Chapter 2478: The Threat
“Mahavairocana!”
The Buddhist cultivator who was defeated by Ye Futian just stared at him. He had cultivated Buddhist methods for many years under Shenyan Buddha Lord. He had followed him all these years and had the opportunity to be preached and taught by the Buddha Lord himself.
However, even so, some of the most profound Buddhist methods were still difficult to cultivate.
This Mahavairocana was considered a top-level Buddhist method and was known as one of the strongest and most superior dharmakayas in Buddhism. The Mahavairocana Buddha was a Dharmakaya Buddha who once achieved in the cultivation of this Dharma, attained the Dharmakaya, and was incarnated as the Mahavairocana. It was extremely virile in nature and powerful beyond description. Incorruptible by any means, it was capable of overcoming all evil spirits.
But this superior method that he was unable to cultivate, Ye Futian did. This cultivator from the Divine Prefecture had only been in contact with Buddhism for a few months.
“When did you cultivate the Mahavairocana?” That Buddhist cultivator’s eyes were solemn and grave, and he had quite forgotten about his own injury. The shock in his heart was stronger; it far surpassed the impact that physical injuries had imposed on him.
Ye Futian did not respond. He put his hands together in front of him, looking at the great Buddha high above the Spirit Mountain, and said, “The Lord of All Buddhas preached Buddhism throughout the world. The hope is so that everyone in the world would be able to understand the mystery of Buddhism. Therefore, why is my cultivation of the Mahavairocana considered a sin? It ought to be regarded as my destiny with Buddhism.”
“Amitabha,” Wutian Buddha said with his hands together. “Ye Futian’s words are true enough. Buddhism spreads throughout the world. If he is able to cultivate it, then it is his destiny in Buddhism. Not to mention that his cultivation of it was complete. If anyone accused him of stealing while all the Buddha Lords are still around, this statement would sound a little too farfetched and absurd.”
All Buddhist superpowers were infinitely wondrous. How could Ye Futian learn of such superior Buddhist methods in secret? If he really did, they should have known easily enough.
“Even so, how did he cultivate this Mahavairocana?” Shenyan Buddha Lord asked. He had always been somewhat hostile towards Ye Futian. Of course, this did not mean that he regarded Ye Futian as an enemy. In his eyes, Ye Futian was but a youngster who had relied on sneaky means to cause the demise of several Lord-level figures. He had used the explosion of the divine body to injure Saint Zhenchan severely. None of these happenings were based on Ye Futian’s own strength.
As a great Buddha in the World of Buddhism, why would he even care about an insignificant youngster like Ye Futian?
But he disapproved of the way he behaved.
“If I told you that when I was cultivating Buddhism, a Buddha had instructed me in Buddhist methods, thus aiding me in the cultivation of the Mahavairocana, would the Buddha Lord believe me?” Ye Futian said.
“That’s absurd.” Shenyan Buddha Lord stared at Ye Futian. He asked, “Which great Buddha taught methods to you?”
“As Buddha said, silence is the word,” Ye Futian responded, which was reciprocated by a cold snort from Shenyan Buddha Lord. Suddenly, a coercion descended on Ye Futian across the space, from top to bottom, oppressing him completely.
“Today, I came here humbly seeking Buddhist methods. Does the Buddha Lord wish to come out himself and demonstrate?” Ye Futian asked. He had only the cultivation of Renhuang in the Eighth-Realm and had not been cultivated in Buddhist methods for long. If a Buddha as respectable as Shenyan Buddha Lord himself were to engage him in battle, then it would very clearly be a case of an unfair fight.
Under the circumstance, how could they continue to discuss or exchange Buddhist methods? That would be a blatant act of bullying.
With all the Buddhas gathered at one place here currently, Shenyan Buddha Lord couldn’t very well act as he wanted. Therefore, he simply snorted and said, “Although you cultivate in Buddhism, it was no more than the form itself. You relied heavily on your own natural talent and cultivated Buddhist superpowers in a hurry. Your cultivation was not rooted in the essence of Buddhism at all. I want to see just how far you can go with this.”
“What the Buddha Lord said was true enough. Just because someone had cultivated Buddhist superpowers does not mean that they are Buddhas themselves,” said another Buddhist cultivator.
Ye Futian clasped his hands together in front of him and nodded serious, saying, “What the Buddha Lord said was quite true. I am just a beginner in cultivating Buddhism, and I can feel the depth and profundity of Buddhism. Even a lifetime may not be enough to become a Buddha in the truest sense. To cultivate in Buddhism is to cultivate one’s heart, and I readily admit that I am far from achieving that just yet. In my heart, there is only awe for all Buddhist methods. This world is vast, and countless people had touted themselves as Buddhas. However, how many among them can really truly deserve to be called as such!”
“Insolent!” someone reprimanded from the sky above, which shocked some of the cultivators who heard it.
Obviously, they had heard the impertinence in Ye Futian’s remark, and he was quite brazen in the way he spoke to them.
What he was really trying to convey was that in a world as vast as this, with countless people calling themselves Buddhas, how many of them could truly be considered Buddhas?
In front of him, on this Spirit Mountain of the Western Heaven, there were Buddhas as far as the eyes could see. All of them prided themselves on their status as Buddhas.
Weren’t they the ones that Ye Futian was referring to?
Ye Futian raised his head to look at the person who was giving the lecture and replied, “What I said was consistent with the spirit of the lecture given by the Buddha Lord. What was wrong with that?”
Shenyan Buddha Lord had claimed that he had merely cultivated superpowers of Buddhism and never really came into contact with the Buddha. What Ye Futian said was simply an extension of what had been said by Shenyan Buddha Lord.
The great Buddha reprimanding him simply stared at Ye Futian, and he was not the only one. Many other Buddhist cultivators were looking at Ye Futian coldly as well. On this Spirit Mountain of Western Heaven, Ye Futian dared to make such an outrageous statement. It wasn’t just one or two people that he offended, but he was referring to all the Buddhas.
However, one couldn’t really say that what Ye Futian had said was false. If another Buddhist cultivator were to jump out and accuse him, wouldn’t it be a confession of sorts, saying that they didn’t think they were worthy of the title of Buddha?
“We have heard that while you were still in the Divine Prefecture, Benefactor Ye offended various forces there and cultivators from every major world; therefore, you ended up with nowhere to go. Now that we have personally experienced it, truly, seeing is believing,” a Buddha said with a smile on his face. His true intention was hard to detect.
“Ever since I first came to the Western World of Buddhism, I have been plotted against and hunted down to be controlled from the very beginning. Could it be that as soon as I arrived, I had already offended the cultivators of this world?” Ye Futian responded. “It is said that there are also Buddhist cultivators among these people; I wonder if this is the reason why all you elders detested me so.”
“Benefactor Ye was overly sensitive about my words,” the Laughing Buddha said with a smile but did not continue to say anything more.
Ye Futian surveyed the Buddhas around him. Before he came here today, he had already offended some of them. He really didn’t care if he offended a few more. However, he needed to leave before the end of the All Buddhas Fest. Of course, if he could meet with the Lord of All Buddhas, that would be another matter entirely.
Of course, the most important matter at the moment was still to continue testing their skills in Buddhist methods.
Ye Futian continued to move forward with the Light of Buddha from the Mahavairocana. He said, “I have just been exposed recently to Buddhism, and my methods are just average. I want to learn from other Buddhist cultivators who have much higher attainment in Buddhism than myself.”
When Ye Futian spoke, he glanced in the direction where Shenyan Buddha Lord was; the implication was evident. Since he had suggested Ye Futian’s cultivation in Buddhist methods was lowly and not worthy, Ye Futian meant to goad him into dispatching some accomplished and learned disciples under him for a challenge.
Many Buddhist cultivators now looked at Shenyan Arhat. Among the disciples under Shenyan Buddha Lord, Shenyan Arhat was the most outstanding. Ye Futian came to Spirit Mountain today and displayed his extraordinary talents. Although he had only been cultivating the Buddhist methods for several months, he had comprehended a variety of superb Buddhist superpowers, including the Mahavairocana.
In many people’s eyes, Ye Futian wanted to follow in the steps of Donghuang the Great, which was tantamount to some idiotic dream, nothing more than inviting more shame onto himself. Many, including the likes of Shenyan Arhat, believed that they could easily crush Ye Futian and kick him off Spirit Mountain.
But at this moment, they truly sensed a faint hint of threat. Ye Futian really seemed to possess the strength to contend with all the Buddhas in his presence!