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墨書 Inktalez
Under the massive strike of the White Snake, everyone was sent flying. Chang Liulang and Douding, whose powers were weak, were tossed into the air by the swirling sands.
Chang Liulang held onto Douding tightly, shielding him. Douding's eyes were streaming with blood as he rubbed them vigorously, trying to see what was happening around him and how badly Chang Liulang was hurt.
“Brother, brother, what happened to you?” Douding cried out.
Chang Liulang said, “Douding, I’m dying. There are some things I need to tell you.”
“You’re not going to die, we’ll go back to the temple,” Douding insisted.
Chang Liulang continued, “Don’t you want to know about your origins?”
Douding looked at the blood seeping from Chang Liulang’s chest, unable to stop his sobbing.
Chang Liulang said, “Eleven years ago, on a rainy night, Master brought you back to Qingliang Mountain. Accompanying him was an old monk who was gravely injured, his meridians severed as if he had gone through a great battle. He has been protecting you for a hundred years, but the protective sutra on him is about to fade. Someone must inherit the identity of the Living Buddha’s apostle to hold the protective sutra so that you won’t be discovered too early for the Zen Bodhisattva within you.”
“Brother, I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Douding replied.
Chang Liulang explained, “Back then during the Dark Turmoil, the Buddhist Sect, Daoist Sect, and military were in chaos. The Buddhist Sect was led by Master Xu Yun. Xuyun declared that the Buddhist Sect would withdraw from the conflict and subsequently achieved Nirvana, giving birth to a Seven-Colored Relic within him. The Seven-Colored Relic cannot exist without the master of Zen Buddhism. Xuyun never killed in his life and did not cultivate Buddhist powers; yet within him, the Zen Bodhisattva had never harbored thoughts of killing. After a hundred years of cultivation, his merit reached completion. Later on, the Seven-Colored Relic was seized by members of the Daoist Sect. The Zen Bodhisattva was reincarnated into a farmer's family but remained unborn for two years before that woman was drained of life. Her family thought she had died along with her unborn child and buried her. The abbot of Leiyin Temple, Master Hongyi, calculated the birthplace of the reincarnated Living Buddha and went alone to dig up the reincarnated Living Buddha from the buried farmer's womb. Without the Seven-Colored Relic, the reincarnated Living Buddha could not grow. To protect him, Master Hongyi sealed him in the Ten Thousand Buddha Grotto with supreme Buddhist methods until a hundred years later when the sealing power dissipated. The reincarnated Living Buddha remained an infant, weak and on the verge of death. Master Hongyi sensed his own impending death and calculated that after he died, a Relic would be born within him. He sought Grandmaster Chang Xi at Qingliang Mountain for help in sealing this Relic within the reincarnated Living Buddha so he could continue living. Grandmaster Chang Xi was a master of formations and devised a symbiotic method to connect the Relic with the Zen Bodhisattva’s essence. He then sealed the Relic within another person; as long as that person lived, the Living Buddha could live too. Thus Master Hongyi found his disciple Withered Sea—the old monk who appeared gravely injured at Qingliang Temple eleven years ago—who needed to find a guardian to protect the Living Buddha’s life; that guardian is me.”
“What happened next?” Douding asked.
Chang Liulang replied, “Later on, the old monk died and I became your guardian. Very few people know about this matter; Master felt sorry for me and initially wanted to kill you because he couldn’t oppose whoever the old monk chose as his successor. If you died, the Zen Bodhisattva would continue reincarnating and I would obtain the Relic for myself and become a top talent in Daoist Sect. Master told me to think it over; I thought all night while you kept smiling at me.”
Douding knew nothing of these past events and fell silent, unsure of what to say.
Chang Liulang continued, “Then you became our junior disciple. For some reason, after that point you began to grow up well—eating and sleeping well—and became increasingly close to me. Two years ago, Master suddenly predicted my death calamity; I would die because of you. I distanced myself from you in hopes of surviving but later regretted it when I heard news of your death. Master died at Mount Hua without leaving me a single word. I decided to go to Serpent Cult seeking revenge; everything that happened today is fate.”
“How did they from Leiyin Temple find me?” Douding asked.
Chang Liulang explained, “The Zen Bodhisattva within you is already three hundred years old; even as your guardian I cannot suppress its growing power—it wants to emerge into this world. The Ten Thousand Buddha Grotto in Leiyin Temple still holds traces of your essence from back then; once the Zen Bodhisattva appears it will be detected. Nangong Yun who possesses the Seven-Colored Relic can also sense you. Fortunately Leiyin Temple found you first and brought you back. That night they found me; if I extracted my Relic for you your Buddhist power would awaken but after all these years it has fused with me completely—if I take it out I won’t survive and I don’t want to die just like that especially since you're still innocent and pure; it’s not time yet for such things to happen. There are many ways to cultivate in this world—not just through Dao Qi or meditation but also through sentient beings’ willpower. The Zen Bodhisattva has not killed for three hundred years and is revered by people stronger than any generation of Zen Buddhism—even comparable to the first Zen Master Bodhidharma—and your true age is nearly two hundred years old now. Brother will extract my Relic for you now; breaking your shackles will awaken extraordinary abilities within you allowing your Golden Body to return and reclaim your Seven-Colored Relic—at that time you will truly be a Buddha.”
"Douding," he gritted his teeth and said, "So the people from Leiyin Temple didn't come to save me just to wait for you to die?"
Chang Liulang smiled. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he touched Douding's face. "Douding, everyone has their own mission. Leiyin Temple is also forced into a corner in the face of the great calamity of Buddhism and Taoism. If you live, I will die without regrets. In the spirit world, I will witness the moment my dear Douding rises and no longer suffers from oppression."
With that, Chang Liulang suddenly thrust his right hand into his chest, pulling out a golden Relic from within his flesh and blood, placing it into Douding's hands. He collapsed, dying before Douding, like a monument that stood tall like a mountain suddenly crumbling.
Douding clutched the golden Relic, crying heart-wrenchingly. How could he have ever imagined that his life would be so twisted and tumultuous?
In his memories, Qingliang Mountain was tranquil under the night sky, Niujia Village was peaceful, his companions were carefree, Uncle Zhang Scissors was humorous, and although his master was strict with the senior brothers, he never forced him to practice. His elder brother Yang Hao treated him with great affection.
Yet he had never thought that he was an old monster nearing two hundred years of age, with something sealed within him that had been unable to wield power for three hundred years.
In the midst of swirling yellow sand, everyone was immobilized by White Snake's Divine Ability. Even Old Scholar, Nangong Yun, and the Three Great Monks found their movements sluggish.
"Compassionate Heart, where are you?!" Master Hai Deng, despite being an elder of the Discipline Institute, had always cared for Douding. He opposed Leiyin Temple's decision to let Chang Liulang sacrifice himself to retrieve the Relic and awaken the Deity's power. Douding had only Chang Liulang as a companion; he couldn't bear to harm Douding in any way.
"Why did you deceive me..." A child's voice faintly echoed.
"Why did you have to kill my senior brother?!" It sounded like an accusation, trembling with intensity.
Douding's hand tightened around the golden Relic. The Relic shattered, emitting golden light as a powerful aura of Buddhism spread around.
The Zen Bodhisattva in Old Scholar's hand radiated an enchanting glow. The black chains of the Ghost Gate Secret Technique that coiled around him broke apart like smoke and dissipated. The Zen Bodhisattva looked towards the figure seated like a Buddha at the edge of the crowd with confusion; the Golden Body swayed and approached him.
"What happened?" Nangong Yun asked.
Not only Nangong Yun was puzzled; even Old Scholar was bewildered. How could the Zen Bodhisattva break free from his Ghost Gate Secret Technique so easily?
"Hmm?" The Snake Goddess standing atop White Snake also showed a look of confusion as she gazed at that figure amidst the swirling dust.
Master Drywood said, "No, Chang Liulang has already given Compassionate Heart the Relic within him, but Compassionate Heart did not merge with it. He destroyed the Relic to summon the Zen Bodhisattva in an attempt to reclaim it. The Zen Bodhisattva has endured for thousands of years without perishing; this act will prevent Zen Buddhism from reincarnating again and ruin the grand plan of the Buddhist Sect!"
For thousands of years, the Zen Bodhisattva has reincarnated multiple times. The chosen one becomes the Living Buddha, and when the Living Buddha dies, the Golden Body remains immortal, continuing to reincarnate in search of a spiritual child until achieving the true Buddha form, becoming an existence like the Lamp Buddha and the Tathagata Buddha. At that time, the brilliance of the Buddhist Sect will illuminate the entire land of Jiuzhou, overshadowing it for eternity.
At this moment inside Leiyin Temple, the fierce beast Qiongqi suddenly went berserk, breaking free from the Sutra's restraints and crashing through the courtyard walls. Several disciples guarding it tried to stop Qiongqi, chanting Spirit Conjuration. Having not eaten meat for a long time, Qiongqi devoured these disciples one by one. Its ferocity surged, fangs bared, and its Demonic Energy grew denser as it quickly took flight and soared away.
Meanwhile, in the countryside of Jiangnan Suburbs, a killing intent suddenly emerged in Yunxi's eyes. The Tai Xu Ling around her fluttered as if trying to break free.
"What's wrong, Yunxi?" Huzi asked.
I turned to look at Yunxi, who appeared puzzled. "It seems someone is summoning Tai Xu Ling."
"Douding?" I asked in confusion.
Yunxi released her grip. When Tai Xu Ling chose its master years ago, it had shown a fondness for Douding. As soon as she let go, Tai Xu Ling vanished into thin air.
"My fate is determined by me alone."
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