Those words crashed by Fuxia's ears like heavenly thunder. Countless memories surged to the forefront of his mind, and many earlier doubts gradually became clear. Fuxia said in a heavy voice,
“Then why remain so stubbornly obstinate?!”
“Stubbornly obstinate?”
Kongheng smiled and shook his head, murmuring, “The next day, when I returned to the temple, every word spoken by those Mahas that day had completely vanished from my mind. I opened the sutras to read, yet scroll after scroll only blurred before my eyes. The written characters leapt off the pages one after another, fleeing toward Zhao and Yan in a continuous stream.”
“I turned to look, and saw that the entire courtyard was densely covered in writing. Like refugees fleeing a famine, they ran hand in hand, a vast sea of characters rushing down the mountain to vanish into the boundless horizon.”
“That night, every classic and record in my Liaohe Temple turned into blank paper.”
His words echoed softly through the air. Only then did an expression of understanding dawn on Li Ximing’s face. Kongheng let out a couple of self-deprecating chuckles and answered,
“That is why I am the least adept at debating the Dao.”
Fuxia fell completely silent at last, sitting still. Kongheng said in a gentle voice,
“That year, I was only eighteen. I had just finished reading through our cultivation methods, records, anecdotes, and secret lore, and was preparing to study the sutras—only to find that from then on, there were no sutras left for me to read.”
“Senior, cultivators of the seven paths all reminisce over the ancient Shakya teachings, under which one could often ascend to the seat of the World-Honored One. You hoped to find the true scriptures through me, yet I can give you nothing. This humble cultivator has never read those things. From the start of my cultivation until now, I have relied solely on my own heart to comprehend.”
A glimmer of realization crossed Fuxia’s face. Finally, he understood why Kongheng had always remained silent in the face of his rebuttals. In a lowered voice, he said,
“Ancient scriptures were never suited for today's path in the first place!”
“Indeed,” Kongheng said gently. “I have read the texts of the seven paths. Great Desire is boundless, gaining first and losing later in pursuit of solemnity. Wrath manifests forms, subjugating evil into good to sculpt a precious manifestation. Yearning for the Dharma seeks realms, manifesting the Shakya realm in the mortal world to deliver all living beings.”
“Precepts are bitter and cold, knowing the sea of suffering so that a ferry may cross it. Benevolent Joy clarifies the mind, taking joy, anger, wrath, and folly to seek nothingness from existence. Compassion resides in the belly, nurturing all living beings while all living beings nurture me. Emptiness concentrates the mind, letting go of attachment to the self to seek liberation...”
Kongheng murmured softly, “All of you gather people by means of a Pure Land.”
“Senior, it is not that I do not know the fundamental teachings; I too have entered a Pure Land. Whether the joy of the common people is genuine or not, let us set that aside for now.”
“Yet your esteemed paths preach the suffering of the mortal world and the joy of the Pure Land to instruct the multitude, making them forget external things in pursuit of various solemn, tranquil states of emptiness. But have they truly attained it? Has there ever emerged a wielder of great divine abilities from within a Maha’s Pure Land? Is a Pure Land ultimately merely the private property of a Maha's divine ability, or is it truly liberation untethered from suffering and joy?”
For the first time, Kongheng looked solemn. There was no anger in him, nor any scolding reproach; there remained only profound contemplation and worry. His fair, clean face shone with limitless light beneath the cloak of five-colored radiance.
“Neither... Senior, neither.”
Fuxia stared at him in disbelief. This was the first time the old monk had ever shown an expression of deep contemplation. The moment that contemplative look appeared, Fuxia’s momentum waned for an instant. In a cold voice, he argued,
“There are those within the Pure Land who have achieved great things, such as Du'en, Liubai, and other practitioners... You...”
Kongheng shook his head and said softly, “Have you ever seen them?”
Fuxia’s eyes lit up as he seized upon those words, his voice deepening. “Just because I haven't seen them means they do not exist?”
“You have seen them.”
Kongheng gave him no opening at all, answering in a calm voice. Seeing Fuxia freeze, Kongheng pointed lightly toward the sky and smiled. “Liubai is right above.”
At this moment, Fuxia had long forgotten all argument. He slowly and tremblingly lifted his head. Atop the Huangyuan Pass, the six-armed Vajra stood with solemn majesty, its six arms pressing down firmly upon the Bright Pass.
“You... How could this be! Don't think you can deceive me with demonic words!”
Kongheng shook his head slowly, his voice very light.
“This is the Solemn Precious Manifestation. This is the realm of purity. This is one who has forgotten both self and external things in the Pure Land. When I was eighteen, he came forth from the Wrathful Manifestation to aid me, and to this day he has not uttered a single word.”
Fuxia did not know how to answer, completely lost and bewildered. Kongheng said softly,
“I know what my senior brother meant. With the fall of the Wrathful Eyes Four Demons Emperor Kshetra, the Wrathful Lineage has fallen on hard times. He wants anger to arise in my heart so that I will devote myself entirely to the Wrathful Manifestation, so that I may become a Maha and reestablish the lineage.”
“Isn't that right!”
Fuxia remained silent for a moment before answering, “Yes.”
Kongheng’s expression remained gentle, the radiant light across his face growing richer and richer. He spoke kindly and patiently, “That is precisely where the problem lies. You believe the Wrathful Manifestation is good, so you want me to become a Wrathful Manifestation, and thus you came to bring me along.”
“You believe all living beings suffer, so you seek to deliver them all. You wish to forge a Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, first letting all living beings endure every agony, and then placing them all inside it, expecting their eternal gratitude.”
He asked, “You look down from on high, intent on delivering all living beings, but have living beings ever wished to be delivered by you?”
“Why wouldn't they!” Fuxia’s complexion changed, his voice sinking low. “How bitter is the mortal world, and how joyful is the Pure Land! Go to the lands of Yan and Zhao and pull any commoner at random—every single one yearns with their whole heart to enter the Pure Land!”
Kongheng murmured softly, “That is only because the present world is too bitter, and they seek only pleasure. As for boundless tranquility, boundless purity, and a boundless, unchanging Solemn Precious Manifestation, that is not what common people desire. They suffer the pain of the seven emotions, yet they also relish the joy of the seven emotions. A boundless Solemn Precious Manifestation is nothing more than a boundless manifestation of death. Only when they suffer so deeply that they wish for death, wanting joy no longer, are they willing to enter the Pure Land.”
“You think everyone wants to enter the Pure Land, when in truth, everyone is tormented until they have no choice but to want it.”
Fuxia snapped, “Nonsense! Who wouldn't want a Solemn Precious Manifestation? Those who don't want it simply lack the realm for it!”
Kongheng stood up, speaking in soft, gentle tones:
“The Solemn Precious Manifestation is an extreme of boundless purity. They are all the same manifestation. When encountering any circumstance, they make the exact same response; they are the exact same person. Even if ten thousand people achieve it, it is merely one person occupying the bodies of ten thousand! Senior Fuxia, that is not how one cultivates to become the World-Honored One.”
“In the name of cultivating to become the World-Honored One, you bewitch tens of millions with the illusion of an expansive paradise, hoping to seize all their souls with the puppets of Solemn Precious Manifestations! Meanwhile, you retain your own seven emotions and six desires, sitting high above, laughing down at the mortal world and scoffing at its ignorance!”
“Worse yet are the foolish ones, who in the end allow the Solemn Precious Manifestation to occupy even themselves! Tens of millions becoming one boundless, tranquil, pure, and unchanging manifestation of death!”
Fuxia stared at him heavily, his voice raspy. “Is that what the ancient Shakya teachings said?”
Kongheng gazed at him quietly and said in a gentle voice, “That is what I say.”
As Kongheng’s words fell, the scorching Lihuo had already begun creeping up his body. Li Ximing’s urging voice rang out again and again. Fuxia suddenly wiped all emotion from his face, looking quietly at him.
“If that is so, why doesn't Kongheng become a Maha?”
His weathered face was filled with pure sincerity, and clear tears even traced down his cheeks.
“Since all seven paths are wrong, Kongheng can ascend as a Maha, establish a Pure Land of your own, teach the world the path to boundless liberation, overturn this filthy world, and forge the foremost Pure Land!”
“My Lord, return to the Northern Demon-Subduing Temple! We are willing to be driven at your command!”
Chapter 675