Chapter 551: Chapter 551

This kind of progress would astonish anyone who saw it!

"All beings are equal, with neither forgiveness nor punishment."

"Only if you worship Buddha in your heart will there be a Buddha. Without worship, there is no Buddha in the Three Realms!"

Looking at the statue of Xuanzang’s Golden Buddha, Qiao Ling’er spoke each word deliberately.

At the same time, far away on the Far East Island, Jieyin’s face suddenly changed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura instantly withering.

"This, this is the fate of our Buddhism!"

Jieyin’s voice spread throughout the entire Far East Island.

The grief and unwillingness in it made anyone who heard it feel a shared sorrow.

For, after Qiao Ling’er realized those words, the Buddhist fate and mindfulness that had been lurking within him alongside the True Spirit of Tathagata both disappeared intermittently.

The final obstacle blocking his understanding vanished without trace, returning to the vast lands of the Three Realms.

And the Buddhist fate within him was not originally Tathagata’s from his past life but had stayed inside him due to Zhun Ti and Jieyin agreeing to let Ancient Buddha Ran Deng remain within him during his reincarnation.

For the Buddhist All Buddhas, this was done so that Qiao Ling’er could reincarnate faster and continue to be a leader of Buddhism.

With the Buddhist fate and faith, they could also locate Qiao Ling’er at the first instance.

But as the power of Buddhism began to wane and Ksitigarbha rebelled against Buddhism, Jieyin and Guanyin took the Buddhist fate within Qiao Ling’er as their last hope for a turnaround.

Especially since in the Southern Continent Jambudvipa, with Tongtian protection, ordinary people couldn’t easily approach Qiao Ling’er, which reassured Jieyin greatly.

But just when he had started to relax, that hard-won sliver of fate suddenly dissipated, something Jieyin had never expected.

However, he also understood that from then on, there probably would be no Buddhism in the Three Realms.

Jieyin mournfully chanted the Buddha’s name, wishing to retain it, yet powerless to do so.

"Holy Monk, I have fully realized it!"

Feeling his transformation, Qiao Ling’er happily exclaimed.

"The profundity of Buddhist law isn’t realized overnight. You should be encouraged!"

Xuanzang appeared in the hall at the moment when Qiao Ling’er dissipated the last traces of fate.

Although he knew that some change in Qiao Ling’er was inevitable, seeing that the other had reached the Peak of the Celestial Immortal cultivation level, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat astonished.

Surely, a reincarnation indeed possesses unique blessings.

If it were any other novice monk, even with realization, progress might still be hard.

Unlike Qiao Ling’er, who had directly leaped over a great realm without worrying about being unable to keep up.

"I will heed the Holy Monk’s teachings!"

The joy from just moments ago was quickly retracted by Qiao Ling’er, who could now fully understand the scriptures of the New Buddhism.

This made Qiao Ling’er regard Xuanzang with even greater respect.

Initially, the Southern Continent Jambudvipa believed in Buddhism, but the Buddhist All Buddhas were rarely seen by anyone in their lifetime.

Even the people of Qiao Family Estate had seen Ancient Buddha Ran Deng, but they also knew it was but a manifestation, not truly accompanied by Buddha’s light.

Compared to that, although the New Buddhism by Xuanzang was still a branch of Buddhism, the few statues enshrined in the hall were merely the statues of Xuanzang’s Sandalwood Merit Buddha, Sun Wukong’s Fighting Victory Buddha, Zhu Bajie’s Altar Cleanser, Sha Wujing’s Golden Arhat, and Ao Lie’s broadly established Bodhisattva.

When compared to the many Buddha statues in older temples, they naturally fell far short.

Moreover, Xuanzang and his disciples often preached in Southern Continent Jambudvipa, allowing everyone from naive children to old people fortunate to grow old to see Xuanzang in person.

The name of the Holy Monk spread throughout the Southern Continent Jambudvipa for a century without dissipation.

It is precisely for this reason that the New Buddhism took such deep root in the hearts of people across the Southern Continent Jambudvipa in just a few decades.

No matter the prior faith in Buddhism, after Xuanzang began his teachings, the entire Southern Continent Jambudvipa was dotted with New Buddha Temples.

As for the fate on Qiao Ling’er, Xuanzang of course had ways to retain it.

But he did not do so; instead, he watched as it dissipated into the world.

For Xuanzang, this fate belonged to Buddhism, not the New Buddhism.

If he truly retained it, what difference would there be between him and those high and mighty Buddhas in Buddhism?

Nothing but a bunch of selfish spirits.

"Now that you have understood the scriptures, you should experience the Eight Sufferings of the world, not just sit in a temple meditating and seeking the path."

"Without sufficient experience and merely looking at the scriptures, what can you meditate on? What can you realize? From today forth, leave the New Buddha Temple and walk the lands of the Southern Continent Jambudvipa,"

Xuanzang told Qiao Ling’er, "Only through real experiences will your Buddha heart become truly stable!"

He always disapproved of comprehending scriptures in the temple. In New Buddha Temple, whether it was a highly enlightened monk or a little novice monk who had just entered the temple, had all ventured out.

Only by experiencing it oneself could one truly understand; spending entire days in the temple, aside from becoming more proficient in reciting the Buddhist scriptures, had no real effect whatsoever.

Qiao Ling’er pressed his palms together and performed a Buddhist salute.

To him, the saying that merely reading the scriptures could lead to realization or enlightenment seemed absolutely correct.

He immediately bid farewell to Xuanzang, packed some simple belongings in the meditation room, and left the New Buddha Temple to wander the lands of the Southern Continent Jambudvipa.

Of course, Xuanzang wasn’t going to let Qiao Ling’er leave alone; he left a shadow clone by Qiao Ling’er’s side, so if any danger presented itself, he could immediately know.

Setting aside the fact that Qiao Ling’er was the reincarnation of the Tathagata, Xuanzang could not bear the thought of anything untoward happening to such a person with clear Buddhist devotion.

Moreover, the very act of ordaining Qiao Ling’er had attracted Wu Tian, and now by letting Qiao Ling’er go out, should the Demon Clan rashly invade, Qiao Ling’er would indeed be in danger.

For Qiao Ling’er, facing not just a Quasi-Saint but even a Daluo Golden Immortal, would suffice to claim his life.

"No, we cannot let this matter go!"

Jieyin grew more indignant the more he thought about it, unable to accept that the hope of Buddhism could be so easily shattered.

Right then, he decided to leave Far East Island to meet Xuanzang in Southern Continent Jambudvipa or to have a proper conversation with Tongtian.

"Guanyin, you stay here, I will go alone."

Jieyin asked Guanyin to stay behind. Now, in Buddhism, they were the only two Quasi-Saints, and just thinking about it felt profoundly sorrowful.

"Amitabha Buddha, is this really appropriate?"

Guanyin expressed her concern, especially considering what had recently happened with Zhun Ti.

"Don’t worry, there will be no issue."

Jieyin confidently assured.

"Fellow Daoist, let me accompany you on this journey."

Yuanshi Celestial Venerable was not worried about the Demon Clan, but rather about Wang Yang.

This person was capable of confronting a Quasi-Saint, and there might be unforeseen incidents.

"I alone will go; Fellow Daoist needs to guard Far East Island. If all four Great Demon Kings of the Demon Clan come, without you here, I fear for the safety of Far East Island."

Jieyin told the Yuanshi Celestial Venerable.

With that said, the Yuanshi Celestial Venerable refrained from further comment.

After all, the last time only two had come and they had easily escaped; if all four came, that would indeed be a major problem.

On Far East Island, Jieyin ultimately decided to go alone.

Now that Buddhism had only two Quasi-Saints, and although Guanyin was a Quasi-Saint, her combat prowess was not considerable; her presence wasn’t much help to him.

As for bringing someone from the Expounding Teachings Sect, that was even less likely; setting aside the currently tense relationship between Expounding Teachings Sect and Cutting Teachings Sect, just recount Beiju Luzhou alone, many from the Expounding Teachings Sect had fallen to Wang Yang and Tongtian.

Although Jieyin intended to seek a discussion with Tongtian, it did not mean he was prepared for a fight.

If the Yuanshi Celestial Venerable was present, a fight would be inevitable.

Alone, he rode the Auspicious Clouds, flying above the ocean of the Eastern Sea.

Demon Beasts in the Eastern Sea occasionally sensed Jieyin’s presence and leaped out of the water.

However, they were all crushed by the Quasi-Saint’s aura, not daring to approach Jieyin.

These were Demon Beasts without awakened intellects, possessing great strength but retaining only their animalistic nature.

Jieyin did not even glance at them, as he flew directly towards Golden Turtle Island.

But, as Jieyin was about to reach Dongshen Shenzhou, a sharp blade suddenly flew straight at him from the space around him.

Jieyin’s expression changed, and he met it with the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, blocking the cold glinting sword in midair.

Jieyin shouted angrily; this was not a warning but a direct attempt on his life.

Using his mana, he vibrated the surrounding space, attempting to flush out the person hiding in the shadows.

Another sword flew towards him, causing Jieyin’s expression to change as he swiftly dodged it.

As Jieyin dodged, the nearby space collapsed, and several figures materialized.