National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

”Of course, they have been guided to salvation. They have gone to our Western Paradise of Bliss to enjoy a blissful existence.

All the pain and sorrow they suffered in this life...

...has all vanished like smoke. What awaits them now is rebirth.”

The kind-faced monk rose from the ground,

still holding his palms together. He followed the sound of the voice and looked up at Chu He, who was standing on the walkway. ”So, it is Mr. Chu from the Great Xia Empire.

I have long admired you, the strongest expert on Blue Star.

The fact that Blue Star hasn’t deteriorated further,

that the Great Xia Empire hasn’t become a paradise for Evil Spirits—it is all thanks to you, Mr. Chu.

Please rest assured, Mr. Chu. This isn’t empty flattery; I am simply speaking the truth.

We who follow the path of the Buddha never lie.”

”You must be that monk, Abbot Tonghua, who changed the name of the White Elephant Empire to the Great Western Heaven, right?”

Chu He asked, ”I’d like to ask, where is this Western Paradise of Bliss? Is it your White Elephant Empire... oh, no, your Great Western Heaven?”

Hearing Chu He’s voice,

many of the talented people from the various Empires in the vicinity came to a sudden realization.

So this group of monks was led by Abbot Tonghua from the Great Leiyin Temple in the Great Western Heaven, whose reputation had been soaring recently.

No wonder he could instantly destroy that enormous head, which radiated a strange and terrifying power.

He could even guide these poor people, who had been obliterated by the Evil Spirit, to their rebirth.

This was a being who could create Life Force out of thin air.

This made many people who were pessimistic about Blue Star see hope once again.

Such a Life Force was far more capable of inspiring aspiration and hope than Chu He’s five pure and ultimate powers.

”From this world, journeying westward past a hundred billion Buddha-lands, one will find the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Those who are reborn in that Buddha-land experience all manner of joy.

For example, their bodies possess the thirty-two marks of a Buddha and they have the Five Eyes and Six Supernormal Powers. The objects of their five senses are exquisitely subtle.

Their minds are serene and tranquil. They hear the Dharma in their hearts, make offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and thus attain enlightenment.

In that Pure Land, there are places like the borderlands, the city of doubt, and the womb-palace,

which are the rebirth grounds for those saved by Amitabha Buddha.”

Abbot Tonghua said with a faint smile.

”Have you been to the Western Paradise of Bliss?”

Chu He asked again.

He was very interested in the power of the Buddhist Sect that Abbot Tonghua cultivated.

But as soon as Chu He spoke, strange expressions appeared on many people’s faces.

Even if some of the people present were clueless about the Western Paradise of Bliss,

they could tell from Abbot Tonghua’s actions just now,

plus his earlier explanation, that the Western Paradise of Bliss was a place for the dead.

Abbot Tonghua was alive and well, standing right there. He wasn’t dead, so how could he have been to the Western Paradise of Bliss?

Sure enough,

Abbot Tonghua shook his head and said, ”I have not been to the Western Paradise of Bliss.

And not everyone can go to the Western Paradise of Bliss.

It is a world of absolute purity and equality, where everyone’s six sense-faculties are pure, free from the troubles of love and desire.

It is also vast and boundless.

Even if all the living beings from the Ten Directions and Infinite Worlds were reborn there at once, it would never be overcrowded.

The climate is pleasant. There are no seasons, no heat or cold, no gloom or rain. It is forever cool and comfortable, relaxing the mind and gladdening the heart.

The land is flat, paved with seven treasures...

But only the good can go.

If a person carries the sin of killing or other wicked roots, they must be stripped of all their transgressions,

and become a clean and pure person to have a chance to go to the Western Paradise of Bliss.”

”Then according to you, does that mean all those heads that fell earlier belonged to good people? That not one of them carried any sin, which is why, with your help, they could all go to the Western Paradise of Bliss?”

Chu He felt that something was not quite right with what Abbot Tonghua was saying.

It sounded more like a scam.

But Chu He couldn’t pinpoint the problem just yet,

because he didn’t know much about the Buddhist Sect and couldn’t tell whether their claims were true or false.

”Mr. Chu, if you are willing to take refuge in the Buddhist Sect, you will have more opportunities to understand its profound mysteries.”

Abbot Tonghua didn’t answer the question.

Then, with his palms pressed together, he gracefully led the other monks back to their own rest area and closed the door.

Xiao Yu, Nanting Snow, and Lin Zuoguang walked over and stood behind Chu He.

Xiao Yu asked, ”Dean, is there something wrong with those monks?”

Anyone could see that Chu He’s questioning had been sharp.

By the end, the monk clearly couldn’t answer as fluently as he had before,

so he changed the subject and simply left.

It inevitably made one wonder: where did the power of these monks from the Great Western Heaven truly come from?

Before trouble began in the White Elephant Empire, there was virtually no trace of these monks ever having been there.

According to them, they had always stayed in a place called Little Western Heaven and Little Leiyin Temple.

Many interested people investigated Little Western Heaven and Little Leiyin Temple afterward,

but they couldn’t find any information at all, as if these two places simply didn’t exist on Blue Star.

If they didn’t exist, why would the monks mention them?

In short, in the eyes of many, this group of monks who seemed to have appeared out of thin air was shrouded in mystery.

Chu He waved his hand and said, ”Maybe I’m overthinking it. It’s just that in an environment like Blue Star’s, for a group of such holy monks to suddenly appear... it just feels strange.”

”The Black Continent Grassland is not a peaceful or safe place.

As long as these monks from the Great Western Heaven remain here in the Black Continent Grassland, we’ll have other chances to test them.”

Lin Zuoguang rubbed his chin. It was clear a plan was forming in his mind.

”Let’s be patient for now.”

Chu He said, ”The situation in the Black Continent Grassland is currently unclear.

You must have witnessed everything that just happened with your own eyes.

We came here this time to participate in the Martial Arts Academy ranking competition hosted by the Lighthouse Empire.

The main purpose is still to temper you all.

But this time, for this Martial Arts Academy ranking competition,

the Lighthouse Empire has already made it clear that the competition format is extremely strict and brutal—that deaths will genuinely occur.

You all had better put away your usual relaxed attitude.”

”We understand. Don’t worry, Dean. We definitely won’t bring you any shame,”

Xiao Yu said, full of confidence.

After all, he was someone who had merged with divinity. Such a being was second to none across the entire globe.

Xiao Yu was only approaching this ranking competition with the mindset of having some fun.

”Then do you think everyone from the other Empires is necessarily weaker than you?

Could there be other terrifying, grotesque Evil Spirits hiding here in the Black Continent Grassland?

Take the Great Western Heaven, for example. It’s as if they appeared on Blue Star out of thin air. Can you guarantee that other Empires don’t have similarly hidden powers and figures?”

Chu He stared at Xiao Yu and said, ”If you continue to treat this as a game, I won’t give you any more reminders.

If you die in this ranking competition, your family will feel proud of you, but they will also grieve for you.”

After speaking, Chu He clapped Xiao Yu on the shoulder and turned to return to his room.

The smile on Xiao Yu’s face turned awkward.