Chapter 982: This Chief Helmsman Has Plenty Here!

Just as Qi Yuan was looking shocked, he heard Kong Ding continue:

"Perhaps out of overconfidence, Papiyan, who was impersonating the Buddha Lord, didn't realize the uniqueness of this scripture and immediately had the four monks recite it."

"Unexpectedly, the diamond sutra is truly profound and exquisite. As soon as the four monks began reciting, it immediately triggered a heavenly phenomenon. At that time, golden clouds filled the sky over the Great Thunder Sound Temple, and Sanskrit chanting echoed powerfully, shaking the entire Spirit Mountain Pure Land."

"Since this Subordinate happened to be standing beside the Buddha Lord at the time, I immediately noticed wisps of an eerie aura emanating from the Buddha Lord's body under the cleansing of the endless Buddha light…"

Recalling that scene, Kong Ding couldn't help but sigh softly, a heavy look appearing in his eyes.

"Although the Buddha Lord quickly halted the recitation and immediately withdrew that aura, this Subordinate is absolutely certain that the aura exposed from the Buddha Lord was precisely the Chaos Devilish Qi unique to a Chaos Demon God!"

"Later, Papiyan seemed extremely wary of the diamond sutra. Not only did he immediately declare the four monks as evil monks attempting to distort the classics and delude the Buddhist sect, but he also threw them into the deepest part of the Maha Pagoda, never to be pardoned."

"Not only that, he even listed the diamond sutra as a forbidden text. Any act of reciting this scripture would be considered blasphemy and absolutely not tolerated by the Buddhist sect!"

Hearing Kong Ding's narration, the corner of Qi Yuan's mouth twitched slightly, feeling quite eye-opened.

Good grief!

The dignified Mahayana Buddhism classic, the diamond sutra, had actually become a blasphemous heresy here. Even those four devout old monks who had laid down their butcher knives to seek the shore were confusingly branded as evil monks. Isn't this a complete reversal of the natural order?

In that case, there really is a problem with the Buddha Lord!

Of course, that's not the point. The point is that the diamond sutra he exchanged from the System simply didn't exist in the Spirit Mountain of this space-time!

Since there was no Buddhist Legacy in the Yunmeng Great World, he had no idea what scriptures monks usually chanted. That's why he had simply brought over Buddhist scriptures from Earth and taught them to the four old devils.

Even after returning to the Primordial Era where Buddhism flourished, Qi Yuan had neither the interest nor the time to pay attention to the Buddhist sect's Legacy. He had just naturally assumed that the monks in the Cultivation World followed the same System as on Earth.

He never expected that the diamond sutra, revered on Earth as the masterpiece of Mahayana Buddhism, had never appeared in the Cultivation World.

More importantly, the diamond sutra could not only refine the evil spirits on the five turbidities life-devouring diagram but also had a certain restraining effect on Chaos Demon Gods!

The fact that it could make the Devil Head Papiyan, who was playing the Buddha Lord so well, reveal his true nature on the spot proved that he was indeed affected by the diamond sutra.

As for later framing the four old monks who recited the diamond sutra as evil monks, it was clearly out of fear…

Seeing Qi Yuan's thoughtful expression, Kong Ding thought he was frightened by the harsh reality and quickly consoled him:

"Chief Helmsman, although the current Spirit Mountain Pure Land has turned black into white and the devilish flames reach the sky, a fake is still a fake. Some of the Buddha Lord's actions have long since aroused the suspicion of many monks."

"Currently, there are many high-level members of the Great Thunder Sound Temple who are wary of the Buddha Lord. If it weren't for the group of Buddhist experts responsible for pursuing me intentionally letting me go, I wouldn't have been able to escape the Spirit Mountain Pure Land so easily."

"At least in the short term, Papiyan, who issues orders in the Buddha Lord's name, cannot completely turn Spirit Mountain into a monolithic block. As long as we can organize enough resistance, we still have a chance…"

Speaking to this point, Kong Ding couldn't help but frown and said helplessly:

"It's a pity the plan to rescue the four monks failed last time. Otherwise, if we could obtain the full version of the diamond sutra from them, it would be equivalent to having an effective means of dealing with the Chaos Heavenly Demons."

Hearing this, Qi Yuan seemed to have received a reminder. His eyes lit up, and he said with a smile:

"Great Master Kong Ding, you mean if you had the full version of the diamond sutra, you would be confident in dealing with those Chaos Demon Gods hiding in the Immortal Realm?"

"Amitabha."

Kong Ding pressed his palms together and said with a sincere gaze:

"The diamond sutra is truly a peerless classic. Though it starts with only a few words, it points directly to the Buddha's Origin. It contains a compassionate Buddhist intent to deliver all living beings from suffering, making it the perfect nemesis for the Chaos Demon Gods."

"If I can completely comprehend the Profound Truth within the scripture, this Subordinate is confident in taking my Buddhist cultivation a step further. Even if I can't defeat the elites among the Chaos Demon Gods like Rahu or Papiyan, I can at least deal with them calmly and prevent them from poisoning the Immortal Realm so wantonly."

"Good!"

Qi Yuan was currently worried about not having a way to weaken the opponent's camp. Hearing Kong Ding's assurance, he immediately looked delighted and patted his chest, saying:

"Isn't it just the diamond sutra? As for the Mahayana Buddhism you want, this Chief Helmsman has plenty here!"

"What?!"

Hearing this, not only was Kong Ding startled, but even Ji Fan, who was watching from the side, widened his eyes and looked at Qi Yuan in disbelief.

As a Daoist Cultivator, since when did this guy have research into Buddhist teachings?

Facing their stunned gazes, Qi Yuan cleared his throat and said to Kong Ding with a serious face:

"To tell you the truth, those four old monks you mentioned are actually Subordinates I took in the Lower Realm. Their diamond sutra was actually taught by me!"

"You… you taught it?"

Kong Ding's whole body shook, his face filled with shock, hardly able to believe his ears.

While the other was dumbfounded, the corner of Qi Yuan's mouth curled up. He quickly pulled out several exquisitely bound, golden glowing scriptures from his storage space and said solemnly:

"The diamond sutra is just one of many in this Chief Helmsman's collection. Besides it, I have the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Great Light Sutra, the Ksitigarbha Sutra… and this is the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra, known as the general outline of Mahayana Buddhism…"

Staring at the unheard-of Buddhist scriptures, Kong Ding's mouth hung open. He stood there as still as a clay statue, feeling as if his worldview was being ruthlessly trampled upon by someone.

At this moment, his mind was a complete blank. He had entirely stopped thinking, leaving only a series of question marks:

Who am I?

Where am I?

What are these?

It wasn't until Qi Yuan stopped taking new scriptures out of his pocket that Kong Ding barely recovered a trace of sanity from his confusion and hurriedly picked up the diamond sutra from the pile of books.

After flipping through a page, his eyes immediately lit up, his breathing quickened, and he almost instantly confirmed the authenticity of the scripture.

It's real!

Not only was it exactly the same as the scripture dictated by the four monks, but the subsequent text also connected perfectly and was even more profound.

Realizing this, Kong Ding trembled with excitement while impatiently reading through the entire diamond sutra. The more he read, the more mesmerized he became, until he finally sat on the ground and entered a state of enlightenment.

In the next moment, golden lotuses shimmering with Buddhist light actually emerged around Kong Ding. The phantom of the Buddha behind him became solid at a speed visible to the naked eye, appearing solemn and unfathomable.

Ji Fan watched from nearby with amazement, and after a long while, he couldn't help but ask:

"Big brother, where on earth did you get so many Buddhist scriptures? Looking at this guy, it seems he's gained an incredible Opportunity!"

"I just accidentally picked up these scriptures."

Qi Yuan answered nonchalantly, taking the chance to show off:

"I didn't expect the Buddhist sect in this world to be backward to such an extent. No wonder they are always suppressed by the Immortal Court."

"The monks of Spirit Mountain haven't even comprehended Mahayana Buddhism and have fallen completely into Hinayana. It's high time they went out to seek some scriptures…"