263: Transformation, Awakening

The Night Demon looked at the Buddha statue that looked exactly like himself, his whole body trembling. He wanted to touch it, but didn't dare.

He cast a hopeful gaze toward Xu Le: "You... do you think my true body was subdued by them because he split me off, causing his strength to weaken?"

Before Xu Le could answer, the Arhats and Protector Vajras on the surrounding walls had already jumped out, bowing in unison: "We respectfully invite the Night Buddha to return to his position!"

"Bullshit Night Buddha, I am not!" the Night Demon roared in anger, directly attacking the surrounding Arhats and Protectors.

The Night Demon's hands were like eagle claws, and his movements were as fast as lightning. With a flicker of his body, he had already reached the leading Arhat and grabbed his throat.

Clang!

The leading Arhat pressed his palms together and did not resist. He took the claw strike head-on; not only was he uninjured, but a touch of gold appeared on his body.

Clang, clang, clang!

In disbelief, the Night Demon struck over ten times with lightning speed. The piety on the leading Arhat's face grew even more intense, and his body turned completely golden.

The same gold as the Buddha statue.

"This Disciple thanks the Night Buddha for his guidance!" The leading Arhat shone brilliantly with golden light. The words he spoke contained the power of Buddhist Dharma. As the Night Demon listened, he felt dizzy, and the sensation of something new growing in his mind became more apparent.

"He, he's coming out!"

The Night Demon looked at Xu Le with a gaze for help. Despite his terrifying face, Xu Le could sense the pleading within it.

"Sorry, my promise to you was only to help rescue your true body."

Xu Le wanted to know what would happen to the Night Demon next, whether he would truly become the Night Buddha those fakes spoke of, and how it would be achieved.

"I... save me!"

The Night Demon reached out his hand. Seeing that Xu Le remained indifferent, he charged toward the Night Buddha statue perched on the high platform.

The Night Buddha statue suddenly moved. Its hand pressed forward with a Demon Subduing Seal. The aggressive Night Demon let out a miserable scream as his body was blasted away, and a streak of black light was pulled into the statue.

"namo amitabha buddha. Thank you, Benefactor, for helping me achieve success today."

The Night Buddha statue stood straight up. The blackness on its body was swept away, replaced by a golden radiance. The hollow sockets of its eyes transformed into Golden Buddha eyes.

Xu Le looked back at the Night Demon's body on the ground; it was trembling all over, letting out whimpering sounds.

"It hurts... it hurts so much... I'm in so much pain... someone save me... ugh..."

The voice grew lower and lower, and soon he breathed his last.

Inexplicably, Xu Le knew that the person was not the Night Demon, but a Chang.

After the Night Demon's will departed, his original will returned to the body, only to die from the horrific injuries.

Humans are truly too fragile!

A faint sense of sorrow arose in Xu Le's heart.

The Night Buddha's voice rang in his ear: "The human shell is weak. Since the Benefactor has lent me a hand, today I shall help the Benefactor shed his Mortal body, attain the Dao, and become a Buddha."

Golden Buddha light flared up, illuminating the entire room. The other three Buddha statues nearby also lit up with golden light, turning the entire hall into a golden ocean.

The Buddha light was warm, seeping into his marrow and flowing into his heart.

Xu Le even felt a flicker of the thought: 'If a man hears the Dao in the morning, he may die in the evening without regret.'

The Buddhist sounds entered his ears, and a thought of becoming an Incarnation of Buddha—a mere drop in the vast ocean—grew in his heart.

Seas change into mulberry fields, things change and people pass, all is void; only Buddha is eternal!

“Pfft!”

Xu Le laughed.

"I really want to get into the role, but I truly can't imagine—after everything is void, what's the use of me becoming a Buddha? What's the difference between that and a mountain or a temple, just standing there quietly?

I want to cry, I want to laugh, I want to enjoy delicious food and beautiful scenery, I want to share joys and sorrows with people, I want to show off in front of others... if everyone is gone, who am I crying for? Who am I laughing for? Who am I showing off for?"

The expressions of the four Golden Buddhas changed drastically, especially the Night Buddha. He had just been saved and turned into a Buddha, so he knew the influence of the Buddhist sounds on people. Yet, this person was not affected in the slightest.

It would be one thing if his Dao Heart was steadfast, but listening to his words, he clearly had the mindset of a Mortal. You could grab any random person on the street and they'd have the same thoughts.

The Four Buddhas continuously chanted scriptures, and the Buddha light on their bodies almost became physical.

Take refuge, take refuge... Infinite Light, Infinite Life, Infinite Wisdom... Great Freedom, Great Liberation, Great Compassion... Under the illumination of the Buddha light, countless thoughts surfaced in Xu Le's heart, and a golden Western Paradise manifested in his mind.

But it was like being separated by a layer of gauze—and a thick, opaque gauze at that. Even if he wanted to immerse himself, it wasn't easy.

With Innate Divinity immunizing him to 99.99% of Divine Soul damage, the light of salvation from the Four Buddhas was less effective than watching a movie—and a black-and-white, outdated one with a rotten plot at that.

However, just because it didn't hurt didn't mean he enjoyed standing there and taking hits.

A Piaos Alternate Account took the whip in hand and lashed out at the nearest Night Buddha.

"Ah—" the Night Buddha screamed, his original Buddha light dimming significantly.

The other Three Buddhas reminded him: "It is not the whip that hurts, nor the body that hurts, but the heart that hurts. If the heart does not move, the body does not move, and thus there is no pain."

Crack, crack-crack-crack!

After hearing the words of the Three Buddhas, the Night Buddha originally grit his teeth to endure. However, the pain seeped deep into his Soul. Each lash didn't feel like it was hitting his body, but rather his Soul.

After several consecutive lashes, he felt that his newly achieved Buddha Soul was wavering. He feared that a few more lashes would cause his Soul to Fly Away and Spirit Scatter.

"Cultivation! Composure!"

"The essence of the word 'Buddha' lies in endurance. To move the heart and endure one's nature, thereby gaining what one was previously incapable of—that is Buddha."

"All laws are void. A mere whip is nothing more than something striking a skin bag."

"..."

The Three Buddhas spoke one after another, emphasizing the words "skin bag" particularly heavily.

The Night Buddha knew they were reminding him that what was being whipped was not his body, but the Buddha statue in the hall... but it really hurt!

Seeing the Three Buddhas gritting their teeth more and more, with expressions as if they couldn't wait to "take his place," he agreed.

Taking advantage of a gap between whip strikes, he hid at the very back. Then, he immediately endured the pain to activate his Qi and continued to project the light of salvation.

Although his positioning made the power of the light a grade weaker, it was twenty percent better than just howling without contributing.

Seeing this, the Three Buddhas felt at ease and continued to drive their Qi.

The Golden Buddha light was like a sea, and countless visions of the freedom and leisure enjoyed after becoming a Buddha appeared before Xu Le's eyes.

Xu Le continued to endure the low-quality, rotten plot movie, while A Piaos Alternate Account aimed the whip at the nearest Buddha statue.

Crack, crack-crack-crack!

"Ah..."

Xu Le's brow twitched. This voice sounded familiar; it seemed to be the Stone Buddha.

The Night Buddha activated his Qi and leisurely comforted him: "It is not the whip that hurts, nor the body that hurts, but the heart that hurts. If the heart does not move, the body does not move, and thus there is no pain."

Stone Buddha: "..." (I'll endure!)

Crack-crack-crack... A Piaos Alternate Account was having a blast, while the Stone Buddha grit his teeth in pain. Finally unable to take it anymore, he began to scream.

"Ah—it hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much!"

The Night Buddha leisurely advised again: "All laws are void. A mere whip is nothing more than something striking a skin bag."

Stone Buddha: "..."

Crack-crack-crack... The Stone Buddha took advantage of a gap and slipped directly to the very back.

The other two Buddhas: "..."

Although they didn't know what that whip was, they were certain it would hurt if it hit them.

Seeing that the Bronze Buddha was getting cold feet, the Silver Buddha took the initiative to stand at the very front.

He possessed the "Worry-Dispelling Method," which allowed him to construct a Western Paradise in his heart. Even if his Physical Body were cut into a thousand pieces, he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of pain.

Crack-crack-crack... The pain of the Soul being scorched and torn assailed his entire body. The Silver Buddha's eyelids twitched from the pain; he finally experienced the agony of his two Junior Brothers.

He grit his teeth and persisted, activating the "Worry-Dispelling Method." The Western Paradise in his heart was completed; the Buddha was preaching the supreme and wondrous Dharma, speaking so eloquently that flowers fell from the sky and golden lotuses gushed from the earth. He listened with rapt attention.

Crack-crack-crack... A Piaos Alternate Account kept whipping. Seeing the other party with a smile on his face, seemingly looking down on him, it immediately stung his little heart.

You dare ignore me? I'll whip, whip, whip, whip... Dense whip shadows flew wildly. A Piaos's whipping speed was more than ten times faster than before. The Silver Buddha still had a smile on his face, not even frowning.

The other Three Buddhas watched in stunned silence. Just as the Bronze Buddha was wondering if the other two were useless, the Buddha statue in the center of the hall suddenly opened its eyes.

"Silver Buddha, wake up quickly!"

The Buddha's voice entered his ears like a clap of thunder, shattering the Western Paradise.

The Silver Buddha snapped awake, only to feel his Soul tearing apart. Every inch of his body was in pain. Even his Qi wasn't flowing smoothly, and he directly spat out a mouthful of golden blood.