The Eastern Emperor of all Heavens did not wish to become a Buddha.

Chapter 88 Traveling Again
Arhats, Bodhisattvas, and ancient Buddhas walk on this Buddhist land, together with believers, manifesting miracles and relieving suffering.

An inexplicable force permeates this Buddhist land, instinctively influencing every living being here and inspiring them to have an extremely devout faith in Buddhism.

Pilgrims, one by one, prostrated themselves with each step, heading towards a sacred mountain at the very center of the Buddhist land.

It was a vast and sacred mountain that defied description, rising from the land of Buddha and extending into the outer starry sky, penetrating the boundless universe.

A peaceful and pure power surrounds the sacred mountain, giving it a gentle Buddhist quality and stirring up layers of sacred radiance.

Zhong Xu's gaze turned toward the summit of the sacred mountain, where a magnificent temple came into view, its tiles shimmering with a purple-gold luster, as if cast from divine gold.

The temple's plaque bears four large characters: Great Thunderclap Temple!
Buzz

Upon seeing the Great Thunderclap Temple, Zhong Xu felt a slight tremor in his heart, and his eyes reflected a great Buddha radiating boundless Buddhist light.

The Buddha statue is magnificent and tall, sitting cross-legged on Mount Sumeru, yet it seems to exist outside the world. Every wisp of its aura makes the entire world tremble.

'Amitabha! '

The moment Zhong Xu saw the golden Buddha, the Buddha's name came to mind, and a sense of enlightenment arose in his heart.

Today, the Great Thunderclap Temple on Mount Sumeru does not have a World Honored One or a Tathagata, but is presided over by Amitabha Buddha, and is the source of Buddhism.

Seemingly sensing Zhong Xu's gaze, the Buddha looked at him with a compassionate expression, nodded slightly, and revealed a kind smile in its eyes.

Buzz

The moment his gaze met the compassionate eyes of the golden Buddha, Zhong Xu felt a slight tremor in his heart, as if some message was flowing through his mind.

In a daze, the scene before his eyes seemed to change again.

Mount Sumeru still towers into the clouds, and the Great Thunder Temple remains magnificent, but the golden figure within has changed, replaced by a brand new, solemn Buddha.

The Buddha is perfectly free and unborn, surrounded by various solemn and sacred Buddhist auras, preaching and expounding the Dharma at the Great Thunderclap Temple.

"All forms are illusory; seeing all forms as non-forms, one sees the Tathagata."

The sound of the Buddha's voice was like thunder, echoing in the Great Thunderclap Temple, on Mount Sumeru, and throughout the entire Western Desert Buddhist Land, causing the whole Buddhist land to tremble.

With the appearance of Buddhist chants, the power that had been influencing the minds of living beings in the Western Desert Buddhist Land gradually changed. It no longer forcibly altered the minds of living beings, but instead transformed into an enlightening power that cleansed the minds of all beings, allowing them to realize their inherent Buddha-nature.

One by one, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats sat cross-legged in the Great Thunderclap Temple, their hands clasped together, their faces showing joyful smiles of self-awakening.

Countless profound Buddhist principles flowed through Zhong Xu's mind, deepening his understanding of the true meaning of Buddhism and giving him a vague awareness of the wonders of self.

Buzz

Zhong Xu's innate spiritual light trembled slightly, and a clear and brilliant Buddhist light appeared within it, carrying a sense of reality and truth. This made his entire mind more solid and pure, as if he had shed some of his acquired distractions and acquired some of his innate nature. He seemed to be climbing towards an unknown height.

Buzz

It was as if it were an instant, or as if it were endless years later, when a buzzing sound rang out. Zhong Xu's gaze sharpened slightly as he saw the face of the perfect Buddha who was preaching the Dharma. It was exactly the same as his own face; it was him.

At this moment, he was solemn and compassionate, sacred and majestic, sitting cross-legged on the summit of Mount Sumeru, inside the Great Thunder Temple, preaching the Dharma to all beings, enlightening their Buddha-nature, helping them escape the sea of ​​suffering, and attaining great bliss and great freedom.

'Is this me?'

The thought flashed through Zhong Xu's mind, and his vision instantly returned to normal, with all the scenes before him vanishing.

At that moment, he felt his mind and will become clearer and more transparent than ever before, with a sense of unique reality.

The knowledge of the Dharma of One Lifetimes surfaced in Zhong Xu's mind, and he vaguely understood his own state.

Through the changes he had just experienced, he seemed to have grasped a sliver of the truth and principle of "what I am," allowing his innate spiritual light to undergo a slight transformation.

Of course, Zhong Xu is still far from truly understanding one of the characteristics of the legend, "I am who I am." He has only grasped a smattering of the true meaning of the "Buddha's Palm" and the Buddhist principles given to him by the old monk.

Even so, his mental will underwent a tremendous change, becoming more solid and clear, and he was more resistant to various attacks targeting his mental will.

More importantly, if Zhong Xu chooses to assimilate others in the future, this state will be less susceptible to the influence of others and will make assimilation easier.

Various insights kept emerging, and Zhong Xu couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

He was truly born with a natural affinity for the peerless divine skill "Buddha's Palm," and he also understood the true meaning of Buddhism instantly, even gaining a glimpse of the wonders of self directly through Buddhist teachings.

Could I really be the future World Honored One?
Is it the Buddha's idea to make himself the one he chooses to practice emptiness through reduction?
But isn't Buddha now stuck halfway through his path to transcendence?
At the same time, the image of the magnificent and compassionate golden Buddha appeared in Zhong Xu's mind, and a name came to mind.

The divine body of Amitabha Buddha. Indeed, the Great Thunderclap Temple on Mount Sumeru is now presided over by the divine body of Amitabha Buddha, and all Buddhists revere Amitabha Buddha.

Thinking of this, Zhong Xu recalled the other perfect Buddha that appeared behind him, a Buddha identical to himself, and a thought involuntarily arose in his mind:
Could it be true, as that old monk said, that he replaced Amitabha Buddha and became the master of the Great Thunder Temple in this world, the World Honored One worshipped by all beings, and that Buddhism on Mount Sumeru in this universe has a Tathagata?
but
The ambiguous attitude of Amitabha Buddha's divine body surfaced in Zhong Xu's mind, and a look of doubt appeared on his face.

If that's the case, why does he feel that Amitabha Buddha's divine self doesn't seem to have any ill intentions towards him, and even seems to be waiting for him to replace the other?

'Amitabha Buddha, World Honored One Tathagata'

As the two Buddhist chants appeared in his mind, a variety of thoughts surged through Zhong Xu's mind, but he couldn't quite understand them.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhong Xu's internal energy completely calmed down, and he came to his senses, suppressing these thoughts to the bottom of his heart.

In any case, he has no intention of going to Mount Sumeru for the time being.

Although Amitabha Buddha's divine body's attitude was somewhat ambiguous, it did not truly say that it stood on Zhong Xu's side.

The bodhisattvas and arhats on Mount Sumeru are true believers in Amitabha Buddha.

If I, the so-called Tathagata who has received the inheritance of the "Buddha's Palm," were to go up there, I would probably be directly defined as a Buddha and a demon.

After all, heretics are more hateful than pagans!

Even if we take a step back and consider whether or not there is a World-Honored One on Mount Sumeru, that is a matter for Buddhism in this world and has nothing to do with Zhong Xu, the Demon Emperor, for the time being.

He wouldn't get involved in this mess until he had reached a certain level of strength.

Thinking about these things, Zhong Xu focused his mind on his body and felt that the Demon Buddha Mystic Art had undergone some new changes, becoming increasingly unpredictable.

As the technique was activated, the Buddhist light surrounding him became increasingly clear and radiant, bringing a sense of peace to those around him.

However, deep within the Buddha's light, Zhong Xu sensed an extremely pure demonic intent flowing through him, carrying a chilling and eerie feeling.

'This technique truly embodies both Buddhism and demonic power. The deeper my understanding of Buddhist teachings, the more terrifying the demonic nature within me becomes!'

'My cheap master truly lives up to his reputation as a demon who went from Buddha to demon, ultimately reaching the other shore of Buddhahood. His understanding of the duality of Buddha and demon is far beyond ordinary imagination, and the techniques he created are extremely bizarre!'

As he comprehended the true meaning of this technique, Zhong Xu's mind stirred slightly, and he felt his inner world begin to adjust and change.

thud

A clear, resonant bell tolled from the depths of his soul, bringing Zhong Xu's mind back to its normal state. He temporarily halted the adjustment of his inner world, and a sense of enlightenment arose within him:
It's time to return to the world of supreme beings, to thoroughly adjust the inner world according to the laws of the external world, to merge the inner and outer realms, and to condense one's own Dharma form.

Thinking of this, Zhong Xu felt the increasingly terrifying demonic intent within his body, and he placed even greater importance on the "Eight-Nine Arcane Technique," which combined the essence of Taoism and Buddhism.

Both were created by those from the other shore, one incorporating Buddhism and Taoism, and the other incorporating Buddhism and demonism. They were of great reference value to Zhong Xu, as evidenced by the Qi Accumulation Chapter and the Awakening Chapter he had previously obtained.

As the cultivation technique circulated, Zhong Xu's aura constantly changed. After an unknown amount of time, he slowly suppressed his aura and opened his eyes.

His eyes underwent a peculiar change, one appearing compassionate and serene, the other deep and enigmatic, giving off an extremely strange feeling.

Seeing this, the demons felt a chill run down their spines. Yan Ruyu stepped forward first, asking with concern, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

After glancing at everyone, Zhong Xu shook his head, the strange light in his eyes dissipating, and said with a light laugh, "I'm fine, don't worry."

Yan Ruyu breathed a sigh of relief when she sensed that Zhong Xu's aura had returned to normal.

On the other side, Zhong Xu turned his gaze towards the direction of Ximo, and the scene he had seen earlier flashed through his mind.

Amitabha.
World Honored One Tathagata
Is there any other conflict between these two bigwigs?

in the hall.

Zhong Xu sat cross-legged, his aura constantly shifting. Sometimes he was surrounded by a Buddha-like light, compassionate and peaceful, calming people's minds; other times he was filled with demonic energy, eerie and terrifying, inspiring fear.

As time passed, the Buddha's light became more compassionate and peaceful, while the demonic intent became more eerie and terrifying, as if the two were going to extremes.

Zhong Xu's aura was also becoming stronger and stronger, and he was about to break through to a new level.

Sensing the changes in his own cultivation technique, Zhong Xu vaguely understood something:
'It's time to return to the world of supreme power!'

Boom!
The moment the thought crossed his mind, a deep and clear bell rang out, and ripples spread like water. A phantom river seemed to appear around him, and Zhong Xu's figure merged into it and disappeared.

　There's another chapter tonight.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)