Chapter 897: The Buddha and the Emperor, Deep Waters
The words "Amitabha is still alive" caused even the monkey's own blood and qi to surge. If the truth were so, just thinking about it was chilling.
Ahead, boundless Buddha light, formed from the collective will of all living beings, pure and sacred, illuminated the earth with radiant splendor ten thousand feet high!
"This is just a thought of mine, not to be taken seriously. If he were alive, how could anyone else succeed in attaining the Dao?" Ye Fan said, though many doubts still lingered in his heart.
"Ancient great emperors did not necessarily have to attain the Dao on this ancient star. Some came from beyond this realm. Even Amitabha the Great Emperor himself came from beyond the heavens." The monkey's heart was heavy.
This ancient star held endless secrets. Throughout the ages, countless great powers had come, all seeking something. The ancient tribes had also arrived from beyond the star.
"That is true." Ye Fan nodded, lost in thought, but still shook his head. Human power had its limits. No matter how strong a person was, they could hardly live for hundreds of thousands of years.
"You don't believe it? I've always felt that the Western Desert is the most mysterious. No other doctrine can establish itself here. Every single person devoutly worships the Buddha, creating a miracle unprecedented in history." The monkey said solemnly.
So many people revering the Buddha, as it had always been since ancient times, each one chanting the name of Amitabha—it was awe-inspiring. If all that power were concentrated on one person, perhaps true immortality could be achieved.
Ahead, just one ancient city alone had boundless Buddha light soaring into the sky. If all the collective will from ancient times to the present on this land were combined, what kind of scene would that be?
Just thinking about it made the monkey's scalp tingle. He couldn't help but say, "It makes one shudder, hair standing on end!"
Amitabha. Ye Fan chanted the name once and immediately felt a mysterious power flowing, very eerie. This ancient land of the Western Desert was truly beyond comprehension.
"Monkey Brother, probably only you and I, along with people like Huang Xudao and Huo Qizi, can sense it. Try chanting 'Amitabha' once and see how it feels."
The monkey tried, then was startled. "On this land, there is a divine power resonating. I think if Buddhist disciples constantly chant the four words 'Amitabha,' it can enhance their own dharma power."
"Exactly. That's how it is. The Western Desert is unfathomable." Ye Fan said.
"With this, I am even more convinced that Amitabha is still alive, and has reached an inconceivable level of power. All beings chant 'Amitabha,' forging his immortal body, while he bestows Buddha power on each person, making the faithful even more devout, forming a terrifying cycle."
"I don't believe Amitabha is still alive. I just think the waters of Buddhism in the Western Desert run very deep. We should not probe too deeply, or we might invite great disaster, especially since we are on this land." Ye Fan said with a sense of foreboding.
"Could it be that even what we say here can be sensed by some existence?" The monkey looked into the void, then gazed toward Mount Sumeru.
Ye Fan muttered to himself, "The last great emperor before the Primordial Era was Wu Shi. The last great emperor after the Primordial Era was the Green Emperor. Both should have attained the Dao on this ancient star. So I think Amitabha should no longer be in this world."
"But from ancient times to the present, this boundless collective will has accumulated into a sea of immeasurable Buddha light. In the end, who received it all? Where did it all go?" The monkey said.
Ye Fan replied, "As long as one is human, there is a day of decay. Other great emperors, as strong as the Ruthless Person, unmatched through the ages, created various world-shaking techniques. Even divine fetuses were born from her, opening an alternative path to longevity. Why didn't she choose the path of collective will? As strong as Wu Shi, who could tread into forbidden zones and trample the Dao underfoot, he also did not choose this path. It shows that true immortality is very difficult. I think Amitabha could not have lived for hundreds of thousands of years because of this. These boundless Buddha lights and infinite collective will are not for forging his immortal body. They must have another use."
"Then you tell me, the entire Western Desert is filled with this pure divine power. In the end, who does it empower?" The monkey pressed the question to the end.
"Buddhism cultivates the next life. It is the most mysterious. We should not rashly speculate. The waters of the Western Desert are too deep for us to wade into at our current level." Ye Fan warned.
The monkey pondered and nodded. Because he carried the bloodline power of the Battle Saint Emperor, being in the Western Desert now, he truly felt a mysterious force. If he pursued it further, he might really stir up something!
A look of worry appeared on his face as he gazed at Mount Sumeru. That was the center of the Western Desert. From ancient times to the present, infinite collective will had all been concentrated there. It truly worried him.
"Don't worry. I think your uncle has long sensed something, seeing more clearly than we do. Perhaps that is exactly what attracted him." Ye Fan comforted him.
"I hope so. If nothing happens, I don't want to come to the Western Desert again in the future, unless one day I become a sage." The monkey's fiery golden eyes shot out strands of divine light.
The two continued on their way. The monkey was going to the Great Thunderclap Monastery, while Ye Fan was making inquiries everywhere, searching for which ancient temple An Miaoyi was in. For now, they were still traveling together.
"Buddhism believes in the next life, cultivating the future fruit of the Dao. Do you think that one day, Amitabha might appear in the future?" The monkey mused for a long time as they walked.
"Who can say about the future?" Ye Fan smiled bitterly. He had thought of these things too, but he didn't want to discuss them in the Western Desert. Because every time he chanted the four words "Amitabha," a mysterious aura spread. He didn't want to get entangled in any karmic consequences.
"Could Shakyamuni really be related to the Buddha? Is he his demonic shell, or connected to the divine thoughts?" The monkey muttered.
"Stop here. We'll discuss it when we get back. Don't chant about it in the Western Desert." Ye Fan stopped him.
The monkey coughed dryly and ceased this discussion. Ye Fan searched for An Miaoyi. Before leaving, he hoped to see her one last time. But the Western Desert was filled with temples everywhere, like looking for a needle in a haystack. After many days of searching, he had no results. Following the method she needed for her cultivation, he investigated for a few more days and finally found some clues, roughly guessing her whereabouts.
In Buddhism, the path of desire had undergone a process of nirvana and transformation, from the most primitive asceticism to using the seven emotions and six desires for cultivation.
Ye Fan guessed that since An Miaoyi had come to the Western Desert, she would definitely seek the roots and trace the source, exploring the evolution of this method. She would most likely start with the "Shravakayana," which was Buddhism's most primitive attitude toward "emotion."
Tracing back to the source, it should be the Agama Sutras, which were also the most basic Buddhist scriptures, containing the Buddha's foundational methods. If An Miaoyi wanted to go further, she would definitely start learning from the source.
A few days later, he learned that there was an ancient temple in the world called the Agama Temple, which contained the true meaning of the Agama Sutras. Unfortunately, it was destroyed ten thousand years ago and could no longer be found.
From this, one could also see how deep the waters of Buddhism were. Although they all revered Amitabha, there were various schools, and the doctrines had conflicting points during their evolution.
They traveled westward, getting closer and closer to Mount Sumeru. These days, Ye Fan was in the Western Desert, and everything he saw and heard was impactful.
This truly was a prosperous age. The Western Desert was vast and boundless, yet it had only one Buddhism. It could be said that the power of this one religion matched the combined power of all the religions in any other domain.
In the present age, calling Buddhism the number one religion under heaven was not an exaggeration. Ye Fan and the monkey visited many ancient temples and saw some reclusive divine monks, unfathomable in depth.
Ye Fan vaguely felt that the entire Western Desert was extraordinary, as if it didn't belong to this world and might one day fly away.
"Legend has it that the Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty tried to ascend with their entire religion, but ended up as ashes. Does this Buddhist land have similar plans for the future? After all, their collective will is too vast. That is their foundation." Ye Fan muttered to himself.
The more he thought, the more complex it became, and his thoughts grew more scattered. In an instant, he touched upon many key things and inexplicably realized that this was a great era, and Buddhism seemed to be even more prepared!
Then, he suddenly woke up and quickly asked, "Monkey Brother, did all the ancient tribes awaken in this generation because the ancient emperors calculated it, or did the tribes have an agreement long ago and just happened to make this choice?"
"It has been passed down from ancient times in places like the Divine Silkworm Ridge, Blood Phoenix Mountain, and Fire Qilin Cave. It can also be said to be the result of the ancient emperors' calculations." The monkey said seriously.
"That's right. As early as the ancient times, people had already found their way here. As for this generation, the ancient tribes have awakened one after another. Calculating this way, the most critical time has already been pointed out..." Ye Fan muttered, then his eyes shot out a terrifying divine light. "The most earth-shattering change in history will happen in this generation!"
In an instant, he saw through some essential things and understood many puzzling points. Why did ancient great emperors come to this ancient star? Why did the ancient emperors all seal their children to this generation?
For these people, perhaps only becoming an immortal could tempt them. What else could there be? A shocking upheaval must occur in the future!
"Most of the ancient great emperors likely came from beyond the heavens. The ancient emperors might also be the same. From this, we can roughly deduce the number of great emperors throughout history, and even how many life-bearing ancient stars there are..." Ye Fan thought more and more, continuously reasoning.
"I dare not say for the entire universe, because it is too vast, boundless. But at least within the range that can be radiated from this ancient star as the center, the number of life-bearing stars and great emperors can be deduced."
"Moreover, the Stellar Ancient Path is also a key. Is it the path within this radiated range, or does it have a more special meaning? Hmm, this seems wrong. Laozi and Shakyamuni pursued it all the way without stopping..."
Half a month later, Ye Fan finally learned from a Buddhist disciple the clue to the ancient Agama Temple. It had been rebuilt on the Ayu Plateau, adjacent to the heavens.
At this time, they were still over a hundred thousand miles from Mount Sumeru. Ye Fan was shocked. Even from this distance, he could feel an immeasurable divine energy ahead, vast and majestic.
In a trance, he saw ten thousand feet of Buddha light soaring into the sky, flooding the entire land ahead. The pure collective will from ancient times to the present had all been concentrated there, sacred and majestic.
In the end, Ye Fan and the monkey parted ways, each going their own way to attend to their own affairs.
The Ayu Plateau was astonishingly high, taller than the great mountains of other places. It was covered in snow for most of the year, bitter cold and icy.
Now, it was the briefest season of spring warmth and blooming flowers. The plateau was full of vitality. Grass shoots broke through the soil, flowers bloomed brilliantly, and the breath of life permeated the air.
Suddenly, from afar, Ye Fan felt an inexplicable power calling to him, sacred and peaceful, guiding him forward. It was like bathing in immortal radiance, his whole body comfortable and relaxed.
"What is this?" He muttered to himself, looking into the distance.
Soon after, his heart shook violently. He felt the power of Dao dissolution. A sage was dissolving into the Dao!
"Benefactor from afar, this old monk has been waiting for you for a long time."
Ahead, there was a dilapidated stone platform. An old monk sat cross-legged on the ground. He had lived for who knows how many years. His flesh, blood, and Dao bones were all burning, about to dissolve into the Dao. This was actually an ancient sage monk, also called a Buddha.
"Sage Monk, do you know who I am?"
"You come from the other end of the starry sky. This old monk saw the future clearly in the moment before my passing. I have been waiting for you." This withered, burning ancient Buddha said.
"You..." Ye Fan was greatly shocked.
"Before that, this poor monk will first borrow the power of Amitabha to help you eliminate a wisp of thought from a supreme existence beyond this realm." The old monk said.
As soon as his words fell, in the battlefield ruins of the ancient sage beyond the heavens, an ancient ship let out a soft "clang," as if sensing something. A voice muttered to itself, "Amitabha?"