Chapter 627 — The Venerable Brahma Heaven King Buddha

Though the Buddha realm nominally fell under the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction, the Heavenly Court had never obtained the Buddha realm's supreme scripture, the Brahma Heaven King Buddha's scroll. As for the scriptures of the other heavens, the Heavenly Court had more or less gotten its hands on them all, planting disciples in each realm to become Buddha-sons and cultivate the Buddhist Dharma. These heavens held no secrets for the Heavenly Court — only Brahma Heaven was the exception.

The Brahma Heaven King Buddha showed himself rarely and did not transmit scriptures.

When Xuanliao the Demon Ape Zhankong debated the Dharma, the Buddha-son of Brahma Heaven, a disciple of an ancient Buddha beneath the Brahma Heaven King Buddha, debated with Xuanliao the Demon Ape; this Buddha-son had likewise never learned the true scripture. At that moment, a Buddha's name was heard, and a bhikshu hurried down from the heavens, alighted at Mituo Temple, saluted the Buddhas, and said: "Buddha Ancestors, the Brahma Heaven King Buddha has sent word, permitting the Buddha-sons of all realms and the Buddha-sons of the lower realm to enter Brahma Heaven.

The Old Buddha intends to select the finest among them and transmit the true scripture. " Dharma King Molun was startled, then showed delight. The Heavenly Court had long coveted the Brahma Heaven King Buddha's techniques but had never had a chance to obtain them.

This time, with Shen Mu, Xuanliao the Demon Ape, and Chenghuai coming to seek learning, it was instead a grand opportunity for the Heavenly Court to obtain the Imperial Throne True Scripture! The Heavenly Court's forces planted in the Buddha realm were not limited to him; among the many Buddha-sons of the heavens, nearly half were young talents sent down by the Heavenly Court to enter the Buddha realm and study!

The Crown Prince of Moonlight was only his disciple, yet the Buddha-sons of the Buddha realm's twenty heavens were beyond counting.

So long as the Brahma Heaven King Buddha was willing to transmit the Dharma, it certainly would not fall into the hands of these three uncouth monks and laymen from the lower realm; it would surely fall into the Heavenly Court's hands! Dharma King Molun was greatly pleased and smiled: "Since that is so, let the Buddha-sons of all the heavens go together to Brahma Heaven to hear the teaching.

What say you, Brother Ancestors? " The Buddha Ancestors of the various heavens nodded one after another. For the Brahma Heaven King Buddha to transmit the Dharma was indeed a rare good fortune not seen in ten thousand years!

The disciples of the Buddhas going to study would also let the Buddhas glimpse the supreme art of the Buddhist Dharma! Dharma King Molun swept up the Crown Prince of Moonlight, his form vanishing into the void, and disappeared, heading straight for Brahma Heaven.

The other Buddhas also set out one after another, returning to their own heavens to bring their Buddha-sons to Brahma Heaven, and soon Mituo Temple was empty.

"How are we to reach Brahma Heaven?

" Shen Mu was worrying when suddenly Emperor Shakra Heaven King Buddha descended from his Dharma seat and stepped down. This King Buddha was barefoot, yet his feet touched the ground without staining themselves with dust; a halo of light turned behind his head, and he looked like a young monk, fair of brow and clear of eye. He looked the three of them over with gentle eyes and smiled: "You have all cultivated my boxing art.

" Shen Mu and the other two hastily saluted.

The boxing art Emperor Shakra Heaven King Buddha spoke of was in fact the Thunder Cry Eight Techniques. Shen Mu had learned the Thunder Cry Eight Techniques from Old Master Huo and passed them to Xuanliao the Demon Ape Zhankong; after Xuanliao learned them, he encountered the Old Tathagata, who felt a karmic connection and simply transmitted the complete Mahayana Scripture of Thunder Cry to him. Monk Chenghuai, by contrast, had been taught the Thunder Cry Eight Techniques by Jingming the White-Browed Monk; Monk Jingming had not himself learned them completely and had left flaws. Later, Xuanliao the Demon Ape Zhankong brought the many demon monks of Little Thunder Sound Temple to Great Tingming Temple, and in a debate on the Dharma no one at Great Tingming Temple could match him.

Monk Chenghuai hurried over upon hearing of it and debated with Xuanliao the Demon Ape, and though defeated, he was honored. Old Master Huo then transmitted the complete Mahayana Scripture of Thunder Cry to him, and so he too received the complete lineage. Emperor Shakra Heaven King Buddha smiled: "I too came from the lower realm and attained Buddhahood at Great Tingming Temple. You and I share a karmic connection.

I will take you to Brahma Heaven. " Beneath his smooth feet rose a lotus cloud, bearing the three of them up, rising slowly through vast clouds and mists and through layers of dragon-snake lightning, climbing higher and higher, passing through one world and then another.

Shen Mu clicked his tongue in wonder. Only now did he see that the Buddha realm's twenty heavens were in fact built around a mountain of inconceivable size. This mountain floated amid the starry cosmos; within the mountain were mountains, within the mountain were seas, and sun, moon, and stars.

It was a world unto itself, with its own world barrier.

This world was divided into twenty worlds, twenty heavens, layer upon layer, each with sun, moon, and stars in motion, each with a continent where Buddhist kingdoms stood in profusion. Had Emperor Shakra Heaven King Buddha not brought them, to climb to the summit — even if Shen Mu and the others flew at full strength — would likely have taken years!

Emperor Shakra Heaven King Buddha brought them to Brahma Heaven at the very top, where Brahma Heaven was built upon the summit of this magnificent, wondrous mountain. It was also called the Golden Summit.

Here ten thousand rays of light shone, in eternal day, with no division of day and night. In the golden clouds, mountain peaks thrust forth their heads, ten thousand fathoms of golden light, sacred and solemn.

The golden light formed many Buddhist Sanskrit characters, flowing ceaselessly in the air, wreathing each mountain peak in a wondrous spectacle of Buddhist scripture. Arriving here, they even heard a vast sound, resonant as the tolling of a bell — whether the voice of the Buddhist Sanskrit or the chanting of sentient beings reaching this place, they could not tell.

Xuanliao the Demon Ape Zhankong could not help but exclaim in praise: "Pot, bun! " Shen Mu nodded and praised: "It really is like a freshly steamed cornmeal bun.

This golden light is like the billowing steam rising from a hot bun. " Emperor Shakra Heaven King Buddha did not know whether to laugh or cry, and said: "This Buddha-son's metaphor is quite apt.

That mountain forest is where the Brahma Heaven King Buddha lives in seclusion. Many Buddha-sons have already gone over.

I will send you there. " He brought Shen Mu and the others through layer upon layer of Buddhist scriptures and Dharma texts, flew to the center of the golden sea, and landed in a mountain forest. This place was extremely quiet and elegant, with broad, level roads, and in the center a temple that looked not large.

Hundreds of Buddha-sons had already arrived, and the Buddhas who had brought them dispersed their Buddha manifestations one after another, appearing as monks old or young, clearly showing great reverence for the Brahma Heaven King Buddha. "So many Buddha-sons?

" Shen Mu's heart skipped, and he murmured: "How long will I have to fight before I can see the Brahma Heaven King Buddha?

Can we do this by the rules of the Wild Ruins? " Monk Chenghuai and Xuanliao the Demon Ape both shuddered, recalling Shen Mu's past deeds, and hastily shook their heads.

Chenghuai said hastily: "Brother Shen, we absolutely must not do this by the rules of the Wild Ruins. It is too bloody and violent!