The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

The autumn air in September was crisp and refreshing, and the Shaolin mountain was covered with red leaves. It was a season of traveling due to the nice weather and beautiful scenery.

Despite being one of the greatest forces and the most influential sect of Zen practice, Shaolin did not take possession of the whole mountain. As they did not forbid anyone – including the woodsmen, hunters, and herbalists – from entering the mountain, many people of the Exterior Realm often went deep into the back mountain to hunt poisonous animals or practice their skills in martial arts. At the same time, many tourists had been making a tour to the front side of the mountain. However, once they went past the Mountainside Pavilion, which was very close to the Shaolin Temple, they would be blocked by the Deacon Monks who were patrolling the area as they were not allowed to go further.

Far away from the Mountainside Pavilion, Hotogtu was walking up the mountain. While listening to the chirping birds, he was admiring the evergreen trees, the red maple leaves, and the mist in the valley. Everything was so peaceful. Despite having the title of Living Buddha, Hotogtu could not help to indulge himself in this wonderful walk because it was rare to find such a tranquil and peaceful place in the mortal world.

Hotogtu was restraining his own aura. Just like an ordinary old monk who was taking a tour to the Shaolin mountain, his aura was calm and harmonious, without looking like a Dharmakaya at all. Therefore, no one could recognize that he was actually Hotogtu, the Living Buddha, who was once being ranked first on the Heavenly List.

At the moment, Hotogtu was in an inexplicable state where he had a sense of integrity and wholesomeness. Although he once had a forty-year Isolated Practice in the past, he had never experienced this kind of feeling before. Feeling a sense of clarity from the inside and outside, he seemed to be able to attain enlightenment at any time!

Little by little, the mind and body of Hotogtu was strengthened. He could foresee that his sense of integrity and wholesomeness would be reaching the peak when he arrived at the main entrance of Shaolin Temple later. Apparently, there was a huge improvement in his state of mind, which was very important to him because the Secret Buddha Sect had always emphasized on spiritual power.

When Hotogtu encountered a man in a green robe and a swordswoman in a yellow dress on the way, he did not pay much attention to them. In his eyes, there was nothing special on them. The man was just like any other ordinary tourist that made a visit to the Shaolin mountain, except that he was surrounded by a weak Zen aura. On the other hand, although the swordswoman’s aura was more noticeable, her power and realm clearly did not deserve his attention.

Hotogtu walked past them without laying his eyes on them. It seemed that the man and the swordswoman were not aware of the presence of the Living Buddha as well.

At this point in time, everything was still on track.

Nonetheless, at the next second, Hotogtu had made a decision that affected the world situation in the future. Similarly, his future had also gone off track right after this decision was made.

After taking a few more steps forward, Hotogtu suddenly found the fierce aura of the swordswoman familiar. After thinking for a while, he had figured out the sect that she came from.

The Xi Jian Pavilion? Should I greet her? Hotogtu was hesitating.

Forget about it. The most important thing to do now is to contend Kong Wen. There is no need to greet her.

But, just a simple action of greeting won’t take long, right? It so happens that I’ve bumped into a person related to my old friend, why not I greet her? Moreover, at the moment, it’s better to follow my heart in doing anything to avoid disrupting my perfect state of mind. I don’t want to interrupt my sense of integrity and wholesomeness.

Two contradictory thoughts occurred at the same time. However, Hotogtu had made a choice in an instant. I’ll greet the Dharmakaya of Half-Step from the Xi Jian Pavilion, and ignore the man beside her. He is not important at all.

He turned around and smiled at Jiang Zhiwei.

“I haven’t been in Jiang Hu for many years. It’s surprising to see such a talented person from the Xi Jian Pavilion. How is Zhou Taichong doing now?”

Jiang Zhiwei and Meng Qi stopped and looked at the skinny old monk. He dressed like a Buddhist monk who came from the northern region. Before he spoke to them, they could hardly notice his presence. However, after taking a closer look, they found that there was a pale-golden glow under his dark skin, and his eyes were shining like green glazed stones. He was having an inexplicable charm, as if he did not belong to the real world. Compared with all the Dharmakaya they had seen before, he was indeed an extraordinary one.

A Dharmakaya that comes from a Buddhist sect from the northern region? Jiang Zhiwei cast a glance at Meng Qi and saw him looking at the monk smilingly. She asked with a serious face, “Are you Sir Hotogtu, the Living Buddha of the current world?”

“Yes, you’re right,” Hotogtu gave her a slight nod. “At such a young age, you’re already a Dharmakaya of Half-Step. The Xi Jian Pavilion is really good at searching for talented people. Although I’d been in Isolated Practice for many years, my disciples had been updating me about the things that happened in Jiang Hu. But why I have never heard of you?”

He was speaking in a calm tone, without revealing his aura as a Dharmakaya at all.

“Ah, he is Hotogtu. No wonder I couldn’t notice him just now. It seemed that he was immersing himself in a mysterious state and restraining his aura moments ago,” Meng Qi sent a secret message to Jiang Zhiwei.

Jiang Zhiwei nodded her head and said, “He was the former leader of the Secret Buddha Sect. I’ve once fought with his disciple, the Living Buddha of the Rotary. Their sect focuses on spiritual power and practices the Trailokyavijaya Mantra. Hence, their style of martial arts is more like magical witchcraft, as they can draw people into the spiritual world. They will be showing the opponents all kinds of horrible scenes, making them lose their minds and sink into hell…”

Jiang Zhiwei was telling Meng Qi about her experience of dealing with the Living Buddha of the Rotary. She did not answer Hotogtu’s question as she knew Meng Qi would respond to him.

Meng Qi looked at Hotogtu with a smile and cupped his hands together, “It’s my pleasure to meet you, the Living Buddha of the current world. What brings you here to Shaolin?”

As he spoke, his aura was spreading around like the endless flow of water from the Ocean’s Eye.

At once, Hotogtu shifted his gaze away from Jiang Zhiwei to the man in front of him.

He is a Dharmakaya! I didn’t expect this!

I was just greeting a disciple from the Xi Jian Pavilion… why on earth is there a Dharmakaya here?

Moreover, it’s a Dharmakaya that I’ve never heard of before!

It’s rather common if I’ve never heard of the emergence of a Dharmakaya of Half-Step because I had been in an Isolated Practice. But Dharmakaya is different – every one of them has the power to make changes to the world situation. How could I not know about this man?

“May I know who are you?” Hotogtu pushed his state of wholesomeness to the peak.

As he was good in using spiritual power, his premonition would often come true. Currently, he had a strong premonition that the man in front of him would be a terribly strong enemy. In fact, he might even be stronger than Kong Wen.

Without answering his question, Meng Qi said smilingly, “The Living Buddha is antagonistic to the Central Plains. Hence, you won’t come to Shaolin without a reason. I suppose that you’re planning to contend Kong Wen?”

“That’s right,” Hotogtu answered frankly. Being ranked first on the Heavenly List in the past, he had always been confident.

Meng Qi’s hands were hanging down at both sides of his body. With a thunderous stare, he looked into the eyes of Hotogtu that looked like a pair of green glazed stones. With a smile, he said, “If that’s the case, would you mind if I fight with you on behalf of Kong Wen?”

“Sure!” Hotogtu replied without hesitation. He was as confident as always.

Although Hotogtu had a premonition that the man would be a strong enemy, he himself had just made a breakthrough in learning the Trailokyavijaya Mantra. Soon, he would become a Bodhisattva. Thus, he was stronger than anyone could imagine. Currently, he was in need of a powerful enemy to help him unleash his full potential!

A black wheel full of strange decorative patterns and inlaid with seven treasures of Buddhism appeared in his hand. It looked like a huge sun.

Immediately, there was a change in the surrounding. The beautiful scenery on the mountain disappeared, so did the Shaolin Temple.

Hotogtu, who had transformed himself into the Golden Body of Trailokyavijaya, was standing in the air. He had three faces, eight arms, and a green body surrounded by invisible Flame of Anger. While creating mudras using various hand gestures, his aura became sacred and mystical.

“The Trailokyavijaya Wheel,” said Hotogtu loudly as he revealed his Heavenly Weapon.

The Golden Body of Trailokyavijaya was able to defeat the thoughts of greed and resentment throughout one’s past life, present life and future life. Trailokyavijaya was Akshobhya Buddha’s incarnation as a Wisdom King, which was similar to Acala who was Vairocana Buddha’s incarnation as a Wisdom King. It was said that there was a mutual restraint between Trailokyavijaya and the Demon of Realm of Self, hence people had been placing things that symbolized the Demon of Realm of Self under the statues of Trailokyavijaya.

All in all, the Demon of Realm of Self was able to turn imagination into reality, whereas Trailokyavijaya was able to draw people into the spiritual world. A battle in the spiritual world was very different from that of the real world. To win a battle in the spiritual world, one would need to have a strong state of mind. Most of the time, it had nothing to do with one’s actual realm in martial arts!

Currently, Meng Qi had been pulled into the spiritual world of Hotogtu!

In this world, Hotogtu would have absolute power. Within a certain range, he could even make all his thoughts come true!