Chapter 1374: Buddha

While his consciousness remained, Jiang Fan, with a thought, summoned a piece of red, gelatinous material from his spatial storage into his palm. Sealed within the red substance was a black Buddhist scripture. To prevent the Bodhisattva from sensing the scripture's presence, he hadn't even dared to remove the red covering before.

But now, he couldn't afford to be so cautious. He tore open the gelatinous material and clutched the black scripture. As he exerted force with his fingers, the Ghostly Netherflame surged forth, enveloping it. With just a thought, the flames could reduce the scripture to ashes.

The Celestial Listener Bodhisattva's calm smile froze instantly after the red gelatinous material was torn off. As if sensing something, his gaze shot toward the black scripture, his gentle eyes suddenly sharp. A flicker of disbelieving excitement resonated in the Bodhisattva's eyes. His voice was no longer slow and magnetic; instead, it was hurried and astonished.

"The Soul-Soothing Scripture of the Suppressed Prison!" he exclaimed. "How is it in your possession?"

Noticing the surging Ghostly Netherflame in Jiang Fan's hand, poised to ignite the scripture, the Bodhisattva quickly withdrew the golden sun above his head and lifted the Buddhist spell of silence. "Where did you get it?" he asked.

The blurred memories in Jiang Fan's mind returned like a flood. He exhaled slowly, realizing he had gambled correctly. The black scripture's importance to White Horse Temple surpassed their desire to convert him to Buddhism.

Jiang Fan clutched the scripture tightly and said coldly, "Where it came from is no longer important. What's important is, if you don't want the Soul-Soothing Scripture of the Suppressed Prison to be destroyed, then don't push me!"

The Celestial Listener Bodhisattva realized he had lost his composure, displaying greed, anger, and delusion. He quickly pressed his palms together, closed his eyes slightly, and silently chanted a Buddhist prayer: "Amitābha, a sin indeed." When he opened his eyes again, they had returned to their calm and gentle state. His voice was once again magnetic and gentle as he spoke slowly:

"It is a great pity that we cannot bring Benefactor Jiang into our Buddhist sect. However, if we can retrieve the Soul-Soothing Scripture of the Suppressed Prison, this regret can be mended."

The implication was clear: if Jiang Fan handed over the scripture, White Horse Temple would no longer trouble him. Jiang Fan secretly felt relieved. He glanced at the dark scripture in his hand and couldn't help but voice a question he had suppressed for a long time.

"What exactly is this scripture?" he asked.

The Celestial Listener Bodhisattva pressed his palms together, his face showing reverence. "It is a masterpiece passed down by a Great Bodhisattva," he explained.

Jiang Fan's heart stirred. He had once asked Jian Linyuan about the origins of the black Buddhist scripture the Jian family was searching for. Jian Linyuan had also mentioned it was written by a Great Bodhisattva who presided over the Netherworld.

The Celestial Listener Bodhisattva continued, "That Great Bodhisattva, to achieve the Fruit of a Buddha Venerable, entered the Netherworld and used Buddhist Dharma to purify all vengeful spirits there. He once declared, 'I vow not to attain Buddhahood until the Netherworld is empty.'"

Jiang Fan was astonished. What a grand vow! The Netherworld was entirely inhabited by the Asura race; for him to merely survive there on his own would have been difficult. Let alone purifying all vengeful spirits? That couldn't be possible, could it? After some thought, Jiang Fan still asked, "So, did he succeed?"

The Celestial Listener Bodhisattva slowly nodded. "He did," he affirmed. "After purifying all vengeful spirits, he attained the Fruit of a Buddha Venerable."

Jiang Fan was surprised. A Great Bodhisattva should be equivalent to a Great Venerable in the Five Heavenly Decays realm for Dharma cultivators. Then a Buddha Venerable must be equivalent to the Sage realm for Dharma cultivators!

However, the Celestial Listener Bodhisattva hadn't finished. "After achieving the Fruit of a Buddha Venerable, he further converted the Asura race and established the Netherworld Buddhist Domain. He became a Buddha of his generation."

Jiang Fan gasped. A Buddha should correspond to an Ancient Sage in the Central Plains, right? This Great Bodhisattva, after entering the Netherworld, actually cultivated his way to become the Lord of the Netherworld? This... this is truly defying the heavens!

The Celestial Listener Bodhisattva said, "The Soul-Soothing Scripture of the Suppressed Prison in your hand was created by him before he attained Buddhahood. By learning his Buddhist Dharma, we too can purify the vengeful spirits of those who died unjustly during the impending catastrophe and attain the Fruit of a Buddha Venerable."

Jiang Fan finally understood why White Horse Temple had been so obsessed with the Soul-Soothing Scripture of the Suppressed Prison for centuries. The cultivation paths of Buddhist cultivators and Dharma cultivators were not the same. For Dharma cultivators, Great Venerables in the Five Heavenly Decays realm needed to accumulate merit to advance to the Sage realm. Once sufficient merit was achieved, they could naturally enter the Sage realm. But Buddhist cultivators, to attain the Fruit of a Buddha Venerable, required not merit, but the salvation of all living beings.

The Bodhisattva from the Netherworld, by purifying all resentful spirits, successfully attained the Fruit of a Buddha Venerable. White Horse Temple also wanted to replicate his path, to attain Buddhahood and achieve enlightenment! Coincidentally, with the millennium-long catastrophe of the Ancient Giants approaching, the Central Plains would inevitably fall into chaos, producing countless vengeful spirits. This was the perfect opportunity to practice the Soul-Soothing Scripture of the Suppressed Prison. No wonder White Horse Temple so easily gave up on converting Jiang Fan for the sake of the scripture; it held immense significance for them.

Jiang Fan frowned slightly. "The Jian family also needs this scripture to suppress their malevolence and quell their bloodlust," he said. "It's strange. Since this scripture comes from the Netherworld, how did both of your factions know about its existence?"

The Celestial Listener Bodhisattva said, "How the Jian family came to know, I cannot say. Our White Horse Temple learned of it over a thousand years ago, when a Bodhisattva from the Netherworld Buddhist Domain, before his death, conveyed a dream to the Bodhisattva of White Horse Temple at that time. He informed us that the Great Bodhisattva who descended into the Netherworld from our Central Plains ten thousand years ago had already attained Buddhahood. Furthermore, the Soul-Soothing Scripture of the Suppressed Prison, which he created, had been secretly brought to the Central Plains."

Jiang Fan's eyes showed contemplation. The time point of over a thousand years ago, and it was from the Netherworld. That could only mean one place: the underground world of the old Heavenly Secret Pavilion! It must have been that Bodhisattva from the Netherworld Buddhist Domain who died in the underground world and, before his death, conveyed the dream to White Horse Temple. Coupled with the fact that the black scripture itself came from the underground world, it was enough to confirm that the Bodhisattva's words were credible.

"It's still strange then," Jiang Fan mused. "White Horse Temple learned about the Soul-Soothing Scripture of the Suppressed Prison through a dream. But what about the Jian family? Surely, that Bodhisattva from the Netherworld didn't also send a dream to the Jian family, did he?" Jiang Fan asked, puzzled.

Suddenly, he remembered the Slaughter Stele that the Jian family had acquired. The origin of the Slaughter Stele was very interesting. Centuries ago, it had fallen in Taicang Great State, and the Jian family's ancestor, with superior skill, had claimed it. Since then, the Jian family had embarked on a path of prosperity thanks to the Slaughter Stele, but it also brought endless harm. This was because cultivating the slaughtering techniques inscribed on it inevitably led to madness and death due to the accumulation of killing intent. For this reason, the Jian family had to seek the black Buddhist scripture to suppress their malevolence. From every angle, the stele seemed to compel cultivators to find the black Buddhist scripture. And only a very few individuals from the Netherworld knew about the black Buddhist scripture.

Suddenly, Jiang Fan trembled. His pupils widened abruptly, and he gasped, "The Asura Saint Son!"

The Asura Saint Son and Kuixing were the only two Asuras who had escaped the underground world. Kuixing was dead, leaving only the Asura Saint Son as someone who knew about the black Buddhist scripture! The Slaughter Stele was deliberately released by the Asura Saint Son! Now, disguised as a Central Plains Sage, it was inconvenient for him to openly search for the black Buddhist scripture. So, he intentionally released the Slaughter Stele, subtly manipulating cultivators to help him find it!

Realizing he was the mastermind, Jiang Fan shivered. Back when he achieved ten consecutive victories on the Slaughter Stele, a dark figure had appeared from within. The figure had even gifted him the origin of slaughter, telling him to cultivate diligently with the slaughtering techniques, and that he might even become a Divine being through slaughter! That dark figure was undoubtedly a wisp of the Asura Saint Son's lingering soul, left within the stele! He had actually encountered the Asura Saint Son long ago!