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Chapter 246 The Little Monk Became a Buddha

Translator: 549690339

The Eighteen Arhats Array subtly integrated the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, endlessly generating itself, and was something that ordinary people could not break through.

However, in the face of seventy years of accumulated inner strength, it was as good as non-existent. The old lady’s bamboo pole turned into afterimages, and her formidable aura swept through the area, sending all the monks flying backwards, coughing up blood.

The formation collapsed in an instant.

“Buddhist monks, just so-so. Spending your days indulging in pleasures, your cultivation level has regressed instead of progressed.”

The old lady said indifferently.

“How many years of power did Old Lady Ghost give you?”

The Abbot was a mix of shock and rage, with a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

“Not much, just seventy years.”

“Madwoman!”

“What does it matter if I’m mad? As long as I can level your Thousand Buddha Temple, it’s all worth it.”

The old lady unleashed a streak of Sword Qi, cutting down everyone in her path and stepped towards the inner courtyard as if entering an unoccupied domain.

“Amitabha, Su Mei’er, if you leave now, this old monk will not pursue the matter.”

The Abbot said slowly with a grim face.

The old lady remembered, seven years ago, she secretly infiltrated the Thousand Buddha Temple, pleading on behalf of Monk Liaowang. This Abbot appeared kind and benevolent on the surface, but he drugged her, kept her alone with him, and tried to take advantage of her. However, she bit off his root.

After that, this monk, under the guise of righteousness, allied with others who claimed to be from upstanding Sects and took away all the women from the Hehuan Sect, while killing all the men.

What happened after that was something a fool could guess.

She didn’t understand why Monk Liaowang still held any regard for such a Sect. With his abilities, escaping would not have been difficult.

“Die!”

There was nothing worth discussing with the disciples of Thousand Buddha. This was a life-and-death feud that required one side to be extinguished.

The bamboo pole in her hand danced up and down, exuding Sword Qi. For the past seven years, to make up for the inadequacy of her techniques, she had practiced only one sword technique to perfection.

Lightly tapping with the tip of her foot, her figure danced as she mobilized the power within her Dantian.

A streak of cold light, a ten thousand-foot radiance; what’s the harm in slaughtering all under the heavens?

“This power, this swordplay!”

The old monk was mortally horrified, desperately defending, but the Sword Qi penetrated his shoulder blade, just as he had once pierced Monk Wang.

The Sword Qi swept across, and the monks watching nearby fell in heaps, their heads flying, blood splattering three feet high.

“Demonic Woman, this old monk knew long ago that your mind was eroded by the Demonic Qi. Not killing you that day was this old monk’s gravest mistake!”

The old monk’s face was tormented with regret.

“The righteous will not let you go.”

“The righteous are all dead; you are the last one.”

Wiping her bamboo pole, the old lady spoke calmly.

“You…”

The old monk wanted to say something more, but a burst of frosty light shot out, and the bamboo pole effortlessly pierced through his chest, nailing him firmly in front of the Buddha hall.

Blood flowed like a fountain, and the old monk couldn’t stop it. He wanted to beg for mercy, but he found that the old lady’s figure had long since vanished. Looking at the temple grounds littered with corpses, the old monk screamed, driven to madness.

Outside the Thousand Buddha Temple.

The old lady gently swept the snow off the plaque with her bamboo pole, revealing the character for “Buddha” once again.

Listening to the mad roars from within the temple, for the first time in seven years, she smiled.

“Monk, now, the Thousand Buddha Temple belongs to the Buddhist Sect.”

In front of the Thousand Buddha Hall, the old monk’s consciousness gradually blurred as he lost too much blood.

In a daze, he heard the sound of chains clashing, and forcing his eyes open, he saw a figure appear before him.

Overjoyed, the old monk exclaimed, “Liaowang, save me quickly! That Demonic Woman has come; she killed all the brothers in the temple. Save this old monk, atone for your deeds, and this old monk will not blame you for the past!”

Monk Liaowang lowered his head to look at the bloody hole in the old monk’s chest and offered a faint smile.

“Abbot, your disciple has transcended his tribulations and has become a Buddha. The world, as I now see it, is but a web of causality,” he said.

The old monk’s face turned blank, his eyes flashing with a touch of madness, “Having become a Buddha, you should be even more inclined to save others, shouldn’t you? Don’t you wish for eternal peace? Saving one life is more meritorious than building a seven-level pagoda, and this is a great virtue!”

Monk Liaowang shook his head lightly and spoke calmly, “Abbot, have you forgotten what you taught me seven years ago? All phenomena are bound by causality; you must face your own causes and effects.”

The old monk was shocked into stillness, looking into Monk Liaowang’s sincere and pure gaze, he understood that the other’s words were true. Such clear eyes could not be feigned. The other had indeed reached the state of a Saint.

Right and wrong could no longer sway him. The current Monk Liaowang did not judge by right or wrong, he observed only causality. This was not the comprehension of some knowledge, but a state of being that arose from within.

He could not comprehend how this blockhead had become enlightened, how he had attained such a state, especially when he had not even experienced the company of a woman. How could he possibly overcome the tribulation of emotions?

“You are… taking revenge on me…”

The old monk died, unwilling to let go, his eyes wide open in death.

“Abbot, your karma has been settled,” said Monk Liaowang.

He looked serene as he helped the old monk close his eyes.

A Buddha’s heart emerged in him, and he saw not just individuals but the intricate interconnections between people.

Walking slowly towards the exit of the temple, with each step shrinking the ground beneath his feet, he vanished in a few flickers into the snowstorm.

…

Atop a cliff, Monk Liaowang arrived beside the young man who had been nailed down.

Reaching out to touch him, his hand passed directly through the young man’s body.

“As expected, there is no second victim. You are me; you are the embodiment of the weakness in my heart. You have born all the indignity, the sorrow, the confusion, and the perplexity for me. Now that I have transcended my tribulations, we should reunite into one.”

“If even the courage to face oneself is lacking, Monk, there’s no need to speak of Buddhism anymore,” he said.

Monk Liaowang smiled faintly, revealing a look of relief.

The young man who had been nailed down looked up slightly and exchanged a smile with Monk Liaowang, then dispersed into specks of light, disappearing on the spot, merging into Monk Liaowang’s body.

The scene shifted.

An old woman, staggering, blood at the corner of her mouth, looked unrecognizably aged, having used the last bit of her life’s energy in that previous battle.

Severely depleted in spirit, vitality, and essence, she would not live much longer.

The old woman did not make it out of the Western Desert. Leaning against a large tree, she slowly lay down, closed her eyes, and died with a smile on her lips, devoid of any life force.

The void distorted, and Monk Liaowang appeared, picked up the old woman, and disappeared into the distance.

Three days later, in a secluded part of the forest.

Old Lady Ghost stared at the young man in front of her with a horrified face, “You’re only twenty-seven years old, how can you be so strong!”

Monk Liaowang gently laid down the body he was holding, “This old monk has attained Buddhahood. Do you recognize this person?”

“I do, the old hag gave her seventy years of cultivation strength,” replied Old Lady Ghost.

“I understand the rules. Her lifespan will be returned to her, and this old monk will shoulder the karma.”

Old Lady Ghost acted decisively, her hands forming a seal, a cold aura surging toward the old woman’s body. Her white hair turned black in an instant, and her withered body regained its vitality once more.

“She can be revived in three days. What will you give in exchange?”

“An Innate Supreme Treasure, the Buddha’s Relic.”

“Deal!”

Old Lady Ghost’s eyes sparkled; she knew she had made a profit.

Monk Liaowang was resolute, piercing his hand into his abdomen, blood gushed out as he retrieved the relic and handed it to Old Lady Ghost.

“We’re even!”

Old Lady Ghost turned and vanished into the woods.

Monk Liaowang looked unperturbed, walking slowly over to the old woman, where he sat down cross-legged beside her.

“The karma is settled, but from now on, there will be no more steamed buns,” he mused.

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