I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 658 Extraordinary Inheritance

"A demon-level powerhouse from the island nation has died in battle?"

"Who's so unlucky, Master Zhixiong? No way!"

"Sigh, is this what they mean by 'good people don't get rewarded'? This damned world—"

Such dialogues spread rapidly not only among island nations but also among major powers around the world. The first reaction of everyone who heard them was disbelief, and the second was melancholy.

Even demon-level powerhouses can perish.

This world is too dangerous!
If the fall of 'Fire Lord' Mannoroth was a great victory that inspired humanity...

The passing of Master Zhixiong was undoubtedly a heavy blow.

After all, while there are many extraordinary individuals, most of them only protect their loved ones at most; in the entire extraordinary world, only the 'Master' played by Luigi and Kafka Lu are willing to fight for ordinary people.

Although Master Zhixiong was not so selfless, as a Vajra in Buddhism, it was his duty to subdue demons and monsters.

It was thanks to him and Kafka that the safety of the Osaka direction was ensured.

The passing of this master has saddened countless people.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Nani!!!"

"Master Zhixiong has passed away? Say it again—"

In a heavily guarded courtyard in Osaka, the 'leader' of the Jinwa Group reached out and grabbed his underling, 'Wakashu,' who was reporting the situation, lifting him up. This startled the people around him, who rushed forward.

"Big brother, big brother, forget it."

"He's just a gofer,"

"Cough cough cough,"

The younger brothers around them rushed forward and pulled the two apart;

The unfortunate 'Ruozhong' coughed repeatedly and almost had his neck snapped.

"Brother, about this matter..."

The organization's second-in-command, 'Ruotou,' stepped forward and spoke, forcing himself to speak.

"it is true."

? !
Facing the 'Chief's' murderous gaze, 'Ruotou' took out his phone.

"The Koyasan Esoteric Buddhist sect has already issued an obituary."

"Give me!"

He snatched the phone away, glanced at it, and the 'leader' of the Renhe Group suddenly felt dizzy and fell backward.

"Big brother? Big brother!"

"Hang in there, brother! You can't give up!"

This sudden turn of events caused many of my younger brothers who had initially stepped back to rush forward again: some helped others up, some pinched the philtrum, and others shouted from the outside; not one of them was idle.

The so-called "younger brother" is a core cadre directly under the "chief," equivalent to a "direct subordinate."

The unfortunate one who brought the news, 'Ruozhong,' was a low-ranking member of the organization.

Organizations like the Yakuza will never disappear: as long as people have desires, there will be many shady things that need to be done by these people; especially in this extraordinary era, the more chaotic it is, the more fertile ground the Yakuza will grow.

However, the 'Rinwa Group' is still a large organization that values ​​'righteousness'.
They operate a number of semi-legal financial and IT businesses, but they're not exactly ruthless.

In addition to their devout offerings and their connections with the monks of Mount Koya, this is why they are so concerned about the situation at Mount Koya.

Of course, another reason is:

"What about Torajiro, no, and Nobushiro? What happened to him?"

The 'Chief,' who had just been woken up by the crowd, immediately started shouting nervously.

The "Torajiro" and "Nobushi Kagura" mentioned by the Chief of Staff are the same person, his youngest son!
It took a great deal of effort from this 'Chief' to send him to Mount Koya to study Buddhism, hoping that he could find a place to settle down in this chaotic era.

However, to everyone's surprise, Mount Koya, which is full of eminent monks, was also attacked: Master Shio, the pillar of the Eastern Esoteric Buddhism, died on the spot—no, he passed away.

"Forehead"

The second-in-command, 'Wakato,' hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

? !
"Could it be Torajiro—"

Suddenly standing up, he knocked all his younger brothers over, and at the same time, the chief grabbed Ruo's head and lifted him up as well.

"No! No! No!"

Although he wasn't as breathless as Ruozhong before, it was still very uncomfortable to be lifted up like that, so he quickly shouted in rapid succession.

"Neither Hu nor Luo Xinshi were injured!"

"That's good,"

Just as the head of the Renhe Group breathed a sigh of relief after setting down his second-in-command, the head of the group continued speaking.

"However, I heard that Master Zhixiong was ambushed while trying to save Luo Xinshi."

thud,

"Brother, big brother!!"

"You cannot fall; we still need you to take charge."

This time, the leader of the Renhe Group completely fainted and refused to wake up.

How could he face the fact that his own son had caused the death of Master Zhixiong?!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Koyasan,
Because some buildings were destroyed along with the mountain during the battle, but that's nothing for Mount Koya now.

With over 120 temples, it is practically a religious city. Unfortunately, the passing of Master Zhixiong cast a shadow over this sacred Buddhist site.

Master Zhixiong was a "living Vajra," with an indestructible Dharma body and the ability to move mountains and fill seas with ease; yet he died under the assassination of the "Ten Blades." Countless monks with Dharma power, in their grief and indignation, couldn't help but feel a sense of bewilderment: Where should Buddhism go from here?

The 'gods' behind Shintoism in island nations, though mostly ignoring human affairs, wield power everywhere.

For example, the magnificent 'sacred tree' in Tokyo, or the urban legend of 'the god of fortune bestowing blessings';
For example, that 'principal'!
However, Buddhism is in a rather awkward position, as it is the religion practiced by all the people of this island nation.

Historically, almost all the great daimyo and warlords were Buddhists—even the Emperor abdicated and became a monk; during the Meiji Restoration, most Shintoism was abolished, and the Abe family's secure positions were destroyed. Only Buddhism could be subtly encouraged through methods like "banning marriage," gradually gaining acceptance.

Yet, this largest religion on the entire island nation has never seen the Buddha descend to earth! If it weren't for Master Zhixiong, the Buddhist community on the island nation wouldn't know how to conduct itself.

Now that the pillar of the organization has collapsed, it's inevitable that morale will be low, whether among eminent monks or novice nuns.

If others are merely confused, then there is one person who is left with only endless sorrow and guilt.

"Woooooo~~"

Low sobs could be heard coming from a meditation room in a temple.

However, the monks passing by sighed and hurried on their way: the damaged areas needed to be cleaned up, and potential enemies needed to be guarded against. Besides, they didn't know whether to comfort or resent the owner of the crying.

It was because of him that Master Zhixiong was assassinated.

"And Luo,"

So when a voice sounds in your ear
The young monk, who was huddled in the corner of the meditation room and sobbing, subconsciously raised his head.

"Master Zhixiong?!"

The young monk was stunned. Who else could be standing in front of him but the chief monk of the Koyasan Esoteric School, the living Vajra?

"You—you—this—"

"Don't worry, I am indeed dead."

Raising his hand to calm the incoherent little monk down, 'Zhi Xiong' glanced around.

"Because of me, you have suffered injustice."

? !
"Master, it's my fault that you died—"

Seeing the little monk bursting into tears, 'Zhixiong' smiled nonchalantly.

"Don't try to take the blame. The one who killed me was the leader of the 'Ten Blades'; how could a mere novice like you possibly harm me?"

"I"

The young monk was speechless for a moment.
Before he could say anything, the 'Master Zhixiong' in front of him raised his hand and gently patted his bald head.

"I left in such a hurry that I didn't have time to explain some things."

Fortunately, Huang Quan granted him some time.

After saying that, Zhixiong looked down at the little monk and sighed softly.

"All sentient beings are like illusions, so why bother asking about the nature of birth and death? Just observe the emptiness of the nature of phenomena arising from dependent origination, and how birth and death are like dew and lightning."

? ?
Seeing the young monk's bewildered expression, the young Master Zhixiong explained:
Simply put, I saved you of my own free will.

"You don't need to be sad or take any responsibility because of this."

Master Zhixiong, now only a soul, spoke calmly and unhurriedly, as if the things he was talking about were not happening to him.

"Practice your skills diligently, eat well and sleep well every day; that's what you should be doing."

After saying this, Zhixiong turned around, regardless of whether the little monk understood.

"In that case, my trip was not in vain."

"Grandmaster--"

Before the young monk could instinctively reach out to stop him, Master Zhixiong had already walked out the door.

"Is this okay?"

Kishida Jun, holding an umbrella, stood outside the Zen room and asked Master Shio, who was dressed in monk's robes, as he walked out of the door.

“Amitabha, this humble monk has severed all worldly ties. Thank you, Benefactor Kishida.”

"No need,"

Turning around and leading the way, Jun Kishida continued speaking.

"Master Zhixiong, why are you unwilling to join our 'Underworld'?"

"With your abilities, you're more than qualified to be a captain, and you'll be able to frequently interact with the world in the future."

In this way, even if the physical body dies,

It's not much different from when I was alive.

"Amitabha Buddha, birth and death are like a flowing river. The deluded see the shore and distinguish between self and other, while the enlightened see the emptiness of the water."

With his white robes flowing and hands clasped in prayer, Zhi Xiong answered with the demeanor of a virtuous and eminent monk.

"Master Zhixiong".

"Seeing your Zen-like tranquility is certainly cause for celebration, but—"

Can you really let go of this world?
When faced with Kishida Jun's question, the monk Shio simply responded calmly.

"If I don't go to hell, who will?"

It seems this master is preparing to receive and guide the souls of the deceased in the underworld.

That's right, that's indeed something a high-ranking monk would do.

During the question-and-answer session, the two had vanished into thin air, leaving only the young monk who pushed open the door, his gaze sweeping over the scene but finding nothing.

"He Luo?"

A passing monk saw the young monk and instinctively called out to him.

"Brother Yixin, monk,"

The young monk put his hands together and bowed.

"This humble monk should not linger here. Is there anything this humble monk can do?"

?

Unexpectedly, this 'junior brother' cheered up so quickly, and although his face was streaked with tears, he looked resolute. The young monk, whose Dharma name was 'Yixin', was slightly taken aback.

"Come with me, we're going to clean up the traces of the battle."

"Yes."

The young monk nodded, secretly clenching his fist.

Master Zhixiong, one day I will also become a great monk like you.

(End of this chapter)