Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

After the woman in white appeared, five-colored rays of light filled the sky and sea, calming the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, and stopping the raging waves of the vast rivers and seas.

He was clearly a highly skilled and powerful individual.

Although she did not manifest the majestic and precious appearance of a Bodhisattva, Chen Jiao, observing her demeanor, already had a plan in mind, yet felt no fear whatsoever.

His expression remained unchanged, only his eyes darkened slightly, and he let out a cold snort as his aura suddenly surged forth!

Suddenly, the sounds of wind and thunder arose between heaven and earth.

The figure in the black cloak grew taller and taller with the wind, transforming in an instant into a thousand-foot-tall divine being, standing majestically between the sea and the sky.

With feet on the raging sea, turbid waves flowed from below the knees; with the blue sky above, layers of clouds receded from the shoulders.

Lightning patterns and Dao marks appeared all over his body, and his eyes, like the sun and moon, hung in the sky, looking down.

By following the laws of heaven and earth, supernatural powers naturally arise.

The immortal cultivators and demons who had already retreated hundreds of miles away to watch the battle were all shaken to their core when they saw this heaven-reaching Dharma image. They gasped in shock and then retreated even further.

The woman in white stood barefoot on a white lotus, gazing up at the towering deity, her face expressionless, as if looking at a reflection in a mirror or the moon in the water.

She clasped her hands together, lowered her eyes, and uttered a clear and melodious Buddhist chant, her voice as pure as a sacred recitation, soothing her slightly agitated state.

She said slowly, "Amitabha. Why does the True Lord act rashly and namelessly, carrying out such an act of annihilation?"

This roc has a profound karmic connection with the Buddha. Although he is unruly and occasionally eccentric, he is still of natural disposition and has not lost his true nature.

Even if one acts willfully and offends the dignity of the True Lord, one should not suffer this calamity of annihilation of both body and soul.

Heaven cherishes life, and the True Lord, who holds the laws and punishments of Heaven, should be even more mindful of this sentiment.

As soon as she finished speaking, the five-colored glow behind the woman in white, stretching to the sky and connecting with the sea, became even more dazzling and flowing, like five feathers that shone brightly in the heavens and earth, gently unfolding and swaying.

Where the rosy glow passes, a pure and immaculate realm is formed, within which the spiritual energy of the five elements arises and ceases in cycles, giving rise to endless mysteries.

The essence of thunder and lightning, as well as all kinds of spiritual energy such as wind, water, fire, and marshland, were quietly dissolved by this five-colored radiance.

Such profound and wondrous supernatural powers, capable of transforming all laws, truly inspire awe and reverence.

High above the clouds in the distance, Master Ziyang, who had calmed his breathing slightly, frowned inwardly. He guessed that the woman in white was probably a revered saint from the Buddhist sect.

However, upon hearing these biased words, he felt an indignation rising within him and couldn't help but raise his voice:

"Fellow Daoist's words are somewhat biased!"

This ferocious roc just devoured countless living beings, creating boundless karmic debts of slaughter. How can it be easily dismissed as a "willful act"?

"The True Lord of Pacifying Law, acting on behalf of Heaven, punished this wicked and unruly man, which is precisely to uphold the principles of Heaven. How can there be any talk of 'acting recklessly without a name'?"

Upon hearing this, the woman in white shifted her gaze slightly, landing on Master Ziyang. Her eyes were clear and calm, devoid of joy or anger, and she simply said:

"Oh? What insightful opinion does this fellow Daoist have?"

His tone was flat, yet it naturally revealed an indifference that regarded everything as dust.

Master Ziyang met that clear yet indifferent gaze directly. Though he felt a slight stagnation in his mind, as if bearing a mountain, his Dao heart remained steadfast, and he did not retreat. He solemnly said:

"I dare not presume to offer such profound insights. I only know that heaven and earth have their order, and all living beings possess a spirit."

This ferocious bird just now flew over the East China Sea, flapping its wings to stir up the wind and carry the sea, and opening its beak to devour living beings, leaving islands empty and aquatic creatures ravaged.

This is not mere willfulness; it is an outrageous act of murder, a violation of human ethics, and a transgression against the harmony of Heaven.

He paused briefly, gazing at the lingering stench of blood on the distant sea, his voice turning somber:

"Fellow Daoist said he has an affinity with Buddhism, and his spiritual light has not yet faded. If this affinity allows him to be forgiven for his sins, then..."

If we disregard the countless innocent lives lost, how can the principles of Heaven be revealed? How can the fundamental social order be maintained?

Chapter 384, "Ancient Saints and Great Supernatural Beings," updated! Read now:

"The True Lord wields Heavenly Punishment to slay this wicked and unruly one; he is acting on behalf of Heaven to punish and uphold the righteous path. How can there be any talk of 'namelessness'? It is you, fellow Daoist..."

Master Ziyang met the gaze of the woman in white and said:

"Such protection is biased and may not be the true meaning of compassion."

These words echoed between the silent sea and sky, drawing silent nods from many observing righteous cultivators.

The woman in white remained completely unmoved by Master Ziyang's words, as if listening to a gentle breeze or the chirping of ants.

Her gaze shifted slightly, landing on Master Ziyang.

His gaze was clear as a mirror, reflecting everything, yet without the slightest emotional fluctuation, he simply said:

"What you say, fellow Daoist, is the way of humanity, the view of all living beings."

The life and death of ants, the withering and flourishing of plants, the rise and fall of tides—all these things, in my view, are nothing more than the arising and ceasing of a speck of dust in the countless worlds of the Ganges.

All sentient beings rise and fall, each with their own causes and effects, and karmic obstacles. The killing you witness may be the result of someone else's actions, or it may be their calamity.

The death of today may be to repay the karma of the past life, or to open the door to the next life.

Being fixated on the appearance of killing and violence, seeing bloodshed as sin, and seeing thunder as divine punishment, is nothing more than not having escaped the perceptions of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan.

Fellow practitioners cling to various appearances and fail to see the profound truth and true reality, thus giving rise to discriminatory thoughts.

The Buddha, out of compassion, teaches the subjugation of the mind. This roc's spiritual light is not dimmed; its nature is naturally innocent. Although its actions are eccentric, it has not strayed from its true nature.

Our Buddhist community is vast and our compassion is boundless. We should carry out acts of salvation to demonstrate the immeasurable power of Buddhism.

Killing is easy; crossing is difficult.

Fellow Daoist, you only speak of "evil consequences," but do you know the saying, "Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot"?

Now that I have come here, I shall take him back to Mount Ling and gradually guide him back to the right path through the teachings of Buddhism.

She paused slightly, the five-colored glow behind her swirling around her, making her appear even more mysterious, and her voice became increasingly ethereal and indifferent.

Their cultivation is insufficient, their blessings are shallow, yet they presumptuously attempt to be tainted by such karma, thus gathering here, which is already a transgression of greed and delusion.

It is only natural that this would lead to disaster. Since the True Lord intends to carry out heavenly punishment, I have no intention of obstructing the Heavenly Court's actions.

However, this roc has a deep connection with me, and its fate should not end today. This is destiny, unrelated to good or evil.

The woman in white stopped looking at him and instead gazed at the towering, thunderous figure.

His majestic form, towering a thousand feet tall and imposing over mountains and seas, appeared in her clear gaze to be nothing more than a slightly larger clay or wooden sculpture.

She spoke again, seemingly oblivious to the overwhelming heavenly might that could make even a true immortal tremble, and simply said:

"The True Lord's method, which combines celestial phenomena and terrestrial supernatural powers, is indeed extraordinary. However, extreme rigidity is easily broken; while thunderous methods can destroy the physical body, they are difficult to subdue the inner demons."

Though this thunder is fierce, it is ultimately part of the cycle of creation; though the might of heaven is great, it is still within the realm of cause and effect.

How about... you withdraw your supernatural powers and do each other a favor?

In this way, we can both preserve the karmic connections of our Buddhist community and prevent further turmoil in the East China Sea. Wouldn't that be beneficial to both sides?

After these words were spoken, not only was Master Ziyang so angry that his whisk trembled slightly, but even the many Xuanzong immortal cultivators present were also deeply affected.

Even some notoriously unruly demons felt a chill creep up from the bottom of their hearts.

The woman in white spoke as if the lives of countless beings were worthless, and dismissed bloodshed and slaughter as mere whim.

Its indifferent arrogance is no longer the mindset of ordinary immortals and Buddhas, but rather like that of an ancient being who coldly observes the flow of calamity and regards all things as straw dogs.

The woman in white gazed at the majestic Buddha statue, her expression still aloof, yet containing a hint of arrogance, and said:

"But little did we know the True Lord's intentions..."