“Whoa… quite the spectacle!” Lu Zheng said, rubbing his chin.
“Hmph! Playing gods and ghosts. The Western Paradise, where’s this so-called Liuli Buddha from?”
“All show, no substance. The grander the display, the shakier their foundation!” Yuanjing sneered, casting a golden light spell on himself.
The entities in the temple showed no flaws, radiating Buddhist charm, but no matter what they were, they couldn’t be true Buddhas. Once they made a move, their true nature would be revealed.
The trio advanced together, stepping slowly into the hall, and Lu Zheng took in the scene.
As expected, besides the three Buddha and Bodhisattva figures on the main altar, the long rows of seats on either side held seven or eight Bodhisattvas and Arhats each, in varied poses: some sat cross-legged, others stood with palms pressed together, or formed mudras.
The moment the trio entered the Great Hero Treasure Hall, the golden light within flared intensely, and the chanting surged several notches louder.
“Thus have I heard… the White Buddha spoke… unless there is thought…”
In an instant, Lu Zheng felt a wave of dizziness, as if his body had passed through a membrane. His vision blurred, and the scene changed.
…
A sacred mountain with several peaks, adorned with golden stones and jade trees, clouds shaped like Buddhas, and winds carrying chants.
At the mountain’s summit, a golden cloud lotus platform floated, bearing a ten-zhang-tall Buddha figure, seated cross-legged, majestic and overlooking all beings with a gaze of compassion and purity.
Below the Buddha, on the sacred mountain, a dozen Bodhisattvas and Arhats, each several zhang tall, sat with glowing halos behind them like small suns, their Buddhist light rippling, exuding solemnity and grandeur.
In the midst of these towering figures, on the mountain’s summit platform, Lu Zheng and the others appeared out of nowhere, surrounded by the giants.
…
“What the hell?” Lu Zheng jumped, caught off guard by the trap. Instinctively, he channeled energy to his eyes, trying to see through the illusion.
But…
“Not an illusion?”
“Not an illusion!” Guangyue said gravely.
“It’s a secret realm!” Yuanjing said, incredulous. “A secret realm, here?”
Lu Zheng’s eyes flashed. “A blessed cave heaven?”
“Same thing, just not as vast,” Yuanjing replied. “Who’d have thought Jiming Temple hid a natural secret realm, now occupied by these… entities.”
“These entities are not weak and have claimed this realm, refining it to amplify their power twelvefold. No wonder they dare show themselves,” Guangyue said coldly. “But do they underestimate the Buddhist sects of the world?”
“Amitabha! Having entered the Liuli World, why not swiftly convert, pay homage to the Buddha, and be reborn in bliss?” an Arhat bellowed.
“Pay homage to the Buddha, be reborn in bliss!”
“Pay homage to the Buddha, be reborn in bliss!”
“Pay homage to the Buddha, be reborn in bliss!”
The chants pounded into their minds. A weaker cultivator would have immediately knelt, worshipped the Buddha, and been at their mercy.
Yuanjing, with slightly lesser cultivation and a focus on qi practice rather than mental fortitude, struggled under the chants. Though not swayed, he frowned, guarding his spirit platform with effort.
Guangyue, a Buddhist disciple, was more resistant to such mental manipulation. He laughed coldly, “Pay homage to the Buddha? To become your nourishment or turn into something like you?”
“Bold!”
“Heretic!”
“Deluded!”
The Bodhisattvas and Arhats reacted variably: some glared furiously, others sneered with disdain, some offered gentle persuasion, while others watched silently. All exuded a tremendous pressure bearing down on the trio at the summit.
“Amitabha! Great Sun Illumination!”
Guangyue struck his wooden staff on the ground, his Buddhist light radiating, countering the pressure.
“Supreme Edict, True Cloud Supreme, Swift!”
“Supreme Command, Flying Cloud Evil-Breaker, Swift!”
Yuanjing and Lu Zheng formed hand seals, casting a True Cloud Spell and a Flying Cloud Evil-Breaking Technique.
“Sssshhh—”
The cloud energy eroded the Buddhist light, dissolving much of the oppressive force, rendering it less threatening. But the opposing Buddhist light surged back, and for a moment, the trio and the dozen Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were locked in a stalemate.
“Amitabha!”
A Buddhist proclamation rang out as the Liuli Buddha, seated high on the golden cloud lotus platform, finally spoke. “You three have strayed into the Liuli World, yet this shows your fate with the Buddha. I shall impart a secret scripture. Open your ears and listen.”
“त्तछजझञटठडढण…”
“तथदधनपफबभमय…”
“Not good!” Guangyue warned. “He’s forcing evil techniques into our minds, luring us to cultivate them! Block out the sound, or even if you don’t practice it later, the imprint will linger, making you susceptible to their influence.”
“I’d love to, but this guy’s cultivation surpasses mine. I’m struggling to resist!” Yuanjing said helplessly, forming seals rapidly. “Supreme Command, Gather Qi, Summon Cloud, True Cloud Supreme, Swift!”
Yuanjing frowned. “Should we retreat? Their strength isn’t enough to trap us fully. Together, we can break this realm and escape.”
Guangyue assessed the situation, finding no immediate counter, and looked to Lu Zheng.
“What nonsense is this? Sounds bloody awful!” Lu Zheng didn’t respond directly, cursing instead. He guarded his spirit platform, ignoring the meaning of the words and focusing on their rhythm. Then…
“Ganbadei!”
“Kemoji!”
Each syllable carried rolling true qi, resonating through the surrounding space.
“त्तछज… Yiku yiku… छजझ…”
“झञट… Yamete… टठ…”
“थदध… Oniisan… ध…”
The chants faltered, and the Buddhist light wavered.
Guangyue, surprised and delighted, said, “Yes! Brother Lu’s mastery of sound can counter their chanting with his own!”
Bloody hell…
Lu Zheng suppressed the urge to spit blood, continuing to analyze the chants’ rhythm with musical theory, using true qi sound techniques to disrupt them.
Moments later, the Liuli Buddha halted his scripture, his gaze burning toward Lu Zheng. “Heretic, ignorant of the true meaning of Buddhist scriptures, devoid of fate with the Buddha, an extraterrestrial demon unfit for conversion. All, join me to subdue this demon!”
“Subdue the demon!”
“Subdue the demon!”
“Subdue the demon!”
In an instant, the dozen Bodhisattvas and Arhats rose, their Buddhist light forming a golden cage, trapping the trio with no easy escape.
“Amitabha!”
The Liuli Buddha’s golden cloud lotus platform descended lower. Seated within, he formed a vase seal with one hand while the other, a massive palm three zhang wide, slowly pressed down toward the trio.
The golden light shimmered, the Buddhist radiance rippled, the palm’s force immense yet carrying a compassionate intent, making one almost wish to perish beneath it.
Guangyue stared intently, his eyes suddenly lighting up. “I see it! The Buddhist light is a facade, the true spirit lies within. It’s a mental technique. Break the outer Buddhist light to reveal the entity’s true form, and we can weaken it by seventy percent!”
