At this moment, all sound vanished.
"Ah."
Guang Ming stood dazed on the spot. All his experiences to date surfaced in his mind, and cold sweat instantly flowed down uncontrollably.
What have I done?
Ascending as the Buddha Child, leading the Pure Land, laying out plans for the world, plotting against the four regions, holding the world's winds and clouds in my grasp... but is this me?
This isn't me!
Guang Ming knew himself all too well. He was just a person getting by, with no great ambitions, just wanting to live well without worrying about food and drink. How could he risk doing something big like stirring up the world's winds and clouds? Yet after all these years, he actually didn't feel anything wrong.
What exactly am I doing?
Guang Ming looked dazedly at his hands. The Golden Body, usually full of flesh and blood, now seemed to be only a thin layer of human skin.
"...Ah."
Guang Ming raised his head, looking directly at Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon. His eyes were brilliant and dazzling, but what finally flowed out wasn't shock, anger, or resentment.
But helplessness.
So that's it... I'm already dead.
He was different from others. Others weren't [Buddha Child]; after the connection was severed, they could still return to their original selves. His entire life had long been entrusted elsewhere.
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon severing the connection between him and the World Honored One was like cutting off his roots. At this moment, he couldn't even utter a word. He could only clasp his hands together, letting the Buddha's light intertwine, stagnate, dissipate, and finally turn into golden dust filling the sky.
Immediately after, a soul drifted into reincarnation.
Guang Ming died.
However, the Buddha Child didn't disappear just like that. Behind him, the magnificent [Supreme Truth Enlightenment Tuoluo Heaven Manifestation] moved for the first time.
"Amitabha!"
Grand Buddhist sounds resonated through the Pure Land, but they no longer drew the unison response of Pure Land Buddhist cultivators. One by one, the Buddhist cultivators looked around with blank expressions.
Demon! Demon!
Finally, an old Arhat with white beard and hair moved. His face was full of shock and anger, like a fledgling bird living in a nest for a long time suddenly seeing the boundless sky.
"How dare you? How dare you do this!?"
Pointing at Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon, he scolded angrily: "Ruining my Pure Land's foundation... You actually ruined my Pure Land's foundation! Great Demon! What a peerless Great Demon!"
"Kill him!"
In the past, before the old Arhat finished speaking, the group of Buddhist cultivators would probably have swarmed up. However, at this moment, all Buddhist cultivators made different reactions.
The next second—
Bang!
An Arhat who had just advanced not long ago suddenly closed his eyes tight. Then with a boom, he actually self-destructed brazenly, and a soul drifted into reincarnation!
The old Arhat turned his head in astonishment: "Why!?"
To fall into reincarnation, to cleanse the soul, especially now that he was disconnected from the World Honored One. This was an attempt to completely break away from the Pure Land!
"How unwise!"
The old Arhat was so angry his hands were shaking: "The World-Honored One is merciful, illuminating us cultivators with his light, which has brought us to this blissful land of Jiangxi. Why then do we harbor thoughts of leaving?"
He couldn't understand.
Therefore, he could only attribute all this to Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's actions, believing this demon before him ruined the Pure Land's purity and bewitched the group of monks.
Seeing this scene, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon suddenly smiled.
Mahavira Hall.
The clamor rising one after another gradually faded away at this moment. Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon came back to his senses, only to find a youth had appeared in front of him at some point.
His appearance was very ordinary, very common. Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon even felt somewhat familiar but couldn't say where he had seen him. It was as if all facial features under the heavens were gathered together, finally shaping such an appearance. At this moment, the other party was looking at him with great interest.
The next second, the youth spoke.
His voice was very soft, like a gentle woman, yet carried masculine energy; like a twilight old man, yet had the vitality of a child.
"Amitabha..."
Just hearing a Buddhist chant instantly made Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's expression serious. He looked at the young man before him with utmost reverence, somewhat incredulous.
World Honored One?
"I've disappointed Benefactor."
As if guessing Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's thoughts, the youth shook his head: "I am not the World Honored One. The World Honored One is lofty and distant; how could he come personally to see Fellow Daoist?"
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's thoughts turned rapidly upon hearing this, and he already reacted: "So that's how it is... Fellow Daoist is... that Dharma Aspect."
[Supreme Truth Enlightenment Tuoluo Heaven Manifestation]!
With this thought, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon frowned again: "Why does Fellow Daoist want to see me?"
"I have doubts in my heart."
The youth put his palms together, saying lightly: "Benefactor's sword intent is superb, and you cleverly borrowed the yet-to-be-formed [Sword Dao Fruit] to slash out this sword."
"But ultimately, it is water without a source."
"Except for those Buddhist cultivators who actively liberated themselves and entered reincarnation, once Fellow Daoist dies and your Dao dissipates, the connection between the Buddhist cultivators and the World Honored One will recover very quickly."
"In that case, what is the meaning of Benefactor's actions?"
"Is that so." Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon wasn't disappointed upon hearing this but smiled instead:
"How can there be no meaning? Didn't Fellow Daoist also say a few Buddhist cultivators have already entered reincarnation? Then these people count as being saved by me."
"This is the meaning."
The youth's expression remained unchanged as he continued to ask: "Benefactor denounces my Pure Land as an evil path, yet Benefactor hides countless human heads in your bag, deciding the life and death of countless people with your own heart alone. How is this not another form of Pure Land? Negating the Pure Land, essentially isn't it also negating yourself?"
Once these words came out, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon smiled even more happily:
"How can that be the same?"
Five simple words made the youth freeze on the spot instead. After a long while, he smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Almost forgot, Benefactor is from the Sword Pavilion..."
Having said that, he was still unwilling:
"But what about the Sword Pavilion? Benefactor was oppressed by the Sword Pavilion all your life; could it be there is not a bit of resentment in your heart either?"
"Of course there is."
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon nodded, not denying it. With a smile at the corner of his mouth, he said: "So didn't I leave both [No-Kill Sword Intent] and the sword art in the Ye Family?"
[No-Kill Sword Intent] was originally the Pure Land's target. Would the Pure Land not want the related sword art inheritance? Wanting it meant inevitably getting entangled with the Ye Family. The longer the time, the heavier the karma. Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon deliberately left [No-Kill] but didn't pass down [All-Slaying], just to pit the Ye Family once!
How cunning!
"I've learned my lesson." The youth put his palms together and sighed: "It seems benefactor truly have fulfilled your wish, and have no more attachments, ready to sacrifice yourself for the sword".
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon didn't change his fate.
He was going to die after all. If he didn't die and sacrifice his body to the sword, the [Sword Dao Fruit] would be difficult to manifest. Only this result was not allowed to change.
Speaking of this, the youth looked very regretful: "I originally thought Benefactor would waver a bit on the verge of death. And after Guang Ming's death, I just happen to lack a person to rely on. If Benefactor is unwilling to die and chooses to merge with me, it's not impossible to regain a new life."
However, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon refused.
Crack!
The surrounding scene shattered inch by inch. This was a sign that the illusion was about to dissipate and return to reality, also meaning Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's death was close at hand.
But even so, this number one sword cultivator still wore a peaceful smile on his face.
Upholding no-kill for almost half his life, even until the last moment of his life, he still didn't go on a killing spree but chose to save people.
The next second, all illusions vanished.
Lu Yang's sword incarnation raised his head, only to see Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's figure had already disappeared. Only a [No-Kill Sword] suspended quietly in mid-air.
On the sword body, a line of inscription shone brightly:
"Sacrificing the body to take righteousness is valuing righteousness over the body."
"Thus it is said—nothing is more valuable than righteousness."
In an instant, thousands of sword qi gathered. There seemed to be a sword cry between heaven and earth, yet hidden and unreleased, seeming stuck at the most critical step.
"This is..."
Lu Yang, close at hand, revealed astonishment, instantly seeing through Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's last arrangement before death.
He bound the formation of the [Sword Dao Fruit] with the Pure Land, pinning the foundation of the [Sword Dao Fruit] on the Pure Land's unity of mind!
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon severed the Pure Land's unity of mind, setting the [Sword Dao] foundation with this.
However, once the Pure Land restored its unity of mind afterward, it would be equivalent to subverting this foundation. At that time, the [Sword Dao] concept would collapse immediately...
Good heaven!
In an instant, Lu Yang was utterly astonished.
Unity of mind was the foundation of the Pure Land, while the [Sword Dao] was something the Sword Pavilion was determined to get. Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon actually forcibly turned the two into enemies.
The Sword Pavilion wants the [Sword Dao]? Then continue digging at the Pure Land's foundation.
The Pure Land wants to maintain unity of mind? Then destroy the [Sword Dao].
Who says good people don't scheme?
The Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon was too damn cunning! He just didn't usually scheme, keeping his evil intentions hidden, but this time, he'd swindled the biggest one ever!
He'd actually included both the Pure Land and the Sword Pavilion in his scheme!