961 A Baffling Magical Encounter (1/2)
There was a vast sea of clouds. Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei were on it, flying freely with their clothes flowing.
”Displaying 'Seeing True Self through Dao' at the Xijian Pavilion was equivalent to preaching here. Aren't you afraid that your additional self would benefit and in the future develop rapidly to compete with you for the position of self?” Meng Qi asked with a smile.
Jiang Zhiwei looked up slightly, ”She has yet to build her foundation and I've already achieved half-step Dharmakaya; she only has the hand-copied version of the 'Taishang Sword Manual' only had only seen 'Seeing True Self through Dao' once, but I have the true inheritance of the 'Taishang Sword Manual' and 'Seeing True Self through Dao', and also the near complete framework of 'Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception'; she didn't meet any Legendary secret realms or objects in the Universal Fragment and have limited experience, but I have been through numerous tests of life and death, reincarnation and magical encounters. How not confident of me do you have to be to think that she could surpass me?
She looked confident and high-spirited as she gazed around.
”I'm just afraid that the Master of Six Dao of Samsara would arrange to pull her into Samsara, give her a magical encounter and use it to control you,” Meng Qi said. As for himself who ask not about the past, cut away additional selves and was the one and only, he wasn't afraid of this.
Jiang Zhiwei smiled and looked at the side, ”I'm only a half-step Dharmakaya and neither someone's fish nor Tao sign. I'm afraid a mighty person would be too occupied with other things to think of me. Even if he arranged to pull her into Samsara, as long as she's not groomed deliberately, what have I to fear? Even if she was groomed deliberately, there are so many encounters and I don't think I would lose to her.”
Meng Qi nodded. This bit of confidence was the most basic thing a swordsman should have.
He pondered for a while before saying, ”Zhiwei, the way you treated your additional self didn't seem to be the simplest communication and assimilation?”
Just now when the two Jiang Zhiweis were at a near distance to each other, Meng Qi was aware that the subtle link became stronger.
”Yes, Taishang is impartial toward all. How I treated the additional self was an imitation of Heaven — not claiming ownership, not manipulating and not dictating toward all things. Just building a link is sufficient, and there's no need to assimilate. Heaven does not assimilate all living things or worry about them resisting,” Jiang Zhiwei elaborated on her understanding of ”Taishang Sword Manual”.
But without assimilation, the various resulting thoughts and struggles would be a great test to the mind and primordial spirit. A little carelessness could result in a counterattack or entering the demonic path.
Meng Qi clapped and laughed, ”A person of true morality, marvelous.”
Jiang Zhiwei pressed her lips together as she accepted Meng Qi's compliment before looking around and said, ”Where are we going next?”
”Shaolin,” Meng Qi said calmly.
Jiang Zhiwei was a little surprised, ”I hope you're not thinking of helping them complete the 'Maha Exorcism Fist'?”
Meng Qi shook his head and said with a deep gaze, ”No, I'm actually very selfish. I only have one teacher in my heart.”
The additional self isn't me. If I let the Xuanbei in this world grow, wouldn't that be a threat to my teacher?
After a slight pause, he continued, ”The Shaolin here should also not have the true inheritance of the 'Smile of Flower-Picking' anymore, but Abbot Kongwen had already achieved Dharmakaya and comprehended the 'Smile of Flower-Picking' during the separation forty years ago. He wouldn't forget the related memories and gained knowledge, so I want to go to Shaolin and display the framework of the Buddha's Palm, hoping that he could gain from it and slightly master the 'Smile of Flower-Picking' to make up for his regret.”
Meng Qi had comprehended the framework of Buddha's Palm many times and gained some knowledge from it, but to fully display it was impossible. He could only show the content of his own understanding, and how much Abbot Kongwen could gain from it depended entirely on his cultivation of Buddhism and practice.
At that time, Abbot Kongwen had been freed for a few years and was about to attain Bodhisattva when he died in the battle between good and evil. Meng Qi felt that it was a great pity.
”That's right.” Jiang Zhiwei nodded and smiled, ”If we bring this Abbot Kongwen back to the real world, many would be shocked.”
Meng Qi also found it amusing thinking about it. He quipped, ”If the Devil Master stirs up trouble again, we'll secretly bring this Abbot Kongwen back and make him appear in front of him at a crucial moment. He'll definitely be scared out of his wits or at least give himself away.”
Oh my goodness, Kongwen this baldie actually came back to life!
At this point, Meng Qi looked up into the sky and heaved a sigh, ”This Universal Fragment is hidden at a dark place surrounded by wasteland. It is difficult for outsiders to find it without any link. As for Dharmakaya supremes in this world, they definitely wouldn't find other universal fragments or pure lands, etc., when they go on a mental journey. If they go a little too far, they could easily get lost in the dark, so they could only have contact with other universal fragments and the real world by chance in order to broaden their horizons and complete their practice.”
”Without such luck, this world would slowly turn mediocre. After the Dharmakayas pass on one after another, it would be completely cut from the outside world, isolating itself and never be able to stand out again.
This was the situation of most of the universal fragments. Afterall, to the Dharmakayas in the real world, they were something that could only be met by chance and not by force.
”It's a pity that Lan He Temple is only a Sambhogakaya pure land of Bodhisattva level and couldn't exists in all worlds but only limited to the real world. Otherwise, it could be a communication channel between inside and outside,” after being popularized by deities and Meng Qi, Jiang Zhiwei had a deep understanding of the specific form of Lan He Temple.
Practising Sambhogakaya was different from that of normal Dharmakaya. Instead of slowly becoming one and controlling from the internals, it gradually merged with certain rules of heaven and earth with the help of karma, hence was everywhere in the current world, making it look small. And when a Sambhogakaya pure land reached Legendary level, it would spread over all layers of universe and universal fragments and merge with certain rules of theirs respectively, hence really existing in all worlds.
Although Lan He Temple was only a Sambhogakaya pure land of Bodhisattva level, it was originally derived from a fragment of the Pharmacist Buddha's Eastern Pure Land of Vaiduryanirbhasa. As it involved the Legendary Realm, it disappeared during the separation forty years ago, and not many knew about the existence of Lan He Temple anyway.
As for the current world's Dharmakayas understanding of the universal fragments and various pure lands, they would forget about them naturally unless they were being pointed out.
Hearing Jiang Zhiwei's words, Meng Qi frowned, ”Isn't the Amitabha's Pure Land said to be a complete Sambhogakaya pure land, that no matter where one was, he would return to the pure land as long as he had paid sincere respect to Buddha and chanted the name of Buddha before dying, but why can't I perceive the existence of this pure land?”
Things related to the Pure Land of Buddha hadn't been circulating in the real world for tens of thousands of years. When the Dharmakayas mentally traveled to the various pure lands, none of them had ever discovered this one and only complete Sambhogakaya pure land.
According to Daqinggen, heaven and earth could be destroyed but not a Sambhogakaya pure land. Even if an era ended, the Pure Land of Buddha was very likely to continue, so where had it gone to?
”Maybe it had jumped out of the Timeless River and is in deep sleep among chaos,” Jiang Zhiwei speculated according to the details that Meng Qi had introduced.
As they talked, they headed east from west toward Shaolin leisurely as they were not in a hurry.
After walking for a while, Meng Qi suddenly stopped and smiled, ”Going south would be the Zhenwu Sect, shall we go visit Senior Zhang first?”
Zhang Yuanshan hadn't been born forty years ago so he naturally couldn't be a Samsara traveler and his existence wouldn't be affected. After all, a Samsara traveler also had additional selves, otherwise all Samsara travellers would be Legendary. The difference was whether the additional selves were also Samsara travelers or not.
”Senior Zhang?” Jiang Zhiwei's eyes lit up and immediately nodded.