After the golden Buddha light flashed, Gu Qingfeng found himself in a strange place once more.
To be precise, at the foot of a mountain.
No.
Not a mountain.
But a colossal Buddha statue.
The statue was solemn and dignified, its eyes slightly closed as it sat cross-legged. One hand was held vertically before its chest, while the other palm supported a dilapidated treasure pagoda.
What the hell kind of place was this now?
Was it still that ancient ruin?
Yes.
It was still that ancient ruin, but he was no longer inside the pagoda itself. Because Gu Qingfeng realized that the pagoda being supported on the palm of this Buddha statue was the very same pagoda he had just been inside.
"Mount Sumeru hides a mustard seed; a mustard seed contains Mount Sumeru," Gu Qingfeng mused with a sigh. "No wonder people often say the Buddha Dharma is boundless."
Previously, hearing Bai Chou and Gu Tong say that many senior experts had entered the Forbidden Land and never returned, Gu Qingfeng had assumed it was due to the ruin's profound mysteries. Only upon arriving here now did he realize he had underestimated this ruin. This damn ruin wasn't just profound anymore—'Mount Sumeru hides a mustard seed; a mustard seed contains Mount Sumeru'—it was like stuffing the vast Mount Sumeru into a tiny rapeseed.
Under such circumstances, how could one possibly get out?
However.
What puzzled Gu Qingfeng was that, judging from the current situation, this should be a Buddhist Sect ruin. But why would a perfectly good Buddhist Sect ruin manifest in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm?
And from which era did this Buddhist Sect ruin originate?
In Gu Qingfeng's memory, the Buddhist Sect had long been in decline. Forget the Current Era; even in the Ancient Era, Buddhist disciples who taught and transformed sentient beings were rare across the myriad heavens and worlds. As for the Primal Era, it was said the Buddhist Sect had once universally delivered all beings. In other words, if a Buddhist Sect ruin appeared, it was inevitably a product of the Primal Era, or perhaps even earlier.
Moreover, this Buddha statue looked rather extraordinary, possessing a certain aura reminiscent of a Mingwang. Could this damn thing be some low-key Mingwang from the Buddha Path?
Just as Gu Qingfeng was pondering this, a furious shout suddenly rang out.
"Little brat, you've got quite the nerve! You dare trespass on a sacred Buddhist site?"
Hmm?
Hearing the voice, Gu Qingfeng looked around and spotted a figure atop the Buddha statue's head. It seemed to be a monk—a monk with a large head and big ears, a very fat physique, draped in a greasy kasaya robe. One hand was stuffing a roasted delicacy into his mouth, while the other held a jar of wine. He looked thoroughly drunk.
"Little brat! Watch how this Buddha Uncle deals with you!"
The fat monk, still holding the delicacy in his mouth, freed one hand and abruptly pushed out a palm. Golden Buddha light instantly erupted, transforming into a massive Buddha palm that shot toward Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng leaped into the air, neither dodging nor evading, and directly collided with it. With a *pfft* sound, the enormous Buddha palm instantly dissipated into nothingness.
The fat monk standing atop the Buddha statue's head was shocked to see the Buddha palm he had unleashed vanish so inexplicably. He stared as if he had seen a ghost, momentarily frozen in place.
"Little monk, you look awfully familiar to me!"
Gu Qingfeng strolled through the void toward him, squinting his eyes as he examined the fat monk. The more he looked, the more familiar he seemed, as if he had seen him somewhere before. Thinking carefully, it seemed he remembered something, and he chuckled. "You're that Monk Bu'er, aren't you?"
"You!" The fat monk's face paled dramatically. Even the delicacy fell from his mouth. His eyes bulged, his mouth agape as he pointed at Gu Qingfeng. "Who are you? How do you know this Buddha Uncle's name?"
"Well, well! It really is you, kid." The smile on Gu Qingfeng's lips grew even more pronounced. "I thought I might have recognized the wrong person at first."
Gu Qingfeng could never have imagined he would encounter that Monk Bu'er from the Mortal Realm here. To be honest, his memory wasn't particularly good, especially after his nirvanic rebirth—it kept getting worse. Sometimes he couldn't recall many things. However, this Monk Bu'er had left a deep impression on him back then, particularly his large-headed, big-eared appearance and that greasy kasaya robe, which were quite memorable.
"You! Just who are you? Do you know this Buddha Uncle?"
"Can't say I know you, just met a few times, that's all," Gu Qingfeng said with a laugh. "What's the matter? Don't you remember me?"
Monk Bu'er scrutinized Gu Qingfeng carefully, looking him up and down with caution. "This Buddha Uncle finds you very familiar."
"Familiar? That's about right." After Gu Qingfeng's latest nirvanic rebirth, his appearance had changed. It had become more ordinary, more plain—the kind of face you wouldn't remember after one glance, the kind you'd forget as soon as you closed your eyes. No wonder Monk Bu'er couldn't recall who he was just by looking; even Gu Qingfeng himself wouldn't have much impression looking at his own reflection.
"Who are you, really!" Monk Bu'er stared at Gu Qingfeng, looking him over repeatedly. The more he looked, the more familiar he felt, yet strangely, he just couldn't remember. There was no impression in his mind at all. Seeing Gu Qingfeng walking toward him, Monk Bu'er shouted, "This Buddha Uncle doesn't care who you are! I advise you to leave this place if you know what's good for you. Otherwise, this Buddha Uncle will make you regret it!"
"Oh, you've grown some skill." Gu Qingfeng took a single step and appeared directly atop the Buddha statue's head, startling Monk Bu'er so much he instantly leaped into the air, hovering in the void.
Gu Qingfeng teased with a playful smile. "I'd like to see today just how you plan to make me regret it."
"Hey! You little brat, you really think this Buddha Uncle can't handle you?" Monk Bu'er casually tossed away his wine jar. Sacred and vast Buddha light erupted wildly from his entire body. Raising both arms, in an instant, countless Buddha palms blotted the sky as they assaulted Gu Qingfeng.
"Oh ho! Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm." Gu Qingfeng simply sat down casually on the Buddha statue's head, pulled out a wine jar, and started drinking, allowing Monk Bu'er's Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palms to strike his body without resistance. He nodded in approval. "Not bad. Has a bit of flavor to it."
Discovering that his Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm couldn't budge the other party in the slightest, Monk Bu'er could hardly believe his eyes. He roared and unleashed other divine abilities. Unfortunately, they were still useless. Then, Monk Bu'er summoned his own magic treasures, but they were equally ineffective.
No matter how profound the divine abilities he unleashed, no matter how powerful the magic treasures he summoned, they were all useless. Either they couldn't move him, or they mysteriously malfunctioned, or Gu Qingfeng casually swatted them to pieces with a single slap. Even the kasaya robe he was so proud of, when thrown over, was treated like trash by Gu Qingfeng and casually tossed aside.
At this point, Monk Bu'er was completely dumbfounded. Not beaten dumb, but dumbfounded by his own attacks.
He stood in the void, his face pale. After fighting for so long, he was somewhat exhausted, panting heavily as he stared at Gu Qingfeng in disbelief. "Just who are you?"
"Guess." Gu Qingfeng looked at Monk Bu'er with a smiling, amused expression. "Little monk, you're not simple. I only remember you having a Buddha Path Mandate before, and you seemed to be a Tribulation-Bearer. After not seeing you for ten thousand years, you've changed quite a bit. Seems you've gained another Heavenly Mandate, and something else I don't recognize. Come on, don't hold back. Summon it out, let me broaden my horizons."