Read Novel Full Chapter 524: Cultivating Buddhism
Chapter 524: Cultivating Buddhism
“【Cultivating Buddhism】.”
Lu Yang furrowed his brow tightly, but saw that Xiao Shan continued, “It’s the literal meaning of cultivating Buddhism. That demonic monk was holding a broken Buddha statue in his hand.”
“He said that if anyone could help him restore this Buddha statue, they would receive a gift—ranging from spirit treasures, spiritual materials, to arts and divine abilities—everything could be obtained. And there were no restrictions on cultivation; Foundation Establishment True Persons could try, Qi Refining cultivators could try, even mortals with no cultivation could try.”
“At that time, the frontier commander was resolute in will, so there was no issue.”
“However, some soldiers became tempted, wanting to gamble for so-called fortune. In the end, just by repairing one corner of that Buddha statue, they ascended in broad daylight!”
A look of shock surfaced in Xiao Shan’s eyes as he spoke in a low voice:
“They really ascended in broad daylight, under the eyes of everyone. All witnessed that originally third-layer Qi Refining grunt instantly become a Foundation Establishment True Person.”
The scene immediately erupted back then.
Restoring a Buddha statue, and in the blink of an eye, advancing from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment... Even the Dao Court wasn’t this exaggerated! Even being conferred an official Foundation Establishment rank required certain cultivation!
So the situation quickly spiraled out of control.
“Mortals, Qi Refining cultivators, and even some Foundation Establishment who hadn’t been promoted in ages began joining in, helping that demonic monk restore the Buddha…”
Hearing this, Lu Yang directly interrupted:
“What about now? What’s the situation now?”
Upon hearing this, a blank look appeared on Xiao Shan’s face before he lowered his voice: “Just half an hour ago, the message from the frontier was that the crisis was extremely dire…”
“…As for now, it’s already resolved.”
With those words, Lu Yang’s expression immediately turned grim, while Xiao Shan took out a jade slip: “This was the last transmitted image.”
Lu Yang immediately pointed a finger.
In the next second, he saw a scene that could induce physical discomfort—what met his eyes was a vast sea of pale flesh.
At first, he thought it was a herd of breeding pigs.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was actually a group of people.
They were piled together densely, regardless of gender, completely unclothed from head to toe, all wearing expressions of merciful compassion on their faces.
And what they surrounded at the center was a broken Buddha statue. Its face was damaged, limbs ruined, with only a hollow left at the chest, the interior completely gouged out, and the lotus base it sat upon had missing petals. The fact that it hadn’t collapsed by now was itself a miracle.
Immediately after, the people around it began to move.
They were resolute. They were unwavering. Just like that, they climbed onto the 【Buddha Statue】, using their own flesh and blood to fill every crack of the 【Buddha Statue】.
Some dove into the lotus base, using their bodies to support the Great Buddha.
Some crawled into the statue, becoming its internal organs.
Some climbed up its face, becoming the Buddha’s features.
“Heavens…” Xiao Shan couldn’t help but close his eyes. Lu Yang and Chong Guang both furrowed their brows deeply.
The interwoven flesh and blood at that moment formed a shockingly impactful image. Even more terrifying was… in the end, it actually formed a complete shape.
“Amitabha!”
A solemn Buddhist chant resounded, and they saw the 【Buddha Statue】, with lips and teeth formed from countless people, slowly open and close, its voice echoing as if ten thousand voices were chanting together.
In the next moment, the flesh began to melt.
All the bizarre and eerie phenomena vanished. Everyone who had merged into the statue became one with it, yet the Buddha statue still remained in its broken form.
Only then did Lu Yang notice that below the Buddha statue stood a red-lipped, white-toothed little shami—a novice monk—looking exactly like Guang Ming whom Lu Yang once knew. Yet, unlike in the previous life, this Guang Ming didn’t even carry a shadow of the past. His speech and behavior were entirely another person.
“Still not enough.”
A faint sigh echoed from within the image, and then abruptly ended, revealing Xiao Shan’s terrified expression that could no longer be hidden: “Your Majesty, I implore you to make a swift decision.”
“More and more areas have gone silent.”
“All ten frontier cities have followed the same pattern—first reporting urgent military situations and requesting reinforcements, then declaring nothing happened. There are many more such segments…”
Having said that, Xiao Shan let out a helpless sigh:
“Now this matter has already spread within Tianwu City. Many rebels are claiming that His Majesty is the incarnation of the World-Honored One, saying this is an internal-external collusion to destroy all of Jiangdong.”
Before he even finished speaking, Lu Yang had already risen with a flick of his sleeve.
“Let’s go take a look.”
He had to admit, the World-Honored One’s actions had been quicker than expected. From the moment the anomaly appeared in Jiangdong until now, how long had it been? Less than an hour!
‘From another angle, it shows that even the World-Honored One is anxious.’
But not anxious enough.
If he were truly desperate, it wouldn’t be a Buddha Child descending—but just like that time at 【City Head Soil】 in his previous life, the World-Honored One would personally possess and descend.
‘This shows that the secret behind the five-thousand-year taboo is, to the World-Honored One, still not important enough. Or rather, even those who know are only variables—not enough to truly shake his foundation. It’s just that the World-Honored One is shameless and cautious, unwilling to leave any variable behind.’
But no matter what, this could not be allowed to continue.
‘Whatever the scheme behind this so-called 【Cultivating Buddhism】, it must be stopped. This is also a good chance to see what trump cards the other side has left.’
Besides, the opponent had come into Jiangdong alone this time. If they didn’t gang up on him, it would be a disgrace to all his past training in the Saint Sect.
At this thought, Lu Yang turned to Chong Guang beside him: “Daoist friend, would you be willing to accompany me?”
Chong Guang nodded: “It is only right that I do.”
In the next second, the two rode their escape lights into the wind and raced ahead, swiftly arriving at the desolate outskirts of Jiangdong’s borders.
Before their eyes appeared a strange sight.
At the forefront walked Guang Ming in a shami’s robes, holding a nine-ringed monk’s staff in one hand and twirling a string of jade-white Buddhist beads in the other.
Behind him was the broken Buddha statue seen earlier in the image. But looking again, it had been slightly repaired since the beginning. The lotus base was now nearly whole, its petals glistening like crystal, flowing with pure golden light under the sunlight.
In the next second, Guang Ming suddenly looked up.
He revealed a bright smile, his white teeth shining under the sun. As he opened his mouth, a voice already soared upward and reverberated across the sky:
“Two benefactors, why do you stand aloof in the clouds?”
“This humble monk is upright and open, with nothing to hide. If the two benefactors truly wish to observe, then come closer. This humble monk is not a petty man.”
Lu Yang was momentarily speechless—You’re not petty?
Who in the world didn’t know? In Jiangxi there’s the World-Honored One, known for his shamelessness. Of the Four Dao Lords, you’re the stingiest one, always mingling with the lower cultivators!
But since they had been exposed, Lu Yang no longer concealed himself.
He dismissed the escape light and directly blocked Guang Ming Buddha Child’s path, speaking sternly, “Daoist friend, you came from afar, but wherever you pass, blood flows like rivers.”
Upon hearing this, Guang Ming Buddha Child was momentarily stunned, a look of surprise on his face: “Such a thing occurred?”
“This humble monk came to Jiangdong merely to 【Cultivate Buddhism】. Everyone I encountered was kind-hearted and hospitable, offering help enthusiastically. I never imagined there were evildoers committing atrocities!”
Lu Yang was dumbfounded. Damn, who said the World-Honored One hadn’t been to the Sword Pavilion before? This sanctimonious, innocent act was exactly like a sword seed. But since entering Jiangdong, all ten cities had been emptied—even in the treacherous frontier zones with sparse populations, there were at least a million souls!
Of course, Lu Yang wasn’t concerned about those deaths.
What mattered was that the Dao Court officials had died—and their positions hadn’t returned! Guang Ming Buddha Child had not only devoured them, but even swallowed the official ranks!
Now that was a real problem.
“At this point, why continue deceiving yourself?”
On the other side, Chong Guang sneered, “Killing is killing—what is there to deny? Hiding behind appearances like the Sword Pavilion is meaningless.”
With those words, Guang Ming Buddha Child’s expression instantly changed:
“Absurd!”
“This humble monk came to Jiangdong to 【Cultivate Buddhism】, walking the upright path—how could I poison all living beings? You devil from Jiangbei, stop spouting slander to defile the righteous law!”