Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 444 - 43: Preaching to all Buddhas, Killing as a Buddha_2

Chapter 444: Chapter 43: Preaching to all Buddhas, Killing as a Buddha_2

"Today, I ascend Sumeru Mountain to debate Buddhist Law with the Buddha Ancestor, and to determine superiority."

The entire Buddha Hall immediately buzzed with astonishment, both at the revelation that Yuqing’s True Body was a petite and delicate young girl, and at the notion that the Yuqing Heavenly Venerate actually sought to debate Buddhist Law with the Buddha Ancestor.

A person of Daoist Skill debating Buddhist Law with the founder of the Buddhist Sect?

The monk with the jade countenance frowned, impeded by the status of the other party and unable to fathom her depth, he could only suppress the displeasure in his heart.

With an affected gesture, he brought his hands together and said, "There is no high or low in Buddhist Law. Delighting in charity is Buddhist Law, as is the wrathful Vajra, even killing can be within Buddhist Law."

"Benefactor is attached to appearances; why not sit down, and let this monk offer you guidance?"

"Guidance?"

A hint of contemplation appeared in the indifferent gaze of the girl, whose lovely face stirred complicated feelings in the heart of the monk.

As Chi Yu Zi’s stature could be described as Immortal-like, being born from the same womb as a Demi Immortal, she couldn’t be much different.

Indeed, she might be the only one in this world who truly possesses Demi Immortal bloodlines.

The monk momentarily lost his composure, nearly nodding in agreement, before quickly bowing his head and silently reciting scripture.

At that moment, the killing intent of the ninety-foot-tall Divine General arose like a rolling river.

The assembly of monks below held their breath in concentration, frightened by this surge of murderous intent, though those with high cultivation were unaffected, and even watched with amusement.

Chongxu True Monarch was one of them.

He had heard about the affair between Chi Venerable and Yuqing Heavenly Venerate, which resulted in eight hundred Daoist children, and seeing it confirmed this year, he realized that Chi Venerable was indeed very jealous.

The monk sat down on a Buddha lotus, and his Position radiated with Buddha Light, extinguishing distracting thoughts.

Buddha, Position.

According to what he had learned at Qianfeng Tower in Unclean City, Position was equivalent to Daoist cultivation, with Buddha being among the True Immortals.

This young monk had the Buddha Heart, yet he was young and inexperienced in hardship and lacked the insight to see through the Red Dust.

Hence, upon seeing beauty, it led to complicated feelings.

Beneath the word "Buddha," desires abounded.

The Golden Buddha had lost its eyes, but the corners of its mouth were still turned upward. The Buddha Light lost its holiness, but the Buddha’s presence could still be felt.

Not angry at the monk’s lustful thoughts, there was a sense of solace instead.

The monk regained his calm, his aura slightly increasing as he amassed more offerings of incense and prayers.

He folded his hands and intoned, "Amitabha Buddha, my transgressions, my transgressions."

Gu Wen gained some understanding, much like the Buddhist, Taoist, and Demon sects all learn from each other, Buddhist Law wasn’t dominated by a single doctrine.

Mahayana emphasized offerings, while Theravada complemented it with cultivation of the heart.

He crossed his legs to sit, as if ready to listen to the Buddhist teachings.

Such an act excited the monks below to the point that their faces flushed with elation; the mere act of Yuqing taking a seat to listen to the sutras provoked overwhelming emotion in them.

This was a Daoist Heavenly Venerate, the supreme being of the current world.

It was almost unheard of for anyone at the Heavenly Venerate level, virtually all of whom were Daoist Demi Immortals, to set aside their own path. Thus, no Heavenly Venerate had ever attended a Buddha Meeting, let alone sought teaching from the Buddha Ancestor.

"Little monk, you say that to reduce one share of killing, it is proper to enlighten and convert the evil. Yet if the converted evildoer continues to kill, upon whom do the sins of those killed fall?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, the monk replied, "Naturally, upon himself."

"Then would it not prevent more killing to have executed him initially? Does trading the death of one for the safety of many not count as a great virtue?"

"Our Buddha is merciful. Those who are killed will naturally undergo reincarnation, while the evildoer is still a living being."

The monk clasped his hands together, his face full of Buddha Light, his kasaya adorned with precious stones, refracting a splendid array of colorful lights.

"The suffering of all sentient beings stems from desire. With each person who comes to a clear understanding of our Buddha’s teachings, the world takes one step closer to ultimate bliss."

"Nonsense."

The girl let the word escape lightly from her lips, echoing within the grand hall like the remnants of a sword-wielding nun’s voice at a former Buddha Meeting.

"If you cannot explain clearly, then let me do it."

She turned to face the ninety thousand temples below, the millions of monks, thousands of high monks, thousands of Arhats, and the Bodhisattvas from all directions.

Her mouth spoke of Buddhist philosophy, her voice carried the essence of Dao, resonating for a hundred miles around.

"It’s a heavenly decree and an earthly principle that a murderer pays with his life and that evildoers face punishment naturally."

"The Buddha said, lay down the butcher’s knife and instantly become a Buddha. What is the butcher’s knife? What does it mean to become a Buddha?"

"I say, to lay down the butcher’s knife is to eradicate the wicked, and to instantly become a Buddha is to purify evil thoughts."

"Foolish ones cultivate blessings without cultivating Dao, foolishly believing that cultivating blessings is the Dao. Charity and offerings bestow endless blessings, yet the three evils are originally created in the heart. To seek to eradicate sins by cultivating blessings will only have sins remain in the next life. Only by removing sin from the heart can true repentance occur. Upon sudden enlightenment to the true repentance of the Mahayana, renouncing evil and practicing virtue, there will be no sin..."

In the Buddha Hall, ethereal chants resonated, serenely indifferent as a butcher’s knife, awakening the killing intent of the monks.

The Bodhisattvas reacted first, closing their eyes and covering their ears, resisting the murderous Buddhist reason with their Position.

The remaining Arhats found it difficult to reach that point, some closing their eyes to chant scriptures, some unable to resist piercing their own ears, and others harboring evil thoughts with bloodshot eyes.

There were also those who began to practice along, their gaunt bodies starting to fill out, muscles bulging, transforming into wrathful Vajras.

"I, a Daoist, cultivate the Dao, the Demon Path, and also Buddhism. On the path of Buddhism, I have but one saying,"

Gu Wen slowly exhaled, as the final words fell.

"Slay all that should be slain under heaven, to return to a state of Bodhi, at ease in heart."

The mystic sounds had already traveled three thousand miles, yet the monks in the Buddha Hall had not yet regained their senses.

Chongxu True Monarch and those who did not cultivate the Buddhist Law were the first to come around. They contemplated the nature of the incident, which combined the natural essence of the Daoist Skill with the lethal intent of the Demon Path, yet ultimately returned to the compassion of the Buddhist Law.

The integration of the Buddhist, Daoist, and Demon paths—what profound cultivation!

Is this the reemergence of one of The Three Pure Ones, Yuqing Heavenly Venerate, after eight hundred years?

Suddenly, within the Buddha Hall, a monk stood, having at some point transformed into an iron pagoda of a giant, with eyebrows like iron and fists like hammers.

Chongxu True Monarch felt a shadow loom behind him, and as he turned, he saw more towering iron monks.

They bowed with clasped hands, their voices like tolling bells, speaking in unison, "Amitabha Buddha, we reverently follow Venerable’s teachings."

In the entire Buddha Hall, there were a total of eight hundred, in contrast to the eight thousand monks, less than one-tenth. Their presence seemed equivalent to the Golden Core of the Daoist, the strongest among them only at Unification.

The Buddhist Sect cultivates differently from the Dao Sect, emphasizing meditation of the heart; many monks spend their entire lives with mere mortal flesh.

The true purpose of the Buddha Meeting is to enlighten these monks, bestowing Positions upon them, achieving a Buddha’s body.

Conversely, Gu Wen could also enlighten.

As he replied to the Buddha Sword Nun, compared to the overt evil of the evil paths, the Buddhist Sect, no matter how corrupt, is preferable to an Evil Cultivator.

A doctrine that leads towards goodness always leaves space for more kind-hearted people.

These eight hundred monks were among them.

With a smile on his lips, he asked, "If you encounter evil people in the future, what shall you do?"

The eight hundred iron monks replied, "We must eradicate all evil, slaying it brings pleasure!"

Gu Wen inquired again, "If an evil person hides within the walls of a Buddhist temple, devoted to chanting scriptures, what shall you do?"

The iron pagoda-like monks clenched their fists, seething with killing intent, "We will ensure they can neither live nor die!"

The expression of the young monk with a jade-like face drastically changed; he could no longer maintain his composure and shakily pointed downwards.

"Heretical evil paths, heretical evil paths!"

The Bodhisattvas and Arhats also showed dramatic changes in their expressions.

They were well aware of how many evil men were hidden within the Buddhist Sect, and once these iron monks were to step out, it was likely to turn the entire Buddhist Sect upside down, causing countless monks to turn their blades on each other.

Evil is always present, but so is goodness.

They cannot be allowed to leave alive!

The various Bodhisattvas and Arhats showed killing intent in their eyes, devoid of any compassion.

"Hahahaha...

Suddenly, a loud laughter echoed in all directions, traveling above to the Nine Heavens, down to the dark depths of the underworld.

The eyeless golden Buddha laughed, holding its belly, as if extremely pleased.

The young monk with a jade-like face and the Bodhisattvas and Arhats looked on in disbelief at the golden Buddha statue.

That is the image of the Buddha Ancestor, representing the divine will of the Buddha Ancestor.

Now, the Buddha Ancestor was not angry at the killing monks, nor did he intervene to punish and exterminate them; instead, he laughed with great joy?

Gu Wen was not at all surprised; he had perceived the true nature of Buddha early on.

As his master said, Buddha is want, Buddha signified reason, but reason is not Buddha; similarly, Buddha can also signify goodness.

Gu Wen observed the golden Buddha; the golden Buddha watched him, and amidst the void, the two essences met, and a massive vortex spanning thousands of miles whirled atop Spiritual Mountain.

Before the law manifested, before the fight began, the world had already changed its color.

The golden Buddha opened its mouth, and a golden intestine flew out, landing right in front of Gu Wen.

"I bestow upon you the Position of Ksitigarbha, through wine and meat you’ve taken life, yet you are still a Bodhisattva, and a monk hahahahaha!"