Free Web NovelChapter 529: Chapter 21: Transforming the Barbarians into Buddha, I Become Shakyamuni, Daluo Fruit Position
’He must be a Daluo!’
The Cyan Bull respectfully lowered its head.
Meanwhile, Lu Xuan and Old Nong walked side by side. Zhao Zheng and Lu Jianxue followed behind them, leading the terrified Cyan Bull.
Old Nong asked with a smile,
"What do you intend to do in the Late Han Dynasty?"
Lu Xuan thought for a moment before replying softly,
"I have roughly three objectives. First, I must defend the Nine Nether and do my utmost to prevent the Six Paths of Reincarnation from falling into enemy hands.
Then, after the Great Han Dynasty falls, I intend to establish a new great dynasty, using the Human Dao to rule over the Celestial Vault and the Nine Nether. If conditions permit, I also wish to establish a ’Heaven’."
"Establish a ’Heaven’?"
Old Nong glanced sideways, asking in confusion,
"What do you mean?"
Lu Xuan faltered for a moment, then realized. ’Of my Three Masters, only he still doesn’t know that I am Xuan Sheng, and Xuan Sheng is me...’
He cleared his throat and said evasively,
"I, your disciple, wield the Three Lamps of Heaven, Earth, and Man, which are a manifestation of the Great Will of Heaven and Earth. With them, I may be able to intervene in the Heavenly Dao and Earthly Virtue and alter certain things."
The two people and the bull behind them were utterly baffled, but a hint of surprise surfaced on Old Nong’s face.
"So that’s your scheme? It is indeed not impossible... Back at the Beginning of Ancient Times, a certain being replaced the will of Heaven with their own, taking control of all of Heaven and causing no small amount of trouble for two particular Fellow Daoists..."
After a pause, Old Nong added with a smile,
"If you need my help, just say the word."
Lu Xuan bowed respectfully.
They continued forward for another thousand li until they were near the West Pole Celestial Palace. Suddenly, a brilliant golden light flared, and a majestic Great Buddha appeared, blocking their path. One hand pointed toward the heavens, the other toward the earth.
A fog of Chaos abruptly rose from the ground to the Celestial Vault, blanketing the area, obscuring the workings of fate, concealing Cause and Effect, and blocking all prying gazes.
Zhao Zheng, Lu Jianxue, and the youth all had their six senses temporarily sealed, plunging them into a dazed and witless state.
"Senior Shakyamuni," the Daoist said with a smile and a bow, while Old Nong simply gave a slight nod to the Great Buddha that towered between heaven and earth.
Sakyamuni Buddha returned the greeting with a soft laugh, his voice solemn.
"Fellow Daoist Profound Clarity, have you come to fulfill our agreement?"
"I am on the verge of becoming a Daluo, so it is time to fulfill my promise and help you, Senior Shakyamuni, secure your Dao Fruit Position."
"Excellent, excellent!"
The Great Buddha chuckled.
"Once you take the seat of the Spirit Mountain Buddha, Fellow Daoist, you may be able to leverage the conclusion of the Journey to the West to directly attain half a Dao Fruit Position."
Before Lu Xuan could respond, Old Nong, who was standing to the side, curled his lip.
"Attaining the Dao Fruit through the Buddhist Path is not the road Xiaoxuan should walk. He wouldn’t be interested in that!"
Shakyamuni gave a faint, wry smile, not daring to argue. He only said,
"Be that as it may, it can still be of great assistance to Fellow Daoist Profound Clarity."
Old Nong nodded, conceding the point, and slowly began to speak.
"You will use Xiaoxuan to secure your Dao Fruit, and Xiaoxuan will use you as a smokescreen. Unless absolutely necessary, you must not reveal your status as a Dao Fruit holder."
"I understand, Great Celestial Venerable." Sakyamuni Buddha’s expression turned solemn, and he bowed once more.
"After today, I will no longer be Shakyamuni."
Lu Xuan looked up and asked softly,
"Then who will you be?"
"I will be the Buddha. No other name. Only the Buddha."
"Very well."
Without any warning, Sakyamuni Buddha extended his hand, palm open. The figure of the Blind Daoist emerged from it.
He began to personally graft Cause and Effect for Lu Xuan, tampering with the past and present.
「Time shifted.」
Lu Xuan stepped out of the body of his past self, allowing a Buddha Fruit to merge into his Physique. He began to transform. His aura swelled, and visions of countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appeared around him.
In turn, Sakyamuni Buddha’s body began to collapse, gradually fading until it dissolved into ’Nothingness’.
He was no longer Shakyamuni.
Henceforth, there was only the Buddha.
"Compassion, compassion!"
An Ancient One was silently born, while Lu Xuan closed his eyes as his own form began to change.
A brilliant golden Buddhist light emanated from his skin as countless profound principles and aspects of the Great Dao surfaced in his mind.
He instantly understood and mastered every Divine Technique of the Buddhist Sect.
His body swelled to an immense size, transforming into a resplendent Buddha. With one hand pointing to the sky and the other touching the earth, he assumed the posture of the sole honored one in all of creation.
"Primordial, maintain the concealment!" Old Nong ordered sternly. He, the Blind Daoist, and the Buddha acted in unison to smooth the ripples that had formed on the River of Time.
Meanwhile, Lu Xuan, now a Great Buddha, kept his eyes shut tight. He merged his being with the Buddhist Path, inheriting the entirety of Shakyamuni’s life.
In a trance, Lu Xuan fell into the River of Time, his consciousness drifting through his countless "past selves."
During the Late Shang Dynasty, he sat upon Spirit Mountain, gazing at a war that consumed the heavens. He watched as his Third Master, roaring with fury, wielded the Four Immortal Slaying Swords in battle against his Second Master.
During the Xia Dynasty, he walked the earth, spreading the Dharma of the Buddhist Path, teaching the truth, and accepting disciples.
During the age of the Five Emperors, when Spirit Mountain was first established, Lu Xuan sat within it. Before him were two Buddhas of boundless majesty.
One held the Western Pure Land in his palm; the other wielded a colossal Miaoshu.
However, the Pure Land showed signs of imminent collapse, and the Miaoshu was covered in fine cracks from which lightning occasionally flickered.
Lu Xuan’s heart tightened, but he did not panic, as he was already mentally prepared.
He knew that by accepting Shakyamuni’s position, he would inevitably have to face the two Enlightened Ones of the Buddhist Sect in some past era. Thus, he simply smiled and remained silent.
Just as in the original course of history, one of the two Enlightened Ones, Amitabha Buddha, spoke dispassionately.
"Shakyamuni, now that you have established Spirit Mountain, you shall reside in the seat of the Present Buddha. Barring any surprises, the Past Buddha will be Lamp, and the Future Buddha will be the Buddha Mother."
Lu Xuan responded with a Flower-Picking Smile and chanted the Buddha’s name. As the sacred sound vibrated through the air,
the Ancient Bodhi Buddha at his side spoke softly, deviating from the original course of history.
"Shakyamuni, I know you must harbor much resentment in your heart. We, too, are helpless regarding the Buddha Mother’s desire to usurp the position."
