Chapter 1564: New Bodhisattva

Their bellies rapidly swelled like inflating balloons. The condition quickly spread throughout their entire bodies. In the blink of an eye, the five Giant Kings swelled to over thirty zhang, their skin stretching and tearing, covered in countless cracks.

The Fire Giant King was startled, then quickly understood, exclaiming in shock and anger, "Xitu! It's Xitu! That damned bald monk, he ate a lot of Xitu before he died!" He immediately grabbed a nearby Giant King and decisively activated his elemental power, melting his abdomen and burning away the entire belly along with the Xitu. This act saved that Giant King from the brink of explosion. However, it was too late for the other four.

Boom! Boom! Boom! With four thunderous explosions, four Giant Kings instantly burst into blood and gore, raining down like a deluge on the other Giant Kings. The Fire Giant King, the Water Giant King, and the remaining Giant Kings all stood frozen in place. No one had expected the Bodhisattva to use Xitu to perish with the enemy again.

He alone had taken down a total of six Giant Kings! The loss was devastating. Jiang Fan was also plunged into deep shock. The last time he visited White Horse Temple, the Bodhisattva had requested a handful of Xitu. Jiang Fan had assumed it was for his disciples, but it turned out it was kept for himself.

He had prepared for this day long ago. "Bodhisattva..." Jiang Fan murmured, his heart filled with nothing but admiration.

Just then, a Buddhist light shone upon Jiang Fan. Jiang Fan abruptly looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Was it the Bodhisattva? Was he still alive? But when he clearly saw the source of the Buddhist light, he was slightly stunned. It was Fayin.

He gazed at the place where the Bodhisattva had fallen, looking at the all-too-familiar fragments of the kasaya, his eyes filled with sorrow. Streaks of Buddhist light surged outwards from his body, gradually transforming him into a golden figure.

"Fayin..." Yu Wei glanced over, her expression shifting as she observed the Buddhist power that should have long since dissipated from him.

Fayin pressed a single palm against his chest and murmured, "The Buddha once saw a hawk preying on a dove. Out of compassion, he saved the dove. The hawk asked, 'If I don't eat the dove, I will starve to death. You saved the dove, but who will save me?' The Buddha replied, 'Eat my flesh.' Thus, the Buddha cut off his own flesh and fed it to the hawk. In ancient times, the Buddha cut his flesh to feed a hawk. Today, the Bodhisattva sacrificed his body to feed the demons."

"How can I remain aloof?" The Buddhist light around him grew increasingly intense. He turned to look at Yu Wei beside him.

He looked down at their clasped hands. He gently released Yu Wei's hand, clasped his palms together, and said, "There's no one left in the Buddhist sect. I must return." He was actually intending to return to Buddhism. More precisely, Fayin's heart had never truly left Buddhism.

Yu Wei's face trembled slightly as she asked, "Why? I've been with you for so long, can you still not forget the Buddhist sect?" Fayin gazed deeply at Yu Wei, bitterness in his eyes, and said, "I love the Buddhist sect, I love Taicang Great State, I love the Central Lands, I love all living beings." Yu Wei, unwilling to accept, pleaded, "What about me then?"

Fayin closed his eyes. After a painful struggle, he slowly opened them, smiling with a sense of relief. "I love you, and I also love this vast land and its people, this homeland of mountains and rivers," he said. "Thank you for accompanying me across the Nine Provinces and letting me experience the mortal world. Now, it's time for me to do something for the Nine Provinces." He turned around, looked at the Giant Kings, his eyes gradually filled with understanding, and calmly said:

"Buddhism often speaks of purifying the six senses. But if one does not understand the six senses, how can one sever them? Only by entering the mortal world can one understand what love is; only by seeing all beings can one know the myriad forms are complex; only by listening to all sounds can one know foreign lands are not distant; only by smelling all fragrances can one know the world's allure; only by tasting all foods can one know life's richness; only by enduring wind and rain can one know hardship and melancholy. Only by knowing the six senses can one sever them. Only by picking up, can one finally let go."

He murmured quietly, the Buddhist light around him growing stronger and stronger. Finally, as he uttered the words "picking up" and "letting go," the intense Buddhist light, like flames, burned away his luxurious robes and his dark, long hair. Streaks of Sanskrit script descended from the sky, encircling him, now engulfed in Buddhist light. He had reached the same stage as the Heavenly Listener Bodhisattva, attaining the Bodhisattva status. The difference was that the Heavenly Listener Bodhisattva had attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree after ten years.

Fayin Vajra, however, had entered the mortal world and emerged from it. With a single thought, he was a mortal; with another, he became a Buddha. In just a few months, he had completed the path that many other Vajras had taken much longer to achieve.

Now, he needed to make a grand vow to heaven and earth. Only with their recognition could he attain Bodhisattvahood.

Fayin Vajra looked at the Giant Kings, his mind recalling the countless fallen humans and the human martyrs who had sacrificed themselves. He looked up at the sky, his voice resonating with power and conviction. "I, Fayin, hereby make a grand vow: Unless the giants are destroyed, I swear I will not become a Buddha."

The Heavenly Listener Bodhisattva had three grand vows, but Fayin had only one – a difficult and almost impossible vow to fulfill. Heaven and earth responded. The Sanskrit script surrounding him gathered beneath him, forming a massive twelve-petal golden lotus. The intense Buddhist light on his body also converged into his form.

A Bodhisattva, with crimson lips and white teeth, draped in a red kasaya, appeared, seated cross-legged on the twelve-petal golden lotus and bearing a serene smile of relief. Above his head, a line of characters flashed: "Pingtian Bodhisattva." A brand new Bodhisattva was born!

Relying on his own enlightenment and the grand vow he made to heaven and earth, he had attained the Bodhisattva status. Everyone was stunned. No one had expected Fayin Vajra to embrace Buddhism at this moment.

True Word Venerable was the first to react. He looked at the Heavenly Listener Bodhisattva's remains, then at the newly rising Pingtian Bodhisattva, a mix of sorrow, relief, and determination in his eyes. "What are we waiting for?" he exclaimed. "Let's take down a few more Giant Kings! We can't let the Heavenly Listener Bodhisattva outdo us!"

Including the four that Jiang Fan and Heart Demon Venerable had jointly killed, they had already slain a total of ten Giant Kings! Of the twenty Giant Kings, more than half had been killed by them. They had already far exceeded their initial losses; killing any more now would be pure gain!

Heart Demon Venerable burst into laughter. "Fellow Daoists from other states, did you all see that?" he boomed. "See how we in Taicang Great State deal with our enemies? Learn from us! Hahaha!" With that, he followed True Word Venerable and charged into the crowd of Giant Kings.

Jian Lanjiang also laughed uproariously. "Let's join forces and kill a few more!" he declared. He then manipulated his warriors, following True Word Venerable. Jiang Fan suppressed the sorrow in his heart and decisively activated his Divine Rainbow, charging into the fray with True Word Venerable.

The four individuals and one corpse, working together, targeted any one-star Giant King, ensuring none could escape death. The Giant Kings below fell into panicked disarray.

The Bodhisattva's self-sacrificial attack and the fearlessness of these four individuals and one corpse finally instilled terror in the notoriously brutal Giant Kings. For a moment, all the one-star Giant Kings actually retreated. Both the Water and Fire two-star Giant Kings showed a hint of fear and dared not advance.

This sight completely enraged the three-star Giant King presiding over the battle. He snorted heavily, "A bunch of useless trash! Twenty against five, and it's come to this!" Ten of them, yet Jiang Fan and his allies had only lost one! Who would believe it? He had no choice but to intervene personally!