Chapter 1071: A World Without Buddha

Before the heliocentric theory was born, people assumed that the Earth was the center of the known Universe, because people could only perceive what they were able to perceive, and images that did not exist in memory could not trigger imagination.

So, in the ‘mind’, what does the Universe look like?

Is the Universe Earth-centered? After all, everyone thought the Earth was the center, so in the ‘mind’, the Universe should conform to the ‘mind’s’ perception.

This brings us to another level.

According to the Buddha-Dharma, although you believe the Earth is the center of the Universe, there are other ‘minds’ in this world. Many technologically advanced aliens ‘subjectively’ believe the Earth is not the center of the Universe.

Moreover, these technologically advanced aliens are obviously far more numerous, and their perceptions are more accurate and reasonable, so through the convergence of many ‘minds’, a ‘cosmic consensus’ was reached.

This consensus does not waver due to the stubbornness or ignorance of a few ‘minds’.

Thus, the observable ‘objective’ also appeared.

Under the observation of the ‘mind’, objective reality was determined; the subjective views of numerous observers collectively determined an objective reality.

This objective reality is the ‘Universe’.

This is ‘Karma’.

And in the eyes of the Demonic Dao, especially the Heavenly Demon lineage, it is obvious that… the Earth should be the center of the Universe, and it is now.

If it’s not in the future, then it’s not, because it’s just a dream, and it’s only this way because of how I think.

So, for the Demonic Prince, what is he like?

The Demonic Prince…

Is actually a typical Demonic Dao practitioner.

To him, this world exists only because he ‘believes’ it does, so he can resist death, he can overcome pain, he can endure all torment, and even at the First Grade, he was able to withstand the Retribution of Black Karma of a Second Grade.

His will determines this world, and it remains so even now.

He wants to exterminate the Demonic Dao.

Does he?

He wants to take revenge on the Heavenly Demon.

Does he?

He wants… he wants…

What does he want?

During the painful Possession process, the Demonic Prince suddenly felt a moment of trance.

It was as if this miniature heaven and earth had been enchanted, falling into a deep, unending dream.

When he once again slipped out of his own mental space, he suddenly realized something.

His entire life had been focused on ‘mission objectives’.

His mind was only on ‘mission objectives’.

At first, he wanted to survive, so he dragged his crippled body, fighting, struggling, using all sorts of ugly weakling methods, in a state of natural incompleteness, and painstakingly reached the Seventh Grade.

After that, he obtained the Earth Mother Dao Resonance, which is the bamboo staff he carried with him everywhere, making up for his natural incompleteness, and began his ‘Overlord Dao Foundation’.

At first, even he found it quite ridiculous.

In his youth, with his ugly struggle for survival, his pathetic rolling on the ground, was he worthy of the title ‘Overlord’?

But the world didn’t know, they hadn’t seen it.

They could only see the invincible Demonic Prince, seeing him constantly challenging the limits of cultivation in the world, seeing him crushing everything in his path, seeing his Overlord’s path.

But only the Demonic Prince himself knew that he was no Overlord, and what he had been pursuing all along… was not an Overlord at all.

He had never stood up straight since birth, so the Demonic Prince actually didn't know how to be a person.

He merely displayed his power, pursued his own invincibility, and frantically sought to be a person.

As a result, he failed because of Li Qi.

This then led to an even more frantic pursuit, making him feel that he could achieve something even greater in one go.

What he pursued was neither the Heavenly Demon nor the extermination of demons.

The Demonic Prince felt the ‘pain’ he endured.

Possession of Taiyi was simply too painful, thousands upon millions of times more painful than the Retribution of Black Karma.

He persevered entirely by his habitual stubbornness, just as in countless past years, he had overcome endless suffering with such stubbornness and reached this point today.

His stubbornness and prejudice helped him fulfill every desire, every ‘mission objective’.

Pain was like a flood over his neck, spreading his powerlessness and despair of countless years, yet at the same time, it was his cry for help and hope.

That’s why he ended up in such a state.

Enduring endless pain, enduring everything on the journey, what did he ultimately gain?

Looking back, the Demonic Prince actually felt a bit envious of Li Qi.

The Demonic Prince’s Dao could only protect his precarious self.

As for Li Qi, his eyes were always looking towards the distance.

The Demonic Prince sighed.

Then, he gave up the Possession of Taiyi.

The Demonic Prince retreated.

The Demonic Prince let go of his prejudice.

His cultivation began to collapse.

It had been said before that the Demonic Prince was actually… only of First Grade. From the Third Grade onwards, all his power came from his ‘mind’, and his mind was his Dao Foundation.

An inner spirit, a high-level stubborn self-reliance, this spirit, this stubbornness and proud self-reliance, is not only a characteristic of his character, not only acts within his own mind, but can also influence the external world.

As long as his mind does not fail, then the Demonic Prince is a genuine Second Grade.

But as soon as he begins to doubt himself, his Dao Foundation will collapse.

He let go, so… his cultivation retreated to the Third Grade, then to the First Grade.

He was no longer qualified to participate in such a battle.

This made the Heavenly Demon, who was entangled with Shamansan in the distance, frown deeply.

“Shang Fan—”

Shamansan’s countless powers suddenly leaped, drawing golden light in a soft, flexible yet terrified manner, breaking the sleeping darkness and Demonic Qi.

“You still have leisure to call Shang Fan? Why don’t you look at me first?” he chuckled.

The Demonic Prince awakened, but gave up the Possession of Taiyi’s body. Although the result was the collapse of his own Dao Foundation, a Demonic Prince without a mind… was nothing.

But for Shamansan, this was a good thing.

On the First Grade battlefield, the Demonic Dao was still entangled with many First Grades, and losing the decisive battle result of Taiyi’s body would greatly delay the End of Dharma Era.

This angered the Heavenly Demon.

But he did not lose his composure and said, “Shamansan… if this is all, it’s not enough.”

Shamansan did not reply.

Whether it’s enough, we’ll know as we continue.

Anyway, with him here, the Heavenly Demon shouldn’t think about going anywhere else.

The Heavenly Demon was biding his time, as previously stated, they all had many backup plans.

And at the same time…

The Demonic Prince was no longer prejudiced.

He let go.

The Demonic Prince, having let go, suddenly saw a familiar face appear before him.

A familiar person appeared before the Demonic Prince, whose cultivation had almost completely collapsed.

His eyes were like Sariputra birds, his hands reached past his knees, and a gentle Buddha-Dharma light emanated from his body.

“I’ve seen you before.” The Demonic Prince was somewhat weak, but his tone was still as calm as ever.

Perhaps, this calmness had become a kind of ‘habit’ for him; even if he no longer intended to maintain this calmness, he still instinctively spoke in that tone.

“Yes, a long time ago, the old me lost to you,” Radiant Light Buddha said.

That's right, the one who appeared before him was Radiant Light Buddha.

However, Radiant Light Buddha is not Sariputra, or rather… Sariputra is only a very small part of him.

In the endless Reincarnation from past lives to future lives, the part named Sariputra is merely a tiny segment of Radiant Light Buddha’s memory.

The Demonic Prince whispered, “Winning or losing no longer matters. My Overlord Dao Foundation is shattered, my will to win is gone. Why have you come now?”

“Shang Fan, you still haven’t let go,” Radiant Light Buddha said.

“My Dao Foundation has crumbled, now I am only of First Grade, unable to even maintain reality, because even I don’t believe my mind can last long in a turbulent reality. Even like this, have I not let go?” the Demonic Prince asked.

“No, because… if you let go, you will lose nothing,” Radiant Light Buddha said softly.

If you let go, you will lose nothing.

These words made the Demonic Prince pause.

Did he care?

Of course, he cared.

It’s just that the Demonic Prince was tired; the Possession of Taiyi’s body… was truly too exhausting, too painful.

He was so tired, so pained, having endured endless tribulations, but for what?

He felt that the Heavenly Demon was not worth his exhaustion.

So he gave up, choosing to no longer stubbornly gamble a thousand, ten thousand times. Taking a step back, even death, was actually a vast expanse of freedom.

But Radiant Light Buddha said he hadn’t let go.

What hadn’t he let go of?

The Demonic Prince didn’t know, so he sat up, “What else haven’t I let go of?”

Radiant Light Buddha replied, “You haven’t let go, Shang Fan.”

“That’s not letting go, that’s just ‘forgetting about it’.”

These words pierced the Demonic Prince’s heart.

Yes.

That wasn’t ‘letting go’.

That was ‘forgetting about it’.

“The true obsession you need to let go of is not the Heavenly Demon, but the stubbornness of interpreting this world. Why must you bear the weight of this world?” Radiant Light Buddha said.

This made the Demonic Prince fall into deep thought.

Bearing the weight of this world himself?

Yes, in a sense, this was not wrong.

Because, to try to interpret the entire world with one’s own mind, to try to change the entire world with one’s own obsession, isn’t this ‘bearing’ the world?

Think about it, if what the Heavenly Demon said was true, that this world was born from the Heavenly Demon’s fantasy, or rather… from the Demonic Prince’s fantasy, then all these things, everything, are essentially caused by one person’s thoughts becoming the ‘reason’ for the world.

Can one person bear the entire world, become the cause of all things?

If he does, then this person, naturally, bears the weight of all things.

Just as the Heavenly Demon and the Demonic Prince did.

They believed that nothing in this world had meaning except themselves, and that only their own feelings in this world were meaningful.

If this world is a dream of one's own.

Then, how can this world be let go of?

The Demonic Prince was stunned.

Perhaps, the other party was right.

Why must one insist… that these obsessions are the reason for the world’s existence?

He actually didn’t need to be so stubborn.

Don’t be prejudiced anymore; true letting go is not like this.

Only by waking from the dream is there true release.

The Demonic Prince sighed, his eyes suddenly a little dazed.

Waking from a long dream.

Once he gave up interpreting the entire Universe with his own spirit, he no longer had to bear the weight of the entire Universe.

At this moment, the Demonic Prince finally ‘let go’.

This is unimaginable.

The Demonic Prince’s prejudice, the entire Universe knows how heavy it is.

Even death could not take him; this prejudice made him invincible for so long.

It can be said that this prejudice was the reason for his existence.

But no matter what, he still let go.

In an instant, the Demonic Prince immediately felt… the Buddha-Dharma in his mind, those recorded Da Sanzang, Da Zhengzang, began to shine brightly.

Just at this moment… a golden light shone into his crown.

Human Dao Grand Preceptor appeared.

A First Grade who has been passed down from ancient times to the present.

Moreover, he came bearing all the heritage of the Buddha-Dharma.

The Human Dao Grand Preceptor’s name is ‘Dan’, and he has a more famous title.

Duke of Zhou.

The moment the Human Dao Grand Preceptor appeared, the Demon of Affliction also appeared.

So they did not delay for too long; in just an instant, the Human Dao Grand Preceptor left the Buddha-Dharma heritage collected by the Human Dao here, including the complete Da Zhengzang and all the divine intentions compiled by the Human Dao.

Then, the two First Grades once again fell into conflict, but had already disappeared from here.

The scriptures the Demonic Prince obtained from the Human Dao, during the chaos caused by the death of the Human Emperor, were all devoid of divine intent.

And at this moment, these divine intentions were completed.

The Demonic Prince read the divine intentions within, as if feeling the words of the World Honored One.

Shang Fan recalled some words that the World Honored One Tathagata had spoken to him many years ago, before his Nirvana.

Thinking of those, he softly chanted: “Thus have I heard.”

Thus have I heard.

This was the true word of the World Honored One that Shang Fan heard.

Radiant Light Buddha immediately pressed his palms together, reverently saluting the World Honored One.

“Thus have I heard, the World Honored One has entered Nirvana, I shall become a Buddha, and by this pure faith and good roots, in the future world after the Buddha’s Nirvana, I shall become a Pratyeka Buddha, named Compassionate Merchant Prince.”

The Demonic Prince relinquished the immense pressure of bearing the world; his mind was free at this moment.

He finally let go of his obsession, letting go of one of the heaviest ‘minds’ in this Universe.

Thus, he attained Buddhahood on the spot.

Free and at ease.

The fruit of Buddhahood is great wisdom and great freedom.

Moreover, this great wisdom and great freedom can free one from the suffering causes within the net of Karma.

So-called freedom means that after awakening, one achieves great wisdom and is liberated from all causes of suffering.

What are the causes of suffering?

All external matters arise from causes, and then causes bear fruit, and fruit in turn becomes the next cause, one by one, cyclically, forming a vast net of Karma that envelops the entire world.

Aging, sickness, death, suffering, and all sorts of unsatisfactory matters, all have prior causes.

Not being bewildered by greed, anger, and ignorance, not being bound by various Karma, not being swayed by doubts, fears, anger, and other emotions in the heart, acting according to one’s true nature, being free from all causes of suffering, and not receiving various fruits of suffering, is what is called great freedom.

Radiant Light Buddha rejoiced!

Yes, that’s right.

A Pratyeka Buddha is one who is born in a world without a Buddha and attains Buddhahood through their own awakening.

In other words, when Shang Fan achieves Pratyeka Buddha, it means… that this is now a world without a Buddha.

The world, finally without a Buddha.

The World Honored One’s great vow has finally taken its first step. (End of Chapter)