From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Zhang Zhiwei was surprised.

"No, how come you, a Taoist priest from the Celestial Master's Mansion, are not as open-minded as me?" Jiang Liu was speechless, and quoted Zhuangzi's "Lie Yukou" as an example, saying, "I take heaven and earth as my coffin, the sun and moon as my jade ornaments, the stars as my pearls, and all things as my farewell offering. You would care about this?"

"Please, the ideas of Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi are still somewhat different from those of the Taoist sects like the Celestial Master's Mansion," Zhang Zhiwei argued emphatically. "Only the Tao is supreme."

"It seems that destroying the Confucius Temple and rescuing Confucius is not enough; we also need to throw the statues of the Three Pure Ones into the place of the cycle of the five grains in order to understand the principle that the Tao is in excrement and urine; we also need to push down and smash the golden statues in the temples and return them to their original state of mud in order to realize the Zen principle that the sacred mountain is in the heart."

Among the three religions, none is of the highest rank; since ancient times, only Taoism has been revered!

At first glance, these words are captivating, but upon closer examination, one can understand that someone who can utter such words hardly resembles a spiritual practitioner.

Which Taoist practitioner, after all, doesn't cultivate their mind and nature, and still wants to "become a venerable one"?

The Tao resides in nature; it can be gold or dung, but it will never be revered. Only when people use the Tao to conduct religious affairs will they engage in open and covert struggles with other sects, establishing a hierarchy of veneration.

Therefore, Jiang Liu clearly understood that if the goal of returning the extraordinary to humanity was to be completely achieved, then all three religions would have to be destroyed and all three families would have to be saved!

Confucianism should eliminate feudal rituals, and Taoism and Buddhism should eliminate sectarian differences, leaving only the principles of the three schools. Only by integrating and unifying them to establish a unified system can we fully keep up with, or even fully integrate into, that new era!

"Hey~"

Hearing Jiang Liu's treasonous words of "tracing back to the source," Zhang Zhiwei could only sigh, but then he said firmly, "I never thought that I, a disciple of Longhu Mountain, would actually think that what you said is quite right."

The ship of the new era cannot carry the remnants of the old.

"fart!"

Jiang Liu chuckled, "It's not like we're going to violently cut down mountains and destroy temples. We just hope that all sects can change their ways and pay more attention to human affairs."

Ordinary people just want to survive and can't ask for too much. But if we, as capable and powerful spiritual practitioners, were to remain confined to our families or mountains, seeking only to live a life of solitude...

Then I can only say that all that cultivation in this life has been in vain.

If they could truly cultivate to the point of flying, teleporting, and performing seventy-two transformations like in the folk tales, becoming immortals or Buddhas, that would be one thing. But the fact that they can't even hope to reach the heavens is absurd. They might as well participate more in worldly affairs, since the mortal world is the best place to temper their hearts, and who knows, they might even become 'mortal immortals'.”

"Haha! What a fine immortal of the mortal world!" Partridge Whistle greatly admired Jiang Liu's skills and character, laughed twice, and then said, "Brother Jiang, I wonder if the three of us could cultivate with you?"

"It is my wish, and I dare not refuse."

Jiang Liu smiled.

At this point, Partridge Whistle, Old Foreigner, and Flower Spirit were completely won over and decided to join the Confucian Society and the Ghost Hand Wang Cai Opera Troupe.

Zhang Zhiwei continued the previous topic, saying, "I'm serious. If those remains aren't dealt with, it might arouse suspicion among the local people."

Previously, you cultivated a 'sixteen-foot golden body,' radiating light and accompanied by thunderous sounds. Although the light was not dazzling, combined with the lingering aura of the surrounding area, it might create a mirage-like reflection in the mountains.

If they come here to investigate, they will find thousands of skeletons in that valley…

Zhang Zhiwei stopped abruptly at this point.

But the implication is clear:

If they misunderstand, wouldn't that ruin your reputation, Jiang Liu?

"So, all that lies beneath the Buddha's feet are corpses?"

Jiang Liu didn't take it to heart and chuckled, "Anyone with normal logical thinking wouldn't let their imagination run wild because of the skeletons in the valley."

Furthermore, Buddhism is prevalent in Tibet, and Buddhism has the concept of a charnel ground, where one can contemplate corpses to gain insight into the illusion of life.

I've heard there's a charnel ground in Wutai Mountain, but this concept is more deeply ingrained in Tibetan culture...

Furthermore,

If one were to truly conceive of the idea that 'Buddha attained Buddhahood through the bones of sentient beings,' it would shatter the worship of Buddha held by those believers.

Isn't that a great thing?

Zhang Zhiwei was speechless for a moment, only realizing that his own state of mind was still far behind Jiang Liu's...

···

down the mountain.

Passing through Zanggugou, we found animal bones and wolf carcasses that had been blown out by the previous gust of wind, mixed with snow and mud, and were eaten by mountain creatures such as muskrats, foxes, snow leopards, and Tibetan bears, thus becoming part of the natural cycle.

After leaving Zanggugou and descending Gaqingpo, we saw Fifteen again.

After returning to the village, he put down the fur, changed to a knife, and went up the mountain again. Because of the strong winds and earthquakes that had occurred earlier, he had to take shelter in a nearby cave.

When the wind stopped and the ground was no longer shaking, they came out and saw a mirage above the Shenluogou Glacier. The mirage was the whole process of Jiang Liu sitting on a lotus platform, having attained a golden body of sixteen feet, being swallowed by the Peacock King Bodhisattva, and then bursting out from his back to take the peacock's life, but being stopped by Zhang Zhiwei!

Even though the mirage was incredibly blurry, Fifteen recognized that the people in the mirage were Jiang Liu, Lu Jin, Zhang Zhiwei, Partridge Whistle, Old Foreigner, Hua Ling, and others.

That river is none other than the Buddha who attained a golden body sixteen feet tall!

The other five are the Buddha's protectors!

The blue-skinned, crystal-like woman who has now appeared in this group is likely the "Buddha Mother" who devoured Buddha but was then forced to emerge from his back by him!

Seeing that Fifteen was about to kneel down, Jiang Liu quickly pulled him back and said, "Brother Fifteen, what are you bowing to?"

"Worship Buddha, worship Buddha Mother."

Fifteen was blurted out.

But Jiang Liu laughed heartily: "Since ancient times, such a grand gesture is only made when one is asking someone for a favor."

Even if you ask me to bless your whole family with peace and many children and grandchildren, I can't do it. You have to rely on your own spiritual practice, so why do you need to worship?

Not to mention—

Jiang Liu pointed at the Ghost Mother and sneered, "Although she is the son of the phoenix, she is a wicked creature who has devoured countless people. The Shenluogou Glacier has disappeared, leaving only a deep ravine with thousands of corpses inside. She was the one who started it all!"

Mother Buddha?

That's not right!

They cannot bear the offerings of incense from the people!

Is this not?

Doesn't that explain the reason for those skeletons?

Even if only a small part was the work of the Demon Mother, wasn't it the first Demon Mother who started this whole thing? Not to mention she's still alive now!

He has to take the blame...

Do not!

I'm not taking the blame!

This responsibility clearly falls on her!

The Ghost Mother was filled with rage at being insulted by Jiang Liu in front of an ordinary person, but because of the collar around her neck, which was integrated with her skin and flesh, she could not remove it. If she offended Jiang Liu, he would curse her, and she would be in unbearable pain, so she dared not speak.

Seeing the Demon Mother's angry yet silent demeanor, Fifteen believed it, realizing she truly didn't deserve the title of "Buddha Mother," but was merely a man-eating peacock...

# Chapter 1046 The Four-Faced, Eight-Armed Buddha Statue

After descending Gaqingpo and returning to the village, the village chief was already happily leading the entire village to greet them and invite them into the village.

Jiang Liu and his group thanked the village chief and his party, had a meal, rested for the night, and then set off eastward to return home.

Seeing that they couldn't keep them, the village chief sighed and asked Fifteen to lead them to the summit of Kunlun Mountain. Sure enough, the Shenluogou Glacier was gone, leaving only a dark mass of skeletons.

Fifteen, having heard about the Demon Kingdom from Jiang Liu and combined it with the mirage he had seen earlier, explained the whole story: "This is the land of the Phoenix. Buddha fed the demon with his own body to resolve the resentment of thousands of people persecuted by the Demon Mother. He was reborn here and attained a sixteen-foot-tall body, which stirred up the creation. However, he was captured by the Demon Mother and transformed into a peacock. He even wanted to eat Buddha... Fortunately, Buddha had great supernatural powers and split open the peacock's back, allowing her to jump out. He also had a compassionate heart and spared her life, but she can no longer cause trouble."

The village chief and the villagers all saw the mirage, but it was too blurry to see clearly, though they could vaguely remember that it was Jiang Liu.

After that, the village chief spread the word to the surrounding villages, and the people of the other villages also saw the mirage. They went to Kunlun Dragon Peak to investigate and indeed found the land of thousands of withered bones.

So they put their heads together and found skilled craftsmen to create life-size stone statues of Jiang Liu, Lu Jin, Zhang Zhiwei, Partridge Whistle, Old Foreigner, Hua Ling, and others. They also built a small pavilion on each of the four mountaintops to house the statues.

Zhang Zhiwei was placed on the East Mountain, Lu Jin on the West Mountain, Partridge Whistle on the South Mountain, and Old Foreigner on the North Mountain; they were known as the Four Heavenly Kings.

Because Hua Ling was female, her stone statue was placed outside the Bone-Hiding Gully and she was called the Bodhisattva of Guidance. The Bone-Hiding Gully was renamed the Road to Rebirth, and a hymn was sung:

If one can awaken to this path, one can transcend the cycle of rebirth and attain Nirvana through spiritual practice.

The stone statues along the river are the most unique, as people from all directions can see their faces in the mirage. Therefore, four statues were created, each with a different design.

His body is covered with hundreds of evil spirits, feeding demons with his own body to quell their resentment; his body is shaped like two Hunyuan pills, cultivating a body of light that is sixteen feet tall; his body is covered with a halo of light behind his head, standing like a hawk, supporting all living beings and observing the vast world; his body is covered with two Ruyi Jingu Bang, subduing demons and clearing the sky for thousands of miles.

The four bodies together form a shape with four faces and eight arms, sitting upright on the earth-emerging green lotus, placed on top of the dragon pill.

Inside the dragon pill were placed images of the Ghost Mother and a peacock, signifying its intention to suppress evil.

It's strange, really.

Since the placement of these six stone statues, the climate in the Kunlun area has become increasingly pleasant. It's not just spring-like all year round with favorable weather, but as long as the local wealthy landowners and officials don't cause them trouble, their livestock are thriving and their children and grandchildren are healthy.

It wasn't that the Buddha statue possessed a spirit, but rather that the ancestral dragon energy of the Dragon Peak Glacier had completely dissipated, yet it transformed into three: a phoenix, a peacock, and a roc.

Jiang Liu obtained the Phoenix Nirvana, which enabled him to cultivate a sixteen-foot golden body while resolving his resentment; the creation of Yin and Yang was obtained by a roc, which gained wisdom; and the creation of the Five Elements was seized by the Ghost Mother, who transformed into a peacock.

Although the original creation is gone, the aura of the phoenix, peacock, and roc remains. The ancestral dragon of the earth veins transformed into the phoenix, giving birth to the roc and peacock, which naturally connected with the qi of heaven and earth, forming a qi-connecting aura, making the climate in the Kunlun area even more pleasant.

Unfortunately—

If you want to live with your head held high, it's not just about having a pleasant climate...

···

Regarding the statue of the deity depicted in the painting, the others knew nothing about it, except for Jiang Liu, who had the most understanding of the power of worship among the masses and had some feeling about it.

He didn't sigh, because he knew that people need something to hold onto in their hearts. But he also chuckled to himself: it might become a tourist attraction in the future.

Jiang Liu also gained a lot from this trip to Kunlun.

Having cultivated the six-syllable mantra, the true seed of Dharma nature merged into the primordial spirit, imbuing it with an immortal radiance. Later, he resolved the resentment of the beings in the demon kingdom, and finally, he had initially cultivated the true Dharma form, achieving a sixteen-foot-tall body.

At this point:

The physical form, like a celestial being, creates the Dharma image; the mental form, like a wild monkey, elucidates the Dharma characteristics. The nine-turn elixir truly achieves immortality; the Dharma image and Dharma characteristics are united as one.

The primordial energy is profound and mysterious, the six-zhang golden body embodies perfect Zen. Consciousness enters the womb and transforms into the primordial spirit, the spiritual root is nurtured from the first primordial energy.

The five elements shift and change with the body, yin and yang cycle with the mind. Only by cleansing the six senses can one hope to attain the Great Luo and the Supreme Unity!

In short, in terms of realm alone, Jiang Liu is already extremely high. He has already refined the Golden Core, forged the Holy Embryo, and achieved the Primordial Spirit. Furthermore, he has cultivated the Primordial Qi and the Sixteen-Foot Golden Body, and his combat power is also extremely strong. However, in terms of the level of life itself, he is still slightly lower than the Ghost Mother.

After all, the evolution of life is not a process that can be accomplished overnight, but currently his body is also moving towards building a microcosm system based on energy, matter, time, and space.