The immortal is beside me

Chapter 85: Sakya Rebellion, Enemy of Hedao (asking for monthly ticket)
"An enemy that Zhou Wuqing cannot defeat?"

Even Jiang Ruifeng couldn't help but change his expression when he heard this.

Among the Jiuli people today, Zhou Wuqing has always been a legendary figure, with labels of "invincible" and "undefeated" attached to him, as if he was born to be in a position of perfect victory. What existence can break this legend?

Yan Guoyun stretched out his hand, gently picked up the incense on one side, and inserted it into the stove.

"During the Sakya Rebellion, I was just a child who had just joined the sect. I didn't see the battlefield with my own eyes, but I was able to hear some clues from the mouths of my predecessors at that time."

"On the surface, the Sakya Rebellion was caused by an invasion of monks and the spread of Buddhism to the Central Plains, but in reality, the real driving force behind it was..."

"The founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni."

Jiang Ruifeng's eyes suddenly froze.

The name of Buddha Shakyamuni is very well-known.

In the mortal world, he is a frequent figure in legends and a god placed on the altar; in the world of immortal cultivation, he is a super powerful being who has reached the state of harmony among the three upper realms, one level higher than the leader of the Cangtian Sect during the Han Dynasty. He is a legend who single-handedly gathered the faith of the world, upgraded Buddhism from a sect to a religion, and his footprints are all over the world.

Although I had heard about the Buddha's deeds and his connection with the "Sakya Rebellion" from other places before, as a descendant of Jiuli, I still felt shocked when these words came from the mouth of the dignified sect leader.

Did the Jiuli people 1,200 years ago become enemies of the Buddha?
"Many historical records about Sakyamuni are now fragmented and vague, making it difficult to fully understand his life."

Yan Guoyun said, "But one thing is certain. As a powerful being at the Hedao realm, Shakyamuni must possess the ability to change the laws of heaven and earth. Under his influence, the Buddhist forces are also protected by the laws of heaven and earth, thus standing in an indestructible position."

"Changing the rules of heaven and earth." Jiang Ruifeng repeated this sentence in a low voice, "What does this mean?"

"Rumor has it that each Dao-Unifying Realm expert governs different rules. And the authority held by Shakyamuni is 'Universal Salvation.'"

Yan Guoyun shook his head: "The exact time when the Buddha reached the Hedao realm is no longer known, but it is certain that it was approximately 1,200 years ago."

"During that period, with India as its center, Buddhism suddenly flourished in all the surrounding kingdoms. The Tubo, Huihe, Nanzhao, and other kingdoms bordering the Central Plains all originally had their own beliefs, but within just a few years, they all embraced Buddhism."

"Even within the Central Plains, within the jurisdiction of the Immortal Alliance, there is an undeniable Buddhist faith. Many ordinary people have begun to respect Buddhism, including the one who provoked the Tang Dynasty court."

"An Lushan."

The lingering scent of the incense dissipated, and the hall fell into silence for a while.

There are not many ordinary people who can enter the vision of monks. Most of them are famous emperors and generals, and "An Lushan" is an extremely special one among them.

The man was originally of mixed Hu origin, with most of his blood coming from the Sogdians, and his faith was also the Zoroastrianism unique to the Sogdians.

However, on the eve of the An-Shi Rebellion, An Lushan suddenly began to respect Buddhism, leaving traces of his influence in temples across the country, and even his name was included in the Great Prajnaparamita Sutra.

With the support of monks, he and his colleague Shi Siming gathered a large number of followers through Buddhism and became direct participants in the later "Anshi Rebellion", leaving an indelible wound on the Tang Dynasty and becoming the direct fuse for its demise.

In the history of cultivation, the influence of Buddhism was undoubtedly behind this. When the layers of fog behind this influence are removed, the mysterious existence named Sakyamuni is finally revealed.

"Under the Buddha's authority, the Tubo and Uighur tribes, the Zoroastrian barbarian gods behind the Sogdians, and even some of the immortal sects in the Central Plains eventually joined the Buddhist sect, jointly causing the Sakya Rebellion. Even after the Buddhist sect's influence faded, its influence remained deeply within the Central Plains."

Yan Guoyun said, "The Cangtian Sect is participating in this discussion. I believe they have adopted the same path as the many barbarian immortal sects back then. After all, the Buddhist sect is a force with a Hedao-level inheritance."

Jiang Ruifeng was speechless for a moment. He had been in the world of cultivation for over four hundred years and was considered an elite. However, when faced with a topic of this magnitude, he had no room to interrupt.

As a descendant of Jiuli, he had also felt sad about the disintegration of the Jiuli Immortal Alliance. However, after hearing these words, he felt that the Jiuli was not completely destroyed, but a wisp of fire was left and revived a hundred years later. This was simply a miracle.

Just like the legendary Zhou Wuqing, while he certainly possessed numerous halos, they paled in comparison to the might of the Buddha. Victory should no longer be the criterion; the true measure should be survival. Like Jiuli, he survived the turmoil, which, for a cultivator, was truly a miracle.

Jiang Ruifeng pondered for a moment, then returned to the original topic: "So, regarding this discussion between the Buddhist sect and the Cangtian Sect, what should we do..."

In the past, the Jiuli Immortal Alliance and the Buddhist Sect fought each other and both suffered heavy losses. Now Jiuli has been restored as a sect, but it is unknown to what extent the Buddhist Sect has recovered, nor to what extent the inheritance left by the Buddha has been utilized in the past 1,200 years.

Not to mention, this time they also received assistance from the various sects of Cang Tian. Even if the Cang Tian Sect was more completely destroyed than the Jiuli Immortal Alliance, it cannot be denied that it is a historical sect with a legacy of refining emptiness. This alone is not comparable to Jiuli.

In such a situation, do we still want to fight?

The room fell into a long silence. Yan Guoyun sat in the curling smoke of incense, his face looking a little blurry in the mist.

"You just said that all the disciples in the sect are now asking for battle, right?"

"Yes." Jiang Ruifeng nodded. "I heard that the Buddhist sect is targeting us this time, and the disciples all want to fight them."

Yan Guoyun's expression remained calm. Several elders in the meeting hall had expressed similar sentiments, with several even challenging him to a fight. As the sect leader, he had to prioritize the overall well-being of the sect.

"So, what do you think about this?"

These words made Jiang Ruifeng stunned, and he lowered his head and pondered for a moment.

"The Buddhist sect is a major sect that has inherited the Hedao tradition. With the power of the current Jiuli, fighting against them may be risky."

He slowly raised his eyes. "But from what I've seen, Zhou Wuqing and other Immortal Alliance seniors fought bloody battles to save the Nine Li Fire from the Buddhist sect, allowing us to survive to this day. If we retreat in the face of the Buddhist sect now, wouldn't we be bringing shame to the blood of those seniors?"

"So I think we should fight this time." His voice dropped. "I think many of the sect's disciples should also think so."

The incense slowly rose from the incense burner, and the entire hall was silent. After a while, Yan Guoyun slowly stood up, and the fragrance around his face also dissipated.

"I think so too."

Jiang Ruifeng was slightly startled, and then he saw Yan Guoyun pick up the Buddhist ultimatum on the side and place it on the incense burner. The ultimatum with the blessing magic immediately ignited sparks and turned into ashes in a few breaths.

"Go tell the Chinese that Jiuli will be attending a meeting with the immortals and Buddhas to discuss the Dao."

Yan Guoyun said, "Also, tell them that Chinese entities are requested not to interfere. This is an internal dispute within the cultivation world, and if they get involved, it could lead to other incidents."

"The invasion of Buddhism triggered the An-Shi Rebellion, which brought disaster to the Tang Dynasty. The impact lasted for a hundred years and led to its ultimate demise. History must not repeat itself. The affairs of the monks should be resolved by the monks."

Jiang Ruifeng responded, thought for a moment, and then suddenly said, "Then, Sect Master, do we need to ask that senior for help in this discussion?"

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became solemn. He didn't say the name of "that senior," but once he did, it became clear what was being said.

"Senior Wuqing is now living in seclusion, so we shouldn't try to understand his intentions. If he still wishes to side with the Jiuli, he will naturally return to his sect. If he doesn't, that's understandable, and we shouldn't go against his wishes."

Yan Guoyun said, "As the younger generation, Jiuli will do the younger generation's work, and leave the rest to the elders to decide."

"I will obey the Sect Master's orders." Jiang Ruifeng nodded, and suddenly continued, "However, regarding this Buddhist matter, besides Senior Wuqing, there is another senior who is also paying attention."

"He is the Heavenly Master of Tianji Academy."

(End of this chapter)