"Miaoshan gives thanks for the God's grace. I have awakened to great enlightenment and place myself at Your disposal!"
Guanyin—
no, Miaoshan, restored to her true name—
had been moved; emotion surged, softening every line. Gone was the aloof illusion from before, the cold arrogance that looked down on the world. Here stood a living person.
Liu Che had merely stirred the Law of Affection and led forth the true feelings buried in Miaoshan's heart.
In his view,
whether deity or mortal,
emotion is the most basic root.
Only, each person bears different strength; gaining power by sacrificing one's feelings is in truth to have long since stepped into the demonic path.
Such people carry a fatal flaw.
Just like Karen.
Just like Shifeixuan.
And just like Miaoshan as she had been until now.
At this moment she wept, tears spilling as she recalled all she had done in the name of Buddhism—things truly unbefitting and ill-judged.
Especially the matter of the Tongtian River and the Chen family village—
that weighed heaviest on Miaoshan's heart.
Putting herself in others' place:
if her own child had been eaten by a demon,
she too would have gone mad.
The Great King of Inspiration was a monster she had subdued with the Dharma. Though kept in captivity, the inferiority at his root had never been extirpated from beginning to end.
Yang Jian had been right.
People are people.
Even if one reincarnates, one should not, because of some prior-life fate, continue to suffer in this life.
There is no memory of reincarnation;
even if one suffers, no repentance can arise from what one cannot recall.
The Buddhist teaching, at its root, had gone astray!
"I have always said," Liu Che spoke evenly, "that no man, not even a sage, is without fault. If a person gains overwhelming power and then plays the villain,
he will mislead multitudes.
I am gratified that you can see where you were wrong.
Yet though you erred, you have done good as well. Remain here in this temple and atone."
Miaoshan had thought the God would punish her severely; she had not expected Him to merely instruct her.
Guilt still pressed on her chest.
She opened her mouth to beg for punishment—
but a jade-smooth hand pressed lightly to her shoulder.
"Idiot. The God wants you to remain in Ziwei Palace. That is an immense honor. Give thanks!"
Dongfang Huaizhu spoke with a twinge of jealousy.
This woman, it seemed, was truly fortunate.
Instead of punishment the God had kept her at His side, to hear His teachings at all times.
Though Dongfang detested needless strife,
even she felt the bite of envy now.
After all, aside from the three goddesses who could stand near the throne, only Kikyo had enjoyed such favor.
"Thank you for the God's gift," Miaoshan whispered.
"Mm. Rise."
Liu Che looked at Miaoshan's reddened face, and a single phrase surfaced unbidden: seated lotus.
If he were to let her "sleep in," it would be a classic image indeed.
Miaoshan rose and moved to stand beside Kikyo.
This, from now on, would be her place.
Upon arriving in the God-Realm,
the Nine-Colored Divine Clouds had woven her a long dress—
and now, standing shoulder to shoulder with Kikyo, few would ever guess that this beautiful woman had once been Guanyin.
At that moment Liu Che's gaze flicked to his system panel.
Ding… Your believer Yang Jian has sacrificed Miaoshan (Guanshiyin), a destined Daughter of an entire world, triggering a multiplier increase. Congratulations on obtaining your fourth god-tier figure.
Ding… Because Miaoshan is Bodhisattva Guanshiyin of the Journey to the West world, and carries immense native fortune, you receive 10% of that world's fate.
Hint: Current fortune: 44%.
Ding… By employing the Law of Emotion to perceive Miaoshan's goodness and purge the Buddhist imprints within her, she has now fully comprehended the Law of Emotion. It is recommended that she be cultivated with focus.
[Name]: Miaoshan
[Height]: 1.68 meters
[Attributes]: Holiness, Light, Emotion
[Abilities]: Law of Emotion (Beginner), Dharma (God-level)
[Physique]: Icy-Jade Spirit Xuanyin Divine Body (dual cultivation grants an additional bonus)
These were his gains this time.
"I didn't expect this—what a peculiar physique. This is the first time I've seen one like it. It's practically forcing me into dual cultivation…"
Liu Che's lips quirked; mirth moved in his heart.
From time to time Miaoshan stole a glance and noticed that he had closed his eyes to meditate.
If she knew what sort of "old tree coiling its roots" notion he was contemplating,
the luminous image she held of him would surely crack and tumble.
After a short while, Liu Che opened his eyes; a gleam flickered across them.
A scroll of light unfolded before them all.
It was the shape of a world.
From without it looked like an egg,
vast—yet laced with many cracks, as though on the verge of breaking.
"Is this Miaoshan's world?" Kikyo asked.
"Yes. I was studying her method and discovered a problem."
Liu Che magnified the image.
The view pierced into the world's interior.
Miaoshan stared, astonished; she had not imagined her own world would look like this.
It did not even seem large.
As for the flaw,
she knew it well enough: though Buddhist cultivation had raised her power swiftly, it had slowly and inexorably suppressed her humanity to an extreme.
In truth it was not only Buddhism.
Even the Heavenly Court revered this method.
Now it all seemed wrong.
As the vision sank deeper, Lingshan rose before their eyes.
"The Tathagata," Liu Che said, eyes gone cold, "has indeed turned demon, just as Yang Jian said."
By now Lingshan had become a land of demons.
Dragons slithered past, each one armored in blood-red scales.
The lone Samantabhadra who remained had been demonized.
And the lord of Lingshan—the Tathagata—continued to grow within a pulsing mass of flesh, like a fetus in a womb.
Miaoshan scanned the scene and did not see Manjusri. "My Lord God—where is Manjusri?"
"He was eaten by the Tathagata."
"What?"
Miaoshan's eyes went wide; she could scarcely believe her ears.
Even Manjusri had been devoured?
"In truth, just looking at this is enough to understand Lingshan's fall." Tiamat's voice came soft and cool. "A few days ago the God received Yang Jian's report that Lingshan had changed. You thought they were harming you; they were, in fact, saving you."
It was so.
Had she chosen to go to Lingshan instead of Chang'an to "inquire about the truth,"
she would likely have fallen into the Tathagata's claws herself.
Even as they spoke,
Samantabhadra's monastery could no longer withstand the corrosion; it began to warp and swell with flesh.
A hall once replete with Zen tranquility
filled with blood.
Tentacles sprouted from the floor; a power of darkness gripped the bodhisattva and dragged hard.
Samantabhadra struggled,
struggled with all his might,
even marshaled the Dharma at full force—
to no avail.
For Buddha and demon had become one.
His Dharma had been learned from the Tathagata; the harder he drove it, the deeper the corrosion bit.
Until a surge of evil flesh engulfed him entirely.
His struggling ceased.
From that moment, the whole of Lingshan became a sea of blood.
Yet it was not merely blood.
It carried silence and shadow.
Pure evil.
Not a sliver of light.
From the glooming cracks, evil power kept venting outward.
Across Lingshan,
only one place remained untouched.
A palace stood to the north.
Miaoshan's eyes brightened. "That is the residence of Kong Xuan—the Peacock King, the Great Ming King. I fear she cannot hold out much longer."
Yes.
With successors so few,
no matter how powerful Kong Xuan was,
she could not, by herself, resist such terrible darkness for long.
"Kong Xuan…" Liu Che murmured.
She had chosen to betray Buddhism and secretly passed word to Yang Jian.
Miaoshan turned to Liu Che and implored, "Will the God save Kong Xuan? She has had it hard. Once she was a heaven-and-earth native prodigy, but after the Tathagata's schemes she was forced to aid him."
Within Lingshan,
Kong Xuan had been a clear spring,
tainted by nothing.
She rarely showed herself; but Miaoshan knew the other was good.
If she were freed,
she would surely become a great pillar of the Faith.
"This is easily done."
Liu Che was about to notify Yang Jian, but then thought better; since Altria and Li Xiuning were both present in that world, best to let the Lion King handle it.
He closed his eyes
and reached for Altria.
"Yaya, I have something for you."
This was Liu Che's pet name for the Lion King—used only when the two were alone.
…
"Yes. Please instruct me, Lord God…"
"There is a demon named Kong Xuan within Lingshan. She has previously disclosed intelligence to the Church. She is trapped. Go and bring her out."
"As You command."
…
Journey to the West world.
Having received the order, Altria parted from Yang Jian at once and prepared to depart alone.
"Goddess Altria," Yang Jian asked, "do you not need my help to go to Lingshan?"
"No. I am enough."
With that she rose into the sky.
Azure magical cloth unfurled across her body—
though fashioned of divine materials,
she still favored this blue-and-white knight's dress.
A flare—
a streak of blue light razored across the heavens.
Within half an hour she had flown from the outskirts of Chang'an to Lingshan.
Upon beholding the demonic corruption wreathed about Lingshan, Altria gave a mirthless laugh. "And you dare style this 'Buddha'? Things beyond the pale of demons."
A golden long-sword
flowered into her grasp.
"Kong Xuan—where are you!" Altria cried.
Her voice knifed through the blood-mist and reached the Peacock King's palace.
"Who calls for me?"
The voice was a woman's.
Could it be another deceit of the Demon-Buddha? Kong Xuan's lashes fell; she thought to ignore it.
Just then, a strand of sword-qi parted the blood-fog.
A small, straight-backed woman stepped into her hall.
"My name is Altria. I am a goddess of the Eternal God. Come—God has ordered me to rescue you."
"The Eternal God?"
"Yes."
Kong Xuan's breath released in a long sigh; she had just parted her lips to express her thanks
when the blood-mist seethed and rushed together.
Two vast, gore-slick hands
lunged toward them.
"No! The Demon-Buddha has sensed us."
Kong Xuan gathered her spells—but the goddess beside her caught her hand and shook her head.
Do not be afraid, that calm gaze said.
They lifted into the air and flew outward.
The grasping hands could not touch them; even walls of flesh could not bar Altria's steps.
All that was hostile to her Master's power,
turned unreal—like a dream—when it came near her.
They moved as swift as lightning and were beyond Lingshan in the span of a breath.
"Kong Xuan!" a roar cracked from the clouds, mad with wrath. "You would betray me as well?"
The blood-mist churned and whorled,
finally congealing into the Tathagata's face—
glowering, contorted, and still taking shape.