Immortal I Speedrun Supernatural Game

"I am not a demon, I am a human being."

"Of course, a demon will not admit that it is a demon."

"..."

The faceless man barely managed to suppress the words he wanted to say.

After a moment of silence, he burst out laughing, a slightly strange laugh, like the kind of laugh that's trying to suppress a mischievous laugh.

He said helplessly, "If you think I'm a demon, then let me ask you, little monk, have you ever seen a demon recite the Heart Sutra?"

Wusheng was taken aback and asked, "What?"

Before he could react, the faceless man began reciting scriptures: "Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, when practicing the profound Prajnaparamita, perceived that the five aggregates are empty, and thus transcended all suffering and distress..."

He even recited the text in the same rhythm as during the morning prayers at Cibei Temple.

The only difference is that this Heart Sutra is the original version, not the strange version with added elements of sentient beings and Buddhas.

However, after hearing this, Wusheng simply uttered "Amitabha Buddha".

He then said earnestly, "You are my obsession. What I know, you naturally know as well."

That makes sense.

But aren't you being a little too stubborn?

Seeing the little monk's "I know it" expression, the faceless man's lips twitched and he said, "Please, if I were really possessed by a demon, why wouldn't I transform into a beautiful woman to seduce someone? If you were out there, I could kidnap ten of you in a day."

Wusheng Dao said, "Even demons can speak crude language."

Faceless Man: "..."

That's why I don't like children.

Why are you so stubborn! You're not cute at all!

After a moment of silence, the faceless man sighed and said, "You are indeed suited to be a monk, and you can only be a monk."

"Fine, if you think I'm possessed, then so be it."

"But the appearance of obstacles also means that you can see your own heart more clearly through me."

“Little monk, what you’re most worried about right now isn’t actually your spiritual practice, is it? It’s about your master—Huiming.”

Upon hearing these words, Wusheng fell silent for the first time.

He was still a child with limited age and experience, and didn't know how to hide his inner thoughts.

Even when he was thinking, an embarrassed look would unconsciously appear on his face.

Finally, she nodded weakly and said, "That's right..."

But then his tone immediately changed, as if he were explaining something, and he added:

“This humble monk knows that Master desires to become a Buddha, just like the other fellow monks in the temple.”

"But Master is different in other ways! He won't become a Buddha just to become a Buddha! It's definitely not possible to achieve that by making vows to all sentient beings and Buddhas!"

“Master…Master told me…Buddhahood is something that one must cultivate oneself to attain, and it is absolutely not something given by anyone.”

Hearing this, the faceless man laughed and said, "But you're still worried, aren't you? Worried that Huiming will eventually become like everyone else, worried that he will no longer be able to maintain his original mind, and that he will become someone who can't see anything but Buddhahood, just like the current abbot of Cibei Temple, the old man Kongbei."

Wusheng did not answer.

But silence is a form of acquiescence.

Yes, that's exactly what he's worried about.

Now, in the entire Cibei Temple, only Master Huiming can bring me a little warmth.

Even from the eyes of his fellow disciples and Abbot Kongbei, who was nominally his grandmaster, no matter how kind and benevolent their expressions were, one could only sense a strange coldness.

I'm really afraid that one day I'll only see that kind of coldness in my master's eyes.

Seeing that his question had been answered, the faceless man understood how to communicate with the little monk.

Then he continued, "What do you think a true Buddha should be like?"

Faced with this question, Wusheng replied without hesitation: "A true Buddha is compassionate and would not cause anyone suffering."

The faceless man smiled slightly and continued, "Is your master in pain right now?"

Even if Wusheng didn't want to admit it, he could only nod heavily on this point.

The master always felt that he was still young and didn't know anything and needed to be taught.

In reality, children are the most sensitive to changes in emotions.

From the time when children cannot understand or speak, they can only perceive the world by observing the emotional changes of the people around them.

Therefore, Wusheng could always sense that his master was in pain.

When the morning bell is rung, when meditating in the meditation hall, when burning incense and paying homage to Buddha, when guiding worshippers...

No matter when or where I meet my master, I can always feel the physical and mental exhaustion he is in.

This is also the reason why Wusheng would have the aforementioned worries.

As Wusheng nodded, the faceless man's figure gradually began to fade.

In the moments before he disappeared, he earnestly said to Wusheng:

"So, if becoming a Buddha causes your master pain, then it proves that this Buddha is neither the Buddha you recognize nor the Buddha he recognizes."

"You must never let Huiming forget this..."

call--

In the middle of a vast vegetable garden, inside that lonely wooden house.

Wusheng sat up abruptly, as if he were suddenly jolted awake from a deathbed.

He was sweating profusely, and he even felt that he could no longer distinguish between reality and dreams.

She could only raise her hand and pat her round, chubby face, as if trying to forcibly wake herself from her dream.

Finally, the flushed cheeks and the throbbing, burning pain brought Wusheng back to his senses.

He looked out the window at the twinkling stars, but he was no longer sleepy.

So Wusheng sat up on the bed and sat cross-legged.

This is the time for spiritual practice.

"Amitabha……"

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.

Some people slept peacefully that night, while others tossed and turned all night.

In the library, Kong Bei lay on the floor covered with scriptures, his gaze somewhat vacant as he stared at the countless human skin scriptures spiraling upwards.

He's not having trouble sleeping tonight.

From the day his senior brother attained Buddhahood, he has never been able to sleep soundly again.

Unlike Huiming, who was exhausted both physically and mentally by wanting to become a Buddha, feeling ashamed of his own bloodline, and worrying about the defilement of sentient beings and Buddhas, etc.

Kongbei never experienced this anxiety from beginning to end.

His only worry was when he could find the Golden Cicada to attain Buddhahood.

He and Du Ye are the same kind of people.

They are the purest form of villains.

Thinking of this, Kong Bei felt even more indignant.

When I wrote that log, it was because I noticed the changes after Du Ye brought back Jin Chan. I was thinking that if he wanted to sever ties with Cibei Temple after he became successful, or if he didn't plan to share his wealth and glory with me, then he might be in trouble.

She could also use the dirty deeds they had committed to threaten Du Ye. After all, in her eyes at that time, no matter how much trouble Du Ye caused, he could at most be considered successful and famous.

There's a saying: every creature has its nemesis. If he wants to secure these ill-gotten riches and honors, he must share them with others.

Unexpectedly, the other party had already set their sights on something else entirely.

When Duye transformed into a golden Buddha statue in the Sutra Repository and then scattered throughout the temple to become a Buddha, Kongbei was filled with regret.
"If only I had known this earlier! If I had used the log to threaten Du Ye sooner, and had learned the secrets of the Golden Cicada earlier, I wouldn't have been preoccupied with these mundane matters."

"Didn't they also ascend to Buddhahood together?"

Unfortunately, the other party has now attained Buddhahood for all sentient beings. If the diary can threaten the salvation of sentient beings in the mortal world, how can it threaten the Buddha in the Pure Land?

Moreover, the logbook had long since disappeared from the library.

Kong Bei didn't think he had done anything wrong.

I just felt that time was running out.

I can only lament my bad luck.

"Buddha! When will it be my turn!"

Just as Kong Bei was filled with countless emotions and deep resentment, he planned to fall asleep in the library as usual.

A golden light suddenly appeared in the scriptures in front of him.

That light, which only existed in his dreams and memories, was seen through the gauze window of the Jia family compound when he saw the golden cicada in Du Ye's hand. Kong Bei recognized it in just a moment.

He sat up abruptly, only to find a familiar figure emerging from the golden light—Du Ye.

No, it wasn't the Duye of yesteryear, but a golden Buddha surrounded by chanting.

"Junior brother, it's been a long time."

In an instant, Kongbei knelt down on the ground with a thud, trembling all over, and said, "Brother Duye! You...you have really become a Buddha?"

He then immediately kowtowed heavily and cried out, "You...you've come back this time to take your junior brother to the Pure Land of Buddha, right? That must be it! All the monks in the temple have witnessed my piety towards you! No one believes in the Buddha of all beings more than I do! I knew you wouldn't forget your junior brother!"

Even if just a second ago he was still blaming himself for not threatening Duye sooner.

But when the other party appears in the form of this golden Buddha, he can fawn over him like a loyal old dog, trying to gain the other party's favor through the bond of brotherhood.

Just like when Du Ye went down the mountain to indulge in a life of pleasure, he desperately begged and pleaded with others to take him along.

He has no bottom line as long as he can achieve his goals.

“I have naturally become a Buddha for all sentient beings, but I am not yet perfect and am still missing one thing.” The Buddha’s voice was full of compassion: “A Buddha for all sentient beings needs the blessing of the vows of all sentient beings, and your attachment is the purest vow. If you are willing to help me, I can lead you into the Buddhist path and share in the ultimate bliss.”

Kong Bei was so excited that he became incoherent, kneeling on the ground and shuffling forward repeatedly, saying, "I'm willing! I'm willing to do anything! What does Senior Brother want me to do?"

Upon hearing this, the Buddha was not surprised at all.

That's how Kong Bei is, as long as you give him the slightest benefit, he can become the dog that bites the hardest.

Unfortunately, this dog can never be truly tamed.

Therefore, when Du Ye went down the mountain that year, he was always wary of these fellow disciples.

In all business dealings, they were merely assistants; their interactions with high-ranking officials and nobles always revolved around themselves.

The same is true now.

The Buddha smiled slightly, and with Sanskrit chants swirling around him, said, "Since things have come to this, I will not hide it from you. The reason you failed to find the Golden Cicada that has attained Buddhahood is because there is someone in this Compassionate Temple who is born with a karmic affinity for Buddhism."

"As long as he's around, you'll never find Jin Chan."

Kong Bei's pupils constricted sharply, and he immediately bared his teeth and asked, "Who!? Who stole my opportunity!"

To this, the Buddha calmly replied, "This person is none other than the current head of the storehouse, and also the bloodline I left behind in the mortal realm before I became a Buddha—Huiming."

Upon hearing this, the hatred in Kong Bei's eyes smoothly turned into shock, and he murmured to himself, "Hui Ming? He... he is a descendant of Senior Brother Du Ye?"

"No wonder you ordered us to deal with that prostitute and take in her child at the temple. I advised you that if you wanted to set an example for the world, there are countless orphans wandering the streets in the dead of winter. Why did you choose to take in this prostitute's child? You didn't explain. Now I see..."

As someone who shares the same evil ways as Du Ye.

Kong Bei immediately realized that the other party's adoption was just for show.

So that the pilgrims would feel that the monks in Cibei Temple truly had the heart of a Bodhisattva.

I never imagined that besides this purpose, there was such a mysterious hidden meaning!

Oh no! Since he is a descendant of Senior Brother Duye, I certainly can't just kill him and steal the opportunity.

Seemingly seeing through his thoughts, the Buddha shook his head and said regretfully, "Unfortunately, Huiming's mind is clouded by demonic obstacles. He may have gained the favor of the Golden Cicada, but he cannot become a Buddha."

Having said that, a golden scroll of scripture floated out of his sleeve and landed in front of Kong Bei.

He continued, "Within three days, you will have Huiming willingly sign this [Buddhist Contract] and press his bloody handprint on it. His Buddhist affinity will then be transferred to you, and Jin Chan will naturally appear. Only then can I guide you to Buddhahood."

"If I can help one person attain Buddhahood, I can also achieve my own perfection. Junior brother, I will share the Pure Land of Buddha with you."

Kong Bei shakily raised the golden Buddhist sign, its characters twisted and illegible, causing him some hesitation.

"Huiming... will he really sign it?"

This question caused a powerful pressure to emanate from the Buddha.

The overwhelming sadness made it hard to breathe.

His already kneeling figure was now completely prostrate on the ground.

"He has no choice but to sign! How can our path to enlightenment be hindered by a mere mortal? You figure out a way yourself!"

Under the Buddha's terrifying pressure.

Kong Bei cried out through gritted teeth:

“Senior brother, if he truly has a connection to Buddhism and possesses the profound secrets of the Golden Cicada, I cannot defeat him by force.”

The Buddha seemed to have foreseen this.

A centipede, about two fingers wide and as long as an adult's arm, crawled out of his sleeve.

As the strange insect slowly approached him, Kong Bei's face showed not only confusion but also a hint of fear.

"Swallow it, and you will have the protection of all Buddhas in this temple, and you will naturally be able to contend with their Buddhist affinity."

"Or is this all the determination you have to become a Buddha?"

Looking at the hideous centipede-like insect.

He was thinking about becoming a Buddha and escaping the depravity of the mortal world.

Kong Bei's eyes were filled with an unprecedented ruthlessness.

"Of course not! Senior brother! I am willing to give everything! Just to become a Buddha!"

After saying that, he forced his mouth open to its limit, suppressing his fear, and felt the centipede slowly crawling into his mouth.

The sharp, thousand-legged blade pierced Kong Bei's mouth, causing it to bleed profusely. His tongue and esophagus were in so much pain that they were almost numb. Then, the blade fell into his stomach as if his internal organs were being devoured.

He immediately rolled on the ground in pain.

The physical pain and psychological fear caused tears to flow uncontrollably from his eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, Kongbei finally caught his breath and felt a strange connection between himself and Cibei Temple.

He was thinking of kneeling down to thank Du Ye when he realized that he was the only one left in the library.

The golden Buddha statue from before has vanished without a trace; only the scriptures and Buddhist inscriptions on the ground prove that he was once here.

Kong Bei picked up the Buddhist contract and slowly put it into his sleeve.

A trace of black filth emerged from his eyes, gradually covering them completely, much like the black-eyed obsession that once stood guard before the stone gate of the mandala.

"Senior brother, I won't let you down!"

"The next person to attain Buddhahood can only be me!" (End of Chapter)