Chapter 364: Execution ground

Arriving at the back mountain, Li Qi soon saw a plaza.

That was not a Buddha statue, but an execution ground.

Within the execution ground, there were hundreds of demons and evil-doers, all suppressed there.

Some demons had their mouths hooked by iron hooks, piercing their upper and lower jaws, forcibly pulling their mouths open, and placing burning red iron balls inside, scorching their lips and tongues.

When they were placed in, only hissing sounds could be heard, but their lips and tongues were烂, their throats were also blocked, unable to emit a single groan, only able to grunt through their noses, suffering bitter pain, yet unable to cry out in sorrow.

Some demons had their bodies pierced by iron thorns. The iron thorns were extremely thin, like hair, so they pierced very deeply and numerously, to the point of penetrating inside and out. From the outside, the entire person seemed to be covered in silvery-white hair, including their eyeballs and mouth.

There were also evil-doers being gnawed by jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, dragged and bitten, chewed and regurgitated, their flesh falling from their bones, their skin and flesh rotting, pus and blood flowing out, their wails incessant.

Li Qi, passing by here, frowned and couldn't help but ask the wolf demon in front of him, "This kind of behavior... isn't this the Buddha-Dharma that embraces compassion?"

Unexpectedly, the wolf demon said as a matter of course, "Precisely because we embrace compassion, we must punish them. With the Buddha-Dharma shining upon them, these are merely minor physical torments. Compared to the evil deeds they committed in the past, what do they amount to?"

As he spoke, he pointed to a naked evil-doer wearing iron armor.

He was a Human Race, an unranked cultivator, who seemed to be from the Spirit Shaman lineage.

The punishment he received was wearing iron armor.

This was not ordinary iron armor, but a set of restraint clothes woven from iron chains, which were scorched by true fire, glowing red like lanterns.

The burning red iron armor covered his body, scorching his skin and flesh, boiling his bones and marrow, causing bitter and excruciating pain beyond measure. His wails echoed through the sky, making one's scalp tingle.

"This person abducted children and cultivated using the Innate Qi of Reincarnation's first birth, killing seventeen people, before being captured by a Great Master of Fengde Temple and suppressed here."

"This type of person often consumes human brains and marrow, which is why he can endure such torture. You see, although he is in pain, it is far from fatal."

The wolf demon said, "All those being punished here have their reasons. The one over there receiving the needle-piercing punishment was sexually perverse, gathered a crowd to brand his wife, and whipped her naked until her body was covered in wounds."

"That one receiving the knife-slashing punishment dug up a family's graves, stole twenty-four coffins, destroyed their ancestral graveyard, and sold the bricks and tiles, angering the wandering spirits and infuriating the entire clan, who then tied him up and sent him to the temple."

The wolf demon pointed here and there, telling Li Qi about the deeds of various punished individuals.

The wolf demon put his hands together, and devoutly said, "The Great Master of Fengde Temple are compassionate, using physical punishment to stop evil, and then enlightening with Buddha-Dharma, ultimately transforming evil into good. This is the true principle."

Li Qi looked at the people being punished, then glanced at the head-hoop on the wolf demon's head, and boldly asked, "So... the Dharma Protector is also...?"

"Everyone here, except for those few Great Master, is," the wolf demon said seriously.

"The sea of suffering is boundless, turn back and you reach the shore. Laying down the butcher's knife, though not becoming a Buddha, can still bring peace to one's heart. Compared to mere physical punishment, being entangled in evil thoughts, lost and confused all day without extrication, isn't that even more bitter?"

"To undergo this once, yet achieve great enlightenment, is truly a blessing for us. How many people in the world are entangled by evil thoughts in their hearts, sinking into the sea of suffering, unable to find the Dao of liberation? We have the Great Master to save us, imparting Buddha-Dharma, what more could we be dissatisfied with?" The wolf demon said with a calm tone.

As he spoke, they had already walked past the back mountain and beyond those who were being punished.

Li Qi merely gave a perfunctory 'hmm' a few times, then fell into deep thought.

Is the Buddha-Dharma of this virtue?

The places he just passed were not forbidden, and he could see many people passing by and observing, which meant that anyone could come to that plaza. Although there was Divine Ability protection, preventing contact with the execution ground, everyone could still see it.

In fact, Li Qi had just observed many people, seemingly victims' families, watching the demons and monsters inside with both hatred and satisfaction.

Was it wrong?

Li Qi felt it was acceptable. Although it wasn't a life for a life, such terrifying punishments were enough to satisfy most people, at least preventing any feeling of unfairness.

In reality, many people would probably feel that it's better to die than to suffer such punishment, as it would be more straightforward, so the victims' families likely had no objections.

The repentance afterward was also done very well. Whether forced or genuinely repentant, these demons would certainly not go out and do those things again; they all converted to the Buddha-Dharma and became Dharma Protectors of Fengde Temple.

This was also the only problem.

In Fengde Temple, the number of Great Monk hadn't increased much, but there were several hundred more Dharma Protectors.

There were unranked ones, Ninth Grade ones, and even a few Eighth Grade ones. As for Seventh Grade and above, he hadn't seen any yet.

Such military strength, not counting the monks, just these Dharma Protectors alone, was already enough to contend with the local major powers in E'zhou, not falling behind.

Unbeknownst to him, Fengde Temple's influence had already expanded to this extent.

Its reputation spread throughout the country, covertly influencing millions of people, and the surrounding hundred li had completely become private property, with hundreds of loyal thugs added.

Even Li Qi couldn't help but sigh, this Buddhist temple really had something special.

At first glance, they seemed to do all good deeds, and in reality, they did do a lot of good deeds, and they sought no reward or compensation, even letting pilgrims bring their own incense. Yet, unknowingly, as they kept doing good deeds, they became one of the most prominent powers in the vicinity.

He didn't know if it was good or bad.

After walking another seven or eight li, they had already moved far away from the previous buildings, truly entering the depths of the mountains.

However, the number of cultivators passing by around them not only didn't decrease but became even more numerous, and many of them were led by these Fengde Temple Dharma Protectors, obviously all going to see the Buddha statue.

Li Qi didn't continue to speak, but honestly followed along, and after a while, they finally arrived at the Buddha statue.

However, as soon as he arrived, Li Qi frowned and let out a strange low cry: "Eh?"

He saw a Buddha statue, but it wasn't the kind of exquisitely carved Buddha statue Li Qi had imagined. Instead, it was... similar to those things in scenic spots that have a sign, like Immortal pointing the way, Immortal peach, lion grabbing ball, stone shoes, and so on.

It was just a rock, and then everyone would imagine things about it, and then some strange names would come out. Anyway, no matter how he looked at it, it didn't resemble anything.

According to this logic, those oddly shaped broken rocks that couldn't be named could all be given names.

Li Qi had no such interest, so in his opinion, a rock was just a rock, and imagining so much was useless. The so-called Buddha statue in front of him, Li Qi felt, didn't even have a human form; it was just a broken rock that could be picked up anywhere.

"This is the Buddha statue that has been widely rumored recently, benefactor. Are you satisfied?" The wolf demon asked Li Qi.

Li Qi did not answer, but looked around.

There were quite a few people around looking at this Buddha statue.

Some people, like Li Qi, frowned, their expressions showing that they all felt they had been fooled.

It was simply absurd, just a broken rock!

Some people seemed to feel that they were dull-witted, so they carefully studied it, sitting cross-legged in front of the stone carving, analyzing it meticulously, pondering it cautiously, trying to unearth its secrets.

There were also some who simply sat and chanted Buddhist scriptures, seemingly believing that there were mysteries within the stone, but that these mysteries could not be perceived by mere observation, but rather by devout prayer and sincere devotion, which would naturally lead to the Dharma within the Buddha statue.

Of course, there were also some who scoffed, only taking a few glances, then concluding it was a lie, and turning to leave.

Li Qi originally intended to be among those who turned and left.

But he thought about it, this Buddha statue should indeed have some Divine Ability, otherwise, was the Celestial Eye of the young monk he saw fake?

It couldn't be fake. Li Qi believed his own judgment. Unless a Great Power was manipulating him, he would never be mistaken in such a matter.

If a Great Power was manipulating him, then there was no escape no matter what, so it was better to charge straight ahead; he would always find a way.

Perhaps it was arranged by the other party, but at that time, senior members of his sect should have stepped forward.

Besides, not many Great Power are so unseemly.

Today you manipulate my Disciple, then I will also set a trap to manipulate your Disciple. Back and forth, all the younger generation would die out. What's the point of playing then? There must be rules under the table; it wouldn't be so chaotic.

So, he also sat down cross-legged and examined the Buddha statue.

However, the more he looked, the more this broken rock seemed to truly have a bit of the Buddha's essence.

At this moment, the wolf demon beside him suddenly said to Li Qi, "Benefactor, have you perceived any clues?"

"It seems... it does resemble it a bit, but I suspect it's just my imagination," Li Qi shook his head.

"It's not imagination, but heart-supplementation," the wolf demon suddenly said.

"What do you mean by that?" Li Qi countered, realizing that there was a deeper meaning in the wolf demon's words.

Upon hearing this, the wolf demon squatted beside Li Qi and devoutly said, "Buddha means enlightenment. Self-enlightenment, enlightening others, and the Perfection of enlightenment and practice is called Buddha. If everyone has enlightenment in their hearts, then everyone has Buddha in their hearts. If one says that only clay sculptures and wood carvings are called Buddha, then that is the Buddha of ignorant men and women."

"When bowing to one Buddha, one should contemplate bowing to countless Buddhas. When bowing to the present Buddha, one should contemplate bowing to past and future Buddhas, so that they appear before the Buddhas in the dust motes of the ten directions and three times."

"Bowing to the Buddha is not bowing to the statue, but bowing to the Buddha in one's heart. If there is Buddha in one's heart, isn't this stone then a Buddha statue?"

"If one contemplates that among all realms, only the Buddha can save people from suffering, and the Buddha is an enlightened one, and all enlightened beings are enlightened ones, then rushing to the Buddha's place, prostrating oneself, and sincerely taking refuge in the Buddha-Dharma and the holy assembly, viewed in this way, doesn't this Buddha statue then possess Divine Ability?"

The wolf demon said this to Li Qi, and as he spoke, he even blinked.

Li Qi burst into laughter.

These subtle hints, were they actually being directed at him?

He shook his head, not refuting, as this was a Buddhist sect, and there was no need to cause them to lose Face.

Because what the other party said sounded reasonable, but in reality, wasn't it just nonsense? If one could truly become a Buddha by being enlightened, then what were those First Grade and Second Grade true Buddhas?

However, Li Qi also did not resist this statement.

Because he knew that these words were not entirely false.

Enlightenment does not necessarily lead to becoming a Buddha, but a Buddha is definitely an enlightened one.

The word 'enlightenment' sounds simple, but in reality, it is as difficult as ascending to Heaven. Perhaps the profound mystery truly lies within it, just like Li Qi himself.

The cultivation of Shaman Dao does not seek external objects, but only the inner self. As long as you can comprehend many details of many Dao, then you can naturally use other resources to fill your cultivation.

As long as the Dao foundation is solid and stable, cultivation for Shaman Dao is merely a slow, arduous process, pure hard labor.

Therefore, this statement, in fact, coincides with the cultivation method of Shaman Dao, having a certain degree of similarity.

However, what Shaman Dao needs to comprehend is not self-enlightenment, but an understanding of the external great Heaven and Earth, including numerology, physics, natural relationships, ecological balance, and even various metaphysics. Each of these requires a large amount of time to learn and study, and one must constantly align with the external great Heaven and Earth, gradually fitting one's own human body's small Heaven and Earth to the external world, ultimately achieving complete internal and external consistency, reaching the state where one person is all the myriad worlds.

But the Buddha-Dharma's statement, although it also emphasizes enlightenment, what exactly it enlightens, Li Qi couldn't figure out. This wolf demon probably couldn't explain it clearly himself.

The Buddha-Dharma keeps shouting about enlightenment, enlightenment, but what exactly is it enlightening? Who can provide a clear plan? Who can state a goal? What must one comprehend to be considered enlightened?

This was why Li Qi scoffed at the Buddha-Dharma.

When Shaman Dao asks you to comprehend, there is a clear goal, which is this external great Heaven and Earth.

But when the Buddha-Dharma asks you to comprehend, what do you comprehend? Riddles?

Disgraceful.

Of course, this was Li Qi's opinion. For those who cultivate Buddha-Dharma, Li Qi would probably be the one to be ridiculed.

Li Qi was also aware of this.

Everyone's Dao is different, and their views are also different. Otherwise, why would there be such a saying as 'Dao are different, do not conspire together'?

Only those with similar aspirations and Dao can get along.

However, Li Qi also began to try to put himself in their shoes.

He looked at the Buddha statue, lost in thought.

Since the two methods have similarities, both requiring the establishment of a rudimentary Dao in the mind, and then observing the Buddha statue in front of them with this rudimentary form, perhaps there could be some gain.

If he wanted the Divine Ability of the Buddha-Dharma but insisted on doing it in the way of Shaman Dao, that naturally wouldn't work. He still had to look at it with the eyes of the Buddha-Dharma, which might lead to insights through analogy and produce enlightenment.

Li Qi mentally constructed this 'enlightenment' of the Buddha-Dharma, attempting to simulate a true Buddha statue.

According to the Buddhist scriptures Li Qi had read, there must be thirty-two marks, which are the fundamental elements for constructing a Buddha image.

The so-called thirty-two marks refer to the very distinct features in the Buddha's appearance, including the thousand-spoked wheel, slender fingers, a high and beautiful nose, a broad and thin tongue, and so on, totaling thirty-two characteristics.

When the Buddha manifests these thirty-two marks, he surpasses all noble people and can inspire reverence in all who see him.

Li Qi carefully observed the naturally formed Buddha statue.

Suddenly, he stood up, left the wolf demon's side, and approached the Buddha statue.

The Buddha statue was a strange rock, with an ordinary tree growing beside it, standing by the trunk, pressing down on the roots.

Li Qi looked at the cross-section of the tree and carefully counted its annual rings.

One, two, three...

After counting for a while, he found that the annual rings of this tree were exactly one thousand.

This was the thousand-spoked wheel among the thirty-two marks, referring to the Buddha's soles having a thousand circular wheels.

And this tree happened to be pressed under the strange rock's foot.