Merit Accumulation: I Conferred God and Become a Buddha

Chapter 111 The Dragon and the Boy

Two golden dragons swam downwards, their heads emerging to look down at the ground, their shimmering golden eyes reflecting tiny human figures.

The witnesses stared wide-eyed in awe, their vision filled with auspicious clouds and mist swirling around the towering palace gates that seemed to reach the heavens, and the two bas-relief pillars that stood there as far as the eye could see.

The golden dragon appeared and disappeared amidst the shimmering clouds, its scales reflecting brilliant light, its golden eyes like blazing flames.

The figures standing still on the ground looked up, squinting slightly as if they were seeing the sun descending, a sight too powerful to look at directly.

The melodious sound of the zither echoed in the void, lingering for a long time. This delicate and poignant sound spread far and wide, carrying with it the purifying rain that poured down from the sky, cleansing the murky atmosphere of the Crystal Kingdom.

The golden dragon gazed at the figures on the ground from afar, remaining silent, its silence evoking a sense of desolation. Even the light, drifting clouds seemed to exude an aura of sorrow and loneliness.

Feng Yu looked up at the magnificent scene above, like a mirage of clouds and mountains, with swirling light and shadows spreading through the hazy mist. The golden dragon's eyes seemed to be formed from the brilliant sun and the bright moon.

"King of Heroes, come here!"

Upon hearing the call, Feng Yu stepped forward without hesitation.

"Was the music played by Lady Qingli?"

He asked unconsciously. A barely perceptible hint of pain was revealed in his brows and golden eyes.

Silently watching the golden dragon on the ground below, I noticed a faint sadness hidden beneath his calm demeanor.

"The Dragon God is very weak."

Instead of directly answering his question, one of the golden dragons couldn't help but murmur its story.

"He selflessly repaired the broken barrier that covered the Southern Continent and injected new energy into the Nine Dragon Pearls of the Dragon Clan's sacred land. Doing these things greatly damaged the Dragon God's vitality, all for the sake of saving the people who he knew were beyond saving."

Those who heard this were astonished, their slightly open eyes revealing an expression of disbelief and shock, never imagining that the Dragon God had borne such a heavy and difficult task all by himself.

Feng Yu froze, his expression frozen as memories of the past surged through his mind, echoing the cold words of the Demon King's eldest son, Su Na Yantian.

"You threw yourself into the chaos of the world for the sake of your people, disregarding all the suffering and wretchedness you endured, all to save those who you knew were beyond redemption. This kind of selfless love will ultimately push you into the abyss."

Noticing the young hero king's momentary lapse in concentration, the two golden dragons lowered their bodies and asked in unison, "Are you alright? What are you pondering?"

Their voices blended together, speaking the exact same words.

"I can hear the disappointment in your words. Do you also think that the common people are beyond saving?" Feng Yu asked bluntly, tilting his head back.

"It's not disappointment, it's despair."

A golden dragon lowered its eyebrows and eyes, the brilliance in its eyes dimmed, and its voice carried an ancient and distant sense of vicissitude.

"But my despair is not even a fraction as great as that traitor of the dragon race. He could no longer tolerate the common people, which is why he stole the Nine Dragon Pearls from the sacred land of the dragon race. I am not saying this to sympathize with him, but because I am worried that the Dragon God... would be more heartbroken than anyone else to see the common people he tried so hard to save ultimately beyond redemption."

Those who heard the story fell silent, lost in their own reverie and sorrow.

Leng Xian'er and her parents recalled the humans they knew. Most of them were friendly and warm-hearted, so what had they done wrong? Why did Jinlong say that all living beings were beyond redemption?
“Actually, not everyone is beyond redemption,” Feng Yu said calmly, a melancholy lingering in his eyes. “Please don’t be too pessimistic.”

After he finished speaking, a serene, azure smile graced his lips, a gentle smile like a lotus blossoming, radiating a benevolent glow.

His companions saw him turn slightly and look back at them, his golden eyes, shimmering with the colors of dawn, seemed to ignite with a glimmer of hope.

"Light is not in the outside world, but within our own bodies and minds. We must use the light within ourselves to illuminate the darkness of the outside world. No matter what the world becomes, if the light within our bodies and minds never fades, then world peace will never be lost!"
Every time we do a little more good and accumulate merit, the world's suffering will lessen, and one more person will be freed from suffering and attain happiness.

His companions saw his lips part slightly as he murmured these moving words.

Arjuna and Leng Xian'er couldn't help but shed tears, their eyes reddening. The others listened in a daze, then couldn't help but smile with a sense of peace and contentment.

“In one of my countless past lives, he guided me to be reborn in Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land. In the Pure Land, I often hear stories about him, praising his constant refusal to enter Nirvana, his travels through different times and spaces, his tireless efforts to save all sentient beings, and even his repeated reincarnations, sharing the defilement of sentient beings and walking together with them.”

Hearing Taixu recount Fengyu's past, the companions were shocked and incredulous, their minds conjuring up images of those ancient, grand, and distant glorious deeds.

"Anything else? What else do you know? About the story of Feng Yu?"

Galan leaned closer to Taixu, asking questions out of curiosity. Feng Yu watched them talking about him around Taixu, then turned his head away indifferently, looking up at the golden dragon.

"The Dragon God once told us that you are very compassionate."

Two golden dragons proclaimed this fact, as if the image of the boy on the ground was reflected in eyes formed of lava and flames.

"Did she say that?" Feng Yu smiled bitterly, exchanging a few indifferent glances with Jinlong.

“The Dragon Goddess disappeared without a trace once in the Lonely Sea, and we don’t know where she went. When she returned to the Dragon God Temple, she was accompanied by two Dharma protectors sent by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.”

Upon hearing these words, Taixu, whose attention had been drawn, looked at Fengyu with a puzzled expression, wondering if it was related to the blond-haired man in a suit.

Taixu looked at Fengyu's back and recalled how Fengyu had been beaten half to death by the other party—his head had been stomped on by a foot wearing a leather shoe, and his face was completely buried in the hole in the wall, his expression unknown.

Are the two black-robed protectors still with Lady Qingli?

"Yes, they are." The two golden dragons swam closer to the ground below, speaking in unison in a mysterious, leisurely voice, "They have been inside the Dragon God's Palace and have not come out. Hero King! You must know the whole story, right?"

"I'm sorry, I've implicated Lady Qingli! She went missing before, and it was the Victorious Fighting Buddha who took her away."

Feng Yu also made no attempt to hide the truth, speaking frankly and directly.

The golden dragons exchanged glances and, as if sensing danger, approached Feng Yu.

The overwhelming sense of oppression was so overwhelming that the crowd couldn't help but feel weak in the knees, some even on the verge of kneeling and kowtowing.

The air grew heavy, and a tense atmosphere was palpable.

To alleviate the oppressive feeling, Feng Yu and his companions distanced themselves further away and walked towards the golden dragon, stating that they wanted to see Lady Qing Li.

"King of Heroes, you've brought quite a few friends."

Upon hearing this, Feng Yu stopped abruptly, waiting for Jinlong to continue.

"But since they are your friends, we will not stop them."

Thinking that the Golden Dragon would be angry with him because Qingli was kidnapped by the Victorious Fighting Buddha, Feng Yu was surprised by their tolerance and gratefully said thank you.

The two golden dragons moved even closer to the ground, extended their heads, and hovered in front of Feng Yu.

The boy had to slightly raise his face to look into the golden dragon's eyes.

His companions, standing not far behind him, watched in silence. Suddenly, they felt that the scene of the dragon and the boy facing each other was like a magnificent painting. The still scene seemed to have been sedimented in the long river of time for thousands of years. After the long passage of time, the scene was not changed by the passage of ancient time. On the contrary, it became more vivid because of their communication.

The boy's tall, slender figure was enveloped in a wondrous, brilliant light, as if he had been born from a sacred dream.

Everyone was captivated by the incredible and beautiful sight, so engrossed that they didn't even notice the imposing aura emanating from the golden dragon.

Why did the Holy Buddha take the Dragon God away?

"Because it's related to Ao Bing."

"How do you know these things?"

A melancholy and sorrowful look appeared in Feng Yu's golden eyes as he gazed at the dragon, and an indescribable loneliness flowed between his brows. At this moment, even his voice was desolate.

“These stories are inexplicable, which is why they are so sad. You will also sigh if you know them, and I do not want you to bear this burden, because it is not something you should face.”

Continuing to press him would only be pointless, and Jinlong firmly believed what he said, replying in a normal tone, "It's alright if you don't want to talk about it."

The giant door slowly opened, and the gaps reflected a dazzling light.

The towering gate stretched as far as the eye could see, rising straight into the vast, misty void.

(End of this chapter)