When a mountain is visible only above the clouds and no path to it is known, people can only look up in awe and worship with pious hearts.
Yet as long as they know there is a path reaching the summit, they no longer think of worship, but of charting a route and planning how to bring that high peak beneath their feet.
Once someone takes the first step, countless others will follow in waves.
No one could have imagined that Wei Yuan, riding the surge of merit from opening a new path of cultivation, would brazenly attack Great Sun Tathagata!
The fruition of Great Sun Tathagata hung high above the Sea of Bitterness. Even though his true self was not present in this world, faced with such a provocation, the fruition would naturally retaliate. Furthermore, bolstered by immense merit, Wei Yuan's status was exceptionally exalted at that moment, prompting the fruition to strike back with all its might.
And yet, that palm strike failed to kill Wei Yuan.
From this moment forth, Wei Yuan truly entered the sight of Great Sun Tathagata, earning the right to be called an Enemy of Buddha.
Now the distance between Wei Yuan and Great Sun Tathagata was no longer insurmountable. It could be measured, plotted to be closed, and addressed with all manner of deeds. Even if he was not yet qualified to sit at the table and deliberate, he had at least stepped from outside the doorway into the room, sharing the same hall from that point on.
Above the Sea of Bitterness, Wei Yuan's battered dharma body collapsed with a crash. Before plunging into the Sea of Bitterness, he still let out thunderous laughter. That laughter echoed across the sea and reverberated among the great astral bodies, casting the multitude of Buddhas into silence for a time.
After Wei Yuan's dharma body fell into the Sea of Bitterness and was engulfed by the waves, the voice of Wuliang Mingguang finally rang out above the waters: "Everyone, are we still going to unconditionally support a so-called sutra-attending disciple and make an enemy of this man for no good reason?"
"It cannot be said to be for no reason. The karma involved is not insignificant..." a Bodhisattva on the sixth tier spoke up.
Before he could finish, Wuliang Mingguang cut him off. "Bodhisattva Shanyuan, are you conflating the karma of a mere sutra-attending disciple with that of the Pure Land? If so, I must ask: Could it be that the Bodhisattva has let selfish thoughts take hold, wishing to cast aside the safety of the Pure Land just to serve your tiny faction of a few people?"
Bodhisattva Shanyuan never expected Mingguang to be so unsparing. Recovering from his shock, he couldn't help but say, "That Enemy of Buddha is so insolent! I am merely speaking with impartiality. If we do not suppress this villain, where is the dignity of the Pure Land?"
Wuliang Mingguang replied, "Then I invite Junior Brother Shanyuan to step forth, leave your fruition, and suppress the Enemy of Buddha yourself. Your fruition sits proudly on the sixth tier; against a mere Scenery Command, surely it would be child's play for you?"
Bodhisattva Shanyuan was shocked once more and said, "I... I am not skilled at battle and suppression..."
Wuliang Mingguang snapped, "If you're not going to fight, what the hell are you yammering about?"
Shanyuan's mouth fell open. In hundreds of thousands of years, when had such words ever been heard above the Sea of Bitterness?
The gathered Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Wisdom Kings suppressed their shock, each pretending to be spaced out, and many even closed their eyes and ears. Yet everyone knew that for those who had attained fruition, ears were merely ornamental. Closing them did not mean they could not hear; it was simply a statement of neutrality. Seeing that he had been lashed out at indiscriminately by Wuliang Mingguang, while silence reigned across the Sea of Bitterness and not a single soul dared speak up in defense, Bodhisattva Shanyuan nearly suffered a collapse of his Buddha Heart.
He still tried to argue, "Those of us who have attained fruition ought to maintain an unwavering heart. How can we waver based on people and circumstances? Would that not make us opportunistic tricksters?"
Wuliang Mingguang asked, "Are you going to step down and fight?"
"I..." Shanyuan choked up again.
He had attained the Dao through rigorous study of Buddhist dharma and cultivation of merit. In his entire life, he had only engaged in doctrinal debates and discussions on the Dao; despite possessing earth-shattering cultivation, he had never once fought or raised a hand against anyone. Faced with Wuliang Mingguang's question, how could he possibly reply?
Wuliang Mingguang asked again, "If you won't step down, do you expect me to?"
Shanyuan nodded subconsciously. "Of course it should be you..."
Among the Bodhisattvas, Wuliang Mingguang's combat prowess had always been at the top tier. Back then, when dealing with Demon Venerable Suchan, she was also the one who took the field. In methods, divine abilities, and manipulating human hearts, this Bodhisattva stood at the very pinnacle of the world. Shanyuan had always believed that fighting external battles for the Pure Land was inherently her duty, while his job was simply to chant sutras in the Pure Land.
Who would have guessed Wuliang Mingguang would sneer, saying, "I go out to fight for my life while you sit on your lotus pedestal chanting scriptures and debating dharma?"
Shanyuan was at a loss for words once more. Hadn't it always been like this over all these past years? But at this moment, facing an aggressive Wuliang Mingguang, Shanyuan knew that if he answered that way, there was no telling what trouble it might provoke. In the end, he could only remain silent, tacitly acknowledging it.
At this moment, Baoxing spoke, "Please hold, Bodhisattvas. I have a word to say."
"Speak," said Wuliang Mingguang.
Shanyuan distinctly felt an ominous foreboding, yet had no idea what Baoxing was going to say. For the moment, he could only hold his tongue.
Baoxing said, "I believe that making an enemy of Wei Yuan is a matter of such magnitude that the karma must be clearly accounted for. Based on our existing karma, protecting a sutra-attending disciple before the Tathagata is our bounden duty."
Shanyuan was thoroughly surprised, not expecting Baoxing to actually speak on his side. But before he could rejoice, he heard Baoxing add a "however," and his heart sank immediately.
"However..." Baoxing continued, "the prerequisite for us to intervene is that he is truly a sutra-attending disciple before the Buddha. Yet this identity is merely something he claims himself; it has never been verified."
Shanyuan was both shocked and bewildered. A figure like the Buddha Child was tied to the overall course of this world and destined to be recorded in the scriptures. A figure of this caliber had a crystal-clear origin and background; what he set out to do and his karmic ties were obvious for all relevant Bodhisattvas to see. What further proof of identity could possibly be needed?
Yet Baoxing said, "In times like these when external demons run rampant and an Enemy of Buddha seems to have been born, the more crucial the karma, the more thoroughly it must be verified. Confounding karma and tempting Arhats into corruption—these are things external demons have done before. With the stakes so high right now, the karma must be rigorously verified."
"How do you propose to verify it?" Shanyuan asked subconsciously.
Baoxing smiled faintly and said, "A disciple of the Buddha—even a mere sutra-attending disciple—is beyond the status of individuals like us to verify. Naturally, we must wait for the Buddha's return for him to confirm it in person."
Shanyuan was stunned once more, finding this utterly preposterous. He had long known Baoxing was hard to handle, having risen with fierce momentum over the past millennium, but he never expected her to come up with such a proposal. Who knew when the Buddha would return to this world?
Yet Baoxing's words provided the Bodhisattvas and Arhats with a convenient way out; many immediately chanted the Buddha's name and voiced agreement.
Shanyuan felt a surge of frustration with no way to vent, to the point of showing signs of demonic entrapment.
However, Wuliang Mingguang had no intention of letting matters rest here. She continued, "The Pure Land has seen no major change for tens of thousands of years. Above the fifth tier of the Sea of Bitterness, it is overcrowded to the point where not even a single minor Arhat can squeeze in. Yet looking around, so many fruitions are occupied by fools who only know how to debate scriptures and talk about the Dao! If an external enemy invades the Sea of Bitterness, are you going to stop them with flapping lips?"
"How could an external enemy ever reach the Sea of Bitterness..." Shanyuan spoke halfway before snapping his mouth shut. Wasn't there an external demon lying in the sea right now, one whom even the Buddha's palm had failed to kill?
Wuliang Mingguang said, "Now that an external demon has reached the Sea of Bitterness, why are there still so many useless beings occupying the highest ranks? I believe the stagnant pool at the upper tiers must be changed. The sixth and seventh tiers should make room and vacate some seats for the truly up-and-coming cultivators of merit."
The Bodhisattvas understood clearly in their hearts: only now was Wuliang Mingguang showing her fangs; everything before was merely groundwork.
In Qingming Immortal City, Wei Yuan bounded up from his meditation cushion. He touched his head, found it still attached, and only then let out a breath of relief. Immediately, he darted out of the room like a whirlwind and arrived at Zhang Sheng's residence. Paying no mind to the sign at the entrance indicating secluded cultivation, he barged straight inside.
Before Zhang Sheng, an immortal sword floated, slowly being nurtured. Seeing Wei Yuan burst straight in, she asked rather helplessly, "What happened this time?"
Without a word of explanation, Wei Yuan rushed forward, swept her up in his arms, spun her around several times, and burst into hearty laughter before finally saying:
"I saw the Buddha's health bar!"
Chapter 1420