Chapter 78 Ming Wang

Ji Xiang was in the middle of his breakthrough when he suddenly felt an external force entering. This power wasn't particularly vast; it felt more like a probe, and it was pure Buddhist power.

At the same time, Buddhist chanting echoed:

*With vinaya present, the Dharma is also present.*

*Namo Amitabha.*

The chanting disrupted Ji Xiang's breakthrough. A simple sense told Ji Xiang that the other party's cultivation level was similar to his own, who was also breaking through to become a terrestrial immortal. It was an Arhat.

Both were fruits that could only be attained above the tenth realm.

"Namo Amitabha, is it a Pure Land Sect monk?"

Daoism has many sects, and Buddhism also has many sects, but these divisions arise from different philosophies. It's like in the early Spring and Autumn period, after Confucius died, Confucianism split into eight schools, and after Mozi died, Mohism had three branches. Often, after the founders of these schools die, their teachings are understood by different wise men, gradually giving rise to other branches that differ slightly from the original doctrines.

Since the Tang Dynasty, the most powerful sect in the world has been Chan Buddhism, followed by Pure Land Buddhism. The difference between them is that Chan Buddhism does not chant Amitabha!

Any monk who chants Amitabha must be from the Pure Land Sect!

Chan Buddhism's doctrine is simple: don't memorize Buddhist scriptures, don't explore profound Buddhist theories, just believe. Therefore, what ancient Buddhism forbade, Chan Buddhism allows. The Buddha said to become a Buddha, to become a Bodhisattva, to become an Arhat, to cultivate the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment of Mahayana Buddhism. Chan Buddhism says that if you have Buddha-nature, you are an Arhat, a Bodhisattva, a Buddha.

Hence the saying: *Here I have neither Buddha nor Dharma, and Bodhidharma is just an old lecherous barbarian; the ten-ground Bodhisattvas are just dung-carriers; Equal and Wonderful Enlightenment is just a precept-breaking commoner; Bodhi and Nirvana are just donkey-tethers; the twelve divisions of scriptures are just ghost registers and sore-wiping paper; the Buddha is just old barbarian dung.*

As for the Pure Land Sect, it emphasizes chanting the holy name of Amitabha. It doesn't matter if you don't understand Buddhism; you chant the Buddha's name, and when you die and go to the Western Paradise, Amitabha will give you a private tutoring session, and then you will understand.

Its nature is roughly the same as believing in Brother Chun to gain eternal life.

"Not good, why is this Pure Land Sect monk attacking this Zhenwu statue? It seems that something has happened outside. Could it be because I am transforming into a terrestrial immortal within the statue, which has brought some divinity to this statue...."

"So, he wants to get rid of me as a demon?"

Ji Xiang's spirit concentrated within his body, temporarily unable to observe what was happening outside the statue, and thought secretly:

"I am at a critical moment in refining the golden elixir, and I can't be disturbed by this Buddhist monk. Although he may be well-intentioned, I'm sorry!"

"I'm not a demon!"

So Ji Xiang began to recite the Peacock King Mantra!

As soon as he spoke, the white-robed monk outside suddenly felt a thunderclap strike his mind, and golden lights descended, transforming into a scene of the Western Paradise in his eyes. He quickly withdrew his hand, greatly shocked:

"This is Buddhist Dharma?!"

His shocked expression didn't last long. The white-robed monk's figure swayed violently. All thoughts in his mind were disappearing, and he was about to enter a state similar to enlightenment. However, because he was being influenced by the Buddhist mantra, and not the caster of this Great Peacock King Dharma mantra, he would not truly attain enlightenment, but would only briefly enter a state of "blank mind."

This was to sever all worries and desires, to plunge people into a state of bliss, preventing them from starting conflicts or killings. Only the Great Peacock King mantra had such power.

In the white-robed monk's eyes, the illusion had already shown an eight-petaled lotus flower. Although no one appeared on the lotus flower, it still gave him a sense of solemnity, reverence, and tranquility, causing him to unconsciously chant the holy name of the Mingwang:

"Maha Mayuri Buddha-Mother Mingwang Dharani..."

A part of the white-robed monk's wisdom was still clear, but this part of his wisdom could not stop what he was thinking in his heart, what he saw in his eyes, and the actions of his body. So he quickly retreated, using this last part of clear wisdom to close his eyes, cover his ears, retreat from the altar to below the statue, and immediately sit down cross-legged!

Bang!

His movement was loud, and the Qiantang County Magistrate, the wealthy merchants of the Longyou Merchant Guild, as well as the temple manager and the foreman, all saw this otherworldly white-robed monk in an extremely strange situation. He flew down from the Zhenwu altar and assumed a posture of closing his eyes to rest, but he was sweating profusely, yet his expression was one of joy.

"This, what's wrong with him?"

The temple manager was a little strange. This white-robed monk's attire made it clear that he was extraordinary, probably a high-ranking monk from Lingyin Temple, but how could he press the Zhenwu Great Emperor's forehead and start acting abnormally himself?

The Qiantang County Magistrate was also puzzled: "How would I know? He's a master, not me. If I knew magic, why would I be a county magistrate? The master suddenly became like this, there must be a reason."

The wealthy merchants whispered among themselves.

This monk looks like he's horny.

But they didn't dare to say these words openly, otherwise, they would probably be ten meters outside Lingyin Temple before the monks rushed out and beat them into a meat paste with vajras.

The white-robed monk's pain was because he was trying hard to get rid of this state of forgetting his worries, but his body and spirit were separated from that part of his clear wisdom, as if telling him, why get rid of this state? Forgetting all worries is exactly the state that one hopes to achieve in cultivating Buddhism!

It was like the struggle between consciousness and subconsciousness, the struggle between reason and desire.

Fortunately, Ji Xiang's mantra was only recited once, and its impact on him was not deep. He quickly broke free from this state, but for a moment, he felt a sense of loss, which terrified him. He stared at the Zhenwu statue, his expression shocked and uncertain. He circulated his mana and lightly shook his body, eliminating all the sweat stains.

"That's... the Peacock King Mantra!"

The white-robed monk developed reverence for the Zhenwu statue. He wanted to know why this Daoist statue contained the Buddhist Mingwang mantra within it?

Zhenwu is a god of Daoism. Buddhist temples that worship Zhenwu are only some large Chan temples. The Qingyun Temple of the Zhengde period worshipped the Zhenwu Great Emperor, but even if they worshipped Zhenwu, Zhenwu was still a Daoist deity, especially in this kind of folk temple. It was absolutely impossible for a Zhenwu statue to contain Buddhist light within it.

Moreover, the power of this mantra was not low. Just the sound of its operation could shake the mind of a high-ranking monk who had entered the Arhat realm, instantly making him forget his worries and enter a state of emptiness. If it were in a battle, then he would be completely defenseless and would be killed directly.

This statue has divine power and must be investigated!

"County Magistrate, this Zhenwu statue is a bit strange! This statue actually contains the power of my Buddhist Mingwang!"

The white-robed monk's expression was solemn as he said to the Qiantang County Magistrate: "If possible, this humble monk would like to move this statue out of the temple and move it to my Lingyin Temple, to wait for other high-ranking monks to come and investigate the matter."

Although the Qiantang County Magistrate didn't know what this Mingwang power was, he understood the word Mingwang and knew it was related to Buddhism, but he looked embarrassed:

"This... actually, the Zhenwu statue is not that important, but this statue is now an object within this temple. All the objects in this temple cannot be moved casually... otherwise, this temple master is not easy to talk to."

"The master also knows the temper of the god of this temple. Lingyin Temple probably wouldn't want her to come to their door."

The white-robed monk was silent for a moment, but still insisted: "If she comes, this matter is entirely the work of this humble monk alone, and has nothing to do with anyone else. If I can find out the source of this Mingwang mantra, this humble monk would accept three arrows from her, and die without regret."

The Qiantang County Magistrate had no choice. The white-robed monk didn't intend to make things difficult for the Qiantang County Magistrate. He walked to the statue, and actually wanted to carry this statue away himself.

"As long as I don't let others intervene in moving the statue, the temple master will only seek revenge on this humble monk alone."

The white-robed monk's preparations to move the statue also shocked Ji Xiang, who was hidden inside the statue.

That Buddhist power was making a comeback, but this time it didn't seem to be targeting himself, but to move this statue.

Ji Xiang could feel that the thing under his butt was gone, he was being lifted up, and he thought that this wouldn't do!

"Annoying, where did this bald donkey come from, always causing me trouble!"

Ji Xiang was slightly annoyed in his heart. He had influenced the other party with the Buddhist Mingwang mantra, but he didn't expect it to arouse the other party's interest. Feeling this kind of posture, even if Ji Xiang couldn't know the situation outside for the time being, he could guess roughly what was going on.

It was nothing more than moving the statue where he was hiding to the Buddhist temple.

Theoretically speaking, it was a good thing, after all, the incense of Buddhist temples was more prosperous, but the problem also lay here. Although the incense of Buddhism was prosperous, the incense spread to each Buddha statue was not that much.

In this temple, the temple master himself didn't seem to care about how much incense he received, so the Zhenwu statue where he was hiding became an "incense oligarch."

If he went to Lingyin Temple, he would have to share the incense with many Buddhas.

How could he tolerate this!

Ji Xiang operated a small magic, and the Five-Toothed Heavenly Book operated, using the power of earth to fall downward!

Boom!

The white-robed monk, who had just lifted the statue up effortlessly, was suddenly pressed to the ground by the Zhenwu statue!

The huge movement shook the ground of the temple, causing it to crack. The Zhenwu statue seemed to be sucked by the earth. The white-robed monk was pressed down by the Zhenwu statue, as if he was carrying a small mountain on his body. He tried to get up from the ground, but the weight of ten million catties made it difficult for him to lift his head!

He didn't know the art of carrying mountains, so naturally he couldn't bear this earth's weight. Even if he was an Arhat, he was only a "first-fruit Arhat" who had just entered this realm. To cultivate to the level of the Eighteen Arhats, he would have to be at least a "great Arhat" of the fourth fruit.

The white-robed monk frantically circulated Buddhist spells, transforming into a "Demon-Breaking Divine Power." Immediately, an angry aura rose from his body, but it was not the fire of anger. Relying on this aura, he gradually lifted the Zhenwu statue, and he gradually got up from the ground.

"Demon-Breaking Divine Power Venerable, makes the heavens and earth angry, the earth crack, Bhadra-ruchi!"

The white-robed monk gradually overcame the power of earth. He used the Demon-Breaking Divine Power to penetrate this earth's power. Buddhist spells always have strange effects. Ji Xiang, within the statue, felt the earth's power being penetrated, and the Buddhist power pushed up again, which also aroused Ji Xiang's anger.

But after thinking about it, Ji Xiang couldn't help but think to himself that the matter today was because he hadn't completely sealed the state of breaking through, which caused abnormalities outside, which led to the Buddhist monk coming here to investigate. This conflict was not because of the other party, but because of himself.

"In that case, I won't seal it anymore. I'll spread out my spirit. If I enter the terrestrial immortal level and form the golden elixir, it should cause wind and thunder to rage in the temple. At that time, you won't be able to leave even if you want to!"

Ji Xiang completely let go, and his spirit no longer focused on this Buddhist power. As Ji Xiang let go, the increase in his state of mind greatly weakened the divine fire burning the jade liquid, but a wisp of metal nature was born.

Daoist cultivation is to cultivate from fire nature to metal nature. Metal nature is immortal, so one can only achieve longevity by obtaining the golden elixir.

This wisp of metal nature was crucial!

When the metal nature was born, the surrounding jade liquid quickly centered on this wisp of metal nature, and the golden elixir instantly condensed into a shape. At this time, the outline of the sacred fetus formed in the fourth realm merged into the shape of the golden elixir.

Within Ji Xiang's body, all aura converged towards the golden elixir!

At this time, the Jade Purity Hidden Scripture also operated autonomously, giving birth to wisps of heavenly demon aura!

The entire temple suddenly became dim. A ray of vast light was released from the Zhenwu statue. The white-robed monk was startled back by the light. At this time, even the Qiantang County Magistrate began to feel uneasy. When the white-robed monk finally struggled out and was still thinking about moving the Zhenwu statue, the Qiantang County Magistrate immediately stopped in front of him!

"Master, Master can't move it anymore! This Zhenwu Lord seems to be ascending!"

"Please, Master, stop. As for moving the statue, this official will wait for the temple master here to manifest and return, and then discuss it with her properly. There's no rush, no rush."

The Qiantang County Magistrate appeased the white-robed monk, while the temple manager said to the side: "You monk, are you afraid that we will move this Zhenwu Lord's statue away? As long as the temple master agrees, I will send it to Lingyin Temple for you!"

The old foreman was shocked and asked in a low voice: "Are you really going to give it?"

The temple manager scolded in a low voice: "Bullshit! Didn't you see how much incense Zhenwu Lord has brought to the temple in the past two days? Can we give it to him? The people of Lingyin Temple are really shameless, they even want to compete for this little incense."

The white-robed monk's hearing was very good. The whispers of the temple manager and the foreman did not escape his ears. Immediately, his face was a little ashamed. Knowing that his behavior was regarded by the people in the temple as snatching incense, he no longer had the face to talk about moving the statue. He could only chant the Buddha's name, and then said to the county magistrate:

"In that case, next time the temple master returns, sir, please let this humble monk know, and this humble monk will immediately rush to this place to discuss it with the temple master properly."

"This time, this humble monk was rude."

After saying that, he put his palms together again towards the Zhenwu statue to apologize, but wind and thunder began to roll around the Zhenwu statue. The white-robed monk thought that the Zhenwu Great Emperor was really manifesting his anger, and did not dare to stay. He hurriedly exited the temple door, but he was still somewhat puzzled in his heart.

The temple was already shaking, and the situation was like an earthquake, forcing a group of mortals to retreat.

This vibration lasted for a whole day. The five elements of energy were constantly operating in the temple. A shocking aura rushed into the sky, and quickly dissipated.

Ji Xiang, inside the Zhenwu statue, also felt a surging power, and his heartbeat seemed to resonate with all things on earth!

This was the level of a terrestrial immortal, truly breaking away from the mortal dust and taking the first step from a cultivator to ascending to immortality.

At this time, in Ji Xiang's inner world, under the blank divine tablet, there was a round golden light, inside which was a round golden elixir, but the color...

"Huh?"

The power of Jambudvipa gold had also been integrated into the golden elixir. Ji Xiang was not stingy, and almost used all the Jambudvipa gold he had obtained before. After condensing a large amount of incense and wishes, as well as the power of the Jade Purity Hidden Scripture, a change occurred that even Ji Xiang himself could not understand.

"Jambudvipa gold is reddish-yellow in color. Even if it is affected, how could it become like this?"

This was not a reddish-yellow golden elixir, nor was it a pure gold color, but a purple-gold color!

In the Qin and Han dynasties, the alchemists spoke of purple-gold elixirs, which, when taken, would grant immortality and allow one to ascend to immortality on the spot!