Chapter 4 Visiting the Western Desert Again
In the Western Desert. Under the scorching sun. In the boundless desert.
This was supposed to be a world of death, but now it was full of vitality.
On the barren land, large and small golden pagodas were well-arranged, like chess pieces made of gold, scattered on the vast and boundless chessboard, the Western Desert.
Wild winds kicked up the yellow sand, causing a sandstorm to spring up. Within the sandstorm were countless pilgrims, who were walking haltingly.
They were wrapped in white cloth, and their heads and faces were tightly wrapped. In the sandstorm, they walk, knelt, and prostrated in an extremely pious manner.
Among the tens of thousands of devout believers kowtowing, a figure in a cyan shirt was particularly prominent.
The man was tall and straight, and his every move showed the demeanor of a supreme power master. Compared with the others, he exuded another kind of aura, which made people feel a sense of awe.
Taking a closer look, one could find that the man in cyan had jade-like fair skin, a handsome but not enchanting face, and bright eyes containing divine light. On closer inspection, one could see that there seemed to be seven stars twinkling in his eyes.
The man was none other than Ding Hao.
In the vast desert, the sandstorm could not stop the pious footsteps of those countless believers at all. In the direction of the worship and the direction of the pagodas, it seemed that there was a golden light shining in the distance.
As a supreme master in the Land of Infinity, Ding Hao was invited by Golden Cicada, the Lord Buddha of the Western Desert, to preach the Buddha dharma in the Great Leiyin Monastery of the Western Desert.
Ding Hao had a very high comprehension of Buddhism. Although he had practiced martial arts before, all the skills came from the same source. Ding Hao believed that he would gain a lot from his trip this time, as well as the Western Desert.
Although the Western Desert was vast and Ding Hao could reach the Great Leiyin Monastery in one step with his strength, he did not do so because he wanted to experience the Buddhist Tao of the Western Desert more thoroughly.
Small and big pagodas could be seen everywhere in the cities, not only in the desert.
Most of the buildings in the Western Desert were made of yellow soil, which appeared simple and light yellow in color. They complemented the golden pagodas that were intertwined with each other. Standing in them, people felt as if they were in the Buddha Realm. When they looked up and closed their eyes, they would feel as if they were able to see the gods and Buddhas all over the place.
The houses there had very thick walls with doors and windows, but there were no door planks or window boards. From morning to night, the doors and windows were open. When people looked from those doors, they would see that several Buddha statues were enshrined in every hall. When one looked carefully, one would find that every Buddha hall had devout disciples reading scriptures.
On the street, people could be seen everywhere. Some were standing, some were sitting, and some were walking. They were all talking about Buddhism. Standing there, people closed their eyes and released their Divine Senses. It was as if a myriad of chanting sounds could be heard, causing one’s mind to become clear and enjoy endless benefits.
Looking down from the void, one could see that thousands of wisps of the power of faith were emitting from the bodies of thousands of living creatures and heading in the direction of the Great Leiyin Monastery in the distance. It was extremely wonderful. With Ding Hao’s current strength, he also felt that this power of faith was quite amazing. It was even a kind of power above mysterious strength, which was different from Immortal Power.
Buddhist Tao was so popular in that place that Ding Hao was slightly surprised to see the situation there.
A few days later, Ding Hao came to the foot of Spirit Mountain, where the Great Leiyin Monastery was located.
Because of the legendary figures such as Ding Hao and Xie Jieyu in Snow Province, it was known as the place of heroes, and the title of Earth Spirit had been won by Western Desert’s Spirit Mountain since the Remote Period.
The legends about Spirit Mountain alone numbered three thousand Buddhist classics, not to mention all kinds of folk legends. If people wanted to talk about them one by one, they probably wouldn’t be able to finish even if they kept going on for a whole year.
Ding Hao stopped at the foot of Spirit Mountain and looked up.
The majestic Spirit Mountain, like the pillar of the firmament, pierced straight into the sky with no end in sight. Above the Ninth Heaven, Buddha Light was overflowing, and the faint shadow of a huge monastery appeared.
Looking at the huge light shadow, Ding Hao was a little lost in thought. When he focused again, he found that he was already standing in front of the Great Leiyin Monastery.
He looked up and saw that the magnificent hall was blooming with multicolored light. Behind the hall, there was a faint purple flame flashing, and the incomparably bright golden light shone in all directions. It seemed that the stars were also shining because of this. Even in the daytime, the stars could be clearly seen.
To the east of the Great Leiyin Monastery, there was a sea of celestial halls that stretched as far as the eye could see. To the west, there were countless buildings and pavillions stored with treasures. It was a flourishing sight.
Inside the great hall, Buddhist chants reverberated like thunder in the air, piercing the ears.
Ding Hao knew that Golden Cicada was chanting, so he didn’t want to disturb him. Running his power a bit, he hid his figure and walked toward the hall. With his supreme cultivation, if he deliberately concealed his tracks, almost no one would be able to discover him.
Hundreds of monks were sitting in the hall in an orderly manner.
These monks were all Buddhist experts with profound cultivation and could be considered living Buddhas. They wore red kasayas and placed their palms together to listen carefully and respectfully to the Buddhist chant.
In the direction of the Buddhist chant, a ball of extremely bright golden light was shining around.
Inside the golden light, there was a handsome young monk in a kasaya with a jade-like face. The Buddha print on his chest was emitting a faint red light, releasing a holy and majestic aura.
The Buddhist priest was Golden Cicada, the current Buddhist Lord of the Western Desert.
Golden Cicada casually chanted, and all the Buddhist scriptures were transformed from his mouth, turning into various illusions, which looked like blooming lotuses. The white lotuses were flying all over the sky. The thunderous Buddha chant resounded through the entire Great Leiyin Monastery. When it reached people’s ears, they did not feel any discomfort or find it deafening.
Every time Golden Cicada made a sound, all kinds of mysterious Dharma Idols would appear, some of them holy spirits, some Sanskrit characters. The lotus flowers around the main hall were also constantly shining with white light along with these chanting.
Ding Hao nodded slightly as he listened to the chanting. He had high Buddhist comprehension.
Buddhist Tao Law had its own principles, unlike Qi and martial arts. Ding Hao vaguely felt that this kind of Tao Law could even be above the Immortal Tao.
After chanting the Dharma of Common Completion, Lord Buddha suddenly stopped, smiled, and became silent.
All the living Buddhas were puzzled.
At this moment, Lord Buddha, Golden Cicada, slowly got up and said loudly to the void, “Supreme Master Ding is here!”
Everyone was puzzled and looked in the direction that Lord Buddha was pointing.
“The Buddhist chants have truly broadened my horizons.”
Suddenly, a cyan shadow flashed in the void, and then a man in cyan appeared in front of everyone.
“I’m flattered, Supreme Master Ding. It’s really an honor for the Western Desert that the Leiyin Monastery gets to invite the No. 1 Expert in the Land of Infinity.”
“Lord Buddha, you’re flattering me!”
The two exchanged pleasantries, and then Golden Cicada invited Ding Hao into the inner hall. As for the rest of the people in the hall, although they were all living Buddhas of the present age and had profound cultivation, they all had reached the Celestial Realm, but they would never dare to be arrogant in front of Ding Hao, the Divine Emperor of the Saber and Sword. Moreover, Ding Hao was a savior with boundless merits. In terms of merits, he was even greater than Lord Buddha, so all the monks bowed respectfully to him.
They also heard from Lord Buddha that Ding Hao would give a lecture in the Great Leiyin Monastery for a day.
What would this man with countless incredible deeds bring to the Western Desert?
…
In the inner hall.
In addition to Ding Hao and Golden Cicada, Lei Tingchan was also in the hall. She was still dressed in a plain robe and a cyan hat. Her left hand was holding a white jade horsetail whisk, and her right hand was holding a string of white jade Buddhist beads.
Lei Tingchan, who was usually serious, had a faint smile on her face when she saw Ding Hao. This smile was enough to show her joy at Ding Hao’s arrival.
“Amitabha. Almsgiver Ding, why didn’t you inform us of your arrival? Why were you hiding in the hall?”
Golden Cicada reprimanded him. There were only three of them at the moment, so he didn’t have to be too cautious.
“Lord Buddha, when I came here, I saw you preaching. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I had to hide and listen.” Ding Hao looked very serious.
“Fortunately, I discovered you in time. Otherwise, if you were unhappy and went back to Snow Province because of being neglected, it would be a great loss for Buddhism!” Golden Cicada said very seriously.
“You two are both hundreds of years old. How could you still be so childish even if you haven’t seen each other for a hundred years?” Lei Tingchan couldn’t stand it any longer.
Golden Cicada put his palms together and solemnly said, “Amitabha. Junior Sister Chan, you are right!”
Golden Cicada suddenly acted like Lord Buddha again, and his state changed so fast that it made people stunned.
Lei Tingchan asked Ding Hao, “Senior Brother Ding, we haven’t seen each other for a long time. How are you? How are the people in Snow Province doing?”
Ding Hao looked at Lei Tingchan and answered, “Of course, my life can’t be better. The people in Snow Province are also doing very well. Since the signing of the No-war Alliance Treaty, the situation on the continent has become stable. At present, there will be no trouble. The Human Clan and the Demon Clan have entered a state of comprehensive reconstruction.”
Golden Cicada also asked Ding Hao about the situation in Snow Province. “I heard that the Immortal Phoenix Palace has used a wonderful method to develop its force. Is this your idea, Almsgiver Ding?”
“Hah, I had a sudden idea, so I merged the two different civilizations of the two regions to see if I can make some differences.” Ding Hao showed a proud face.
Golden Cicada praised Ding Hao. “Amitabha. Almsgiver Ding, your democratic system has also made great achievements in the Eastern Frontier!”
“These are just some small ideas, which are far less practical than the integration of the Human Clan and the Demon Clan in the Western Desert. I came here to seek advice from the Western Desert.”
“If that’s the case, we’ll have a long talk.” Golden Cicada was intrigued.
Ding Hao suddenly said to Golden Cicada, “Before that, I have a request.”
“Just name it,” Golden Cicada said bluntly.
Ding Hao looked at Golden Cicada and said with a smile, “Well… it’s about Sweet Sound. I want to see her.”
