Chapter 618: The Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha
A cool breeze blew through Maitreya Temple. The buddhas atop the mountain peak gazed into the distance at the cliff face that had been blasted into existence.
Dharma King Morun had initially intended to raise a hand to intervene, but the battle had already ended. Qin Mu’s hands flipped continuously, the Yin-Yang Heaven-Overturning Hand moving so swiftly that by the time Morun thought to interfere, Qin Mu had already stopped. He could only lower his hand.
The buddhas of the other heavens revealed expressions of surprise, withdrawing their gazes to look at Qin Mu.
The Third Ancestor, the Human Sovereign’s Yin-Yang Heaven-Overturning Hand was indeed a heaven-defying divine ability. Its explosive speed was so blindingly fast that one simply couldn’t react in time.
When Qin Mu had just executed this hand seal, it was even faster than flipping through a book!
Suddenly, the cliff face dozens of miles away collapsed. The mountain split apart, massive boulders plummeting, taking a long time to finally hit the ground with a dull, rumbling sound. Qin Mu had struck too quickly and too fiercely earlier. What had been a mountain peak was now a cliff he had forcibly pounded into existence. Now the cliff was collapsing because the mountain stone had been softened by Qin Mu’s Yin-Yang Heaven-Overturning Hand.
However, despite the cliff’s collapse, Moonlight Prince did not appear.
Mingxin Monk’s heart was uneasy. He leaned close to Qin Mu’s ear and whispered, “Senior Brother Qin, did you kill him?”
“Not dead.”
Qin Mu lowered his voice. “I held back. I was afraid it would be hard to explain. His cultivation and strength are extremely formidable, no weaker than the Great Venerable of the Loulan Golden Palace, just not as clever. So I used eighty percent of my strength and didn’t kill him, but most of his bones are broken. This Moonlight Prince is truly powerful. He makes me dare not underestimate the heroes of the world.”
He revealed an expression of admiration.
Mingxin Monk’s eyes widened. “Eighty percent strength? Dare not underestimate the heroes of the world? When Cult Leader Qin is modest, he can still infuriate people to death. Fortunately, Moonlight Prince has passed out, or else he would have been so angry his soul would have scattered.”
He didn’t realize that Qin Mu was genuinely being modest, not putting on airs. After all, deep down, Qin Mu was incredibly proud, believing himself to be the Overlord Body. An opponent who could match him, this Overlord Body, must have put in immense effort and spent an unknown amount of time in bitter cultivation to reach such a level.
Such an opponent naturally deserved respect.
As for what others thought, he didn’t care much. This was simply how he thought.
Dharma King Morun waved his hand. The cliff face dozens of miles away exploded. Moonlight Prince, severely injured and unconscious inside the cliff, was lifted by Morun’s divine power and slowly floated over.
Moonlight Prince landed. Dharma King Morun checked his injuries, his expression darkening. “Layman Qin, weren’t you planning to compete in swordsmanship? Why did you use a hand seal? This smacks of a sneak attack! And to strike so viciously—is this the compassionate conduct of our Buddhist sect?”
Qin Mu looked at Mingxin. Mingxin Monk hurriedly said, “Senior Brother Qin used his sword pellet earlier and was accused of being a heretic, so he dared not use it again and had to use a hand seal. Honored Buddha, is this hand seal also a heretical practice?”
Dharma King Morun did not answer. Earlier, when Qin Mu used the sword pellet, he had called it heretical. Yet Moonlight Prince had wanted to compete in swordsmanship with Qin Mu.
This time, Qin Mu’s hand seal was upright and dignified. The Yin-Yang Heaven-Overturning Hand was clearly an orthodox hand seal. If he called it heretical, he would become a laughingstock.
Still, he was displeased. Moonlight Prince was his descendant, an outstanding figure among his juniors. He hadn’t even had a chance to display his own abilities before being caught off guard by Qin Mu and beaten all the way, losing face for him and the Heavenly Court.
Moonlight’s strength was not weak. He had simply misjudged the situation, thinking Qin Mu was greeting him, and didn’t defend himself.
If Moonlight Prince had been fully alert from the start, then judging by the strength Qin Mu had shown so far, it would have been hard to say who would have won.
Dharma King Morun looked at the buddhas of the other heavens and laughed. “Although the Buddhist sect in the lower realm is isolated, its Buddhist teachings and divine abilities have not fallen behind. That is admirable. Fellow disciples, they have come to seek knowledge and scriptures. We might as well give them what they want.”
The buddhas nodded in agreement.
Dharma King Morun smiled at Qin Mu and the others. “My Moon Palace Heavenly Treasury contains the Moon Palace scriptures, which cultivate the true Buddha’s methods. Among the Moon Palace scriptures are three thousand volumes of Buddhist sutras. You cannot take them away, so you may as well stay at my Maitreya Temple and study them for a hundred years or so. Once you thoroughly comprehend them, you can transmit the teachings to the lower realm. That would be a great merit for me.”
Mingxin Monk’s expression changed. Three thousand volumes of sutras, a hundred years of study, and they were true Buddha’s methods. This was clearly a plan to detain them for a hundred years!
Qin Mu said nonchalantly, “Honored Buddha, do you have the scriptures of the Throne Sutra? If you’re going to transmit the Dharma, transmit the true Dharma. If you’re going to transmit the sutras, transmit the true sutras. Our Great Thunderclap Temple also has ordinary methods.”
Dharma King Morun’s expression darkened. He sneered, “You belittle my Moon Palace scriptures? How rude! I grant you Buddhist teachings without charging you a single coin of incense money—that is already compassion. Yet you still pick and choose!”
Mingxin Monk poked the motionless demon ape. The demon ape, Zhan Kong, stepped forward. The Xiqiluo Zen staff clattered loudly. “Much. Fake. Little. True!”
Dharma King Morun was startled, thinking he wanted to debate the Dharma with him. When he pondered the meaning of these four words, his head swelled to three times its size.
The Ghost Mother King Buddha coughed and said, “Dharma King, they have come seeking the true scriptures. Give them what they want.”
Dharma King Morun sneered, “They came seeking the Throne Sutra. Do I have it? The Throne Sutra—even the Shakro Devanam Indra King Buddha does not possess it. Only the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha has a single volume. The Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha has never concerned himself with worldly affairs. He rarely appears even once in tens of thousands of years. Since I came to the Buddhist realm, I have never seen the true form or Dharma image of the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha, let alone the Throne Sutra. Giving them my Moon Palace scriptures for free is already a great bargain for them…”
What he said was indeed the truth, leaving no room for refutation.
The Heavenly Court had been paying attention to the Buddhist realm for many years. Although the Buddhist realm was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court, its supreme classic, the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha’s scriptures, had never been obtained by the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Court had more or less obtained the scriptures of the other heavens, planting disciples in various realms to become Buddha’s sons and cultivate Buddhist teachings. These heavens were no secret to the Heavenly Court, except for the Great Brahma Heaven.
The Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha rarely appeared and did not transmit scriptures.
When the demon ape Zhan Kong debated the Dharma, the Buddha’s son of the Great Brahma Heaven, a disciple of an ancient Buddha under the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha, debated with the demon ape. This Buddha’s son had not even learned the true scriptures.
Just then, a Buddhist chant was heard. A bhikkhu hurried down from the heavens, landed at Maitreya Temple, and greeted the buddhas. “All honored buddhas, the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha has sent a message. He permits the Buddha’s sons of all heavens and the Buddha’s sons of the lower realm to enter the Great Brahma Heaven. The old Buddha will select the best among them and transmit the true scriptures.”
Dharma King Morun was startled, then revealed a joyful expression. The Heavenly Court had long coveted the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha’s techniques but had never had the chance to obtain them.
This time, Qin Mu, the demon ape, and Mingxin had come to seek knowledge, which was actually a golden opportunity for the Heavenly Court to obtain the Throne Sutra!
The Heavenly Court’s influence in the Buddhist realm was not limited to him. Among the many Buddha’s sons of the heavens, nearly half were young talents sent down by the Heavenly Court to study in the Buddhist realm!
Moonlight Prince was merely his disciple. But the Buddha’s sons of the twenty heavens in the Buddhist realm were countless! As long as the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha was willing to transmit the Dharma, it would certainly not fall into the hands of these three rustic monks and laymen from the lower realm. It would fall into the hands of the Heavenly Court!
Dharma King Morun’s mood lightened. He laughed and said, “In that case, let the Buddha’s sons of all heavens go together to the Great Brahma Heaven to listen to the teachings. What do my fellow disciples think?”
The buddhas of the various heavens nodded in agreement. The Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha transmitting the Dharma was indeed a once-in-ten-thousand-years opportunity!
Having the disciples of the buddhas go to seek knowledge would also allow the buddhas to glimpse the supreme ultimate teachings of Buddhism!
Dharma King Morun rolled up Moonlight Prince, his form vanishing into the void, and headed straight for the Great Brahma Heaven. The other buddhas also moved, returning to their own heavens to bring their Buddha’s sons to the Great Brahma Heaven. Soon, Maitreya Temple was empty.
“How do we get to the Great Brahma Heaven?”
Just as Qin Mu was worrying, the Shakro Devanam Indra King Buddha descended from his Dharma seat and walked down. This king Buddha had bare feet, stepping on the ground without gathering dust. A halo of light swirled behind his head. He looked like a young monk, handsome and clear-eyed. He glanced at the three of them and smiled. “You have all cultivated my fist techniques.”
Qin Mu and the others quickly bowed. The fist technique the Shakro Devanam Indra King Buddha referred to was actually the Thunderclap Eight Forms. Qin Mu had learned the Thunderclap Eight Forms from Master Ma and taught it to the demon ape Zhan Kong. After learning it, Zhan Kong encountered the Old Tathagata, who felt a connection and taught him the complete Tathagata Mahayana Sutra.
As for Mingxin Monk, he had learned the Thunderclap Eight Forms from the old monk Jingming. Jingming Monk himself had not learned it completely and had flaws.
Later, the demon ape Zhan Kong led the many demon monks of the Small Thunderclap Temple to the Great Thunderclap Temple. A debate ensued, and no one at the Great Thunderclap Temple could match him. Mingxin Monk heard the news and came to debate with the demon ape. Although he lost, it was an honor.
Master Ma then taught him the complete Tathagata Mahayana Sutra, so he also received the complete inheritance.
The Shakro Devanam Indra King Buddha smiled. “I also came from the lower realm and became a Buddha at the Great Thunderclap Temple. You and I have a connection. I will take you to the Great Brahma Heaven.”
A lotus cloud rose beneath his bare feet, lifting the three of them. It ascended slowly, passing through vast mists, dragon-snake thunder layers, rising higher and higher, passing through one world, then another.
Qin Mu marveled. Only now did he realize that the twenty heavens of the Buddhist realm were built around an unimaginably massive mountain.
This mountain floated in the starry universe. Within the mountain were mountains, within the mountain were seas, with sun, moon, and stars, forming its own realm with its own world barriers.
And this realm was divided into twenty worlds, twenty heavens, layer upon layer. Each layer had its own sun, moon, and stars moving, each layer had a continent, with Buddhist kingdoms standing in great numbers.
If not for the Shakro Devanam Indra King Buddha taking them, even if Qin Mu and the others flew with all their might, it would probably take several years to climb to the top!
The Shakro Devanam Indra King Buddha brought them to the topmost layer, the Great Brahma Heaven. The Great Brahma Heaven was built on the summit of this magnificent and strange mountain, also called the Golden Peak. Here, ten thousand rays of light shone, an eternal day with no distinction between night and day.
In the golden clouds, mountain peaks emerged, radiating golden light for ten thousand zhang, sacred and solemn. The golden light formed many Buddhist Dharma Sanskrit characters, constantly swirling in the air around the peaks, creating a wondrous spectacle of Buddhist scriptures.
When they arrived here, they even heard vast sounds, as loud as bells tolling. They didn’t know if it was the sound of the Buddhist Dharma Sanskrit characters or the sound of all beings chanting reaching this place!
The demon ape Zhan Kong couldn’t help but exclaim, “Pot! Steamed bun!”
Qin Mu nodded and praised, “Indeed, it looks like a freshly steamed cornmeal bun. This golden light is like the steaming hot air rising from the bun.”
The Shakro Devanam Indra King Buddha was amused and exasperated. “Buddha’s son, that metaphor is quite apt. That forest over there is where the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha dwells in seclusion. Many Buddha’s sons have already gone there. I will send you over.”
He led Qin Mu and the others through layers of Buddhist Dharma scriptures, flying to the center of the golden sea, and landed in a forest. It was extremely quiet here. Broad, smooth paths led to a small-looking temple in the center.
Hundreds of Buddha’s sons had already arrived. The buddhas who had brought them here had also dispersed their Buddha manifestations, appearing as old or young monks, clearly showing great respect for the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha.
“So many Buddha’s sons?”
Qin Mu’s heart skipped a beat. He muttered, “How long will we have to fight before we can see the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha? Can we follow the rules of the Great Ruins?”
Mingxin Monk and the demon ape both shuddered, remembering Qin Mu’s past actions, and quickly shook their heads.
Mingxin hurriedly said, “Senior Brother Qin, we absolutely cannot follow the rules of the Great Ruins! Too bloody and violent! This is the supreme sacred land of Buddhism. We can’t act recklessly!”
“What a pity…”
Qin Mu muttered, “If we followed the rules of the Great Ruins, it would be much simpler. After we fight our way through, we can learn the Throne Sutra. Now it’s going to be troublesome.”
The Shakro Devanam Indra King Buddha asked curiously, “What are the rules of the Great Ruins?”
The demon ape raised his hand and made a slashing motion across his own neck, then grabbed his own neck and mimed twisting it off.
— It’s Qingming Festival. Zhuzhu is going back to his hometown this afternoon to sweep the graves. Zhuzhu was raised by his grandmother when he was young, and he misses her deeply. This chapter is set to auto-release. He will come back in the afternoon and continue writing and updating. Thank you to the alliance leader Ye Leng Qing Shen Feng Lan for five consecutive Silver Alliance Lord rewards. I am deeply grateful!
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