255: Buddhist Domain

Clatter, clatter—

The netherworld chariot sped toward the Buddhist Domain. Inside the carriage, Shen Lian's eyes were sharp, and his fists were clenched tightly.

“A bunch of Bald Donkeys, instead of eating vegetarian food and chanting sutras, they dare to engage in banditry. They even dared to snatch Shen Lian's things. They truly don't know their own limits.”

At this moment, after three days of recuperation on the road, the chill left inside Shen Lian's body by Yu Xiyan had been completely expelled. His own injuries were also gradually suppressed under the cleansing of the heaven and earth root and his refined Life Source Power.

Furthermore, during these three days, his cultivation Bottleneck loosened again, and he was quickly approaching the Guiyi Realm.

“amitabha buddha! Benefactor, please stop.”

The moment the netherworld chariot stepped into the Buddhist Domain, a loud Buddhist chant forcefully halted the iron hooves of the Netherworld Demonic Colt.

“Whoa—”

With a neigh, the usually calm and unrestrained Netherworld Demonic Colt showed a hint of anxiety and unease due to the Buddhist chant.

Buddha and demons mutually restrained each other; as a demonic steed, facing the vast Buddha Power naturally made it worried.

“Hmm?”

Shen Lian, inside the carriage, questioned, raising a hand: “Where did this Bald Donkey come from, daring to block my path?”

Outside the carriage, a solemn Buddhist chant sounded: “Benefactor, Poor Monk can sense that your Killing Intent is too heavy. This is the Buddhist Domain Holy Land, please do not bring this Killing Intent inside. amitabha buddha.”

“Hahaha—”

Shen Lian couldn't help but laugh out loud, immediately lifting the carriage curtain.

What met his eyes was a benevolent-looking monk, holding a Golden Zen Staff, wearing a Lotus Buddha Crown, and draped in a grey Kasaya trimmed with white. He was performing a Buddhist salute with one hand, quietly guarding the entrance to the Buddhist Domain.

Shen Lian glanced at the Buddhist Practitioner before him. As the Great Dao Heavenly Pupil swept over, he couldn't help but frown.

“Rumor has it that the Buddhist Domain has four Buddhist Practitioners whose cultivation Foundation has surpassed the Mortal and attained the Saint: Heaven Stabilizer, Dizang, Buddha Emperor, and Buddha Ghost. The cultivation of the two monks, Heaven Stabilizer and Dizang, is said to be the deepest. May I ask which one you are?”

“amitabha buddha, it seems the Benefactor is quite knowledgeable about the matters of our Buddhist Domain. Poor Monk is Dizang, I salute you.”

“So it is Saint Monk Dizang. Since we've met, I, Shen, have an impertinent request that I hope Great Master will not decline.”

“amitabha buddha, what does the Benefactor wish Poor Monk to do?”

Shen Lian raised a hand and pointed: “I want to test whether my Vicious Palm can destroy your Tathagata Golden Body.”

Hearing this, Dizang smiled slightly: “As long as the Benefactor is willing to leave the Buddhist Holy Land, Poor Monk is willing to take several of your palms without retaliating.”

Shen Lian: “I think Great Master has misunderstood one thing. I am challenging you, not asking to watch you get beaten. Only by personally defeating the strongest experts of this era can one prove their own Dao heart.”

Dizang: “Unfortunately, Poor Monk has already made a great vow before the Buddha: unless the Buddhist Domain faces a catastrophe, I will absolutely not engage in combat with others again.”

Shen Lian: “Are you repenting for those who died by your hand in the past? If so, there is no need. Because the facts have already occurred, and hypocritical repentance cannot change the mistakes you once made.”

Dizang planted his Zen Staff into the ground, then pressed his palms together: “Poor Monk knows that my killing Karma is heavy. With this body of sin and punishment, I should have entered Reincarnation. However, since my Karmic Obstruction is not purified and Hell is not empty, Poor Monk only hopes to redeem a few more people who have gone astray.”

Shen Lian: “Everyone you killed was an unforgivable villain in the world. Saving tens of thousands of lives by killing one person—if such a great vow to save the world is still questioned by your Buddha, then I can only say that your Buddha is too rigid.”

“Benefactor, please do not slander the Buddha. While saving ten thousand people by killing one yields boundless Karma, those who could have been redeemed died due to Poor Monk's momentary anger. Poor Monk's sin is unforgivable, and Karmic Obstruction has arisen. For the rest of my life, I only wish to universally save all the sins in this world.”

Hearing this, Shen Lian sneered: “Then let me put it differently: the reason Hell is not empty is that in this world where the strong prey on the weak,

people are slaughtering each other every day. Therefore, the phrase 'Hell is not empty, I vow not to attain Buddhahood' is ultimately just a beautiful oath and wish.”

Hearing this, Dizang slightly frowned.

Shen Lian took another step forward: “With Great Master's current cultivation, you have long surpassed the Realm perceived by Mortals. If not for obsession plaguing you,

you would likely have already attained Ultimate Bliss and achieved Karma Perfection. But you questioned your past self at the critical moment. Isn't that betraying your former self?”

“What was your original intent when cultivating the Buddha Dao? The moment you firmly upheld that original intent was when you were the most pure. You are simply choosing to make things difficult for yourself. Why bother?”

Dizang fell into deep contemplation.

Indeed, his original intent in cultivating the Buddha Dao was actually to cultivate the Vajra Dao.

He was willing to bear his own sins just to slaughter all the demons and evil entities in the world.

However, as time passed, the number of people he killed grew. Once, when he annihilated a city of Evil Cultivators, looking at the hundred thousand corpses beneath his feet and his own blood-soaked hands, he immediately entered meditation on the spot for seven days and seven nights.

After regaining consciousness, Dizang felt that everything he had done before seemed wrong.

He chose to suppress and annihilate those who could have been redeemed. After ten thousand years of slaughter, he still hadn't changed the cruelty of the cultivation world.

If that was the case, what was the use of relying solely on killing?

On that day, he placed his blood-stained Prayer Beads among the corpses, bowed three times, and completely abandoned his Killing Intent.

Over the next few thousand years, Dizang traveled across mountains and rivers, repenting for the sins he had committed, helping those in need with all his abilities, and never using force again, even when encountering vicious bandits.

He thought this was the most correct path, but Shen Lian's words suddenly plunged Dizang back into self-doubt.

Yes, was this method truly repentance?

But after several thousand years, the world didn't seem to have changed at all; in fact, it had become more complicated than before.

Shen Lian didn't give him any more time to think, saying directly: “Now, I give you two choices. First, engage in a life-and-death duel with me here. Second, let me enter the Buddhist Domain.”

Dizang sighed: “May I ask, Benefactor, what is your purpose in entering the Buddhist Domain?”

“Someone in your Buddhist Domain took my item. I want to personally ask him to return it.”

“So be it.”

Unexpectedly, Dizang waved his hand, and a stream of Buddha Power directly entered Shen Lian's body.

“Benefactor, please proceed.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by this?”

“Poor Monk just cast a stream of Buddha Qi onto the Benefactor, which will allow you to move freely within the Buddhist Domain.”

“I'm asking you, since you blocked me, why are you now willing to let me pass?”

Dizang smiled slightly: “Because Poor Monk saw my former self in the Benefactor's eyes. I believe the Benefactor and Poor Monk are the same kind of person—not someone who indiscriminately kills the innocent.”

“Boring.”

Shen Lian put one hand behind his back, dissolved the netherworld chariot back into his body, and slowly walked into the Buddhist Domain Barrier.

As he passed Dizang, Shen Lian reminded him: “Instead of questioning your past and worrying about the future, you should think about the present.”

After speaking, he had already entered the Buddhist Domain and disappeared.