connection."

Fozhu laughed joyfully, unable to contain his delight as he said: "It is truly a connection, hahahahaha!"

!!!

At this moment, Mingxin was already completely numb; he had almost lost even his most basic ability to think.

Fozhu, wanting to destroy the Buddha?

He... wanted to destroy himself?

And just as Mingxin was on the verge of a breakdown, Fozhu stopped laughing and instead said, "Alright, come out."

!!?

The space was silent, Mingxin's body tensed uncontrollably; at this moment, no amount of composure was of any use.

Had they been discovered?

Had Daoist Ren and the others been discovered!?

"Lord Fozhu, I..."

Mingxin still wanted to defend himself, but Fozhu waved his hand and said casually, "No need to explain. I do not know who they are, but I recognize that Bell at your waist."

Fozhu's benevolent gaze fell upon the small, exquisite Bell, and he said softly, "This aura... I haven't seen it in many years. I had thought our parting back then was a final farewell; I did not expect there to be a day when we would meet again."

"Although you are no longer you, and I am no longer I, being able to meet again is already a tremendous stroke of fate."

"Fellow Daoist, it has been many years since we parted, why not come out and meet?"

Who exactly was the "Fellow Daoist" he spoke of?

This question was not only on Mingxin's mind; Ren Yidao, inside the Divine Path Bell, was also pondering it.

He was not surprised that he and the others had been discovered, but he had not expected that someone among them actually knew Fozhu's past life.

This...

Who could it be?

Who was the reincarnation of an Immortal God?