"This place feels a bit off!"
After entering, Da Xing the Mad Monk stared with wide, bull-like eyes at the chaotic vortex swirling in the air, its golden-red radiance also leaving him full of confusion. He sent out his divine sense to probe the area, but just like Gu Qingfeng, he found nothing. He took off his tattered hat, rubbed his bald head, and asked, "What the hell is going on here? Why does it feel like there's a sun hidden inside?"
"You feel that too?"
"Yeah, but I just probed and couldn't detect anything. And besides... this place looks exactly like a sunset scene from the mortal world. When I first came in, I thought I was hallucinating."
Gu Qingfeng carefully probed the area once more, yet still found nothing.
Just as he was about to wander around this ruin to see what was going on, a voice rang out, saying, "So that's why it looked so familiar. It's the Great Sage Monk Da Xing!"
Hmm?
Gu Qingfeng looked in the direction of the voice and was surprised to see a group of over ten people flying toward them.
These ten-plus individuals looked rather strange.
The majority were monks whose bodies shimmered with golden light. To be precise, these were not ordinary monks but Golden Body Arhats of the Western Heaven Buddha Dao.
A small portion were enlightened senior monks draped in kasayas.
The leader's gender was unclear—possessing a handsome, peerless appearance and an aura of Buddha-nature that was vast and profound.
"Good heavens! It's actually Pure Robe Bodhisattva!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk's voice came through. Gu Qingfeng was puzzled and asked, "Bodhisattva? Who are you talking about? That pretty boy up front?"
"Don't be fooled by appearances. That old fellow is no pretty boy. He's an elder of the Pure Land Sect and also one of the Eight Marvelous Dharma Bodhisattvas under Miaorulai. He's a sinister and ruthless character!"
"Is that so?"
Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, sighing inwardly at the boundless wonders of heaven and earth.
Those who cultivate Buddhism aren't necessarily monks. Among the eight Buddhist sects, not many strictly adhere to tonsure and ascetic practice. Gu Qingfeng had met Buddhist cultivators who weren't monks at all; not only were they not monks, he had even seen plenty of demons, ghosts, and monsters who cultivated Buddhism, with quite a few achieving enlightenment.
What truly made him sigh was the title of 'Bodhisattva'.
To be honest.
He hadn't met many Bodhisattvas in his life. In his imagination, Bodhisattvas of the Buddha Dao should be like the great compassionate Guanyin, or like Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva who vowed not to attain Buddhahood until hell was emptied. Even if not supremely compassionate, they should at least be like Da Xing the Mad Monk's senior brother, White Brow Sage Monk, an enlightened senior monk who saves all living beings.
When he previously met Da Xing the Mad Monk's junior sister, who was said to be a Bodhisattva, Gu Qingfeng could somewhat reluctantly accept it. But now Da Xing the Mad Monk was saying this pretty boy was also a damn Bodhisattva? Gu Qingfeng really couldn't accept it. What felt most ironic and somewhat amusing was that Da Xing the Mad Monk said this so-called Pure Robe Bodhisattva was a sinister and ruthless character.
This was truly ironic.
How the hell could someone like that become a Bodhisattva?
Perhaps sensing Gu Qingfeng's disdain and mockery, Da Xing the Mad Monk opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but ultimately sighed and said nothing.
If they had encountered other scum of the Western Heaven, Da Xing the Mad Monk could have explained that the Buddha Dao was no longer what it once was, and the Western Heaven was no longer the Western Heaven of old.
But now appearing before them was Pure Robe Bodhisattva, under Miaorulai and also an elder of the Pure Land Sect. In terms of seniority, even Da Xing the Mad Monk didn't dare act arrogantly. Using the excuse that the Buddha Dao wasn't what it used to be would seem far too forced.
Moreover.
The title 'Bodhisattva', while not a Heavenly Mandate, was also no empty honorific. It was a fruition achieved by Buddhist cultivators through verifying the Dao, attaining Bodhi. Even those ancient Immortal Kings from the great powers and blessed lands of the Great Desolation, who had cultivated for who knows how many years, wouldn't dare act presumptuously before a Bodhisattva.
"So it's Pure Robe Bodhisattva. My apologies for the disrespect."
Seeing Pure Robe Bodhisattva and the others flying over, Da Xing the Mad Monk quickly stepped forward and said, "When did you emerge from seclusion? You should have given a heads-up. This old monk could have prepared a welcoming feast to wash away the dust of your journey."
At the end of the Ancient Era, nearly all the famous experts among the Three Thousand Great Daos chose to enter secluded cultivation or slumber. The Buddha Dao was no exception.
"How could I trouble the Living Buddha, Great Sage Monk Da Xing, with such hospitality?"
Pure Robe Bodhisattva responded with a faint smile.
Pure Robe Bodhisattva was an elder of the Pure Land Sect, while Da Xing the Mad Monk was a disciple of the Chan Sect. The Pure Land Sect could now be considered the hegemon of the Western Heaven, whereas the Chan Sect had somewhat declined. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Western Heaven no longer had any place for the Chan Sect; it had almost been expunged from the eight Buddhist sects.
In the Current Era, the Pure Land Sect had one ancestral patriarch after another awakening from seclusion, one Bodhisattva after another appearing.
In contrast, the Chan Sect had no one besides White Brow Sage Monk, Da Xing the Mad Monk, and his junior sister, Water Moon Bodhisattva.
That wasn't the important part.
The important part was that the Pure Land Sect and the Chan Sect had always been mortal enemies. Especially Da Xing the Mad Monk. Despite bearing the title of 'Living Buddha', he was not well-regarded in the Western Buddha Dao. Not only was he not welcomed, he could be considered a thorn in the side of the Pure Land Sect. The reason was simple: the Pure Land Sect had always wanted to dominate the Western Heaven. Among the eight Buddhist sects, only the Chan Sect consistently opposed this. Da Xing the Mad Monk was the loudest voice among them. Beating up disciples of the Pure Land Sect was the least of it; he had even defecated and urinated in the main hall of the Pure Land Sect.
Hence the name 'Mad Monk'.
The two met, exchanging words that seemed simple on the surface, but each sentence carried hidden killing intent and concealed blades.
"I heard the ruins of your Chan Sect are destined to emerge within this Primordial Black Hole. I wonder if that's true."
Pure Robe Bodhisattva's casual remark struck right at Da Xing the Mad Monk's weak spot.
Da Xing the Mad Monk knew very well that the Pure Land Sect had long coveted the ruins of their Chan Sect—more precisely, they coveted a secret treasure of the Chan Sect.
That secret treasure was not only crucial to their Chan Sect but also of paramount importance to the entire Western Heaven Buddha Dao. If the Pure Land Sect obtained it, the consequences would be unthinkable.
This was also the true purpose of Da Xing the Mad Monk's journey to the Primordial Black Hole. For this, he had even dragged Gu Qingfeng along, hoping to make the Pure Land Sect somewhat apprehensive.
It's just that this move by Da Xing the Mad Monk had become increasingly chaotic, so chaotic that he no longer knew how to proceed.
"That's right. The ruins of our Chan Sect will definitely emerge within the Primordial Black Hole."
Da Xing the Mad Monk grinned and said, "When the time comes, if they do emerge, I hope Pure Robe Bodhisattva and all you esteemed monks will do me the honor and come as guests. This old monk will definitely treat you all properly then."
"Oh?"
Pure Robe Bodhisattva seemed not to have expected Da Xing the Mad Monk to say this. He was slightly taken aback, then stared at Da Xing the Mad Monk with a smile, not speaking.
"By the way, I heard Emperor Buddha Miaorulai has also come this time? Don't forget to tell him. When the time comes, you can all come hand-in-hand to visit the ruins of our Chan Sect. If that's not enough, call all those ancestral patriarchs of your Pure Land Sect who have awakened from seclusion. Every single one of them, come as many as you can. This old monk will definitely take good care of you all then, making sure you're well-fed and satisfied!"