Chapter 254

This is the "Delusion" of Buddhism, this is "Ignorance."

The Demon of Delusion is a world-shaking prodigy, chosen by Poxun from half of the world's eight billion population—from among four billion people!

As this Ignorance arose, the Demon of Delusion's form began to change.

Cracks appeared on the surface of her green tracksuit, peeling away like cracked ceramic, dissolving into flakes of gray dust that drifted silently in the vacuum. Her murky, dead-fish eyes widened, and her pupils were swallowed by an interweaving light of crimson and gold, flickering with a near-fanatical divine radiance.

Her head suddenly elongated, her forehead bone bulged, and her nose twisted and expanded, instantly transforming into a massive elephant head; ivory tusks curved out from the corners of her mouth, stark white and chilling. Her body also expanded rapidly, driven by the divine power of the silver coin.

In the blink of an eye, that gloomy shut-in girl no longer existed.

Replacing her was an elephant-headed goddess.

Her body was immense, standing barefoot on the moon, every step shaking out deep cracks; her elephant trunk coiled and swayed, reflecting the might of ignorance.

The golden giant axe was engraved with dense Sanskrit characters and spell seals, as if every character were whimpering softly.

This was the mythological form the Demon of Delusion drew from the silver coin:

Ganesha, the Joyful Deity.

—Ganesha, in Indian religion, is originally the son of Shiva, the god of wisdom and learning.

After Buddhism absorbed his image, he was regarded as an avatar of Vairocana, and often manifested as an evil god (Obstacle Demon) or a proud celestial deity.

That said, for the Demon King of Ignorance to manifest as the god of wisdom, one can only say that Poxun truly has a great sense of humor.

For Qi Xing to defeat this Demon of Delusion, while possible, would be extremely troublesome.

Not to mention Xue Ning, who would be completely helpless against her.

… Therefore, the only one here capable of defeating and subduing the Demon of Delusion is indeed Rin.

Because only Rin,

after the Demon of Delusion finished chattering on and on, denouncing the evils of patriarchal society,

could say with a puzzled look: "I don't really understand what you're saying."

She didn't understand, she really didn't understand.

If the Demon of Delusion is Ignorance and foolishness, then Jingo Rin, who is more like a beast than a human, has a certain flavor of 'abandoning holiness and discarding wisdom.'

"Someone like you who doesn't care about women doesn't deserve to be a woman, ahhh!"

The furious elephant-headed god lunged over, swinging the great axe high and smashing it toward Rin's forehead. With the force of ten thousand jun, it seemed as if she would split the lunar surface in two.

But Rin's figure already swayed like a flame, and the flame sword rotated in her hand; the clash of fire and metal, like water flowing around a stone, gently deflected the golden giant axe.

The giant axe missed in an instant, crashing down and splitting the entire crater, sending gravel flying.

Just as this overwhelming force had not yet been reined in, Rin had already followed the opening in the axe's momentum, her flame sword fast as a meteor—piercing straight into the elephant-headed god's chest.

Red divine fire bloomed like a flower with a roar. The flames burned the Demon of Delusion's body from within. The excruciating pain made her dance wildly, trying to swing the heavy axe again, but she was subdued by the crimson divine fire that refined the power of the silver coin, and her movements gradually stiffened.

"Sorry."

Rin frowned, surprisingly apologizing while steadily pressing down on the sword hilt, driving the flame sword deeper into the heart to kill the Demon of Delusion.

"I really don't understand what you're saying."

Wow, she was actually sincerely apologizing to the Demon of Delusion.

This was probably enough to make the Demon of Delusion die with eyes wide open in resentment.

"No—no—Master! Save me!"

Asking Poxun for help?

—It's a pity that their Master's situation is not optimistic either.

Volume 6: Thunder █ Hero · Lunar Expedition: 233: Nirvana Silence Extinguishes Sin

Driven by the two most powerful miracles of Christ in the current world, an incomparably heavy pressure, like shackles, slowly descended from the nine heavens, firmly pressing down on Poxun's shoulders.

The golden shackles, created specifically to fetter Samael and the Giant Spirits under her command, had already faintly taken shape.

"Shinji's—daughter?!"

Poxun struggled violently. Buddha light and black mud intertwined and burst forth, almost tearing the entire moon from its orbit!

In an instant, the whole moon was trembling, ten thousand tons of gravel shot into the sky, and the crust vibrated violently in the vacuum. Even observers far away on Earth could see the light and shadow on the lunar surface constantly distorting.

However, the golden shackles did not shatter.

They only tightened with the Giant Spirit Prince's struggle. Every time Poxun rioted, it instead made the shackles become heavier, pressing tightly onto his shoulders.

Poxun's roar shook the void, and the scattering Buddha light began to twist and deform. Countless black mud surged from the cracks of the Sanctuary, like a torrent of corruption, wanting to submerge and swallow the golden shackles.

The whole moon trembled because of it… However, no matter how great the struggle, it was always to no avail.

"The outcome is decided, Poxun."

At this point, Qi Xing should seemingly take this opportunity to chop off Poxun's dog head.

But he was not in a hurry to do so.

"… However, I guess you can still transform at least once or twice."

Resting the moonlight greatsword on his shoulder, Qi Xing did not go up to deliver the finishing blow, nor did he relax his vigilance one bit.

Was it that easy to win? Although this plan was formulated by Qi Xing himself, he didn't think so.

Facing such a special enemy, there is absolutely no reason to slack off.

"If you have another form, stop building up the atmosphere and hurry up and bring it out."

Even Poxun, upon hearing Qi Xing's words, couldn't help but be stunned: "… Descender, you think highly of me, don't you?"

"Even I started thinking about how to prepare methods to deal with Giant Spirits after fighting them twice. You've lived for so many years, you are a Giant Spirit yourself, and you also know that the Peacock Disciples are developing technology to control Giant Spirits."

Qi Xing answered indifferently,

"If you hadn't considered a way at all, you'd be an idiot. If I fought an idiot to this extent, what would that make me?"

As a result, Qi Xing's words actually made Poxun laugh: "Descender, perhaps… we are both idiots."

The golden shackles tightened, but Poxun no longer struggled hard. Xue Ning and Rin on the moon both felt the moon stop shaking and couldn't help but be a little surprised for a moment; observers far away on Earth would also soon discover that the moon was no longer vibrating.

[What's the situation?]

Sasa stared suspiciously at Poxun, who was no longer struggling, and then turned her head to look at Qi Xing, who was waiting in full battle array, feeling a bit confused,

[Stop talking nonsense. How could the golden shackles be easily broken—even I am still tied up!]

"Do not use your incompetent standards to measure me, base mother."

As a result, Sasa was instead mocked with a sneer by Poxun,

"The method to break free from the golden shackles is actually very simple. I understood it before I was twenty and could have gotten rid of them at any time. Only an idiot like you would be sealed for two thousand years."

[Ah?!]

Sasa was stunned for a moment, almost forgetting to be angry.

This scene was actually quite interesting, but unfortunately, Qi Xing was not here to watch them be funny, so he could only tap the ground with the Sasa God Sword: "Get to the point."

Although the aura of the previous slaughter had temporarily subsided, the heaviness in the air had not dissipated.

This was not a relaxed chat, but ultimately still a conversation before confronting each other with swords again.

But Poxun's soft, charming face still slightly revealed a sneer, and he calmly explained: "The golden shackles are for binding you, Mother—not for restraining humans."

"As long as one abandons the essence of a Giant Spirit, any Giant Spirit can break free from the shackles of the golden shackles. Any Giant Spirit can immediately… obtain freedom."

"Even including you, my pathetic mother."

This sentence finally not only left Sasa stunned but even shocked Qi Xing.

Abandon the essence of a Giant Spirit? But ordinary Giant Spirits have no self-awareness at all; they would never consider doing such a thing, nor would it be possible for them.

As for Sasa, she is not a Giant Spirit at all, but the creator of the Giant Spirits. What could she abandon?

However, that was not the only thing that surprised Qi Xing.

"You've repeatedly harped on about not wanting to be bound, 'not wanting to play a predetermined role,' not wanting to 'act out a written script'—and now, damn it, you're telling me you can abandon the essence of a Giant Spirit at any time and obtain freedom?"

Qi Xing frowned,

"Buddy, are you messing with me?"

"That's right, Descender."

The beautiful boy with a feminine appearance smiled even more gorgeously,

"You should be able to understand this logic, right? It is precisely because we cannot be free that we are here. If one were truly free and had no desires or cravings for the world, who would still get involved in the affairs of people and the world?"

Although Poxun's words were a bit convoluted, Qi Xing at least knew how to talk to people of Buddhism.

So he still frowned and asked: "You were once a savior designed and created by Sasa, but not yet finished. If you say you don't want to do this line of work, I can completely understand. No one wants to be a savior under an idiot like Sasa, let alone a 'savior' who restarts the world during the 'Dharma-Ending Age,' that kind of joke."

[Hey.]

"Shut up, Sasa, all of this is your fault."

The Buddhist cosmology is an endless cycle, without beginning or end.

During the end of the kalpa, after all the people on earth have died, the celestial beings from heaven will descend and become humans again.

Although after the Dharma-Ending Age ends, there will be the future Buddha, Maitreya, as a savior to guide and teach sentient beings to nirvana, that is only for the sentient beings of "that time."

In the new cycle of reincarnation, new humans will be born, and there will be new formation, abiding, destruction, and emptiness. As the four kalpas constantly succeed and alternate, the world will accordingly be formed and destroyed, destroyed and formed, over and over again.

Is there any meaning in being a "savior" in such a universe? At least Qi Xing thinks it's simply ridiculous. Especially when forced to do it.

If Poxun doesn't want to do it, Qi Xing raises both hands to support his strike! No problem, right?

Who cares what you want to do to yourself? No one cares, no one at all.

The whole point has always depended only on—Poxun, what do you want to do to the world? What are you fighting for? For freedom or truth? For peace or love? For the greater well-being of the world? Or perhaps just some desire of your own?

"Those are all illusions; only desire is real."

Poxun was unimpressed,

"They are all just illusions used to cover up the fact that this universe's existence is meaningless, and they are all just as unrealistic as my base mother herself."

"This universe is built upon the desires of my ugly mother."

"I want to bring it to a true end."

Thus, Poxun's desire, his true goal, was finally exposed without doubt at this moment.

Or rather, is this his true "first transformation"? Is this him truly taking off his mask in front of outsiders?

"Descender—Qi Xing, you know very well what kind of person my mother is, and that she will never change her foolish nature."

"You know very well how painful and desperate the people of this world are… and all this sin and suffering is born from the creator's error."

The golden shackles still bound Poxun, but he looked quite calm and fearless, just speaking to Qi Xing as if enlightening him,

"I want to eliminate all the pain, despair, curses, all the sin and suffering in this world—all of it."

Qi Xing looked up at the black mud from all over the world in the Sanctuary and finally raised an eyebrow: "Using this? You must be crazy."

"Well said, Descender."

Poxun sneered,

"If I am crazy, then who is the one who created me into a madman? Who designed me to crave the end of this world?—That is why I must do this; I have to do this."

"Just like you, Master Leipu, you don't just want to keep yourself safe."

Oh my.

His words actually made a bit of sense.

Perhaps just like Qi Xing's thoughts, which gradually changed from keeping himself safe to wanting to change the whole world; perhaps Poxun really was the future Maitreya, who once walked in the world, saw all the pain and despair of the people, and thus determined to end sentient beings and their suffering.

A very common trope. Qi Xing has seen it countless times.

"It's just as unoriginal as you yourself, Sasa."

However, Qi Xing didn't completely misunderstand.

There must be many people who, after seeing this absurd and wretched world, think, "Just destroy it all."

Even Qi Xing himself, in those first few years after transmigrating, often had such thoughts in his dark moods.