Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
“As compared to the life of a normal person, this kind of experience may not be very common. For most, they will not even experience it in their entire life. However, in the course of history, it was more common.”
Wang Lin said, “Does this flout the rules of karma? If it doesn’t, how can you explain this? This is what I am perplexed about.”
Xiao Yan said, “This is indeed so. I once heard that there was a pair of twins that were in two different places, separated by hundreds of miles. One day, the elder twin drowned. At the same time, the other twin that was in his home found it difficult to breathe and was suffocated to death for no reason.”
Shi Tianhao nodded his head, “I also heard before that there was an elderly couple that travelled faraway on their own. They met with some trouble outside and at the same time, a piece of jade that they both loved cracked for some reason.”
“If they were cultivators, it was still possible for them to develop some resonance with each other through their powers. But how is this possible for an ordinary person? That jade is also not some spiritual item.”
Xiao Yan followed by saying, “What we have heard may just be legends. We are also not as serious as Third Junior who wants to get rid of all interfering influences and factors. But such occurrences do not just happen once or twice. They happen quite commonly and cannot just be described in terms of pure coincidences.”
“And all these things that seem so coincidental do violate the way of karma to varying degrees. We can’t use the way of karma to change coincidences to definite occurrences.”
Zhu Yi pondered for a moment before looking at Wang Lin, “Third Junior, while your Cause and Effect World is in line with the Buddhist karmic thinking, but it seems to shake the foundation of the way of karma in itself.”
Xiao Yan and Shi Tianhao also turned to him.
Wang Lin’s Cause and Effect World might have infused the way of karma within. But as the gate to the Cause and Effect World closes, the karmic line becomes inverted. This is contradictory to the Buddhist’s Three Lifetime Karmic Curse.
As karma did not operate properly, after the cause led to the effect, reversing its effects would change the past.
Although it was just a gentle interference, it did rock the concept behind the Three Lifetime Karmic Curse.
Wang Ling was a silent for awhile before he said, “It’s precisely because of this reason that I became more and more doubtful as I figured the Three Life Stones.”
“The Cause and Effect World and Three Life Stones were moves that I created on my own. But both of them contradict each other.” Wang Lin said, “I closed the gate to the Cause and Effect World, which will reverse karma to some extent. But I haven’t understood the logic behind this yet.”
“I can only make a preliminary deduction that the concept of the Heavenly Classic of the Way’s Virtues caused this result.” Wang Lin commented, “I must determine the cause of this, thus I referred to that incident when I was younger. I returned in order to corroborate things.”
Shi Tianhao laughed, “Fortunately, the Virtuous Zen Master is not here.”
Not to even mention that their discussion was questioning the way of karma, Wang Lin’s words revealed a hint of suppression towards the Buddhist thinking by the Heavenly Classic of the Way’s Virtue.
Wang Lin heard this and could not help but grin, “I have not told the Virtuous Zen Master of what I think.”
Xiao Yan rubbed his brows, “There must be some reasoning why there’s a conflict. More accurately speaking, I don’t think there’s a loophole in the way of karma. I can only say that there are many other concepts aside from karma in the Heavens and Earth. Whatever that karma can’t explain, it may be possible for other concepts to do so.”
“However, Buddha’s thinking that the powers of karma are omniscient and omnipotent and that the way of karma described the natural law of the world is bound to be overthrown soon.”
Zhu Yi said, “Emperor Ru achieved Buddha status, which is indeed exceptional. The way of karma is special on its own. In fact, while the validity of it is questionable, it is very tolerable to many schools of thoughts. It can describe the workings of many manuals. Many of the concepts of the Heavens and Earth can be converted into the way of karma for an explanation to be made.”
“To some extent, if it can achieve its fullest, much of the Grand Celestial World will be within its boundary. But it will not be everything.”
“Thus, cultivating it will may allow one to reach a high level. But to transcend this world, it will not be possible based on the past foundation.”
Zhu Yi straightened his look, “When the Buddha went to the Dead Sea, did he think of this too?”
“For one to maintain his zen mind even as his understanding of the way of karma had wavered, I believe it can only be the Buddha himself who is capable of that.”
Wang Lin said, “It’s hard to say what happened. It might be because of this, but something else might have happened too.”
Xiao Yan thought for a while before saying, “Let’s not bring these things up to the Virtuous Zen Master yet. Once we clear things up and have an idea of what to do, we can then tell him.”
In Buddhism, the most powerful external move was the Vairocana Zen Palm Fist Print. But in terms of the zen arts of Buddhism, it was only a spell used to suppress any external demons.
The core of Buddhism was ultimately the way of karma. And the Tathagata Dharmas of the Compass had always been tightly linked to it.
Regardless whether it was cultivating the Acalanatha Tathagata Mantra or the Forever-Bright Tathagata Mantra like the Virtuous Zen Master, it involved the way of karma within. If this was affected, the zen minds of the Buddhist cultivators might also waver too.
This was the foundation of Buddhism. Once it shook, it might not be as pathetic as a crushed Dao heart like the Mantra of the Great Oblivion did, but it would not be nice.
Ever since the Virtuous Zen Master became a honorary elder of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, he did much work and was very friendly normally too. Even after Xiao Yan and the rest formed the Immortal Soul, they were still very respectful towards him.
Zhu Yi, Wang Lin and Shi Tianhao heard this and nodded their heads, “This is rightfully the case.”
Li Xingfei bowed hurriedly, expressing her consent not to leak information out after hearing Xiao Yan’s instructions.
“The countless concepts of the Heavens and Earth are all brilliant!” Xiao Yan could not help but compliment, whereas Zhu Yi and the others had the same expression.
In the future days, besides teaching their own disciples, Zhu Yi and the rest focused on cultivating their own Heavenly Classic of the Way’s Virtues. After that, they used this is a foundation to deduce the Mantra of the Great Oblivion and Yin Yang Mantra of the Void. They figured the way of karma and analyzed the mantras of other sects.
The four of them reaped various benefits. Apart from their increased powers, their cultivations and understanding of the Heavens and Earth also experienced improvements.
Lin Feng saw all this and was comforted by their achievements.
What left him most comforted was that all four of them had their own understandings of the Two Elements Origins-Returning Scripture.
Their understandings were not necessarily the same as Lin Feng’s. They infused their own understandings of the Heavens and Earth, which left Lin Feng excited about their future progress.
After leaving the Thunder Dragon Avatar and Avatar of Ares on the mountain, Lin Feng’s actual body stood up and stepped across void space. He eventually arrived at the East Sea.
He passed through the opening of the Ying Sea passageway. As he entered the Ying Sea, he walked through the various illusory realms.
As Lin Feng thought of something, the white fog in front of him dispersed. A sea of black seemed to float in mid-space. It was extremely vast and raged with tidal waves. They protected a celestial mountain in the center of the black sea. It was the Penglai Celestial Mountain.
The celestial mountain had already been cultivated by Lin Feng. The surrounding Dark Sea was no longer an obstacle to him. Lin Feng seemed to be stepping on level ground as he ascended the mountain and came to the pavilion on the mountain.
In the empty pavilion, there was a tall, huge youth who sat cross-legged. He was cultivating quietly.
This youth was Big Luo Hades.
A layer of glow flashed over his body and his flesh was still not his true flesh. It was converted from the Heavenly Oyster’s Golden Pearl, but after years of polishing it, Big Luo could control this transformation on his own.
Although he was still restricted by time, Big Luo’s movement was freer than ever. Just like right now, he turned his appearance to that of a human, and was no longer like a Hades beast.
Even though he accepted his background and even recalled many things, Big Luo was still very reminiscent of his days when he was a human.
He turned to the human form now, which resembled his 15 or 16 years old look in the Greater World 7 years ago, when his body did not experience any changes yet.
As he saw Lin Feng entering, Big Luo stopped what he was doing and greeted him, “Master Lin!”
“Spare the formalities.” Lin Feng waved him off and sized him up. Right now, Big Luo changed his body appearance with the Heavenly Oyster’s Golden Pearl and he was still in the cultivation of the Demon Lord realm.
If he wanted to form the Undying Demon Soul, he had to possess a true body on his own.
Lin Feng and Big Luo both knew that to Big Luo, the best way was to construct a new Hades body for him.
But this was not easy. Especially since it was not easy to find a second Hades beast in the Greater World. Even if they wanted to replicate one, they could not even find a reference.
But Lin Feng and Big Luo both knew that the Hades beasts were not extinct yet. On the contrary, they could descend in the Greater World anytime.
Thus, Lin Feng and Big Luo were not anxious. Although Big Luo had no chance of forming the Undying Demon Soul temporarily, he still cultivated patiently to consolidate his powers and stabilize his foundation. He was preparing for the future.
As compared to the temporary obstacle he faced in his cultivation, Big Luo’s biggest problem was actually his loneliness and his confusion towards how his future was going to pan out.
To this, Lin Feng had no good solution either. He once proposed that Big Luo moved to Mount Yujing, but Big Luo rejected his proposition. He did not want to be lonely, but before he was clear about his future, he rather be lonely.
Fortunately, cultivating on Penglai Celestial Mountain was beneficial to him. This sort of lonely training was beneficial to his mind and allowing him to learn more about himself.
Lin Feng provided some advice to Big Luo and started to cultivate again.
And Lin Feng clapped his palm lightly before the entire Penglai Celestial Mountain jerked violently. Nine streaks of clear celestial gas revolved around the mountain. They were extremely pure and gathered towards the main pavilion on the mountain.