Primordial Era: Starting by overwhelming the Sages, Hongjun was stunned!

Seeing that the Buddha remained silent, Guanyin said urgently:

"Venerable One! Who could have done this?!"

The Buddha closed his eyes.

Take a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was solemn.

"I don't know."

As the two words were uttered, Guanyin trembled.

Don't know?

The World-Honored One actually said he didn't know?

The Buddha looked down at the two figures seated cross-legged on the lotus platform.

"Light the lamp."

Maitreya.

"Come with me."

The words fell.

He stood up and took a step forward.

It disappeared into the depths of the Great Thunder Temple.

Dipankara Buddha and Maitreya Buddha exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of horror in each other's eyes.

The two got up and followed closely behind.

Deep within the Great Thunder Temple.

A secret room.

The walls were shimmering with Buddhist light and covered with Sanskrit inscriptions.

This is the place where the Tathagata secluded himself; ordinary Buddhas are not allowed to enter.

The Buddha sat cross-legged on a futon.

Dipankara and Maitreya sat on either side.

The sealed room was deathly silent.

a long time.

The lamp lit the first to speak:

"Venerable One, who exactly did this?"

The Buddha gazed into the void.

Golden light shimmered in those Buddha eyes, reflecting back to the moment the mountain collapsed.

in the picture.

The figure in the black robe remained blurry.

Still unable to detect it.

The Buddha slowly said:

"I couldn't see the person's face clearly."

"We can't detect that person's presence either."

"It's as if this person... isn't even part of the Heavenly Dao."

The lamp's pupils suddenly contracted:

"Not within the Heavenly Dao?!"

"How is this possible?!"

"All living beings in the primordial world are under the rule of Heaven."

Even a sage cannot escape the constraints of the Way of Heaven.

"How could someone be outside the Heavenly Dao?"

Buddha shook his head:

"I have no idea."

"But I know one thing."

He paused, his gaze hardening.

"That person's cultivation level far surpasses mine."

Far beyond my reach.

As the four words were uttered, the temperature in the sealed room plummeted.

Maitreya's ever-present smile froze completely.

"World Honored One!"

Maitreya spoke, his voice hoarse:

"You're at the peak of Quasi-Saint level!"

"I'm only one step away from becoming a Grand Luo Golden Immortal!"

"In this vast wilderness, who can far surpass you..."

He paused, then didn't continue.

But the meaning behind the words was already clear.

It can far surpass the peak of Quasi-Saint.

Only saints.

The lamp burner's expression was solemn:

"Venerable One, which saint could it be?"

The Buddha remained silent.

saint.

Sages in the primordial world were few and far between.

The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and the Dao Ancestor Hongjun who had long since attained enlightenment.

Who could it be?

Maitreya said in a deep voice:

"Nuwa is impossible."

"She has always been indifferent to worldly affairs, let alone the matter of the pilgrimage."

"Besides, she has no grudge against Buddhism, so why should she take action?"

The lamp lit nods:

"good."

"Even the Primordial Celestial Venerable could not have done it."

"He was extremely arrogant and disdained such things."

"The Master of Heaven..."

He thought for a moment:

After being conferred the title of God, he went into seclusion on Jin'ao Island and never went out.

"Rumor has it that he took a different path, completely different from the method of dismembering corpses."

"But even if he is strong, he is only at the peak of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm."

"I am just one step away from becoming a sage."

"He couldn't possibly shatter the World Honored One's seal with a single blow."

As the Buddha listened to their analysis, his gaze grew even more profound.

He recalled the figure in the black robe in that picture.

I recall that blurry outline.

I recall that fog that even my Buddha-like eyes could not penetrate.

Suddenly, a thought arose in my mind.

A name.

A name he had heard countless times, but had never seen before.

Lao Tzu.

The Supreme Sage.

Master of the Eight Views Palace.

Human race leader.

The Buddha trembled.

The lamplighter noticed something amiss:

"World Honored One?"

The Buddha slowly spoke:

"Do you think... it could be Lao Tzu?"

Upon uttering those two words, both Dipankara and Maitreya changed color.

Lao Tzu?!

Cold sweat streamed down Maitreya's fat face.

"The Sage of Taiqing?!"

"Why...why did he make a move?"

"The journey to obtain the scriptures is ordained by the will of Heaven."

"The great flourishing of Buddhism is a long-term event."

"As a sage, how could he not know? How dare he disobey?"

The lamp burner frowned deeply:

"If it really is Lao Tzu..."

"That would be a very serious matter."

"When a sage makes a move, there must be a profound meaning behind it."

"Could it be... that he doesn't want Buddhism to spread eastward?"

Maitreya shook his head:

"impossible!"

"The eastward transmission of Buddhism is a predetermined destiny."

"If I were to obstruct this, I would be going against the will of Heaven."

"That involves immeasurable karma!"

"Even a saint couldn't bear such a burden!"

The Buddha remained silent.

He knew that Maitreya was right.

Going against the will of Heaven.

Immeasurable causes and effects.

Even a saint could not withstand it.

Lao Tzu, the sage of Taiqing, was transformed from the primordial spirit of Pangu and was the head of the Taoist school.

How could he not know the implications?

Would he risk his own spiritual path just to obstruct the eastward spread of Buddhism?

impossible.

Absolutely not.

But if it wasn't Lao Tzu, who else could it be?

Nuwa?

She had long since secluded herself in the Nuwa Palace and no longer concerned herself with worldly affairs.

The Primordial Beginning?

He was extremely arrogant and never bothered with Buddhist affairs.

Tongtian?

No matter how strong his cultivation is, he is only at the peak of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm.

He is just one step away from becoming a sage.

He couldn't possibly shatter his own seal in one blow.

The Buddha closed his eyes.

The image kept replaying in my mind.

Ink robe.

Vague.

Unable to detect.

He suddenly remembered something.

Something buried deep in my memory.

Back when I was listening to the Dao in Zixiao Palace.

Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor, once said something.

"There are some beings in this world that are not governed by the Heavenly Dao."

"If you encounter them, just go around them."

"Don't provoke them."

At the time, he did not understand its meaning.

Looking back now...

Could that person be the being that the Dao Ancestor spoke of as "not within the Heavenly Dao"?

Tathagata opens his eyes.

His eyes were filled with solemnity.

When Ran Deng saw him open his eyes, he said urgently:

"Venerable One, do you have any clue?"

Buddha shook his head:

"no."

But I'm sure of one thing.

He paused:

"That person is not me."

Ran Deng was taken aback:

How do you know?

The Buddha looked westward:

"If Lao Tzu wanted to stop the eastward spread of Buddhism, he wouldn't have only saved Sun Wukong."

"He would directly ruin the journey to the West."

"It will prevent that pilgrim from even leaving Chang'an."

"But he didn't."

"He just saved the monkey."

Then he drifted away.

What does this mean?

The lamp burner pondered for a moment:

"Does this mean... he has no intention of being an enemy of Buddhism?"

The Buddha nodded:

"At least for now, I have no intention of doing so."

"He might have just done it on a whim to save Sun Wukong."

"Perhaps I was just... passing by."

Maitreya frowned deeply.

"Just passing by?"

The Buddha nodded:

"Just passing by."

"That person's actions are unpredictable."

"We do not know where he came from, nor where he is going."

"I have no idea what he's trying to do."

"But one thing is certain."

He paused, his gaze hardening.

"If he truly wants to be an enemy of Buddhism."

"We are no longer here at this moment."

Dipankara and Maitreya exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of relief in each other's eyes.

Yes.

If that person really wanted to make a move.

What will they use to block it?

The existence that could shatter the Five Elements Mountain with a single blow.

Even flattening Mount Ling would not be difficult.

But he didn't.

He simply saved the monkey.

went away.