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

Chapter 400 Five Hundred Arhats, Emulating the True Lord

A spiritual aura pervades the air, and a pure, flowing energy circulates.

Qinglin Miaohua Immortal Lord, holding a whisk and smiling, stood quietly on the Inquiry Platform. Clouds and mist seemed to rise around him, making him appear even more ethereal and extraordinary.

He simply observed everyone's actions. Even when a cultivator approached and respectfully bowed, he remained silent and motionless. The cultivator had no choice but to humbly allow him to go and search for the spiritual plant.

Then one could see the cultivators either concentrating their minds and calming their spirits, communicating with the Dao through their intentions; or forming Dao mudras with their hands and silently chanting profound texts.

Before me, various spiritual trees and immortal plants evoked different feelings, some emitting clear light, others casting auspicious mists, and gradually various precious radiances appeared, bizarre and wondrous, each displaying its own mystery.

Meanwhile, the three Arhats who had been keeping a distance from the True Lord since the East Sea and were acting cautiously had long since concealed their Buddha-light and dressed as ordinary monks.

However, its aura was difficult to conceal; it could fool ordinary cultivators, but it could not escape the discerning eyes of experts.

They are the Venerable One of Eyesight and Concentration, the Venerable One of Vajra Destroyer and the Venerable One of Firm Penetration and Diligence.

They were among the five hundred Arhats, and were no ordinary people. However, they had learned from the True Lord's thunderous methods and the Peacock King's incarnation being beheaded. Therefore, they were even more cautious on this trip, concealing their Buddhist light, for fear of attracting attention.

The three monks quietly arrived at a corner on the left side of the platform.

There are four sacred trees in this corner.

Apart from that inconspicuous, sparsely branched, iron-gray sapling, there are three other trees, all exuding a sense of purity.

A soothing tree, its branches and leaves swaying gracefully; a bodhi tree, its canopy standing tall and elegant; a chestnut tree, its layers stacked like a pagoda.

These are all sacred trees frequently recorded in Buddhist scriptures, and judging from their appearance and spiritual aura, they are clearly not ordinary trees found in the mortal world.

However, for some unknown reason, it was placed in this marginal corner.

The three Arhats glanced at the iron-gray sapling, found it to be ordinary in appearance and obscure in aura, and after a brief examination, they found nothing unusual and paid no further attention to it.

They immediately chose a sacred tree, sat cross-legged, silently practiced Buddhist teachings, and contemplated the wondrous forms of the Buddhas, hoping to evoke a spiritual response from the sacred tree and enter the Qinghua Hall to hear the Dharma.

Just then, the True Lord Jingfa also stepped towards this direction.

The three monks were all startled, thinking that the True Lord had discovered their whereabouts and had come to cause trouble.

The Vajra Demon-Slaying Venerable secretly transmitted his voice to the other two: "True Lord, what brings you here? Do you intend to obstruct our opportunity?"

The Venerable One of Composure shook his head and replied, "Rest assured. Observe the situation. If the True Lord questions us, we will explain; if he does not want to cause trouble, then each of us should do as we see fit."

Venerable Jiantong Jingjin also transmitted a message saying, "The True Lord previously attended the Lotus Assembly of the Wonderful Dharma and preached to the World-Honored One, so he would not cause trouble without cause."

Just as he was feeling uneasy, Chen Jiao arrived in front of him.

The three Arhats dared not be negligent in the slightest. They all stood up, put their palms together in greeting, and said, "This humble monk greets the True Lord."

Chen Jiao did not stop walking. He glanced at the three people and nodded slightly in response. Then he walked straight past them and came to the iron-gray sapling. He stood still, closed his eyes and focused his mind, and paid no attention to anything else.

The three Arhats secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at each other, all puzzled.

Although the test mentioned by Immortal Lord Qinglin Miaohua was a communication of divine will, it was sufficient if there was no spiritual response.

However, the area on the flatland is dotted with hundreds of rare plants, each with its own unique appearance.

This iron-gray sapling showed little spiritual light and paled in comparison to the surrounding ancient trees and spiritual plants that shone brightly and exuded Taoist charm.

The interaction between the divine and the divine is mysterious and profound. It is natural to choose those with magnificent appearance and spirituality. Why then did the True Lord choose this lifeless and stubborn wood?

Venerable Jiantong Jingjin immediately activated his Dharma Eye to examine the iron-gray sapling again, but still could not detect anything unusual. He couldn't help but secretly transmit his voice, "Senior brothers, is the True Lord's action—could it be that this tree contains a hidden mystery, and we are simply too blind to recognize its treasure?"

Upon hearing this, Venerable Eyesight and Composure stirred slightly in his mind, but dared not rashly probe with his divine sense, lest he disturb this True Lord and cause further trouble.

He withdrew his gaze, shook his head slightly at his two companions, and transmitted his voice, saying, "The True Lord's actions have profound meanings, which are beyond our comprehension."

Opportunities arise from fate; let us calmly sense them and avoid creating unnecessary complications.

The three Arhats then suppressed their distracting thoughts, each guarding their own tree and focusing intently on sensing the sacred tree.

Many of the remaining cultivators, upon catching a glimpse from afar that the True Lord had chosen such an inconspicuous little tree, were all greatly puzzled.

Everyone knows that this True Lord is incredibly powerful and has exceptional insight. There must be a deeper meaning behind his choice of this stubborn wood.

He then wondered to himself, "Could there be a hidden paradise here?"

The more obscure and strangely shaped something is, the more likely it is to contain profound wisdom and be easier to connect with.

Those who are so dazzling with brilliance might actually be a trap?

Immediately, many people followed the True Lord's lead, quietly changed their minds, abandoned the originally chosen spirit wood with its extraordinary appearance, and instead went to try their luck with the stubborn wood on the ground.

Suddenly, many people gathered around the stubborn and unusual trees that had previously been ignored.

However, after expending all their energy, it was like throwing a stone into the sea, with no response whatsoever. A feeling of being fooled welled up in their hearts. They were secretly annoyed, but dared not say it out loud. They could only curse a few times in their hearts, and then slunk back to their original place, or look for another opportunity. They were quite embarrassed.

When Qinglin Miaohua Immortal Lord saw Chen Jiao choose a small iron-gray tree, his gaze lingered on it briefly before returning to normal.

Chen Jiao seemed oblivious to all the commotion around him, standing quietly in front of the small, iron-gray tree, his eyes closed in deep concentration.

The leaves of the Jianmu tree in my sleeve are radiating a blue light, creating a mysterious resonance with the small tree in front of me.

Before the chaos was clear, a wisp of green blossomed from the void, tearing apart the primordial chaos, its form majestic and its meaning boundless.

The emperor in blue robes walked across the vast wilderness, bringing spring to the earth and transforming countless plant spirits.

And so it went, with the passing of years.

Finally, seemingly in a palace at a very high altitude, the emperor in blue robes sat with his back to several ancient and majestic figures, seemingly discussing something or debating the Dao.

Outside the hall, clouds and mist surged, intertwining the air of war and battle with profound Taoist charm.

This image was the most blurry, and it shattered in an instant.

Numerous afterimages flowed by, though disjointed, all exuding an ancient and desolate aura.

It is clearly related to the ancient Azure Emperor's work of regulating the earth's veins, nurturing all living beings, and even participating in some grand ritual.

A moment passed, or perhaps a long time.

Chen Jiao's mind jolted, and he suddenly opened his eyes, pulling himself out of that vast and desolate ancient scene and returning to clarity.

When I opened my eyes, all I saw was that small, iron-gray tree, devoid of any brilliance or unusual phenomena.

A faint green mist had somehow appeared among the slender branches, and seven or eight thin, cicada-wing-like green leaves moved swiftly without wind, rustling softly as if telling some unfinished story, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

Chen Jiao slowly exhaled a breath of fresh air, his eyes thoughtful.

"The incense has burned out; the time has come."

Just then, the gentle voice of Immortal Lord Qinglin rang out, breaking the silence on the Inquiry Platform.

The green incense stick had just burned out its last wisp of smoke and quietly dissipated.

The scene on the platform was quite different from what it had been just now.

Before about forty or fifty cultivators, the spiritual plants they had chosen all shimmered with light, some emitting a clear glow, others releasing a unique fragrance, clearly indicating that they had received a response.