The Twelve Pure Land White Lotus carries the connotation of purification, and this is not significantly different from the Twelve Extermination Black Lotus, whose core aim is to destroy all living beings. The only difference is that one is more mild and the other more tyrannical.
Now that the Primordial World has sages and the Way of Heaven, it is not the case that the world will be drastically affected as soon as the lotus platform appears. The Primordial World is not that fragile.
When the Twelve Pure Land White Lotus falls into Weak Water, it indicates that it is still far from the time when this lotus platform appears. Nüwa cannot save it, and even if Guangchengzi has some methods that do not belong to the Primordial World, he cannot make the Pure Land White Lotus appear before its time.
However, Guangchengzi, who has come a long way, naturally did not come to sightsee.
He clenched a spell with his hand, and his own Yuqing (Pure Primordial) power suddenly became obscure and profound. It flowed out in strands and wisps, like willow catkins of power into the Weak Water. In just a moment, the originally smooth and mirror-like surface of the lake was disturbed, rippling with waves. Guangchengzi's body was flickering with flames that shone intermittently. These flames, guided by him, gradually infused into the water, whereupon the Weak Water, which could normally dissolve divine and Buddha powers, began to emit an enticing fragrance.
Guangchengzi's expression was calm and emotionless, and his own power took on the form of a fisherman's net, constantly searching in the Weak Water.
Even with the aid of the fragmented "Creative Jade Scripture," his power was continuously dissolved in the Weak Water, albeit at a speed ten times slower. Ultimately, just as he was on the verge of exhausting all his powers, he finally located his target—a white lotus blossom born from the Pure Land White Lotus.
Guangchengzi did not disturb any forces of the Underworld and quietly left with the white lotus.
Mount Sumeru.
Maitreya was meditating and practicing. One day six months ago, he saw a fleeting spiritual light from the Treasure Division Rock. The speed was too fast, and his own level was too low, so he couldn't catch the trace of the spiritual light at all. However, he was very certain that he had indeed seen something.
Maitreya suspected that it might be a very rare, innate spiritual treasure, even a primordial treasures.
Even as a Great Golden Immortal himself, he couldn't catch it. Moonlight, as an Taiji (Yin-Yang) Golden Immortal, naturally had no chance.
He believed he still had a chance, so he left the Land of Lamasery and returned to his Mount Sumeru, where he began to diligently and tirelessly cultivate.
He aimed to improve himself so that he could catch the next time he encountered that spiritual light.
He was struggling with his cultivation when Huangmei Tongzi suddenly came in quickly.
"Master, master, look! I found something in the back yard."
Under Maitreya's gaze, Huangmei Tongzi laughed nervously and picked up a white lotus that was as pure as snow and exuded a holy aura.
"Is this the Pure Land White Lotus?!" Maitreya, with his extensive knowledge, immediately recognized its origin. He asked urgently: "Where did you get it?"
Huangmei Tongzi led him to the backyard to inspect it. It was an ordinary place, and Maitreya really couldn't understand how the Pure Land White Lotus could have grown from his own spiritual realm.
He carefully observed the geomancy of Mount Sumeru. This mountain was originally the domain of Luohong, the Demon King. After the epoch-making battle between Hongjin and Luohong, in which Hongjin defeated Luohong, the mountain was heavily damaged and its spiritual energy was only a tenth of what it once was. For many years, Maitreya has been stationed here, repairing the damage to the mountain and purifying the demonic energy.
Year after year, over these years, he has done very well. Mount Sumeru has recovered some of its former glory. It's not as magnificent as the Land of Lamasery or Kunlun Mountain, but it won't be too far behind the Eastern Daoist mountains that are slightly lower in status.
Looking at it today, he noticed that with the appearance of this Pure Land White Lotus, the demonic energy in Mount Sumeru had decreased by more than one-tenth. The white lotus and his own Buddha's light seemed to resonate with each other, as if they were originally one.
"White Lotus," he muttered to himself.
With the Twenty-Four Solar Terms and the sacrifice of twenty-four innate spiritual treasures, the "Defining the Sea Pearl," Zhao Gongming finally broke through the barrier of Great Golden Immortals and ascended to a new realm. He evolved from an immortal to a saint. Now Maitreya is at a crucial juncture as well.
The harder it becomes to cultivate towards the later stages, this is not only experienced by Deng Chan Yu, but all immortals with an IQ in check have felt it.
Becoming an immortal is difficult; becoming a saint is even more so.
Maitreya felt that after seeing the white lotus, his path to enlightenment was slightly touched, but he still needed to carefully consider how to actually reach the other shore and truly attain enlightenment.
He instructed Huangmei Tongzi to keep it a secret and not to leak the news.
"This news cannot be revealed to Moonglow, do you understand?"
Huangmei Tongzi swore to the heavens: "Master, please rest assured. I will never let any information leak. That woman has taken your Buddha's seat, and I am at odds with her!"
Maitreya secretly sighed. The Buddhism of today is indeed vast, with its influence spreading across the East and the West. There are Buddhist disciples everywhere, from the Thirty-Three Heavens to the Nineteen Levels of Hell.
However, the more power one has, the more troublesome things become. He now misses the good old times when all disciples of the Western religion worked together in harmony to build the Western world. It was indeed poor then, but happiness was genuine. If he had a choice, he would still like to go back to that time.
He and the Medicine Buddha were disciples of Miao Lai, while Ksitigarbha and Great Virtue were disciples of Manjushri. However, Miao Lai had always been in seclusion, rigorously practicing, so it was Manjushri who taught them. Manjushri was very good to his several personal disciples, basically granting their requests whenever they asked.
Now, Manjushri was injured by Luohong with the Six Soul Banner and the Divine Slaying Spear, and was in seclusion to repair his body. Jia Ying is the first among all cultivators of the Buddhist teachings in terms of strict self-cultivation. After entrusting the Buddhist affairs to Moonlight Buddha, he also went into seclusion.
Maitreya cannot summon the saints who are in seclusion to deal with his own affairs. He does not have the courage to do so.
Seeking help from Moonlight Buddha for this matter? No one is foolish. As soon as he mentions the word "white lotus," others will be able to figure out that it is his path to enlightenment.
At present, Moonlight Buddha's position within the Buddhist teachings is higher than Maitreya's, but his cultivation is lower. This is Maitreya's biggest advantage. Otherwise, who would want to associate with a future Buddha like him?
If Maitreya further advances in cultivation, this advantage will be magnified by ten times.
In any case, the matter of this white lotus cannot be known to "outsiders."
In the past, Zhao Gongming, with the Twenty-Four Defining the Sea Pearl, couldn't find his path to enlightenment. After obtaining the Cosmos Ruler, he felt that there was a window paper separating him from it. Only after gaining enlightenment from a sage did he finally understand his path to enlightenment. Now Maitreya can only rely on himself.
Seclusion! Rigorous cultivation!
Guangchengzi naturally wouldn't just rely on the white lotus for a technique. He caught a glimpse of an opportunity and felt that the white lotus could potentially cause a split within the Buddhist teachings, so he acted on it. As for how much it will actually contribute to the current situation, he himself doesn't know either.
After leaving the Underworld, he directly headed to the Potala Mountains in the South Sea.
Guanyin, the God of Thunder, and Lu Ya, these Buddhas and Bodhisattvas hold a very extraordinary status within Buddhism. They have their own domains and do not need to eat " communal meals" at the Lamasery. Naturally, the degree of control the Lamasery has over them is small, and each one is like an independent small power within the Buddhist community.
Guanyin did not take on disciples, but she did not reject Buddhist disciples who came to the South Sea to practice. At that time, Putuo Mountain had the reputation of "the Celestial Paradise of the Sea."
