Chapter 622: Buddha

"This isn't right, this is very wrong! I'm about to be discharged, and then this happens!"

In the empty corridor, Li Huowang paced anxiously, holding his phone to his ear.

"Don't talk to me about thought disorder. I'm not autistic; my thoughts aren't disordered! And I'm not having hallucinations; I recovered a long time ago!"

Hearing the voice on the phone, Li Huowang sighed, his voice suddenly much calmer. "I really want to be discharged, and I really don't want to be a psychiatric patient my whole life, but..."

As Li Huowang spoke, a look of struggle and pain crossed his face. "But everything on that ship felt so real, as if I had truly experienced it! I genuinely got that copper coin sword! And I genuinely had my arm bitten off by their bull terrier! But now they've all disappeared!"

At the end of the corridor, a few people from Li Huowang's group secretly poked their heads out, observing him.

"Look at him, still claiming he's not sick. I've seen plenty of this in the hospital; this is a classic case of schizophrenia," whispered a short-haired young man with mild mania.

"Doesn't seem like it. He talks so coherently. Without medication, how could a schizophrenic's mind be so sharp? I feel like it's more of a personality disorder; my previous bedmate had that condition."

Many were very curious about what exactly was wrong with this newcomer. Some even secretly bet snacks, finding a small way to alleviate the boredom within the monotonous psychiatric hospital.

"Dr. Yi, I'm really afraid that all my previous experiences were for nothing. I really... my mind is so confused right now. I don't know if it's real, and I'm genuinely hesitating."

"Alright, come over when you have a moment then. Thanks." Li Huowang hung up the phone, his brows furrowed as he paced the corridor.

Li Huowang had thought everything was finally getting back on track, but that inexplicable maritime experience had thrown his mind into chaos once more.

If it was all fake, just hallucinations from a period of thought disorder, then what kind of mental illness did he truly have? And was it even curable?

But if it was real...

Li Huowang hesitated again. He felt he was in serious trouble and had to handle it carefully.

If he didn't choose wisely, he might fall into even greater difficulty.

But what made Li Huowang despair was that, facing this situation, he genuinely didn't know what to do.

"Thump-thump-thump" – a strange sound came from outside the nearby window. Li Huowang walked over, and looking up, he saw the mighty army of Great Liang.

The dense sound of hooves and the overwhelming murderous aura emanating from the officers and soldiers made his entire body tense to the extreme.

Only by truly witnessing this scene could one grasp the sheer scale – an army of over ten thousand, stretching endlessly, let alone an imperial force.

"Where are these soldiers going?" Li Huowang asked in a low voice.

"They're not going anywhere. As long as these men are here to deter them, the Dharma Sect won't dare to lead a rebellion."

"Heh heh, even if they rebel, we're not afraid. The Flying Leopard Army can completely wipe out those heretics as soon as they move," Liu Zongyuan said, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Don't worry, it seems the higher-ups are also concerned about the changes in Great Qi. With them here, plus the spies and pawns of the Celestial Monitoring Bureau, we should be secure this time."

Hearing Liu Zongyuan's words, Li Huowang finally understood the purpose of dispatching so many military personnel here.

He now had a clear understanding of Gao Zhijian's influence. The Emperor of Great Liang was indeed not to be underestimated.

Sensing the undisguised gaze of Li Huowang and the others, a general immediately looked their way. But when he saw the waist tokens hanging from their belts, he promptly averted his eyes.

After the Great Liang soldiers had all passed by, Li Huowang turned to Foyulu beside him and said, "Never mind them. Let's quickly deal with this big problem."

He had to handle the problem of the Great Qi Dharma Sect properly. If he didn't, the entire Great Liang might fall into even greater trouble.

Immediately after, everyone mounted their horses and galloped towards Yinling City, intent on aiding the resistance against the Great Qi Dharma Sect.

Over the next few days of travel, the most significant change was undoubtedly in the three monks from Zhengde Temple. When Li Huowang first met them, Zen Master Chan Du, the abbot of Zhengde Temple, was as thin as a skeleton.

But now, after just a few vegetarian meals, his flesh had completely returned to normal, giving Li Huowang a new understanding of Zhengde Temple's divine powers.

"Fang Wen, besides being able to transform into a flesh-and-blood, thousand-armed Buddha, what other divine abilities did your Buddha grant you? In case we really encounter the Dharma Sect, it'd be good to know how we can coordinate."

Hearing Li Huowang's words, Zen Master Chan Du, the abbot of Zhengde Temple, released the reins on his horse, clasped his hands together, and said, "Amitābha. This humble monk has practiced Zen for sixty years and has reached the realm of Paranimmitavasavatti."

Li Huowang was completely bewildered by this. What was 'the realm of Paranimmitavasavatti'? This explanation was less helpful than no explanation at all.

"Fang Wen, can you explain it more simply? I'm quite a bit—"

Li Huowang's words were cut short when a black vulture descended from the sky. As their eyes met, Li Huowang saw a black-robed lama in the vulture's eyes.

Immediately after, Li Huowang saw the lama, with his right hand covered in age spots, holding a vajra scepter and pointing it towards his own forehead.

"Venerable Laobenji!"

The next moment, Li Huowang felt a chill in his heart, a sense of emptiness, as if he had lost something.

Just as Li Huowang expected something to happen to his body, he felt no abnormality.

"Swish!" Li Huowang swung the Purple Tassel Sword in his hand with force, instantly cutting the vulture in half. "Watch out, enemy attack!"

As his cry rang out, in an instant, vultures filled the sky, swooping down towards the other nine people.

Beside him, the abbot of Zhengde Temple swiftly clasped his hands together again. His body quickly passed through the saddle and merged with the horse.

But that wasn't all. After the three monks merged with their horses, their flesh and blood began to intertwine with each other.

The resulting mass of flesh and blood bore a resemblance to the "Buddha" Li Huowang had once seen at Zhengde Temple.

The Buddha had seven or eight pairs of arms, each forming mudras: Vajra Mudra, Lotus Mudra, Lion Mudra. Over a dozen mouths began chanting scriptures loudly.

"Residing in Tusita Heaven, proclaiming the Right Dharma, leaving that heavenly palace, descending as a spirit into his mother's womb, born from the right side, with the Buddha's wandering, opening the Dharma gate. Washing away defilements..."

The Buddhist scriptures chanted from the various mouths, some high, some low, blended together, making the chanting profoundly sacred and solemn.

As the Buddhist chant rapidly spread, the wings of the vultures filling the sky began to stick to their bodies, and their eyes glued to their eyelids. Immediately after, they fell from the sky like large stones.

Looking up at the compassionate face of the abbot within this Buddha, Li Huowang finally understood what 'the realm of Paranimmitavasavatti' truly meant.