That unsurpassed existence from the Western Desert Pure Land, the Buddha?
Deng Tianyu narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
Such crazed words, questioning her own heart yet finding no answer, clearly showed that this woman in white had wavered in her faith towards the Buddhist path she cultivated.
That was why she had become what she was now—half Devil, half Buddha!
Under normal circumstances, when facing such an extremely dangerous existence, he would turn around and leave without a single moment’s hesitation.
But this situation was different. If he allowed her to continue this Devilish obsession, there was a very high chance she would transform into a Devil Buddha and slaughter all living beings.
Most critically, this place was within the territory of Purple Cloud Sect, extremely close to Hundred Flowers Valley!
If things truly spiraled into an uncontrollable situation, the first to suffer would undoubtedly be Purple Cloud Sect.
“The Buddha said: All sentient beings suffer. Only by crossing oneself over can one transcend and become a Buddha!”
“But there is only one Buddha, Shakyamuni. What meaning is there in crossing oneself over? What is transcendence for?”
That crazed murmuring echoed in his ear again. Even as Deng Tianyu continuously refined the Devil Miasma, the Devil Miasma on her body spawned at an even more terrifying rate.
Faced with this, he took a deep breath, already having made his decision. He spoke: “Shakyamuni is the Buddha, but the Buddha is not equivalent to Shakyamuni!”
As soon as his words fell, the woman in white’s gaze fell sharply upon him: “Why is the Buddha not equivalent to Shakyamuni?”
The Devil Miasma on her surged, completely suppressing the Buddha Light.
Deng Tianyu could feel that terrifying aura growing increasingly volatile. It was as if a great mountain pressed down upon him, but he gritted his teeth and continued: “All sentient beings must undergo birth, old age, sickness, death, meeting with the hated, parting with the loved, the five skandhas burning fiercely, and not obtaining what is sought!”
“Even after stepping onto the path of cultivation, these cannot be avoided.”
“From this, we can see that all sentient beings are equal.”
“Since this is so, why could Shakyamuni become the Buddha, yet you cannot?”
The woman in white seemed to be asking Deng Tianyu, and also seemed to be asking herself: “Why could Shakyamuni become the Buddha, yet I cannot?”
“But I have already attempted to cross myself over and transcend. I cannot become the Buddha!”
Deng Tianyu took another deep breath, then continued: “Then why not try another way to become the Buddha?”
The woman in white fell into contemplation: “Another way?”
“Shakyamuni crossed himself over to transcend and become the Buddha. He only crossed over one person—himself.” Deng Tianyu smiled, guiding her step by step: “My Buddha is compassionate and should universally cross over all sentient beings. That is why I said Shakyamuni is the Buddha, but the Buddha is not equivalent to Shakyamuni!”
“My Buddha is compassionate, universally crossing over all sentient beings!”
“My Buddha is compassionate, universally crossing over all sentient beings!”
The woman in white continuously murmured these eight words. The Buddha Light on her body gradually became dazzling and piercing, instantly purifying all the Devil Miasma within her.
Deng Tianyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a smile.
The books he read in his past life were very diverse, including some Buddhist texts. It seemed they had come in handy now.
Sure enough, it was as the saying went: Read ten thousand volumes, travel ten thousand li!
“Buzz!”
At this moment, a beam of Buddha Light shot into the sky, enveloping the entire heavens and earth.
The woman in white bathed within it, as if having realized something profound. Two Buddha Wheels appeared in sequence behind her head. The place she sat had, at some unknown time, transformed into a lotus throne.
Seeing this scene, Deng Tianyu sighed in relief that he hadn’t left earlier.
Having Buddha Wheels signified the attainment of a Fruition.
Based on his knowledge, the current Buddha Path had three Fruition levels: Arhat, Bodhisattva, and Buddha!
Among them, the number of Arhat and Bodhisattva fruitions was countless, but there was only one single Buddha fruition.
And this woman in white before him had two Buddha Wheels behind her, which meant she had already attained the Bodhisattva Fruition.
Just how powerful was the Buddhist sect’s Bodhisattva Fruition? Deng Tianyu wasn’t too clear.
By his estimation, it was at least at the Sun-Moon Realm!
A being of such terrifying strength, once turned into a Devil Buddha, likely would require Shizun Ning Wan’s intervention just to contend with.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the Buddha Light dissipated.
The woman in white looked at Deng Tianyu and said softly: “You have fate with this Seat, and furthermore, you possess a Buddha Heart. Would you be willing to take this Seat as your master?”
Deng Tianyu: (⊙_⊙)?
Was she asking him to renounce worldly life and enter the monastic order, to become a monk?
What kind of joke was that!
Deng Tianyu refused decisively: “Senior, your kind intentions are appreciated, but I already have a Shizun!”
To be precise, he had two Shizuns.
One was Ning Wan, who had raised him since childhood. The other was his Fourth Aunt, who had accompanied him throughout his growth in the dreamscape.
“Since that is the case, this Seat shall not force it.”
The woman in white pondered for a moment, then her red lips parted: “However, your assistance this time in sweeping away this Seat’s Devil’s Obstruction and clarifying my true self means I owe you two karmic debts.”
“Thus, this Seat shall repay you two karmic debts.”
As her words fell, her slender hand made a gesture. A Jade Slip and a Bodhi Seed landed in Deng Tianyu’s hands.
“Inside the Jade Slip is a Dao Method. You may use it for your cultivation!”
“This Bodhi Seed is an object this Seat carries. If you have any request, simply inject your True Essence, and this Seat will be able to hear it. I will do my utmost to fulfill it!”
“Also… this Seat’s name is—Fan Jingyi!”
The voice of the woman in white still echoed in his ear, but Deng Tianyu realized the person had already vanished.
He looked at the Jade Slip and the Bodhi Seed in his hand, momentarily stunned.
What was this considered?
A fortunate encounter?
It seemed like for the first time in so many years, he’d actually obtained something like a fortunate encounter.
“Buzz!”
Shortly after Fan Jingyi left, space distorted. A familiar, dense fragrance wafted over, and a figure of seductive, bewitching charm materialized.
Ning Wan looked at her precious disciple and asked: “Tianyu, what happened here?”
Just moments ago, she had received a message from the sect disciples, reporting that something incredibly terrifying, a black fog, had appeared eight hundred li east of Hundred Flowers Valley.
So she had immediately rushed over.
Who would have thought that not long after, a piercing, dazzling Buddha Light would shoot into the sky? Ning Wan instantly sensed it was coming from Deng Tianyu’s location.
“A black fog appeared here earlier. It was a type of Devil Miasma. After receiving Junior Disciple Qin’s message, I rushed over and then…”
Deng Tianyu slowly recounted everything that had just occurred, including Fan Jingyi’s state of Qi Deviation-like struggle, the Jade Slip, and the Bodhi Seed he obtained. He hid nothing.
Ning Wan furrowed her elegant brows, murmuring softly: “A Buddhist powerhouse who has attained the Bodhisattva Fruition, Fan Jingyi?”
Deng Tianyu asked curiously: “Does Shizun know her?”
Meeting his gaze, Ning Wan explained: “Fan Jingyi is the Buddha Maiden of the Western Desert Pure Land. In the past, she was of the same generation as your teacher.”
“Unfortunately, later, on the eve of the Buddha Contention, for unknown reasons, she turned from Buddha to Devil and betrayed the Pure Land.”
“Turned from Buddha to Devil?” An image of the intertwined Devil and Buddha light on Fan Jingyi flashed through Deng Tianyu’s mind.
The Buddha Contention, he had some understanding of it. It was somewhat similar to the Yin-Yang Law Heaven’s Dao Chief Contention.
Every generation, the Western Desert Pure Land would nurture a Buddha Son or Buddha Maiden with an innate Buddha Heart. After attaining the Bodhisattva Fruition, there would be a Buddha Contention.
Unlike the Yin-Yang Law Heaven’s Dao Chief Contention, the Buddha Contention was not decided by martial strength, but by comparing the height of one’s Buddhist Dharma.
The winner would become the current generation’s Buddha and rule over the entire Western Desert Pure Land.
Deng Tianyu seemed to remember something and asked: “How does her strength compare to Shizun’s?”
Ning Wan replied: “Comparable to your teacher before my cultivation base fell!”
Once again, Deng Tianyu sighed in relief. Thank goodness!
