The sound pierced through the river, echoing in the ears of the Great Wisdom Saint Monk and other Buddhist Bodhisattvas. In an instant, their consciousness spread out and locked onto Meng Qi.
Could it be that Su Meng had actually taken the initiative to reveal himself? When things go against the norm, there must be something sinister! This was the first thought that flashed through the mind of the Great Wisdom Saint Monk, whose mind was as clear and pure as the moon.
Had their search of the riverbed triggered some crucial secret of his, forcing him to act recklessly and appear deliberately to divert their attention? Or had he, during his disappearance, made preparations and set traps, intending to lure them into his snare?
The Great Wisdom Saint Monk was extremely cautious in his thoughts, not daring to be careless or rash. His voice of mind-communication rang within the spiritual consciousness of the other six Bodhisattvas, instructing them each to hold a portion of the “Six-Syllable Mantra,” slightly dispersing to serve as backup and support. Meanwhile, he directly summoned the Innate Human Seed Bag, throwing this old white cloth sack toward Meng Qi.
The sack opened, encompassing the ten directions and the three realms, filled with lotuses blooming like a pure land, intending to guide the virtuous into the Buddha Land at the end of the Dharma Age!
Seeing the famous Buddhist treasure, the Human Seed Bag, descending upon him, Meng Qi was not afraid but delighted, for his Sleeve of Heaven and Earth could no longer hold.
Boom!
Brilliant purple light erupted, directly slicing through Meng Qi’s left sleeve.
“You seek death!” As the blade light burst forth, the low, cold voice of the Hegemon suddenly rang out.
The Hegemon, proud and possessing a heart of compassion, held a desire to crush powerful opponents, disliking taking advantage of the weak. Even the Supreme Heaven Devil was allowed to grow to the peak of a Celestial Immortal before being killed. In their previous fight, he had looked down upon Meng Qi and Master Lu with condescension, watching how much strength these potential-laden weaklings could display, never truly giving his all in battle, holding back slightly to allow them to grow. Otherwise, aside from other things, the fact that the Hegemon always passively responded without initiating attacks or launching consecutive strikes was evidence enough.
However, he had thus suffered minor setbacks, ending up trapped within Meng Qi’s “Sleeve of Heaven and Earth.” Though it did not harm him, it slightly damaged his dignity, sparking a true trace of killing intent in his heart.
Yet before his words had even finished, white lotuses bloomed before his eyes, and the three realms and ten directions were covered by a tattered cloth sack!
The Innate Bag? The Human Seed Bag? The Hegemon, inheriting the Thunder God’s legacy, illuminating past lives and severing previous karma, was no stranger to this supreme Buddhist treasure. His expression slightly changed, revealing a trace of anger:
“Mi Le, you also wish to intervene?”
The Overlord’s voice boomed like thunder, his domineering aura swelling with fury, surging like rivers and seas, relentlessly pouring into the Innate Pouch. The force shook the sack in violent waves, seemingly slowing it for an instant. A blade of violet lightning erupted, poised to rend the heavens—enough to make even immortals and gods retreat—splitting the Nine Heavens asunder and cleaving the Human Seed Pouch in two!
The blade light surged into the sack, engaging in fierce battle. The Hegemon exerted all his strength to cut through layer upon layer of barriers, attempting to find a gap to escape from the Innate Bag, resulting in a stalemate between the two.
“Good!” Meng Qi had been waiting precisely for this opportunity. He inwardly praised, immediately transformed with the wind, revealed his true form, and leapt outside the Human Seed Bag.
At this moment, the Great Wisdom Saint Monk and the six Bodhisattvas outside were startled by the Hegemon’s roar. Wasn’t it Su Meng inside? How had it turned into the Hegemon, a peerless powerhouse in this era, the most difficult to provoke?
This moment of hesitation was an opportunity. By the time they realized Meng Qi had revealed his true form, the Six-Syllable Mantras had already flared up, six Buddha illusions appearing. Before they could interweave into an imprisoning formation, Meng Qi manifested the Heaven-Imitating Image, transforming into a divine figure. His nine acupoints displayed subsidiary universes and evolving paradises, blending the Heaven-Seal into the Reversion to Emptiness of all things, and he threw a mighty punch.
Bang!
The six Buddha illusions, unable to form a complete seal, were directly shattered by sheer force. Meng Qi seized the momentum, soaring into the sky. The Great Wisdom Saint Monk’s “Flower Blooming, Behold Me” was half a beat too slow, failing to strike him down, and once again lost sight of his trail.
After breaking free from the encirclement, Meng Qi immediately used the causal link he had left earlier to project his presence remotely back to the tomb of Master Chunyang. His words to Master Lu were merely a distraction, not meant to stop him, for Gourdo wielded the Celestial Execution Axe, while Su Daji was a legitimate Celestial Immortal with deep backing, possibly possessing unknown treasures. Relying solely on Master Lu would not suffice.
Clinking and clanking, the blade light surged against the Innate Bag, with the Hegemon slightly dispersing, shaking the minds of the six Bodhisattvas. He was about to take solid form and exchange positions with the Hegemon, allowing him to escape the Innate Bag.
How could the Hegemon be captured? The Great Wisdom Saint Monk abandoned pursuit of Meng Qi, as a calamity was already impending before him.
Though unclear about the exact situation, he understood he had fallen into Su Meng’s trap. Given the Hegemon’s temperament, he would find himself unable to explain, caught in an impossible situation.
His thoughts raced. Seeing the Hegemon about to tear open the Innate Bag, the Great Wisdom Saint Monk’s expression darkened, making a decision. He transmitted his voice to the Bodhisattvas:
“Six-Syllable Mantra!”
This matter had been entrusted by Buddha Maitreya. Capturing the Hegemon was an unexpected twist, beyond his ability to handle. He had to let Maitreya decide, trusting that even the Hegemon could not escape Maitreya’s grasp.
The meditative chant shook their spirits. The six Bodhisattvas simultaneously regained clarity, activating their Six-Syllable Mantra talismans. The Buddha illusions reappeared, interweaving into an imprisoning formation, collectively reinforcing the Innate Bag.
A streak of crystal-clear radiance flashed, and the mouth of the sack instantly tightened, drawing the Hegemon inside before swiftly flying back into the grasp of the Great Wisdom Saint Monk.
Grasping the Human Seed Bag, the Great Wisdom Saint Monk felt it continuously expanding, stretched by immense force, nearly slipping from his grip.
He quickly said, “This treasure recognizes its master and has often been eroded by the passage of time. We cannot fully wield its true power. The Hegemon may escape at any moment. Hurry and affix the Six-Syllable Mantra talismans!”
The six Bodhisattvas immediately raised their right palms, forming “Om,” “Ma,” “Ni,” “Pa,” “Mei,” and “Hum” upon the Human Seed Bag. Layers of golden Buddhist light infused into it, halting the expansion instantly.
Without further words, the Great Wisdom Saint Monk gripped the Innate Bag, chanting the name of Buddha Maitreya, stepping forward with Divine Foot Passage, leaving the six Bodhisattvas to return to the temple, while he himself entered a wondrous realm.
This place was vast and boundless, filled with numerous Buddha Lands—not pure lands, but human Buddha Lands, where faithful believers gathered under the rule of kings.
At the center of countless Buddha Lands lay a lotus-pure land, serene and liberating, filled with enduring Zen tranquility.
At the core of this pure land stood a Mount Sumeru, atop which a temple gleamed in golden brilliance, extravagantly adorned, bearing no plaque.
The Great Wisdom Saint Monk appeared directly before the temple. Drawn by the pure land’s pull, a hint of demonic aura suddenly emerged from him, but it quickly dissipated, leaving him once again a virtuous high monk.
He carried the Human Seed Bag, smiling and nodding at the surrounding monks and Arhats, showing no sign of abnormality, calmly entering the main hall. Upon the high seat in the hall was a nine-tiered white lotus throne, where a golden Buddha with a prominent belly lay, smiling joyfully at him.
“Master, your disciple failed to capture the target and mistakenly captured the Hegemon instead,” the Great Wisdom Saint Monk hurriedly confessed.
“The Hegemon?” Buddha Maitreya’s smile wavered slightly. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Return to the temple and leave the Human Seed Bag here. Your master will handle it.”
“Yes,” the Great Wisdom Saint Monk replied without hesitation, seemingly finding the present Maitreya even more fearsome than heretical demons.
“Bah!” Seeing the Great Wisdom Saint Monk depart, Buddha Maitreya’s expression darkened, his teeth clenched slightly. “The Hegemon’s connections run deep. I cannot decide this alone; I must seek further instructions.”
He rose from the lotus throne, his golden body suddenly shrinking, transforming into a yellow-browed novice monk—an imitation of Buddha Maitreya, actually the Yellow-Browed Demon King from the False Temple of Thunder in the ancient Journey to the West, a novice attendant before Buddha Maitreya!
The Yellow-Browed Demon King carried the Human Seed Bag, chanting incantations. Above, the Six-Syllable Mantra talismans radiated golden light, enveloping him, lifting him aloft as illusory Time Rivers emerged around him.
The golden light leapt, and the Yellow-Browed Demon King plunged into a boundless darkness, neither up nor down, neither past nor future.
He chanted the Buddha’s name again. Suddenly, from the darkness, a perfect, flawless pure land emerged, radiant and blissful, spanning hundreds of billions of aeons, filling infinite chaos.
Lowering his eyes respectfully, the Yellow-Browed Demon King carefully entered this pure land, directly arriving at a white lotus merit pool.
Innumerable white lotuses bloomed within the pool, but only one was open. Beside it sat a smiling, pot-bellied monk, admiring the single blooming lotus.
“Master, things have taken a turn. Su Meng was cunning, luring the Hegemon to confront the Innate Bag,” the Yellow-Browed novice respectfully reported.
The pot-bellied monk chuckled, “No problem. Do not interfere with the Hegemon’s matter. Return and release him, apologize politely—he always responds better to softness than force. Then find another opportunity to bring Su Meng here to listen to the teachings.”
“Yes, Master,” the Yellow-Browed novice dared not speak further or linger. He grabbed the Human Seed Bag and returned to Maitreya’s Pure Land.
The pot-bellied monk remained seated by the pool, suddenly recalling the sleeping Buddha’s prophecy:
“Formation, Abiding, Destruction, and Emptiness apply to Buddhism as well. You cultivate both the Dharma Body and the Reward Body, destined to be the future Buddha. You will face a defeat during the Human Emperor’s reign and a deadly calamity in the middle ancient era. You must retreat here, sever your Reward Body, bestow it upon another to bear your name, karma, and tribulations. Only when the final tribulation arrives will you seek the path to transcendence, illuminating the Dharma’s end, becoming the leader of Buddhism and Emperor of the Buddha Realm…”
The pot-bellied monk’s thoughts surged. Finally, he clasped his palms and softly chanted, “Namo Amitabha Buddha.”
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