Under One Person: Sincerity Moves the Gods

Chapter 83 Transcending Life and Death to Surpass Heaven and Earth

After dealing with the villagers in the cave.

Li Cunzhen returned to the dilapidated temple by the same route.

Upon seeing the familiar figures, Lu Jin and the others immediately came forward to greet them.

Lu Jin spoke first.

"Senior brother, how did it go? Did you find that tiger demon?"

Li Cunzhen's expression was somewhat strange. Upon hearing Lu Jin's words, he nodded as if waking from a dream.

"Found it."

Seeing his reaction, Lu Jin asked again.

"What happened to you...? Did something go wrong?"

Li Cunzhen nodded and told the three people in front of him about the cannibalistic villagers in the cave.

All three frowned upon hearing this, and Lu Jin, the youngest, almost vomited.

They thought Li Cunzhen was frightened by this, and they all tried to comfort him.

Zhuge Yunhui said, waving his fan.

"When a country is in turmoil, there will inevitably be evil spirits. We cultivators will inevitably have to deal with all sorts of demons and monsters in the future. Master Li, take it easy."

Lu Jin also spoke up.

"Yes, senior brother, relax. How about I recite a calming mantra for you?"

Only Li Muxuan, who had witnessed Li Cunzhen kill someone at the inn, knew that Li Cunzhen wouldn't be frightened by such a thing.

So he waved his hand, signaling the other two to stop talking.

Sure enough, a moment later.

Li Cunzhen's expression returned to normal, as if he had figured something out, and he slowly began to speak.

However, he did not mention anything about the villagers, but instead looked at his two junior brothers.

"I don't know if Master has told you about breaking through to the seventh level of Reverse Life."

Lu Jin and Li Muxuan shook their heads.

Li Cunzhen was not surprised by this. It seemed that he had not expected Lu Jin and Li Muxuan to answer, but only wanted to sort out his own thoughts. However, he continued to speak.

"After I condensed the Yang Dan, even though my life cultivation was sufficient and my Qi transformation level was also adequate, I was unable to break through for a long time, so I went to ask my master for help."

"My master told me that I need to have a mindset of taking a detached view of my limbs and internal organs."

"I am dull-witted, and I asked what it means to have a detached mindset towards the limbs and internal organs."

"My master smiled slightly and did not answer directly. Instead, he told me the story of Huike, the second patriarch of Zen Buddhism, who cut off his arm while standing in the snow."

Zhuge Yunhui had no idea what Li Cunzhen was talking about.

But he could tell that Li Cunzhen seemed to have gained some insight into cultivation, and he remained silent.

Lu Jin and Li Muxuan listened intently.

All three of them had heard the story of Li Xue losing his arm.

Huike read extensively in his youth, but because he felt that Confucianism and Taoism could not solve the problem of life and death, he turned to Buddhism.

He first became a monk under Zen Master Baojing at Xiangshan in Longmen, Luoyang, and studied the teachings of both Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism. Afterward, he diligently practiced Zen meditation for eight years, hoping to use the power of meditation to understand the cycle of life and death.

At the age of thirty-two, encouraged by Zen Master Baojing, he went to Shaolin Temple on Mount Song to seek instruction from Bodhidharma.

It was the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, and heavy snow fell up to his knees, but he remained unmoved and stood outside the cave all night to show his determination to seek the Dharma.

Bodhidharma initially ignored him and questioned Huike's desire for enlightenment.

"The supreme and wondrous path of all Buddhas is the result of countless eons of diligent practice, the ability to do what is difficult, and the ability to endure what is not. How can one with little virtue and wisdom, with a careless and arrogant mind, hope to attain the true vehicle? Such efforts and hardships are in vain."

However, upon hearing this teaching, Huike resolutely cut off his left arm with a monk's knife to show his determination.

Bodhidharma was moved by Huike's sincerity and agreed to enlighten him.

The three of them went through this Zen story in their minds.

Then, Li Cunzhen continued to speak.

"After I finished telling this story, my master told me that if I had the same desire for enlightenment as Huike, I could break through to the seventh level of the Reverse Rebirth."

"I nodded at the time, saying that I understood, thinking that I was going to learn from Huike's determination to seek the Dharma."

Upon hearing this, all three nodded involuntarily.

When Zuo Ruotong brought up this matter, her intentions were very clear, and they also agreed with Li Cunzhen's judgment.

But then Li Cunzhen changed the subject.

"But now I realize that I was just naively thinking I understood."

Lu Jin and the others were stunned upon hearing this. They were so engrossed in listening that they forgot Li Cunzhen was still trying to understand on his own, and they couldn't help but ask a question.

"So, Master means..."

"7

Fortunately, Li Cunzhen was not affected and continued.

"I thought my heart was firm in seeking the Tao and I was determined to become an immortal. When I heard this story, I only saw the part about Huike seeking the Dharma. I thought that what my master wanted me to learn was the determination to cut off an arm in the snow. But I forgot the first sentence."

"When Huike was young, he read extensively, but because he felt that Confucianism and Taoism could not solve the problem of life and death, he turned to Buddhism."

"He pursued his studies to resolve the questions of life and death; this is the most important sentence in the entire text!"

Many people have a momentary determination, but the real difficulty is to see clearly what you want.

Lu Jin and the others frowned, as if they had grasped something, but it was not clear.

Li Cunzhen continued.

"Seeking the Dharma, seeking Zen, seeking immortality, seeking the Tao—these are merely means to an end; resolving one's own doubts is the true purpose."

"My desire for the Dao is unwavering, but it is for the sake of becoming an immortal. I do not know what I am seeking. My heart is not sincere and my intention is unclear. That is why I have been unable to break through the seventh level of the Reverse Life for so long."

As he finished speaking.

Li Cunzhen's body suddenly began to boil, and the Reverse Life Triple Cycle automatically activated, causing his Taoist robe and white hair to move without wind.

His flesh and bones vaporized in an instant, like rolling clouds and mist. They automatically parted to reveal his internal organs, which had become blurred and indistinct.

Lu Jin and Li Muxuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

This is a sign of a major breakthrough in the three aspects of reverse regeneration!

This was the first time Zhuge Yunhui had ever seen such a scene. His eyes widened, and he was speechless.

The manifestation of cultivating the Reverse Life Triple Realm to a high level is actually like this!

He is truly a banished immortal!

But at this moment, Li Cunzhen suddenly stopped. Although his limbs had completely turned into gas, his internal organs were still solid.

The rolling clouds gathered again, coalescing into a human shape beneath Li Cunzhen's Taoist robe.

Li Cunzhen looked around, feeling as if he had just woken up from a dream.

His expression returned to normal, and he looked at Lu Jin and Li Muxuan, shaking his head and smiling.

"It's laughable, but it was in that cave that I saw the villager who had been corrupted by demonic energy and lost his mind. I saw a truly sincere person, and compared him with others, that I had this realization."

"However, although I have grasped the principle, I have not grasped the method; I am still one step short."

Lu Jin and Li Muxuan were initially feeling sorry that Li Cunzhen hadn't been able to break through in one fell swoop.

Hearing this, I was taken aback.

This insight came from the villagers who had lost their minds.

They twitched their lips, somewhat unable to accept it.

But upon closer reflection, if one seeks the Way with utmost sincerity, who can compare to these truly devoted fools?

That seems reasonable.

Zhuge Yunhui was also surprised by Li Cunzhen's strange comprehension, but since he did not cultivate the Reverse Life Triple Technique, he was much less surprised and recovered the fastest.

He cupped his hands in greeting.

"Master Li, why do you say that? For us cultivators, let alone the cultivation of life force, the greatest obstacle in cultivating our nature is nothing more than self-deception."

""

"The so-called inner demons and the so-called three corpses are nothing more than one's own desires."

"Judging from what you just said, at least before breaking through, Master Li will not make a mistake. If that's the case, then a true breakthrough will only be a matter of moments."

",