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Chapter 163 The Buddha of Eternal Future

After the meal, Lu Xiuyuan briefly informed everyone of the night watch shifts and then let everyone rest.

After all, everyone was exhausted from walking through the heavy rain. It was already quite an achievement that they had managed to get this far without collapsing. No matter how anxious Lu Xiuyuan was, he couldn't ask for too much.

As the guardian immortal master and Lu Ping's mentor, Zhou You still received the highest preferential treatment and was not assigned to any class. This time, he did not express anything, but after politely greeting the others, he carried Duan Xie and walked towards the room.

After all, it's better to conserve energy and prepare for the crucial moment than to make excuses and appear pretentious.

Stepping inside, Zhou You picked up a tinderbox and lit a candle. The faint flame illuminated the small space.

The room was furnished with extreme simplicity, so much so that there was nothing but a bed, and no tables, chairs or benches at all. However, Zhou You was not the kind of person who cared about his living environment. He simply swept away the clutter on the bed, sat down cross-legged, and took out a book from his pocket.

It was that book, the Susiddhikara Sutra.

Whenever he had a spare moment, he would take the time to read a few pages of the book, and now he is almost at the end of this thick book.

Similarly, Zhou You also vaguely sensed that he was not far from breaking through to the next stage of the Death Curse Sanskrit Sound.

The firelight flickered, and the only sound in the room was the rustling of paper. Lu Ping knocked on the door a few more times, mostly asking if Zhou You needed some hot soup. After politely declining, no one bothered him again.

After an unknown amount of time, the next page was gently turned.

The author also wrote a conclusion to the entire book.

"...Buddhist sects are nothing more than the eight schools: Xingyi, Xiangyi, Tiantai, Huayan, Chan, Pure Land, Vinaya, and Tantra. None of these eight schools are superior or inferior; all can lead to enlightenment. However, the path of Tantra is too obscure. Without the transmission of teachings from a master, one cannot practice. Therefore, it declined a hundred years ago. By the time of the founding of this dynasty, it was difficult to find Tantra monks anymore. Only a few remained in the high mountains far outside Han territory."

"However, an orange grown south of the Huai River is an orange, but grown north of the Huai River it becomes a trifoliate orange. The leaves may be similar, but the fruits are very different. Although the esoteric Buddhism in the Han region acts in secrecy, it still practices the orthodox Dharma and the righteous path, devoting its entire life to resisting the pollution from outside the heavens. The esoteric Buddhism in the high mountains, on the other hand, does the opposite. The methods it uses are all blood sacrifices and lewd rituals, offering thousands of lives to the evil demons outside the heavens, vainly believing that they can achieve transcendence. Its actions are no different from those of the local demonic path."

"We compiled this book for two reasons: first, to understand the practices and regulations of the esoteric school; and second, to warn future generations that if the esoteric forces of the High Mountain rise one day, we must never allow them to enter Han territory, otherwise a great calamity will befall our Buddhist community and even the world."

The author's words end here.

However, after this last line, there was a brownish-red message, written in much newer handwriting, suggesting it was written in recent years.

The message was very simple, consisting of only one sentence.

"Old dog, we're already in. Your Empress Dowager invited us personally. What can you do about it?"

Without a doubt, this was written by that Zaba.

The scriptures that were once used to warn and prevent wrongdoing ended up in the hands of the very people being warned against—there is no greater absurdity in this world.

However, Zhou You's attention was not on this.

Just as I finished reading the last word, a notification from the system sounded.

"Congratulations, player. You have mastered the entire text of the Susiddhikara Sutra."

"Your mastery of the first stage of the supernatural power 'Death Curse Sanskrit Chant' has reached its maximum value."

"The third effect of the Susiddhikara Sutra has met all the triggering conditions."

“You have deduced the next stage of the death curse chant.”

next moment.

In the blink of an eye, a golden light suddenly shone before Zhou You's eyes, and the scenery between the small houses changed abruptly.

—In a daze, he saw countless towering palaces on Mount Ling, he saw the wondrous tree with leaves of vermilion jade and branches of precious stones, and he saw the Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli, bathed in countless rays of Buddha light, as radiant as the rising sun.

Countless Buddhas, Arhats, and Bodhisattvas ascend the steps, chanting hymns echoing between the temples. The resounding bells and drums are struck, their sounds washing over the body and mind like waves—here there is no sorrow, no parting, no pain; this is the blissful world of the Western Paradise.

Peace and joy, tranquility and harmony. However...

Suddenly, the view changed abruptly.

As if in the blink of an eye, the skin of the Buddhas in the sky vanished, leaving only bright red flesh and blood. Countless skinned faces looked up at the sky, their mouths still chanting Sanskrit, but the sounds were distorted and incoherent.

Then, a strange, otherworldly voice suddenly rang out.

"Brahma Bhagavan".

Soon, all the gods and Buddhas on the mountain began to chant together.

"Brahma Bhagavan".

"Brahma Bhagavan".

"Brahma Bhagavan".

Finally, all the words came together into one voice.

"When the World-Honored One passed away and subsequently entered Nirvana, this was for..."

"Buddha of Eternal Future!"

In the blink of an eye, all the scenery vanished.

Zhou You was left with a look of utter astonishment.

—What did I just see?
—And what are those things?
—And what does the last one, 'Buddha of Eternal Future', mean?
However, a confused mind can't provide any answers. Whenever I try to think about it carefully, it causes my stomach to clench, and I might vomit at any moment.

It took Zhou You quite a while to recover his senses.

He looked down and saw that, without realizing it, his hand gripping the book had turned white, and every muscle in his body was trembling slightly, as if he had seen something terrifying.

After catching his breath for a while, he frowned and muttered to himself.

"Could the scene I just witnessed be what the Demon Mother Bodhisattva saw before her fall? Buddhism was normal at first, but later... it may have been corrupted by extraterrestrial demons, and even the Buddha himself has perished and been reborn as that future Eternal Buddha."

His brows furrowed deeper and deeper, but his words became increasingly hurried.

"—So, the most crucial point in all these scenarios is still that 'heavenly demonic path,' which seems to be the cause of everything. But the question arises—what exactly is this thing?"

Zhou You thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't come to a conclusion.

"There are still too few clues. Before leaving the temple, even if it means exposing my identity, I should go and find the abbot to get some answers."

At this moment, the system notification sound also came.

"Dear player, you have obtained the second true mantra of the Death Curse: Ma."

"This mantra can only be used on a single enemy. When you utter the mantra, you can freely choose to deprive the enemy of one of their five senses. The duration of the deprivation depends on the enemy's strength."

"You have obtained two mantras of the Death Curse Sanskrit and gained the additional trait: Flesh and Blood Firmness."

"Special effect: Your stamina and endurance are permanently increased. Under no circumstances will your combat ability be reduced by bleeding effects."

"You have collected two of the six-syllable mantras. Please note that when you have collected all the mantras, you can glimpse the fundamental principles of the Auspicious and Tranquil Ghost Mother Bodhisattva. Please continue your efforts and strive to collect them all as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)