The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

“My heart is never calm because I’m not able to let go of my beloved. That’s why I’m still trapped in the unending cycle of birth and death in the world of mortals. It’s true that I’ve vowed to follow the commandments of Buddhism, but I’m breaking them repeatedly. If I’m unable to get rid of my current state, how am I going to get a chance to see the Gautama Buddha?”

It was as though the faint voice was coming from ten thousand years ago. Following that, a sad-looking monk who was tied by invisible shackles seemed to have appeared in front of Meng Qi and the others.

He was one of the ten principal disciples of Buddha – the Great Arhat, Ananda!

In the Ananda Pure Land shown in the Universal Fragment, Meng Qi – along with Mister Luda and the abbot Kong Wen – had passed through the seventh story and reached the mountain peak. They had seen the withered magical plant, Golden Lotus and sensed the lingering aura of Tyrant. Nonetheless, the did not hear the voice of Ananda, nor did they notice anything strange. There seemed to be a difference between the original Ananda Pure Land and the derivative shown in the Universal Fragment.

“Amitabha. Even a Great Arhat like Ananda was troubled by love. Without great perseverance and wisdom, it’s really hard to hold fast to the commandments of Buddhism given the fact that we’re living in the world of mortals and undergoing all kinds of suffering from time to time. However, if we persist in doing so, our state of mind will get calmer and eventually we will be able to find the Buddha-nature within ourselves,” Xuan Bei put his palms together and sighed.

What did Ananda mean by “I’m not able to let go of my beloved”? Was he referring to the matters related to the Demonic Sage? Was he still feeling affectionate toward Feng Xi? However, according to the descendants of Demonic Sage, she was born at the beginning of heaven and earth. After living for so many eras, how would she suddenly fall in love with Ananda at the ending phase of Ancient Times? But there was a strong sense of hatred on the note that said “Kill all the unfaithful ones”… the hatred couldn’t be false as it doesn’t fade at all even after so many years… Meng Qi thought with his eyelids half-closed to hide his emotions.

While thinking about these, Meng Qi and the others were moving forward at a fast pace.

Just then, the surrounding changed suddenly. Thin mist was gushing out of the cracks and pits, and they could see many blurry body figures emerging from the mist. All of them were sitting cross-legged, but they were showing different emotions. Some were sorrowful, some were calm, some were shaking their heads sadly, some were showing a smile, and some seemed to have realized something important.

The eyes of Meng Qi still looked indifferent like a dusty ancient well. However, he was speaking in a soft voice,

“Master Yuanmeng… the Demonic Lord…”

These were the reincarnations of Ananda that Meng Qi met in the World of the God of Twelve Forms, and the World of the Sword Emperor and the Demon Queen. The meteorite from outer space that once carried the Spirit and Primitive Force of the Demonic Lord was trembling slightly – it had sensed the connections that had the same aura!

All the reincarnations raised their heads and said simultaneously,

“Now I understand!”

The solemn voices were echoing around the area like a thunder. Once again, a change could be felt in the surrounding, as if something horrible was going to appear.

Just then, the meteorite from outer space was pulled over and landed on the body of the Demonic Lord.

The blurry body figure of the Demonic Lord suddenly shook violently, as if he had returned to the present from a dream and knew the fact that he had died. His body could no longer be maintained. Inch by inch, the body collapsed and spread out, which led to the disintegration of all the other bodies. Soon, the surroundings became quiet and peaceful again.

“Well, I didn’t expect this…” seeing this, Meng Qi sighed.

He used to have a subtle premonition that the meteorite from outer space and the Outer Devil Skin would come in handy one day. Therefore, he had kept them. The Outer Devil Skin was used long ago, whereas the meteorite from outer space was used moments ago. What a surprise!

“Amitabha. This place is still dangerous although it may look peaceful. Please be careful,” lotuses were appearing behind every footstep of Xuan Bei.

Jiang Zhiwei was pointing her longsword sideways to protect Meng Qi while drawing the energy from the heaven and earth to support him in walking.

She had heard Wang Siyuan talking about the ten-year Zen practice of Meng Qi. Hence, she was particularly worried about any unexpected changes that would leave Meng Qi no choice but to get into a fight.

The Pure Land belonged to a mighty person of the Legendary Realm. Although the Devil Master had entered this place before, they might not be safe all the way!

Duan Rui followed behind Wang Siyuan closely and waited patiently for an opportunity to build a connection between the Ananda Pure Land and his demonic magic arts. Perhaps he would be able to make an escape!

Thinking of escaping, Duan Rui immediately recalled the experience of being captured from the Grassland to Jiang Dong. The Frenzied Blade was really making him feel helpless and desperate. There seemed to be no point to escape. After all, regardless of where he would be, the Frenzied Blade would be able to capture him, and the whole process would repeat again.

Inevitably, Duan Rui was feeling more helpless. He secretly prayed to the Devil Gods with the hope that the Frenzied Blade would die here.

After moving forward for a while, a huge stone appeared beside the road. A person with a blurred body figure in a ragged robe was facing the stone. He was standing with his back to Meng Qi and the others.

“Be careful,” Wang Siyuan stretched out his left hand and stopped everyone from getting closer to the person.

As soon as he finished speaking, the person suddenly turned around. His face was so blurry that no one could see it clearly. It was hard to tell whether he was old or young, good-looking or ugly. The only things that was visible on his body were his eyes – they were filled with sorrow and despair. Pointing one finger to the sky, and one finger to the ground, he said solemnly,

“I’m the best in the world!”

In an instant, Jiang Zhiwei saw a golden Buddha appearing in the sea of soul within her body. Similarly, the Buddha was pointing to the sky and the ground, and uttering the same sentence. Putting aside all the other thoughts, she had to activate the skills – namely, the Equality of Taishang and the Merciful God – with undivided attention in order to defend against the palm strikes that came from all directions.

It was the first strike of the The Buddha’s Palm!

A person with a distracted mind would not be able to see the Gautama Buddha. Without knowing how to differentiate between true and false, one would not be able to attain Nirvana. Therefore, there would be no way for Jiang Zhiwei to identify the real Buddha’s Palm and dodge the attack!

Jiang Zhiwei was about to draw her sword in a forceful way when the golden Buddha suddenly disappeared from the sea of soul. At the same time, the palm strikes that came from all directions had also disappeared.

In front of her was a tortoise shell surrounded by black and white light that signified Yin and Yang. It contained the principle of Da Dao. After wrapping around all the people with its bright light, it vanished into thin air. Apparently, the light from the tortoise shell had protected the people from being attacked!

Wang Siyuan, looking pale, was activating the Ancient Book with an all-out effort.

Although the strike, the Best in the World was merely performed by the lingering aura of Ananda, it was already strong enough – after all, Ananda was a mighty person of the Legendary Realm. In order to defend against the attack, Wang Siyuan had been using up his energy to activate the Ancient Book!

The muscles in front of Meng Qi’s chest were wriggling and healing the wound. After a few moments, the heart-penetrating injury had been fully-healed.

As the Skill of Escape was activated by the Ancient Book, Ananda could not find his enemy anymore. He drew back his fingers that were pointing to the sky and the ground. Then, he looked up at the sky and said sorrowfully,

“The strong enemy is approaching. Soon, I’ll be facing all kinds of danger. Without having a thorough understanding of the teachings of Buddha and finding the Buddha-nature within myself, how am I going to fight with him?”

“However, my obsession of achieving this target turns out to be obstructing me from seeing the Gautama Buddha.”

“I just can’t let it go. No matter how hard I’ve tried, I just can’t let it go.”

His voice that echoed in this area had been passed down through the ages. Losing the target of attack, the body of Ananda gradually disappeared.

With a glint in the eyes, Meng Qi looked at Jiang Zhiwei, Wang Siyuan and Xuan Bei. From the look in their eyes, he could guess what they were thinking at the moment.

The Samsara Path practiced by Ananda required a great perseverance to hold fast to the commandments. Ananda had chosen this path in order to train himself in the world of mortals. However, apart from that, it seemed that the Samsara Path had something to do with his enemy.

Ananda had once said, “Without entering the world of mortals, undergoing all kinds of suffering, and following the commandments, how are we going to understand the teachings of Buddha thoroughly? We need to experience the impermanence of life in order to find the Buddha-nature within ourselves.” Judging from his words, it could be seen that he was definitely an experienced practitioner of Zen. Nevertheless, despite being such a wise person, the strong enemy seemed to be bothering him a lot. Who exactly was the enemy?

Was it the Demonic Sage?

“Who was the strong enemy that he was talking about?” Wang Siyuan mumbled with a frown, trying to figure out who the person was. As the black and white lights jumped around his body, he seemed to have a clue already.

Being wrapped in the light of the Ancient Book, Meng Qi and the others walked past the huge stone step by step.

“Cough…” halfway coughing, Wang Siyuan spit out a mouthful of blood. Looking exhausted, he kept the Ancient Book.

As a huge part of the rock wall in front of them was already collapsed, some stone rubble were scattering on the road. The path cleared by the Devil Master was very curvy.

After taking just a few steps, the sword of Jiang Zhiwei howled like a dragon. It had sensed danger!

A person in gray robe came slowly along the path. His face was blurred, but he had similar aura with Ananda. Raising his right hand in a leisurely manner, he put his middle finger and thumb together as if he was picking up a flower.

There was a buzz in the mind of Meng Qi and the others. Along with an empty mind, they felt like they had entered the Pure Land of Buddha and gained enlightenment. They could not help smiling.

As soon as the Buddha picked up the flower, Maha Kasyapa had smiled – this was the third strike of the Buddha’s Palm, the Palm of Enlightenment. If one was not enlightened yet, it would bring them a eureka moment. If one was enlightened, they would become a Buddha right away!

Jiang Zhiwei was about to go into the state of Taishang Wang Qing when Xuan Bei stepped forward with a Form of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva behind his body. As the smile on his face faded away, he chanted the Ksitigarbha Transgression Script with a merciful look,

“From now on, I vow to rescue all the sinful and miserable beings from their sufferings in myriads of inexorable doom, in every world, in every hell, and in the three evil paths. I will help them to stay away from the evil paths that lead them to hell, to become an animal, and to become a hungry ghost. Only after saving all the beings from misery, I will realize enlightenment and become a Buddha.”

“As long as hell is not empty, I vow not to become a Buddha. I will enlighten all living beings before I attain the supreme wisdom of Bodhi.”

As the mantra echoed around, the light of virtue was falling from the sky. Apparently, the Da Dao had acted in response to the mantra. As a result, the Lotus of Great Aspiration was defending against the Palm of Enlightenment, just like how the Orthodox Buddhism confronted the other heterodox beliefs!

Even if Xuan Bei had attained enlightenment, he vowed not to become a Buddha as long as hell was not empty!

Numerous golden lotuses were blooming and the spring water was gushing out from the cracks in the ground. The person in a gray robe showed a faint smile that conveyed a sense of Zen. As he disappeared slowly, he said,

“There is so much pain and suffering in life. Bad things keep happening on me. On top of that, I can’t find a way to get rid of my obsession of gaining enlightenment. Moreover, up to now, I still can’t find any traces of the Spirited Mountain yet…”

Listening to the voice that lingered in the area, a small frown creased the forehead of Jiang Zhiwei. Little by little, Ananda seemed to be more burdened with his obsession of gaining enlightenment. Sooner or later, he would be experiencing a rebound and meeting his doom. How did the little monk get involved in the karma of Ananda?

As she cast a glance at Meng Qi, she could finally detect a change of emotion in his eyes. It seemed like he was feeling a little doubtful as well.

“By the time of getting to the mountain peak, we will know what had happened to Ananda in the end,” said Xuan Bei with a sigh.

Holding the Ancient Book in his hand, Wang Siyuan had practiced divination for a few moments. Then, he coughed and said, “The mountain peak isn’t far from here. At most, we will only encounter the lingering aura of Ananda once more. That is to say, we will need to deal with the Buddha’s Palm again.”

“The Devil Master must have gone through the nine strikes of Buddha’s Palm before he got to the mountain peak. As a result, most of the lingering aura of Ananda has been depleted.”

“Is he going to attack us with another strike of the Buddha’s Palm?” Jiang Zhiwei was feeling worried and excited at the same time. “Will it be the fifth strike, the Shining of Jin-Gang, the second strike, the World of Vanity, or the fourth strike, the Repentance?”

Ananda was one of the most outstanding disciples of Buddha. Being proficient in the nine strikes of Buddha’s Palm, he was regarded as the one who had the greatest potential to be the leader of the Buddhist Sect of Amidism. On the contrary, another outstanding disciple of Buddha, Maha Kasyapa, did not learn the Buddha’s Palm at all. Instead, he practiced another art called the Smile of Flower-Picking, and created a new sect. He was going to find the Buddha-nature within himself in his own way.

The nearer they got to the mountain peak, the more cautious they were. After walking through the path that had a lot of turns, a broad space appeared in front of them. The peak was just ten steps away from them.

On the edge of the peak, a monk was sitting in Lotus Position. Apparently, the monk was Ananda, but he was not looking sad and dispirited anymore.

Suddenly, he stretched out his right hand and spread out his five fingers. His palm became so huge when it smacked at Meng Qi and the others.

On the palm, a lot of golden Udumbara flowers were blooming. There seemed to be a world in every Udumbara flower, and a universe in every Udumbara tree. As the palm smacked toward them, a new universe and heaven seemed to have born. On every layer of the universe and every level of the heaven, countless golden Buddhas, merciful Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Jin-Gangs were sitting in Lotus Position.

This was the sixth strike of the Buddha’s Palm, the Pure Land on the Palm!

Facing ten thousand Buddhas from the Buddha Kingdom, even the Great Sage Equalling Heaven would suffer a disastrous defeat!

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t Ananda himself who performed the Pure Land on the Palm…” With a sigh, a light beam suddenly burst out from the sword of Jiang Zhiwei. It split into countless sword beams, penetrated layer upon layer of universes, and shone everywhere!

She had made a counterattack with one of the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception, Spreading Dao to the Universe.

The Buddha’s Palm was confronted with the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception!

In the blink of an eye, the dazzling sword beams had arrived in front of the golden Buddhas and merciful Bodhisattvas, and shot into their eyebrows.

All the Buddhas vanished one by one, and the Pure Land disappeared. When the huge palm finally fell on Meng Qi and the others, it was broken into pieces without inflicting any harm at all!

The person sitting on the edge of the mountain peak suddenly stood up and gave a laugh.

“Obsession would give rise to malicious thoughts that lead to the birth of an Internal Demon within ourselves.”

“Since I’m unable to get rid of my obsession and the Internal Demon within myself, I might as well give up the hope of seeing the Gautama Buddha.”

After saying that, the person walked away and disappeared from sight.

The face of Wang Siyuan was suddenly flushed, along with a sense of madness in his eyes. He seemed to have understood something as he rushed to the mountain peak.

Feeling confused, Jiang Zhiwei, Xuan Bei, and Meng Qi followed closely behind him.

Step by step, all of them climbed to the peak and saw Ananda who had his back to them.

With a steady aura, Ananda turned around slowly. Looking as if he had laid down some burdens, he said in a joyful tone,

“Those who obey the commandments will become a Buddha, whereas those who don’t will become a Devil. I’d like to give it a try to practice the Buddha’s Palm reversely!”

“Hahahaha! I did it!” in the middle of the sky, a sudden laughter was heard. Then, someone solemnly declared,

“Ananda is dead, and the Devil Buddha is born!”

All the blurry body figures, lingering aura, and faint voices were gathered into a backward swastika in a red and black color!

Ananda is dead, and the Devil Buddha is born!

“Haha, now I get it!” Wang Siyuan laughed madly, with blood spilling out from his mouth.