"Wu Zhi Bodhisattva, long time no see. Are you also going to the Daoist Sect?"
"Wang Bian, I am going to the Immortal Treasure Appreciation Convention to broaden my horizons."
The young monk and the Confucian scholar bowed to each other, obviously having known each other for a long time.
The several fierce men, after hearing this, couldn't even muster up the last bit of revenge in their hearts. Even the passengers who were just spectating couldn't help but straighten up, not willing to appear too casual in front of these two.
It is said that Wu Zhi Bodhisattva is the reincarnation of the Buddha. On his birth, he turned a small town into a Buddhist land. Even his parents worshiped him and converted to Buddhism, something beyond his control. The Buddha Statute of Sumeru came immediately and accepted Wu Zhi as a disciple, designating him as a Bodhisattva.
It is precisely because he is the incarnation of the Buddha that he can cultivate so quickly. At fourteen, he was already a Yuanying cultivator, breaking the record for the youngest Yuanying realm cultivator.
Jiang Li had not crossed over at fourteen.
Wang Bian, the Confucian scholar, was a follower of Confucianism, and although he was young, he had already become the national teacher of seven small countries. These seven small countries had all become civilized and ethical through his teachings, with an open-door policy at night and no lost items on the road.
Even the Yuanying realm scholars need to consult him about Confucianism issues.
"Is Wuzhi Bodhisattva really the reincarnation of the Buddha?" Pure Heart Saintess asked curiously. She had heard about the legend of Wuzhi Bodhisattva and had even asked Venerable Sumi face to face, but the old monk just kept on smiling and didn't say a word.
Usually, he would at least use Buddhist scriptures to dodge her questions!
If she could beat him, she would make him spill the beans!
The title of Buddha is not something that anyone in the Buddhist community can claim just by going to the Western Pure Land. Only those with profound Buddha Dharma qualifications in the Western Pure Land of the Immortal Realm are eligible to be called Buddha.
Jiang Li's expression was peculiar: "Is this what you're concerned about?"
"What else should I be concerned about?" Pure Heart Saintess felt puzzled.
"He might be your master."
"???"
"Your Master Qingyudao Favored Maiden Xi liked him, don't you know?"
"???"
Seeing that Pure Heart Saintess couldn't accept this news for a while, Jiang Li carefully answered her question.
"I don't know, I'm not familiar with reincarnation."
Indeed, Jiang Li was not familiar with reincarnation. Even after living for five hundred years, he still hadn't figured out if he was a transmigrator or had awakened memories from his previous life.
"But Venerable Sumi said that Wuzhi Bodhisattva's Buddha nature is better than his, and he intends for Wuzhi Bodhisattva to become a candidate for the Emperor, competing for the position of Emperor."
"And whether or not he is the reincarnation of Buddha, I can be certain that this little monk had an extremely powerful past life."
Jiang Li squinted at Wuzhi Bodhisattva.
"What did you see?"
Pure Heart Saintess knew that Jiang Li had researched souls extensively.
"A soul that doesn't match his age."
In Jiang Li's eyes, Wuzhi Bodhisattva's soul was exceptionally strong and resilient, with countless traces of tempering, although it was still a soul in the Yuan Infant stage, it bore the marks of a countless number of trials. This was not something a fourteen-year-old monk should possess.
Generally, when people are reincarnated, all traces of their previous lives would vanish, and they would start anew, free from any past life connections. Jiang Li couldn't discern anything about his past life.
Wuzhi Bodhisattva's soul, however, was so resilient that even if he were to reincarnate, the marks on his soul would not be erased. This could only mean that his past life was too powerful, thus affecting his present life.
As for whether he was the Buddha in his past life, who knows.
"We'll be passing through the White Ze Imperial Dynasty, so be careful!"
The ship's captain shouted loudly, making the guards on the flying ship remain vigilant.
Actually, Jiang Li could see that the captain was probably speaking to the guards, but now that there were Buddhist monks and Confucian disciples on the flying ship, it was clear that he was addressing them.
Before he could finish his sentence, a screeching eagle cry came from below the flying ship, sending a shiver down the passengers' spines.
The strongest guard on the flying ship was a Daoist in the Gold Core Peak stage, and after hearing the eagle cry, he was shaken to the core!
A Yuan Infant stage eagle demon!
Yuan Infant stage cultivators indeed cannot fly, except for avian demons!
The guard cursed inwardly. On other days, it was probably just a few Foundation Building stage eagles causing a ruckus, at most a Gold Core stage eagle demon. Why did this little monk have to attract the attention of an eagle demon?
"The White Ze Imperial Dynasty's reputation as a gang of bandits is truly well-deserved. I've seen it today."
Even Pure Heart Saintess, who rarely ventured into the mortal world, had heard of the White Ze Imperial Dynasty's nickname.
"It's unavoidable. The White Ze Emperor has done her best, and the fact that the country has not disintegrated already shows her capability. But what can she do if she's a mixed-blood White Ze and can't suppress the eight fiefdom lords?" Jiang Li, too, felt helpless about the nickname of the White Ze Imperial Dynasty.
The current White Ze Emperor was a mixed-blood of White Ze and a qilin, with the appearance of a white qilin. It was a joke for the White Ze Imperial Dynasty. Do they really have to accept a White Ze Emperor with the appearance of a qilin to rule them?
"Beasts only recognize bloodlines. If the bloodline isn't pure, they won't recognize this White Ze Emperor, and the White Ze Emperor can't harness the national destiny."
Jiang Li had seen the White Ze Emperor and thought the white qilin was quite handsome, so he couldn't quite understand the beasts' thoughts.
"The White Ze Emperor is only in the Harmonious Union stage, and the eight beast kings are also in the Harmonious Union stage. She isn't me, able to handle eight people at once. If the eight beast kings don't accept the White Ze Emperor, they each carve out their own territory and act as they please."
"The White Ze Imperial Dynasty is composed of beasts, with the worst order. Now that the eight kings are splitting up, it wouldn't be surprising if it turned into a den of bandits."
Nevertheless, it was precisely because of the chaotic beast order that human cultivators frequently came to the White Ze Imperial Dynasty for training and felt justified in killing the beasts.
The eagle demon revealed its figure, its wings spreading out to a length of nine zhang, with a faint golden color along the edges, displaying its noble bloodline. It dove straight towards the pile of spiritual stones being used as fuel.
This pile of spiritual stones was worth more than the flying ship itself!
Wuzhi Bodhisattva and the Confucian student Wang Bian both made their move, repelling the eagle demon. If the eagle demon couldn't fly, they would have captured it long ago!
"Eagle benefactor, put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha right where you stand, please stop."
"Eagle lord, plundering and pillaging is not the way of a gentleman."
The eagle demon turned a deaf ear to their persuasions, and even wanted to spit out at them.
The two of them sighed at the same time; their teachings and persuasion could only work on cultivators below Gold Core stage, and were of no use against this Yuan Infant eagle demon.
The little monk took out the treasure of the Buddhist sect, the Brahma Heaven Pagoda, from his bosom and fiercely smashed it against the eagle demon.
This purple Brahma Heaven Pagoda was only the size of a palm, but it was as heavy as the sun and moon. The eagle demon was hit and spat blood, its wings powerless to flutter, and it fell straight to the ground.
Wang Bian threw out a piece of talisman with the word "Stability" written on it. When it touched the eagle demon, it rendered it unable to move, and obediently followed the guidance of the talisman back to the flying ship.