readytorunbook Chapter 1165 The Buddha has no form, but the true Buddha has form.
Chapter 1165 The Buddha has no form, but the true Buddha has form.
The great battle has finally begun.
This is a great battle between the strongest beings in the Buddhist kingdom and the power of all living beings.
The Buddha, relying on the power of all living beings, became the sole ruler of this Western Desert Buddhist Kingdom, and even became an existence that was almost indelible in this world. But now, his actions have caused a backlash from the power of all living beings, and a life-or-death battle has begun with his former source of power.
Do you really think that I, the Buddha, am someone you can shake?
Seeing that the old sword saint was not fooled, the Buddha finally gritted his teeth, and the golden light around him suddenly surged, breaking free from the invisible net covering him.
Amidst this dazzling golden light, the Buddha statue's body swelled up, instantly transforming into a thousand-foot-tall golden body, overflowing with illusory Buddha light. Three thousand hands stretched out behind it like a peacock spreading its tail, each palm holding a compassionate yet indifferent Buddha eye.
Upon closer inspection, however, the golden body is covered with fine cracks, like porcelain that has been forcibly glued together, and each crack emanates an unsettling dark red light.
The colossal statue confronting it was not a physical entity, but a humanoid silhouette formed by countless rays of light. Its form constantly shifted between that of a warrior, a farmer, a craftsman, and a woman, each transformation bringing a different kind of oppressive aura.
That is the embodiment of the anger and prayers of the people of the Western Desert over the past three thousand years.
The giant's eyes were not two, but countless, each reflecting a different life, and countless gazes converged into a light of truth that could pierce through falsehood.
"Ignorant mortals." The Buddha's voice was like the resounding of ten thousand bells, yet it carried a sharp, metallic edge: "If it weren't for this Buddha, you would have long since become withered bones in the desert. How could you be suffering this backlash today?"
The giant did not answer, but responded with a roar that shook the heavens and the earth.
That was the convergence of the voices of all people. They once believed in Buddhism and longed for bliss, but the Buddha wanted to strengthen their own flesh and blood, causing their faith to collapse and resentment to grow. Now, facing the Buddha's words, their roars converged into a tangible sound wave, crashing forward.
The Buddha snorted coldly, and his thousand hands simultaneously formed a hand seal, creating a huge swastika that appeared out of thin air and stood in front of him.
The moment the two forces collided, the world lost its color.
First came silence, absolute silence, a silence so profound you could hear your own heartbeat.
Then there is light.
Pure white light engulfed everything, spreading outwards from the center of the Western Desert. Wherever it passed, sand dunes were melted into glass, and the walls of the Buddha Light Temple were reduced to dust.
When the white light faded, the entire Holy Temple had turned to ashes, leaving only a dilapidated temple that looked extremely ancient.
If the Sword Saint hadn't intervened at the crucial moment, the entire Tianyuan Sword Sect would likely have been affected. Looking down, they saw that the mortals below were still alive, but they were no longer roaring. Instead, they stood motionless like stone statues, many with blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.
The Buddha was also in bad shape. His golden body was covered with tiny cracks, like porcelain that might shatter at any moment. Even the Buddha's light emanating from his body had dimmed considerably.
"Stubborn!"
"Only by taking refuge in me can you be reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss!"
The Buddha snorted angrily, and the Buddha's light around him instantly surged. Then, centered on him, the Buddha's light seemed to spread out and envelop everyone in the blink of an eye. Those enveloped saw a real human world before their eyes, with the hardships of farming, the pain of parting, as well as the warmth of a baby's first cry and lovers embracing.
People in this place felt an urge to abandon everything, enter a monastery, and be reborn in paradise. Fortunately, at the critical moment, the Sword Saint intervened, unleashing a world-shaking sword aura that shattered the scene before everyone's eyes.
"Was that... the Supreme Realm?"
"Why is this Supreme Realm so strange? It makes me want to give up everything and stop caring about anything."
"What a weird power!"
Everyone awoke with a start, shocked by the Buddha's power and simultaneously invigorated by the Sword Saint's prowess. The Sword Saint, however, ignored the praise and merely gave Gu Xiu a strange look.
"You seem unaffected?"
"Perhaps my soul is stronger," Gu Xiu replied.
A powerful soul?
This is no ordinary soul attack, but the true power of the Supreme Realm, which cannot be dealt with simply by having a strong soul.
However, Gu Xiu was not an enemy, and the Sword Saint had no interest in probing his secrets. After nodding, he looked at the giant that had gathered the power of all living beings:
"Without the support of the power of all living beings, the Buddha was like a fire that had been cut off from the bottom of a pot. But this giant was just firewood after all. It was still not enough to fight against the Buddha who had been supported for so long."
Sure enough, in this Supreme Realm, the giant formed from the power of everyone began to thin out, and the mortals below were also gradually weakening. They remained motionless, but their faces were visibly pale.
"Is Master about to make a move?" Jian Er asked.
"Not urgent."
The old sword saint shook his head, glanced at the mortals below, and then looked up at the giant statue above:
“The Buddha’s teachings are boundless. Although the mortals of the Western Desert have been used as firewood, they have also been influenced by the Buddha’s teachings for many years. They are all people with wisdom and a deep understanding of Buddhist principles. Perhaps a true Buddha of the Western Desert will be born today.”
"It depends..."
"Is it the firewood that dries up, or the golden body in the fire that can't withstand it first?"
Everyone was surprised. They glanced at the giant formed from the power of all living beings in the sky and found that, even as the giant faded, it was faintly radiating golden light. Although it was weak, it truly possessed the power to materialize, as if some supreme power was being conceived and born.
And the cracks on the Buddha's golden body were actually increasing under the faint Buddha light.
This is a contest between two forces of Buddhist power.
"If another Buddha were to be born in the Western Desert, it might be detrimental to our Sword Sect." Sword Two frowned, somewhat worried.
Others nodded.
Although most people couldn't understand how the giant formed from the power of the masses took shape, they knew that if the Western Desert hadn't perished and instead a new Buddha had been born, it would probably become an enemy of the Sword Sect.
"You're wrong." The Sword Saint shook his head.
"If it is a false Buddha transformed from mortals, it will naturally have selfish desires and be bound by the seven emotions. But if it is a true Buddha transformed by the will of all living beings, then it will be a true Buddha. For my Sword Sect, or rather for my Vast Universe, it will not only be harmless, but also greatly beneficial!"
"It's just a pity..."
"The awakening of the desires of all beings came too late. It will probably not be easy for a true Buddha to succeed."
As if to confirm the Sword Saint's words, the giant was clearly weaker in the contest between the two Buddhist powers. As time went by, although the Buddhist light on his body became stronger and stronger, his body became weaker and weaker, as if he might dissipate into nothingness at any time.
"It seems that the Buddha is going to lose." Jian San sighed from the side.
Jian Yi also shook his head: "In the end, it was born too late. This Buddha has existed for quite some time, and he has already monopolized and absorbed all of Buddhism's resources. Even if the true Buddha were to be born, he would not be a match for him."
"Master, aren't you going to intervene?" Jian Wu asked.
“This is a battle between Buddhas, and no one else can interfere.” Jian Er shook his head: “Even if Master can kill that false Buddha, the true Buddha will collapse. From now on, there will be no more faith in the Western Desert, and the path of Buddhism will probably slowly disappear from the vast universe.”
"Is this... the demise of a path? Like some paths that have perished before, completely disappearing from the world?" Ye Wentian asked.
The Sword Saint nodded: "Buddha does not save people; people save themselves. If self-salvation fails, then this path will naturally disappear as well."
hiss--!
This concerns the demise of a path!
"What utter nonsense about the power of all living beings! You don't even exist, so how can you speak of becoming a Buddha!" While the crowd was discussing, the Buddha on the other side laughed, looking at the increasingly illusory figure opposite him, and said:
"You possess the appearance of all living beings, but all living beings are inherently complex and diverse. It is impossible for you to encompass all spirits. Only someone like me, who truly exists, can save all living beings!"
"you……"
"You can only become my firewood!"
As he spoke, he took another step forward. The cracks on his golden body increased, and even a wisp of black smoke rose from the golden light. This was a sign that his foundation was exhausted and he was turning to another path, indicating that his condition in this battle was very bad.
Compared to the Buddha, the giant formed from the combined power of all living beings was in a much worse state. Its original body was shrinking, and its illusory form had become semi-transparent. The Buddha's light, which it could barely resist before, was now extremely weak.
What's truly terrible is that the giant's face is constantly changing.
That is the appearance of all living beings.
But Buddha has no form!
He was born from the wishes of all beings, but he was also confused by their thoughts, making it impossible for him to truly unify them, let alone contend with the Buddha.
Its demise is inevitable.
Everyone who witnessed this sighed. It was already difficult enough for the power of all living beings to condense into a true Buddha, but now he was to be killed and destroyed at the very beginning of his birth. And his destruction represented the destruction of an entire lineage.
Just as everyone was sighing inwardly, Gu Xiu, who had been watching everything from the sidelines, suddenly asked the Sword Saint:
"Senior, is it really true that this True Buddha will not become an enemy?"
The old sword saint was puzzled as to why Gu Xiu asked this question, but still replied, "This is the convergence of the source of all living beings. It has no emotions or desires, no personal selfishness, and only cares about the human world. Since it does not exist in the first place, it will naturally not become an enemy."
Won't they become enemies?
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiu no longer hesitated.
With a flick of his wrist, he took out a mask.
That was a three-faced mask, the one Gu Xiu used to fish with a green bamboo pole. The wearer could obtain the three forms of the mask, which was clearly something lost by the Buddhist sect countless years ago.
However, the situation has changed. The entire mask is vibrating and has even become semi-transparent, seemingly on the verge of disappearing at any moment, just like the real Buddha.
This anomaly occurred the moment the true Buddha appeared; he was clearly being summoned continuously.
However, due to the bond between them, this item has never left Gu Xiu's control.
When Gu Xiu discovered it, he could roughly guess that if the true Buddha, formed from the power of all living beings, were to fail and the Buddhist tradition were to collapse, this object would likely also lose all its function along with the Buddhist tradition.
And so it vanished.
Even so, Gu Xiu had no intention of taking it out. Since losing a treasure was inevitable, he at least wanted to avoid creating a formidable enemy. But if it didn't create a formidable enemy, then there was nothing more to say.
"Go, three masks!"
"Since you originally belonged to the Buddhist community, it is time to return you to your rightful owner!"
With a flick of his wrist, Gu Xiu sent the already vibrating three-mask flying out of his hand and hurtling toward the giant phantom in the sky.
"Damn it, how could this thing..." The golden Buddha statue was immediately shocked and tried to raise its hand to stop it.
But to his utter surprise, the three masks completely ignored his golden hand, transforming into a streak of light that landed directly on the giant statue, and then directly on its face.
And the giant's face, which was constantly changing, was originally that of all living beings.
at this point.
Suddenly frozen in time!
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the face did not belong to any of the believers, but was a completely new face that seemed to combine all the characteristics of millions of believers.
The Buddha has no form!
now……
A true Buddha has a physical form!