Miao Tathagata's existence was uniquely favored by heaven and earth, especially his body, which could be called the supreme Great Buddha's creation. Even the one hailed as the Living Buddha of the world, Da Xing, probably couldn't hold a candle to him. Even someone like Cang Yan, the Lord of Langya who possessed the dual destinies of Immortal and Demon, felt a tinge of envy.
In legend, from the moment Miao Tathagata emerged from his mother's womb, there were strange celestial phenomena. Winds and clouds shifted, all the brilliant colors of nature bloomed for him, the radiance of the Great Sun enveloped him, purple qi arrived from the east, dragons and phoenixes heralded auspiciousness, and sacredness descended amidst the ever-changing Samsara.
Such signs were comparable to the birth of a sage.
What was even more uncanny was that the moment Miao Tathagata was born and touched the ground, he could walk. Moreover, with each step he took, lotuses bloomed beneath his feet. After taking seven steps, seven lotuses had bloomed, each lotus like a Saha World, truly embodying the saying 'lotuses bloom with every step'.
Was that all?
Of course not.
It was said that after Miao Tathagata took those seven steps, he pointed one finger to the sky and one finger to the earth, speaking to himself, uttering eight words: 'In heaven and on earth, I alone am worthy of respect.'
Some said Miao Tathagata was the reincarnation of the Tathagata.
That claim was no small matter.
One must know that the two words 'Tathagata' are the supreme honorific title in the Buddhist path.
For example, the famous Five Great Wisdom Kings are such.
The Immovable Wisdom King is the Great Sun Tathagata Buddha; the Trailokyavijaya Wisdom King is the Akshobhya Tathagata Buddha; the Kundali Wisdom King is the Ratnasambhava Tathagata Buddha; the Yamantaka Wisdom King is the Amitayus Tathagata Buddha; and the Vajrayaksha Wisdom King is the Amoghasiddhi Tathagata Buddha.
Beyond that, Tathagata also carries another meaning. In Buddhism, by continuously accumulating good causes, one finally achieves Buddhahood, hence the name Tathagata, meaning the True Body Tathagata. Furthermore, the two words 'Tathagata' also represent the past and the future.
Whether the various legends about Miao Tathagata were true or false, no one knew.
However,
one thing was certain: Miao Tathagata's existence was absolutely a hegemon within the Western Heaven Buddhist path. Calling him a hegemon of this Great Desolate Heaven and Earth would not be an exaggeration.
As was well known,
the Nine Heavens had an Immortal Emperor named the Radiant Emperor of the Great Sun, who once transformed into a Great Sun, illuminating the Nine Underworlds and suppressing all demons, ghosts, and monsters.
His existence was hailed as the incarnation of Great Sun radiance.
His Great Sun divine abilities were acclaimed as number one in the Great Desolate.
Within heaven and earth, there might be many who could transform into a Great Sun, whether a true Great Sun or a false one—in short, there were many.
But the only one who could illuminate the Nine Underworlds with Great Sun radiance was the Radiant Emperor of the Great Sun.
What kind of place were the Nine Underworlds?
That was the Land of Supreme Yin, the sacred ground of demons, ghosts, and monsters.
Before the Radiant Emperor of the Great Sun, no one had ever done such a thing, nor had they even thought that one day the Great Sun would illuminate the Nine Underworlds.
Some said the Radiant Emperor of the Great Sun transforming into a Great Sun to illuminate the Nine Underworlds was absolutely unprecedented and would remain unmatched.
Many people believed this.
Only with the appearance of Miao Tathagata was the myth of the Radiant Emperor of the Great Sun broken, because Miao Tathagata had also transformed into a Great Sun to deliver the souls from the Nine Underworlds.
That's right!
Deliverance!
Not only that.
This Miao Tathagata also severed the Nine Underworlds Sacred Stele. After severing it, he left an inscription on the broken stele, words so arrogant they could not be more arrogant.
'All demons and monsters are but ants, the Lord of the Underworld clings to life fearing reincarnation, to sever all darkness and deliver the Nine Underworlds, only I, the Buddha Miao Tathagata, can.'
Not only did he scorn all demons, ghosts, and monsters as insignificant as ants, he also despised the Lord of the Nine Underworlds for being greedy for life and afraid of death, not daring to enter the cycle of reincarnation. He even boasted wildly, saying who could sever all darkness and deliver the Nine Underworlds? Only he, the Buddha Emperor Miao Tathagata of the Western Heaven.
These lines could be described as the height of arrogance.
They truly matched the eight words Miao Tathagata uttered with lotuses blooming at each step at his birth: 'In heaven and on earth, I alone am worthy of respect.'
However,
Miao Tathagata's existence was far more than just this.
He was also a person of Original Sin.
And he was an Innate Original Sin.
He had also fused with Original Sin blood, probably more than one drop.
Most terrifyingly, this fellow was also an Anomaly.
Although Cang Yan was not a person of Original Sin, her understanding of Original Sin was no less than that of Original Sin persons, perhaps even greater.
She knew that for Original Sin persons, what mattered was the Original Sin body.
The first stage was the Original Sin Incarnation.
The second stage was the Original Sin Retribution Body.
The third stage was the Original Sin Response Body.
The fourth stage was the Original Sin Dharmakaya.
Although there were many Original Sin persons in heaven and earth, most were Acquired Original Sin.
Although some of these Acquired Original Sin possessed terrifyingly powerful strength, they at least still possessed self-awareness.
Moreover, it was almost impossible for Acquired Original Sin to cultivate an Original Sin Incarnation. Not just anyone could bear the weight of the words 'Original Sin'.
Innate Original Sin were not numerous, but neither were they few.
However,
not all Innate Original Sin could become an Original Sin Incarnation. Even if they became an Original Sin Incarnation, most went madly demonic. They possessed self-awareness but could no longer control it, and were devoid of any humanity, like walking corpses. None met a good end; committing too many evils, they were either eradicated or suppressed.
The second stage was the Original Sin Retribution Body. Whatever evil one committed while incarnating as Original Sin, one would receive the corresponding Original Sin Retribution Body. If the Original Sin Incarnation was the cause, then the Original Sin Retribution Body was the effect. This was evil receiving evil retribution.
The third stage was the Original Sin Response Body. Once Original Sin entered this stage, there was almost no self-awareness left, like a mass of chaos. And one would sink deeper and deeper, with sins growing heavier and heavier.
There were not many Original Sin Incarnations in heaven and earth, and Original Sin Response Bodies were even rarer. Because the Great Dao, this heaven and earth, fundamentally could not tolerate Original Sin, nor would it allow an existence like the Original Sin Response Body to threaten all living beings. Their fate, even if not eradicated by those Great Dao experts, would be judged by the Great Dao itself.
The fourth stage was the Original Sin Dharmakaya. Upon entering this stage, a completely new self-awareness would gestate. However, this self-awareness already belonged to Original Sin's self-awareness. If Original Sin was the Great Dao, then the Original Sin Dharmakaya was like a seed within the Great Dao, a seed that would take root and sprout.
The Original Sin Dharmakaya was an extremely terrifying existence.
Others might not know.
But Cang Yan knew that throughout ancient and modern times, those who could achieve the Original Sin Dharmakaya were all existences with far-reaching power and influence. Moreover, these all possessed strength capable of destroying heaven and earth. Let alone Great Dao experts being unable to eradicate them, even the judgment of the Great Dao might not necessarily be able to judge them.
Precisely because of this,
throughout ancient and modern times, almost all Original Sin Dharmakayas had been cast into the Guixu by Genggu Wuming.
Quite coincidentally,
the Buddha Emperor Miao Tathagata of the Western Heaven before them was precisely an Original Sin Dharmakaya.
"Lady Tianji, you've truly made me search for quite a while."
From the air came the voice of Miao Tathagata.
Here,
it was like a wondrous dharma Samsara Buddha world.
A golden Great Sun slowly rotated like a Buddhist prayer wheel. That towering golden Buddha statue seated there was like the Buddha Lord of this Buddha world.
Countless Buddhas paid homage in the sky, countless Buddhist scriptures chanted.
Miao Tathagata sat upon the palm of the golden Buddha statue. His voice came forth like a sacred sound, shaking the souls of all living beings, making people feel fear.
He opened his eyes. His eyes were like the Great Sun, as if illuminating heaven and earth, burning with flames within, as if delivering all living beings.
In this wondrous dharma Samsara Buddha world, Cang Yan and Genggu Wuming, sitting within the pavilion, appeared incongruous compared to the countless Buddhas paying homage in the sky.