I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple.

The forbidden area behind the mountain.

Tens of thousands of Martial Monks strictly guarded the place, any outsider approaching would commit the sin of blaspheming the Buddha.

In the laws of the Buddha Continent, blasphemy was the gravest sin, with the principal offender being burned by fierce fire until their soul scattered, their relatives demoted to criminals, unable to turn over a new leaf for three generations.

The status of a criminal in Buddha Continent was akin to pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep, unprotected by law; other classes could humiliate them at will, their lives less valuable than a monk's shoes, like rotting flesh in hell.

Without even waiting for three generations to pass, these criminals would die amidst extreme agony, which was even worse than the punishment of the Nine Clans.

Under such terrifying oppression, nobody in the Buddha Continent dared not to revere the Buddha.

The Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple was the manifestation of the Land of Ultimate Bliss on earth; even believers approaching had to crawl on their knees, let alone anyone daring to charge into the forbidden area.

The Martial Monks were not guarding against civilians, but monks from other Buddhist lands, for what was sealed within the forbidden area was the Supreme Treasure of Buddhism, the Bodhi Treasure Wheel. If any other temple obtained it, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple would lose its foundation to suppress all, no longer able to dominate the Buddha Continent!

After all, the Buddhist community was not monolithic, with the Zen School, Vinaya School, Esoteric School, and so on.

Before the decline of the Dharma, the old ancestors suppressed the other schools, who obediently complied. Now that everyone was a mortal, by what right did the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple consider itself superior?

A few days ago.

Many High Monks came to the temple, and before getting down to the main business, they held several debates on Buddhist doctrines.

In Buddhist debates, there were verbal and combat debates; if one could not outtalk the other, they would settle it by hand, and whoever had the bigger fist was right!

With the profound inheritance of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, even if the monks from various temples secretly joined forces to encircle and suppress it, the temple still stood slightly superior.

"A hundred years ago, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple suppressed the heroes; fifty years ago, it occupied the top position alone; now, it is barely considered first!"

The High Monk with long eyebrows had a sorrowful face, the closer he was to the limit of his lifespan, the less he had of his past aspiration to spread Buddhist Law far and wide, only wishing for his temple's status to remain stable.

"The Buddha Continent is as solid as a rock; to prevent the Buddhist temples from internal consumption, we must spread our Buddha's light further..."

The division of the Nine Continents was not without reason, as mountain ranges and ravines separated them, making it difficult for even the closest Qiong Continent to wage large-scale wars, but it was easier to transform a region into a Buddha nation through the dispatch of monk warriors and High Monks to spread the teachings.

"Since the decline of the Dharma, Qiong Continent has suffered from obstructed rainfall, becoming progressively cold and decaying, not suitable for habitation."

"In contrast, Cloud Continent already has a foundation in Buddhist Law, with a thriving population; it is rightful to be illuminated by the Buddha's light!"

This morning at dawn.

The High Monk with long eyebrows, accompanied by many High Monks, arrived at the forbidden area behind the mountain and passed numerous sentries and hidden guards to reach the Bodhi Cave.

The Bodhi Cave was situated midway up the mountain, with a small temple made of blue bricks and gray tiles at the entrance, weathered by the elements and repaired several times; it was once the secluded retreat of the Zen Master Miao Shan centuries ago.

Now it served as the dwelling for those monks who guarded the Bodhi Cave. The monk glancing at the High Monk with long eyebrows transmitted a voice from his belly without opening his mouth.

"Ben Kong, why must we use the Supreme Treasure of Buddhism again?"

"Reporting to my elder, Cloud Continent is plagued by a tyrant; the common people suffer unspeakably," replied the long-eyebrowed monk named Ben Kong, bowing with his palms together, "Disciple wishes to wield the Supreme Treasure to slay the tyrant and save the people from disaster, thus presenting an opportunity to shine our Buddha's light over the Nine Continents."

The old monk, wearing bright yellow monk robes and with arms long like an orangutan's, silently grabbed onto a nearby iron chain after pausing for a long while.

The iron chain as thick as an arm tensed, the other end connected to the Bodhi Cave's iron gate; the heavy steel gate, two or three feet thick, slowly opened.

Boom, boom, boom!

The ground trembled slightly, gradually revealing a pitch-black cave entrance, with cold wind and chill air gushing out; it did not resemble a holy place storing Buddhist treasures, but rather giant jaws of evil opened wide.

The old monk reminded, "Even with sustaining methods, the Supreme Treasure can now be used only a few more times!"

"Thank you for the reminder, uncle; disciple will not fail the inheritance of the sages," Ben Kong said with a sorrowful expression, leading the High Monks from various temples into the Bodhi Cave, descending along the bluestone steps.

Inside and outside the cave were worlds apart, as though stepping from the scorching heat of summer into an ice cellar, the chill wind penetrating the monks' robes, and even Ben Kong, who was ranked as a Martial Arts Grandmaster, could not help shivering.

The cold reached into their bones; Yin Sha crept into their souls.

Whale oil lamps that burned continuously lined both sides of the corridor, and by the light's brilliance, one could see slimy, dripping moss on the stone walls, droplets condensing at the ceiling falling onto the back of their necks, sending a shiver down their spines like being bitten by a venomous snake.

"Amitabha!"

The High Monk from the Vinaya School frowned and questioned, "How can the place holding the Supreme Treasure of Buddhism be so gloomy and defiled? Has no one from the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple taken care of it?"

Ben Kong replied quietly, "Would you like Master Pu Ji's disciples to take care of it?"

Pu Ji pursed his lips, changing his tone, "We could have those lowly people take care of it, seal them directly inside the cave, and at least maintain appearances. If people discover such conditions, wouldn't they doubt our Buddha's immortality?"

"Doubt is better than accidents happening."

"The Supreme Treasure only has the intelligence of a three-to-five-year-old child. If those resentful lowly ones are allowed to coax it into recognizing them as its master and transform into a great demon, we don't have a Daoist Lord to suppress it now!" Ben Kong added, as the monks around him nodded in agreement.

Pu Ji lowered his gaze, eventually nodding along as well.

Until they reached the bottom of the cave and saw an altar.

The altar was one zhang and six chi high, its surface engraved with mysterious patterns, and its top resembled a blooming lotus.

The Supreme Treasure, the Bodhi Treasure Wheel, lay quietly at the center of the altar, not emanating any mystical aura.

Stone figures of Buddhas with various postures were carved into the surrounding walls, each with their eyes wide open, staring at the central altar, roughly numbering in the thousands or tens of thousands.

This was the origin of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, and its protective Formation was the Ten Thousand Buddhas Facing the Ancestral Temple. Even now, without Spiritual Energy to sustain the prohibitions, the mere convergence of aura from tens of thousands of Buddha statues could generate a sense of awe and suppressive power!