If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1239 Let Yu Fengxian become the master of Ling Mountain?
The present-day Guanyin Bodhisattva is the reincarnation of Cihang Daoren, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect in the early years, and has been reincarnated countless times. The present-day World Honored One, Tathagata, is the reincarnation of Duobao Daoren, the senior disciple of the Jie Sect in the early years, and has been reincarnated countless times in India.

The current Dipankara Buddha was once an immortal of the Chan Sect, and also a de facto "vice leader" without a formal title. He helped Yuanshi Tianzun manage the affairs of the Chan Sect and taught the disciples Taoist arts on a regular basis.

Therefore, Guanyin Bodhisattva would privately refer to Dipankara as "teacher".

In his early years at the Chan Sect, the immortals of the Chan Sect all respectfully addressed Randeng Daoren as "Teacher," the same title used by Yuanshi Tianzun.

However, Ran Deng was only a "teacher" to the disciples of the Chan Sect. During the Investiture of the Gods period, "Teacher Ran Deng" was too ruthless, especially towards the disciples of the Jie Sect. He was too cruel and heartless, and his methods were extremely shameless. The disciples of the Jie Sect still harbor resentment towards him to this day.

For example, Zhao Gongming and the three sisters of the Three Immortal Maidens hated Randeng to death.

The foundation of Dipankara's enlightenment is the Twenty-Four Devas, which in turn originate from the Twenty-Four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls.

A single Dinghai Pearl is merely a Primordial Spiritual Treasure, but a set of twenty-four pearls constitutes a Primordial Supreme Treasure. Originally, it was the foundation upon which Zhao Gongming attained the Great Luo Dao, much like the Nine-Bend Yellow River Map and the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron were to the Cloud Fairy.

Ran Deng stole Zhao Gongming's "Dao Foundation".

As the former senior disciple of the Jie Sect, the World-Honored One Tathagata is now the "Buddha of the Present World," so naturally he doesn't see eye to eye with the "Buddha of the Past," Dipankara.

However, his relationship with Guanyin, Manjushri, Samantabhadra and other Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect was actually quite good.

The Investiture of the Gods was ordained by Heaven, beyond anyone's control. After the calamity ends, we will still be fellow disciples.

Moreover, since everyone had turned to the West, they naturally banded together for mutual support, forming the "Mysterious Sect" within the Western religion.

When they needed to ask Dipankara Buddha for help, the World Honored One entrusted the task to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.

After receiving the price offered by the Buddha, Guanyin did not refuse.

After leaving the Bamboo Grove Hermitage, she headed towards Lingjiu Mountain and entered the "Heaven of Merit".

Within the Heaven of Merit, there is no earth, no mountains, not even air. In this vast and boundless space, there are only wisps of the aura of merit.

The aura of merit, like wisps of smoke or ribbons, drifted from afar toward the center and merged into the halo of merit behind the Dipankara Buddha.

Merit energy also gathers together, forming huge clouds, where spirits frolic and play.

Behind the ancient Buddha Dipankara, in the void, there are twenty-four "Great Suns"—a myriad of heavens shining brightly like the Great Sun, also known as the Twenty-Four Heavens.

The Twenty-Four Devas are like the Thirty-Three Heavens of the East. Together with the "Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss," they form the extraordinary foundation of Western Buddhism.

Every moment, a vast amount of merit flows out from the Twenty-Four Devas and enters the private pocket of Dipankara Buddha.

Upon entering the "World of All Heavens" formed by the boundless energy of merit, the tranquil lake of Guanyin Bodhisattva's heart began to ripple.

Looking at Teacher Ran Deng, she couldn't help but reveal a look of envy and jealousy.

—If I had such a foundation, I wouldn't be involved in Mahayana Buddhism (to liberate people), but would only seek self-sufficiency and self-liberation (Theravada Buddhism).

"Teacher, your disciple greets you." The Bodhisattva bowed slightly in greeting.

"You've returned from the East?" The ancient Buddha opened his eyes and asked with a kind expression.

The Bodhisattva first recounted the process and outcome of his journey to the East, then discussed the difficulties in spreading Buddhism eastward, and finally gave a brief overview of how Grand Tutor Yu, the "top figure in the Three Realms," was so powerful and influential in the Central Plains.

The ancient Buddha immediately understood the Bodhisattva's meaning.

He pondered for a long time before asking, "Do you know that she has practiced the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts?"

The Bodhisattva nodded and said, "Only the first chapter is complete, and it's severely incomplete. However, she has both talent and good fortune."

After several years of repairs and modifications, it could no longer transform the heavens and earth, but it was particularly adept at transforming people and water spirits.

The ancient Buddha sighed, "The cultivation method is not important; what is important is the attitude of the leader (Yuanshi)."

It's good to make good connections with Yu Fengxian, but it's not advisable to get too involved with her right now.

The Bodhisattva said, “How could I not know what you have to say, Master? But everything has its advantages and disadvantages.”

At that moment, she was practically the ruler of China.

The emperor recognized her as his "adopted father," and even proud and stubborn ministers like Li Si, Feng Qu, and the Imperial Censor of Ji State bowed down to her.

It could be said that at this moment, the Central Plains were in her grasp.

Even for Buddhist disciples who enter the world, the highest aspiration they have for achieving success in a human dynasty is nothing more than this.

She effortlessly fulfilled the highest ideal shared by all Buddhist disciples at Vulture Peak.

"But she didn't become 'Grand Tutor Yu' because of her status as a 'Buddha's disciple.' Once she becomes a Buddha's disciple, the current situation will probably change drastically."

Not only will the goal of spreading Buddhism eastward not be achieved, but it will also harm her. What a waste! The ancient Buddha sighed.

"Teacher, you're overthinking it. She was chosen as Meng Zhenjun's successor precisely because of her status as a Buddhist disciple."

Now everyone in China knows about her relationship with her teacher, and she herself never tries to hide it.

"When the time comes to spread the Dharma, I will surely bring fame to my teacher." - Bodhisattva Path.

The ancient Buddha shook his head and said, "Yu Fengxian is a cunning and treacherous woman. She only called herself a 'disciple of the Burning Lamp' when she was in the West."

When she arrived in the East, she acted more like a true follower of Taoism than anyone else.

Therefore, those who know her don't mind at all that she also carries the identity of a 'Buddhist disciple'.

The Bodhisattva said sincerely, "In any case, it won't hurt anyone to try."

If it succeeds, Buddhism will flourish; if it fails, she can simply return to the West!
Even if she hasn't achieved great things, she has still worked hard, and Lingshan will not treat her unfairly in the future.

The ancient Buddha remained silent for a moment, then said, "She calls herself my disciple because she has something to ask of me."

The situation will be different once I ask her for something.

The Bodhisattva said, "Since there is a request, there must be a reward. The Tathagata promises that if the matter is resolved, she will at least be given a Buddha position."

The ancient Buddha gently shook his head, saying dismissively, "The Buddhahood that one attains oneself is the only true one."

The conferred Buddhahood has power but no spiritual attainment. Ultimately, one cannot transcend it and will continue to struggle in the realm of desires and delusions. What is the use of that?

Yu Fengxian is a very pragmatic person; she can't be fooled by empty talk. Unless, of course, her reputation is big enough.

For example, if you made her the 'Lord of Mount Ling,' she would surely dance with joy and be overjoyed.

—Why did Buddha go through all that trouble to make her the mistress of Mount Ling?

The Bodhisattva really wanted to roll her eyes at Teacher Ran Deng, but she had enough self-control and restrained herself.

"Only my talents and reputation should not be given away," she said.

Dipankara Buddha said, "The Tathagata is the 'modern Buddha,' and there is already a past Buddha, which is me. Can we also bestow the title of 'future Buddha'?"

Guanyin frowned and said, "The Buddha plans to use the 'Future Buddha' to win over Maitreya, and Uncle-Master is well aware of this."

“But now Tathagata wants to win over Yu Fengxian,” said Dipankara Buddha.

Guanyin shook her head and said, "No matter how great the value or how great the benefit."

Even with Yu Fengxian's full cooperation, it was impossible for Buddhism to flourish in China immediately.

Maitreya, however, was able to inherit Shakyamuni's mantle and become the Buddha for all beings after Buddhism entered its Great Nirvana, thus enabling Buddhism to complete its Great Nirvana.

This is something Yu Fengxian can't compare to at all.

Dipankara Buddha smiled and said, "Not necessarily."

"Not necessarily?" A look of surprise and doubt appeared on Guanyin's beautiful face. "What did the teacher 'see'?"

Dipankara Buddha shook his head and said, "I can't see it."

Just as Guanyin showed a look of disappointment, a sudden flash of insight struck her, and she realized: what she couldn't see was the result of what the ancient Buddha had seen.

Even the "future Buddhahood" of Maitreya was the first thing he saw. But he couldn't see through Yu Fengxian's future in Buddhism.

This shows what?
"What makes Yu Fengxian deserving of this favor?" the Bodhisattva asked. "I don't know," the ancient Buddha shook his head again, then asked, "What do you hope she will do now?"

Guanyin thought for a moment and said, "I don't ask for much. I just want Buddhist disciples to be able to preach the Dharma publicly in Xianyang and the Central Plains."

If one could offer some assistance in the divine position, that would be even better.

The Heavenly Court only agreed to give Mount Ling ten guardian deity positions. What's the use of that?
If I could have secured the position of Dragon Lord of the Huai River earlier, it would have been worth it even if I didn't have the other nine divine positions.

However, we should understand Yu Fengxian's difficulties.

The abolition of the Huai River Dragon King's divine position is a rare and fortunate event that cannot be forced.

She helps whenever she can.

She needs help, and the disciples who have entered the Central Plains will certainly do their utmost to assist her.

Ran Deng pondered for a moment and said, "There is a disciple of Landuo Temple, whose Dharma name is 'Chijiu Luo'. He is currently the abbot of Tianmen Town in the Liusha Domain. He and Yu Fengxian are old friends. We can send him to the East."

However, before sending him to the Central Plains, you must give him two protective magical treasures to prevent him from dying unexpectedly halfway through.

"Yes," Guanyin nodded.

Ran Deng added, "You should really think carefully about who the 'future Buddha' will be."

Maitreya was incapable of preserving Buddhism's foundation in the West.

Guanyin said, "'The Buddha of the present' has not yet reached his peak, and 'the Buddha of the future' is too far away."

Yu Fengxian was now much farther away from Mount Ling.

Let's wait until she enters Mount Ling and observes for tens of thousands of years before making any decisions.

After obtaining the Book of Gods, Yang Li immediately returned the way he came.

Upon returning to Zongxuan Cave Heaven, I saw two young Taoist boys still tearing down notices in front of the Sanyuan Jizhen Palace.

It was still Judge Cui who was supervising from the side.

"Yang Li, you actually came back alive? No, wait, you came back so quickly, did you give up halfway and pull back from the brink?" When he saw Yang Li peeking out, Cui Siguan took the initiative to greet him.

"What are you saying, Immortal? I went to the Southern Heavenly Gate, not to hell. Why shouldn't I have returned alive?"

Yang Li understood what the other person was thinking. He took out the divine book from his robes, deliberately waved it in front of him, and said with a smug smile, "The reason I returned early is because the matter has been accomplished!"

Cui Siguan exclaimed, "If a great god is really willing to exchange his divine position with you, has he lost his mind?"

Yang Li's smile froze a little.

He just wanted to show off and impress Cui Shangxian, who didn't have high hopes for him or Yu Taishi.

But he really had no intention of harming Immortal Cui.

"Immortal, have you lost your mind? You're spouting nonsense!" He took a few steps closer and transmitted his voice using a secret technique: "The one who exchanges divine positions with me is no ordinary person."

"By shouting like that in public, you'll definitely offend the gods if word gets out."

"Which great deity is it?" Cui Siguan asked in a low voice, his face filled with alarm.

"I was quite lucky; I encountered Guanyin Bodhisattva as soon as I arrived at the South Heavenly Gate," Yang Li said.

"The Guanyin Bodhisattva of Mount Ling in the West?" Cui Siguan's face paled slightly, and he murmured, "Thank goodness, the Buddhist sect of Mount Ling is too far away from the Central Plains, and the Bodhisattva has nothing to do with our Mount Hua."

"Immediately afterwards, Venus, representing the Heavenly Emperor, arrived at the South Heavenly Gate to compete with Guanyin for the position of God of the Huai River," Yang Li continued.

"Ah, there's also Taibai Xingjun, and the Jade Emperor?!"

Cui Siguan felt a little dizzy. He looked around and saw many immortals pointing and whispering.

They must have heard his shouts.

"How could the Great Celestial Venerable be involved in selling official positions and titles?!"

Yang Li said unhappily, "What do you mean by selling official positions and titles? Grand Tutor Yu is Yuanjun, a great god of the West."

Isn't it normal for powerful figures to consult with each other and adjust the divine positions?

He glanced at the notice on the stone wall and said, "Immortal, you should really go and take a look at the South Heavenly Gate. There is also a notice at the South Heavenly Gate, but the Heavenly Emperor ordered it to be kept."

"Impossible! The Jade Emperor couldn't possibly issue such an order." Official Cui was truly panicked.

The Jade Emperor is willing to exchange his divine position with Grand Tutor Yu, and even allows the notice to remain. Something's not right!
"Anyway, the notice is still at the South Heavenly Gate. The Bodhisattva saw it, and Taibai Xingjun saw it, but neither of them said anything."

If the immortal doesn't believe it, he can go and take a closer look outside the South Heavenly Gate himself.

Leaving these words behind, Yang Li flew towards Mount Hua.

He needs to go back immediately to report to Grand Tutor Yu!
"Stop, stop, everyone! Don't tear it!" He vaguely heard Officer Cui shouting anxiously behind him.

Upon returning to the Imperial Observatory, Yang Li discovered that many of the "criminals of the Great Qin" had already returned.

The atmosphere inside the hall was somewhat oppressive.

"Yang Li, you're back. Have you been reassigned to a divine position?"

Grand Tutor Yu remained calm, standing quietly with his hands behind his back, looking at the map of China's landscape.

Yang Li presented the list of deities with both hands and then recounted in detail his experiences outside the South Heavenly Gate.

"And we even encountered Guanyin Bodhisattva?" Grand Tutor Yu opened the register of gods and examined it carefully.

Gradually, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she quickly made a few calculations with her free right hand.

“You really should accept Guanyin Bodhisattva’s conditions. That old man Taibai is dishonest; he fooled us,” she sighed.

Yang Li asked doubtfully, "One hundred mid-level deities, not one missing, and their quality is decent. How could they possibly fool us?"

Grand Tutor Yu unfolded the divine scroll, pointed to one of the divine positions, and asked, "Do you recognize him?"

Yang Li had already read the divine book before, so he only glanced at it and shook his head, saying, "Fuli County is very famous. I have also heard of the City God of Fuli County's massacre."

But I don't know him well, and we haven't had much of a relationship before. What happened to him?

Grand Master Yu said, "The list of gods that Taibai Xingjun gave you contains many names like Tuji, who have committed crimes and are about to be dealt with by the Heavenly Court as 'sinful gods'."

"What's the problem?" Yang Li asked, puzzled. "The positions of gods are like a radish pit; one god is one god."

If a large number of divine positions become vacant, the Heavenly Court will select new deities to fill them.

Now that the Grand Tutor wants to bestow titles upon the gods, he must first abolish a group of sinful gods.

"Once a seat becomes vacant, we can have our people fill it."

Xiao Yu asked, "What has your Earth Emperor Palace been busy with these past few months?"

Yang Li, not understanding his meaning, honestly replied, "When a country is about to perish, monsters will inevitably emerge. The Earth Emperor Palace is responsible for eliminating demons and monsters from the Nine Netherworlds."

"I alone suppressed twenty-six evil spirits and demons."

He then emphasized, "This is very common at the end of a dynasty. Last year, we divined the 'disaster of demons' and foresaw it. This has been the case in every dynasty, so there's no need to be alarmed."

Xiao Yu asked, "Of the demons and monsters that the Imperial Observatory cleared away, how many were corrupt spirits?"

“There are very few ghosts and gods.” Yang Li looked down at the register of gods and said thoughtfully, “In the past, we only suppressed evil ghosts and demons that harmed living beings, and we didn’t pay much attention to gods who behaved improperly.”

If we had examined the spirits and deities of each county and prefecture in China earlier...

"By picking out the unqualified ones and removing them, we can free up a large number of divine positions and avoid having to ask the Heavenly Court to replace them."

(End of this chapter)