Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 904: National Master Wang Bodhisattva

"Even the immortals and gods can't solve it, but this place can. Is this place so special?"

The Taoist in black robe seemed a little reluctant to believe it. Chu Tai said, "This place is very special. If I am not mistaken, the essence of the Dead Sea is actually the embodiment of the power of an ancient water god. It has the power of suppression, circulation and destruction."

Looking at the king, Chu Tai added: "The turbid energy in your body is very terrible. It cannot be solved by ordinary means. We can only rely on the power of the ancient god to destroy it and then enter the cycle under the burning of the sun's true fire."

"Staying here may be the best arrangement for you by the immortal gods."

"But they did nothing wrong! They don't deserve this kind of blame!"

The Taoist still couldn't understand, but the king was relieved and said with emotion: "Master Taoist, don't say any more. If the gods have made the best arrangements for us, then my biggest knot in my heart has been untied."

Looking at Chutai, the king asked, "After we have lived this miserable life, will we have a better future in the next life?"

"It is reasonable to say that as long as you can cleanse the turbid qi in your body, the blessings, virtues and merits you have accumulated will be revealed and you will be better placed."

"That's good."

The king nodded, and the Taoist said angrily: "What does the next life have to do with you now? Why are you..."

Hearing this, the young monk became angry. Before he could even open his mouth, the king interrupted him.

"Taoist Master."

The king looked at the Taoist and asked calmly, "Do you think the gods should control the lives of mortals, arrange everything, and manage everything?"

"If so, then all living beings have no freedom at all. Why do you have any objections to the gods arranging us like this?"

"If not, then the gods have already covered for our country of Shali. What else do you want them to do?"

"You have seen the foul air. You can't solve it, and ordinary immortals and gods can't solve it either. This is the best arrangement."

The Taoist retorted: "Then we can pray for help from higher gods."

"If we all pray to the gods for help, then what else can we do? What's the difference between us and the animals waiting to die in the pasture?"

After saying this, the king bowed slightly to Chu Tai and said, "Master, you are able to see such a secret, so you must be a person with great supernatural powers. I wonder if you are willing to pray for our country of Shali and preach the Dharma? So that the people can have a few days of peace?"

Chu Tai was about to agree when he suddenly turned his head to look in the direction of the Dead Sea. In his perception, as the sun set, a ray of Buddha's light appeared above the Dead Sea. Looking carefully, he saw a Bodhisattva wearing a crown, dressed in golden clothes, and decorated with necklaces.

"Whose aura is this? The Great Saint State Master Wang Bodhisattva?"

Chu Tai muttered something in a low voice, and the little monk beside him was startled. He followed Chu Tai's gaze and saw a faint glow in his eyes after a long time of Buddha's light. He asked hurriedly, "Is this really the Great Saint State Master Wang Bodhisattva from Xuyi Mountain in Southern Jambudvīpa? How did he come here?"

"Perhaps it is to deal with the remaining filthy and foul air."

Chu Tai answered casually and planned to get up and take a look.

The state of this world is so strange that he has no intention of contacting those high-level beings for the time being.

After all, in the first period of time in the world, several immortals looked quite normal, but in the end it was proved that there were actually certain problems with their mental health.

However, there are too many people with high cultivation in this world, and he may not be able to defeat them even with the Donghuang Bell.

Therefore, he needed to first find a cultivator with a high enough status but not very strong, to investigate the specific situation of this world.

The Great Saint National Master Wang Bodhisattva is a very suitable person. As far as he knows, he can be regarded as the incarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva. His status is sufficient. Moreover, the Dead Sea has the ability to block the perception of the outside world. Combined with the Donghuang Bell, it is just right for him to spy on it.

Of course, in order to prevent the Dead Sea itself from being a trap, Chu Tai left a little mark here before entering, so that he could fly out later.

Then he took out the Donghuang Bell, hung it above his head, concealed his breath and figure, and walked towards the direction of the National Master Wang Bodhisattva.

The moment he stepped into the Dead Sea, Chu Tai felt endless hatred. All he saw was darkness and disgusting malice, as if he had walked into an ocean filled with chaos and madness, and had to endure the filth washing over him at all times.

However, this kind of filth is not a big problem for Chu Tai. Not to mention that he is protected by the Donghuang Bell at the moment. Even if he lets go of the Donghuang Bell, his own Tao fruit can easily solve it.

But as he went deeper, Chu Tai saw the faint lapis lazuli Buddha light rolling in the black water and gradually being dyed black. The compassionate Sanskrit sounds that were full of purity, wisdom, and salvation were also constantly distorted and alienated into soul-demanding Sanskrit sounds.

It is obvious that the methods of the national teacher Wang Bodhisattva were alienated by the Dead Sea.

Continuing to go deeper, we gradually saw the huge shadow of a pure land.

The pure land was dark gold in color as a whole, with countless bodhisattvas and golden lotuses inside. Above the golden lotus bodhisattvas there were many phantoms of pure lands, filled with the Buddhas of the three periods of time, Bodhisattvas of heaven, and Arhats. They in turn derived layers of pure lands, which were constantly superimposed.

Thousands of Buddha lights flowed and finally gathered on the body of the Central National Master Wang Bodhisattva. The Buddha light behind his head was like a thousand moons intersecting, one overlapping another, illuminating all the pure lands.

However, the Dead Sea, where so many pure lands interweave, is still pitch black, and the filth, turbidity, and disgusting malice are even more obvious under the Buddha's light.

The Buddhas of the three ages, the Bodhisattvas of heaven, and the phantoms of Arhats chanted scriptures silently, and the seeds of mantras turned into lotus seeds and fell down. Ninety percent of them were swallowed up by the Dead Sea, and only one tenth barely sprouted. Among them, another ninety percent withered and mutated before they grew up, and the Buddha flame was ignited in the Buddha's light.

The flame was not blazing, but like a slow simmer, it burned the withered and alienated lotus into powder, protecting the remaining lotus flowers from growing, and allowing one percent of the lotus seeds to grow lotus leaves and flower buds.

At this time, 99% of the flower buds have no chance of blooming, and less than 1% of the flower buds can open layer by layer and reveal a little light inside.

As the spiritual light appeared, the phantoms of the Buddhas of the three ages, the Bodhisattvas in heaven, and the Arhats all gave blessings.

The spiritual light instantly transformed into a white baby, who fell from the flower bud, grew up in the wind, and in the blink of an eye, he grew into a young boy. The boy stepped on the lotus leaf and prostrated himself to the Bodhisattva King, the national teacher. The Buddha light gathered around him and turned into a heavenly robe decorated with necklaces and draped over the boy.

Then a flame appeared on the young man's body, and some turbid air surged. The national teacher Wang Bodhisattva pointed his finger, and the young man turned into a streak of light and flew towards the country of Nashali.

Standing outside the Pure Land and witnessing the situation before him, Chu Tai felt something in his heart. He seemed to understand the origins of the people of Shali Country, and vaguely guessed the origins of those spiritual lights, but what he was more curious about now was the Pure Land methods used by the national teacher Wang Bodhisattva.

'This method seems to be the mutual blessing of the Buddhas, but why is the core a bit like the method I integrated the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats in Lingshan last period of time, and even a little bit of my Three-Life Buddhahood?'

Just as he was curious, the inner national teacher, Bodhisattva Wang, slowly opened his eyes, looked at Chu Tai and said, "The emperor is here, and I should welcome him, but at the moment I need to maintain the Buddhist mission, so it is inconvenient for me to get up. I hope the emperor will forgive me."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai took a step forward and used the Three Worlds Buddha Fruit to bless himself. Rounds of Buddha light appeared behind his head and spread outwards.

As soon as he came into contact with the Pure Land of the National Master Wang Bodhisattva, Chu Tai immediately felt a huge and boundless Buddhist power surrounding him. While blessing himself, it also mobilized the Buddhist principles mastered by Chu Tai, manifested lotus seeds, and fell into the Dead Sea.

"The lotus grows out of mud but remains unstained. Although the Dead Sea is filthy, it cannot completely wipe out the pure nature of the lotus. You have drawn upon the power of the Buddhas of the three ages, the Bodhisattvas of the heavens, and the Arhats to nurture the lotus embryo. Your method of saving the dead souls is truly ingenious."

"Your Majesty, this method of saving the dead souls was passed down by you, Your Majesty."

Chu Tai was stunned by the answer of the National Master Wang Bodhisattva, and asked back: "Why do you say that?"

The Bodhisattva was also startled, and turned to look at Chu Tai, with Buddha light flowing in his eyes and the shadow of Guanyin Bodhisattva appearing on his head. After a while, he slowly spoke: "So that's how it is. Your Majesty is still in the process of experiencing tribulations and has not yet realized his own status. No wonder you asked this question."

As he spoke, the Bodhisattva waved his hand, and rays of Buddha light gathered together, condensing into a thousand-petal nine-grade golden lotus that blossomed in his palm.

The golden lotus has nine grades and a thousand petals, and each leaf is covered with densely packed scriptures and images. If you pay a little attention, you will find a vast number of Buddhist and Taoist methods derived from it.

As for the nine-level lotus petals, they are carved with the phantom images of the Buddhas’ Pure Land. Just by looking at them, one can know the fundamental Dharma of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

"All the methods that the emperor introduced to Buddhism in the past are in this lotus. The thousand leaves on the side are derived from the methods left by the emperor by us Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. They are a poor imitation of your methods and can barely be considered a supplement. Your Majesty may wish to take a look."

Looking at the sudden enthusiasm of the National Master Wang Bodhisattva, Chu Tai was a little dazed, but as the saying goes, one should not hit a smiling person, after a little hesitation, he nodded in thanks and took the golden lotus with both hands.

The moment they touched, infinite profound Buddhist mysteries flowed into Chu Tai's heart, arousing the power of the Donghuang Bell.

The system of the Three Buddhas’ Path and Fruit begins to operate accordingly.

The current Buddha's second-grade fruition [Bodhisattva], which had already taken shape, is now more complete. At the same time, the third-grade fruition [Wheel-reincarnation] of the past Buddha is shining brightly and constantly moving forward, and its corresponding second-grade fruition [Bodhi] emerges. The same situation also appears in the future Buddha system. The third-grade fruition [Arhat] is shining brightly, and the twelve causes and conditions emerge one by one, intertwined with each other, and finally constitute the second-grade fruition [Pratyekabuddha].

The power of three incomplete second-grade Dao fruits manifested on Chu Tai's body, instantly replacing the power of the National Master Wang Bodhisattva and becoming the core of the pure land that purifies the Dead Sea.

The instant replacement startled Chu Tai. He picked up the Donghuang Bell and was ready to cut off the connection at any time.

But the national teacher Wang Bodhisattva just stood beside Chu Tai, assisting him to continue purifying the filth in this place and saving more souls.

"Good, good, the emperor is worthy of being the Sun Emperor who saved hell in the past, the great saint on earth, and the Taiyi Qingtong Zhenjun who is in charge of the immortal records in heaven. His power to save the dead souls is far greater than mine. It seems that the number of newborns in Shali country will increase by one or two this year."

"What is going on in the country of Shali?"

Chu Tai asked casually, and the Bodhisattva did not hide anything and said bluntly: "That is the place where we prepare for the souls of the Dead Sea to turn around. Although you, the Emperor, have not recovered all your memories, you should be able to see the special nature of this Dead Sea."

"If there is no external interference, this place is likely to become an abyss that pollutes all living beings in the three realms and six paths."

"In order to deal with this thing, the gods, immortals, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas once worked together to destroy this place."

"I never thought that after the Dead Sea rolled over, some remains of dead souls appeared inside. After asking the Buddha, we learned that this place was formed by the accumulation of foul air left over from the past process of the restart of heaven and earth. After the ancient gods of a certain era suppressed and sacrificed themselves, it gradually became a place of continued filth and foul air."

"It's just that the power left by the ancient gods was limited, and as the heaven and earth restart more and more times, the filthy and foul air accumulated here is getting stronger and stronger."

"Therefore, every once in a while, we Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, immortals and gods from heaven will come here to save us."

"It's a pity that our magical powers are limited. The number of souls we have saved is small, and it is difficult to expel the foul air. As a result, they cannot leave the Dead Sea too far, otherwise they will be pulled back by the power of the ancient gods operating in the Dead Sea. We can only be settled on the edge, and over time it has become the current country of Shali."

Hearing this, Chu Tai asked again: "Then why not let them live a better life?"

"One is to cultivate the good way. It is hard to achieve anything in a place where one indulges in pleasure and debauchery. Just like among the six realms, the heavenly realm has great blessings, but it is not as suitable for cultivation as the human realm."

"The second is to better expel the foul air left in their bodies. We set up a ban in the underground of Shali Country to allow some of the filtered Dead Sea water to interact with its underground water system, so that the people in the city can swallow the muddy water with the power of the ancient gods. Then, through the phenomenon of boiling seawater reflux at sunset, the muddy water in their bodies will flow back and take away some of the foul air."

"And the muddy water that contains the power of the ancient gods is not suitable for planting, so it is difficult for the country of Shali to develop agriculture."

"I see."

Chu Tai nodded to show his understanding, and then suddenly asked, "Did you arrange the Taoist priest who communicated with the king?"

"That's not it."

The state teacher, Bodhisattva Wang, said with a hint of joy, "The black-robed Taoist was also a resident of Shahari in his previous life. After three reincarnations, he eliminated the turbid qi in his body and then moved to another place. Because of the merits and blessings he accumulated here, he has a good aptitude in this life and has become an immortal."

"Now, he is drawn back here by some unknown fate. If the Emperor hadn't intervened, he would have sacrificed himself to save the people here."

Hearing this, Chu Tai was moved and saw the future of the Taoist in black robe, as well as his fate with the National Master Wang Bodhisattva.

"So that's how it is. This guy is your disciple, Bodhisattva. If it weren't for my accident, he would have been contaminated by the filth of this place after his death, and reincarnated in the country of Shali as a prince here. And because the filth he was contaminated with was not much, he would be able to quickly dissipate in the future, and eventually leave this place and become a disciple of the Bodhisattva. It's because of me that the Bodhisattva lost a good disciple."

(End of this chapter)