Chapter 762: Past Events of the Buddha
He was afraid, but he defended himself, "I'm not giving up my practice. It's just that stealing the Dharma is wrong. Once I retrieve the fox book, burn incense and confess my sins, and get the approval of the ancestor who wrote it, then I can be considered practicing properly."
The old man raised his eyebrows and said, "You want to become a disciple of the fox?"
"It's a fox fairy!"
"A fox fairy is not a fox anymore?"
"It's a fox, but can't I become a disciple of a fox?"
"You have the Fox Book in your hand, so you can practice cultivation without becoming a disciple of a fox. How can a mere animal like you be accepted as my disciple?"
The old man walked over to Zhang Chengzu and said, "Sit down. I will help you enter the Dao. Why should you be content to serve under a fox?"
Zhang Chengzu took a few steps back and said, "No need for the elder, I have already entered the Dao through the Fox Book. That is why I want to become a disciple of the Fox Immortal."
The old man stared at Zhang Chengzu and said, "The fox demon doesn't want the fox book to be passed on to others. How can you possibly enter the Dao?"
As he spoke, his eyes began to emit golden light. Inspired by this, Zhang Chengzu's meager magic power was stimulated and he had indeed entered the state of enlightenment!
The old man clearly looked down on the fox, but he suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Good! Good! Good!"
"You want to become a disciple of the fox. Good job, good job! That demon fox saved me a lot of trouble. If he wants to accept you as his disciple, don't be afraid of regretting it!"
“Follow me!”
The old man stretched out his hand and grabbed Zhang Chengzu.
Zhang Chengzu turned around and tried to escape, but there was no way he could escape from his grasp. He grabbed his collar and pulled him to his side, dragging him out.
Zhang Chengzu slapped the old man's arm with all his strength, but it felt like he was hitting fine iron, and his hand was actually hurt by the shock.
He turned around and looked at Master Shangyi, hoping that Master Shangyi could save his life.
Master Shangyi met his eyes, his face filled with sorrow and helplessness. He tried to stand up, but seven or eight bony hands appeared from the invisible void, locking his body and making him unable to move at all.
Only then did Zhang Chengzu realize that Master Shangyi was in danger himself and there was no way to save him.
The old man took Zhang Chengzu to the Nine Mirrors Tower.
Mirror Pagoda Temple is named after the pagoda. The Nine Mirror Pagoda is octagonal and has nine levels. There are 480 Buddha sculptures inside and outside, all decorated with gold brocade, which is extremely solemn and gorgeous.
The old man was chanting scriptures that Zhang Chengzu could not understand. No matter whether he was a monk or a guest, when he heard the sound of the scriptures, he would become dazed and walk out of Jingta Temple.
"Who are you and what are you doing!" Zhang Chengzu struggled, his face turned red, but he couldn't break free at all.
The huge Nine Mirrors Pagoda was now empty. An old man stood inside the pagoda and said, "I was originally a monk from the Mirror Pagoda Temple. My Dharma name was Xinjue. Back then, the Mirror Pagoda Temple was still called the Buddha Temple."
He let Zhang Chengzu go, and Zhang Chengzu turned around and ran away.
Xinjue said: "Aren't you curious why you can't get close to anyone, why you can't learn anything, and why you encounter these strange things."
Zhang Chengzu had already walked to the edge of the tower gate, but he paused for a moment and rushed out without hesitation.
But no matter how fast he rushed out, he was not as fast as he flew back.
Xinjue just stretched out his hand and made a grab, and Zhang Chengzu flew backwards and fell in front of him, his whole body in pain.
"Did you get away?"
Zhang Chengzu cursed: "You lunatic, what on earth do you want to do!"
Xinjue snorted coldly and said, "I won't hurt you. On the contrary, I'm here to help you."
“Follow me!”
Of course Zhang Chengzu didn't want to follow, but when Xinjue looked at him with a sneer, he knew that this was not a negotiation with him.
Helpless, Zhang Chengzu had to follow Xinjue to the top of the tower.
Buddha statues in golden brocade robes stand majestically in the niches. The lights and sunlight interweave with each other, casting shadows of varying depths on the constantly rotating stone stairs.
Xinjue said slowly: "Do you know the origin of the temple in the Mirror Pagoda?"
Zhang Chengzu didn't want to talk to him, so he didn't answer.
Xin Jue didn't need him to answer, so he continued, "Speaking of which, it was more than four hundred years ago."
"The previous dynasty collapsed, and before the new dynasty was established, Xia Pi City was occupied by King Māra. Have you heard the story of King Māra?"
Zhang Chengzu had heard of it vaguely, but when asked about the specific story, Zhang Chengzu couldn't tell it, but the name of King Mara always seemed familiar to him.
Xinjue walked forward, but observed Zhang Chengzu's expression with his invisible eyes. Seeing that he seemed to be touched but not deeply touched, his brows frowned slightly.
"Don't you feel familiar?"
Zhang Chengzu did not answer.
Xinjue didn't press the issue further, but said, "It seems your generation doesn't remember much about King Mara anymore. Back then, King Mara occupied Xiapi, recruited troops, and dominated the region. He was both a powerful ruler and a Buddha King. All the temples, Buddha statues, and Buddhist halls you see today were left behind by King Mara."
"The Buddha Temple is naturally no exception."
Xinjue turned to look at Zhang Chengzu and said, "But after the Xin Dynasty, King Mara was unable to withstand the overwhelming force and was ultimately defeated at Xiapi. He was torn to pieces by five horses and suppressed under the Futu Temple."
"The pagoda he built with his own hands buried his own remains, and the Nine Mirrors Pagoda he built with his own hands became a magical instrument to suppress his resentment."
"The Futu Temple was renamed the Jingta Temple after that, but King Mara's resentment could never be dispelled. Instead, it grew more and more intense, transforming into demonic soil beneath the Jingta Temple and almost turning the entire Xia Pi into a ghost town."
As they were talking, Xinjue had already brought Zhang Chengzu to the top of the Nine Mirrors Tower.
On the top of the tower stands a golden Buddha statue, cast in gold, covered in brocade, tall and mighty.
The Buddha statue's eyes were tightly closed, its hands in the lotus seal, and it sat cross-legged on a lotus throne. Zhang Chengzu had never seen a Buddha statue like this before. Most Buddha statues, if not open, had their eyes half-closed, expressing a compassionate and downcast look. Unlike this Buddha statue, it seemed that it could not open its eyes during casting.
Xinjue didn't move. He watched Zhang Chengzu seem to be attracted by the Buddha statue and walked to the front of the Buddha statue unknowingly, and then he smiled.
"Zhang Chengzu, do you know who this Buddha statue belongs to?"
Zhang Chengzu said slowly: "It is King Mara."
"Yes, this is King Mara." Xinjue looked up at the Buddha statue and said, "People regard him as a demon and fear him, but they also worship him as a Buddha and pray for his forgiveness and mercy."
"King Mara is actually the Buddha King. His mind is unwavering, his faith unshaken, and even death cannot sway him. People made him into a golden statue and called him the Buddha, but this did not appease his resentment, but only made him angrier."
"So, at the cost of the lives of 108 high-ranking Buddhist monks, they finally led the Mara King's soul into reincarnation, where he was reborn as a human. In every life, every world, they have been trying to convert him."
"They feared that Buddhism would awaken him, so they introduced him to Taoism. His resentment was like a ulcer on his tarsal bone, and he was destined to die young in every life. Over four hundred years, he reincarnated thirteen times. In each life, he had the opportunity to enter the Tao, but he was not destined to achieve enlightenment. Each life ended in mediocrity."
"And this cycle of reincarnation will take who knows how many lifetimes before his evil thoughts are quelled and he is completely free."
Zhang Chengzu was already sweating profusely just by listening, and asked, "What do you mean?"
Xinjue's voice was cold and hard as he said, "I just can't wait any longer. I've waited for over four hundred years, spending my entire life atonement, but I can't see the end at all."
"You can't see the end either. You'll never see the end. Don't you understand, Lord Mara?"
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