Simultaneous travel: I am proving the great way in the heavens.

Chapter 550 Heavenly Merit! Sharing the essence of the Twelve Heavens of Luofu!

Although Mahayana Buddhism is a very small minority within the Buddhist system, some disciples of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism are not without manifestations of Mahayana Buddhism.

For example, among the thirty-three manifestations of the famous Guanyin Bodhisattva, there is a Pratyekabuddha form who follows the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism, namely the Dragon-Headed Guanyin or the Dragon-Riding Guanyin.

However, that was only one of his manifestations; his true self followed the orthodox Mahayana Buddhist teachings.

Of course, now that the World Honored One, Tathagata, has personally stated that Luofu is the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism, the True Buddha, then the Pratyekabuddha body of Guanyin riding the dragon should naturally reside in the True Dharma Heaven, becoming one of the Bodhisattvas under the seat of the True Buddha of Luofu.

As the Buddha's words fell, the Heavenly Dao was moved.

A brilliant ray of merit descended from the sky, heading straight for Xiniu Hezhou, to Ruzhen Temple, and then falling directly towards Luofu.

Throughout the Three Realms, all Buddhist cultivators, and even all beings of considerable cultivation, felt this merit bestowed by the Heavenly Dao.

Indeed, as the laws of Heaven have become increasingly strict, the idea of ​​divinely bestowed merits has long since become a legend.

Even the Journey to the West team only achieved enlightenment under the Buddha's decree during the tribulations of the Journey to the West.

Such a commotion caused countless Buddhist practitioners to clasp their hands together in prayer, facing the direction from which the merit was descending, and spontaneously exclaimed, "Namo Ruzhen Miaofa Buddha!"

Having just passed through Chechi Kingdom, the westward journey group, sitting upright on the white dragon horse, suddenly narrowed their eyes, and tears of excitement welled up in their eyes.

In a panic, he scrambled off his horse. Dali bowed and paid homage in the direction of Ruzhen Temple, saying, "Disciple Tang Sanzang, having endured countless hardships, has finally met the Buddha today. I am determined to seek the true scriptures without wavering."

"Brother Monkey, what... how come there's another Buddha in the Western Paradise?" Pigsy stared wide-eyed at Monkey King beside him in disbelief.

Sun Wukong's eyes, which seemed to gleam with the fire of jewels, gazed westward and said, "Fool, do not blaspheme against the Buddha's teachings."

More than 500 years after being suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain by the Buddha, Sun Wukong, aside from other aspects, still had an arrogant element in his personality, but he no longer dared to underestimate Buddhism. In fact, it could be said that he was subdued by Buddhism. From his behavior after escaping from the Five Elements Mountain, it is not difficult to see Sun Wukong's awe of Buddhism.

The five hundred years under the Five Elements Mountain truly taught Sun Wukong what it meant to be as vast as the heavens and as imposing as the earth.

Sha Wujing, however, does not resemble Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, and Zhu Bajie.

The westward journey team was not actually a harmonious group.

It could even be said that the four of them had different goals, including the white dragon horse as their mount.

Tang Sanzang truly had the determination to obtain the scriptures, but how much of that determination came from the heart is debatable.

Sun Wukong, on the other hand, only sought to escape his predicament. In his eyes, the so-called journey to the West was nothing more than a transaction, a path to achieve enlightenment.

Pigsy didn't care at all. Although he was indeed banished to the mortal realm, before that, he was Marshal Tianpeng, the head of the Four Saints of the North Pole.

In theory, his position as Marshal Tianpeng was even more prestigious than that of the True Martial Emperor. However, unlike before, the True Martial Emperor was constantly being promoted at a breakneck pace, while Zhu Bajie was relegated to the status of a monster in the mortal realm.

But he was, after all, the former Marshal Tianpeng, and was at least stronger than Sun Wukong. Even if he couldn't join the Journey to the West team and seek enlightenment in Buddhism, he still had a way out.

Only Sha Wujing truly had no way out.

Ever since he smashed the glass lamp, for hundreds of years in the Flowing Sand River in the mortal realm, Sha Wujing would suffer the torment of flying swords piercing his chest and ribs every seven days, which was truly excruciating pain.

The punishment he received alone shows that breaking the glass cup was no small matter, and it also demonstrates that the Jade Emperor truly hated Sha Wujing.

Joining the pilgrimage team was practically Sha Wujing's only chance to escape his predicament.

Sha Wujing joined the pilgrimage team because of Guanyin Bodhisattva, but as for his confidence in the success of the pilgrimage, he was not really that firm.

Seeing this divine favor bestowed upon him, and with an additional Buddha appearing on the path the group would take to the Western Paradise, he felt a different kind of unease. Unlike Tang Sanzang, who was greatly encouraged, or Zhu Bajie, who was indifferently watching the spectacle, or Sun Wukong, he had a different thought in his mind.

That is, can I get ashore ahead of time?
Sha Wujing knew very well that the Buddhist community was not truly harmonious.

When it comes to lifelines, the more the better.

At this point, Sha Wujing only has this idea. To be honest, he can only have the thought of joining Luofu Sect, but he has no way to actually do so.

After all, although this divine blessing might not be able to come into contact with the other party on the inevitable route of the westward journey, it is still unknown.

Compared to the westward-bound teams that are still somewhat scheming and infighting today.

Ruzhen Temple.

The immense commotion of divine merit caused all the monks of the Ruzhen sect to instantly realize that the Ruzhen Buddhist sect had, in this very moment, achieved the enlightenment of the Ruzhen Buddha through the Middle Vehicle of Pratyekabuddha Buddhism.

The seven spider-like beings were overjoyed and immediately knelt down in the direction of Luofu.

You should know that they are only Garan now, because the previous Luofu was just a future Buddha in Buddhism.

But now, he has established his own lineage, leaping from the True Buddha under the Future Buddha to the Pratyekabuddha in an instant, even if it is neither true nor false. But that is still a legitimate position within Buddhism.

An ordinary future Buddha would at most grant the sisters a state of enlightenment, making them a monastic in the Buddhist system. But a true Buddha would be qualified to confer the titles of Arhat, Bodhisattva, or even Buddha.

The opportunity to rise with the tide is right in front of you. Even if your cultivation is lacking or your aptitude is insufficient, the path to enlightenment is not actually so closely related to cultivation level.

A position or rank can be considered a privilege or treatment, while cultivation level is an asset.

Having vast assets makes one susceptible to being united with the government, much like how Sun Wukong, with his great strength, was granted amnesty.

Under the strict laws of Heaven, the seven sisters, whose cultivation was insufficient and whose aptitude was lacking, never even thought of seizing their positions through their own strength. They were more eager to be the chickens and dogs in the story of "when one person attains enlightenment, all their relatives and friends ascend to heaven."

Clearly, Luo Fu has now perfectly fulfilled, and even exceeded, their expectations.

Faced with the heavenly blessing, Luo Fu did not hesitate at all and directly chose to absorb all of the merit to improve his own cultivation.

To outsiders, using precious merit to improve one's own cultivation is a complete waste of resources.

However, Luo Fu was well aware that his biggest predicament was his insufficient cultivation. As for merit, don't forget that this was the tribulation of the Journey to the West. He only needed to set up tribulations for the Journey to the West team, and when the journey ended, he would have time to accumulate merit again.

Compared to his current cultivation level, a little bit of Heavenly Dao merit is nothing, not to mention that Luo Fu really doesn't value it much.

Even if merit is precious, Luo Fu at the moment doesn't really have much of an urgent desire for merit in other aspects besides his own cultivation level.

Of course, supernatural powers like Yin and Yang, which have been refined by Luofu, do require merit.

However, mastering supernatural powers is not just about mastering the powers themselves, but more importantly, about one's own cultivation level.

Merit itself is the ability that one gains after improving one's cultivation and realm. In many cases, if one's cultivation and realm are sufficient, there is no need to spend too much effort studying supernatural powers and spells, unless it is a supernatural power that truly involves the essence of the laws of heaven. Apart from that, all other means can be learned naturally as one's strength increases.

The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, a technique derived from the Nine Revolutions Arcane Arts and also known as the Nine Revolutions Primordial Arts, is a typical example.

If one has successfully cultivated the Nine Revolutions Primordial Technique, then there is no need to cultivate any supernatural powers or spells, because this method itself contains the Heavenly Eye, the Body Fixation Technique, the Heavenly Pot Technique, the Wind Control Technique, the Fire Avoidance Technique, the Water Avoidance Technique, the Invisibility Technique, the Five Thunder Technique, the Samadhi True Fire, the Astral Projection Technique, the Seventy-Two Transformations, the Size Control Technique, the Golden Light of Earth, the Five Elements Escape Technique, the Cloud Riding Technique, and many other supernatural powers and spells.

Furthermore, he cultivated an indestructible golden body, an immortal primordial spirit, and the ability to regenerate infinitely even if his physical body was destroyed.

It can be described as a bug-like technique. Master Yu Ding commented on the Eight-Nine Arcane Technique, saying that once you master the Eight-Nine Arcane Technique, you can roam freely in the world. This is not an exaggeration, but a true description of this technique.

Although Yang Jian did indeed possess many magical treasures, what truly made him famous throughout the Three Realms was his Eight-Nine Arcane Arts. At most, those magical treasures merely added a few more means for him to adapt to combat.

The same is true of Luofu now.

The innate Yin and Yang energies were indeed a shortcut for Luo Fu to master the great supernatural power of reversing Yin and Yang, but compared to a supernatural power, Luo Fu knew very well that his own cultivation was the foundation.

In particular, the many abilities that Luo Fu obtained from the shared space are constantly combining with the supernatural powers of Yin and Yang, and this combination is based on his own strength as the bottom line.

The improvement in strength not only elevates Luofu itself in all aspects, but also serves as a means to indirectly enhance the Yin and Yang energies.

Aside from his own cultivation and Yin-Yang Qi, Luo Fu doesn't really need Heavenly Dao merits to improve his other abilities.

Of course, even a saint cannot ignore such a good thing as Heavenly Merit, but Luo Fu is able to clearly distinguish between what is important and what is urgent.

As the Heavenly Dao's merits entered his body, Luo Fu's cultivation level instantly broke through the upper limit of the Immortal Golden Immortal realm, directly entering the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm. It seemed that even the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm was not the limit. This merit, which came with Luo Fu becoming the ancestor of the Middle-Level Buddhist Dharma and the Pratyekabuddha lineage becoming like a true Buddha, not only allowed Luo Fu to solidify his Taiyi Golden Immortal realm and cultivation without any future troubles, but even the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm was faintly in sight.

This isn't because the merit of the Heavenly Dao is truly so immense; ultimately, it's due to the blessing of Luofu's own shared capabilities.

Although Luo Fu had been continuously localizing his abilities, what he shared was the essence of sixteen different worlds.

Abilities are merely enhancements to the essence of life, but the fusion of essences has allowed Luo Fu to far surpass the limits of a hybrid descendant of humans and witches, reaching a level comparable to that of innate beings.

However, prior to this, Luofu had not fully integrated this essence into its own system.

This is similar to how humans cannot fully control their own instincts; physiological activities and reactions are not under the control of acquired consciousness, but rather innate primordial spirit.

Unlike the acquired consciousness, the innate primordial spirit does not have a discriminating mind. Even a perfect self is extremely difficult to manifest in the innate primordial spirit.

The so-called cultivation of truth and refinement of the Dao is nothing more than the innate primordial spirit taking over from the acquired consciousness, with the acquired consciousness stepping down and the primordial spirit taking control of everything within oneself.

Luo Fu, who shared the self of twelve heavenly worlds, possessed a primordial spirit whose power far surpassed that of ordinary innate beings.

Even Luo Fu, who had reached the level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, had not fully grasped that profound essence.

This is why Luo Fu's cultivation level improved so quickly, and even with the blessing of Heavenly Dao merit, there were no future problems.

In a short period of time, after consolidating his cultivation and realm as a Taiyi Golden Immortal, Luo Fu was surrounded by a great burst of Buddhist light.

Its Buddha light is seven-colored, and within the Buddha light, it seems as if countless Saha worlds are evolving.

This is the unique Buddha light that arose after Luofu's own path, combined with the Buddhist system, returned to the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism, and the Pratyekabuddha of the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, like the true Buddha.

The Buddha's light itself can be considered a kind of supernatural power in Buddhism. Even monks and arhats have a protective Buddha's light.

But if we're talking about the most unique one, it has to be the present-day Luofu, because Mahayana Buddhism itself is completely different from Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism.

The Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, a system that leads to enlightenment through the interplay of causes and conditions, dispels ignorance, and ultimately comprehends the principle of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, can be considered independent of both the orthodox and unorthodox schools of Taoism, yet it also overlaps with the Three Thousand Great Paths and the Eight Hundred Unorthodox Schools.

It is both Buddhist and Taoist, and both Taoist and Buddhist.

It is even possible to say that the Pratyekabuddhas of the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle are neither Buddhas nor Taoists, belonging to an ambiguous system between Buddhism and Taoism.

This school of thought is actually quite numerous, encompassing both Buddhism and Taoism.

Many of these wandering immortals belong to the Pratyekabuddha system within the Taoist tradition.

This kind of existence, which is not orthodox but has achieved something, belongs to the Pratyekabuddha lineage in the Western Paradise and to the Eastern Emperor in the Xuanmen Taoism. Luofu, this true Buddha, can also be considered the Eastern Emperor of Buddhism.

At this moment, Luo Fu was only at the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, still some distance from the Daluo Golden Immortal realm, but in terms of status, he was in no way inferior to the Donghua Emperor.

Even at the Peach Banquet in Heaven, Luo Fu must have a place, and a very prominent one at that.

The seven-colored Buddha light of Luofu, like an immeasurable Saha world, illuminated Ruzhen Temple and began to expand rapidly. This was not only an expansion in the spatial location of the Earthly Immortal Realm, but also included the Heavenly Court, the Underworld, Mount Ling, and even many blessed lands and small worlds created by powerful cultivators themselves.

As the scope of the light expanded, figures of Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Sangharama began to appear within the seven-colored Buddha light that illuminated the three realms.

These Buddhist monks are certainly not mere figureheads; they are genuine beings with their own true essence.

It is a symbol of the Pratyekabuddha path practitioners making a pilgrimage to Mount Luofu.

This is a true pilgrimage of all Buddhas to the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism.

(End of this chapter)