I attained immortality in the real world.

Chapter 80 Why Not Bow to Me
July 18th, early morning.

The bronze bell of the White Horse Temple bell tower was struck on time, its deep, resonant sound echoing endlessly.

The temple's abbot will be honored to be granted the privilege of entering the palace today to preach to His Majesty for an hour.

After washing up, Qianye changed into a clean monk's robe, carrying a purple-gold alms bowl planted with golden magnolia flowers, and was escorted by ten warrior monks from Jinshan Temple to the location of the new Tang Dynasty palace in Bianjing City.

[Arrival!]

Chen Jing took a light nap in the real world, and his consciousness descended into the world of cultivation on time.

The Xuanzang Sutra, a unique supernatural power, has yielded more than expected during this descent, and the ultimate goal has been achieved.

I don't mind giving up the role of Chiba, but I still decided to wrap things up myself.

"Buzz!"

I just walked out of the White Horse Temple.

Inside the scene, a cicada on a lotus flower warns of danger, its wings trembling slightly.

The second supernatural power, Cicada Sense, has the effect of strengthening 'consciousness'. Cicada Sense strengthens the five senses, which means that the eyes can see more clearly, the ears can hear more clearly, the nose can smell more fragrances, the tongue can taste more flavors, and the body can feel more touches.

The warning is the effect of this supernatural power on the sixth consciousness.

The lotus of the heart, the true self, corresponds to the sixth consciousness—consciousness—in the realm of spiritual cultivation.

Chen Jing himself knew that this trip was dangerous, and the cicada's sense of perception was the embodiment of this illusory feeling.

Take gamblers as an example. Even though they know that gambling is a dead end, they are driven by emotions and will do anything, even sell their wives and children.

The cicada's senses act on the sixth consciousness—consciousness.

Its greatest function is to become rational, to prevent emotions from controlling one's thinking, and to fully activate one's supernatural powers, which has an effect close to absolute rationality.

As for the effects of supernatural powers on the seventh consciousness—the Manas consciousness.

Although the Xuanzang Sutra contains a complete method for cultivating the seventh consciousness, it has not yet been formally mastered, so it is difficult to speculate on its effects.

"…………"

Seeing Chen Jing suddenly stop at the entrance of Baima Temple, the martial monk asked, "Master Qianye, is there a problem?"

Chen Jing knew the source of the danger, but had no way to protect himself, so he shook his head and said, "It's alright, let's keep going!"

The cicada's sense of awareness can make people more rational, but the result of rational thinking is not simply to avoid danger, and it may not even be a way to survive.

The group walked through the streets of Bianjing City and arrived safely at the gate of the New Tang Imperial Palace. The guards stopped the ten accompanying martial monks outside the palace and said, "The Imperial Palace is a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. Please wait outside the palace."

Chiba, who was carrying a purple-gold bowl, was led into the palace by a palace servant.

There is also a pagoda in the palace, but it is not built entirely of white stone. Instead, it is a wooden structure covered with glazed tiles, nine stories high and octagonal, with suspended beams and brackets, and it is even more magnificent than the White Horse Temple Pagoda.

The palace servants led Chen Jing to the entrance of the pagoda and said, "This sacred place is not a place for servants to enter. Please enter on your own, Master."

Chen Jing pushed open the door and entered the pagoda. Inside, it was brightly lit by candles, and there was a Maitreya Buddha statue that was nearly ten feet tall. A monk wearing a dark blue robe sat with the Buddha on his back, obviously waiting there for a long time.

Master Wuyuan fiddled with the relic prayer beads with one hand, and pointed to the yellow silk prayer mat beside him with the other: "Please!"

"Buzz!"

Interior view: Lotus and Cicada.

The cicada's wings trembled again the moment it saw the Black Turtle Master.

Both were warnings, but the first one originated from my own intention, while this one stemmed from someone else's hostility. Chen Jing sat cross-legged on a yellow silk cushion, performed a Buddhist bow, and said, "Greetings, National Preceptor. Thank you for your patience, Venerable One!"

"…………"

Last night, the spirit tricked the monk Guangzhi into revealing the conversation between Qianye and Li Zhi at the pagoda.

Meanwhile, the earth-shattering remarks made by Faxing, a hidden disciple of the Yogacara school, to Chen Jing in the meditation room also indirectly confirmed this point.

The black turtle broke out in a cold sweat: "Could it be that the Yogacara school is destined to survive, and that outstanding individuals always emerge in times of crisis?"

He understood the importance of suppressing Buddhism and promoting other religions.

He can only be considered a clever person who understands the true nature of things.

The Yogacara school is no longer what it was when Xuanzang was alive; it has weakened to the extreme, making it extremely difficult to implement its plans.

To devise a plan to promote basic Buddhist principles, dispel the fallacies of Buddhism, and exploit the emperor's desire to diminish Buddhism's influence in order to achieve one's own goals, is to be called a strategist of extraordinary talent.

Without revealing any intention beforehand, acting so swiftly to meet the emperor, and perfectly executing the plan, he was only one step away from success; such a person can be called an outstanding individual.

Master Wuyuan elevated the young monk before him to the same level as himself.

To be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with a national army while holding a weak hand of Yogacara Buddhism is something that even from the perspective of an opponent, one can't help but feel a bit of respect for.

After calming down and thinking it over, Master Wuyuan felt relieved: "Another Xuanzang, but unfortunately he was born at the wrong time. When Xuanzang was alive, Buddhism was too weak, and Buddhism was the foundation of Yogacara. Now it is the opposite, Buddhism is too strong and difficult to shake."

That night, Master Wuyuan conceived the idea of ​​killing someone.

Both the opponent's wisdom and the prestige accumulated during the Ullambana Festival pose a huge threat to Buddhism.

But considering that the other party had already completed his sermon at the pagoda, and that meeting the emperor today was merely a formality, he was not in a hurry to take action.

Having developed the desire to meet Chiba, he waited for Chiba's arrival at the pagoda early in the morning.

"........."

"As a successor of the Yogacara lineage, Master Qianye, what Dharma do you wish to discuss with His Majesty?" Venerable Wuyuan asked directly, without any pretense.

"To spread the basic Buddhist principles and the methods for suppressing Buddhism and promoting other schools," Chen Jing replied frankly.

"Since you're so frank, I won't waste any more words. How about you abandon the Yogacara school and become my disciple?"

Master Wuyuan stared intently at Chen Jing and continued to entice him: "After I die, you will become the National Preceptor of the new Tang Dynasty and take charge of Buddhism. I will then pass on to you the method of spiritual possession. If you can cultivate the Yogacara school, the combination of the two methods will lead to the path of immortality."

Chen Jing realized that what the Venerable Wuyuan had said was the method for relics to become spirits, and asked, "What is the method for becoming a spirit?"

Master Wuyuan was not stingy and began to explain: "After a person dies, their soul is placed in the relics and becomes a spirit. It consumes incense to replenish its energy and ensure that the soul does not perish. However, since the incense is for the sake of others, the spirit will fall into chaos in less than a hundred years."

"But with the Yogacara teachings of Xuanzang's true scriptures, one can be free from the erosion of incense offerings. So as long as you give up spreading basic Buddhist principles and let Buddhism flourish forever, you can naturally achieve immortality."

Immortality!

Chen Jing pondered for a moment and shook his head: "The Xuanzang Sutra only perfects the Bodhisattva Vehicle practice, which can prevent your sixth and seventh consciousnesses from being corrupted, but the poison of incense will erode them through the eighth and ninth consciousnesses, so you cannot live forever. At most, it can prolong the time when the spirit is awake."

"It's not that I look down on the Venerable Master, but even if you gave him the true scriptures of Xuanzang, he could at most just follow the example and become a follower to cultivate the Bodhisattva path, and it would be extremely difficult for him to go any further."

"Since your sect worships clay or wooden Buddhas anyway, and you worship me too, why don't you, Venerable Master, honor me as Buddha, and wait until I perfect my eighth and ninth consciousnesses, so that you can then realize your grand plan of immortality?"

"........."

(End of this chapter)