Chapter 347 – Karma Soars to Heaven, Demonic Path Returns

Game World, Western Divine Province, Little Thunderclap Temple.

Boom… Boom… Boom…

With three heavy tolls of the bell,

Juechen, the Buddha Child who had been performing rituals for devotees at the outer temples of Little Thunderclap Temple, immediately halted his actions.

“Little Master, what’s wrong?”

Seeing the solemn expression on Juechen’s face, the devotee thought something was wrong with him and grew visibly nervous.

But what he failed to notice was that he wasn’t the only one feeling tense.

The other Buddhist cultivators in the Great Hall of Little Thunderclap Temple all rose to their feet.

Their demeanor clearly indicated that something significant had occurred.

Meanwhile, Buddha Child Juechen closed his eyes at once.

A wheel of Buddhist light instantly materialized behind him.

In that moment, Juechen’s gaze began to turn vacant,

as if he had completely severed all earthly desires, radiating an aura of profound Buddha-nature.

The surrounding Buddhist cultivators, witnessing this scene, gathered around him one after another.

Soon, all the Buddhist cultivators in the Great Hall had encircled Buddha Child Juechen.

By this point, even ordinary devotees who had been unaware of the significance of the three bell tolls

understood that something must be amiss.

Otherwise, the Buddhist cultivators of Little Thunderclap Temple would not have reacted in such a manner.

They did not have to wait long.

As the wheel of Buddhist light behind Juechen faded away,

the detached, emotionless look in his eyes gradually regained its vitality.

“The Abbot has declared that for the next month, Little Thunderclap Temple… will be closed.”

With these words, Juechen turned and walked toward the rear of the temple without looking back.

Beyond the temple, a massive Buddhist mountain came into view before him.

This mountain, known as Thunderclap Mountain, was the very foundation of Little Thunderclap Temple.

Juechen, seemingly under some directive, hurriedly made his way up the mountain.

Simultaneously, the temples beneath Little Thunderclap Temple began instructing devotees to leave temporarily.

Even though many had traveled great distances to arrive,

the circumstances were exceptional, and they had no choice but to comply with the Abbot’s decree.

Had anyone observed the Western Divine Province from above, they would have seen countless Buddhist cultivators rushing toward Little Thunderclap Temple.

Unless a grave crisis had emerged,

these cultivators, dispatched by Little Thunderclap Temple to spread the Dharma, would never have been recalled so urgently.

As the temples of Little Thunderclap Temple closed their gates,

the devotees gathered outside instinctively sensed a thick, unsettling foreboding.

After all, by all appearances, a major catastrophe was unfolding.

At the summit of Little Thunderclap Temple, the Buddhist Altar.

“Juechen, you’ve arrived?”

A senior monk of Little Thunderclap Temple addressed him as he approached.

Juechen nodded and inquired, “Elder Wuxin, do you know why the Abbot has summoned us back?”

As he spoke, Juechen glanced discreetly at the surroundings of the Buddhist Altar.

He noticed more figures arriving from afar,

and it appeared as though the intention was to recall all the scattered Buddhist cultivators of Little Thunderclap Temple.

Although Juechen had sensed the gravity of the situation the moment he heard the three tolls of the “Thunderclap Bell,”

for three tolls signified a crisis that threatened the very existence of the entire Sect.

Since his arrival at Little Thunderclap Temple, the purpose of the three Thunderclap tolls had only been a legend to him.

In all his years of cultivation, he had never actually heard them until now.When faced with Juechen’s inquiry, Elder Wuxin of Little Thunderclap Temple said with a solemn expression, “Wait for the Abbot to announce it personally. Amitabha… this time, the Western Divine Province is in grave danger.”

Hearing this, Juechen’s heart grew extremely heavy.

A crisis covering the entire Western Divine Province.

No matter how one looked at it, this wasn’t a crisis that could be easily resolved.

If they weren’t careful, not only the Western Divine Province but even their Little Thunderclap Temple might be in danger.

As most of Little Thunderclap Temple’s senior monks returned,

the current Abbot of Little Thunderclap Temple finally appeared before everyone.

However, when they saw the Abbot’s current condition, they all showed shocked expressions.

Abbot Wuhen of Little Thunderclap Temple was in a terrible state.

Not only was his original golden body broken, but his right arm was completely missing.

For Little Thunderclap Temple, which had always prided itself on having invincible physical bodies, this was undoubtedly a very serious injury.

Moreover, Abbot Wuhen’s cultivation had reached the Peak of the Nascent Soul Stage.

Combined with his Buddhist cultivation and various magical artifacts,

unless he encountered multiple Deity Transformation Stage grand cultivators,

it would have been absolutely impossible for him to sustain such severe injuries.

Seeing the Abbot in this state, Da Li Jin, one of Little Thunderclap Temple’s Eight Vajras, immediately spoke anxiously: “Senior Brother Wuhen, who could have injured you to this extent? Could it be that some ancestor from the Ten Great Sects made a move?”

At these words, the atmosphere in Little Thunderclap Temple became extremely tense.

Because if this were truly the case,

it would mean Little Thunderclap Temple might have to declare full-scale war against one of the Ten Great Sects.

After all, Wuhen’s status was extraordinary.

If they showed no reaction even when their Abbot was injured,

they might as well stop preaching in the Western Divine Province in the future.

Facing Da Li Jin’s anxious expression, Wuhen raised his remaining left hand, signaling him not to rush.

After everyone quieted down,

supported by Vajra Zixian, Wuhen moved to the central golden lotus position.

With the golden lotus’s Buddhist blessings, Wuhen’s aura gradually improved, and some color returned to his face.

However, no one showed any signs of relief because of this.

Including Juechen, everyone could sense how poor Wuhen’s current condition was.

Though Wuhen could still move freely now,

this was only because his profound cultivation allowed him to suppress his internal injuries.

But suppressing injuries didn’t mean they could be healed.

Generally speaking, the higher one’s cultivation, the less prone they were to injury.

Conversely, once injured, it would take decades if not centuries to fully recover.

Moreover, if one failed to properly suppress the injuries and they worsened,

having one’s future path cut off would be considered a relatively good outcome.

Greatly reduced lifespan, or even soul flying away and spirit scattering, with millennia of cultivation lost in an instant – all these were possible outcomes.

This was the situation Wuhen currently faced,

and the fundamental reason why all the senior monks present were so tense.

This matter… was absolutely extraordinary.

However, Wuhen didn’t seem concerned about his own injuries.

He took a deep look at his many fellow disciples present and began recounting what he had encountered during this period.

Through Wuhen’s description,

everyone finally understood what had happened to him.

It turned out that as early as one month ago, Wuhen had received news from Four Emptiness Mountain.

If Thunderclap Mountain was Little Thunderclap Temple’s important school location,

then Four Emptiness Mountain was Little Thunderclap Temple’s foundation.Within the Four Emptiness Mountain dwelled not only many reclusive great cultivators from their Little Thunderclap Temple,

but also existed a peerless eminent monk of Buddha-level stature—

comparable to a cultivator’s Great Vehicle Stage, a Mortal Realm Immortal.

The message Wuhen had received some time ago

originated from this Living Buddha of Little Thunderclap Temple… Kongming.

Just as those at the Great Vehicle Stage could not move about freely without risking the Heavenly Tribulation,

the Living Buddha Kongming was similarly unable to leave his Buddhist Altar at will.

Otherwise, it would also attract the Heavenly Tribulation.

Without adequate preparation,

rashly inviting the Heavenly Tribulation was no different from seeking death.

The reason the Living Buddha summoned Wuhen was related to himself—

or rather, it was an issue every Buddhist cultivator practicing the Little Thunderclap Dharma would encounter.

What Little Thunderclap pursued was the great Realm of the Fourfold Emptiness in Buddhist teachings.

Achieving this Realm was undoubtedly extremely difficult.

As the most spiritually gifted Buddhist cultivator in Little Thunderclap in ten thousand years,

Wuhen, despite his profound cultivation and astonishing progress,

still encountered a problem upon reaching the Great Vehicle Stage:

he could not achieve the Fourfold Emptiness.

To resolve this, there were only two methods.

One was to refine the heart in the Mortal World.

The other was to directly sever his own Heart Demon.

The former risked sinking into the Mortal World until losing one’s true self.

The latter risked being overtaken by the Heart Demon until fully descending into demonhood.

At that time, Kongming was proud and confident,

believing that with his cultivation and talent, he could directly sever his Heart Demon.

Thus, he chose the second path.

Yet, it was precisely this overconfidence he failed to perceive

that became the greatest source of his Heart Demon.

Not only did he fail to sever his Heart Demon,

but he also allowed it to influence him.

Fortunately, Kongming lived up to being Little Thunderclap’s most gifted Buddha Child in ten thousand years.

At the final moment, he made a decisive sacrifice,

directly severing his left hand that had been possessed by the Heart Demon.

Though this affected Kongming’s own Foundation,

he relied on his formidable Buddhist cultivation and talent to successfully advance into the Great Vehicle Dharma Realm.

Yet, his success came with a hidden peril:

the severed Heart Demon inherited a portion of Kongming’s cultivation and talent.

Moreover, since the Heart Demon was originally part of Kongming,

Kongming himself could not kill it—

for to completely destroy it, he would have to kill himself as well.

After weighing the pros and cons, Kongming ultimately chose to Seal the Heart Demon away permanently.

The location was within the Four Emptiness Mountain,

for only there could he keep constant watch over his Heart Demon

and personally eradicate it when the time was right,

utterly eliminating the calamity he had left behind.

However, the unpredictable nature of life soon manifested: not long ago, this Seal developed a flaw.

Though Living Buddhas are powerful, to evade the Heavenly Tribulation,

they remain self-Sealed most of the time to avoid leaking too much aura.

This meant that, for the most part, they were scarcely stronger than ordinary Mortals, let alone Cultivators.

Yet, this limitation only applied when they did not release their Seals.

Whenever they wished, they could unleash their power at any moment.

Even so, this left Kongming, the Living Buddha, with a non-trivial vulnerability:

in his Mortal state, he could not keenly perceive changes in the external world.To compensate for this weakness, Little Thunderclap Temple had actually made numerous preparations.

For instance, Four Emptiness Mountain was perpetually guarded by four Hinayana Buddhist monks whose strength rivaled the Transformation Soul Stage.

As long as these four monks remained steadfast,

even if the Heart Demon attempted to break free or someone invaded Four Emptiness Mountain,

they could buy enough time to inform Kongming,

even if they couldn’t repel the intruders.

However, a month ago, one of the four supposedly infallible Hinayana monks unexpectedly faltered.

Without the knowledge of the other three monks, he abruptly broke the Seal on Kongming’s Heart Demon.

The situation escalated so rapidly that by the time everyone, including Kongming, realized what was happening, it was already too late to intervene.

With the aid of that monk, Kongming’s Heart Demon escaped Four Emptiness Mountain.

At this point, even if Kongming wished to reseal it, doing so became extremely difficult.

Once away from Four Emptiness Mountain, Kongming could not easily lift his own restrictions.

Moreover, without the mountain’s Buddhist power to suppress him, he would quickly be detected by heavenly mechanisms, triggering a Heavenly Tribulation.

Amid these compounding factors, Kongming had no choice but to dispatch the three remaining Hinayana monks from Four Emptiness Mountain to track down the escaped Heart Demon.

As for the traitorous monk,

Kongming personally guided him to enlightenment.

The injuries of Wuhen, the current abbot of Little Thunderclap Temple, are related to this incident.

Since this matter involved the living Buddha of Little Thunderclap Temple,

they would never disclose it to anyone

unless they were absolutely trustworthy.

Wuhen, the current abbot, was undoubtedly the person most trusted by the living Buddha Kongming, aside from the three Hinayana monks.

Additionally, although Kongming’s Heart Demon was not as powerful as his true self, it was still formidable.

Its individual strength matched that of a Hinayana monk—equivalent to a Transformation Soul Stage cultivator.

Thus, ordinary people couldn’t even attempt to search for it,

and even if they found it, they might not survive to report the discovery.

The Formless Realm, a Buddhist cultivation stage comparable to the Nascent Soul Stage for cultivators,

became the minimum requirement for seeking Kongming’s Heart Demon.

Under these circumstances, Wuhen set out for the Western Divine Province with two trusted Elders from Little Thunderclap Temple to trace the Heart Demon.

But no one anticipated

that there were not one, but two traitors among the Hinayana monks of Little Thunderclap Temple.

As a result, for a long time after their departure, they failed to locate any trace of Kongming’s Heart Demon,

and could only watch helplessly as it grew increasingly powerful.

Eventually, one of the Hinayana monks sensed something amiss

and set a trap to expose the second traitor.

Wuhen’s injuries were inflicted by the dying counterattack of that betraying Hinayana monk.

The two Little Thunderclap Temple Elders accompanying Wuhen both perished in that fierce battle.

Although they ultimately eliminated the traitor,

the cost was undeniably severe.

The traitor employed an unknown Buddhist technique never seen before,

leaving one of the Hinayana monks critically wounded.

At this point, of the original four Hinayana monks of Four Emptiness Mountain,

two had passed away, one was severely injured,

leaving only one remaining.

For Little Thunderclap Temple as a whole, this was an extremely grave development.

Hearing this, the entire Buddhist Altar fell into deathly silence.

For if even the four most unlikely-to-betray Hinayana monks had turned traitor,

who could guarantee that similar treachery didn’t lurk within Little Thunderclap Temple itself?For a moment, the gazes exchanged among the people within Little Thunderclap Temple grew thick with suspicion.

This was undoubtedly an extremely unfavorable sign.

And Wuhen must have anticipated such a situation before speaking those words.

Yet he still chose to state it outright.

Undoubtedly, he had his own considerations.

After all, given the current circumstances… he could no longer afford indecision.

(End of Chapter)