The immortal is beside me

Chapter 105 From then on, Zhou Wuqing was no longer seen in the world
Ganzhou, Tianzhu.

The magnificent Buddhist temple has been shrouded in golden light. In the vast golden sea, thousands of Buddhas are sitting in all directions. Each Buddha has a different shape, but their faces are all calm and composed, as if they are millions of statues overlooking the world.

The Pure Land has been completed, the empty spiritual space has come down to reality, the ancient and modern Buddhist intentions are fully revealed here, this is the realm that truly belongs to all Buddhas.

And in the center of the Buddhas, a strange golden statue was sitting on a lotus platform.

The only way to describe it is "weird." The left half of the golden statue is indeed a sacred Buddha, while the right half is a tyrannical, wrathful Vajra. These completely opposite features converge in the same golden statue, abrupt yet subtly harmonious.

He used to be a Buddhist monk named Shi Ming, but now, having obtained the complete power of the Pure Land, he can be called Venerable Shi Ming.

"The Pure Land is revived, the Buddhas descend into the world. The Buddha's will is concentrated in me."

The golden figure on the lotus platform opened its eyes slightly. The Buddha-like side remained calm, but the tyrant-like side curled up the corners of its mouth.

With the power of the Pure Land, he has come infinitely close to the realm of Venerable Kashyapa 1200 years ago, who single-handedly conquered the Central Plains and the Jiuli Immortal Alliance.

Compared to a thousand years ago, he now also has the laws from the Peach Blossom Spring. When he fully recovers, his realm will only be higher than that of Kasyapa back then, not lower.

A bad feeling suddenly came over him, and several shadows among the ten thousand Buddhas behind him moved, and intermittent sounds rang out in the golden waves.

"Explanation. This is defilement."

The golden body of the Buddha blinked slightly, and the Buddha light under his feet rose like waves, instantly extinguishing the different sounds.

This is the effect of the Buddha's true intention. Without thoughts or desires, all desires are reduced to nothingness. As a venerable master of the Buddha's legacy, he has the ability to erase all sounds that should not exist in the Pure Land.

"Your Majesty."

Several monks in robes walked to the lotus platform, clasped their hands and bowed respectfully.

"Now that the Pure Land has been restored, the various sects in the Cangtian Sect have just come to ask about the inheritance. What are your thoughts?"

"My Buddha's words are as good as gold. I will never go back on my word."

Venerable Shi Ming nodded gently and said, "Tell them that the Pure Land has just been restored and is not yet completely stable. When I have completely merged with the Buddha's will, I will reshape the inheritance for them."

He knew that this process would not take long.

It had taken nearly a hundred years for Buddhism to assimilate the surrounding nations with the true meaning of the Buddha, raising its influence to its historical peak. Now, with the support of the authority of Peach Blossom Spring, this time could be shortened by at least several times.

He is stronger than Kashyapa was at that time, and the Buddhism he leads is naturally stronger than the Buddhism 1200 years ago. Only the strongest can truly realize the Buddha's ambition.

If those old monks could still speak, they would certainly have denounced his idea. Buddhism values ​​thought and enlightenment, and pure violence is not welcomed within the sect. Yet, now, such a person holds the greatest power and deepest foundation of Buddhism.

He has distorted the Buddha's will and is also influenced by this distorted will. Now he only wants to become the king who controls the Pure Land.

Just a little more time, until the authority of Peach Blossom Spring is fully integrated and the Pure Land is completely revived.
Venerable Shi Ming suddenly opened his eyes, and a special vibration entered his perception.

"Has the expansion of the Pure Land stopped?"

There was a flash of surprise in the golden body's eyes. He was now connected to the Pure Land and could feel that the Buddha's power emanating from him had dissipated in the instant just now, as if it had evaporated on the spot. The Pure Land that had been growing rapidly stagnated because of this, just like a seed that was about to break through the ground and shrank back into the soil.

Throughout the history of Buddhism, there has never been an existence that can interfere with the Pure Land - but one just appeared not long ago.

The successor of the Jiuli Immortal Alliance, the Jiuli Sect. During the discussion between the immortals and the Buddha, they relied on some kind of inheritance to break the faith that enveloped the Liangzhou area, and the damage spread directly to the Pure Land.

At this very moment, they are still exerting influence on the Pure Land? Is the inheritance they possess so powerful?

Or is it that it is not a legacy, but a real existence?

"When the Liangzhou faith was destroyed, did you ever witness the methods used by the Jiuli to destroy their heritage?"

The majestic voice echoed in the Pure Land. The monks below the stage exchanged glances with each other, and then one of them walked out, presenting something in his hand.

"According to the survivors of Liangzhou, all faiths were destroyed."

The Buddha on the lotus platform lowered his eyes and saw clearly what was in his hand.

It was a burning incense stick, which looked more than half burned, with a little ash still remaining on the incense head.

"Is this the thing that destroyed the Pure Land?"

There was a hint of surprise in the eyes of the tyrant's half body. He raised his hand and the incense flew up and landed in his palm. Compared with the huge Buddha's palm, the incense was as small as a needle.

"Indeed." The Buddha below bowed. "During my discussion with Jiuli, it was this object that extinguished the Buddha's faith in Liangzhou and damaged the Pure Land. I'm afraid it was the work of the powerful being behind Jiuli."

Invisible ripples spread out, and the half of the Buddha was also slightly moved, staring at the burning incense in his hand.

If it was truly a divine artifact with a legacy, he would surely be able to discern the legacy within the incense stick. However, at this moment, he couldn't sense any Daoist meaning within it; it seemed like just an ordinary stick of incense.

If he didn't have the Pure Land, he would have been helpless by now. But now that he had this inheritance that condensed cause and effect, he could still gain some information from it.

In modern criminal investigation, there is a method called "profiling", which can restore the complete situation of the criminal through just a few sentences or a few fragments of information - Pure Land also has a similar effect, but it does not rely on specific information, but on the imaginary cause and effect.

Waves of Sanskrit chanting rang out in the Pure Land. The venerable monk on the lotus platform spoke, and the ten thousand Buddhas behind him chanted along with him. All the Buddha's intentions were concentrated on the half of burning incense, and the cause and effect contained in it were all mastered by the Buddha.

If the mighty power behind Jiuli truly had used this thing to destroy the Pure Land, then it would be tainted with his karma. Even if it was only a tiny bit, the Venerable could use the power of the Pure Land to restore everything contained in that karma—including his own weaknesses.

In Buddhist teachings, desire brings weakness, just as mortals develop soft spots due to entanglements and fall into the abyss due to greed.

Family, love, and friendship are all ties; seeking the truth, wealth, and God are all greed. Only by letting go of everything and becoming a monk can one achieve perfection.

Because of this, he now has no fear of the other party. The Buddha's teachings are supreme, but anyone who has not yet entered the Buddhist world will inevitably have ties and desires.

Before focusing on the Pure Land within a person's mind, these ties and desires would become fatal flaws. As long as he could find the source of his obsession, he would be able to allow the Pure Land to penetrate his soul and completely transform him.

The sound of Sanskrit echoed, and under the shining light of the Pure Land, countless causes and effects appeared before the eyes of the Venerable, causing the expression of the golden Buddha to fluctuate slightly.

There were a vast sea of ​​figures, including old men in Hanfu, fortune tellers in green, saints holding swords, monsters with red feathers, and more monks in Taoist robes and common people in plain clothes. They were mixed in with countless figures, and the cause and effect of a thousand years came together as one, flowing before the eyes of the self-respecting person like a torrent.

He swam in this torrent, searching for the flaw he wanted. Under normal circumstances, this was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but for him who now mastered the Pure Land skill, it was easy.

Then in a corner, he found what he wanted.

A tiny but strong obsession.

"Indeed, those who have not yet entered the Buddhist world will always have ties and desires."

The Tyrant Dharmadhatu's lips curled slightly as his perception penetrated. All of his obsession surged towards him, and cause and effect manifested, transforming into the form of an ancient city. A city called Chang'an.

The cold winter wind blows across the towering Zhongnan Mountains, and withered grass and trees sway underfoot.

The Taoist priest in red sat on the top of a hill, gazing out at the distant city of Chang'an. The lights in the city were gone, leaving only the lonely plaque in front of the city gate with the word "Chang'an" written on it.

In the past two hundred years, he had seen the most beautiful fireworks, the most unparalleled poetry, and heard the most beautiful songs in this city. He had also witnessed the most ardent wills and the smallest wishes.

But now, he could hardly recognize this capital city.

Footsteps were heard, and Yuan Tiangang, dressed in green, walked slowly up to him and pondered for a moment.

"Brother Zhou, the Tang court just sent a new letter stating that unrest has broken out again in the four towns of Hedong. The local military governors are exploiting the famine to incite the people to rebel against the imperial court."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "I've divined that the governor has the support of the Four Sects of Hedong. It's said they've mastered the art of corpse transformation and are hoping to use this famine to cause unrest and obtain a large number of corpses for their own cultivation."

After the collapse of the Jiuli Immortal Alliance, the Tang Dynasty fell into complete chaos. Local separatist regimes emerged, famines occurred frequently, and civil unrest broke out. The extraordinary forces hiding behind the scenes also took advantage of the chaos and tried to get a piece of the pie from this troubled times.

A new chaos had arrived, and everything that was happening in the world gave him a sense of long-lost familiarity. Hundreds of years ago, when the Han Dynasty was about to fall, the Central Plains was also filled with a scene of widespread grief.

If he had not seen the prosperous Chang'an, he could have gotten used to the chaos in the world.

But now he can no longer tolerate it.

"Tell me the locations of the four Hedong sects involved. I will deal with them one by one in the next few days."

He faced the distant capital and said, "As for those who rebelled, let them go."

Yuan Tiangang looked at his back and said, "Brother Zhou, you should know that those people want to enter Chang'an and overthrow the Tang Dynasty."

"They just want to have something to eat."

Zhou Wuqing looked at the capital city in the distance and answered softly.

"If the existence of a dynasty only brings suffering to the people, then there is no need for it to exist."

Chang'an is still the same Chang'an, but the Tang Dynasty is no longer the same Tang Dynasty.

Yuan Tiangang was silent for a long time: "So, what are you going to do next, Brother Zhou?"

A bleak winter wind blew, ruffling the hems of their clothes. Beneath the iron-gray sky, the red-robed Taoist raised his eyes slightly.

"kill."

"Kill foreign enemies, kill the powerful, kill those in high positions, and kill all those who cause chaos, until peace is restored to the world."

He looked at the clouds in the sky and said in a low voice: "If the prosperous Chang'an is irreversible, then I will start a new prosperous era."

Yuan Tiangang was stunned for a moment, then shook his head helplessly: "That's exactly what you, Zhou Wuqing, would say."

"You don't need to call me that anymore."

The Taoist in red looked into the distance and said, "Now that Jiuli has closed its mountains, if I continue to travel outside under the name of a guest official, I will attract unnecessary attention from them."

"I will restore the world to a harmonious society. From now on, you will call me Zhou Tong."

When the words reached his ears, Yuan Tiangang stood silently for a moment and sighed softly.

"Then let's go now, Zhou Tong."

Yuan Tiangang walked back, but after a few steps, he found that there were no footsteps behind him. Looking back, he saw that the red figure was still standing there, motionless, just staring silently ahead.

At the end of his sight, in front of the light gray sky, the dilapidated city still stood on the earth.

That is Chang'an, loved by thousands of people, their utopia, their burial place, and their resting place.

Now, it will serve as their tombstone.

A cold wind blew towards me, scattering that grand and beautiful dream. The Taoist in red stood there, looking for a long time, then turned and left, never looking back.

In the fifth year after he left, rebel forces from all directions captured Chang'an.

The fire in the city burned for three days and three nights. The magnificent palace served as fuel for the fire, and the wailing and crying under the city walls added fuel to the fire. Finally, all the sounds died down, all the colors went out, and even the flames in the sky faded away. What was once the best city in the world was left with only broken walls and ruins.

Beneath the ruins lie the poetry and songs, the laughter and dreams of the past. Behind it, the glorious era has become a thing of the past. Before it, a new round of chaos is approaching.

In 907 AD, the Tang Dynasty fell.

The shadow retracted, and the Venerable Shi Ming in the Pure Land opened his eyes, with a look of surprise in his eyes.

"Taoist Wuqing, it turned out to be him?"

As a powerful figure in Buddhism, he was well-versed in its history and naturally knew the demon known as Wuqing. He had seen the flames he wielded in the Pure Land, and the power of the flames was so great that even he, an Arhat, could not help but sigh in admiration.

This incense was stained with his karma, which meant that Taoist Wuqing was still alive? Was he the one who did this?

To be able to live to this day, has that person already broken through the upper three realms?

The giant Buddha image showed a slight wavering. In his current state, this was already his most intense emotion.

The Taoist who massacred Buddhist disciples 1,200 years ago still exists today and is still destroying Buddhism. This truth is shocking, but he did not give up. He believed that as a venerable one, he should still have a chance to fight.

Catching that trace of obsession, he has already seen through the man's desires and ties. In this pure land, he is the king, and all desires and ties will become gaps that can be broken through.

He had already thought about how to fight him next. First, he would use the faith everywhere to find him, and then try to pull him into the Pure Land, open a window through obsession and invade his soul, and then
Suddenly, a crisp cracking sound was heard, like silk tearing, mixed with the sound of burning flames.

The next second, overwhelming flames rushed in, the golden Buddhist realm was immediately pierced, and the surrounding Buddhas turned into ashes in an instant.

Flames rushed towards him, and the venerable on the lotus platform was directly thrown off the platform. The Buddha's light surrounding him burst into pieces and flew everywhere. The Buddha's image and the king's image cracked at the same time, and a figure falling from the sky was reflected in his wide-open eyes.

The man came walking on the flames. With every step he took, the pure land around him melted like falling snow. He stood there with his hands behind his back, looking down at the golden Buddha at his feet.

He will kill all those who caused the chaos until peace is restored to the world.

So now, he comes to destroy the distorted Buddha.

(End of this chapter)