Fortunately, at the crucial moment, Yan stepped in and saved his life, yet due to the Buddha Country incident, he was suppressed for an era.
He disintegrated and scattered his path because he knew, with the presence of Cang, his plan could never succeed.
However, unexpectedly, after a million years of dissolution, on the very first day of his rebirth, he saw the Great Cyan Spear once again!
No one could understand the horrified shock of that moment, leaving even Amitabha Buddha stunned on the spot.
"You have waited for endless ages, yet you still cannot escape the grasp of Cangyan."
Xianxian shook his head and said, "The Cangyan Continent is the world of ’Cang’; he will not allow you to establish the Buddha Country."
"The appearance of the Great Cyan Spear, we did not foresee either; is it causality? Or a warning? You decide for yourself."
Amitabha Buddha gazed at the Great Cyan Spear for a long time, and then his gaze fell on Su Nan.
He looked for a long while, and after hearing Xianxian’s words, suddenly smiled, "A warning? Causality?"
"Xianxian, you underestimate me too much."
"Though I disintegrated and scattered my path, my ’Buddha’ has always existed in the Western Regions."
"After accumulating the thoughts of countless devotees over millions of years, do you think... I am still the me of the past?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Su Nan and the Great Cyan Spear in his hand, and said calmly:
"In this life, no one can stop me, even if Cang is in this world, I am not necessarily afraid."
Upon hearing this, Xianxian and Juexian’s faces changed instantly.
They seemed to have underestimated Amitabha Buddha’s accumulation over these years.
"Cang cannot persuade you, but can he!"
Juexian pointed to Su Changqing and shouted, "Look carefully, who is he!"
Juexian couldn’t decipher Su Changqing’s identity, but he was sure Amitabha Buddha definitely could.
Su Changqing, who exactly was he? He didn’t know either, but the other party was definitely related to Yan!
"He..."
Amitabha Buddha looked at Su Changqing.
At first, his brow furrowed slightly, and then his expression gradually changed.
An endless Buddhist light appeared in his eyes, with the shadow of the long river of time surging tempestuous waves from within.
No one could see Xianxian and Juexian, nor could they hear the conversation between Amitabha Buddha and the two.
Only the oppressive feeling of this world almost suffocating them.
After a long while, Amitabha Buddha’s golden eyes finally returned to calm.
"Who is he?"
Xianxian couldn’t help but ask, "Is it Yan!"
At this moment, Su Changqing looked with surprise towards Xianxian beside him.
The conversation between Xianxian and the others was inaudible to outsiders, including Su Changqing.
But he could see the change in Xianxian’s expression.
"What could make Xianxian so nervous?"
Su Changqing looked pensive and glanced at where Amitabha Buddha was.
And coincidentally, Amitabha Buddha’s gaze was also looking over.
"His identity..."
Amitabha Buddha looked at Su Changqing with a peculiar, compassionate gaze, and said:
"I can see it, but I cannot speak it."
Juexian frowned, "Why?"
"The causality on him is too great."
Amitabha Buddha shook his head and said, "Such causality even ’Gu’ cannot bear."
"I can only tell you, Yan is him, but he is not Yan, his existence... is being..."
Boom!
Before Amitabha Buddha could finish speaking, the entire Buddha Country suddenly started shaking.
The endless lines of rules from outside surged in, dense and endless at first glance.
"Causality..."
Juexian and Xianxian’s heads became numb at the sight.
Those lines were not rules, not laws, but entangled, complex lines of causality!
The meetings, acquaintances, and interactions with any beings and things all produce various degrees of causality.
As the life trajectory of beings grows longer, so too does the causality upon them.
However, most of these ties of causality are insignificant and will gradually fade over time.
Only causality formed with some powerful beings lasts, unable to be erased by time.
And as for those lines of causality emerging now?
Without exception, they all carry overwhelming causality!
Not only were these beings terrifyingly powerful, but their numbers were also astounding.
Once entangled by such causality, as Amitabha Buddha said, even ’Gu’ cannot bear it.
"No offense meant, disperse!"
Chanting scriptures, Amitabha Buddha caused those lines of causality to gradually disperse, stabilizing the Buddha Country.
Afterward, his gaze lingered on Su Changqing for a moment, then he looked at Xianxian and Juexian,
"On account of you two, I will not make things difficult for them today, let’s go."
"Until we meet again at the final battle."
Currently, Amitabha Buddha had just awoken a wisp of consciousness.
The time that follows, he must make some preparations for the decisive battle.
"This matter is beyond what either of us can determine."
Trapped Immortal shook its head, "We have yet to recognize a master and will not interfere with any of his affairs."
Amitabha Buddha nodded and glanced at Su Changqing, speaking:
"Today, let us cease our actions and retreat."
The people from the Su and Wu families beamed with joy upon hearing this.
They had already prepared to fight to the death, but never expected their opponent would just let them leave like this?
And the people of Buddhism had no objection to Amitabha Buddha’s words.
Even Kashyapa, who had just shown a hateful expression, was quite calm, as if once the ’Buddha’ spoke, everything was right.
"Thankfully, it didn’t actually start."
Both Wu Jiuling and Su Nan breathed a sigh of relief.
Nobody knew the immense pressure faced when standing before Amitabha Buddha.
Even if it was just a wisp of divine thought, it was still terrifying.
If a fight really broke out, they could only fight desperately, as the gap between the two sides was just too vast.
However.
Just as the two families of Su and Wu were about to retreat, Su Changqing stepped forward and looked at Amitabha Buddha, speaking:
"Senior, I have also practiced the way of Buddha, but mine is not Amitabha Buddha!"
Upon hearing this, the people from the Su and Wu families changed their expressions.
And the Buddhists like Kashyapa instantly shouted in anger.
"Preposterous!"
In the hearts of the Buddhist people, Amitabha Buddha is the supreme existence.
Daring to say to Amitabha Buddha that the Buddha they practice is not the same.
To the Buddhists, this is more than disrespect!
It’s a heresy that should be struck down into the eighteen levels of hell to suffer endless torment!
"In this world, there is only one Buddha."
Amitabha Buddha remained calm, stating, "And that is Amitabha Buddha."
"Why?"
Su Changqing stepped closer, questioning, "Buddha says all beings are equal, so why can’t I be a Buddha?"
"Today, I am a mere mortal. Those who see through worldly suffering are Buddhas, while others remain beings."
Amitabha Buddha chanted the true meaning of his own path and replied, "Your sufferings have yet to be dispelled, and thus you cannot be Buddha."
After speaking, Amitabha Buddha turned away, not planning to converse too much with Su Changqing.
Indeed the opposing party’s identity was not ordinary, but his current realm was too low, far from the point where he could discuss the Dharma with him.
However, just as Amitabha Buddha turned around, Su Changqing’s voice sounded again.
"Beings arise collectively in the world and thus are called beings, I view the Buddha as I view beings, if all beings are Buddha, why am I not included?"
"All things are empty to me, if I say I am Buddha, then I am Buddha!"
Su Changqing’s words filled the Buddhists’ expressions with fury.
Yet some enlightened monks looked at Su Changqing with sheer amazement in their eyes.
At this moment, Amitabha Buddha, who was about to turn away, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He slowly turned back, gazing at Su Changqing more earnestly.
"All things are empty to me."
"All things arise from me, are absent without me, exist because of ’me’, hence beings exist, thus... all beings are equal."
Amitabha Buddha muttered, his eyes seeming to flash with light.
He had practiced Buddhism all his life, yet it was the first time he heard another interpretation of ’all beings being equal’.
Amitabha Buddha’s equality among beings is that all beings believe in ’Buddha’, thus enduring suffering to attain nirvana and transcendence.
Here, the equality speaks of beings enduring suffering akin to that of Buddha, achieving Buddhahood by seeing through suffering.
However, this kind of ’equality’ is determined by ’Buddha’ towards ’beings’.
It seems like equality but actually puts ’Buddha’ at a transcendent level, above beings.
This doctrine has been such ever since ’Buddha’ appeared, and remains so until today.
Neither followers nor Buddha himself ever doubted this.
But today, another doctrine emerged.
Simply with four words ’all things are empty to me’, Su Changqing drew the so-called ’Buddha’ claimed by Amitabha Buddha to true equality!
Because I see, touch, and practice, thus it exists.
Yet if ’I’ do not exist, this world is but an illusory façade.
Here, equality’s protagonist is no longer ’Buddha’ but ’me’.
I see Buddha as Buddha, then so it is.
I see beings as Buddha, then all beings can be Buddha.
This emerges from a being’s ’me’ perspective, reaching an indisputable, genuine equality!
You say you are Buddha, but if I don’t exist, then where is ’Buddha’?
Su Changqing looked at the contemplative Amitabha Buddha and said:
"Buddha inherently has no form, form arises from the mind."
"Senior’s ’Buddha’... is a bit too narrow."