Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 477 - 250 Mount Ling

"Amitabha, I too was born of the human race, and I will give everyone a satisfactory explanation," the Tathagata did not appear in person, but his majestic and solemn voice echoed through Mount Ling.

The restless souls of the monks were soothed by this voice, and tranquility was restored.

"Agreed," came the Emperor's voice from within the Xuanyuan Sword as well.

The Demon Lord gazed at Mount Ling, letting out a soft sigh, "What a rare opportunity this is, if only the Tathagata had not intervened. Buddhism would have been split asunder, such a pity indeed."

Once the storm over Mount Ling had calmed, the eyes of everyone there immediately turned towards Lion Camel City. This small capital of the human race was being fully revealed to all the beings of the three realms for the first time.

The utterly inhumane scene made the faces of the monks who later ascended to Mount Ling turn extremely unsightly, after all, these three Demon Lords were born of Buddhism itself, and yet they committed such atrocious deeds. It was feared that once this incident passed, the reputation of Buddhism might plummet drastically.

"Amitabha," an old monk with closed eyes and palms pressed together muttered the Buddha's name in a low voice, but their trembling bodies revealed their inner turmoil. These were ascetic monks of Mount Ling who had experienced the dark era of the human race. The dreadful state of Lion Camel City unavoidably brought them back to their past lives.

Back then, the human race struggled painfully under such brutal conditions, seizing every chance to strengthen themselves, and gradually rose to become the protagonists between heaven and earth. These many years, they practiced Buddhism rigorously on Mount Ling, unconcerned with worldly affairs, and never imagined that the grim realities from eons ago would reappear before their eyes.

Precious Moonlight Buddha looked at these deep and steady ascetic monks, and quietly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. These were the true foundations of Buddhism. Despite appearing gentle and devout in their daily practice, they were once the fearsome beings who sent shivers down the spines of all different races in the three realms, their hands stained with the blood of those races. It was only after the human race ascended to its leading role that they retracted their aura of killing and retreated to Mount Ling for secluded Buddhist practicing.

"Even Buddha has his Vajra of wrath," which refers to those from the past. Now as their presence radiated outwards, and their sharp aura of killing enveloped Mount Ling, it even seemed to lower the temperature of this sacred place a few degrees.

The later monks who looked at these intimidating old monks were filled with surprise and confusion. After all, these ascetic monks were considered the most low-profile beings on Mount Ling, always presenting themselves in a compassionate demeanor. Nobody had seen them exude such killing intent before.

"It seems the world has already forgotten how these people fought their way through that dark age, of course back then Buddhism was known as the Western Sect," Maitreya said, his usual smile replaced with a very serious expression.

Precious Moonlight Buddha said with some relief, "Fortunately, the World-Honored One suppresses it, otherwise chaos would have ensued. If these people had taken action, it's uncertain how things would have been settled."

"The matter is not yet over. Since Dapeng has committed such a grave sin, if we in Buddhism do not provide a reasonable explanation, then what you fear will eventually happen," Maitreya said softly as he looked toward the summit of Mount Ling, his face full of worry.

To see such an expression on the face of this Buddha, who was usually so cheerful, showed the seriousness of the matter. Precious Moonlight Buddha, not quite understanding, asked, "With Dapeng committing such an unforgivable sin, tarnishing the good name of Buddhism and slaughtering innocent humans, he must be suppressed beneath the Nine Serenities, never to rise again. With such a resolution, what is there to worry about?"

"It's easy to say, but even the Buddha Ancestor couldn't do it."

"How is that possible?" Precious Moonlight Buddha's face showed an incredulous expression. He considered the Buddha Ancestor a supreme being of Buddhism, a powerful entity about to achieve transcendence in all three realms, an existence that in his mind was omnipotent. What could possibly be beyond his reach?

"At the time when the Buddha Ancestor attained enlightenment, the Demon Lord came to obstruct him. The two of them clashed, and ultimately, although the Buddha Ancestor was more enlightened by one level, he too was at the end of his tether, with his power completely exhausted. When the point of killing himself as an ordeal descended, Heavenly Thunder tested him, and his life hung by a thread."

"Just then, as Kong Xuan of the Western Sect cast away evil thoughts and began his reincarnation, those evil thoughts transformed into a peacock and flew to the Buddha Ancestor, swallowing him whole. Ironically, this resolved his ordeal of killing himself. Therefore, the peacock owed a karmic debt of enlightenment to him. It's just that Kong Xuan reincarnated as a Human Sage, and so this karmic connection fell upon his brethren."

"This is a debt owed for enlightenment, not something that can be easily resolved. Afterwards, the Buddha Ancestor honored the peacock as the great and luminous King Bodhisattva of Peacocks and even took the Golden Winged Peng under his tutelage to practice Buddhism. Nevertheless, this debt was still owed."

"We of Buddhism place the utmost importance on karmic retribution. If these debts are not resolved, flaws will appear in transcendence. Let's not forget that the Demon Lord is lying in wait, eager to snatch away the Buddha Ancestor's Fruit of Tao." Maitreya Buddha revealed these secrets, causing Precious Moonlight Buddha to furrow his brows deeply. Imagining himself in that situation, he found he had no good solution and felt as if he'd entered a dead end with no way out, no matter which path he took.

He looked up, anxious, toward the summit of Mount Ling, wondering how the Buddha Ancestor would ultimately act.

During this tumultuous time on Mount Ling, the battle between the Monkey and the Great Peng had intensified to a fever pitch. The Monkey's fighting spirit was fully kindled, golden flames blazing in his eyes. His fists swung like giant hammers, smashing relentlessly at the Great Peng, his body enveloped in an illusory world.

Enshrouded in dark purple demonic flames, the Great Peng constantly screamed in agony as it was hammered to the ground by the Monkey's immense strength, creating a massive crater in Lion Camel City.

This was the power of the Five Qi quest for the primordial, each strike as if a whole world pounded upon the body. Even after the Great Peng's strength greatly increased upon becoming a demon, it still struggled to fend off such attacks, getting battered and ragged.

"The Monkey's Five Qi quest for the primordial is nearly complete," someone within the three realms exclaimed in awe. The illusory world enveloping the Monkey was almost tangible, indicating that his inner universe was nearing completion. This signified that he was approaching the final stage of the Five Qi realm; and with the Monkey's accumulations, his three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit were already incredibly powerful, making it easier for him to achieve the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.

"Once the Journey to the West is fulfilled, and heavenly merit descends, this Monkey could very well use this opportunity to incite the flowers atop his head. Then, there will be another great power within the three realms."

Throughout his journey, the Monkey seldom exposed his realm of the Five Qi quest for the primordial, so outsiders had no way of knowing how advanced his cultivation was. Now, facing the demonized Dapeng Bird with his battle strength fully unleashed, he revealed this realm for all to see, and the denizens of the three realms suddenly realized that the Monkey had reached this stage without them noticing.

Looking at the Monkey, standing between heaven and earth, his body radiating golden light, the Demon Lord's expression was extremely complex. Such a protector of Buddhism was a great nuisance to him, and now he had no good solutions, especially since it involved transcendence. He too was waiting for the day the Monkey succeeded.

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