25: Buddhism saves people

The true religions, at their inception, all had concepts related to human desires and good thoughts!

This is a dialectical relationship: humans inevitably have desires, and desire is connected to evil thoughts; evil thoughts are opposite to good thoughts, yet evil thoughts and good thoughts exist simultaneously in human consciousness. It can be said that humans themselves are contradictory beings.

And Buddha Dharma is to infinitely suppress desires and evil thoughts, and to display the greatest good thoughts. This is its basic concept.

No one can compare with Tang Seng in terms of Buddha Dharma; even among the Western Paradise Buddhas, few can surpass him. It can be said that the concepts he upheld throughout his life are all in harmony with Buddha Dharma!

Among the Buddhist Divine Abilities, there are the Four Divine Abilities and also the Five Divine Abilities. Among these Five Divine Abilities, there is one that is most talked about: the Divine Ability of Others' Minds!

The power of this Divine Ability lies in its ability to understand the deepest hidden aspects of a person's inner self, equivalent to accessing a person's subconscious. A Buddha Dharma Disciple can then empathize the power of Buddha Dharma with this person's subconscious, thereby achieving the goal of converting people with Buddha Dharma!

Deep within Shi Jingmo's heart, there was an unknown side—an emotion, an extreme emotion mixed with regret!

“Oh, so that’s how it is!”

Under the Divine Ability of Others' Minds, Tang Ku almost instantly understood these emotions clearly. That memory, where fear, regret, and anger intertwined, with regret at its core, gradually surfaced.

Tang Ku actually didn't recite that many scriptures. In fact, he used the Buddhist Divine Ability of Others' Minds to engrave the scriptures into Holy Monk Divine Lord's mind. And due to the vast difference in their understanding of Buddha Dharma, although Holy Monk Divine Lord was powerful and Tang Ku was no match for him, in terms of Buddha Dharma, Holy Monk Divine Lord simply couldn't resist.

The Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel was still spinning, but it couldn't deprive Tang Ku of even a single sensation.

“So… you once saved the Reincarnation of Athena, but were almost killed. You originally had the chance to save her, but at that time, you were assigned to a different task by your master, which is why you have this extreme emotion…”

Tang Ku squinted slightly, “So he’s a good person, but he was forced to do things he didn’t like, which is why this extreme emotion is buried… Heh heh, why don’t I just let you release those emotions directly!”

From his mouth, as if a spring thunder, came the Buddhist mantra “Hum!”

Clang!

It seemed as if a bronze bell rang in Holy Monk Divine Lord’s mind, and a golden light suddenly burst forth from his eyes.

Shi Jingmo once Cultivated the Closed-Mouth Zen, accumulating and enhancing his Universe, which is his power, by sealing his tongue's intention, so he never spoke in the past.

However, because that master directly elevated his power to an unbelievable degree, this Closed-Mouth Zen became useless.

And his power originally came from Buddha Dharma. This seemingly powerful strength actually had a very unstable Foundation, and once the Buddha Dharma concept collapsed, his power would be greatly diminished!

“Ah!”

Holy Monk Divine Lord suddenly roared in a dazed state, and then, like Tang Ku, he let out a “Hum” sound from his mouth.

This was a move he himself had mastered. The moment this sound appeared, a dark beam of light suddenly exploded, instantly enveloping the entire hall!

This was the final power of the Universe burning to its end, the darkness that could swallow everything, the ultimate end of the Universe!

Everything in the hall, including Linglong Zi, was completely devoured by this darkness. Inanimate objects weathered and shattered, living beings ceased to breathe; everything returned to darkness.

However, in this expanse of darkness, there was a point of light, like a candle flame, stubbornly standing unyielding in the darkness.

A glow of a firefly, yet it seemed capable of shining until the end of time!

Bang!

The entire hall suddenly collapsed, turning into flying sand that vanished without a trace, and the vast darkness also completely disappeared with the hall's disappearance.

Crack!

Holy Monk Divine Lord knelt on one knee, breathing rapidly. He was covered in sweat, his expression terrified, as if he had just faced the most terrifying scene in the world.

Not far away, a mummified corpse lay on the ground, devoid of any sign of life.

Only directly opposite him, a monk sat cross-legged, looking at Holy Monk Divine Lord with a smile, and calmly said, “All Dharmas are empty forms, neither born nor destroyed. Everything you cling to is already a thing of the past, isn’t it?”

“Past?”

Holy Monk Divine Lord raised his head in confusion, scanning his surroundings. He saw warriors lying on the ground, Nezha and Yang Jian standing, as well as a mummified corpse and the monk before him.

The sky was clear and bright, birds chirped at the foot of the mountain, full of life.

Life and death are one; it seemed as if everything in this world ended, yet life emerged from that end!

“Still can’t comprehend it?”

Tang Ku’s voice suddenly grew louder, and he shouted, “Memory is empty, regret is empty, life is empty, death is also empty, everything is empty. You say, is this Buddha Dharma?”

Holy Monk Divine Lord murmured, “This… isn’t Buddha Dharma? Then what is Buddha Dharma?”

“Then what do you think a Buddha is?”

Tang Ku suddenly smiled and said, “The Western Paradise Buddhas are Buddhas, and I am also a Buddha. So why can’t you… become a Buddha?”

“I… with blood on my hands, having killed countless people, can I also become a Buddha?”

A bitter smile appeared on Holy Monk Divine Lord’s lips.

“On this land, there’s a famous saying!”

Tang Ku’s voice was clear and resonant, “Lay down the butcher’s knife, and become a Buddha on the spot!”

Buzz!

A lightning bolt flashed through his mind. Holy Monk Divine Lord suddenly clasped his hands together and knelt on the ground. The evil thoughts, killing intent, regret, anger, fear, and pain in his heart all disappeared, becoming even more desireless and unseeking!

“Buddha Dharma saves others and saves oneself! The more you cling to the past, the more unable you will be to let go. If you cannot let go, you cannot become a Buddha! To become a Buddha is actually very simple… Focus on the present, focus on the future, and devote your heart to good, then you are a Buddha!”

Tang Ku clasped his hands together and chanted a Buddhist name, “Mortal, why not awaken now? What are you waiting for?”

Holy Monk Divine Lord smiled faintly, put down his helmet, and his entire Saint Cloth automatically detached, instantly transforming into its original Virgo Saint Cloth appearance, falling heavily to the side.

He ran his hands over his head, and all his long red hair fell off, revealing a handsome bald head.

“Disciple sincerely takes refuge, please bestow a Dharma name!”

Holy Monk Divine Lord clasped his hands together and knelt before Tang Ku, his piety causing Yang Jian and Nezha beside him to secretly click their tongues in awe.

“Heh heh, do you still need this master to bestow a Dharma name upon you? Your original name is your Dharma name!”

Tang Ku said, following the flow, but his face was solemn and extremely proper.

“Disciple understands. From today onward, there is no Holy Monk Divine Lord, nor a Virgo Saint Seiya, only the Buddha Dharma Disciple Shi Jingmo! Namo Amitabha!”

Holy Monk Divine Lord… no, Shi Jingmo prostrated himself, bowing down!

“Alright, I guess I’ve witnessed the Buddha Dharma of Buddhism converting people…” Nezha couldn’t help but shiver and said, “Fortunately, Holy Monk is not our enemy!”

Yang Jian couldn’t help but nod in deep agreement, looking at Tang Ku, filled with reverence!