The God of Heavens

Chapter 243 The Past Amitabha Sutra

"Sir, please look, this is my personal collection of books."

Old Tu eagerly led Lin Yu to the stone cave on the south side.

Upon entering the cave, one is greeted by a spacious stone chamber, about five or six hundred paces in diameter, with a high dome that resembles a palace on earth.

The stone wall was carved with countless niches for lamps, burning with an unknown type of oil. The flames were small but produced no smoke, illuminating the entire room.

The walls were lined with sandalwood bookshelves, stacked high with books. There were handwritten copies on yellowed bamboo paper, rare books bound in silk, and even rare items like imperial edicts.

In the corner, countless tattered scrolls were piled up, their paper already yellowed with age. A rough estimate suggests that the stone chamber contained no fewer than 100,000 books.

Seeing the look of surprise in Lin Yu's eyes, the old fox stroked his beard smugly, looking just like an old Confucian scholar showing off his family's learning.

Lin Yu casually picked up a book, which turned out to be a woodblock-printed copy of the Diamond Sutra, with the red seal of "Da Chan Temple" stamped on the title page. He flipped through several more books, and they were all the same.

"These things," Old Tu suddenly sighed, a look of reminiscence in his eyes, "we brought them out of the temple when it was destroyed during the suppression of the Great Zen Temple in Zhongzhou."

How magnificent was the Great Zen Temple in its heyday? During the autumn harvest, thousands of monks would come to collect rent. The main halls were layered upon layered, and the young monks had to ride horses to keep up with the morning incense offerings. Who would have thought…

The old fox shook his head. "Alas, it's a pity that the ancient temple, which had been burning brightly for a thousand years, was ultimately reduced to ashes because it was in league with the remnants of the previous dynasty to rebel."

Lin Yu traced the fire marks on the scroll with his fingertips. This ancient temple, which did not require tribute, was not only a sacred place of martial arts but also a place of immense wealth.

However, ten years ago, Dachan Temple colluded with the remnants of the previous dynasty to plot a rebellion, but was besieged and wiped out by the army, and this ancient temple with a history of thousands of years was reduced to ashes.

It is said that the temple's millennia-long accumulation of wealth, after being plundered, made the finances of the Great Qian Dynasty unprecedentedly stable.

Lin Yu understood perfectly. The rise and fall of Buddhism and Taoism, in the end, boiled down to nothing more than self-interest.

Buddhist sects are adept at business, using the concept of reincarnation to win over the people and acquiring vast tracts of land under the guise of incense offerings. They also collude with local powerful families to lend money at exorbitant interest rates and evade taxes and corvée labor, causing the imperial court to lose tax revenue and its population to decrease.

Not to mention the Great Qian Dynasty's annihilation of the Great Zen Temple, even the Three Wu Emperors' persecution of Buddhism in Chinese history all stemmed from the issue of "money and provisions."

The Taoist sect, however, presents a different picture. In its early days, the Celestial Masters sect established twenty-four administrative regions, and Zhang Lu, based in Hanzhong, called it the "Five Pecks of Rice Sect." Wasn't this also an attempt to establish a Taoist kingdom on earth?

Later, there was Zhang Jiao of the Way of Peace, who shouted the slogan "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise!"

Later, Taoism was suppressed by the imperial court with an iron fist, and only then did it restrain its power and change its appearance. Only the Supreme Tao in this world claimed to be in charge of the Heavenly Way and did not even put the emperor in its eyes.

Lin Yu gently placed the Buddhist scripture back on the bookshelf, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

The calamity that befell the Great Zen Temple seemed like a cruel twist of fate. If this ancient temple hadn't collapsed, where would the Great Qian Dynasty have gotten such immense wealth?

Now that the national treasury is full, we have the confidence to proclaim the slogan of "a peaceful and prosperous era".

Ironically, the destruction of Dachan Temple truly echoed the Buddhist tale of "sacrificing oneself to feed a tiger," except that what was fed was not a tiger, but the glorious Qianlong Emperor.

Lin Yu strolled to the center of the library cave, his gaze falling on the two most prominent books, the "Martial Classic" and the "Taoist Classic," both monumental works compiled during the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty.

He casually flipped through the book, his fingertips pausing slightly on a certain page of the "Martial Arts Classic," before he closed the book as if nothing had happened.

“Master Tu,” Lin Yu turned around and smiled, “your collection of books is extensive, but it is disorganized. Classics, histories, philosophical works and literary collections are mixed together, which may make it quite difficult to find the books you need.”

Upon hearing this, the old fox's snow-white fur blushed slightly, as if it were feeling a little embarrassed. It awkwardly raised its front paws and said, "This old man is truly unfamiliar with this matter."

Suddenly its eyes lit up, and it bowed deeply to the ground: "I wonder if you could spare some time to give us some pointers? This library is the treasure of my pure fox clan. Once the little foxes can read, they can come in and study. They will be considered a scholarly family, and at least they won't live a muddled life as beasts who eat raw meat and drink blood."

Lin Yu smiled and said, "It's not impossible for me to give you pointers, but I don't have much time. I'll be leaving at dawn."

The old fox was reluctant to let go; he still wanted to curry favor with the powerful.
"However, rather than me instructing you, wouldn't it be better if you studied on your own? Wouldn't it be better if you organized the books here yourselves?" Lin Yu said with a smile.

The old fox was a little confused.

Lin Yu took out a piece of spirit jade, and with a slight movement of his soul, he imprinted pieces of knowledge onto it, from childhood to adulthood, including enlightenment classics, historical and philosophical works, insights gained from reading, various cultivation experiences, numerous deeds, and principles of conduct.

It's like an encyclopedia.

A living dictionary.

Once you cultivate divine sense, you can learn autonomously.

"This...this..." Old Tu's paws were trembling. Suddenly, it stood up and solemnly bowed deeply: "Our clan will never forget your great kindness, sir!"

Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish. With this jade slip, they can learn and grow themselves, and then teach the next generation. Their future is bright and limitless.

"This is nothing, you're making a big deal out of it," Lin Yu said with a slight smile, waving his hand.

He immediately turned his gaze to the martial arts manual and grabbed it from mid-air. Before the old fox could react, the book had already turned into countless fragments. A piece of black gold silk floated out from among the shredded paper and landed steadily in Lin Yu's palm.

"This...this is..." Old Tu exclaimed in surprise, his beard trembling.

On a three-foot-long black silk scroll, tiny characters, as dense as stars, are written. The characters are as clear as if carved with a knife, every single stroke visible, and the ink flows without the slightest smudging. These small characters seem to possess a spirit; upon closer inspection, the ink seems to shimmer and glow, each character like a dormant spirit, as if about to burst forth from the paper and take flight.

In the center of the text is a golden Buddha.

The Buddha sits cross-legged, eyes gently closed, hands in a mudra, his expression serene and peaceful. The sun, moon, and stars surround him, and all the light converges upon his golden body.

The golden Buddha's expression is serene, exuding an aura of warmth and familiarity. Upon closer inspection, it seems to resemble one's own past lives, the origin of countless lifetimes.

A sense of transcendence and timelessness washes over you, making you feel as if you are glimpsing eternity.

Lin Yu turned his gaze to the inscriptions surrounding the Buddha, “Thus have I heard: The spirit dwells in the Heavenly Court, the place where all gods reside and where all Buddhas find their spiritual abode…”

The scriptures contain many methods, among which there is one original method that strengthens the spirit and soul, enabling thoughts to be eternal, immortal, and indestructible.

There is also a method to subdue inner demons, capable of subduing the five great demon kings who attack one's soul; and a great technique for condensing the Yin spirit, cultivating the Precious Moonlight King Body, which allows one to manifest through the moonlight...

The profound meaning of the word "past" in the Amitabha Sutra is that it is the indestructible nature that remains unchanged even after countless eons, and cannot be dispersed even by thunder.

The true meaning of the "Book of Creation" is to carry boundless power, break through waves, manipulate creation, cross the sea of ​​suffering, and sail towards the other shore.

Lin Yu finished reading the entire Amitabha Sutra and slowly closed his eyes.

In an instant, countless golden characters flowed and shone in his sea of ​​consciousness, and a solemn and ancient Buddha of the past emerged from the depths of his soul.

As described in the scriptures, the golden Buddha hangs in the void, its body bathed in the boundless light of the sun and moon.

His mind suddenly felt incredibly peaceful, and he sensed an endless void, a vast expanse where he could roam freely.

"The past life, the past light, the past form, exist eternally in the void, and are already immortal. The past is immeasurable, and no supernatural power can change what has already happened."

The beautiful words and profound thoughts in the Amitabha Sutra that expounded the meaning of "the past" stirred his heart. This profound thought lingered on his soul, wanting to merge with him.

The Amitabha Buddha in the Past Amitabha Sutra possesses the true meaning of being indestructible through countless eons, and its wondrous nature is comparable to that of the Creation Ship in the Creation Heaven Sutra.

The next day.

Lin Yu bid farewell to the old fox Tu Lao, took the Amitabha Sutra back to the palace, and prepared to set off.

As for what will happen to Hong Yi in the future, Lin Yu can only apologize. If he really is the son-changing master mentioned by the philosophers, he probably wouldn't be troubled by this small difficulty.

……

"What? The boss wants us to intercept Yang Qian's convoy heading south to suppress bandits?" In a dark, secret room, an old woman with white hair and wrinkled skin, holding a cane, exclaimed in surprise, her eyes flashing with a cold light that was eerily frightening.

Behind this old woman's head were three halos of different colors, just like the halos behind the heads of Taoist deities and Buddhas in temples!
“Indeed, this fourth prince is not satisfied with suppressing bandits in Yunzhou, so he has to come to our south. Doesn’t he know that the south is the territory of the Supreme Lord?” said a man in black.

"Hehe, I heard that this fourth prince has already reached the Innate Martial Master realm at such a young age. I didn't expect him to die on the way so soon. It's truly a case of heaven being jealous of talent!" the old woman said in a mocking tone.

“Don’t underestimate this person.” The man in black shook his head: “Not to mention that he is a Xiantian Martial Master, he also has many guards around him. I heard that he has subdued a Xiantian from the Yuanyue Sect. In addition, there are the armored soldiers he trained in Yunzhou. He is not to be underestimated.”

"Two innate masters are all he has. Even if we add those armored soldiers, can he stay on guard forever?"

The old woman spoke calmly, “From Yujing to the south, it’s five or six thousand miles, dozens of prefectures, and in some places the official roads are blocked, so you have to take back roads. It’s a long and arduous journey. How long can he hold out against the endless assassinations from our Wushengdao and Zhenkongdao?”

"Alright, this matter is entrusted to you. Don't disappoint the Lord!" The man in black nodded emphatically.

……

Under the blazing sun, the dust on the official road cracked and turned white, and the horses' hooves kicked up billowing dust as they passed, leaving long trails behind the procession like beacon fires.

One hundred and fifty iron cavalrymen swept past like a whirlwind.

Lin Yu, leading the way, rode a red steed that resembled a leaping flame, while Zhao Hu and Xue Dao each rode a black dragon-like steed on either side of him. The three riders rode side by side, their thunderous roar echoing along the official road.

It was midday, and we were on an official road controlled by the imperial court, so even the most rampant bandits dared not act recklessly.

The Great Qian Dynasty was at its peak, with strict controls in various regions and relatively good security on official roads. It was not so corrupt that there were bandits on official roads!

Lin Yu, having traveled so many miles, still clearly understood this point.

"The capital of Wuyuan Province is two hundred miles ahead. I estimate that in another ten days, we will pass through Zhongzhou and enter the southern territory."

Lin Yu whipped his whip towards the majestic city walls that were faintly visible on the horizon. The outline of the city was slightly distorted in the heat wave, like a mirage.

He gently spurred the horse's belly, and the intelligent red steed immediately understood its master's intention, quickening its pace without needing to be whipped.

"All troops, listen to my command! Advance into the city to rest before nightfall!" With Lin Yu's order, more than a hundred riders simultaneously cracked their whips. Amidst the uniform sound of the whips, the torrent of iron cavalry suddenly accelerated and sped towards the distant city.

(End of this chapter)