Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 139
>Chapter Title: The Five Realms of Buddhism
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“Xi God?” It was the first time Li Huowang had heard that term here.
“Does single joy and double xi have any relation between them?”
“How should I put it? If I had to compare, the Joy God is just the Xi God’s fingernail.”
Li Huowang’s mind conjured up the terrifying image of the Joy God from before. He could hardly imagine that something like that existed only as a fingernail in front of some other being.
“Wait, Abbess, hold on a moment. My head’s a bit muddled right now.”
The sudden information caught him off guard.
“So the Joy God isn’t just a larger evil being?”
“How could it be? The Joy God couldn’t possibly be an evil thing. They’re not the same at all.”
Li Huowang took a deep breath and continued asking,
“Then, Abbess, whether it’s the Joy God or the Xi God, what exactly are they?”
“What else could they be? Gods, of course.”
“Uh... which gods?”
A look of astonishment filled the Abbess’s plump face.
“You don’t even know that? How have you survived this long? I thought you knew.”
Li Huowang continued his helpless explanation.
“As I’ve already told you, I’m not from this world. I really did transmigrate here, even though I don’t remember exactly how.”
“Sigh... here we go again.” Abbess Jingxin looked at Li Huowang with pity.
“Abbess, I really did transmigrate here!”
Seeing that she didn’t believe him, Li Huowang’s voice grew louder, his heart filling with irritation.
“Alright, alright, I believe you. Let’s continue. Have you heard of the Five Realms of Buddhism?”
“The Five Realms of Buddhism?”
Li Huowang recalled the temple in Zhengde Temple that housed those five massive Buddha statues.
“I’ve heard a little. I once heard the abbot of Zhengde Temple mention that in five different worlds, there are five different Buddha Ancestors.”
“The Central Vajra Realm, the Eastern Vimala Realm, the Southern Glee Realm, the Western Paradise Realm, and the Northern Lotus Realm.”
Abbess Jingxin repeated what that old monk had said back then.
“The Joy God and the Xi God are wandering gods from the Southern Glee Realm. Of course, there’s more than just them there—mostly Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats.”
Li Huowang’s mind was a jumble. All these concepts were new to him.
He knew this world harbored strange things, but he truly hadn’t expected this.
Above this world, there were actually five different worlds.
And within those five different worlds existed even more terrifying things.
“So, the immortal realm you mentioned before is one of these five worlds?”
He subconsciously asked Danyangzi on the wall.
“Hmph!! What nonsense Five Realms of Buddhism? Those ignorant bald donkeys know nothing!”
Danyangzi’s six eyes brimmed with disdain. This was the first time his hallucination had reacted.
“These people know nothing at all, blindly believing whatever’s written in books! They’ve never even seen the Southern Heavenly Gate—what do they know?!”
Ignoring Danyangzi’s ravings, Li Huowang continued questioning the Abbess.
“Could you tell me, then, where exactly these so-called Five Realms of Buddhism are?”
“If I knew that, I’d already be a Buddha. Why would I still be stuck here?”
The Abbess idly picked her nose, pulling out a long booger and wiping it on her flab.
“Become a Buddha? Is that what you want, Abbess, to become one of those Buddhas?”
“I’m too lazy for that. My son may be mad, but he’s still alive. What would happen to him if I really became a Buddha?”
After learning all this, Li Huowang felt as if everything he’d experienced before was starting to connect, as if he vaguely understood something.
“Which of those worlds is the one where Ba Hui resides?”
He recalled that eerie place in the background when Ba Hui had manifested before.
“No idea. I’m not from the Ao Jing Cult.”
“Swish~!”
Danyangzi’s three terrifying heads suddenly burst out from the Abbess’s belly.
“She’s lying to you! She knows nothing!! Only when you truly see the immortal realm will you understand how wonderful it is!”
“Just one glance at the immortal realm, and you’ll realize the mortal world is nothing!!”
Li Huowang looked at him, his lips twitching, before turning back to Abbess Jingxin.
“Abbess, regarding these so-called Five Realms of Buddhism, do other sects have different interpretations?”
“Of course. Some cultivators say there are no five realms at all—it’s just one place, called Penglai. Others say there’s no such place at all; it’s all made up.”
“Anyway, no one can convince anyone else, so I don’t bother arguing with them.”
As Abbess Jingxin spoke, she couldn’t resist pulling a mung bean cake from her folds of fat. She started to stuff it into her mouth but held back, shoving it back in.
“Alright, alright, this stuff isn’t for mortals. I’m just mentioning it; you’re just listening. True or not, it doesn’t matter to you right now.”
“No more questions? Then get going. It’s almost noon already. You’ve kept me from my nap.”
“Remember, stay far away from the Sitting Oblivion Dao. If you really run into them, figure out their train of thought, then go against it.”
With that final instruction, Abbess Jingxin threw her head back and began snoring thunderously.
Li Huowang gave her a complicated Clear Wind Temple salute before picking up his sword and turning to leave.
This trip had yielded far too much information. Li Huowang needed time to sort it all out.
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Yang Kid squatted on a rock, enviously watching Chun Xiaoman practice her swordplay in the courtyard.
With a sharp clang and a light ring, Chun Xiaoman’s green sword slid halfway out of its sheath.
The blade reflected a cold gleam. Some misty, intangible pressure made him scoot back a bit further.
Her sword danced like a roaming dragon, silver light flashing endlessly, her clothes fluttering in the wind.
Yang Kid didn’t understand the techniques, but he felt that his senior sister Chun Xiaoman looked incredibly formidable.
That was only natural. Over these many days, whenever she had free time, she practiced her sword—morning, evening, even hugging that sword manual while eating.
“If I could get that strong, no one would ever bully me again,” Yang Kid said, his eyes full of longing.
“Hmph, that’s nothing. Practicing this stuff is useless. If you really want to get strong, learn from Senior Brother Li.”
Yang Kid turned his head and saw Gouwa leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
Thinking of Senior Brother Li’s creepy appearance, a chill ran down his neck, and he shook his head like a rattle drum.
“No, I don’t want to learn that kind of supernatural ability. It hurts too much.”
Just then, Yang Kid saw Chun Xiaoman stop her sword dance and head outside.
“Senior Sister Xiaoman, where are you going?”
He hurried after her.
“To the escort agency in town to see if I can spar with someone. I’ve been practicing so long, just drilling moves. I want to test my skills for real.”
“Xiaoman, why bother with outsiders for a spar? Come to me. Why waste the effort? I’ve trained too.”
Gouwa slapped the saber at his waist with a resounding smack.
“You call that training? You’ve only practiced one swing. That counts as training?”
(End of chapter)