Chapter 553 Devil Flames Rage While a True Buddha Cannot be Recognized
In Hasa.
In fact, if the word “Hasa” is changed a little bit, it becomes “Saha” which is a Buddhism world of Sakyamuni in the Sanskrit language. People of the earth are all familiar with it.
From the perspective of s.p.a.ce, the universe has no boundaries. From the perspective of time, the universe has “no beginning before and no end afterwards”. Buddhas make “places shaded by the sun and the moon” into a small world. More generally, it means a plane system, such as the solar system where the earth is.
A thousand small worlds form a “Mini World”, which means a star system, such as a galaxy.
Mini Worlds form “medium world”, and only one thousand medium worlds can const.i.tute a “kaleidoscopic world”. The universe is composed of countless kaleidoscopic worlds which circulate endlessly in the process of “forming, settling, decaying, and vanis.h.i.+ng”. It will never stop.
In the past, present, and future, Buddhas are born in a “kaleidoscopic world” from time to time, and they shoulder the responsibility of educating all beings. According to Buddhism, the “kaleidoscopic world” where the earth is is called the “Saha World”, and its master is Shakyamuni.
Saha means “tolerance”. Firstly, it means that all beings in this world have serious sins so they must tolerate all kinds of troubles. Therefore, “Saha World” can also be translated into “the land of tolerance”. It is called “Five Degeneratious World”, which is the opposite of the “Western Nirvana Pure Land” ruled by Amitabha. Five Degeneratious World produces all kinds of sins.
The above information is the explanation of the universe from the perspective of Buddhism. It is perfect even in Lin Luoran’s opinions. Her personal experience has confirmed that the universe has several “kaleidoscopic worlds” which are quite similar to the “worlds” in cultivators’ cognition.
Lin Luoran feels boring, so she tells some Buddhism knowledge to Mu Tiannan on the way.
The planet where they are is very strange. They turn the “Saha world” upside down and call it “Hasa world”. They don’t wors.h.i.+p Sakyamuni. Instead, they wors.h.i.+p Hasa Mi Buddha that she has never even heard of. The “pure land” in “Western Nirvana” is also “borrowed”. Lin Luoran can’t believe such messy information.
Moreover, if Lay Buddhist Xin deliberately causes the accident of the interstellar teleportation, she will never be so kind to send them to a planet sheltered by Buddhas’ compa.s.sion…
The temple with the golden body of Hasa Mi Buddha is not in the capital, but in the source of the Luoye River. It is in a Buddha city with constant incense all year round at high att.i.tudes.
The name of the Buddha city is “Ramoye”. The mountains there are steep. The entire city is on the yellowish-brown mountain wall, which is covered by clouds and mist all year round. Hasa has plenty of suns.h.i.+ne. It contrasts with the yellowish-brown rock. From a distance, it really looks like a golden city under the sky.
The “Luoye River”, known as the river of life, runs through the entire territory of Hasa. It originates in the Ramoye Mountains. Devout people have to kneel down and wors.h.i.+p on their way to this city. Besides, if they want to wors.h.i.+p the golden body of Hasa Mi Buddha at the highest point of the mountains, they have to choose a mountain road that is more dangerous than the ancient Huaxia Chuan Road.
As the birthday of the Hasa Mi Buddha is approaching, many people go to Ramoye. Pool people travel thousands of miles in rags and barefoot. Everyone can see their thick calluses, and their faces are showing traces of miseries. Rich people wear gorgeous clothes with shoes made of fine silk. They sit in a luxuriously decorated ox cart. Golden bells are on the horns of the ox, and flowers fill the whole cart. Their luxurious lifestyle is revealed all the way. It looks more like traveling rather than offering Buddhas.
On the way to the city, Lin Luoran rarely sees rich people. Hasa is actually rich in products. However, the property is controlled by big landlords while ordinary people are all very poor. The highest demand of slaves is not to starve to death.
There is also a strange scene. Many young girls who were born in poverty now put on silk and satin clothes that they never have the chance to touch. Wearing luxurious gems and surrounded by flowers and perfume, they stare blankly ahead.
Believers look at them with envious and respectful eyes. Soon Lin Luoran and Mu Tiannan know that they are faithful girls of “Hasa Mi Buddha” selected from all over the country.
Firstly, Mu Tiannan laughs and says that extreme poverty is really the fertile ground for faith. Maybe “Hasa Mi Buddha” arranges it on purpose.
However, when he and Lin Luoran hear that beautiful girls have to be offered to Hasa Mi Buddha, they are both speechless.
Although Lin Luoran also cultivates the power of faith, she can’t find words to refute Mu Tiannan. Taking her own experience as an example, she apotheosized herself in Dongting. If she wanted to get the power of faith she has now in an ordinary way, she might have to keep doing good deeds for thousands of years and gradually gather believers. But because of the eternity calamity of the earth, she only stayed on the earth for a hundred years during the reconstruction. She appeared in crisis and the number of her believers soared.
If life gets harder, undetermined people usually pin their hope of changing life on “Buddhas”. However, Buddhism encourages believers to tolerate the sufferings of this life and do good deeds to achieve good results in the next life.
Even Lin Luoran doesn’t know if there will be an afterlife. Although she apotheosizes herself and cultivates the “power of faith”, she has always believed that the illusory future life is nothing compared with improving this life actively. People should never be satisfied with the status quo in this life, and then hope the next life will be totally different… In other words, She is always contrary to the belief of most Buddhist cultivators in the world. Even if Hasa Mi Buddha is an orthodox one, it probably won’t like her.
“Buddhas” advise their believers to be tolerant, but Lin Luoran wants her believers to make positive changes.
On the way to “Ramoye”, Lin Luoran and Mu Tiannan blend in the pilgrims’ crowd. Many monks are looking for them. Those monks’ eyes are flas.h.i.+ng, and there are waves of power of faith around them. They are obviously elites of the “Hasa Mi Sect” with supernatural powers.
With their personal ability, Lin Luoran and Mu Tiannan can hide their breath very well. Both of them now look like the locals. Lin Luoran’s face is even covered with a colorful headscarf. They are in the crowd towards “Ramoye”. Ordinary Buddhist cultivators can never recognize them.
They soon know the general situation of Hasa, and they have successfully reached the foot of the “Ramoye” mountain.
The snow on the majestic mountains has melted, and large flood land appears at the foot of the mountains. The snow water is biting cold, but it’s always hot in Hasa. Believers travel thousands of miles, and they feel proud of themselves for being able to hold a mouthful of the Luoye River.
The Luoye River is the sacred river of life in Hasa, and will never be contaminated by the filth of people and livestock. Bathing in the river is forbidden, and people can only drink the river water on the flooded land. Things that enter the Luoye River can only be all kinds of precious perfume and flowers.
Lin Luoran and Mu Tiannan are standing at the foot of the mountain. The Buddha’s birthday is tomorrow, and a grand spell conference will be held on both sides of the Luoye River. Rich people carried by slaves began to climb the mountain a few days ago. They have donated so much gold, only for the opportunity to personally receive the blessings of the Buddha in front of the golden body of Hasa Mi Buddha.
“Do we need to go up the mountain?” Mu Tiannan pulls the white cloth turban on his head. Spending a month in this country, he feels that his whole body is soaked in various spices, emitting a kind of “scent” similar to curry but stranger than curry.
Lin Luoran is hesitant, “We have to wait and see.”
There are Buddhist cultivators in Hasa. Whether the “Hasa Mi Buddha” is true or false, the place where the Buddha’s golden body is the Taoist field of a G.o.d. If she steps into the temple wors.h.i.+ping “Hasa Mi Buddha” recklessly, two different beliefs may cause damage on both sides.
Unless, the so-called Hasa Mi Buddha is not a true Buddha.
Lin Luoran and Mu Tiannan imitate the locals and sit cross-legged on the bank of the Luoye River. They sleep near the river tonight.
River lanterns made of flowers are constantly put down in the water. If waves don’t destroy them, it is said that owners of the river lanterns will be blessed by the Buddha.
The river wind is quite strong at night, and almost no river lanterns survive the wind. However, the rising water vapor sweep away the pungent smell of perfume, and brings a refres.h.i.+ng coolness to Lin Luoran and Mu Tiannan.
The sky like black silk is dotted with twinkling stars. They are in a frenetic atmosphere of perfume and religion, but Mu Tiannan still looks at the sky leisurely and blankly.
Lin Luoran is sitting less than a foot beside him. He thinks if possible, it seems that staying by the Luoye River for a lifetime is also a good choice. In the hundreds of years since he cultivated to be a monster as a human, Mu Tiannan doesn’t think he has ever slept peacefully. With the low personal ability, he couldn’t sleep at night because of the invasion of the Alpha Alliance. When he had a better personal ability, he had been suffering day and night because of the increasing persecution of old bat and the blood poison in his body… and then later on, with his personal ability, self-cultivation can make up for the consumption of energy, so he doesn’t need to “sleep” at all.
Only in this night, in an unfamiliar place separated from his homeland the earth, Lin Luoran sits beside him because it’s crowded. Such tranquility makes Mu Tiannan really relax and he falls asleep peacefully.
He doesn’t have any dream this night.
Mu Tiannan feels refres.h.i.+ng when he wakes up.
Hasa believers clean up their hands and faces. They put the perfume that they have been carrying into the water.
Maybe because of the snow water, the various strong scents that usually smell very pungent actually neutralize into the smell of “sandalwood” after being mixed together.
It’s the fragrance of sandalwood representing Buddhas.
Those young girls dressed up luxuriously are still sitting in the ox cart upright.
When the spell conference is over, they will be sunk into the Luoye River. By washed away the sins of the world, they can be offered to Hasa Mi Buddha.
Enjoying living people as the sacrifice—what kind of Buddha it is? ! Even though the Luoye River snow water can produce the sandalwood smell, Lin Luoran still feels that everything in front of them is ignorant and disgusting.
The place “shaded by the sun and the moon” is a mini world. No matter how far away from the earth, the planet with intelligent life forms will always enjoy the light from a fixed star.
In this place, the fixed star is not the “sun” surrounded by the eight planets. The round “sun” jumps out of the cloudy and misty mountains, and it illuminates the golden roof of the temple on the main peak which reflects solemn and magnificent golden light. Lin Luoran suddenly has a moment of bewilderment, and she doesn’t doubt Hasa Mi Buddha anymore. The first thought that comes to her mind is three words—compa.s.sion and fascination.
The golden light refracted by the golden roof of the temple penetrates clouds and mists that cover the Ramoye mountain range all year round. It casts on the Luoye River with the sandalwood smell and vapor. The light then mingles with a clear snow water source. Distinct visual impacts between movement and stillness, luxury and simplicity bring a shock to souls.
The bell at the top of the mountain rings, and the people of Hasa have already knelt down and bowed. Lin Luoran is suddenly awakened.
A red color flashes in Mu Tiannan’s eyes. They look at each other, and they both see the shock in each other’s eyes.
Without the bell waking them up, they are almost immersed in the “compa.s.sion and fascination” atmosphere even though their personal ability is extraordinary, which is really not good news for the two of them.
“It has the right time, the right place, and the right people. If we really turn again it, things will be very troublesome.
Lin Luoran murmurs.
Today is the so-called “Buddha’s Birthday” when almost all power of wish is gathered together. At this moment, they are standing at the foot of the mountain where the golden body of “Hasa Mi Buddha” is wors.h.i.+ped. What they do is like someone challenging the authority of “Mortal Heart Fairy” in Dongting on the earth. Regardless of the authenticity of Hasa Mi Buddha, Lin Luoran has already known that how she and Mu Tiannan trying to “push” it is really not a good move.
However, it has been more than four hundred years, and she has been longing for the reunion with the Lins family all the time. She is impatient about the steady strategy of boiling the frog in warm water.
The sound of reciting sutra rings, and it is neither high nor low. Lin Luoran hasn’t figured out which book the sutra comes from.
As time goes by, the temperature gradually rises, and the smell of sandalwood in the Luoye River becomes stronger.
The rich man who went up the mountain a few days ago must have received the “blessing” in front of the golden body. At noon, a “Buddha statue” shrouded by golden light suddenly appears above the main peak.
“Merciful Buddha comes to Hasa!”
Believers kneel when the Buddha’s golden body chants loudly. A tangible gaze shoots in the direction of Lin Luoran.
Lin Luoran’s convergent power of faith protects her automatically. The gaze is stopped. Lin Luoran and the Buddha have eye contact in the air. In a brief confrontation, they both have a general impression of their enemy’s strength.
This so-called “Hasa Mi Buddha” is very strong, but its power of faith is not solid. Obviously, it is not a true Buddha.
“Hasa Mi Buddha” is also shocked. Lin Luoran’s power of faith is not stronger than its. However, her power of faith is thick and solid, which makes him pleasantly surprised—this human female cultivator gets the true “G.o.dhead” from somewhere. If he can also get it, he can attain the highest level in one step!
Mu Tiannan doesn’t cultivate the power of faith, so he doesn’t attract the attention of “Hasa Mi Buddha”. Because the “Buddha” doesn’t notice him, Mu Tiannan catches a faint breath of monster in the light of Buddha.
“He is not a Buddha… ” Lin Luoran narrows her eyes and says slowly.
Mu Tiannan is shocked, “He is a monster?!”
The immeasurable power of faith rushes towards the golden body of the Buddha. “Hasa Mi Buddha” chants again. The bell strikes three times, and his golden body disappears in the deep white cloud.
Believers’ tears flow without end. After a while, there is a group of monks wearing red kasaya vestments with gold threads. Stepping on straw sandals made of rushes, they go down from the top of the mountain with canopies in their hands.
An eminent monk on the lotus platform kind of looks like the previous “Pasa Mi Buddha” they saw. With a benevolent and kind countenance, he doesn’t even have a little monster Reiki that Mu Tiannan has detected.
Believers are shouting “Buddha Lord”. Obviously, he is the spokesperson of “Hasa Mi Buddha” in the earthly world… Of course, in Lin Luoran’s view, he is the so-called Hasa Mi Buddha himself.
A bunch of golden threads that ordinary people can’t see covers Lin Luoran. Mu Tiannan’s eyes flash red and he spits out red clouds to stick the golden threads in the air. The golden threads are totally slowed down. The “Buddha” suddenly opens his eyes, and golden light rises suddenly and sharply. After seeing Mu Tiannan, he feels very strange. Maybe because he doesn’t understand how can a human attack with fierce monster means.
“Let’s go!”
When Greek meets Greek then comes the tug of war, let alone two one belief meets another. If Lin Luoran and the so-called “Hasa Mi Buddha” do not start fighting, they may maintain peace. Once they make a move, it will never end well. The man casts a gold net to capture her, and it is stopped by Mu Tiannan’s red clouds. “Buddha” chooses to break off their relation directly. Lin Luoran greets Mu Tiannan, and they turn into a stream of light towards the “Buddha City” built on the steep mountain wall.
When they are in the air, the Buddha on the lotus platform shouts, “Evil abominations!”
In the panic of the believers below, the monks holding canopies change the circle to intercept Lin Luoran and Mu Tiannan.
Mu Tiannan smiles. He ridicules this group of jokers who mystify things and overrate their own ability. He just destroys their magic circle easily. Buddhas’ light can capture monsters. However, this Buddha does not stand righteous, and his power of faith can’t be used on a big monster like Mu Tiannan.
Not to mention Lin Luoran, she has a Gathering Vitality of five elements. Apart from going through “Divinization Doom”, she has already had the strength of a Divinization cultivator. She used to rely on the “Escape technique”, but now she can touch the frequency of s.p.a.ce fluctuations and directly choose to “teleport”.
When she appears again, she has been in the main peak temple wors.h.i.+ping Hasa Mi Buddha’s “golden body”. There is a big bodhi tree about a thousand years old. The temple incense is prosperous, and the power of faith is so strong that Lin Luoran is trapped under the tree. She can’t transgress the bounds.
Mu Tiannan follows her and arrives later. The Buddha nature of the thousand-year-old bodhi tree makes him feel a little uncomfortable. But when he condenses his monster power, such Buddha nature cannot hurt him.
On the square in front of the temple, there are a number of slaves chosen by the Buddha. They all look up in surprise when they see the Buddha’s ceremony is stopped.
In the temple, rich and n.o.ble people of Hasa are still enjoying the “blessing” at ease. Seeing the monks returning with the lotus platform, they walk out of the temple in twos and threes to see what is going on.
Two people are standing under the tree whose skin color and dress are completely different from theirs. Buddha Lord says that they are “evil abominations”. n.o.blemen are all panicked and ask their slaves to protect them. The monks in the temple all go out in succession. People inside and outside the temple are panicking. In fact, they have been in a mess because of the two bold “evil abominations” breaking into the temple where the Buddha’s golden body is.
“The evil land can’t trap you guys, and you dare to be presumptuous in front of the Buddha!” Lord Buddha chants loudly again. The Buddha bell keeps ringing. The power of faith has already formed an invisible barrier in front of Lin Luoran. Lord Buddha pushes it forward to catch her. It seems that he wants to capture Lin Luoran alive.
Mu Tiannan’s complexion changes. This monster acts like a Buddha for a long time, and its Buddha light almost looks genuine. If Lord Buddha really takes action, he will be much more difficult to deal with than the monks who intercepted them before.
Lin Luoran waves her sleeves, and stops the barrier.
“We pa.s.s by this place by accident, and we do not want to steal your believers. Why do you keep pus.h.i.+ng?”
The sarcasm in Buddha Lord’s eyes is covered up by his superficial appearance of benevolence. He has discovered that Lin Luoran has a G.o.dhead. How can he let her go easily?!
“The Interstellar transmission circle?” He must haven’t spoken Huaxia language for many years. They can’t hear him very clearly.
Lin Luoran is surprised. Isn’t he a local monster? His voice even sounds like an outsider.
She still has doubts in her mind, and then she continues, “We really have no intention of staying here and we want to leave. Please tell us the location of the transmission circle. We will definitely present a grand reward.”
Buddha Lord smiles gently, “A grand reward? If I want your G.o.dhead, will you be willing to give it to me?”
Lin Luoran is not angry, and she replies gently, “You are not the only one who has this idea. It’s a pity that aliens are always short-sighted. You guys always focus on the shortcuts of organizing cults—how can you achieve the status of G.o.d and Buddha in this way? Don’t talk about this ridiculous idea again. If I were you, I would put forward the requirement that we can both accept. The goods will be delivered and then the bill will be cleared. The starry sky is so vast that we will never meet each other again. Won’t it be the best?”
Mu Tiannan is amused by Lin Luoran’s words, but Buddha Lord is so angry at the word “short-sighted”.
“The two evil abominations do not repent and insist on making trouble in Hasa. All the pilgrims, go down the mountain. Monks in the temple, form the circle to capture these two abominations and make the place of Buddha peaceful again.”
“Aye.”
The n.o.blemen in the country have been trembling for a long time. Hearing the Buddha Lord’s decree, they are like to be discharged from prison. They order their slaves to guard them and go down the mountain as quickly as possible.
Monks in the temple surround Lin Luoran and Mu Tiannan, holding moving copper lamps and chanting mysterious scriptures.
Lin Luoran laughs happily, “If I were you, I would wait until there is a winner. At that time, you can open your eyes to see who is the real abomination!” She says these words in local dialect so everyone present can hear her clearly.
Buddha Lord shakes his head without saying a word, and he focuses on reciting sutra. It seems that he feels really pity about the obsession of this “evil abomination”.
The n.o.blemen are all angry and accuse Lin Luoran of offending Buddha Lord and she will never end well.
Mu Tiannan sighs, “This is clearly a group of hopeless puppets who are bewitched by a monster. Why bother to do so.”
What Mu Tiannan says is true. The civilians and slaves are actually the majority, and the Buddha deceives them to be content with their status quo. However, they don’t resist unfair treatment and they even protect the interests of the powerful cla.s.s. They wors.h.i.+p “Hasa Mi Buddha” of their own accord—they are indeed a group of self-hypnosis puppets.
Some distinguished believers have left. The turning bronze lamps in the hands of the monks cooperate with the chanting scriptures. Now it’s the right time, place, and people for their enemy. People’s wish at this moment must be that Buddha Lord can capture the two evil abominations. The golden light is strengthened because of monks and people’s power of wish, and Lin Luoran also feels the pressure approaching step by step.
Mu Tiannan yells to the sky, and a pair of black wings grow from his ribs. He looks really scary. Standing with Lin Luoran, they really look like two evil abominations described by the ancient book—men are extremely ugly while women are extremely beautiful, both feeding on human flesh. The speed of the monks moving the copper lamps and reciting sutra has accelerated unconsciously.
Mu Tiannan claps his wings and triggers strong wind. Monks are shaky and the copper lamps in their hands are almost extinguished.
“It’s interesting. A human cultivates to be a monster who advances so much but the body still can stand it… and a female cultivator with G.o.dhead who has reached a critical point in strength but has not yet pa.s.sed the Divinization doom—such a team is really rare in history.” Buddha Lord bows his head and mutters to himself. He can’t hide his smile, and his benevolent and kind countenance finally changes, which makes him look much more real.
Of course, when he becomes real, he will reveal his hideousness.
Standing on the outermost periphery, a young Buddhist monk suddenly sees the hideous face of Buddha Lord. He is so shocked that the copper lamp in his hand is extinguished by the wind from Mu Tiannan’s wings. His thin body also tumbles and falls on the stone steps in front of the temple.
Lin Luoran catches this chance and stomps her feet. Behind her, the leaves of the big bodhi tree fall off. In the wind of Mu Tiannan’s two wings, leaves are wrapped in the Buddha’s light. An eye for an eye. The monks’ robes are cut and they are wounded one after another. Some people can no longer hold the lamps and recite sutra. Naturally, the circle is broken.
Buddha Lord is furious. The young Buddhist monk who tumbles in front of the temple has destroyed his plan.
Now, countless condemning and angry eyes are looking at the young Buddhist monk who is struggling to get up.
Lin Luoran doesn’t take advantage of it. She is also staring at the awkward young Buddhist monk-like Lord Buddha and the monks.
The handsome little monk blushes. Lin Luoran pats her forehead with her hand. She thinks the people of this country are really ridiculous. They allow devil flames to rage, but they do not recognize a true Buddha.
She also feels it really amazing. After more than four hundred years, she has advanced from Laying Foundation to Divinization. A mortal like Mu Tiannan without the Taoist root has become a powerful monster. However, for Zhixiu who walked to her in the fragrance of plantain lily in the past, he is still a young Buddhist monk with no ranks. It is really strange…