On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, the bhikkhunis from Yigu Nunnery came to take away the baby girl from the annex, and Sun Lichai went with them.
Sun Wangshi waved goodbye to her little daughter, tears mingling with a smile.
Sun Zhengdao pursed his lips, his face still calm and resolute.
…
In early February, Zen Master Zixing, accompanied by Zen Master Zihui, the head of the Bodhi hospital, and Elders Zinie, Zizhi, and Zijing, went together to Bloodhowl Valley north of the river to attend the Bloodhowl Sect's founding ceremony.
The sect leader, Lei Guangling, had invited nearly ninety percent of all major and minor martial arts sects in the world; with the exception of some overly secretive and remote sects that did not receive invitations, almost all others were present, and even many reclusive Jianghu veterans were among them.
For a time, masters from both the Orthodox and Heretical Factions gathered north of the river, coinciding with the approaching Dragon Head-raising Festival, and idle people traveled en masse, making the already bustling Yangzhou City even more overcrowded.
These Orthodox individuals also intended to thoroughly investigate just what kind of power this so-called Bloodhowl Sect truly was.
To the great surprise of the heroes, this newly established sect had deeply rooted itself in the area north of the river. Sensing something unusual, everyone investigated, and the results were both unexpected and within reason.
It turned out that the region north of the river once had a cult called the Holy God Sect, which worshipped primitive evil gods and acted with bloody arrogance, provoking widespread anger. Throughout history, it faced military purges and gradually disappeared into the long river of history, but its terrifying martial arts had always been passed down without interruption. Later, many chaotic offshoots such as the Blood God Sect, Blood Worship Sect, and Blood Toad Sect appeared successively, each time stirring up a storm of blood and endless slaughter.
However, this ancient Heretical Faction had been silent for over a hundred years, and no one expected it to make a comeback today, even with a slightly more cultured name.
Originally, such a Heretical Faction might have simply come and gone; perhaps some highly respected Jianghu senior would issue a rallying cry, gather hundreds or thousands of Orthodox masters, and eliminate it in one fell swoop. But this Bloodhowl Sect had been planning its revival for decades, secretly uniting countless Heretical Faction members, such as local evil beggar gangs, rogue soldiers, fierce bandit strongholds, traitor groups, and even Jianghu sorcerers and bewitching demonesses. Its power was astonishing and unheard of.
The sect leader Lei Guangling's martial arts were even more superb and bizarre, in no way inferior to any major sect leader.
The heroes could only shake their heads and sigh at this, feeling helpless and without other options.
After Zen Master Zixing returned to the temple with his junior brothers, he instructed his disciples and monks to be vigilant against evil demons, but he did not mention eradicating the Bloodhowl Sect.
Simon's life was unaffected. Recently, he began to delve into the so-called Buddhist Pure Land.
The term 'Pure Land,' when translated literally, means a clean place. For example, the abodes of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are Pure Lands, untouched by worldly dust. However, in Buddhist scriptures, it has a higher, extended meaning: a heavenly Buddha-land that transcends the six paths of reincarnation. In this regard, it bears some similarity to the concept of heaven.
This idea is still very limited; it artificially creates a mysterious, void world. If there truly were such a beautiful, blissful space outside the mundane world, where one could enter and enjoy simply by following the Buddha's teachings, it would inevitably devalue the status of humans and, in turn, elevate the sacredness of religion.
Any religion or school of thought that promotes a wonderful world after death is in fact shackling human nature, being primitive and ignorant. This is in significant conflict with the inclusive thinking of many ancient Eastern sages and philosophers.
Sakyamuni maintained a conservative attitude toward the mysterious. In the Samyutta Nikaya, there are fourteen indeterminate questions, detailing the fourteen questions posed by external factions with inverted views, to which this sage gave no definitive answers, neither affirming nor denying.
Later generations misinterpreted the scriptures, twisting those wonderful texts and profound metaphors into mysticism.
In the correct ideological guidance, Pure Land can be interpreted as a collective spiritual state: if the mind is pure, there is no place that is not pure; all sentient beings are pure, and the mundane world is a Pure Land.
Simon naturally realized this. In terms of practical application, he advocated creating a mental illusion himself, or rather, simulating the Dream World of the insect kingdom, constructing a "Dream Pure Land" with him as the dominant force.
Naturally, there were results.
For a cultivator like him, whose meditation is profound, every thought can be clearly grasped. He can choose whether to dream and what to dream about at will. Thus, using the method of visualization, he opened up and constructed a fantastical virtual world in his mind, or what could be called his spiritual platform.
This world was originally exclusive to him alone, a Pure Land for him alone. Within it, he could, as before, split his consciousness or rebuild a dream dueling ground, but he was far from satisfied with this.
What he wanted was a Dream Pure Land that could accommodate the consciousness of others.
The key to solving this problem lay in superior affinity.
Superior affinity is the marvelous origin that turns the false into the real.
Simon used his mind to draw threads from his superior affinity pearl, then built a framework around it, segmenting his Pure Land dream. This part of his mental energy was injected into the framework, thus completing the foundation of the Pure Land.
He called it the Pure Land Pearl.
It was during this process that he gradually comprehended the Divine Foot Technique, a potentially extraordinary divine ability.
Once the Pure Land was complete, it could accommodate the consciousness of others. The first visitors were Sun Lichai and the crickets.
Through her superior affinity thread, Simon enveloped the area around her with the Pure Land, roughly a one-li radius; any larger was unnecessary. Subsequently, the Pure Land Pearl sent down countless superior affinity threads, connecting with the crickets, allowing them and Sun Lichai to enter Simon's dream.
As for the chessboard, Simon shared the perspective of his Heavenly Eye with Jueguang via the superior affinity thread, which is why he could see Sun Lichai's location. This was no big deal.
The Pure Land Pearl is now perfecting day by day, but Simon has a greater desire.
He hopes that everything in his Pure Land can materialize into reality.
This will be a long-term pursuit.
…
The monk sat in the meditation room, meditating peacefully. In this simple, dilapidated small room, he felt an immense tranquility.
Suddenly, he heard the Buddha's son calling.
"Jueguang, come here."
The Bald Donkey opened his eyes, which shone brightly in the pitch-black room like two luminous lamps.
He sprang out of the dilapidated wooden door, but as soon as he stepped out, he immediately froze.
The sky had actually darkened.
Jueguang was completely bewildered, "Is this humble monk so powerful now? One meditation session lasts a whole day?"
He then noticed something unusual: the temple was completely dark, and there wasn't a single sound of insects or birds.
He immediately grew anxious, "What's going on? Did the temple move without telling me?"
Jueguang fumbled his way through the courtyards, but after only a few steps, the ground beneath his feet turned into mud, and looking back, the tall buildings and long corridors of Shaolin Temple were gone.
The bright moon in the sky was exceptionally large, but its light did not illuminate the earth at all. The night sky was a beautiful, mysterious dark purple, without a single star, simple and clear like a purple crystal disk. On the flat, long horizon, there was a faint white halo, emitting a soft, cold light, seemingly with a peculiar sense of beckoning, making one can't help but want to explore the end of the earth.
All of this was beautiful, but the beauty belonged only to the sky; the earth possessed only terrifying darkness.
A long wind, from who knows where, blew, and the rustling of tall grass sounded in his ears. A faint, clear, and tranquil floral scent wafted over him.
The monk swallowed, feeling goosebumps all over his head, "What kind of demon is causing trouble here!" He bellowed, like a thunderclap in dry land, but his voice echoed far away with no reply.
Jueguang activated his divine skill, and his body emitted a golden light, like a torch.
Compared to the earth, it was like a tiny spark, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
"Great Monk! Lu Yuan is looking for you!"
Suddenly, a crisp voice sounded in his ear.
It was Sun Lichai's voice.
Jueguang turned his head, looking around, but saw no one.
"Up in the sky!"
The next moment, he looked up, and the bright moon had already swallowed the entire dome. On the golden lunar soil, large patches of epiphyllum bloomed.
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