A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 648 Buddha and Demon as One, with Subtle Sounds

The sacred mountain of Buddhism, from the outside, appears as a tall mountain whose size seems immeasurable.

However, if one has sufficient magical power, merit, or good fortune, the moment one's thoughts truly touch Mount Ling, one's entire body and mind will enter the vast and boundless world, the mountain shadows before one's eyes will completely disappear, revealing that infinitely vast and infinitely beautiful Pure Land.

There are no seasonal changes here, no temperature differences; no torrential rain, and no darkness.

The natural climate is flawless, and every day is equally beautiful. The auspicious clouds in the sky are ever-changing and magnificent in color, yet they do not make people dizzy; instead, they make people feel refreshed and relaxed, and the scenery is colorful.

The land has no rivers or oceans, hills or pits, thorns or gravel, iron mountains, Mount Sumeru or earthen mountains, etc., but only seven naturally formed treasures and gold.

These seven treasures and the land paved with gold are vast and flat, without limit, both subtle and magical, both pure and solemn.

Trees and flowers growing on such land need no pruning, guidance, felling, or construction; they will naturally grow into countless palaces, mandalas, pagodas, golden beds, lamp towers, incense pools, and so on of varying sizes, for the use of all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, celestial beings, and all sentient beings in the Pure Land, to enjoy eternally. This is called Ultimate Bliss.

In the center of the Pure Land stands a magnificent golden statue, which is the manifestation of the Buddha of Vulture Peak.

He has eleven faces, and the top of his head seems to touch the highest point of the boundless void. His forty-eight arms are outstretched in all directions, some stretching out in mudras, others holding ritual implements. Each arm has the power and meaning of grasping the sea of ​​suffering and lifting up to the other shore, yet they are all different, as if they are remotely sensing the subtle atmosphere of all the heavens and myriad worlds.

The golden robes that hang down are made from the immeasurable merits bestowed by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of Mount Ling, which are pressed into threads by the weight of the entire Pure Land of Mount Ling and then woven together.

Only such a robe could cover the entire body of the Buddha of Vulture Peak, from the eleven faces down to the elbows of all forty-eight arms, and then extend downwards to cover the lotus pedestal.

In the void surrounding the golden body of the Buddha, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Bhikkhus of Mount Ling, some riding auspicious clouds, others riding mythical beasts, and others sitting on lotus platforms, all floated in the air, each expounding a profound and wondrous realm of Buddhist supernatural powers, and also displaying extraordinary phenomena such as Vajra bodies, clouds of light, and stupas containing relics.

However, compared to the golden body of the Buddha, their bodies were much smaller, and their devout chanting was also subtle and low, blending into the vast expanse of chanting and not attracting attention.

Suddenly, a wisp of blue smoke flew in from outside the Pure Land. When it reached the golden statue of the Buddha, the smoke gradually piled up and twisted, forming characters that looked like small dragons and snakes, or like birds and beasts in various forms, thus forming a letter.

This script is the divine golden script of the Fire Department of the Heavenly Court. Its meaning is profound. Just one character is enough to make all living beings in a certain realm of the Great Dao understand something, review their life experiences, and reveal every detail without forgetting.

When necessary, this text can also specifically target a specific person, and only the designated recipient can see its meaning.

In the surrounding void, the Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Vajra Bhikkhus clearly saw the process of the smoke piling up and could clearly see the characters, but they could not understand the meaning of those characters.

"Heavenly Venerable Mu Feng, what a shrewd scheme! The celestial beings of the four departments of Heaven are also deeply calculating!"

After taking a look, the Buddha let out a low sigh. Immediately, amidst the chanting of Buddhist hymns, the roars of dragons and elephants, and the sounds of evening drums and morning bells, appeared. It seemed as if the Buddha was feeling sorry for the scheming of those celestial beings and immortals and wanted to help them purify their distracting thoughts.

He extended one arm and touched the letter, causing the incense smoke to transform, so that all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas around could understand its meaning.

"Since Mu Feng Tianzun achieved the third step of the Tianzun realm, billions of years have passed without any progress. His nature is as stubborn as a rock, and he has never severed his own ties to start over. Even with the help of Shouyang Mountain to observe the myriad worlds, he has not been able to increase his cultivation much."

"When I opened my Dharma Eye and looked into the Boundary Sea, I saw that the human race, the Pill Department, and the Immortal Spirit Clan had already colluded. The Divine Armor Dao Lord of the Immortal Spirit Clan is no ordinary person, and the Phoenix Cry Heavenly Venerable mentioned in the letter is also quite remarkable."

"If, in addition to studying the sacred sites, they also have the assistance of Shouyang Mountain to observe the Great Dao of the Myriad Realms, they will likely benefit greatly. This matter should not be overlooked."

The Buddha paused slightly at this point, then declared clearly, "Of all the Buddhas of Mount Ling, who is willing to retrieve Shouyang Mountain for me?"

Since the Buddha took over Mount Ling 9,000 years ago, he has been bestowing numerous Buddhist titles upon the Buddhas.

Many powerful bodhisattvas, whose strength was equivalent to the lords of holy lands and who were in charge of their own pure lands, were encouraged by him to have the potential to become true Buddhas, and various Buddha titles were assigned to them in advance.

However, within the entire Taiqing Chiming realm, only the titles of Yama, the King of Hell, and the Lord of the Underworld grant a significant boost in power, enough to place them among the top ranks.

For powerful individuals who have already reached the Saint Lord level, the increase in strength from titles bestowed by the Buddha of Mount Ling is negligible and can be ignored.

Therefore, in the last nine thousand years, apart from the Buddha himself, Mount Ling has only had five powerful beings at the level of True Buddha.

It is the great sage who protects the Tathagata, along with the four wish-fulfilling Buddhas of desire, mindfulness, progress, and wisdom.

It wasn't until after the great calamity broke out that six more powerful beings at the level of true Buddhas entered the Pure Land of Vulture Peak, namely the false Ksitigarbha and the five great demon kings.

Those five great demon kings now all have the title of Buddha, namely, the Buddha of Subtle Sound of the Northern Lotus World, the Tathagata of Majestic Sound, the Buddha of Everlasting Joy, the Buddha of Fragrant Accumulation Treasure, and the Buddha of Seven Blessings and Adornments.

The Buddha's words had barely fallen.

The Buddha of Subtle Sound from the Northern Lotus World spoke first, laughing, "Old bald man, let me go."

The four Buddhas all showed displeasure, while the Bodhisattvas and Arhats beside them kept their eyes and noses closed, silently reciting scriptures, completely unaware of their surroundings, as if they hadn't heard a thing.

"ha!"

The fake Ksitigarbha said softly to the Four Wish-Fulfilling Buddhas, "In Buddhism, forbearance is also a great merit, and it can further refine the Buddha's mind, bringing great enlightenment. Why are you four so angry over a mere joke?"

The Buddha of Subtle Sound nodded in agreement: "You entrusted such a big matter as plotting in the underworld to this fake Ksitigarbha, and he managed to completely mess it up. He almost got cut up himself. Look at how long he's been here since he came back; he's only focused on healing his injuries and hasn't mentioned going to seek revenge. This shows his profound composure."

"The four of you are all senior, you can't be inferior to someone like him... well, you can't be."

The fake Ksitigarbha remained expressionless, but silently changed his hand seal, pressing his thumb and middle finger together to squeeze out a ball of golden sparks, just like the golden pine flower blooming one after another.

This is a great wrathful flame, powerful enough to fight against a holy lord. Yet, it was contained between his two fingers and did not leak out. Instead, it was as gentle as a flower. His cultivation is truly profound and should not be underestimated.

It seems that his injuries have almost healed over this period of time.

"By the way, the one who ruined your plans in the Underworld, tricked Jufa Liusha, and almost killed you, is he the Phoenix Cry Celestial Venerable mentioned in the letter just now?"

The Buddha of Subtle Sound looked troubled and shook his head, saying, "No, no. I originally thought you were a tough guy, and that taking you with me would be very useful. But since there's your nemesis there, taking you along would be too unlucky."

The fake Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva smiled insincerely and said, "It's just relying on the advantages of the underworld and the divine power of the Red Lotus. It's just a minor setback. How can it be considered a nemesis?"

Although he spoke with a smile on his face, anyone could hear the anger in the fake Ksitigarbha's tone.

Actually, it's not that they lacked willpower; it's just that this Buddha of Subtle Sound was the most accomplished of the five great demon kings, and was most capable of arousing the anger of ignorance.

The fake Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva possessed the central divine power. He clearly knew that he was being affected by supernatural powers, but what he said hit his sore spot. Fearing that passively enduring it would leave a flaw, he took the opportunity to unleash the Great Wrathful Flame and vent his anger.

Then, using the central divine control, they thoroughly investigated both inside and outside the realm, confirming that all the influence of this Heavenly Demon King had been eliminated.

"It is precisely because of the subtle and subtle sounds of the Buddha that this matter can be accomplished."

The Buddha looked around with his divine eye and said, "Among you all, the Heavenly Drum Buddha has a rare treasure in his possession, and the three of you, the World of Constant Joy, the Treasure of Fragrant Accumulation, and the Seven Blessings Adornment, also have an old friendship with the Buddha of Subtle Sound. I invite you all to go together."

The Buddha of Lingshan named some of the great Bodhisattvas, and the meaning behind his words was clear: he intended to appoint the Buddha of Subtle Sound as the commander-in-chief of this operation, without blaming the other party for his previous words.

Such a performance is partly due to the fact that the Buddha of Lingshan truly possesses exceptional concentration.

Secondly... the war between the Pure Land of Spirit Mountain and the Heavenly Demon Realm was able to be quelled so quickly.

Even the five great demon kings entered Mount Ling together, swore an oath with the nascent form of their own Dao fruit, and then made a great oath to Mount Ling, receiving the title of Buddha.

All of this was because when the Heavenly Demon Realm first showed signs of decline during the war between the two sides, the Buddha of Subtle Sound directly led all his followers to surrender to Mount Ling, and even went so far as to persuade the other four Heavenly Demon Kings.

It is no exaggeration to say that the merits of the Buddha of Subtle Sound far surpass those of a new ally like the False Ksitigarbha, and even surpass those of the Four Wish-Fulfilling Buddhas who have served the Buddha for a long time.

The Buddha of Subtle Sound did not bow or bid farewell to the Buddha Venerable. He chuckled, patted the lotus platform under his buttocks, pointed towards the southern boundary sea, and left the Pure Land of Vulture Peak on the spot, flying into the boundary sea.

Those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who were also to participate in this operation had no choice but to follow along.

After everyone left, the Four Wish-Fulfilling Buddhas exchanged a worried look and secretly transmitted their voices to the Buddha.

"I originally thought that the most important opponents in this great calamity were the four departments of the Heavenly Court led by Li Changling, and the various forces that Wen Qiu might be colluding with."

"Unexpectedly, after trapping the Thunder Clan, the human race took on the heavy responsibility of coordinating and linking the forces. It seems unlikely that Tian Gu Fo and the others could take over Shouyang Mountain on their own."

The Buddha calmly replied, "There is no need to worry. The Buddha of Subtle Sound also understands this principle. This time, his mission will be primarily to harass, not to launch a rash attack."

The Buddha of Desire advised, "How can we so easily trust him, the Demon King, and entrust him with such an important task? Why not ask the Buddha to lead us all out in a grand and imposing manner, to defeat the human race, seize Shouyang Mountain, and occupy their sacred land?"

"All the demon kings are now bound by two great oaths and will not act recklessly."

After offering a reassuring remark, the Buddha said, "In terms of the number of holy lands, the various human alliances have already surpassed ours. My injuries are severe, and if I were to rush there rashly, I would not be able to achieve a complete victory in one battle. Instead, other opponents would see through my true strength. I must not act rashly."

Upon hearing this, the Desire-Wish Buddha was startled and quickly asked, "Venerable Buddha, you were injured? When did this happen? Could it be related to the incident with the Heavenly Demon Realm...?"

"It's to break through the Emperor Demon Pool Secret Realm."

The Venerable Buddha of Mount Ling let out a soft sigh, "That was a secret realm set up by the Heavenly Emperor. Even with the help of those rare treasures given by the Venerable Void Tribulation, and with him personally leading people to the Heavenly Court to restrain me, I still suffered great losses in my vital energy in order to break through that secret realm."

"Heavenly Emperor, Heavenly Emperor, the one who has attained the Dao, that is the divine power of the true one who has attained the Dao."

"Although Venerable Kongjie is the oldest figure among the vast forces outside the realm, he cannot guarantee that he can completely restrain that 'young' Heavenly Emperor. If I hadn't released Gonggong, and if the Heavenly Emperor still had even a sliver of strength to look down upon the world, how could I have truly unleashed my power and achieved my goal in this great calamity?!"

The Four Wish-Fulfilling Buddhas thus expressed some感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection).

To them, the current Heavenly Emperor is nothing more than a junior, but after he attains enlightenment, such words become meaningless.

If the Heavenly Emperor wished, he could have extended his existence back to before the birth of Taiqing Chiming, and countless calamities would have made him his junior. It's just that he himself didn't want to do that.

Just like the Buddha, after he attained enlightenment, he became the founder of Buddhism. He didn't need any prefix; he was the Buddha without any doubt.

If it weren't for the Buddha's willingness to acknowledge the Buddha, even the Four Wish-Fulfilling Buddhas might not have been able to continue following the Buddha without wavering.

"But if the Buddha needs time to recover from his injuries, then shouldn't we avoid suppressing Wenqiu Tianzun too quickly...?"

The Buddha of Desire hesitated and said, "How about we find a way to inform the Great Sage Protector Tathagata about these recent changes, so that he may have some wits about it?"

The Buddha said, "Da Xianhu and our allies have already made their plans, so there's no need to disturb them now. Wen Qiu certainly can't get away, and Li Changling can't succeed too soon either. But the key to this matter has never been in Da Xianhu's hands. It depends on how long Li Changling is willing to give us time to deal with Wen Qiu."

The four Ruyi Buddhas were all surprised: "Although Li Changling's methods are remarkable, his cultivation should be a notch below that of the Buddha Venerable. Even if Brother Daxian and the others wanted to stop him, they couldn't?"

The Buddha pondered for a moment, slowly recuperating, and did not answer them again.

It is unknown how much time passed before the Four Wish-Fulfilling Buddhas heard a warning from the Buddha.

"Li Changling's command of the Fire Department does not mean he also specializes in incense offerings. You must all remember that as long as the Heavenly Emperor does not intervene, he holds the highest position among all sword immortals in the myriad realms!"

(End of this chapter)