Chapter 1431
Southern Venerable
Chapter 1431 Southern Venerable (1+12) (Bonus Chapter 43113 for Hidden Dragon)
The Great Desire Path.
A blazing golden light shimmered between heaven and earth. Peaks, resembling lotus flowers, stood tall, and silver waterfalls flowed. Among the high platforms, several supreme positions could be seen, each with a revered figure standing there, yet one place remained empty.
Only when you get closer can you see a young man sitting on the golden platform, as small as a grain of sand, with his eyes closed and his hands forming a lotus mudra.
It is indeed the Great Desire Protector Maha, Rinpoche!
This Dharma Protector Maha revered the Dao and was greatly influenced by Jinlian and Beigu, whom he met on Dayang Mountain during the period of compassion. He was extremely fond of cultivation and alchemy. From his physical body to his cultivation level, ninety-nine percent of it was achieved through alchemy and alchemy in this Buddhist land without ever leaving his home.
It was precisely because of this that the Dharma body destroyed by that Qilin almost wiped out this Maha's hundreds of years of cultivation. He was heartbroken and sat in meditation in the land of Buddha for a long time, feeling quite lost.
'Centuries of cultivation destroyed in an instant, proving that the path of refining the Dharma body is a dead end... But my Dharma form has been hidden for many years, who can guide me...'
He remained silent for a long time, meditating and pondering deeply. Before he knew it, his soul soared high into the sky and entered that infinitely deep and mysterious land. When he opened his eyes again, the world around him had completely changed!
Renshijia stood up, looked around incredulously, and exclaimed in horror:
'Where is this?'
He was discerning; at first glance, his heart was pounding. He looked around, wondering to himself:
'Could it be that by some twist of fate, I've stumbled upon some golden opportunity?'
Looking down, he saw nothing but wind, snow, and exposed black stones. He grabbed a handful of fine soil and examined it closely, discovering insects and grass. This terrified him; his hair stood on end, and he jumped up, exclaiming in horror:
"A grotto-heaven!"
In his current state, he is not even worthy of pity, yet he sits upright in the Great Desire Path of Buddhism. Who has the ability to transport him to a grotto-heaven thousands of miles away?
The Dharma Protector Maha was utterly terrified. He stood there stunned for a moment, unsure whether it was good or bad fortune, and had no choice but to continue along the path. Soon he arrived at the stone tablet, his eyes gleaming with golden light, and he murmured:
“Wu Xuan… Yu Zi…?”
His heart began to pound.
Despite his advanced age, after Rinchen Rinpoche attained Maha, he spent 90% of his time in seclusion. This level of excitement was rare in his hundreds of years of life—the last time was when he was smashed to pieces by that Qilin.
He stared intently for a moment before noticing a person kneeling on the ground.
This man was not tall, but his eyes were closed and his face was covered in tears. Rinshiga recognized him at a glance:
"Good joy and wisdom!"
When Minghui returned from Liaokong's place, he wandered back to his own temple. There was really nothing to do, so he had to sit down and cultivate. But this cultivation actually made him float into this world!
In stark contrast to Rinchen Rinchen, Minghui appeared in front of this mountain gate, looked up, and almost instantly burst into tears!
'My lord! You've finally agreed to see us!'
God knows how long he had been waiting for this day!
Ever since his master coughed up blood and was injured, he had been worried and fearful day and night. It wasn't until the master and disciple realized that their master wanted them to do something that their hearts slowly calmed down...
He never even dared to dream of entering this great man's celestial abode!
Now he carefully memorized this couplet, and respectfully kowtowed at each step as he slowly climbed the mountain. When he was halfway up, he saw a monk come to greet him. Minghui looked up and was immediately stunned.
It is indeed five eyes!
The two monks stared at each other, a slow realization dawning in their eyes. Minghui seemed to awaken from a dream, remembering the head that had been churning in the oil cauldron years ago. He stood up and said:
"you also!"
Wu Mu seemed to be slowly realizing it as well, and exclaimed in shock:
"You are!"
Both of them recalled the great battle on the lake years ago—for which Shanledao suffered too many hardships, and Wumu was even more miserable, having been soaked in a pot of boiling oil until today.
But at this moment, when they looked at each other, they understood so much. The two monks clasped hands, tears streaming down their faces. Minghui said wistfully:
"No wonder! No wonder! It turns out you are also a pillar of the state!"
Wu Mu was in tears, and said:
"This is difficult... this is difficult! This is so difficult, I'm suffering terribly!"
Minghui was filled with emotion and said bitterly:
"If I had known you were one of us... I would have fished you out of the boiling oil!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Mu felt neither joy nor sorrow, and said:
"Fine, fine... If we really find out, we'll be on the safe side and won't dare to try and take it!"
These words struck a chord with Minghui. He clasped his hands tightly, too moved to speak, and after a long pause, he said:
"Where is the master? Where is the master?!"
Wu Mu knew that he and Wu Mu were even older and more meritorious than Xuan Tian Kai Fang, and guessed that the person who enlightened the other must be the same person as himself. He tentatively asked:
"plum?"
Minghui burst into tears and nodded her head hard and forcefully, as if she were ringing a bell.
"really!"
Wu Mu was delighted for a moment, then said:
"We can't see the adults here. Who are we? How could we be qualified to see them? There is an abbot here, personally appointed by the adults to arrange things for us..."
"Absolutely, absolutely..."
Minghui wanted to slap herself for her slip of the tongue, but she still held onto the other person's hand and refused to let go, saying:
"I should see... I should see the abbot..."
Wu Mu nodded quickly and said:
"Today the Xuan Tian Guang is open, and the abbot is receiving another Maha. You and I should go to the main hall first... After paying our respects to the Buddha's image in the main hall, we can go to the Robe and Bowl Hall to see the abbot."
Minghui was stunned for a moment, and said:
"World Honored One?"
Wu Mu nodded naturally and led him forward.
But then something exploded in the monk's mind.
World Honored One?
Master and disciple had been scheming for many years, but they still couldn't figure out the identity of the person on the lake. They didn't know the other party's motives, how he made his moves, or how he had bypassed the Buddhist order and completely controlled the two of them...
But those two words were like a sharp blade, cutting away all his doubts.
'I see...I see...'
He was both crying and laughing:
'So it was Faxiang who made the move. No wonder he spared the lives of my two monks. No wonder… no wonder he called me "the one who can renounce the seven emotions and live in the heavens…" Faxiang, it was Faxiang all along!'
He froze for a moment. Wu Mu had already walked several steps away and was turning back to look at him with a puzzled expression. Minghui suddenly snapped out of her daze, wiped the tears from her face, clasped her hands together in a gesture of respect, and said:
"I'll go and pay my respects right away!"
……
Minghui bowed to the mountain gate with practiced ease, but Renshijia below was stunned. Seeing the other person weeping and bowing, kowtowing, and then disappearing in an instant, he was greatly shocked and exclaimed in horror:
'It is still a land of virtue and joy!'
He hunched his shoulders and stepped forward, standing still in front of the door. Recalling Minghui's actions just now, he thought to himself:
'Do I have to pray too?'
'Offering a prayer is a small matter... but that guy also looked like it was his first time here, tiptoeing around like that, how did he know he should pray?'
'But what if I don't worship, and a bolt of lightning strikes and kills me?'
He hesitated for a moment, and seeing that no one was around, he bowed deeply, squeezed out a few tears, wailed a couple of times, and then hurriedly gathered his clothes and slowly went upstairs.
After walking around for a while and looking at the buildings on the left and right, Renshijia gradually began to understand:
'It must be a secluded, self-contained system of Buddhism and Taoism!'
Although the path to Buddhism is fraught with peril, many in ancient times have stumbled upon a blessed land and unparalleled opportunity to attain enlightenment. Now, stepping onto the steps, even the dignified Sixth Incarnation of Maha felt the same timidity and fear of the unknown that one had when first entering the Buddhist path as a novice monk.
So after walking for a while, I looked up and finally saw a middle-aged monk in light gray clothes on the high steps. He was holding a broom and had his back to me, cleaning up the fallen leaves that had fallen on the steps.
Renshijia Secret Passage:
'He must be a powerful being in this world!'
Although he was both surprised and frightened, he had no choice but to steel himself and climb the steps one by one. When he reached the monk, he respectfully bowed and said:
"A heretical cultivator, mistakenly entered this place... unaware of..."
The monk seemed startled, turned around to look at him, and immediately recognized his face. He exclaimed with delight:
"Left Protector!"
Upon hearing this, Rinchen Rinchen abruptly raised his head, only then realizing that the person before him was somewhat familiar. After a brief assessment of his aura, he discovered it was a very insignificant little compassionate being from his own Shakyamuni land. He froze on the spot, muttering:
"How...how is it you?!"
Nu Yan had been waiting for him there for a long time. Seeing his shocked expression, he knew how much this had affected him. Tears welled up in his eyes without warning. He knelt on the ground, hugged Nu Yan's legs, and said:
"Guardian...Guardian...The Guardian has arrived! Excellent!"
The Great Desire Path showed considerable compassion, and Ren Shijia recognized the aura and name. However, he couldn't be bothered to even glance at these lowly people, whom he didn't know well. But now, having finally found someone he recognized, he felt like he had grasped a lifeline. A stiff smile appeared on his face as he helped him up and asked:
"You... what are you doing here? And where is this place?"
Nu Yan quickly wiped his face with his sleeve, looking delighted, and took his hand, saying:
"Incredible, Dharma Protector! This is the realm of the World-Honored One!"
These few words, however brief, subtly confirmed Renshijia's suspicions. His legs felt weak, and only with the support of the monk beside him could he regain his footing. He whispered:
"Have you realized this? Don't speak recklessly!"
Nu Yan said:
"Does this still need a petty person to acknowledge it! The Dharma protector is in the land of Buddha, while I am on Mount Dayang, thousands of miles apart, yet we meet... At this moment, I am also extremely amazed."
This struck at the heart of Renshijia's deepest confusion and fear. In this extremely unfamiliar environment, the small Reimu had become the person he relied on. Renshijia nodded with some skepticism and said:
"What are you doing...?"
Nu Yan shook his head somewhat dejectedly and said:
"I won't mention it... Please come with me to see the abbot!"
Renshijia was half walking and half being dragged up the mountain. The further he went, the more uneasy he felt. When the magnificent palaces, clearly the result of countless years of history, came into view, the Maha's thoughts were completely disrupted. Panic began to take hold, and he instinctively wanted to curse, but then he realized that the insignificant person he had once looked down upon was now his only support in this place. So he could only say:
"Slow down, slow down... This is so improper!"
Nu Yan was still too excited, and before he knew it, he had dragged him to the front of the main hall. Ren Shi Jia looked up and saw that Nu Yan had knelt down on the ground with a thud. Not knowing why, he had no choice but to kneel down as well, feeling a little annoyed.
Ke Nuyan had already prostrated himself on the ground and said:
"Abbot! This humble monk has brought the person..."
After he finished speaking, he listened intently for a while. Rinseka's anger slowly turned into unease. After a long while, he heard a distant voice say:
"Come in!"
Nu Yan then turned and gave him a meaningful look, and Ren Shi Jia had no choice but to get up. He was genuinely curious and annoyed—he wasn't a good-tempered person, and being put through this ordeal made him suspicious.
'Could it be a Dharma image inside...?'
Nu Yan stood to the side with his head down, waiting to see him make a fool of himself. Ren Shi Jia, unaware of the situation, stepped in first and then slightly raised his head.
Countless terrifying faces, etched in the darkness, came into view, each with a different expression, yet all staring at him from all directions. Nu Yan had already lowered his head, and sure enough, he heard a faint scream:
"what!"
Renshijia had only stepped halfway in when he seemed to have been struck hard on the face. He leaned back, tripped over the threshold from behind, and fell heavily to the ground. Even then, he couldn't absorb the impact, and the back of his head hit the top step. He tumbled several times and rolled all the way down from the main hall to the bottom.
He rolled on the ground several times, his face pressed against the ground, but he still couldn't stand up.
Shangfang Nuyan felt a surge of secret pleasure, but his face suddenly froze, tears welling up in his eyes again. He tumbled and scrambled down the steps to help him up, only to find that the Maha's face was tightly closed, covered in blood and tears. He was startled and cried out:
"By the World Honored One!"
"World Honored One, Dharma Protector! Why don't you listen to this lowly person! How dare you look at this!"
Ren Shijia was watching with skepticism, so he was naturally badly affected by the backlash. Nu Yan shook him for a long time but saw no reaction. He vaguely felt that he had gone too far, so he quickly turned around, knelt down in front of the hall and cried, knocking loudly on the steps to signal Dang Jiang. Only then did he see the abbot step out, with a calm expression and holding a jade bowl in his hand.
Nu Yan took the bowl of water and quickly helped the person on the ground up. He gave him a few sips, and Ren Shi Jia slowly woke up. He felt that it was dark all around and there seemed to be two people standing in front of him. One of them was dressed in green, and behind him stood a taller person dressed in purple.
Renshijia's fiery temper and arrogance were completely worn away; now he was filled with fear, kowtowed several times, and wept:
"Greetings, Abbot!"
'All done!'
Dang Jiang was overjoyed. The fact that he had managed to cleverly deal with these major troubles all at once today meant that he had mastered the main power within the Azure Lotus Seal.
'Now we'll add a prison, and there are even more spots available to attract people…'
He felt very pleased inside, but said it very calmly:
"He's all ready. Bring him to the Hall of Inheritance to see me."
The man in purple behind him also looked down at him, his face showing a complex mix of emotions: pity, disbelief at what he was seeing, and above all, deep excitement and horror.
This person is none other than Murong Yan!
In order to subdue these two, Nu Yan, Dang Jiang, and Wu Mu carefully considered and designed every step perfectly. Ren Shi Jia's throw seemed unintentional, but it was something the two had planned long ago. It was not only to throw him down to get rid of his arrogance, but also to make an example of him and show it to Murong Yan!
Nu Yan held the bowl while anxiously watching Maha, inwardly sneering:
"By showing the arrogant to the cautious, one can stabilize people's hearts; by praising those who came first, one can demonstrate to those who came later, thus ensuring a proper order of merit... In terms of spiritual practice, I am not as talented as you, Rinchen, but in terms of manipulating people's hearts, how can you, Rinchen, compare to my two hundred years of experience teaching in the secular world?"
Sure enough, after a while, the darkness before his eyes had dissipated considerably, and he thought to himself:
'No wonder! Luckily I prayed at the door, otherwise they wouldn't just have beaten me senseless, they'd probably have killed me!'
He felt extremely fortunate, took several deep breaths, and his gaze towards the monk beside him was genuinely filled with gratitude. He quickly said:
"Let's go... let's go, don't keep the adults waiting."
So they escorted him all the way down to the Hall of Inheritance. Nu Yan stood guard at the door, Ren Shi Jia and Murong Yan knelt down, while Dang Jiang sat high in the center, expressionless, feeling extremely pleased.
'Excellent! This Slave Flame is quite talented... truly fitting.'
Even after they had both knelt down, he simply waved his hand and smiled:
"There is one more person."
Then Minghui hurriedly entered and bowed in the hall.
Dangjiang glanced at him. Although he didn't find the other person's appearance particularly striking, his eyes seemed familiar, especially that furtive gaze. For some reason, it felt strangely familiar and endearing. He couldn't help but stroke his chin, thinking to himself:
'What a young monk, but he's too thin and frail; he doesn't look fortunate.'
He glanced at it a couple more times, then recounted his previous words. With the two World Honored Ones in the hall as witnesses, the three people in the hall naturally kowtowed repeatedly, overjoyed. They then heard that a great calamity was about to befall them, and they roughly understood what was going on.
'So it was the adults at the top who started the fight…'
Renjiga thought it was simple, but Minghui's expression changed slightly. However, they both accepted the ordination certificate, smeared it with their blood, and formally declared that their lives belonged to heaven.
Dang Jiang collected and examined them one by one, and gained some understanding in his heart:
'Murong Yan is ultimately a cultivator, and from a court background, so she uses only orthodox methods. Her sins amount to only seventeen. But this Ren Shijia… is actually similar to Wu Mu. It seems he is also in seclusion, but while Wu Mu is in seclusion for pleasure, he is genuinely cultivating his physical body…'
'And this Minghui… his sins flicker, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, but he has the most, and I don't know why…'
He set aside those concerns for the time being, and gave some instructions. Then he saw Murong Yan kneel down, kowtow several times, solemnly clasp her hands together, and respectfully say:
"There is only one thing I do not understand!"
Dangjiang secretly raised an eyebrow.
'I knew this guy was no ordinary person; he was bound to have something to say. Sure enough, he's caused me trouble!'
However, having already faced the Dharma head-on, how could he fear him? Dangjiang simply clasped his hands together and laughed:
"explain."
Murong Yan faced the ground and said softly:
"Those who follow the Dao lineage should know their origins and ancestors. The World-Honored One had three directions: left, right, and center. Ancient practitioners revered the north, while modern practitioners venerate the center. May I ask the abbot, is my Great Wu Xuan Tian... in the north... in the center... or...?"
"The Way of the Buddha?!"
Upon hearing this, Ren Shijia also raised his head with great interest, while Nu Yan and Wu Mu, who were standing on either side of the palace gate, were also startled and pricked up their ears to listen.
Only Minghui looked troubled; although she was equally curious, she also frowned with some worry.
Dangjiang didn't need to look much to guess the look in these people's eyes; he knew he had to make a statement about this matter today. He simply raised his eyebrows and smiled, saying:
"Oh? Do you think I'm in the north, or in the center?"
Murong Yan seemed to have confirmed some suspicion; the understanding in her eyes grew even brighter. The monk, having shed his ugly body, now appeared heroic. He moved his lips but couldn't speak. Then Minghui, with his hands clasped together, suddenly looked up and said:
"My path lies in the south."
Dangjiang looked at him with a smile, and said, putting his knowledge to good use:
“Go on.”
This seemed to give Minghui even more confidence, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
To put it bluntly, upon learning that the World-Honored One was backing this world, this disciple of Shanle Dao began to ponder various matters. Combining the other party's words, he now had almost formed his own set of ideas. He slowly straightened up and said softly:
“This humble monk reads the scriptures in the temple. In the past, Da Zhi Chan Tian Can Yan Shan attained enlightenment. He meditated for seventy-six days and was regarded as the World-Honored One. He was inspired by the heavens and attracted the thirty-three lands. He also widely spread the method of physiognomy and taught the true spirits to verify it, thus laying the foundation for the Buddhist land.”
"At that time, all the Dharma Masters urged him to establish a position of honor for Him, to stand alongside the True World-Honored One, and to be considered one of the patriarchs of the Buddha. However, Tian Canyan had already attained enlightenment, and said: 'My Way has two teachers, one ancient and one modern, three patriarchs in the human realm, and the supreme Pure Land, standing on either side. The practice of upholding the Way is not for today, but for the karmic entanglements of the past, which will be exhausted within a twelve-year cycle.'"
Ren Shijia seemed to remember something, and a vague understanding dawned on him. His eyes suddenly burned with intense emotion, while Murong Yan remained calm and respectfully said:
“Then a disciple pressed him for an answer, and the Middle World-Honored One said: ‘The Three Patriarchs are in the North, the Central, and the South. I was born in Zhongnan Mountain and died in Canshan Mountain. I can be the Middle World-Honored One.’ The disciple still wanted to ask, but he did not answer again.”
"The ancient and modern teachers of Buddhism are clearly distinguished by their respective characteristics; they are the Northern Buddha and the Central Buddha... However, there is still a dispute about the Southern Buddha. After the Central Buddha passed away, whenever a Buddha appeared, the practitioners would argue whether it was the Southern Buddha... I don't know how many times this has happened..."
He paused, then changed the subject, saying:
"Afterwards, Tianjue Suxi Kong received a radiant light and became the World Honored One. Shakyamuni Lize attained the twelve golden grounds and established his form. All the Dharma signs urged him to establish a position of honor for him, but he refused to appear. However, he privately believed that this time it would be the right one, so they all called him the Southern World Honored One."
"He was very displeased with these words. Once, while discussing the Dharma with his disciples, He said: 'My position is not that of a teacher of the past and present. I cannot be named with a name that is not in accordance with the Dharma, nor can I be established with an improper self. If we were to establish a venerable one, I could be on the right, Shakyamuni on the left, and both would be placed below the center.'"
"The records of the other factions should end here..."
Minghui looked up and said:
"But in my temple there is a fragment of a sutra, which says: When the disciple questioned the Buddha of the South, Tianjue Suxikong said: [I stand in the south of the center, north of the south. The Buddha of the South is the future teacher, who has stood for a period of time, and is now in the future.]"
"The Buddha himself said that there were two teachers, one ancient and one modern, so how could there be a future teacher? The [fragmentary scripture] repeatedly mentions two teachers, one ancient and one modern, sometimes saying 'northern,' sometimes saying 'central,' which is self-contradictory. Although it was widely circulated and said to have been written by Shakyamuni himself, it was criticized as erroneous and later destroyed. When it fell from the hands of the compassionate Mahayana to my master, only one or two pages remained..."
This seemed to be beyond Murong Yan's expectations. For the first time, a look of shock and contemplation appeared in his eyes. It seemed that even someone of his royal status couldn't read a book of this level. Minghui's eyes trembled slightly, as if he were observing the expression of the person above him, and he continued:
"During the debate at Baohua Mountain, Tianjue and Tian Shajiali parted on bad terms, and from then on, no one mentioned the Southern Buddha again. Even if someone did, they only dared to refer to the one mentioned today."
Oh, Lord!
Minghui suddenly knelt down and bowed, saying:
“In the past, I could not understand the ‘Incomplete Scripture’ and thought it contradicted the old books, so I dismissed it as fallacy. Now, after seeing the Boundless Mysterious Heaven, I have suddenly realized how short-sighted I was!”
He was incredibly audacious, and said:
"That person claims to be the Southern World-Honored One, but this disciple believes he is not. Xuan Tian has the wish to pacify the seven aspects, to eliminate the old and bring about the new, to relieve suffering and distress, and to spread the Way to others. This is the Way of the Southern World-Honored One, and the actions of the future Master. Therefore, this disciple dares to make a guess..."
"The Lord of Xuantian is the true Southern World Honored One!"