Cultivating Immortality in Two Realms

Chapter 336 Debating

Clang!

The main gate of the Hayagriva Vajra Hall suddenly opened with a roar.

Outside the hall, Abbot Dorje, along with a group of abbots, hall masters, jailers, and others, respectfully bowed: "Welcome, Yundan Duzi... Hmm?"

He looked up and saw only the figure of the Invincible Venerable, and was taken aback.

But then, a wondrous halo appeared behind Wu Nengsheng's head, transforming into a halo of light, carrying the meaning of Vajra Prajna and the immovable nature of true reality.

A heavy, overwhelming majesty swept over us; it had been so many years since we had seen anything like it.

"Greetings to the incompetent Prince..."

Dorjee reacted quickly and bowed down again.

The other academicians also bowed down, and were even quite pleased with themselves.

After all, inviting an outsider to preside over the temple would bring about countless personnel changes. If the incompetent Katsutoko were still leading them, everyone would be overjoyed, except for a few who wanted to cause chaos and seize power...

But at this moment, under Du Zi's imposing presence, all he could do was smile...

"I attained enlightenment in the Hayagriva Vajra Temple, finally refining my 'attainment of Buddhahood,' and re-ascended to the status of a disciple... yet I remain 'invincible'!"

He was incapable of understanding the Way.

Behind him, the doors of the main hall slowly closed, but Monk Yundan had vanished.

The abbot of Dorje Monastery and several elderly monks knew that the esoteric teachings contained many extraordinary methods that could seize the fate and opportunities of outsiders…

"It must be that the monk Yundan was refined into a pill by the ascension disciple and swallowed whole... thus unlocking his 'rank'!"

"Excellent! Excellent! Duzi's understanding of Sanskrit is indeed profound..."

That thought only flashed through their minds before they killed it, burying it deep in their hearts.

These guys are interesting...

Fang Qing activated "Hidden Forest Edge" and stood brazenly beside Wuneng Shengduzi. None of the monks noticed him; instead, he overheard many of their thoughts, which they found quite amusing...

……

Lotus Temple.

A low murmur came from the meditation room.

A master looked hesitant, but finally took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

In an instant, all the sounds ceased, and only a faint voice rang out: "Come in!"

Dozens of butter lamps burned continuously in the meditation room, and pink gauze curtains hung down.

Behind the gauze curtain was a large bed filled with the scent of sandalwood. Occasionally, a pink arm would peek through the gap in the gauze curtain, but the master kept his forehead pressed against the floor tiles, not daring to look any further.

This "Lotus Eye Myotoko" was born into the lowest rank of servant monk at Lotus Temple and suffered a lot of bullying when he was young.

Later, by chance, while sweeping, he discovered the hidden secret of Lotus Temple, and felt a connection with the Lotus Platform, so he climbed up and became a disciple.

Then came the great purge! All the lamas and monks in Lotus Temple who had bullied him were skinned and dismembered to make Buddhist artifacts such as leather drums, kapala bowls, and bone flutes...

As someone who experienced it firsthand, this master's mental fortitude in not breaking down is already quite remarkable.

Whoosh!

The curtain was lifted by two pink arms, and Lianyan Mingduzi stepped out.

He was originally very ugly, and had worked hard labor for many years and had been punished. His skin was dark and his body was covered with many scars.

But at this moment, all that could be seen was a handsome esoteric Buddhist monk dressed in a monk's robe. His skin was as clear as jade, his figure was tall and slender, and his features were extremely handsome. His peach blossom eyes were gentle and tender, and there was a lotus flower mark between his eyebrows.

For Du Zi, physical appearance is nothing more than an external thing, which can be exchanged at will.

This person has clearly given himself a nice new look.

"What's up?"

Lotus-eyed Mingdu asked calmly, but the kneeling master knew that if he could not give a satisfactory answer, he would be sent to the dungeon to suffer all kinds of torture.

However, this news is also not good.

He could only bury his head deeply in the ground: "May the Buddha's teachings be pure and enlightened, that all beings be saved, and that the lotus-like wisdom eyes illuminate the world and reveal the pure and unblemished nature of the mind... The monks arranged by this temple reported that a strange phenomenon suddenly occurred at the Horse-Headed Vajra Temple: light emanated from the golden roof, conch shells were blown, and Dharma drums were beaten... The entire temple's monks wept with joy..."

"Um?"

Lotus-eyed Mingduzi paced back and forth, the lotus between his brows shimmering with an eerie light: "This is clearly not a sign of becoming a Dharma King... but it does resemble... the omen of refining a 'Status Certificate'?"

"The master is wise and insightful... and not long after that, the Hayagriva Temple sent a letter refusing our forced offerings, which means that a master has already been appointed."

The master lowered his voice, but he was not too afraid.

If both sides have a limit, then it's the same as having none.

This kind of thing has happened many times in the Secret Realm. Since the other side also has people at the table, let's take a step back and discuss it together.

Anyway, our side didn't completely wipe them out before; we only seized the temple's property...

"No!"

Lotus Eyes Myotoko, however, was not satisfied with this: "Lotus Temple has declined after all. If I want to ascend to the Lotus Throne, I need more believers and incense offerings... Almost all the easy targets around us have been taken advantage of, leaving only Horse Head Vajra Temple."

Could it be... that Rengan Meitōko is preparing to make a move directly?

The master remained silent, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

But obviously, this is impossible.

Du Zi is also on the table. Not only does he have a lifespan of five hundred years in this life, but he can also be reincarnated. He has great supernatural powers, so why fight to the death?

Lianyan Mingduzi's lips curled into a strange smile: "Go and inform the Hayagriva Temple... Our temple is sending a high-ranking monk to debate scriptures with the Hayagriva Temple! The allocation of offerings will be determined by the outcome..."

"yes!"

The master's body trembled.

The debate between the two temples was definitely not the usual casual conversation.

Instead, one must truly touch upon the hidden source and persuade the other party to commit suicide with reason!

Each of these debates ended in the deaths of several eminent monks, filled with bloodshed...

……

"Oh? A Dharma assembly for debating scriptures?"

Inside the Horse-Headed Vajra Temple, Fang Qing heard the news with a hint of regret: "I thought that Lotus-Eyed Mingduzi would come straight here..."

"Venerable One, our secret traditions dictate that even those who have attained enlightenment will not speak lightly of life and death..."

The incompetent monk, still resembling an old monk, chuckled, "Even if he comes, thinking he can overpower the newly appointed monk with his cultivation, upon seeing that it is I who have ascended to the throne, he will likely flee in disarray..."

"After all, he's a seasoned master; he can adapt to the mysteries right away..." Fang Qing nodded in agreement. "Moreover... he doesn't know you secretly possess an additional rank, and your strength is now comparable to the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm, right? If you rashly attack the Horse-Headed Vajra Temple and fall into the mandala formation, sealing off the void... you might actually perish here, and you might even drop a 'Rank Certificate' lotus platform. I'm quite curious to know if you can refine another 'Rank Certificate,' and whether you can use it to create a Great Dharma King?"

Although Du Zi also possesses the ability to roam the void, he is extremely difficult to kill.

However, if a Grand Master were to make a move, or if one were to fall into a formation that seals off the void, the situation would be quite different.

Wu Nengsheng smiled bitterly: "To refine a 'Rank Certificate,' one needs the same lineage and cultivation method... However, Venerable One, you are too powerful for this old monk to fathom... As for a Grand Dharma King comparable to the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm? That's unlikely. Even if you reach that rank, I, Du Zi, have no supernatural powers. No matter how high your rank, how could you be a match for a Grand Dharma King with three supernatural powers?"

"That's true..."

Fang Qing pondered for a moment, and then heard about the Dharma assembly debate, where the loser was beheaded—such an interesting thing, he really wanted to participate in it himself.

"Of course, it wouldn't be very interesting if I participated."

"Those below the Purple Mansion level who speak of the Heavenly Law will immediately commit suicide upon uttering a single word..."

……

The day of the puja.

A noisy procession walked up to the front of the Horse Head Vajra Temple; it was a group of monks from the Lotus Temple.

Most of them wore yellow and red monk robes, and the leaders wore rooster-shaped crowns, scattered flowers and gold and silver on the ground, and there were also people blowing conch shells.

In the center of the procession was a throne carried by four people, decorated with brocade, gold, silver, agate, and sutra pillars, emitting a faint scent of sandalwood.

Before the Horse Head Vajra Temple, an open-air plaza had been built, and a platform several meters high had been erected.

At that moment, accompanied by the sounds of conch shells and drums, another procession of monks emerged from Hayagriva Temple, also carrying a Dharma throne.

"Incapable of winning?!"

When Rengan Meidoko saw the elaborately dressed Incompetent Shengdoko, a dark look appeared on her face: "It's you?"

This disqualified monk has failed to refine the 'Rank Certificate' for so many years, Lianyan will regard him as an ant tomorrow morning.

Unexpectedly, it was this same person who ascended to the throne.

"This is troublesome... Could it be that the Dharma King is truly behind it all?"

Lianyan Mingduzi's expression was gloomy as he looked at the monks who had gathered around him, as well as the nearby nobles, chieftains, and manor owners...

The Dharma assembly is a major event and will naturally attract many spectators.

"Today, we will have three debates..."

Abbot Dorje Monastery spoke first: "We cordially invite the eminent monks from both sides to ascend the stage..."

The atmosphere was very solemn and respectful.

From both Wat Matou Kongpo and Wat Lotus, a monk emerged and stepped onto the high platform.

They first bowed to the two priests, and then began a strange ritual.

"This is... a ritual?!"

Fang Qing, observing from the sidelines, narrowed his eyes slightly: "Indeed... far too many major events have occurred in the Secret Realm... some are traces left by True Monarchs. This 'debate' should also conform to some kind of ritual, just like the 'sky burial ceremony'..."

He secretly deduced the cause and effect, not by directly tracing the source, but by calculating the effect of the ritual:

"Hmm... I guarantee neither of us will use magic to harm the other... but verbal temptations are not an option..."

"The loser should commit suicide... or better yet, cut off his own head..."

"This ritual...it's interesting. Could it be that there was another powerful being who killed a True Monarch in the Secret Realm solely through verbal sparring?"

"Heaven and earth, moved by this scene, recorded it, and thus, to this day, it has evolved into this ritual?"

Fang Qing pondered silently, when he heard Dorje announce loudly, "This debate will focus on the topic of 'the view of emptiness'..."

"The view of emptiness?"

Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but chuckle.

The word "see" is interchangeable with "manifestation," and the so-called "emptiness" implies that "all phenomena are empty," which is actually "Buddha-nature." In the realm of cultivation, it is called "golden nature."

"The topic, translated, is—How to realize the golden nature in a debate?"

"As expected... the Secret Realm just loves to brag... a bunch of people with the 'Convinced' and 'Foundation' levels... plus a couple of 'Cultivation' levels, dare to discuss this kind of issue..."