Chapter 877: Battle Victory Buddha Speaks of Shakyamuni
*Clang*, *clang*...
The nine-colored battle robe hummed softly, clanging with a brilliant light, its oppressive might pressing down. This was the extreme weapon of the Divine Silkworm Ridge, shimmering with dreamlike radiance as it fell away from the Battle Victory Buddha, revealing his true form.
This was a withered old ape. Every strand of golden fur on his body was crystalline and translucent, making him appear transcendent and otherworldly, with a solemn and dignified bearing.
What it meant to be an enlightened one—this old ape provided the best interpretation. Standing before them, he was untouched by even a trace of mundane dust, as if he had transcended the world itself.
He stood as still as an ancient, enduring boulder, unmoving. He was deeply puzzled by Pang Bo's words, indicating he had never been to the Central Land's Great Tang. He pressed his palms together, and a ring of Buddha light formed behind his head. Like an old monk, his body was as withered as dead wood.
At that moment, Pang Bo seemed possessed by Tu Fei, turning into a loudspeaker. He rattled off a torrent of words, pouring out all kinds of legends in one breath.
The Battle Victory Buddha shook his head. He knew nothing of what Pang Bo said. He had never left this ancient star and had never been suppressed for five hundred years.
Beside them, the Monkey looked displeased and said, "How heroic and formidable is my uncle? Who could suppress him?"
Pang Bo felt sheepish. What he had heard was ultimately just a legend, and one from the other end of the starry sky at that. How could it possibly be true? Even he found it somewhat absurd.
"It's not all baseless rumor. I have seen Shakyamuni," the Battle Victory Buddha said.
"What?" Both Ye Fan and Pang Bo exclaimed, their hearts filled with too many questions, eager to get to the bottom of it.
The old Battle Saint Ape leaned on a pitch-black Immortal Treasure Iron Staff. The various kinds of domineering aura from the earlier battle had long since been restrained. Now, he only wore a compassionate expression, like an aged old monk.
"In the past, I saw Shakyamuni, but we did not fight..."
Two thousand years ago, the Monkey's uncle awakened from a piece of Divine Source and reappeared in this world. He was in the Western Desert, coinciding with a prosperous era.
During that period, Shakyamuni took control of Mount Sumeru and presided over the Great Thunderclap Monastery. This ancient man from beyond the realm, hailing from an unknown star domain, possessed profound Dharma power. He convinced many eminent monks and was elected as the Lord of the Spirit Mountain.
However, not long after, due to differences in doctrine, the various monks and Bodhisattvas on Mount Sumeru broke with Shakyamuni, refusing to recognize him as the master of the Great Thunderclap Monastery.
Buddhism speaks of cause and effect, primarily cultivates the future, and believes in reincarnation. Initially, the sages saw Shakyamuni's unparalleled Dharma power and matchless Buddha nature, and all believed he was the reincarnation of the ancient Amitabha. Once the doctrinal conflict arose, they immediately denied this.
Thus, strife was born. A great chaos erupted on Mount Sumeru, nearly splitting the faith into two sects.
Someone lit the Buddha Lamp and wiped clean the Ancient Buddha Mirror, using it to illuminate Shakyamuni's true form, wanting to know his past and whether he was truly a reincarnated Buddha.
The result came out. When the Buddha Lamp shone on his body, Shakyamuni was denied. He was no longer recognized as the Buddha Lord and was expelled from the Great Thunderclap Monastery, deemed a demon.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo looked at each other in astonishment. Such a thing had actually happened! In the past, the White-Robed Little Nun had mentioned some of it, but she had never touched upon the secrets within. All the truth had been sealed away.
"Shakyamuni possessed immeasurable Dharma power. In those days, with his own strength, he could have completely overturned Mount Sumeru and reorganized Buddhism. He could enter and leave the Great Thunderclap Monastery alone, with no one able to stop him..." the old Battle Saint Ape said. Two thousand years ago, he had not yet gone to Mount Sumeru. All of this was what he had seen and heard while in the Western Desert.
Due to the different doctrines, the Buddha Mirror revealed he was not the reincarnation of Amitabha. The Dharma Protector Vajras and others on Mount Sumeru all mobilized, originally intending to destroy Shakyamuni, because there was even a rumor that he was the Demon Shell of the Buddha.
However, the ultimate battle ended with Mount Sumeru's defeat. Even holding the Demon-Subduing Pestle left by Amitabha, they could not capture him or stop him from descending the mountain. One must know that was the weapon of an ancient Great Emperor.
"If one is not a Sage, the difficulty of mobilizing the Demon-Subduing Pestle of Amitabha the Great Emperor to detain someone who is at least a Great Sage or a Quasi-Emperor is far too great," Black Emperor muttered not far away.
In this battle, Shakyamuni could be said to have displayed a realm that transcended the mundane. He stormed Mount Sumeru alone and could have even completely overthrown Buddhism. Therefore, it became a taboo, and no Buddhist disciple was allowed to mention it again.
"I met him in an ancient temple. We sat and discussed the Dao, talking for an entire night. He explained his Dao and his doctrines to me, which piqued my interest greatly."
The old Battle Saint Ape was attracted. His cultivation had encountered a bottleneck back then, and he needed to forge his own path. The Buddhist doctrines of reincarnation and cultivating the future greatly moved him.
After that night, Shakyamuni set out. He left the Western Desert, and where he ultimately went, even the old Saint Ape did not know.
"He had the strength of a Quasi-Emperor." The Monkey's uncle's words shook everyone present. What immense Dharma power and divine abilities that must be!
From then on, Buddhism had no Tathagata, but Mount Sumeru gained a Battle Victory Buddha. He entered the Great Thunderclap Monastery, studied various scriptures, and contemplated the mysteries of life and death.
"It's a bit chaotic..." Pang Bo rubbed his temples, still not emerging from his own reverie. Reality and legend were two different things.
"Was Shakyamuni really the Demon Shell of the Buddha? Why is there such a saying? The Buddha speaks of the next life. Did the Ancient Buddha Mirror really reveal something?" They all had many points of confusion.
Back then, the people who lit the Green Lamp and wiped clean the Ancient Mirror all inexplicably passed away in meditation, leaving behind no useful records. Their deaths were very suspicious, and even the Monkey's uncle could not find out anything.
How did Buddhism originate? Pang Bo was puzzled. Wasn't it born in ancient India? How did this end of the starry sky label Shakyamuni as a traitor?
Ye Fan spoke up to explain. He had read some ancient texts and knew a little.
At the other end of the starry sky, some ancient books recorded that when Shakyamuni was traveling, he saw Buddhist disciples harming their bodies in cultivation and deemed it not the true Dharma. After that, the Tathagata's Dharma came into being, and he subsequently established the faith.
There was a legend that before this, the Buddhist doctrine had existed for a long time, but its Dharma had been exhausted, and Shakyamuni revived and expanded it.
"There are too many secrets. I really want to go back and investigate carefully!" Pang Bo muttered to himself.
Laozi and Shakyamuni were both figures from two thousand five hundred years ago, born in almost the same era. Both were ancient men of great wisdom who had entered the starry domain. Earth held too many mysteries.
"The Pre-Qin Qi Refiners..." Ye Fan and Pang Bo had many questions about ancient China and wished they could immediately return to the other end of the starry sky to investigate thoroughly.
"This benefactor got one thing right. After I ascended Mount Sumeru and converted to Buddhism, my Dharma name became Wukong," the old Battle Saint Ape said.
Pang Bo was dumbfounded, his mouth agape. It was a long time before he said, "Wukong... some of the legends are actually true. How did they spread to ancient China?"
"Uncle..." Next, the Monkey stepped forward. The others tactfully retreated, allowing them to converse about their uncle-nephew relationship.
"When you reach the Sage realm, come to Mount Sumeru to find me. I will pass on your father's Immortal Treasure Black Iron to you," the Battle Victory Buddha said. He was in seclusion year-round, only seeking to attain the Dao, bitterly contemplating life and death, and normally saw no one.
"And Aunt..." the Monkey carefully brought up the Divine Silkworm Princess.
The Battle Victory Buddha did not respond. Over the years, he had sat in the ancient temple. The Divine Silkworm Princess had climbed Mount Sumeru nine times, but he had avoided meeting her. At this moment, his eyes were deep and profound, as if he had understood his past life and future life.
This time, the Divine Silkworm Princess forced his hand by threatening death. She alone entered the Ancient Forbidden Land to pick the Nine Marvelous Immortality Pill and deliver a message to him, finally forcing him to emerge from seclusion.
After a long time, the uncle and nephew finished their talk. The Battle Victory Buddha's golden fur was crystalline, radiating boundless Buddha light as he prepared to travel far away.
Before leaving, he walked towards the Big Black Dog and said, "I was quite offensive in the past."
"Woof! If Emperor Wu Shi were alive, one hand would be enough to suppress you. But unfortunately, I broke my cultivation and re-cultivated, so I'm just unlucky. I never had the chance to deal with you," the Big Black Dog bared its teeth.
"Please forgive my past disrespect," the Battle Victory Buddha said. A disc of light appeared behind his head, and then he pointed a finger. A dazzling beam of light shot towards Black Emperor.
"What are you trying to do?" The Big Black Dog's black fur stood on end.
"Weng"
The void trembled. Its bald tail suddenly sprouted glossy black fur, becoming the same as the rest of its body, as shiny as black satin.
"Hehe..." Ye Fan, Li Tian, Pang Bo, Li Heishui, and the others held back, but in the end, they all burst out laughing. They finally knew why the Big Black Dog held such a grudge against the Monkey.
At the same time, they also knew why its body was covered in thick, shiny black fur, but its tail was bare. So all of this was the work of the Battle Saint Ape from the past. No wonder it couldn't be cured.
"Woof, woof, woof..." The Big Black Dog, enraged and humiliated, chased after them, biting wildly.
"Please, senior, guide us on the way home!" Ye Fan stepped forward, blocking the Battle Victory Buddha's path and asking him for guidance.
"I do not know the Stellar Ancient Path leading beyond the realm," the Battle Victory Buddha shook his head. He looked deep into the Ancient Forbidden Land, where a Five-Colored Altar blocked the abyss. He warned them not to try going there.
Finally, Pang Bo asked about Kaide, the clumsy foreigner who had been converted by an old monk and taken to the Western Desert, wondering how he was now.
He had only asked on a whim, never expecting the Battle Victory Buddha to actually know. Kaide was a lay disciple with hair who served at his seclusion site.
The Buddhist monks believed Kaide was naturally gifted, with his golden hair and blue eyes, somewhat resembling the Battle Saint Ape. Therefore, they had him listen to the Dharma in an important place, serve the Ancient Buddha, and train him as a Dharma Protector Vajra.
"God, screw you! You abandoned me. I despise you. Praise the Buddha. When I achieve my true fruit, I'll go back myself and invite Satan for afternoon tea. God, go to hell!"
This was Kaide's special prayer. He cursed every morning upon waking, and gradually, some of the monks came to know and remember it.
In the end, no one could detain the Battle Victory Buddha. With one step, he crossed the mountain range and vanished into the distant sky.
"Monkey, you stop right there! Are you going to avoid me until you die?" The Divine Silkworm Princess appeared and chased after him.
"He even threw the Divine Silkworm Ridge's Ancient Emperor Battle Robe to that damned monkey. How could he not see her? He's just avoiding us," Black Emperor said with a curl of his lip.
"Cough!" The Monkey glared, warning it not to always be hostile towards his uncle.
Yellow leaves drifted down. This was a rocky cliff at the edge of the Ancient Forbidden Land. Ye Fan and Pang Bo revisited the old place, filled with emotion, recalling the many past events from when they first arrived in this world.
"I always feel that some old friends who should have died are not dead. I must get to the bottom of this and drag this ghost out."
Ye Fan and Pang Bo walked side by side, striding forward until they came before a crack in the stone wall. There was a stone cave here.
Back then, Liu Yunzhi, Li Changqing, and Wang Yan had tried to kill them, but were instead thrown into this tiger's den. In theory, they should have died without a doubt. The roars of a tiger had clearly come from within that year.
Yet, over the years, Ye Fan always felt that a pair of venomous eyes were watching him from the darkness, knowing him very well. He believed that the one targeting him might be among his old acquaintances, and the ones who hated him and Pang Bo to the bone were, first and foremost, Liu Yunzhi, Li Changqing, and Wang Yan.
"The mystery should be unveiled," Pang Bo said with a cold smile, striding into the stone cave. However, when he saw what was inside, he was instantly stunned.