978 Cultivating Buddhism Part III (2/2)

Everything must be traced back to time or cause and effect. Cause and effect was the order of things, so was time, which could determine the shape of the universe and also the outcome of the war.

Ning Que was full of confidence, for he knew that he and Sangsang would take the final victory.

Ning Que felt good that his arrow killed a Grand Bodhisattva and that he shouted to the indigo lion like a real beast, which made his boring carving interesting and instantly dispersed the loneliness and rejection that had accumulated in his heart. He climbed back on the cliff and continued to repair the statue.

Two years later, Ning Que finally finished the hands of the Buddha which didn't hold the white vase like normal statue but an umbrella. The umbrella was carved on the black cliff, so naturally it was a black umbrella.

In the beginning, it took him three years to repair one foot of the Buddha and then another ten years to repair the other foot and the hemline of the statue's clothes. As for the handmaiden costume, it took him another three years to finish. Compared to the past, he was much faster at this point.

But then Ning Que slowed down, for he had reached the summit of the mountain to repair the face of Buddha, which was undoubtedly the most crucial stage of his work.

The iron cutlass slowly fell on the chubby face and the rounded earlobes of Buddha, as if it was the weight of the whole mountain. Ning Que looked solemn for he was cautious.

Another ten years passed.

The ears of the Buddha no longer hung down to his shoulders because they were hidden behind the hair that Ning Que newly carved. The face of the Buddha was no longer chubby and became thinner and smaller, looking like a normal person.

The iron cutlass eventually fell on the lips of Buddha.

The statue of the Buddha opened his mouth silently, but countless words suddenly rang out. It was the voice of Buddha. The Light of the Buddha appeared in the field, and Buddhas and Bodhisattvas began to chant. A powerful Will of the Buddha went straight into the chest of Ning Que.

Blood gushed from Ning Que's mouth. His eyes suddenly dimmed and he felt that Sangsang frowned and was about to wake up.

He knew that he did it wrong. Without any hesitation, he slashed the iron cutlass and cut off the mouth of the Buddha directly, only leaving very thin lips. Then the voice of the Buddha and the Will of the Buddha disappeared.

He finished repairing the statue of the Buddha.

At this point, the statue of the Buddha was black, thin, small, and wearing a handmaiden costume.

Sangsang woke up and said while looking at the statue, ”You still prefer her.”

She was not talking about Mo Shanshan although she did have very thin lips too. Sangsang meant Ning Que liked the old Sangsang.

Ning Que replied with a smile, ”You looked like this for twenty years in the human world. Of course I cherish your old look. But I will like your new look more after we spend more time in the human world.”

He looked at the face of Sangsang carved in the black cliff stone and laughed happily.

Sangsang said, ”She has no mouth.”

Ning Que said, ”You don't like talking anyway.”

Sangsang asked, ”But how could I reveal the world without my mouth and how could I earn the worship of all living creatures and become the Buddha?”

Ning Que answered, ”I will do all these things for you. You know that I can be very talkative if needed.”

He had finished repairing the statue of the Buddha, but he was not the Buddha himself.

The ban set by Buddha was weakened over the past years. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the field had entered the outer periphery of the golden ponds and the indigo lion was already not far from the foot of the mountain.

The indigo lion's body was full of wounds, and its four hooves stirred up the mud at the bottom of the ponds. It slowly and firmly moved toward the Buddha mountain, and its every step was as heavy as a thousand pounds.

During the past ten years, Ning Que was busy repairing the statue, and there were also many things that happened in the world. The footprints left by countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas walking from the field turned into a river channel leading to the far west. The clear river water came from the west and contained countless rancorous souls and skulls, giving off ghastly atmosphere.

The river from the west was the Styx River, and it was summoned by countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with great willpower and Supreme Dharma, constantly diluting the Light of the Buddha in the golden ponds.

Ning Que slashed his iron cutlass, and the Vermilion Bird became angry and howled. Haotian's Divine Flame spouted out from the blade, walked around the mountain, and then chopped a bottomless crack.

Snow accumulated under the cliff for decades after the avalanche. At this point, the accumulated snow instantly melted and flew into the crack, forming a new river which was truly clear and quiet.

While trying to merge at the foot of the mountain, the waters from the Styx River and from the new river met didn't integrate. They looked at each other indifferently and maintained their own pace. It seemed that neither of the two could move forward.

Ning Que sat on the top of the statue of the Buddha with his legs crossed and began to meditate with his eyes closed. After repairing the statue of the Buddha in the mountain, he began to cultivate Buddhism in his heart. He wanted to become the Buddha, the only true Buddha in heaven and on earth.

...

...