Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 369: The Rod of Good and Evil

The destruction of the Golden Summit was like a solid slap across Buddha’s face. Though he was a manifestation of that being, his mental cultivation and experience had not yet reached their peak. Not to mention anything else, even just from the perspective of Buddhist prestige, this was intolerable.

Although Ksitigarbha lived in seclusion, everyone knew he was a Bodhisattva and a disciple of Buddhism. Yesterday, he was still hailed as a model for Buddhists; today, he turned against them.

Buddha thought that someone must be instigating this, but he focused on the present moment. So, he secretly used a mystical technique to summon the Yearly Buddha.

There were naturally many Buddhas in the Spirit Mountain, but Buddha feared this might be related to Ratnasambhava and Maitreya, so it was better not to use certain powers for now. The Yearly Buddha arrived in no time, and the two of them knew exactly what to do. Seeing Ksitigarbha standing with his arms folded in front of the Mahavira Hall, they attacked without saying a word, with fierce intensity.

King Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, upon seeing these two unfamiliar faces, asked, “Who are you two?”

“We are the Yearly Buddhas!” They replied, yet their attacks continued unabated. King Ksitigarbha raised his arm to block their attacks and said calmly, “Demons and evil spirits, how dare you call yourselves Buddhas!”

The Yearly Buddhas were shocked. Having seen the Golden Summit collapse, they knew Buddha must be furious. They had used their most powerful killing moves earlier—so who was this person who could easily block them with just one arm? And why was that monstrous creature standing beside him staring at people sideways?

Though the Golden Summit had collapsed, Buddha remained seated motionless on his lotus throne. Seeing all the Arhats and Vajras in disarray, he felt immense irritation. How could King Ksitigarbha be so powerful? How could the Yearly Buddhas not be able to stop him?

Without Buddha’s order, the Yearly Buddhas dared not retreat and continued to use every trick at their disposal to get closer to Ksitigarbha. Ksitigarbha frowned slightly and shouted, “You fools! You can’t distinguish between good and evil!”

The Eastern Yearly Buddha asked, “What is good? What is evil?”

King Ksitigarbha replied, “If you can’t distinguish between good and evil, how dare you call yourselves Buddhas? Defying reason is evil!”

The Eastern Yearly Buddha looked confused. To him, Buddha was reason itself, heaven itself. Since joining the religion, he had only done as Buddha commanded—never questioning whether it was good or evil.

King Ksitigarbha sighed inwardly, thinking that the world was never short of people who lived muddleheadedly their entire lives. With a judgment based on fate, he saw at a glance that these two had no foundation for good or evil in them; their actions were all driven by others. For now, he couldn’t bring himself to use force against them.

At that moment, several people flew in from the north side of the Mahavira Hall. Then Buddha spoke from within the hall, “You two, retreat.”

The Yearly Buddhas immediately stepped back. The newcomers surrounded King Ksitigarbha and said, “Ksitigarbha, why go this far?”

Ksitigarbha looked up. He recognized all of these people. When he was still a young monk, they were already revered Buddhist masters. Noting their attire, he sneered, “All of you have become Buddhas?”
The one who spoke was the Buddha of Returning to Truth. He knew everything that had happened in the Mahavira Hall clearly. Seeing that no one could subdue Ksitigarbha, he realized he had to intervene otherwise.
Ksitigarbha named them one by one: “Buddha of Returning to Truth, Buddha of the Treasure Banner, Buddha of the World Illuminating Lamp, Buddha of the Wonderful Sound. Don’t you distinguish between good and evil?”
The Buddha of Returning to Truth replied, “Ksitigarbha, how can good and evil be judged by just one person?”
Ksitigarbha said, “Exactly. Since you know this, why do you still side with the evil?”
The Buddha of Returning to Truth replied, “The World-Honored One has tasked me with spreading Buddhism. What’s wrong with that?”
Ksitigarbha asked, “What is your purpose for becoming a Buddha?”
The Buddha of Returning to Truth was momentarily stunned before saying, “To save all sentient beings.”
Ksitigarbha asked again, “Then how many have you saved over these tens of thousands of years?”
The Buddha of Returning to Truth laughed dryly and said, “Although I haven’t gone to preach personally, I can still keep Mount Ling peaceful. There are different roles within Buddhism—what’s so extraordinary about that?”
Ksitigarbha had no words left. Seeing their firm convictions, he realized it was futile to argue further. So he said, “Enough. Let’s fight together.”
The Buddha of Returning to Truth said, “Ksitigarbha, you were once a disciple of Buddhism. Though you committed a mistake today, there’s a reason for it. You should reflect and dispel your mental obstacles. If you can get rid of your inner demons, you might be able to comprehend the profound mysteries of Buddhism—”
“The profound mysteries of Buddhism? I’ve already understood them!” Ksitigarbha interrupted, shouting.
“Oh? Then what are they?”
Ksitigarbha murmured, “Buddha exists only in the scriptures. In the world, there is no Buddha!”
The Buddha of Returning to Truth was stunned, then sternly proclaimed, “His face is majestic, his power boundless. His brilliance is unmatched. The sun, the moon, Mani—all their glories are hidden, like gathered ink. The Tathagata’s appearance is beyond comparison in this world. His great voice of enlightenment resonates in all directions…” These words were exquisite Buddhist teachings meant to dispel mental obstacles. The Buddha of Returning to Truth thought Ksitigarbha was deeply possessed by demons, so he recited them.
But Ksitigarbha wasn’t affected at all by these words. Waving his hand, he said in confusion, “If I say there is no Buddha in the world, then what’s the use of your chanting?”
The Buddha of Returning to Truth stopped chanting and sternly ordered, “Subdue this madman!”
Ksitigarbha sneered, “In your eyes, everyone is either an evil person or a madman. Everything is either karma or sin.”
The Buddha of Returning to Truth said nothing. He formed a lotus-hand gesture with his five fingers and reached toward Ksitigarbha. Those fingers stretched out like five pillars. If caught, one would surely be crushed to pieces.
Ksitigarbha said, “It’s easy to save sinners and evil people, but fools are the hardest!” With a wave of his sleeve, the Buddha of Returning to Truth’s five fingers instantly vanished.
The Buddha of Returning to Truth exclaimed in shock, “What kind of magic is this?”

Ksitigarbha King said, “All changes ultimately stem from fate.”
Guizhen Buddha thought Ksitigarbha King was under demonic influence and trying to deceive him, so he rushed forward again. With this move, his true intentions were exposed, leaving his vital areas exposed to his opponent. Guizhen Buddha’s move was called “Nirvana Return to Truth,” a highly deadly attack.
Ksitigarbha King darted behind Guizhen Buddha and struck him on the back of the head with a palm. Suddenly, he sensed movement from the Treasure Banner King Buddha behind him as well—a ten-zhang-long treasure banner swept toward him like a wall hitting Ksitigarbha King.
A strange cry was heard in the arena. Diting, who shared a mental connection with Ksitigarbha King and regarded him as both master and friend, naturally would not allow anyone else to harm him. He soared into the air and stepped down with his giant claw, landing right on the treasure banner.
The ground in front of the Mahavira Hall was covered with extremely solid white jade. With this step, Diting drove the huge treasure banner straight into the ground. Although the Treasure Banner King Buddha held one end, he could no longer control it and lost it.
Ksitigarbha King’s palm strike came extremely fast. A gust of wind blew toward Guizhen Buddha, who stepped in front to block it with his palm. As the two palms collided, Guizhen Buddha stepped back two steps, while Ksitigarbha King seemed unharmed.
Miaoyin Sound Buddha, who was female, stood aside, emitting words of Zen and Sanskrit. Ksitigarbha King heard them without any disturbance, but Diting became annoyed. He shook his giant head and rushed at Miaoyin Sound Buddha.
The Treasure Banner King Buddha hurried to block him, but Diting roared angrily, causing the Treasure Banner King Buddha to tremble. Diting was extremely sensitive to all sounds in the world. Miaoyin Sound Buddha was renowned for her beautiful melodies, and the sound she emitted was as powerful as a strike from a golden immortal—precisely Diting’s weak point.
With Miaoyin Sound Buddha interfering, the Treasure Banner King Buddha could barely keep up with Diting. Guizhen Buddha and Guizhen Buddha together tried to hold off Ksitigarbha King, but they still were at a disadvantage. Seeing that these four were fiercely protective yet harmless, Ksitigarbha King hesitated to kill them. However, since the Spirit Mountain was Buddha’s domain, prolonged fighting would naturally be disadvantageous for him.
By now, Buddha had gradually become aware of the situation. With such chaos in the Mahavira Hall, neither Ran Deng nor Maitreya appeared. Hmph, it seemed Ksitigarbha King must be acting under Ran Deng’s orders.
Just then, another figure appeared from the east and soon arrived in the arena, shouting, “Ksitigarbha, how dare you destroy the golden roof of the hall!” It was none other than Venerable Maitreya. With Maitreya’s arrival, the Buddhists finally calmed down. Although Maitreya’s cultivation was not as high as Guizhen Buddha’s, he was also a transcendent Buddha, and he would surely subdue Ksitigarbha King this time.
Without saying another word, Venerable Maitreya sent two golden cymbals flying toward Diting. Diting was still fighting against the Treasure Banner King Buddha when he heard extremely annoying Buddhist chants in his ears. Though he heard the sound of the cymbals flying, he had no time to be distracted.

Ksitigarbha saw that Di Ting was surrounded by three people, so he swung his palm and struck the ground fiercely. The power in this strike was extremely mysterious—the precious banner planted in the ground actually leaped up on its own and stood behind Di Ting. Although Di Ting was tall and mighty, the banner was over half a zhang thick, with two golden cymbals joined together, pressing down on it. Distraught for a moment, Ksitigarbha’s left shoulder was struck by Guizhen Buddha’s finger. Though it didn’t cause injury, it was extremely painful. Ksitigarbha shouted, “How dare you use your fists and palms on me?” Filled with slight anger, he took out a magic staff that was half black and half white. If Wukong were here, he would surely exclaim—wasn’t this the Good and Evil Staff, which ranked even above the saber in the “Catalog of Weapons”? With the Good and Evil Staff in hand, King Ksitigarbha appeared even more majestic. Holding the staff, he cried, “I have saved you!” Guizhen Buddha felt a chill and quickly retreated. King Ksitigarbha did not pursue him but simply pointed the staff at Guizhen Buddha. A white light emerged from the tip of the staff and shot straight at him! At some point, Tathagata had already left the Mahavira Hall. Seeing King Ksitigarbha use this magic staff, he was greatly alarmed and casually grabbed someone nearby and threw them at him. The Tiger Subduing Arhat felt his body being restrained; the one he threw was actually Tathagata. Floating in midair, he couldn’t even shout as the white light struck him. Huh? There was no sensation at all—the Tiger Subduing Arhat felt no pain at all, and his magical power remained intact. He stood up and walked outside in a daze. Tathagata inwardly thought it was fortunate—had that white light hit Guizhen Buddha, Ling Mountain would have lost one of its Buddhas. Tathagata shouted, “Hold him back! Don’t let him use that magic staff again!” The Eastern and Western Age Buddhas, the Eight Vajra Kings, Anu and Kasyapa, and others rushed forward, ignoring all weapons and magical artifacts, and attacked King Ksitigarbha in unison. King Ksitigarbha jumped to Di Ting’s side, waved his staff, and a shield of light appeared in the air, blocking most of the attacks. Looking up at the sky, he sighed, “She was indeed right!” By “she,” he naturally meant Xuan Nu. Before coming here, Ksitigarbha had a long conversation with her. He wanted to destroy the Buddhist hell realm, but Xuan Nu stopped him. So he compromised, agreeing to go to Ling Mountain only to test Tathagata and the other Buddhas’ hearts, without fighting Tathagata directly. Xuan Nu had told him that as long as he didn’t expose the truth about the Buddhist hell realm, Tathagata would retain his dignity and not become enraged. After a discussion in the hall, Tathagata’s response greatly disappointed him, so in a fit of anger, he destroyed the golden roof of the Mahavira Hall. Then he saw the Buddhas on Ling Mountain as if in a dream, all following Tathagata’s lead. Seeing that the encirclement was complete, Ksitigarbha sighed but then walked among them as if strolling leisurely, saying, “Can you really stop me?”

Venerable Maitreya said, “Ksitigarbha, what exactly do you want?”