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Chapter 530 – If You Meet the Buddha, Kill the Buddha. If You Meet the Ancestors, Kill the Ancestors
The Buddhist Son Chen Lu had an innate “Untainted Buddhist Heart.” His talent was extraordinary.
When he stepped into the Grain Avoidance Realm, Sanskrit chanting filled the air and flowers fell from the heavens.
When he stepped into the Origin Palace Realm, a celestial dragon curled up beneath the dome of heaven, and the ringing of a temple bell filled the air.
When he entered the Gathering Stars Realm, a lotus platform appeared in the sky, and the stars appeared in broad daylight.
There was no doubt about it; the Buddhist Son of Maha Temple’s younger generation was a peak-level expert even among geniuses of the present day!
Even Su Yi had heard Yuan Heng mention Chen Lu before.
They said he’d mastered the “Majestic Heavenly Dragon Law.” He seemed tranquil and gentle, but when he fought, he was like the incarnation of a golden vajra, as fierce and unyielding as wildfire. None could compare.
When he saw the young monk from a distance, Su Yi couldn’t help but nod.
The famous typically lived up to their reputations. Even in the major Buddhist factions of the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, someone of Chen Lu’s talent and accumulations would be a core disciple.
Of course, that was all.
The gulf between the Azure Continent’s cultivation world and the Nine Provinces was enormous.
In the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, there was no shortage of natural-born Buddhist sons, each more dazzling than the one before. By comparison, Chen Lu, the peak-level genius of the Azure Continent, was still a bit lacking.
Suddenly, a bellow reverberated throughout the stage like a gong, shaking the clouds.
“The Majestic Heavenly Dragon! Die!”
The calm, detached Chen Lu suddenly seemed like an entirely different person. Every inch of him emanated radiant Buddhist light, and he held a golden vajra in his hands. He looked like an angry Buddha, with a limitlessly forceful and majestic momentum.
Boom!
When he attacked, a heavenly golden dragon wrapped around him, and Sanskrit chanting rang out. That invincible momentum provoked startled cries throughout the venue.
Chen Lu’s opponent, Chu Wei, was a monster of the ancient era.
He was in the peak Gathering Stars Realm, the very pinnacle of the Origin Dao, and he’d mastered an ancient secret technique.
In prior “discussions of the Dao”, Chu Wei displayed terrifying and extraordinary combat prowess.
However, although his battle with Chen Lu had only just begun, Chu Wei was already on the defensive. The tyrannical, ferocious pressure emanating from Chen Lu suppressed him completely!
“Tch, that monk sure is overbearing. He’s like a demon-fighting Buddha, a figure straight out of a legend. He doesn’t look compassionate in the least,” Xia Qingyuan commented as she shelled sunflower seeds.
“Buddhism is divided into numerous denominations: Heart Buddhism, Chan Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism, among others… Each has its own legacies and cultivation methods, and all are unique,” said Su Yi. He was snacking on sunflower seeds too.
“Chen Lu’s Buddhist legacy calls for boldly forging ahead; it’s a path of fearlessness. It’s centered around killing; by killing the thieves of the heart, one can become a limitless Buddha.”
Xia Qingyuan exclaimed, “Isn’t Buddhism about mercy and redemption? How could a Buddhist pursue the Dao of Slaughter?”
Su Yi laughed dryly, “Most people know the Buddhist saying, ‘meat and alcohol can pass through my intestines, for the Buddha remains in my heart’, but few know that this saying is incomplete. The rest goes like this: ‘Should the populace imitate me, they’ll descend into wickedness.”
Su Yi thought for a moment, and his eyes shone with reminiscence. “There was once an old monk, the most tyrannical Buddhist cultivator I ever saw. Whenever he saw his disciples meditate half-heartedly, he’d bellow: ‘If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. If you meet the ancestors, kill the ancestors!’
“Just a few simple words, but it was enough for his disciples to cast aside their scattered thoughts and fully immerse themselves in their meditation.
“In the old monk’s eyes, killing anything that stood in his way—be it man or Buddha—wasn’t about indiscriminately slaughtering the innocent. Rather, it was about killing the thieves of the heart, freeing himself of reverence toward the Buddha, and breaking through the shackles of both body and mind to achieve release. In doing so, he could become a Buddha.
“In other words, in his eyes, the ‘Buddha’ was what we see as the ‘Grand Dao.’ Becoming a Buddha, then, is equivalent to proving one’s Dao.
“There’s one thing he and I happen to agree on. If one views the Grand Dao with reverence and trepidation, how can they possibly seize control over it?”
His voice carried a hint of ruefulness.
The old monk’s Buddhist title was “Inkstone Heart.” He was the only Imperial Apex Realm cultivator of the Wilds’ greatest Buddhist holy land, the Little Western Paradise.
The people called him Buddhist Master Inkstone Heart. He was an expert who’d condensed twenty-four lotus platforms in his soul, and when they bloomed, their light illuminated the heavens.
Just listening to all this put Xia Qingyuan in a daze. “Why is it that I… I don’t quite understand what you’re saying..?”
Su Yi shelled another sunflower seed. “It would be stranger if you did understand.”
“.....”
Startled cries rang out throughout Orchid Terrace. The entire venue boiled over.
Buddhist Son Chen Lu had achieved a complete victory against Chu Wei, a monster of the ancient era!
“Fellow Cultivator Jinyuan, Chen Lu’s combat prowess is enough for him to secure a spot in the top three, and he even has hope of taking the championship,” Lu Daoting of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect praised.
The other higher-ups in attendance nodded their agreement.
If everyone who made it into the top hundred was a one-in-a-million genius, then Chen Lu was a peak figure even among these geniuses. He towered above the competition!
Buddhist Master Jinyuan smiled faintly. “You exaggerate. Chen Lu is only here to polish his heart and temper his cultivation base. We’re not concerned with what ranking he achieves in the end.”
Although he said this, the leader of Maha Temple was obviously gratified.
When she saw this, Xia Qingyuan was unconvinced. She put her shiny pink lips right up against Su Yi’s ear and whispered, “Brother Su, if you took the stage, you’d surely take first place!”
Her breath was like an orchid, and it made Su Yi’s ears tingle.
He couldn’t help but push her head further away. “It doesn’t matter whether I could take first place or not, but sit down and behave yourself.”
“Tch, I don’t care, so what are you afraid of? What, are you worried I’ll eat you or something?” Xia Qingyuan furrowed her delicate brow in disdain.
“....”
This was his first time having a young woman tease him like this.
Although Su Yi didn’t know it, the Xia Emperor’s lips twitched imperceptibly, and he almost couldn’t resist the impulse to grab Xia Qingyuan and drag her back over.
She was a girl, and they were in front of a crowd. How could she act with such little restraint?
Meanwhile, the contestants continued to duke it out.
However, Su Yi already had little interest.
To the other spectators, every match was dazzling, an exchange between some of the strongest Origin Dao cultivators in the world.
Some bouts were simply unbelievable, causing bursts of uproar throughout the venue.
However, in Su Yi’s eyes, it was lackluster.
It was to the point that as he watched the mighty contestants fight, he could pick out their flaws at a glance.
After all, although Su Yi’s cultivation was merely in the late-stage Origin Palace Realm, his strength had long since surpassed the bounds of the Origin Dao, and he had the horizons and experience of his past life. The battles on stage didn’t just fail to dazzle him; he had no trouble spotting the contestants’ weaknesses and inadequacies.
Of course, there was a lot to praise, too. It was just hard for Su Yi to really care.
Finally, it was Yue Shichan’s turn.
When the beautiful swordswoman in white took the stage, she immediately became the center of attention.
She was cold and aloof as ice, as stunning as a lady immortal!
Even the higher-ups on the central jade platform were dazzled.
The Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect’s Lu Daoting sighed, “If only I could recruit her. No matter the price, I wouldn’t so much as furrow my brow.”
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The others sighed too.
They’d long since heard of Yue Shichan’s attainments in the Dao of the Sword. In fact, over the past few days, many of them had sent their subordinates to make contact with her in hopes of recruiting her to their respective factions.
However, without exception, Yue Shichan refused them all.
The prominent experts couldn’t help but find it a pity.
When he sensed their reaction, the corners of Su Yi’s lips curled upward. He smiled but said nothing.
She was a seedling he, Su Xuanjun, thought highly of. It was obvious that others would think highly of her too; it wasn’t at all strange.
“Oh? This is somewhat interesting.” Su Yi suddenly noticed that Yue Shichan’s next opponent was none other than Yu Wenshu!
When they last saw each other on the banks of Goldenscale Lake, Su Yi said that should Yu Wenshu defeat Yue Shichan at the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly, he’d apologize to Yu Wenshu personally.
Now, a duel between Yue Shichan and Yu Wenshu was about to unfold!
This match set the whole place on fire with enthusiasm.
Everyone knew that Yu Wenshu was the top swordsman of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect’s younger generation, a rare and dazzling genius of the Dao of the Sword.
As for Yue Shichan, over the past few days, she’d displayed matchless attainments in the Dao of the Sword, drawing the attention of numerous prominent experts.
Two peerless sword cultivators were about to clash. It would have been impossible for this not to attract attention!
I just don’t know if Senior Apprentice Brother Yu can win, Jiang Li muttered to herself.
As a disciple of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect, she naturally hoped Yu Wenshu would emerge victorious.
However, Jiang Li also understood that Yue Shichan was no ordinary genius of the Dao of the Sword. Besides, Su Yi had dared proclaim that should she lose, he’d personally apologize to Yu Wenshu.
This unquestionably meant that Su Yi thought Yue Shichan was stronger than Yu Wenshu!
Otherwise, why would someone so overbearing and proud dig a hole for himself to fall into?
This left Jiang Li a bit uncertain, and she dared not make any rash proclamations.
“With Brother Su’s unreserved guidance, Big Sister Shichan is sure to win.” Wen Xinzhao was paying attention too, and her beautiful eyes were eager.
Unlike most of the others, she was convinced that Yue Shichan would emerge victorious.
Most of this confidence was the result of her faith in Su Yi!
“Only a beauty like this is worthy of me….” Huan Shaoyou’s eyes lit up, and he was increasingly determined to claim Yue Shichan for himself.
“Brother Su, are you and Yue Shichan sleeping together?” Xia Qingyuan said with an air of mysteriousness.
Su Yi was so stunned that he spat out the sunflower seed shell in his mouth and exclaimed, “Why would you say that?”
Xia Qingyuan said smugly, “Don’t tell me you forgot? Back in the Great Zhou, I was the grand elder of the local Ten Directions Pavilion Branch. I know what went on between you two like the back of my own hand. Besides, when you looked at her just now, the look in your eyes obviously changed. I’m a girl; how could I not understand what that means?”
She patted Su Yi on the shoulder. “You don’t have to explain. If I were a man, I’d want to get my hands on a beauty like Yue Shichan too! Who asked her to be so good-looking, right?”
Every word seemed to come straight from the heart.
Su Yi never had any intention of explaining, but when he saw how Xia Qingyuan was behaving, he couldn’t help but say, “No matter how pretty Miss Shichan is, what does it have to do with you? You’re a woman!”
Xia Qingyuan didn’t care in the least. “Women can’t like other women?”
“.....” He had nothing to say to that.