Chapter 437: 443. Chapter 443: Sacrifice

Lin Ke didn't reply, merely raising his head to gaze at the three great suns in the sky.

As for now, he has already done what he wanted to do to a certain extent.

Whether he can continue onward does not depend on the firmness of his will, but on whether the three great suns above notice or permit it.

As a reincarnated saint, Luotesinuo naturally knows how formidable a saint's power can be.

It can be said that almost nothing is impossible for a saint-rank existence that wishes to do it.

Within the remnants of Buddhist civilization, if the three great suns above are willing, nothing can escape their sight and hearing.

Although theoretically the three great suns cannot interfere with Lin Ke's stirring of debate and the Buddha-trend,

they cannot openly label Lin Ke as a Buddhist heretic or demon, but they can subtly guide those below to do certain things.

However, one cannot openly label Lin Ke as a Buddha's calamity or a demon, but one can hint and guide the subordinates to do some things.

The capital of Song State, Bianjing, Cien Temple.

The monk Nengqing, who had been confined for over a month, finally received a visitor.

"Disciple Nengqing, I pay my respects to my grand-uncle master."

In the dim cave, Nengqing made out the visitor's face in the faint light and hastily rose to salute.

In the sealed cave, Neng Qing, borrowing a faint light, could see the visitor's appearance clearly, and hastily rose to pay respects.

The visitor responded lightly.

Without any visible movement, the sealed cave suddenly burst into bright light.

Darkness was dispelled, dampness was dispelled, and the gloom in Nengqing's heart was also lifted considerably.

The visitor stood in the light, as if a great sun hovered behind his head, his countenance solemn and majestic.

"Disciple Nengqing, I pay my respects to the Kindness Ferry Bodhisattva."

Monk Nengqing straightened his attire and bearing, performing the great rite with reverence.

Monk Neng Qing straightened his robes and bearing, solemn and respectful, and performed the great rite.

The Kindness Ferry Bodhisattva raised his right hand to form the Fearless Seal, lowered his left hand to form the Wish Seal, embodying great compassion and mercy, like a true Buddha in the human world.

Monk Nengqing was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, feeling that his month-long confinement had not been in vain.

Monk Neng Qing suddenly felt overwhelmingly moved, feeling that his over-a-month of seclusion had not been in vain.

The monk Liaofan of the White Horse Chan Temple is a Buddhist heretic!

The teachings propagated by Monk Liaofan are nothing but heretical words, the doctrines of demonic heretics.

Otherwise, why would the Kindness Ferry Bodhisattva, who holds the greatest hope of spanning the void and becoming a great sun in Cien Temple, come to see him?

Otherwise, why would the one in Kind Grace Temple who is most hopeful, spanning the void and transforming into the Great Sun Kind Voyage Bodhisattva, come to see him?

The Kindness Ferry Bodhisattva said nothing more, merely giving a soft instruction.

Boundless treasure light welled up from the Kindness Ferry Bodhisattva's brow, shining upon Monk Nengqing, washing away all his gloom.

At this moment, Monk Nengqing felt he had entered the Buddha Land.

He could not help but be overjoyed, sitting in lotus position, smiling while holding a flower.

This wondrous state lasted who knows how long.

When Monk Nengqing awoke, feeling his cultivation leap to the peak of Arhat, with hope of advancing to Bodhisattva at any moment, his grand-uncle master, the Kindness Ferry Bodhisattva who had come to instruct him, had already vanished.

The cave where he had been confined remained bright as before.

Monk Nengqing understood the implication, rose from the ground, and walked out of the cave without looking back.

Because he did not look back, Monk Nengqing saw only the light ahead, never seeing the cave behind return to darkness.

In the darkness, a faint shadow seemed to flutter, with rustling sounds rising and falling.

It was as if an intangible presence was discussing, mocking, laughing, and laughing heartily with glee…

Monk Nengqing left the sealed cave without concealing his whereabouts, walking openly into Cien Temple.

All the monks in the temple, from the abbot down to the newly admitted novices, saw nothing.

They neither raised a hand to stop him nor spoke in support.

He neither intervened to stop it nor spoke out in support.

Only silence.

In the midst of silence, Monk Nengqing walked out of Cien Temple, into the red dust, to seek demons, to subdue demons.

The ascetic monk Lin Ke, who was practicing the Bodhisattva Vehicle, suddenly felt a sense of destiny.

Lin Ke, who was presently acting as an ascetic monk practicing the Bodhisattva's vehicle of the Dharma, suddenly felt a sense of destiny.

He murmured, then paid no heed, walking on his own, doing good on his own, following the Dao on his own.

He muttered softly, then paid no heed, walking on his own, doing good on his own, and following the Dao on his own.

Freist, with a gaping wound in his chest, said to Medici, who had lost his left lower leg, his voice weak, like a thread of breath.

Fu Li Si Te, with a large hole pierced through his chest, said to Mei Di Qi, who had lost his left calf, his voice weak, his breath like a drifting silk thread.

Leaning against the stone pillar of the ruined temple gate, Medici's face was pallid, his whole body weak, exhaling but not inhaling.

Over the past two months, Freist and Medici have roamed everywhere.

Today they punish a licentious monk here, tomorrow they burn an exploitative temple there, the day after they kill a retaliatory gunman or randomly go somewhere…

Under Freist and Medici's unrestrained actions, this world's situation rapidly deteriorated, with beacon fires burning everywhere, turmoil unceasing.

As the source of the turmoil, Freist and Medici face the strongest suppression.

Being able to maneuver and evade for nearly two months is already the limit of what Freist and Medici can do.

After all, this is the stronghold of the remnants of Buddhist civilization; they have neither heavenly timing nor earthly advantage.

Humanly speaking, it is roughly even.

As for the human aspect, it's barely even.

The vested-interest class that benefited from the Buddhist sect naturally hated Frister and Medici, the two chief troublemakers, to an extreme degree.

The lower class, suffering exploitation by the Buddhist sect and the vested interests, wanted to aid Frister and Medici, but were willing yet unable.

Moreover, their own strength was also very limited.

Thus, Frister and Medici finally reached a dead end.

No way to heaven, no door to earth.

Not long after, as many as six Bodhisattvas (Great Sages) completely surrounded Frister and Medici.

There was no talk between the two sides.

The Buddhist sect could not persuade surrender or capture them alive; Frister and Medici knew their fate but would not sit and wait for death.

An extremely brutal battle suddenly erupted.

It reached its climax from the very start, then ended abruptly.

With a boom, mountains collapsed and earth split.

Frister and Medici jointly self-destructed, completely erasing this ruined Buddhist temple.

None of the six Buddhist sect Bodhisattvas (Great Sages) who besieged the two died, but each was wounded.

"Amitabha."

The leading Buddhist sect Bodhisattva watched the gradually dissipating mushroom cloud, unable to comprehend Frister and Medici's choice.

Even if they were to self-destruct, they did so too early and too obviously.

It gave enough reaction time for the six Buddhist sect Bodhisattvas to avoid the area of greatest power.

It seemed they never intended to kill from the start, only to cause sufficient casualties.

Why is that?

As he wondered, the leading Bodhisattva suddenly felt a sensation and turned his head in surprise.

In his sight, he saw a distant hilltop where a group of ragged commoners, through a water mirror, were watching everything happening here in real time.

Such hilltops were not just one, two, or three, but four, five, six… In other words, tens of thousands of commoners who saw the lofty Buddhist sect Bodhisattvas wounded and bleeding.

"Amitabha."

The leading Bodhisattva's face showed pain and compassion; after chanting a Buddha's name, he immediately decided to kill toward the first hilltop he saw.

At the same time, a sentence echoed in the hearts of the other five Bodhisattvas.

"Kill them all!"

The five Bodhisattvas, hearing the voice transmission, without hesitation each chose a hilltop and went to kill.

They intended to kill all commoners who saw the Buddhist sect Bodhisattvas and would also be wounded and bleed!

The Buddhist sect Bodhisattvas' lofty, sacred, inviolable image must be maintained.

If the Buddhist sect Bodhisattvas were like ordinary people—injured when struck, dead when killed—what a murky hell on earth this world would be!

For the world and for the Buddhist sect, the six Bodhisattvas, filled with compassion, resolutely sacrificed themselves to demons, broke the precept against killing, to save all beings!

"Amitabha."

Opposite Àiruìsī, an old monk with completely white eyebrows and beard leaned on a nine-ringed staff, chanting the Buddha's name, his face showing compassion and sympathy, earnestly advising, "Donor, lay down your arms."

"Lay down my arms? Why should I lay down my arms?"

He snorted, Àiruìsī questioned back, "Moreover, when did I even make a move?"

"Amitabha."

The old monk again chanted the Buddha's name, slowly closing his eyes full of compassion and sympathy.

With Liangshan as the center, within a radius of a hundred thousand li, everywhere there were beacon fires, everywhere blood was shed, everywhere there was slaughter.

The situation in this world was completely chaotic, chaotic as a pot of porridge.

The lower-class commoners were dying, the secular ruling class was dying, the Buddhist sect monks were dying.

The contradictions and hatred were completely stirred up, making reconciliation impossible.

Most strangely, the closer to Liangshan and the farther from the Buddhist sect, the more peaceful the atmosphere.

Having paid an extremely heavy price, with every household in mourning and even many families extinguished, the lower-class commoners, after completely driving out the Buddhist sect's forces, under the Lotus Society's call, resumed production and lived in peace and contentment.

Even though they wore mourning clothes or were disabled, even though they still had to toil hard, even though they still couldn't eat their fill, the commoners all had light in their eyes and hope on their faces.

The reason is simple.

The houses they lived in were their own, the fields they farmed were their own, the grain they harvested was their own, the clothes they wove were their own…

Having a place to live, having production, having food to eat, having clothes to wear— that was enough.

What the commoners seek is naturally not much.

Just being able to live is enough.

The farther from Liangshan and the closer to the Buddhist sect, the more tense the atmosphere.

How could those commoners who had not yet driven out the Buddhist sect, upon seeing those who had driven out the Buddhist sect living such lives, possibly be willing?

They too have one head, two hands, two legs!

They can drive out the Buddhist sect and live well; we can too!

Will the Buddhist sect willingly suffer defeat after defeat?

No, they are not willing.

Thus conflict, war, slaughter, casualties— the intensity kept piling up higher and higher!

In this situation, Àiruìsī is like a white lotus born in the mud, blooming more and more, becoming ever purer, having already attained the realm of a Bodhisattva (Great Sage).

As long as she wishes, she can at any time proclaim herself to have become a Buddha (ninth-level Great Sage).

At this moment, the old monk slowly opened his eyes, forgetting the scenes he had seen along the way, forgetting the reality that the nearer to the Buddhist sect the more miserable, the farther the more peaceful.

In the blink of an eye, the downcast-eyed Bodhisattva vanished, and an angry-eyed Vajra manifested in the world.

Ha…

Airusi gave a scornful laugh, "Is this the Buddha?"

"Hehe… hehehe…"

As she laughed, Airusi's laughter grew louder and louder, more and more mocking.

"Unreasonable, it's all about whether your fists are hard enough—that's the true Buddha!"

The old monk didn't want to waste more words with Airusi, shook his Buddhist resolve, waved his Nine-Ringed Zen Staff, and brought it down slowly.

This strike returned to simplicity and truth, without any extraordinary phenomena.

This strike was slow in motion, devoid of killing intent, held with compassion.

This strike, the old monk's visage was kind, yet more ferocious than a demon!

Airusi stood rooted, unmoving, and forcibly bore this strike from the old monk's Nine-Ringed Zen Staff.

Not only did she not move or dodge, Airusi didn't even offer the slightest resistance, allowing her skull to be smashed by the Nine-Ringed Zen Staff, her brains to burst forth, her body to be crushed.

The old monk stared in astonishment as Airusi died so easily beneath his staff, his heart filled with endless doubt.

"Is that it—she's dead?"

After sensing for a moment, confirming that Airusi was truly dead beyond revival, not using some substitute or feigned death tactic, the old monk grew ever more perplexed.

"Is that it—she's dead?"

"Is that it—she's dead?"

He muttered in a daze several times, the old monk raised his Nine-Ringed Zen Staff, planted it in the ground, ignoring the blood beneath his feet, and gazed over the four sides of Liang Mountain.

In just over three months, the architect of the turmoil and catastrophe that swept half the world died just like that?

In a place unseen by the old monk, Airusi's true spirit broke free of its bonds and, taking the opportunity, severed her last tie to the White Lotus.

Learn from a setback, gain wisdom.

With the ninth Dao trial of the special wasteland world ahead, how could Airusi not know that following the White Lotus path to its end carries a high risk of losing control?

Although "I" cleanly annihilated myself to give rise to Airusi, Airusi dare not blindly trust that.

Precautions are necessary, and must be thorough.

It's nothing more than sacrificing a single White Lotus, right?

Airusi felt no regret at all.

She is a wizard, her foundation lies in Wizard Civilization; she would never, like "I", after returning to Wizard Civilization, be reluctant to bring back the Dao Fruit from other universes.

Moreover, Airusi clearly understands that the true purpose of her this Body Seizure incursion into the remnants of Buddhist Civilization, with internal and external cooperation, is not to completely overthrow those remnants.

That is a matter for the Immortal God Civilization's Heavenly Court and the Wizard Civilization's Supreme Council to consider and accomplish.

Airusi believes her mission is merely to infiltrate enemy lines, stir up chaos, weaken the remnants of Buddhist Civilization's strength, or divert the attention of the Three Buddhist Patriarchs.

From this perspective, Airusi feels she has performed admirably.

No one can find fault with her choices from any angle.

Most importantly, Airusi, like Lotusnuo, Fulisite, and Medici, is merely a supporting character in this mission.

The protagonist is Linke Grand!

Airusi's true spirit, without hesitation, followed the unseen bond, broke free from the remnants of Buddhist Civilization, returned to the Body Seizure Wizard Device forged by the four Wizard Sages, and returned to her true body.

Squeak—squeak—squeak…

Three voices sounded at once, as Airusi, Fulisite, and Medici simultaneously sat up.

The three exchanged a glance, said nothing, and floated out from the Body Seizure Wizard Device.

Gazing at Lin Ke, Mo Li, and Lotusnuo still peacefully asleep in their sleep pods, Fulisite suddenly asked, "When do you think they'll return?"

"Who knows?"

Medici shrugged, saying indifferently, "You guys chat, I'm heading out first."

Having said that, Medici turned and left.

Prior to the Body Seizure, Medici had received guidance from the Sage-reincarnated Lotusnuo and had already grasped the threshold of a Seventh Level Grand Sage.

This return to the Wizard Civilization Universe will surely allow smooth advancement.

Airusi remained silent, her brows furrowed.

I had thought I had completely severed ties with the White Lotus, yet in the depths of my mind's eye, a phantom White Lotus still swayed.

Countless prayers and pleas faintly echoed.

Innumerable people, in utter hopelessness, yearned for salvation!