Chapter 616: Buddhism Unparalleled

In Li City, Qin Mu arrived at the Buddhist temple early in the morning. He knocked on the door, presented his visiting card, and said, "I'm here to see Grandmaster Ma."

The monk who received him quickly went back to report.

The reason Qin Mu specifically asked to see Grandmaster Ma instead of Ma Rulai was that Ma Rulai was the patriarch of the Buddhist path, required to be stationed at Great Thunderclap Monastery to propagate the Dharma, whereas Grandmaster Ma was his family.

One referred to identity, the other to kinship.

To see Ma Rulai, one had to present the identity of the Human Emperor and Heavenly Saint Cult Master. To see Grandmaster Ma, it was as the child he had raised.

A moment later, the welcoming monk returned and said, "Grandmaster Ma requests your presence."

Qin Mu smiled and followed him into the temple. This temple had been allocated to Great Thunderclap Monastery by the gods and demons of Supreme Emperor Heaven, where the monks of Great Thunderclap Monastery had built their halls and performed their daily cultivation.

Qin Mu looked up and could vaguely see the Twenty Heavens floating above the temple. Many monks below the Twenty Heavens were continuously chanting scriptures. The chanting sounds collided in the air, transforming into rays of Buddhist light that flowed into the Twenty Heavens.

The Twenty Heavens were the Buddhist Heavens. Those floating above the temple were projections of the true heavens, not their physical realities.

Qin Mu withdrew his gaze. At that moment, he saw a simple old man, who had removed his Rulai robes, smiling at him.

Grandmaster Ma.

Qin Mu became emotional. Ever since Grandmaster Ma became Ma Rulai of Great Thunderclap Monastery, their opportunities to meet had become much fewer. Ma Rulai taking off his Rulai robes was a sign that he was meeting him as a family member. How could Qin Mu not be excited?

However, this was, after all, the sacred ground of Great Thunderclap Monastery, and monks were everywhere. He had to suppress the surging familial affection in his heart so as not to cause trouble or mental disturbance for Grandmaster Ma.

"Grandmaster Ma, haven't you already established contact with the Twenty Heavens long ago?" Qin Mu steadied his emotions and asked curiously, "Why do you still need to constantly contact the Twenty Heavens now? Have the Buddhas of the Buddhist Realm not imparted higher-level merits and cultivation techniques?"

"They have already imparted them. But not much," Grandmaster Ma said. He led Qin Mu to the monks who were chanting scriptures and communicating with the Buddhist Realm. The interior of the temple was quite spacious, with nearly a thousand monks sitting in meditation—some on the ground, some floating in the air, and some on Buddhist pagodas. "The Buddhist Realm's intention is for us to focus on Buddhist cultivation and not to get involved in worldly disputes," he explained. "They don't seem to want to bother with worldly affairs and appear to have many taboos. My intention, however, is to ask them to impart profound Dharma methods. Buddhas have the heart to save the world; how can they witness worldly people falling into suffering and not help them?"

Qin Mu looked around. Hundreds of monks, male and female, human and demon, were chanting Buddhist names, making the Buddhas of the Twenty Heavens restless.

This method seemed like a form of harassment. When the name of a Buddha is chanted, the Buddha will hear it, and the monks of Great Thunderclap Monastery were indeed chanting the names of the Buddhas.

"Originally, a few Buddhas imparted the Dharma," Grandmaster Ma continued, "but later, no one else did, keeping their reasons a profound secret. I wanted to ask them to descend to this realm, but they were unwilling to come down and help."

Grandmaster Ma shook his head. "I believe they are not afraid of getting involved in the mortal world, but rather afraid of some terrifying existences. Although they possess profound realms and advanced cultivation techniques, their spiritual cultivation has fallen to a lower level. A few days ago, the Buddhas of the Buddhist Realm, unable to bear the incessant calls, proposed a competition of Buddhist Dharma among their disciples, the Buddhist children."

"A Dharma competition?" Qin Mu immediately became interested and asked with a smile, "How will it be conducted?"

"It's about selecting a Buddha's disciple to compare their depth of Buddhist Dharma. This comparison is done remotely. The one I sent is Zhan Kong." Grandmaster Ma raised a hand and pointed, saying, "Zhan Kong is over there; he has already defeated several Buddhist disciples from the Twenty Heavens."

Qin Mu looked up and saw the Demonic Ape Zhan Kong sitting on a pagoda. The pagoda seemed as tall as the Twenty Heavens. Across from him sat a Buddhist disciple, riding a jeweled elephant adorned with magnificent necklaces, truly splendid.

Behind the jeweled elephant was a magnificent complex of temples, where tall Buddhas had halos rotating behind their heads, their Dharmakayas appearing solemn.

The two debated the Dharma quite intensely. The Buddhist disciple from the Twenty Heavens spoke eloquently and without pause, delivering a discourse for half an hour without interruption. His voice was sometimes high and fervent, sometimes low but compelling.

This eloquent debate was indeed a lengthy discourse, leaving no room for rebuttal.

After the Buddhist disciple finished speaking, he finally fell silent, a smile on his face, and looked at the Demonic Ape.

The Demonic Ape extended his hairy palm, with five thick, dark fingers, and in a cryptic voice, said one word at a time: "Ultimate."

The Buddhist disciple didn't understand what he meant and pondered deeply. A moment later, the Demonic Ape said again: "Emptiness."

The Buddhist disciple frowned and immediately became lost in thought. The Demonic Ape then said: "Existence."

The Buddhist disciple's body trembled slightly, and he blurted out, "If there is emptiness, why is there still existence?"

The Demonic Ape paid no attention and said: "Stillness."

The Buddhist disciple grew furious and shouted, "If there is existence, how can there be stillness? Your words are not in accordance with the Dharma!"

The Demonic Ape said: "Subtlety."

The Buddhist disciple was enraged and was about to refute everything, when suddenly his body shook violently, and he froze on the back of the jeweled elephant, dumbfounded and speechless.

Behind him, a Great Buddha sighed, "Ultimate, Emptiness, Existence, Stillness, Subtlety. Too profound, too subtle. Each word is like a pearl of wisdom, each word a profound discourse on Mahayana Buddhism, and when the five words are linked, they represent an immense depth of understanding. Kong Xiang, you spoke for half an hour, delivering many lengthy discourses, but unfortunately, not even one of your words could compare to any single word of his five. You have lost. Step down."

The Buddhist disciple Kong Xiang rose from the jeweled elephant, bowed to the Demonic Ape, and slowly withdrew.

Qin Mu was both startled and awed. He pressed his hand to his forehead and said to Grandmaster Ma, "Grandmaster Ma, does that big fellow truly possess such innate wisdom?"

Grandmaster Ma said solemnly, "He truly possesses great innate wisdom! Even surpassing me, and higher than Ming Xin!"

At this moment, another Buddhist disciple arrived from the Twenty Heavens, coming from a higher layer of the heavens, accompanied by several physically imposing Buddhas. As soon as he took his seat, this Buddhist disciple emitted a brilliant, dazzling light from his entire body, shining down from the Twenty Heavens and illuminating everyone in the temple.

This widespread Buddhist light startled all the monks in the temple, who exclaimed, "This Buddhist disciple has incredibly profound Dharma cultivation!"

The Demonic Ape raised his hand and shielded his eyes. His large hand blocked the Buddhist light, casting a shadow over his face.

The Buddhist disciple who had just taken his seat was about to speak and debate the Dharma. Seeing this situation, he was greatly alarmed and suddenly felt a sweetness in his throat. A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, and he cried, "Your Dharma attainment is so incredibly high? I haven't even had a chance to speak, and I've already been defeated by your debate!" After saying this, he fell backward, his breath faint.

Behind him, the Great Buddhas quickly came to his aid and finally rescued him. A Buddha praised, "What Puzhao Buddhist disciple intended to debate this time was the meaning of 'enlightenment.' Unexpectedly, this young Buddhist disciple directly broke his topic. Truly, his eloquence is unimpeded! Admirable, admirable!"

Qin Mu was dumbfounded, and with difficulty, he tore his gaze away from the Demonic Ape, looking at Grandmaster Ma with confusion.

He could no longer understand this kind of Dharma debate.

Grandmaster Ma explained, "Puzhao Buddhist disciple opened his debate with 'enlightenment,' emitting a brilliant light from his entire body, the Buddhist light illuminating all. But Zhan Kong raised his hand and blocked it, bringing forth darkness. This told him that where there is light, there is darkness, and they are interdependent. Thus, Puzhao Buddhist disciple's debate was directly interrupted. He couldn't utter a word and was so stifled that he spat blood. From this, one can see Zhan Kong's innate wisdom."

Qin Mu was also speechless.

He could tell that the Puzhao Buddhist disciple's cultivation was extremely high, most likely a Dharma master at the Celestial Realm. Even if Qin Mu were to face him in a confrontation, he might not be able to defeat him.

Unexpectedly, the Demonic Ape merely shielded the light, and Puzhao Buddhist disciple spat blood, nearly dying from stifling!

The Demonic Ape had already debated up to the Great Merit Heaven of the Twenty Heavens; the next heaven would be the Great Eloquence Heaven.

From the Great Eloquence Heaven, several Buddhas and a young Buddhist disciple arrived to face the Demonic Ape. The young Buddhist disciple slowly took his seat, without much speaking, made a Dharma mudra with his hand, holding a lotus flower, and said, "Non-existence."

The Demonic Ape said, "Existence."

The young Buddhist disciple frowned, put down the lotus, and said, "Existence."

The Demonic Ape said, "Non-existence."

The young Buddhist disciple stood up and demanded, "Are you a mere mortal?"

The Demonic Ape shook his head. "I, a saint."

The young Buddhist disciple asked a deafening question and shouted, "Are you a Saint Buddha?"

The Demonic Ape shook his head again. "I, a mortal."

The young Buddhist disciple's face turned red, and he angrily said, "Sometimes you say 'non-existence' when I have something in my hand, and 'existence' when I have nothing. I ask if you are a mortal, and you say you are a Saint Buddha. Then I ask if you are a Saint Buddha, and you say you are a mortal! What exactly are you trying to say?"

The Buddhas behind him frowned and called over several Vajra guardians to escort him away. A Buddha apologized to the Demonic Ape, saying, "Forgive him, junior brother; he has lost his true mind. Non-action sometimes exists but is non-existent; when the mind is saintly, the saint is also mortal. Junior brother's Dharma attainment, we truly admire it."

The Demonic Ape returned the bow but said nothing.

Qin Mu was appalled, his head spinning. He pressed his hand to his forehead and said to Grandmaster Ma, "Grandmaster Ma, I completely don't understand anymore. I don't possess this innate wisdom, so I'd rather not listen to this lecture anymore."

Grandmaster Ma smiled. "When I was Zhan Kong's age, I certainly didn't have such profound attainment. Since you're confused, let's go for a walk outside the temple."

Qin Mu felt a sense of relief.

The two walked out of the temple. Grandmaster Ma let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Mu'er, I am now a Buddha, and I've grown increasingly distant from you. When I wear the kasaya and sit on the Buddha's throne, I am no longer the Grandmaster Ma of yesteryear. In my eyes, you are one of all sentient beings. But when I step down from the Buddha's throne and take off those robes, I am Grandmaster Ma of our Crippled Village, the Divine Constable Ma, and you are the child I watched grow up."

Qin Mu suddenly hugged him tightly.

Grandmaster Ma paused for a moment, then smiled and patted his back, saying, "Zhan Kong learns very quickly, and Ming Xin is also a good child. In the future, they two will inherit the mantle of Great Thunderclap Monastery. By then, I will no longer be Rulai. I will return to Crippled Village, and I will still laugh and chat with you, drinking wine and eating meat."

Qin Mu inquired, "Why are the Buddhas of the Twenty Heavens unwilling to impart Dharma or descend to help? Did you ask for the reason, Grandmaster Ma?"

"I did ask," Grandmaster Ma replied. "A Buddha told me that the reason Great Thunderclap Monastery has been preserved through successive calamities is precisely because it doesn't ask; if it asks, it cannot be preserved. They also told me not to ask."

Grandmaster Ma sighed and said, "This time, I used a trick that the Mute taught me. The Mute told me to order the monks to chant Buddhist names, disturbing their tranquility until they couldn't bear it; only then would they speak to you. If we can win this Dharma debate, the Buddhas of the Twenty Heavens will grant three spots for study in the Buddhist Realm. However, they still won't allow anyone from the Buddhist Realm to descend and help. I thought it through, and three spots are better than none at all."

Just then, a sudden uproar came from the temple, followed by the cheers of the monks. Qin Mu and Grandmaster Ma exchanged glances and hurried back into the temple, only to see the monks tossing the Demonic Ape high into the air, catching him, and tossing him up again!

"We won! We won!" The monks cheered with joy.