The immortal is beside me

Chapter 98: Buddhas Resurrect, Peach Blossoms Reappear

Dazzling Buddha light bloomed in the hall. In the golden light, several monks standing in front of him moved at the same time. Golden lotus shadows appeared, swastika seals shone, and all kinds of Buddhist teachings came out, all attacking the Shi Ming in front of them. The posture was clearly a killing posture.

Facing the killing moves of many angry Vajra, Shi Ming did not dodge or evade. He just put his hands together, put the peach blossoms in his palms, and chanted the Buddha's name softly.

"Amitabha."

The sound of Buddhist chanting echoed in the hall, and at the same time, the shadows of pale pink petals appeared.

As the shadow flickered, the tail tone of the words was infinitely prolonged, and the many Buddhist lights in the air solidified together, and even the monks who were trying to kill the thieves stopped.

The flowing time was frozen in an instant, only the petals in the air were still dancing, flying into the sky with the wind, and then slowly falling down.

When the petals fall to the ground, they no longer touch the golden bricks of the Buddhist temple, but the vast fields.

The shadows of the trees on the ground swayed, and countless peach petals fell from the swaying branches, all splashing on the monks under the trees. Looking from afar, one seemed to be able to see an ancient rural village, with the shadows of men, women, and children in the village swaying, and curls of smoke rising from the houses.

What is this place?
The faces of the Buddhists were filled with astonishment. They were all accomplished masters of Buddhism, having been immersed in the Pure Land for a long time. Their spiritual perceptions were beyond the reach of ordinary people, and in this respect they were superior to the immortal cultivators of the same realm.

But at this moment, they couldn't even perceive the true nature of this place. It felt like a spiritual space similar to the Pure Land, but why would there be such a rich landscape in the spiritual space?
"Please help me open the Pure Land and complete the inheritance."

The sound came from the air, echoing slowly and reaching the ears of every monk.

—Shi Ming! You traitor who defames my Buddha! How dare you speak out?!
Similar thoughts flashed through the minds of the monks, but what they said out loud was not the case.

"Shariputra: Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form; and likewise are feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness."

"Shariputra: All dharmas are empty in nature, neither born nor destroyed, neither defiled nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing."

The sound of chanting echoed beneath the peach trees. Without even noticing, the monks had already unconsciously clasped their hands together and chanted the Heart Sutra in unison, slowly building a connection with the Pure Land as they always did.

It's not like in the Pure Land where the spirits are connected and the thoughts are connected, but it's more like everyone's will belongs to the same existence at this moment.

"Explain. What. You. Are. Doing."

As powerful Buddhists, they naturally could not be easily trapped by this will. Although their bodies were chanting scriptures, there was a clear struggle in everyone's eyes. The old monk with the deepest cultivation even opened his mouth tremblingly, and uttered vague questions between his lips and teeth.

"As just said, we will complete the Pure Land, welcome back the Buddha's true intention, and bring Buddhism back to its peak."

The voice in the air came again, its tone full of indifference.

"If such evil methods are integrated into the Pure Land, even if the Buddha's true intention can be reproduced, it will be distorted. By then, the Pure Land will be out of control. Even we will no longer be able to control it."

The old monk tried his best to keep his mind focused and uttered words intermittently, but he still received an emotionless response.

"Distortion is better than destruction. There are more forces vying for the inheritance of Peach Blossom Spring than can be counted on one hand. If the Buddhist sect doesn't use it, others will get there first."

—You've violated the precepts of greed and ignorance! You've been contaminated by the evil ways of the Peach Blossom Spring! Stop it now!
"The Buddha's great wish is to save all living beings. He would rather die than be humiliated." The old monk's eyes gleamed with gold. "You are leading the Buddha to a dead end by doing this."

". Would you rather be broken than humiliated?"

A light laugh, neither sad nor happy, echoed in the air: "These words are truly leading Buddhism to its doom."

Amid the chanting, a golden pure land space began to emerge, overlapping with the surrounding pastoral scene filled with peach blossoms. The two colors blended together, as if they were about to merge into one.

"Do you really think that I dare to use this thing now just because I want to do it?"

In the sky filled with golden light, Shi Ming's outline was faintly visible.

"If Buddhism truly loses power in this great upheaval, countless disciples will lose their lives. They prefer staying alive to saving all sentient beings."

— Your practice is insufficient! You cannot sever your desires! Now that you have come under the feet of the Buddha, you must abandon your small self and fulfill your greater self!
The old monk opened his mouth again, but his words were already fuzzy. The peach trees around him shook violently, shedding petals like rain. Each petal fell into the surrounding pure land shadows, and instantly merged into it.

With the integration of peach blossom petals, the golden light of the Pure Land became stronger and stronger, and the light spread like flowing water.

The incomparable power grew higher and higher, gradually overwhelming the colors of the countryside fields, until finally, the gurgling golden water turned into a huge wave that rolled back mountains, drowning everything in the violent Buddha's light.

The Pure Land is complete and all Buddhas are revived.

Three hours before the Pure Land was revived, in Zhongnan Mountain, Jiuli Sect’s Cave Heaven.

The clouds that served as a door dispersed, and at the entrance of the cave, a group of people appeared.

Standing in the back were the elders and elite deacons of the Jiuli Sect, and in the front was a white-haired old man in a crane cloak and a young man in a sweatshirt and sweatpants.

At first glance, the scene seems somewhat magical.

Whether from his face or his aura, the white-haired old man was undoubtedly the elder and leader of the group, but at this moment, he was standing next to the young man with a magic sword in his hand, looking more like a sword-carrying boy accompanying him.

"Your Majesty, this is the Jiuli of today. Please take a look." Yan Guoyun said.

Zhou Qing responded, raised his head, and scanned the magnificent buildings in front of him.

After twelve hundred years, the buildings in the cave have obviously been renovated more than once. Although the general outline still retains the shadow of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the shape, exterior wall decoration and the magic array engraved on all four sides are obviously the work of later generations, which is both familiar and unfamiliar.

When he left Jiuli, the Immortal Alliance was on the verge of collapse. Although the core of the Zhongnan Mountain Cave Heaven had not been conquered by the enemy, he remembered that the sect's territory at that time was also in a state of desolation. The walls of the halls and attics were mottled, and weeds grew under the walls, giving the whole place a dead and hopeless atmosphere.

Today, the newly born Jiuli is far smaller than before, but the buildings are full of vitality, and the disciples are walking around on the training ground, all full of vitality.

When he lived in the community, he often saw many old men and women moving chairs and sitting at the gate of the community, doing nothing but watching the children going to school coming and going, and watching them playing, fighting, chasing and having fun on the road after school, as if they were watching from afar a time that could never be returned, without sadness, only joy.

Maybe he is really old. Now when he looks at Jiuli now, he actually begins to understand the old people sitting at the gate of the community.

"Are those caves over there newly built? They look pretty good."

"Yes, these buildings were all built just one hundred and thirty years ago. The one on the north side is the newest, having only been built for over eighty years."

"It is indeed a bit innovative, but..."

Zhou Qing pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened it. The screen showed no signal. "Is there no internet access in the sect yet?"

"." Yan Guoyun, who was beside him, was caught off guard by this question and stood there in silence.

Jiuli has a lot of dealings with the government and is one of the sects in China that has the most frequent contact with the outside world. As the sect leader, Yan Guoyun naturally knows what the Internet is.

However, from the Tang Dynasty to the present, he has lived in the era of carriages and letters for most of his life. He is accustomed to the old transmission methods. Although he is not opposed to these emerging modern things, he does not have much interest in them. This is also the attitude of most elderly monks towards technological products.

But now Senior Wuqing suddenly asked this question. Is Your Majesty such a trendy person?
"Regarding this matter, the government has previously communicated with us many times."

Finally, he could only think carefully and said, "The government's Super Research Institute is currently studying ways to establish communication inside and outside the cave heavens. A few years ago, I heard that they had begun experiments in some small cave heavens. Relevant results should be released soon, and Jiuli will also try to join in."

"That's good." Zhou Qing nodded. "Don't keep clinging to old things and act like a conservative. It's time to keep up with the times."

".I will listen to your instructions, Your Excellency."

Based on the principle of being already here, before going to retrieve the relics, he took some time to simply revisit the old places in Jiuli.

Since he had been asked in advance to travel light and not to disturb the activities in the sect too much, Yan Guoyun did not order his disciples to come and greet him. He simply arranged a series of matters after the discussion and handed them over to the Elders' Pavilion for handling. He stayed by Zhou Qing's side and introduced the many arrangements in the current cave one by one.

Accompanied by the sect leader Yan Guoyun, Zhou Qing visited the meeting hall, treasure house, training ground and other areas in turn. He affirmed the construction progress of Jiuli Sect and made important instructions on the sect's future development direction.

Yan Guoyun, the leader of the Jiuli Sect, said that we must bear in mind the earnest instructions of Lord Wuqing, implement all important decisions and arrangements of Lord Wuqing, keep the instructions in mind and put them into practice, and strive to write a new chapter in the new era of the sect.

"Your Majesty, this is where you originally lived."

Arriving at the residential area to the north, Yan Guoyun pointed to an old mansion in front of him and said, "Since the 39th generation of the sect leader, we have kept it within the sect and regularly sent people to repair it."

Zhou Qing looked in the direction of his finger, and the mansion in front of him matched his memory. It was indeed his residence when he was a guest official.

After 1,200 years, the mansion in front of him was slightly faded, but the skeleton of the building had not decayed at all. Even the interior of the mansion was kept clean and tidy. The boxes, cushions, stoves and other utensils he had used were all in their original places, and not even much dust could be found. It was obvious that it was regularly cleansed.

The biggest difference from what he remembered was the stone tablet standing in front of the mansion with several lines of words engraved on it.

The Tao is inherently free from attachment, transforming and nurturing all things. It does not go against human nature to force conformity to natural principles, nor does it violate worldly laws to implicitly grasp the mysteries. The self and the ego disappear, the Tao and the world converge, all beings achieve what they desire, and my heart naturally enters the wonderful emptiness of existence.

——No Qing】

"This stele was cast by the 41st generation sect leader. Your wise words were engraved on it to encourage the sect's disciples to come and observe and learn from you."

Yan Guoyun introduced: "For thousands of years, we have always remembered your words. Generations of disciples have taken this as a motto and followed your path."

Zhou Qing stroked his chin, read the words on the stone tablet, and thought for a moment.

"I never said that."

Yan Guoyun: “.”

Seeing the silence for a few seconds, Zhou Qing continued, "However, this sentence does have some artistic conception. It would be a good thing for the current disciples to use it as an inscription. Since it's engraved, let's leave it here."

Whether mortal or cultivator, people always need a concrete existence to serve as a symbol to anchor their beliefs and ensure their unwavering confidence in the direction they are taking. In today's Jiuli, the name "Wuqing" is such a symbol, and he can understand this.

Besides, hundreds or thousands of years have passed, and the grass on the grave of the sect leader who cast the monument has grown several feet high. He can't just go and dig out the man's coffin to ask what happened at that time.

"However, there is no need to preserve the mansion behind."

He looked at the house behind the stone tablet and said, "Things exist for people, and houses are built to be lived in. I no longer have any use for this mansion. Rather than letting this piece of land sit empty, I'd rather build a cave dwelling for a new person to use."

He had always advocated making the best use of everything. Back when he was still a Daoist, a piece of edible tree bark or a thick coat to keep warm were luxuries for him. When he was a wandering cultivator, he often fought with others for even the most invaluable resources.

Now he no longer lacks material possessions, but there will always be people in this world who are in need. The same things may be useless to him, but for others they may be a timely help or at least the icing on the cake.

The world is so big and there are countless living beings. It is impossible for him to protect the younger generations everywhere, but he doesn't mind adding a flower to this brocade.

Times have changed. Now we are in a new era of peace and prosperity. The sufferings of the past should not and need not be repeated.

"I understand what you are thinking, Your Majesty." Yan Guoyun beside him showed a rare hint of embarrassment at these words. "However, this place was built to commemorate your deeds and is of great significance. If it is destroyed, it will probably involve many problems."

Zhou Qing glanced at him and said, "This house won't last as long as my life, why would I need to use it as a memorial?"

Yan Guoyun was speechless again. Since being promoted to Sect Master, he had been silent as many times today as he had in the past ten years combined.

Finally, he could only clasp his fists and say, "I'll do as your Excellency says."

The two continued walking towards the place where the relic was sealed, passed the residential area where the mansion was located, and entered the back mountain. On the mountainside, there stood an old single-eaved side hall.

This side hall looks quite old. Despite being protected by a formation, the mottled eaves still reveal the flavor of time.

Zhou Qing paused in front of the hall, turned around and walked straight into the hall.

As soon as you enter the temple, you will see a huge wall filled with stone heads. There are thousands of heads on it, and next to each head there is a nameplate, like a tiny tombstone.

"This is the sect's ancestral wall, built in honor of the great contributors who have passed away."

Yan Guoyun said, "Eighty years after the Shakya Rebellion, the then patriarch expanded this hall and erected a memorial tablet for those who died in the war. This side is the expanded area."

Zhou Qing stood in front of the wall covered with stone carvings. Among them were many names he was familiar with, and now their faces were forever frozen on the rock.

He turned his gaze and scanned the portraits and spirit tablets on the wall one by one, finally stopping on one of the stone sculptures.

The statue is located in the corner of the ancestral wall and is not very prominent among the many portraits. However, the moment you see it, the beauty of the face always makes you marvel.

On the side of the stone head, a small memorial tablet bears the name of the deceased.

[Jiuli's seventeenth-generation saint, Ye Qiansheng]

(End of this chapter)