In the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, beside the Pool of Eight Treasures and Merits.
Beside the Merit Pool, a gaunt Buddha sat silently, chanting sacred sounds that were both alluring and solemn. Below him sat a seat of disciples, each with lowered eyes and serene expressions. As the chanting entered their ears, the disciples felt as if they were experiencing ultimate bliss, their faces filled with joy. The entire Pure Land was bathed in golden light, like a golden world where there was only light and no shadow. Flowers, grass, fish, insects, and even the disciples listening to the chanting were all radiant with golden light, as if they were coated with gold.
It is truly beautiful; this is where bliss resides. The entire world consists only of "bliss," representing the existence of light, a world where darkness or any other negative existence will never exist.
If you look closely, you will find that this world has a special magic that makes people addicted. But if you have great perseverance and wisdom, you will find that this world is not real and too monotonous. Even Tai Chi has black and white, almost like the power of Amitabha. How can this one side be transformed into eternity?
Amitabha sits beside the Eight Treasures Merit Pond, the gaunt Buddha with a lotus flower blooming in his mouth. Beside him stands a large, golden tree, the Bodhi tree transformed from Cundi, which is used by Buddhist disciples to attain enlightenment.
After a while, the chanting suddenly stopped, but the Buddhist disciples still didn't understand what it meant, remaining immersed in the "bliss" that Amitabha had created, feeling completely at ease.
Amitabha chanted a Buddha's name, waking the Buddhist disciples, and then instructed them to leave, after which he remained silent.
The Bodhi tree swayed, and the tree transformed into a Taoist priest. He was tall and slender, dressed in a plain Taoist robe, wearing straw sandals, and had a branch stuck in his hair. He was none other than the Taoist Priest Zhunti.
Zhunti laughed loudly and said, "May the Buddha be merciful. After many years of hard work, we have finally reaped the rewards today. This is truly a cause for celebration."
It was Zhunti who was laughing at the conversion of the three thousand Buddhist disciples. These three thousand Buddhist disciples were originally three thousand mortals whom Jieyin had brought from the Jie Sect. After the Investiture of the Gods, Zhunti used magic to imprison their primordial spirits and forcibly converted them into Buddhas. However, this was not a long-term solution. Helpless, Jieyin and Zhunti preached the Dharma to them every day. Jieyin used his "Dream Enlightenment" method (Rebirth in Journey to the West, Top) to bring these three thousand Buddhist disciples into his dream, creating eternal bliss and making them fall in love with it. This period of time finally yielded results, as these three thousand Buddhist disciples converted one after another, and they were truly "Buddhas' disciples".
Amitabha gave a bitter smile and said, "It's a pity that the Sage Xuantian doesn't understand the Great Dao and the principles of Heaven, and he forcibly prevents our Buddhist sect from advancing eastward. It's pitiful that people suffer because of him and can't reach my Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."
Zhunti's expression also turned ugly, and he said resentfully, "This Eastern Sage is truly hateful. Xuantian and the Three Pure Ones, believing themselves to be the true lineage of Pangu, look down on Buddhism. How could they know that the Buddha's teachings are boundless?"
After hearing this, Amitabha sighed and said, "It's a pity about that Sage Xuantian. This boy was originally on good terms with our Buddhist sect, and he was also well-versed in Buddhist teachings. We should thank him for our achievements in the Great Dao today. However, he always considered himself Pangu and was not like us. What a pity!"
On that day, Xuantian, Jieyin, and Zhunti discussed Buddhist teachings, and they were truly like fellow Daoists. Jieyin and Zhunti were able to complete the Buddhist teachings thanks to Xuantian's guidance (of course, they could have succeeded even without Xuantian). This was cause and effect, and this cause and effect was almost comparable to the cause and effect of attaining enlightenment. Jieyin always remembered Xuantian's kindness. If it weren't for the impermanence of the world and the conflict between the two sides, they would probably be visiting each other frequently now.
Zhunti sighed as he recalled the events of that day. How could he not know these things? Since the beginning of the Dragon-Han Calamity, the western lands had become barren, and the people of the east called them barbarians. They were not well-regarded. Even when he and Jieyin were listening to the Dao at Zixiao Palace, they were not given a second glance. If the two of them had not had some cultivation back then, they would probably not have been seated there.
Back then, Xuantian was the only one willing to communicate with them. Even after the Three Pure Ones and others guided Zhunti to sainthood, they spoke less to the two of them and were arrogant. Xuantian, as the true descendant of Pangu, befriended the two of them, which moved them. Unfortunately, due to various events, the two sides were forced to become enemies. Don't be fooled by Zhunti's usual villainous appearance and the fact that he did almost every despicable thing. After all, he was a saint. Could a truly villainous person become a saint? It was only for the prosperity of the great religion and the flourishing of the West that Zhunti truly endured humiliation and hardship.
The two remained silent, sitting on either side. After a while, Zhunti spoke first: "This matter is indeed unavoidable, but for the sake of the prosperity of Buddhism, we have no choice but to do it."
Amitabha remained silent for a moment, then said, "But now that we are facing obstacles, what should we do?"
Zhunti lowered his head and thought for a moment. Originally, within the Immortal Realm, the Eastern Continent was directly controlled by the Daoists, and the Southern Continent had Penglai Island and the Jie Sect's influence, so even if the Buddhist sect wanted to intervene, it couldn't. Later, he originally wanted to start from the Earth Star and seize the Daoist lineage there, but unfortunately, he encountered this situation again, and this time it was also impossible. Helpless, it was truly difficult.
Zhunti thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a good solution. In the end, he said, "This time, the Eastern Sages have given us a big problem. We have no choice but to settle that karmic debt."
Zhunti was referring to the karma of Laozi. When Laozi transformed into a Buddha, he wanted to divide the fortune of Buddhism. This move was a radical step. Although he did not succeed in the end, Laozi benefited from it and obtained the Vajra Bracelet. However, he also formed a karmic bond with Buddhism.
Afterwards, Zhunti did not intend to settle this karmic debt with Laozi, mainly because Laozi followed the Way of Non-Action and was usually cautious and prudent, making it difficult to scheme against him. With this karmic debt in place, if the Buddhist sect were to face difficulties in the future, he could coerce Laozi to leave some face. Currently, among the saints of the Xuanmen sect, Xuantian and Laozi are the leaders. Pangu and the other three, Laozi and Yuanshi have formed a group. After the Investiture of the Gods, Tongtian has completely sided with Xuantian and seems to intend to follow Xuantian.
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