Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

"Thank you."

He clasped his hands together and expressed his gratitude to those he remembered and those he didn't, those he was familiar with and those he wasn't.

Those who had transformed into Moon People, those who had forgotten themselves for millennia, those who had tormented themselves for millennia, thanked him.

For his tolerance, for his greatness, for his ability to clasp his hands together and pray for their liberation.

Over ten thousand years, Phos has forgotten too many things, the most important of which is his own emotions.

You cannot love, you cannot hate, you cannot hope, you cannot yearn.

After all, if he had to carry so many emotions, he probably would have gone mad long ago.

Haha, maybe he's gone mad by now?

It doesn't matter anymore. Let them be free. That way, I won't have to think about them anymore, and I won't have to worry about being in pain anymore.

"We finally understand each other."

He said this.

He believed he could understand them now, understand the Lunarian prince, understand Master Kongo, after all, he, like them, longed to transcend and end all of this.

They longed for it so much, they all longed for it so much, they believed in themselves, they all believed that they would pray for them.

That's settled then. Let me repay your trust.

Come, let me pray for you.

No need to learn, no need to prepare. For prayer is an instinct, like shattering, like forgetting, like dying.

Phos clasped his hands together, as if remembering something after ten thousand years. The entire void around Phos began to tremble, all light converged towards him, and all shadows rushed toward him.

Those kneeling people began to turn into specks of light, starting from the edge, like paper curling in flames, but without pain, only liberation.

They rejoiced silently, preparing to embrace the eternity called the end, the sweet death, and the liberation of being buried in eternal nothingness.

But, just as all this is about to be released, as all suffering, hatred, and resentment are entrusted to one person, and that person is liberated from all others—the moment their so-called "transcendence," which they call Buddha, is completed—

A black figure landed in front of Phos, gently taking Phos's hands, which should have been clasped together, and whispered...

“You don’t have to forgive like this. You are not Buddha, and they don’t deserve to be transcended.”

Phos looked up, and everyone else looked up too. They stared blankly at the stranger who had suddenly appeared before them—yes, he was human, a human who should have been extinct long ago.

But why did he suddenly appear here, and why did he try to prevent Phos from transcending them?

“You are not Buddha, child. You who chose to help them transcend are not worthy of being called an enlightened one.” Dongjiang looked at Fas with pity and gently comforted him.

Then, he looked at the 'people' in front of him, his eyes filled with nothing but disgust.

Having watched the anime and comics with Siddhartha, he learned about the origins of these 'people' in this world and their actions.

Long, long ago, this planet was struck by six asteroids, wiping out countless humans. Until the final attack, the machines 'Floating Ice,' which were supposed to warn humanity, suddenly rebelled, leading to humanity's ultimate destruction by the final meteorite impact.

But humanity did not become extinct as a result; rather, they transformed into different kinds of 'people'.

The surviving humans were divided into three parts—"soul," "flesh," and "bone."

They all became eternal beings, unless someone could pray for them and help them pass on.

Before humanity was completely wiped out, the last human, Dr. Boo, created a machine called "King Kong" to completely liberate all the souls of the dead. After the last human died, it began its work of liberating souls.

The souls of the humans left on the moon were being redeemed by King Kong in batches. But one day, King Kong discovered the existence of the gem people formed from bones. He began to have selfish thoughts, and the system malfunctioned, making it impossible to continue the work of redeeming souls.

The world thus ended the process that should have led to its extinction and began a period of stagnation.

The souls of the humans who remained on the moon became the Lunarians, while their bodies sank to the bottom of the sea to become the Flesh Race. Their bones remained on Earth and became the Gem Race, forming the structure of this world.

This is how the story of this world begins. The Lunarians, unable to be redeemed, yearn for liberation and thus relentlessly attack Earth, abducting the Gem People and crushing them in an attempt to stimulate King Kong's recovery. The Flesh People, who have sunk to the bottom of the sea, suffer from famine due to food shortages and make peace with the Lunarians, becoming enemies of the Gem People. The Gem People, in order to protect themselves, call King Kong their teacher.

But in reality, King Kong never actually malfunctioned.

He only encountered the Gem Man during the process of helping the dead pass on, and then he became afraid. He was afraid that after helping everyone pass on, he would be the only one left here to suffer for eternity. At the same time, he understood the meaning of the words that Dr. Boo, who created him, said to him before he died.

1003 >>

"After you cross the bridge, be sure to burn it down!"

King Kong is that bridge, but he doesn't want to build that bridge; he wants to create a new one, so he stops his prayer function.

So the truth is that he had long ago collaborated with the Lunarian prince, intending to create a new prayer machine so that he could replace him and deliver everyone from suffering.

Attacking the Gem People, kidnapping them, and crushing them into powder to 'kill' them is nothing more than creating pressure to force the chosen one to become the one who prays.

And what they chose was the phosphophyllite right in front of them.

Kong meticulously plotted against Phosphophyllite, inducing him to break apart and mix with other gems. In front of him, she had the Lunarians destroy and abduct her companions, and finally lured him to the moon, where he learned part of the truth.

He learned of King Kong's identity from the Lunarian prince, and was thus induced to have King Kong restart the prayer to save the Lunarians and resurrect all the Gemstones. So he sent him back to Earth, attacked King Kong, and tried to force him to pray.

But this is still a trap. His betrayal is doomed to fail. He is destined to fail, be abandoned by everyone, have his body shattered, be buried underground, be sealed away, and be isolated.

Phosphophyllite endured countless betrayals and despair, went mad in solitude, and lost everything. It was precisely this immense suffering that proved Kongo and his companions' actions to be correct.

Because only phosphorophyllite, which has experienced so much and still maintains such feelings, is considered to possess "complex human emotions."

While he was undergoing a painful transformation, his former companions were taken to the moon and became Lunarians. The Gemstones, who were thought to be beyond resurrection, were also resurrected by the Lunarians, as was King Kong. They all lived happily ever after on the moon for ten thousand years.

No one remembers Phosphophyllite, not even his comrades-in-arms and lovers. They have all forgotten about Phosphophyllite and are enjoying 'ten thousand years of happiness'.

finally,

After Phosphophyllite gathered the bodies of the Seven Treasures from countless fragments and truly replaced Kongo, they returned to Earth.

Come, pray for us. Even if we scheme against you, betray you, forget you, and torment you, even if you suffer ten thousand years of agony, are buried alive for two hundred years, and are shattered beyond repair, you will surely forgive us.

Because this is Phosphophyllite, a gemstone that can fuse with other stones, a gemstone that is good at forgiving, a new 'Buddha' who, in all their calculations, is destined to forgive them in the end and transcend them.

Even after countless torments and sufferings, Buddha will still forgive us. That is Buddha!

Disgusting, absolutely disgusting!

Dongjiang is not a Buddhist, and his attitude towards Buddhism is neither fondness nor dislike. But even as an outsider, he understands that Buddhism should never be something that forgives others without any limits.

The Buddha is an enlightened being, not a statue. Siddhartha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, thus becoming an enlightened being. Because he transcended himself, he is the Buddha.

The Buddha cut off his own flesh to feed the eagle, but that doesn't mean he condoned evil without limits. The Buddha also had a fierce Vajra. Although greed, anger, and ignorance are the three poisons, they are also the path of enlightenment. Eliminating the three poisons from oneself is the path of enlightenment. But even the Buddha is not qualified to eliminate the karma of greed, anger, and ignorance in others.

True Buddhas do not liberate others; they can only liberate themselves. They may guide people onto the path of liberation, but they will not sacrifice themselves to liberate others, because then they would not be Buddhas, nor enlightened beings, but merely omnipotent clay idols in the imagination of ordinary people.

But these clueless people, and the shallow understanding of Buddhism held by their creators, are just like this! They must forgive all evil people without limits, must be absolutely kind, and must sacrifice themselves to bring happiness to everyone else!

"Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot?" Countless people seize upon this phrase as irrefutable proof that Buddha cannot distinguish between good and evil, even spawning nonsensical claims like "bad people become Buddhas instantly, while good people suffer eighty-one tribulations." But the story clearly refers to a butcher laying down his knife and beginning spiritual practice under Buddha's guidance.

There is no such thing as an evil person being able to transcend and become a Buddha. This statement clearly means that an evil person can start their own path to Buddhahood by abandoning evil and doing good, just like everyone else. However, in reality, attaining Buddhahood still requires long-term practice and atonement.

It is this kind of misinterpretation that gradually transformed Buddha from an enlightened being into an omnipotent deity, but this is unavoidable. Just as Taoism transformed from Lao Tzu's teachings into the Taoism of later generations, becoming a product of religion inevitably resulted in such a consequence.

Dongjiang never believed that he possessed even the slightest bit of so-called Buddhist nature, but he still felt that compared to the so-called people in front of him at this moment, and those who ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist scriptures, he was more like an enlightened being.

1003>>>>

Especially this Vajra—his full name is some kind of Vajra Great Compassionate Crystal Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva? Bah, he's trying to piggyback on Ksitigarbha's fame? Damn it, I'm more like a Buddha than any of you!

Why did Tsugumi react so strongly? Because at Siddhartha's invitation, he experienced this damned 'plot' from Phosphophyllite's first-person perspective.

Dongjiang now understood why Siddhartha wanted him to see these things, because he was genuinely stirred up long-dormant emotions.

Pity, hatred, and pleasure—emotions I hadn't experienced in over a decade in the previous world finally came to mind at this moment.

So vibrant, so beautiful, it truly is—a love I can't let go of!

Destruction is love! Crushing is love! Torture is love!

Damn it, my most important priority is to make myself happy! Saving the world? That'll have to wait!

So, faced with Phosphophyllite alone, and the last remaining seed and all hope of human civilization on the other side, Tsugumi made her choice.

"Phosphope, become a true enlightened one."

Tsugumi placed her hand on Phosphophyllite's forehead, and gently spoke as he stared blankly at her.

"Pray not for others, but for yourself, Phosphophyllite."

Realizing something was wrong, the Moon People launched an attack on the human, but no matter how they attacked, they could not touch the human's presence in the slightest.

They could only watch as Phosphophyllite slowly raised his hands and then—initiated the ritual of deliverance.

The light enveloped everyone and then disappeared, but at that moment, only Phos disappeared.

His figure gradually faded into nothingness, and then the Moon People, the former Gem People, and the Flesh People, loudly and painfully questioned Phosphophyllite: Why didn't he perform a ritual to help them pass on to the afterlife?!

"You are unworthy, you are not enlightened beings," Phosphophyllite replied in an ethereal voice.

"Only those who relinquish everything can transcend. I suddenly realize that you are no longer important, none of you are important anymore. I understand you, but you still don't understand me, so... farewell."

Phosphophyllite disappeared, taking with it ease and joy, becoming the only soul to be transcended and redeemed.

And all that remains are people who have been happy for ten thousand years, indulged in ten thousand years of pleasure, and laughed for ten thousand years.

They stared blankly at each other, having enjoyed ten thousand years of happiness until only emptiness remained, watching helplessly as their final liberation vanished.

They then descended into utter madness and collapse.

"I originally intended to punish you properly, but now I realize this is your hell."

"Without a final chance to transcend, even if the sun devours the earth, you will only drift eternally in the universe, enter the next cycle of the universe with heat death, and then continue to exist."

"May you spend every second happily in the deepest hell."

Tsugumi watched as the Moon People descended into collapse and madness, frantically killing and torturing each other, and laughed heartily before turning and leaving.

He knew that after he left, these Lunarians would inevitably try to create a new Phosphophyllite to help them pass on, but—there would be no second time.

The rules of this world have been changed after Phosphophyllite transcended. Only by truly breaking free from cause and effect, transcending the self, and abandoning the three poisons of the soul can one transcend oneself.

Even if they create another Phosphophyllite, in the end only one more Phosphophyllite will be able to transcend.

As for the Moon People and Vajra, their entangled karma is enough to prevent them from escaping this place for all eternity.

There is no separation between birth and death, no separation between time and space.

Welcome to the Avici Hell.

"good."