Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Some people died, and they really died.

For example, the monk Liaoxin, who was "possessed" by Lotesno, was said to turn to ashes, and he turned to ashes.

It left no trace in this world, only some influence.

Some people are dead, yet they live on.

For example, Link only used the hands of Monk Nengqing and the power of Buddhist vows to end the life force of Monk Fan's body and sever the connection between Link's true self and Monk Fan's body.

They didn't actually die or leave this world.

In simpler terms, Link severed his wizarding "heart" from the Buddhist bodhisattva "power".

He preferred to maintain the wizard's "heart" that might not yet have broken through to the sixth level of sage rather than rapidly expand it to the Bodhisattva "power" that approaches that of the Buddha (a ninth-level great sage) in the Buddhist system.

Because one is internal, and the other is external.

One is something one cultivates oneself, well... perhaps with the help of the will of the wizarding world and the impetus of "predestined fate".

One is a great vow, which gathers the wishes of all beings in this world and is "picked up".

Link, or rather Link in disguise as the monk Liaofan, may seem to be the possessor of this bodhisattva "power," but he is not even a custodian of it.

They can only be considered appropriators!

Because Link's core is not a "native" remnant of Buddhist civilization, but an outsider, an invader!

They are the enemy!

The Alaya consciousness, a remnant of Buddhist civilization, can provide the Buddha (a great sage of the ninth level) with external power, but it can also be withdrawn or its support removed, leaving this external power rootless.

Therefore, Link never valued the rapidly expanding Buddhist martial arts system after making his great vow.

They never even use it normally.

Besides this, there is another very important reason why Link did this.

The great vow made by the monk Liaofan of Baima Temple was: "This humble monk Liaofan vows to save all suffering beings from sin and attain Bodhi and then realize perfect enlightenment."

The question then arises: in which realm are the beings who suffer the most?

In the remnants of Buddhist civilization, the beings in hell are naturally the most suffering.

Those who commit evil deeds and disobey Buddhist teachings will go to hell.

Hell contains many cruel punishments used to punish those who have been sent there.

Link doesn't want to go to hell; he only wants to identify this world and even the twelve habitable worlds that are the remnants of Buddhist civilization as hell on earth.

And they spread the concept of "hell on earth" and made everyone accept it.

Even if it's impossible to gain everyone's approval, at least we need to convince the majority of the lower classes who have suffered from the oppression and exploitation of Buddhism, and make those who are dissatisfied with Buddhism and the forces that believe in it feel that it would be profitable.

This is not a simple matter; it requires efforts from all sides and a very impactful and influential start.

In the current situation, what could be more shocking and influential than the death of the monk Liaofan of Baima Temple, who sparked a frenzy of "debate" and "Buddhahood" within Buddhism, at the hands of the monk Nengqing of Ci'en Temple, who denounced him as a "heretical sect" and a "Buddha's sin"?

No!

Even the surprise attack on Ci'en Temple, the loss of the main hall, and the near desecration of the central Shakyamuni Buddha statue are not as bad as this.

Following Link's instructions, Jasmine, who had run hundreds of miles, quickly contacted the forces she had secretly accumulated and spread the big news that the monk Liaofan of Baima Temple had died at the hands of the monk Nengqing of Ci'en Temple in various ways.

"Link, will this really work?"

After finishing these tasks, Jasmine asked uncertainly.

Currently existing in a special spiritual form, Link, standing beside Jasmine, replied calmly, "Who knows? It'll be great if it works, if not, we'll just do something else. At worst..."

"What's the big deal?"

Jasmine's interest was piqued, and she asked more questions out of curiosity.

"At worst, we can just be reborn from the ashes."

Link raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly mocking.

In any case, many Buddhist scriptures record Nirvana, rebirth, and reincarnation, so such things are not uncommon.

Monks can touch it, but wizards can't?

That doesn't make sense!

Jasmine instantly understood Link's meaning, then found a secluded corner to observe the unfolding events and wait for her chance to make her comeback.

This world has been completely plunged into chaos.

Several major powers are engulfed in conflict, with genuine peasant uprisings taking place everywhere, and some forces seeking to profit from the chaos are also stirring up trouble.

War, slaughter, bloodshed, sacrifice, excitement, anger, resentment...

It happens all the time, and everyone experiences it.

The situation on a secular level is in complete chaos.

In Buddhism, this translates to a significant reduction in offerings, akin to being cut in half.

After all, Buddhist monks are high above others, do not engage in production, and rely entirely on worldly offerings to enrich their spiritual practice.

As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Buddhist monks are not said to be completely unable to survive without the support of ordinary people.

After all, the means of production belong to the Buddhist temple, and there is no shortage of productivity. They can reclaim wasteland for farming or raise livestock if they want.

Instead, the lack of support from ordinary people made the monks' food, clothing, and daily necessities very difficult.

But how could a high and mighty Buddha roll up his trousers, go down to the fields, and live among mud and manure, digging for food from the ground?

Even among the emerging forces within Buddhism who are "contemplating" and yearning to "become Buddhas," not many monks are willing to do so.

The disconnect between thought and action has been demonstrated once again and amplified.

The monks who had followed Master Liaofan of Baima Temple for a while did not do so.

They contemplate, discern, cultivate their strength, and refine their minds, learning and practicing Buddhism from both knowledge and action.

Learn by doing, and do by learning.

Through such optimization and iteration, it gradually became distinct from both the old and new forces within Buddhism.

This is also true for this group of monks, and for the monks influenced and led by them.

Their difference is reflected in their own hearts and in the eyes of others. It is that they are truly moving closer to the true "Buddha" in both mind and effort, that is, the perfect enlightenment, the supreme enlightenment, and the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

The Bodhisattva path is the broad and smooth road of Buddhism!

This consensus gradually formed in the hearts of these monks and those who witnessed their transformation.

The monk Liaofan of Baima Temple, who revived the three vehicles of Buddhism—the Śrāvakayāna, Pratyekabuddhayāna, and Bodhisattvayāna—and made a great vow to practice the Bodhisattvayāna, was regarded by this group of monks as a pioneer.

Its status rivals that of the three great suns overhead.

However, different people have different perspectives.

Some people regard Monk Liaofan as an incarnation or reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, while others regard him as an incarnation or reincarnation of Maitreya Bodhisattva, who has not yet attained Buddhahood.

Yes, the "contemplation" and "Buddhahood" trend within Buddhism sparked by the Three Vehicles of Buddhism has brought much information previously buried in ancient texts back to light.

The concepts of the Horizontal Three Buddhas and the Vertical Three Buddhas suddenly became widely known.

The so-called Three Buddhas of the Horizontal Era are the Great Sun with three wheels standing side by side above its head: Medicine Buddha in the East, Shakyamuni Buddha in the Center, and Amitabha Buddha in the West.

The so-called Three Buddhas of the Three Times refer to Dipankara Buddha of the past, Shakyamuni Buddha of the present, and Maitreya Buddha of the future.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva possesses great power and holds a lofty position. When the monk Liaofan made his vows, he also formed the Ksitigarbha Fundamental Mudra, and his vows were almost identical to Ksitigarbha's Great Vows.

Therefore, many monks regard the enlightened monk Liaofan as an incarnation or reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Some more radical monks linked the enlightened monk Liaofan with Maitreya Buddha, the Buddha of the future.

They believe that the fundamental seal of Ksitigarbha and the great vow of Ksitigarbha are merely the necessary path before Maitreya's birth.

This statement contains a hidden meaning.

In other words, the present world is already facing the risk of collapse, and the present Shakyamuni Buddha is unable to continue to protect the remnants of Buddhist civilization!

Faced with the second type of "breaking down the ceiling" concept, the first type of "just opening a window" concept is more easily accepted by Buddhist monks.

As a result, the idea that the monk Liaofan of Baima Temple was very likely an incarnation or reincarnation of "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva" spread among some monks within the Buddhist community.

It was under these circumstances that the news spread throughout the land that Nengqing, the monk of Ci'en Temple in Bianjing (Kaifeng) of the Song Dynasty, had killed the monk Liaofan, who had denounced Liaofan as a "heretical heretic" and a "Buddhist sinner."

The monk Liaofan did not resist or evade, but faced death calmly. Before his death, he proclaimed, "If I don't go to hell, who will?" This act, along with the news, spread.

The Buddhist community, already fractured by the frenzy of "contemplation" and "attaining Buddhahood," has been further destabilized by this incident.

Some monks, like Nengqing, condemned Liaofan as a "heretical and evil" monk and advocated praising Nengqing because he had cleansed the Buddhist community of its evils.

Some monks who firmly believe in the Bodhisattva Vehicle of Buddhism and regard Monk Liaofan as an incarnation or reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva advocate imprisoning Monk Nengqing as punishment, and then, either in groups or alone, going to fulfill the great vows made by the incarnation or reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

To deliver all sentient beings from suffering and sin.

Some were even more radical, viewing Monk Liaofan as an incarnation or reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha, the future Buddha, and advocating the killing of Monk Nengqing, followed by reforms within Buddhism to welcome the birth of Maitreya!

This change greatly surprised Jasmine.

Perhaps it was because she was not in the mountains that Jasmine saw the true face. The Buddhist community in this world, from the inside out, from the secular world to the worldly world, was not only in turmoil, but also showed signs of an uncontrollable and irreversible trend of division.

In other words, Link's actions successfully shook the foundations of Buddhism in this world.

"Link, do you have any other plans?"

However, Jasmine didn't feel much joy after realizing this.

In her view, simply shaking the foundations of Buddhism in this world would not be enough to complete Link's mission.

After this "calamity," the strength and foundation of Buddhism in this world will definitely be greatly reduced, and it may even take a very long time to recover.

It's no exaggeration to say that it severely damaged their vitality.

However, this is only one of the twelve habitable worlds remaining from Buddhist civilization, and it does not completely destroy the possibility of the continuation of Buddhism!

As his wife and bedmate, Jasmine naturally hoped that Link would walk steadily and go far after embarking on the path of his "predestined destiny."

Until the very end, freedom is achieved!

Therefore, the somewhat greedy Jasmine hoped that Link could have a more advanced plan that would make this mission even better.

Link, in his special spirit form, smiled slightly: "Yes, but it's not the right time yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, Link's expression suddenly froze.

"What's wrong?"

Jasmine keenly noticed the change and asked aloud.

"An unexpected incident occurred."

Link replied.

"What kind of accident? Is it good news or bad news?"

Jasmine asked with concern, a hint of worry appearing in her eyes.

Link's face relaxed, and he said reassuringly, "There's no need to worry so much. It's not a bad thing; it's most likely a good thing, and besides..."

"And what?"

"And it will allow me to carry out my original next step plan better, faster, and more steadily."

"Is that so? Shall we go now?"

"Um."

Having reached a consensus, Jasmine followed Link, who was in a special spiritual state, away from their hiding place and headed towards the White Horse Zen Temple.

Baima Zen Temple, Guest House.

Monk Yuanzhi and Monk Liaochen sat facing each other in the lotus position.

The former is the auspicious sitting posture, while the latter is the demon-subduing sitting posture; the different postures reflect different states of mind.

After a long while, Monk Liaochen ended his meditation, opened his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Master, I have attained enlightenment."

Monk Yuanzhi slowly opened his eyes and asked, "What have you realized?"

"I've figured out what I need to do next."

The monk Liaochen's expression was very solemn, and his tone of voice was even more serious.

"What should I do?"

The monk Yuanzhi was equally solemn and earnest in his questioning.

"Go down the mountain."

The monk Liaochen uttered two words in a firm tone.

"What are you going down the mountain for?"

Monk Yuanzhi instantly understood the meaning, but still asked the question.

Monk Liaochen stood up, clasped his hands together, and respectfully bowed to Monk Yuanzhi. He said, word by word, "Go down the mountain, practice the Way, enlighten yourself, enlighten all beings, and end this filthy and chaotic world."

A complex emotion flickered across Monk Yuanzhi's face. He took a deep breath and sighed, "In that case, go."

"Take care, Master."

Monk Liaochen bowed again, turned and left with unwavering steps.

The reason I came down the mountain was that I no longer wanted to worship Buddha, but instead wanted to practice Buddhism.

Given the current complex situation, the road ahead is bound to be bumpy, full of mud and calamities, and it is highly likely that we will never return.

If they're not going to return, then so be it.

Buddha is in your heart, Buddha is under your feet, Buddha is in all beings.

The Buddha exists in this life and in the next.

As Monk Yuanzhi watched Monk Liaochen's retreating figure, he sighed inwardly, "Fate!"

The so-called "leaving the dust" means relinquishing worldly life and having no need for a next life.

From beginning to end, Monk Yuanzhi never truly believed that Monk Liaofan was the reincarnation of Master Wusheng.

Regarding the saying "Maitreya descends to earth and the King of Light is born," Monk Yuanzhi did not deceive Monk Chen, but he simply did not elaborate on it.

Who exactly is Maitreya, and who is the Bright King?

"Ugh!"

Monk Yuanzhi sighed, then uttered a lament, "Fate!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the figure of Monk Yuanzhi gradually blurred and became ethereal, and soon transformed into lotus flower phantoms that transitioned from solid to ethereal.

In an instant, the entire Baima Temple lost the blessing of some great power, rapidly "aged," and became a ruin without a trace.

Only the lake behind the mountain is filled with blooming white lotuses swaying gently. (End of Chapter)