Chapter 551: Inheritance (Additional Chapter for the Guild Leader Specialized in Combat Medicine)

The tense atmosphere utterly exploded.

Then, they considered the story of the Buddha sacrificing his flesh to feed a hawk, thereby converting it. This also found a clear explanation! Where in the world could one find free, safe meat? This was a way to convert the other party to the faith! Similarly, the Monkey King was also radiated, turning him into a devout follower who willingly joined the religion and learned the "radiation combat method"! Everyone gasped, realizing that by applying these concepts to ancient Chinese myths, they found reasonable and perfect explanations for everything!

The revelations from this instance were truly astounding! From the moment they entered the ancient temple and saw the two ancient Chinese characters for "Ksitigarbha," to the various ancient histories and even the truth behind the hidden cultivation system, everything was utterly shocking!

The group took a deep breath.

“This is an incredibly scientific explanation of ancient mythology... Modern people say that Buddhas are fake, non-existent, and unscientific. But that's because they don't understand! Modern scientific research simply hasn't gone deep enough! However, our physics can now barely begin to comprehend the principles of myths, much like how the Isuldar people used science to create the supernatural.”

Then, they all looked at Bai Xiaojun and got down to business. “What should we do next? Should we open that door or not?”

Bai Xiaojun's expression also grew anxious.

After painstakingly making their way in, they saw what appeared to be the remains of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Despite having been deceased for hundreds of millions of years, the corpse still emanated terrifying hellfire, engulfing the entire secret chamber. Other powerful beings likely dared not approach, unable to withstand the energy, and thus failed to obtain the inheritance, leaving only inscriptions outside.

“No need to say more, this is an inheritance!” Bai Xiaojun analyzed earnestly, “If I'm not mistaken, according to historical records, these ancient Buddhas should possess sarira... And sarira are their energy cores, their radiation sources. The faint golden glow emitted by sarira perfectly matches the characteristics... However, this particular inheritance is too overbearing; ordinary people simply couldn't handle it. Their cells would collapse, fester, and decay.”

The others nodded.

If it were a normal Buddha, emitting radiant positive energy radiation, taking it would at most lead to assimilation, making one the next Buddha, perhaps even called a "reincarnation of the Buddha." This is precisely why Buddha's sarira are passed down through generations, and perhaps also the origin of the "reincarnation" legend. It is said that with each fallen Buddha, a reincarnated Buddha would appear and be guided back. The most famous examples, like the Dragon-Subduing Arhat, Tiger-Taming Arhat, and Jin Chanzi, likely operated on this very principle! The more they thought about it, the clearer it became. Recalling the entire vast tapestry of Buddhist myths, they were utterly astonished; this perfectly explained the entire mythological system!

Bai Xiaojun's expression was solemn as he said, “However, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is too terrifying, too special! He is the only Hell Buddha, who fell into the 'demonic path' and cultivated the Buddha of Slaughter. His sarira is too horrific, imbued with too much ferocity and focused on killing. Ordinary people simply cannot bear it, otherwise it would have been taken long ago!”

Thinking of this, the others still found themselves at a loss. They guessed there must be sarira on the remains, but they couldn't just seize them. Because such an immense amount of radiation was beyond their endurance; carrying it would be a death sentence. There was once a news report about a man who found a highly radioactive metal bullet, used for experimental testing. Thinking it was beautiful, he put it in his pocket. Within ten minutes, he fainted and later had to undergo an amputation. This illustrates the terrifying nature of radiation energy.

“We can't take it... but we can't go back empty-handed. We have to try!” Bai Xiaojun gritted his teeth and told the others to step back. “I'll try to communicate and plead with him. This ancient being made a great vow, and we grew up hearing his deeds. As extraordinary individuals who once came from Earth, perhaps he will show leniency, as we are, after all, of the same origin.”

With that, Bai Xiaojun devoutly knelt to the ground with a soft thud and slowly bowed.

“Thus have I heard, at one time the Buddha was in the Trayastrimsa Heaven, speaking the Dharma for his mother. At that time, an unspeakable, unspeakable number of Buddhas and great Bodhisattvas-Mahasattvas from immeasurable worlds in the ten directions all gathered together. They praised Shakyamuni Buddha for being able to proclaim the Dharma in the evil world of the five turbidities...”

The others' eyes widened immediately, and they quickly took a few steps back. This person was truly bold. He actually knelt in the manner of accepting an inheritance or becoming a disciple, and he could even recite scriptures? This seemed to be the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Fundamental Vows Sutra. This guy was clearly a believer in real life, probably reciting it often.

“But will this really work?” someone nearby muttered, feeling very strange and finding it unbelievable, as their subconscious mind instinctively still regarded it as just a game. Others, not so foolish, wanted to try and emulate the bowing, but clearly lacked the knowledge to recite the sutras from memory. After all, if successful, it would mean inheriting the sarira, becoming a successor to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, with the identity of 'Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Reincarnated.' The opportunity from this instance was simply immense!

Bai Xiaojun prostrated himself with each step, slowly reciting the sutra with utmost devotion.

Meanwhile.

Seeing this, Xu Zhi immediately gasped, took off his sunglasses, and stood up. “This individual is formidable.”

“However, this person is indeed extraordinary; his mind is very open. He even conceived the prototype of this radiation system, making me vaguely feel that the Buddhist lineage is a special radiation energy system, and ancient myths seem to have hidden implications... So, in that case, I’ll give him a chance to try and forge a completely new path.” Xu Zhi pondered continuously. Although radiation is inherently destructive energy, transforming it into another form of positive energy radiation might require very deep research and may not even be possible. Yet, Xu Zhi had already seen the immense potential of a brand new cultivation system! “If a radiation system could truly come into being, it would undoubtedly be an incredibly powerful and overbearing cultivation method.”

Thinking this, Xu Zhi subtly raised his hand. “There’s no loss anyway, no harm in trying.”

Inside the ancient temple, ancient murals adorned both sides. Bai Xiaojun, step by step, devoutly and respectfully prostrated himself on the ground, reciting the sacred scriptures, and finally slowly pushed open the great door.

Creak!

The door instantly swung open. This time, the radiation source was countless times smaller, within a tolerable range, and no longer intensely stimulating that terrifying feeling of every cell screaming: 'Run!'

“It truly manifested...” Bai Xiaojun was incredibly excited, clenching his fists. “I knew it! There had to be a way to conquer this type of instance; it couldn't be unsolvable. And the other party is precisely one of Earth's ancient heroes, a great ancient deity. Beings from different eras came in, leaving inscriptions on the murals, but none received the inheritance... But we can inherit it! We are the true insiders. We are the continuous lineage.”

He continued to prostrate himself with each step, performing his devout worship. Suddenly, the remains stirred slightly, and a voice from ancient times reached their ears. It was Cantonese, surprisingly, and with a distinct accent.

“After hundreds of millions of years, a young person has actually come here? You recited the sutra very well; I am very fond of you.”

Swoosh!

With that, a line of sarira slowly floated up. They emitted a vibrant, shimmering five-colored aura, like an eternally existing, vast divine light. The smallest of them, gleaming golden, flew forward... And the entire skeleton once again became utterly still.

Thud!!

The great door closed with a thud, and Bai Xiaojun, having received the sarira, swiftly flew backward and out.

Bai Xiaojun was completely bewildered. What language was that? Wasn't Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva a Chinese deity? Weren't the characters "Ksitigarbha" written on the door in Chinese?

“Brother, that's Cantonese from the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, possibly an ancient accent, which sounds a bit awkward,” said a player nearby, with a strange expression. He also found it bizarre that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva would speak Cantonese. “The rough meaning is: 'After billions of years, a descendant actually managed to come here? You recited the sutra very well; I am very fond of you.'”

Bai Xiaojun was dumbfounded. So straightforward? China also has many dialects. That animal realm had four common languages, and China has even more, with countless regional dialects... Indeed, everywhere you go, there's hardcore fun in learning languages. The few people present weren't surprised by Cantonese; speaking fluent modern Mandarin would have been truly bizarre. The Tang Dynasty, a thousand years ago, wasn't like modern times with vigorous promotion of Mandarin. In ancient times, a mix of languages was natural, and Cantonese already had some regional prevalence during the Tang Dynasty, making it a significant language.

“It seems Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva might have even lived in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions...” The expressions on their faces grew peculiar. That accent inexplicably brought a sense of familiarity, as if they had met a fellow countryman in a distant land.

“Let's hurry,” Bai Xiaojun's expression subtly changed. “We're running out of time... And it seems I've only received the smallest sarira; I'll need to come back later.” With that, the group quickly headed outside the ancient temple.

History would remember this moment.

In the 393rd year of the Heavenly Era, Ksitigarbha was graced by the ancient temple and received a primordial serendipity. He bid farewell to his wife and seven children, converted to Buddhism, renounced the mundane world, cultivated purity of the six senses, and thus the Buddhist school began to flourish.