Chapter 960: The truth is revealed, Li Qi's origin!

Buddha's disciples, Great Bodhisattvas, wept incessantly.

Even though they were Great Powers, they couldn't control themselves at this moment, and even other practitioners of Dao Orthodoxy around them couldn't bear to look directly.

Only when one is truly powerless and unable to do anything will they cry like that.

Completely unable to solve the problem by oneself.

Even completely unaware of what one can do.

At such times, tears would flow uncontrollably.

As if the despair with nowhere to vent transformed into tears gushing out.

Especially Sariputra.

He could not bear to see the Buddha enter Nirvana.

Thus, only one solution remained.

As the World Honored One Tathagata's foremost Disciple, he would enter Nirvana before the World Honored One.

The World Honored One Tathagata looked at the Disciple before him.

He nodded.

At this moment, a young Monk rushed out from the side: "World Honored One! How can you agree?!"

The young Monk was full of shock; in his opinion, even if the Buddha were to enter Nirvana, he should not stand by and let Sariputra go as well.

The World Honored One gently asked: "Ananda, does your wisdom match Sariputra's?"

Ananda, the World Honored One Tathagata's youngest, and last, Buddha's Disciple.

Hearing this, Ananda lowered his head and remained silent.

Sariputra was the First Grade in wisdom among Buddha's disciples; he certainly couldn't match him. Therefore, he couldn't possibly persuade Sariputra, but precisely because of this, he hoped the World Honored One would persuade Sariputra.

But how could he have forgotten...

The World Honored One would not interfere with their decisions.

It had always been this way.

The Heavenly Demon watched this scene with amusement, unable to stop the smile on her lips. Behind her, endless Nascent Heavenly Demons were churning, dancing, blowing great conch shells, striking giant wheels, and joyfully performing a dance of destruction.

"Ananda, you are well-read and possess a strong memory, straightforward and unpretentious. Let this matter be recorded by you," the World Honored One said.

Ananda, with tears in his eyes, put his palms together and nodded.

Then, Kasyapa, Anarut, Subhuti, Purna, Rahula, and other Buddha's disciples came forward one by one to listen to the Buddha's final instructions and teachings.

Except for Sariputra, who was to enter Nirvana with the World Honored One Tathagata, all others had their own arrangements.

Finally, Sariputra entered Nirvana before the Buddha, his body dead and his Dao dissipated.

At the last moment, the Buddha softly chanted: "Sariputra, by my side, though you often see me, you will never attain the Dao. After my Nirvana, in future ages, after immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable, great, precious, and magnificent eons, you shall uphold the True Dharma, perfectly practice the Bodhisattva's path, and shall become a Buddha, named Radiant Lotus Tathagata."

Sariputra performed the Buddhist salute, then dissipated.

After that, the World Honored One Tathagata swept his gaze around.

All the First Grades voluntarily met his gaze.

Clearly, they wanted to know the reason for the Buddha's voluntary Nirvana.

The Buddha seemed to have no intention of concealing it either.

He softly chanted scriptures, and then, brilliant light filled the surroundings. Before all beings of Third Grade and above, he revealed a scene.

That was... the conversation between the World Honored One Tathagata and the Heavenly Demon.

— — — — — — — — — —

In the Heavens of the Formless Realm...

Here, it was impossible to comprehend what anything truly was, because everything that existed in the outside world simply did not exist here.

If the Desire Realm was 'the sum of all reality,' where anything you could find in the Reality Universe could find its counterpart, then the Heavens of the Formless Realm was the complete opposite.

Everything you could find in the Reality Universe was utterly absent here.

This was 'emptiness,' 'nothingness,' 'non-existence'; all matter and spirit did not exist here.

It was like a person's eyes. If a person closes their eyes, they see darkness. Then... if a person removes their eyes and becomes blind, what can they see?

The answer is nothing at all.

A void where even darkness doesn't exist, like trying to see with your elbow.

What can your elbow see? Of course, still the same answer, nothing at all.

Here, body, speech, and mind are all liberated.

Without attachment, without bondage, without the thought of sentient beings, without the thought of a life-force, without the thought of a person, without the thought of a human, without the thought of a child, without the thought of a living being, without the thought of a creator, without the thought of a receiver, without the thought of existence, without the thought of non-existence, without the thought of this life or the next, without the thought of dying here and being born there, without the thought of permanence, without the thought of impermanence, without the thought of the three realms of existence, without the thought of non-three realms of existence, neither thought nor non-thought.

Not attached to the inside, not attached to the outside, not attached to the cognizing, not attached to the cognized, not attached to cause, not attached to effect; not attached to Dharma, not attached to non-Dharma; not attached to thought, not attached to non-thought; not attached to form, not attached to the arising of form, not attached to the cessation of form.

Not attached to sensation, perception, volition, consciousness.

All Dharmas are unattached, all Dharmas are unbound, all Dharmas are unliberated.

Without self-nature, self-nature separated, neither one nor two, neither many nor immeasurable, neither small nor large, neither narrow nor wide, neither deep nor shallow, neither tranquil nor discursive, neither place nor non-place, neither Dharma nor non-Dharma, neither substance nor non-substance, neither existence nor non-existence.

All wisdom ultimately without regression, all Karma like a dream, sound like an echo, sentient beings like shadows, all Dharmas like illusions, yet not destroying the Karma of Destiny.

This is the Heavens of the Formless Realm.

And here, the Heavenly Demon was within a Seal.

The Heavenly Demon here was like a closed sphere, a black, smooth orb, circling around the World Honored One Tathagata.

Here, even thought should normally cease.

Of course, in reality, it was so; even the thoughts of a First Grade would quietly come to a standstill here, entering a state of 'nothingness,' where no thoughts could arise.

Because there was no movement, there was naturally no space-time.

However, it seemed that the Heavens of the Formless Realm was not yet perfect, so... the Heavenly Demon here could still maintain a minimum level of thought, meaning she could still think like an ordinary Mortal.

Thus, with this thought, the Heavenly Demon began her dialogue with the World Honored One Tathagata.

"This is the other shore, isn't it? Reaching here is the final step of transcendence. You are only one last crack away from true transcendence," the Heavenly Demon said.

"You always say, Destiny arises and Destiny ceases. Do you still have Destiny with the world now? How long has it been since you interfered with the outside world? And you seem to have no intention of interfering again, do you?"

"Tathagata, you have transcended, you have no more Destiny with the world, you have detached from all things. What difference is there between living and dying? You use your Divine Ability to keep thinking. Does this conform to Buddha-Dharma?"

The Heavenly Demon asked softly.

Buddha speaks of Destiny.

The intersection of all things is 'Destiny'.

You stepped on a rock today; this is your Destiny with the rock.

You spoke a word to a person; this is also your Destiny with them.

Destiny arises, then meeting; Destiny ceases, then separation. All things in the world are nothing but the arising and cessation of Destiny. Moreover, this Destiny will constantly intertwine and entangle.

Suppose a person is critically injured and dying; should one save them?

If Li Qi were to come out at this moment and save this person, and this person's future good or bad deeds would all have a share of Li Qi's 'credit,' could Li Qi afford to bear that?

Therefore, Buddhism seeks to 'transcend the world'.

At the same time, the various thoughts that arise in the mind are also 'Destiny', so 'emptiness' is needed.

It was precisely for this reason that the Heavenly Demon scoffed: "You cultivate Samadhi, originally to escape the dust of the world, yet if the Buddha's heart is not removed, the dust cannot be escaped. Even with much wisdom and present meditation, if lust is not cut off, one will surely fall into the Demonic Dao."

Yes, you, World Honored One Tathagata, speak of 'emptiness' and 'Destiny', yet your Destiny does not cease, and your emptiness is not empty. As long as you still possess a 'Buddha's heart', you cannot truly transcend.

The Buddha-Dharma has already been transmitted, and this is also Destiny.

The more Buddha-Dharma you transmit, the deeper your Destiny becomes.

You hope sentient beings awaken, but my demonic thoughts has already proven that sentient beings practice only because of your prestige. Are they cultivating Buddha-Dharma or your prestige?

If this continues, will such Buddha-Dharma still be Buddha-Dharma? Will what is cultivated be a Buddha or something else?

The more one follows the shadow of the World Honored One Tathagata to cultivate Buddha-Dharma, the more one will fall into the Demonic Dao.

The Heavenly Demon and the Buddha had already experimented.

The entire Buddhist sect was the experimental subject.

What ultimately emerged... was Buddhism itself.

Once, the scriptures said: "The Demon today still conceals himself, assisting Devadatta, destroying the Buddha-Dharma and the Monks. Because the Tathagata's great wisdom is present in the world, the evil Demon cannot accomplish his great evil. In future ages, evil Demons will transform into the form of Monks, enter the Sangha, and through various false teachings, lead many sentient beings into wrong views, preaching false Dharma."

Because the Tathagata's great wisdom is present in the world, the evil Demon cannot accomplish his great evil.

But this statement was wrong.

It was precisely because the Tathagata was present that the Heavenly Demon became a great evil.

Altering scriptures, misleading cultivation, corrupting the True Dharma.

"I won, but you didn't lose either. You cannot save the world. It's impossible to awaken sentient beings," the Heavenly Demon said softly.

Her tone even carried a hint of 'solemnity'.

To hear such words from the usually playful and frivolous Heavenly Demon was truly rare.

All Buddha's disciples, all Great Bodhisattvas, could not escape the shadow of the World Honored One Tathagata. As long as the Buddha existed for one day, he would 'create Karma' for one day. If he did not transcend for one day, then this world would not be liberated for one day.

If the Buddha-seed was not extinguished for one day, the demonic thoughts could not be extinguished for one day.

The Buddha is still there, so the Demon is there.

Even you, Buddha, are like this.

Only when dreams are extinguished can clarity and stillness arise, like a clear sky.

The Tathagata's awakening of the world is the final 'great Karma', but as long as Karma is still being created, 'emptiness' can never be reached.

The Heavenly Demon continued: "Those of Third Grade and above will pity the ignorance of ordinary Mortals because Mortals believe there is only one reality."

"But what is truly laughable is the ignorance of the eternally existing beings, because although they know there are countless realities, they believe only one can be realized. What these so-called Great Powers inhabit is merely a prison surrounded by infinite space-time... Finally, all possibilities are thus extinguished."

The Heavenly Demon stroked her body, opened her eyes wide, and said: "Endless worlds, endless space-time, infinite possibilities, how grand that sounds, but I have already traversed all space-time and all possibilities."

"Setting restricted areas in reality makes people feel unfree, but setting restricted areas in thought makes people feel incredibly free. All 'Dao', including your Buddha-Dharma, are merely setting restricted areas in the minds of higher intelligences. Sentient beings cannot become Buddhas, all because of you."

One body in Dharma, one body in retribution, one body in response; and the 'response body' is the Buddha in the hearts of sentient beings.

The more Buddha-Dharma is spread, the stronger the Buddha in the hearts of sentient beings, the 'response body', becomes, and the more they cannot become Buddhas. They always cling to the Buddha.

Sentient beings are not Buddhas, because the Buddha is in their hearts. Since there is already a Buddha in their hearts, how can they become Buddhas?

The more one believes in Buddha-Dharma, the deeper one falls into the Demonic Lair.

Monks have Buddha in their hearts, so sentient beings cannot become Buddhas.

Ultimately, the Buddhist sect's war situation, which collapsed at a touch of humanity, was the outcome.

Buddhism had long been hollowed out by the Demonic Dao; the so-called Buddha-Dharma was nothing but empty talk.

The Heavenly Demon circled the Buddha, continuously narrating.

Her words sent chills down the spines of many Third Grades, some closing their eyes in contemplation.

They certainly wouldn't be swayed so easily, because these words weren't their weaknesses; they could ponder them or refute them with their own worldviews.

Only...

The Buddha, listening to these words, suddenly said: "You are right, Papiyas."

The Heavenly Demon laughed loudly: "So, to accomplish your great Karma, you must first let go."

"I have already let go," the World Honored One replied.

"Your letting go is not enough; they must let go. The Buddha has three bodies, and one of them is not in the Buddha, but in the Monks," the Heavenly Demon said.

The World Honored One Tathagata, however, also chuckled, then the Lotus he sat upon withered: "I shall enter Nirvana; sentient beings shall no longer see the Buddha."

Thus, the Heavens of the Formless Realm shattered.

With these words, the surrounding brilliant light dissipated, and that past scene vanished, returning to the present.

Amidst the silence of many Great Powers, the Heavenly Demon voluntarily jumped out.

Her form transformed into a small girl similar to the Demon of Death, but with completely opposite colors. Then she walked to the World Honored One Tathagata's Lotus seat and joyfully said: "So, Tathagata, you are transcending, and I am also free. Isn't this great? Why drag this out so much with me and make me deceive them?"

"Is it deception?" the Tathagata said.

"Of course it is! Look at them, aren't they stupid?" The Heavenly Demon pointed to the First Grades outside, then gently crooked her finger.

Li Qi's Dharma body was uncontrollably pulled next to the Heavenly Demon, and Shamansan did not make a move.

No one made a move, because everyone knew of Li Qi's special nature.

Every Third Grade had heard that there was such a Genius Third Grade, with the fastest cultivation speed in history, and a close relationship with the Heavenly Demon. Therefore, many Great Powers' plans revolved around him.

The Heavenly Demon maintained the posture of a white little girl, the opposite color of the Demon of Death, riding on Li Qi's shoulder, just like a father carrying his daughter.

Li Qi's Dharma body was immobile, unable to take any action.

Shamansan immediately struck, the power from 'all' attempting to repel the Heavenly Demon.

But the Heavenly Demon, riding on Li Qi's shoulder, said with a giggle: "Look! Look! It's this!"

"Everyone thought he was special, everyone thought he had some secret on him, and they built many schemes around him, which gave me this opportunity, an opportunity for the Tathagata to witness how corrupt his congregation was."

Because everyone schemed for Li Qi, humanity was able to breach the Buddhist realm, and even destroy the Heavens of the Formless Realm.

"Like Sariputra, who seemed to have boundless prospects, but in reality couldn't even accept the Buddha's Nirvana. He has Buddha in his heart, so sentient beings are not Buddhas. The more one cultivates Buddha-Dharma, the more one is confined by Buddha-Dharma."

"I had to seize the opportunity to prove this to the Tathagata, so, there was this guy, Li Qi!"

The Heavenly Demon was giggling, overjoyed, seemingly eager to reveal her secret to all beings around her.

"Shamansan, Amitabha, you don't really think there are 'Transmigrators,' do you!? You don't really think there's another distant world, do you!?"

A scheme jointly orchestrated by humanity and the Demonic Dao, its purpose was to divert the Shaman Dao's energy, allowing the final combined human-demon effort to destroy the Buddha to be carried out.

And in this Dao struggle, humanity, from the very beginning, had no intention of pursuing the Sun-Moon Orbit! The Human Emperor had no intention of extending his own life!

Shen Shuibi, Li Qi, Mount Luofu, Yao Ji, all were in the scheme!

The Heavenly Demon was beside herself with joy, shouting cheerfully: "You don't really think Li Qi is special in any way, do you? He's just someone I molded in the Li River!"

"Fools! You've been tricked, haven't you!"