Yinshan Record

Chapter 96 Supreme Enlightenment
"I now make this vow: if I achieve enlightenment, I will not seek unsurpassed perfect enlightenment!"

Feng clenched his fists.

The earth was shaking, and the martial artist's keen senses had already made him feel the danger.

Dark clouds filled the sky, and a chilling atmosphere hung over Shanyin County.

On the horizon, Feng Da Dang could already see a corner of the summit of Xuan Mountain crack open.

The pent-up earth energy and demonic miasma merged into one, transforming into a wave that swept in from the south.

"Order Wuyundu to form ranks."

Feng Buxing placed his hand on his leather belt: "Have the Imperial Guards seal off the four gates."

Yu Ze looked at the distant Xuan Mountain.

"finally come."

The Imperial Censor sighed.

The ancient Buddha's demonic thoughts hidden in Xuanshan could not be concealed from the powerful sects such as Huangtiandao and Shenxiaodao, nor could they be concealed from the Liang Dynasty.

"Did Eunuch Feng hear that great vow just now?"

The Green Lion's final vow resounded throughout heaven and earth, and Feng Xingbu naturally heard it.

"It said it did not want supreme enlightenment."

Yu Ze's expression was grave.

Yu Lizi once said that, according to the current classification, he was a fourth-grade cultivator.

Dividing practitioners into nine grades is originally a method of classification used by secular people, and each lineage has its own interpretation of the levels and grades of spiritual practice.

For example, the third rank in Taoism is called "True Person," which refers to someone who has achieved the innate perfection of the third rank of cultivation and is a person who has attained eternal life.

The second rank is called Heavenly Ruler, which refers to a cultivator who has undergone great calamities in heaven and earth and attained the Dao fruit, and can ascend to heaven to become a ruler.

The first rank is called Earth Immortal, a title derived from the Daoist scriptures: "Living long and remaining in the world, participating in the creation of all things, immortal for eternity, a terrestrial immortal."

The same applies to Buddhism. The third category is called Pratyekabuddha, Bodhisattva, or Arhat, also known as "Right Enlightenment." This is taken from the meaning of "righteous and not evil" and "awakened and not deluded."

The second category includes titles such as Buddha, teacher of gods and men, and tamer of men, as well as "perfect enlightenment".

As for the first category in Buddhism, it is called Buddha, because of his supreme and unparalleled magical power and immeasurable wisdom, making him the ancestor of all Buddhas. It is also called "Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi" or "Supreme Perfect Enlightenment".

Yu Ze also had some knowledge of Buddhism, and Buddhist doctrines include the concept of "faith, vow, practice, and realization."

All its origins are built upon this foundation. The three great classics, which are considered the foundation of this world, are: the Past Glorious Kalpa Sutra, which focuses on the "faith" of Buddhism; the Present Bhadrakalpa Sutra, which focuses on the "practice" of Buddhism; and the Future Star Kalpa Sutra, which focuses on the "vow" of Buddhism.

When Buddhists make vows, their words become law. The subtlety and sophistication in applying the power of vows is a major characteristic of Buddhism.

Just now, the Green Lion uttered his final great vow, "I now vow that if I achieve enlightenment, I will not seek supreme enlightenment!" This means that he has given up the possibility of reaching the first rank.

What does he want to achieve?

"He destroyed everything he already had, gambled on his future, just to have the chance to reach the second rank now."

Feng Buxing looked at Yu Ze beside him: "Abandoning the past, discarding the future, and only pursuing the slightest possibility in the present—is this kind of Buddhist cultivation and enlightenment really just a trace of the demonic thought of that green lion back then?"

"No matter who it is, there's always someone taller to hold up the sky when it falls."

Yu Ze looked at Feng Buxing beside him and said, "Now all we can do is try our best and leave the rest to fate."

Such a tremendous event has far exceeded their control; all they can do now is preserve Shanyin County.

No, it's just about protecting oneself.

Inside the main hall of Shanyin County, Yu Lizi let out a soft sigh.

He's the tall guy who's responsible for holding up the sky when it falls.

The seven vows made by the Green Lion could not be heard by others, but Huang Tiandao heard them clearly.

Because each of these wishes resides deep within the Dharma of the Great Void.

Past, present, and future. This line connects time.

Both Buddhism and Taoism have employed numerous supernatural abilities to explore the concept of "time" throughout history. Bloodshed across three thousand realms, slaughter in the East Sea, annihilation of the Divine Firmament Sect, and corruption of the Lingjiu Temple…

How many of the Blue Lion's many wishes can be fulfilled?

It's nothing more than borrowing from the "future" to make up for the deficiencies of one's "past".

What they sought was the possibility of achieving the second-grade cultivation level "now".

"After three hundred years of twists and turns, it all comes down to nothing but a mirage."

A long sigh.

Yu Lizi always believed that dividing cultivators into nine grades must be the most ingenious idea of ​​the Dharma-ending Age. Once the distinction between realms is established, countless foolish men and women will waste their energy pursuing the possibility of advancing in rank.

He felt that spiritual practice itself was a very personal matter.

The interplay between Heaven and Man, the harmonious integration of the Nine Laws.

Cultivation is only about oneself. If it aligns with my path, then I will use it; if it does not align with my path, then I will discard it.

Obsessing over so-called transcendence is ultimately nothing but a mirage, making oneself a prey of demons.

The turbid ions soared into the sky.

Between heaven and earth, a jade chime rang out.

The greatest sound is silent, yet it resonates in the hearts of countless people, allowing them to find a moment of peace amidst the strange changes in the world.

"Huang Tiandao Wei Zhisheng has seen the Lion-Blue Lotus Tathagata!"

A long roar, like the surging winds of Buzhou and the towering waves of the East Sea, shook the heavens and the earth.

Yu Lizi's figure appeared as a tiny dot under the vast sky, yet above the layers of clouds, he possessed a unique aura.

He stretched out his right hand and pointed upwards.

"The Yellow Heaven shall rise."

Amidst the swirling clouds, majestic palaces and celestial palaces faintly appeared, with wisps of yellow mist covering the surrounding void. The Xuan Yuan Hall, the Dragon Transformation Tower, the Fan Du Pavilion, the Jing Si Hall, the Tai Yin Mirror Platform… the celestial scenes seemed both real and illusory.

Beneath the layers of palaces, Yu Lizi wore a star crown, a feathered robe, held a black jade tablet, and wore cloud-patterned shoes, with boundless thunder manifesting in his eyes.

"Come, break through these nine layers of celestial energy and achieve your second-rank career!"

Yu Lizi looked down at the foot of Xuan Mountain.

The green lion raised its head and gazed at the vast sky.

The Yellow Heaven Path has arrived, so how far away can the Divine Firmament Path be?
Okay, it would be best if everyone came.

Ideally, both Lingjiu Temple and the demons of the East Sea should come.

It's best to understand all the past events, the grudges and grievances, today.

With a single call from the Seven-Headed Azure Lion, the turbid air in the heart of Xuan Mountain condensed and transformed into layers of yellow turbid waves. It stood on the waves, as if it had returned to the days when it roamed the East China Sea.

"You wretched creature, today you have transformed into a demon and ascended to the outer realms, yet you carry with you the turbid air of the earth. Know that celestial demons are formless and shapeless. How can you achieve anything by going in the opposite direction?"

"Yu Lizi, I have refined this turbid energy for three hundred years using the Heavenly Demon Secret Technique. Today you have been tainted by it, and your foundation has been damaged. Come back and laugh at me when you can no longer reach the third rank!"

The blue lion soared into the sky, protected by layers of turbid waves.

Yu Lizi smiled gently.

"Even if a wicked spirit undergoes ten thousand years of tempering, it will be difficult to enter the realm of sainthood. Why bother using my Yellow Heaven Great Law?"

Yu Lizi gestured eastward with his hand.

"Sword energy soars to the heavens, shattering three thousand worlds. Sharpening the Eastern Sea, it transcends good and evil, purity and turbidity. Summon the Sword of Law!"

Above his head, in the yellow sky, there were seven points—horn, neck, root, room, heart, tail, and winnowing basket—each radiating spiritual light.

A streak of sword light snaked down from the sky.

(End of this chapter)