The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 307 Passing on the Lamp
The past remains unchanged, the past exists forever...

As the sound resounded throughout the hall, the dust on the altar cleared, revealing the golden body of the Dipankara Buddha.

The Buddha's body is magnificent and imposing, adorned with wondrous treasures and solemnity. Warm light emanates from between his brows, and he holds a glass lamp that emits a faint, shimmering glow. Within the lamp, ghostly flames flicker, seemingly able to illuminate the true nature of all things.

At this moment, the luminous pearls inlaid on the four walls of the main hall and the lotus candlesticks complement each other, the auspicious cloud reliefs appear and disappear in the light and shadow, and the wisps of sandalwood incense linger, as if flowing with fairy mist, presenting an infinitely mysterious appearance.

The music mingled with the sounds of Buddhist scriptures, rising in a deep, resonant tone, along with the emotionless chanting of the eternal, unchanging past, like a great bell, echoing throughout every corner of the hall.

Zhao Ti's expression was serious, and he rapidly circulated his internal energy, retreating backward at top speed.

His movements were as swift as lightning, turning into a series of afterimages that were impossible to discern. If outsiders were to see this, they would surely be astonished at how profound his lightness skill had become.

No matter how fast he moved, the palace gate seemed to be thousands of miles away at this moment. No matter how he moved his body backward, it was as if he was standing still. At most, he could only move a fraction of an inch and could not reach the front of the palace gate at all.

The wooden doors of the main hall closed slowly without making a sound; the creaking, worn-out sound of entering was nowhere to be heard.

Zhao Ti's expression changed slightly. The dilapidated state of the Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha Hall in the past was a lie; its current splendor was its true nature.

I don't know why they would disguise themselves in such a dilapidated state; it must not be a good thing. As the saying goes, there must be something fishy about things that are not normal. The scene before me is really too abnormal and strange.

The lineage of Bodhisattvas or Buddhas is inherently extremely dangerous, especially the existence of a principal Buddha like Dipankara Buddha, which may contain some great horror and terror.

But still... something's not right. If it's an illusion, why didn't the Illusionary Yin Scripture detect it?

Zhao Ti revealed a hint of doubt. The Illusionary Yin Scripture could not only create illusions of reality and falsehood, but it could also dispel falsehoods.

If the true form of Dipankara Buddha were here, perhaps he would not be able to see through the true form of this hall. But the Buddha has already disappeared and vanished into nothingness. How can the illusion of this hall still be so powerful?
Or perhaps it's not an illusion, but a situation that I can't understand?
Then the scene in the hall changed again. The ancient golden Buddha statue on the altar had changed from a standing statue to a seated statue.

Her appearance was still the same, but the glass lamp that used to be held by one hand was now held in the palm of her hand, and the lamp body was many times smaller.

Moreover, twenty-four bright pearls are carved on the top of the ancient Buddha's head, forming the shape of a full moon, shimmering with five-colored light.

Zhao Ti took a breath. Since he couldn't get out, he would just wait and see what the main hall was up to.

He was extremely wary, his eyes fixed on the Buddha statue in front of him. Suddenly, the Buddha statue seemed to come alive and stared at him.

Zhao Ti's heart skipped a beat. What was going on? Could it be that the ancient Buddha hadn't disappeared and was still alive?
The Buddha statue's expression suddenly changed, a hint of pain hidden beneath its compassion, and its lips moved slightly: "Future Buddhist disciples, whoever may come after countless years, will be able to enter my gate, and will surely have the Dharma."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti subconsciously took a few steps back, but upon closer inspection, he was still standing in the same spot.

How can this Buddha statue speak? Is it the voice of lineage transmission, or the voice of the ancient Buddha Dipankara?

Zhao Ti frowned, and then heard the Buddha statue continue to emit sounds, word by word.

“The past is eternal and unchanging. I perished countless years ago, but with my supernatural powers, I left these words in the past, to transcend time and space and speak to you.”

Zhao Ti was slightly taken aback. Something was wrong. What did he mean by "died countless years ago"? Countless years shouldn't be hundreds of years, it should be at least thousands or tens of thousands of years, right? And to have died thousands or tens of thousands of years ago seemed to make no sense in terms of time...

"I do not know the present world, nor do I know where to speak with you."

What do you mean? Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes and said he didn't know if it was still possible in the present world, but he didn't know where. Why does that sound so strange?

"But nothing else matters. The most important thing is to pass on the legacy. The most urgent task is to inherit my lineage and leave behind... enlightenment."

The Buddha statue's voice was intermittent and disjointed, leaving Zhao Ti feeling quite confused.

"Having entered the Buddhist path, you should be a Buddhist disciple, believe in my Dharma, and cultivate to attain enlightenment. Do you believe me...?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti involuntarily took a few steps back, but remained in the same spot without moving an inch.

You can't just accept that answer carelessly. Who knows if there's a trap in it? Although the other person said they died countless years ago, that's just what they said, and it's hard to say whether it's true or not.

I originally thought that inheriting the Buddha's lineage would carry the risk of guiding others, but now the crisis has already manifested itself before the lineage has even been passed on. If I were to accept the offer of faith, something unfavorable might inevitably happen.

He remained silent, then the Buddha statue spoke again: "Do you believe?"

The voice was still devoid of emotion, but it had become much louder.

The lights in the hall suddenly rose a foot in height, and the originally glittering lights became as eerie and sinister as the ghostly flames inside the glass lamps.

The Eight Treasures Glazed Lamp is also known as the Lingjiu Treasure Lamp or the Coffin Palace Lamp.

Legend has it that the ghostly flames inside the lamp connect directly to the underworld, establishing a link with the deepest part of the netherworld, and can even reveal scenes from the life of the deceased, allowing one to see the past and present lives of living beings.

At this moment, the magnificent splendor inside the hall became flickering and dim, its light dimming and eerie. Zhao Ti chuckled dryly, realizing he had no choice but to speak.

This hall is unpredictable. Even with my lightness skill at its limit, I couldn't get back to the door. It might have some strange abilities. Being inside the hall, I should avoid it if possible and avoid a direct confrontation.

But answering "I believe" is impossible. Such words of agreement and acknowledgment should not be uttered lightly. So-called belief means existence, and perhaps once the word is uttered, one will be transformed into a true Buddhist by some strange force.

Ambiguous words like "yes" and "okay" cannot be used, lest they be sucked into the coffin lantern by Golden Horn's gourd in Journey to the West, even if they are just given an answer. Such words are not much different from replying to a letter.

He pondered, "It was originally a ruined hall, how did it suddenly become complete and even change its appearance?"

Upon hearing this, the Buddha statue's gaze deepened, as if it were scrutinizing him, trying to see through him.

“The past is eternal and unchanging; what you see before you is the great hall of the past.”

The old main hall... what does that mean? Zhao Ti, worried that the Buddha statue would ask again whether he believed in Buddhism, quickly added, "What about the abandoned hall before?"

“The ruined temple…” The Buddha statue’s voice became intermittent, rising and falling: “The ruined temple, the ruined temple… is the future, the temple of the future.”

“No,” Zhao Ti shook his head. “Shouldn’t it be the current hall?”

"The present temple?" The Buddha statue's voice seemed hesitant, saying, "The past is eternal and unchanging. Both the present and the future are constantly changing. Only the past is eternal, unchanging, and eternally exists. The past..."

Zhao Ti stared intently at the Buddha statue, noticing that the golden light on the Buddha's face vanished for a fleeting moment. He quickly asked again, "Does this mean that everything can be restored to the past?"

"That's exactly right!" The Buddha statue's voice suddenly rose in pitch: "Restore to the past, restore to the beginning, revive and restore..." "But..." Zhao Ti said, "The main hall is now abandoned, how can it truly be restored to its former glory, truly restored to its original state?"

"How can it truly be possible, how can it truly be possible..." The Buddha's face suddenly became blank, and his voice lowered: "How can it be possible..."

“That’s right,” Zhao Ti said. “This hall is just a recreation of the scene from the past, but it is now abandoned. It’s just an illusion, all fake.”

"It's not an illusion, it's not fake..." A hint of pain crept into the Buddha statue's voice: "It's not fake..."

"It's not fake?" Zhao Ti wondered. How could it not be an illusion?
Do you believe in Buddhism?

Here we go again. Zhao Ti's temple twitched. "Why are all the other inheritance halls intact, but this one is abandoned?"

"Everything else is intact? Only this one is abandoned?" The golden light on the Buddha statue's face disappeared, and its voice was strange, muttering to itself.

“The other gods, arhats, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas, whether they are still in power or have passed away, all have their inheritance halls intact. Only this one looks like an ordinary object, damaged and dilapidated, as if it were abandoned.” Zhao Ti carefully observed the Buddha statue: “Why is that?”

“Abandoned…” A look of recollection seemed to appear on the Buddha statue’s face: “Everything else is intact, but this hall is abandoned? It can’t be like this, it can’t be like this…”

At this moment, Zhao Ti keenly noticed that extremely tiny lines had appeared on the exterior of the Buddha statue.

He continued, "It's just abandoned, looking like an ordinary thing, as if it's been ravaged by wind and rain... I'm afraid it will collapse and fall down in a few more years."

"Everything else is intact, only this hall is ruined... something's not right..." The Buddha statue sighed deeply, "It's still a failure. What exactly is wrong..."

Zhao Ti noticed that the fine lines on the Buddha's body were increasing, and the lines on his face were like a spider web, beginning to crack little by little.

"You believe in Buddha..." the Buddha statue spoke again.

Zhao Ti was about to say something else to evade the question when the Buddha statue broke apart before he could finish speaking.

In an instant, the tall and majestic statue shattered into countless pieces, falling in all directions, and the sound of the Buddha statue abruptly ceased.

Zhao Ti breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, but just then, a black light suddenly flew out from the broken statue, resembling ink-stained lotus petals or black flames, rushing towards him.

The black light was extremely fast and had a strange shape. Zhao Ti moved his body to the side, but unexpectedly, the black light changed direction and continued to move towards him.

He reached out and channeled his inner strength to push the black light outwards. Surprisingly, the black light didn't exert any force and flew directly into his body, then steadily settled into his dantian.

Zhao Ti immediately had an epiphany: this was the seed of the Dipankara Buddha's lineage.

Just watch as this seed of inheritance transforms into the shape of a fiery lotus petal within the dantian, and then begins to disperse.

Zhao Ti's expression changed slightly; this seed of inheritance was different from that of the Great Free Heaven.

The Great Free Heaven directly opens its lineage to me, allowing me to absorb and accept it as I go. The inheritance of the Ancient Buddha Dipankara has directly entered my body. If there is any trickery involved in forcibly converting me, I will have nowhere to hide.

As the seed bearing the brand of the fiery lotus petals seemed about to bloom, a voice inexplicably arose within him, a voice from the past that was eternally unchanging and eternally preserved.

He immediately mobilized his Illusory Yin True Qi to cover and seal the mark layer by layer, determined not to allow the inheritance to be opened directly.

Aside from the concern that there might be a trap for salvation, the fact that Dipankara Buddha could leave his voice in the past and transmit it to the present, and that he seemed to still have the ability to think, raises the question of whether he is dead or alive.
Judging from the situation in the main hall and the other party's behavior, it seemed that he had indeed perished, but the Buddha statue's thoughtful expression was too strange, making people worry and take precautions.

The black mark was briefly blocked by the Illusory Yin True Qi, but it was about to continue spreading in the blink of an eye. Zhao Ti frowned, quickly circulated the Illusory Yin Scripture, and mobilized all the Illusory Yin True Qi in his body to envelop it.

Eighty percent of the true energy in his body was illusory yin. When he activated it all, the flickering ancient mirage immediately appeared, reaching the twelfth-floor Xuanji Platform and enveloping the black mark within it.

At this moment, the black brand resembled a flower bud about to bloom, but it was firmly imprisoned by the ancient mirage, trembling slightly but unable to disperse.

Zhao Ti wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He didn't know if his caution was right or wrong, but better safe than sorry. He absolutely could not take this kind of Buddhist tradition lightly.

At this moment, the scene inside the hall was slowly changing, as if time was passing by at a rapid pace. The objects inside the hall gradually became dilapidated and old, and some even seemed unable to withstand the test of time and began to disappear.

This... doesn't seem like the illusion shattering? Zhao Ti hesitated slightly. He had encountered illusions many times, whether because of cultivating the Illusionary Yin Scripture or undergoing tests of his mental state.

Generally speaking, the shattering of an illusion is instantaneous, or like a mirror breaking and water rippling out, disappearing directly. It's not so slow, and there's no process or scene that seems to linger over time, gradually extending into reality.

Zhao Ti felt as if he had experienced the passage of countless years, watching as things around him grew old and worn, dust slowly accumulating on the ground, and some things that were not easily worn away visibly disappearing.

Although his body did not change with the surrounding things, his state of mind at this moment seemed to have undergone the tempering of ten thousand years or even longer. The vicissitudes of life were but a short moment.

Gradually, more and more dust accumulated inside the hall, covering his feet and restoring the scene to what it was like when he entered the hall.

Zhao Ti's expression was complicated. Could it be that the ancient Buddha Dipankara left behind great magical power before his fall, restoring this hall to its former appearance?
However, because the magic power was exhausted and the inheritance had found its home, all the past scenes could no longer be maintained, and the present appearance was slowly restored.

Zhao Ti stood there for a moment, pondered, shook his head, unable to make a final judgment, and then turned to walk away.

At this moment, there was no longer that feeling of being hundreds of miles away from the palace gate. In just a dozen breaths, they arrived at the door, reached out and pushed it, and the wooden door made an old, creaking sound.

He stepped out the door, then suddenly frowned and looked back. He saw a gleaming bronze lamp hanging on the dome of the main hall, and he paused in surprise.

Surprisingly... something was preserved. The old scene reappeared, but it remained in the present time as an object, neither disappearing nor returning to the past, nor being ravaged by time into its present state.

He remembered that when he entered the main hall, the lamp was already dilapidated and looked as if it would peel off layer by layer and turn into dust if touched or blown on.

But at this moment, the lamp retained its old appearance, swaying slightly as if seeing him off.

Zhao Ti remained silent for a long time, his heart filled with doubts. He slowly went outside and then closed the palace gate.

He determined the direction and walked back the way he came, intending to return to the location of the Trial Steps.

It was already evening. He walked forward for about a distance and looked back at the main hall of the Dipankara Buddha.

In the dim light, a lamp had been lit within the hall at some unknown time. Its light was as small as a bean, yet incredibly bright, as if washing away the past, recounting a lifetime, illuminating the distant road ahead, and ensuring that dusk would never fall...

(End of this chapter)