The Golden Summit was silent, broken only by the turning of prayer beads. Now and then, a monk’s Buddha halo flickered out and he tumbled from the air.
The Elder Buddha glanced around, taking in the faces of the bodhisattvas, venerables, and arhats. Tyson Li, the former Cult Master, had appeared before the monks using Yolanda Li’s beauty, throwing their minds into chaos and damaging their Buddha hearts with a flood of stray desires.
Even when he unleashed great Buddha arts just now, rousing the flesh bodies of countless World‑Honored Ones from the Thousand‑Buddha Pagoda, he could only suppress the chaos for a moment.
When the Buddha halo vanished and a monk fell from the sky, it meant his Buddha heart had been broken. Buddhism emphasizes cultivation of the mind; once the Buddha heart shatters and is tainted by karma, one’s mental state collapses. Those who fall are no longer monks, but mere mortals.
Their fall is a plunge from lofty heights into the red dust below. Some will repent and turn back, finding salvation; others will leave Great Thunderclap Temple to struggle in the mortal world, seeking liberation. But once worldly desires arise, escape becomes nearly impossible.
Yolanda Li’s beauty had caused many of Great Thunderclap Temple’s high monks to fall, a devastating loss.
Yet Quinn Shepherd and his companions could hardly be blamed. They had already warned the Elder Buddha, but it was he who insisted on seeing Granny Sue’s true form to test their Buddha hearts.
On the mountain, a few monks remained unmoved, their Buddha hearts unshaken. These high monks were enlightened as non-humans, not of the human race. Though Granny Sue was beautiful, she was not of their species; to them, she was nothing but a smelly skin-shell.
"Your cultivation is still lacking. You cling to appearances and have yet to see true thusness."
The Elder Buddha swept his gaze around and instructed the monks: "You see her beauty and cannot restrain yourselves, yet you do not realize that what you perceive as beauty is only what you believe to be beautiful, not true beauty. For example, Master Ocean Sky—do you find her beautiful?"
He was speaking of a high monk who attained enlightenment as a non-human. That monk replied, "She is not of my race; I cannot feel her beauty."
The Elder Buddha smiled and said, "Beauty that cannot be felt outside one’s own species is not true beauty—it’s only skin-deep. True beauty is great truth, great thusness, great awakening, and great wisdom. Tyson Li, the body you obsess over is not real beauty. Among all living beings, your notion of beauty is limited to the human race—can you see how narrow that is?"
The monks all felt a sudden enlightenment. Even Quinn Shepherd thought his words made great sense—worthy of the Elder Buddha, a truly awakened one. Perhaps he really could subdue Tyson Li’s heart-devil.
The reason Tyson Li wanted to become Granny Sue was simply because Granny Sue was too beautiful. Her beauty unsettled his Dao-heart, breeding evil and demonic thoughts—he wanted to become her.
Granny Sue giggled, "Elder Buddha, of all the myriad daos in the world, my Cult of the Heavenly Saint only lays claim to the word ‘human,’ while your Buddhist sect tries to claim them all—can you truly encompass everything? Enough talk. What methods do you have to subdue me?"
The Elder Buddha smiled faintly, took out a bronze mirror, and handed it to a venerable beside him. "Give this mirror to her," he said.
The venerable accepted the bronze mirror and descended from the high dais toward Granny Sue. But when he caught sight of her face, his heart raced; he hurriedly shut his eyes, not daring to look further.
He handed over the bronze mirror. Granny Sue took it, admired herself in the glass, and laughed softly, "What a peerless beauty—I even pity myself."
The monks saw her seductive bearing and some found it hard to control themselves.
The Elder Buddha smiled, "Now flip the mirror over."
Granny Sue flipped the mirror over, and saw in its reflection a white skeleton—her own likeness in death.
"What do you think, Cult Master Li?"
The Elder Buddha smiled, "No matter how peerless your beauty, at the end of life you are but a handful of bones. Do you still find bones beautiful?"
Granny Sue tossed the bronze mirror to the ground and crushed it underfoot, saying indifferently, "Just a trick to fool common mortals—so much for the 'beauty is but rouge on a skeleton' saying. Tathagata, I understand your logic, but unlike you, I don’t care about shining in the next life. A glorious life now is enough for me. To seek the next life is the act of cowards. Your little tricks can’t subdue me. If you think a mirror can convert me, why not let me walk around your Great Thunderclap Temple, and we’ll see whether you convert me or I convert your whole assembly of monks. Shall we wager on it?"
The Elder Buddha frowned slightly. "You lack the root of wisdom," he said.
Grandpa Blindeye also muttered, "Not this root-of-wisdom nonsense again. Why not just act and subdue him directly?"
The Elder Buddha pondered for a moment. "Cult Master Li was once the demon cult master. I’ll take her into the Thousand-Buddha Pagoda to subdue her. The rest of you monks, your resolve is too shallow, your cultivation insufficient—stay outside the pagoda and lend your support."
The monks agreed and descended from the high dais, gathering around the Thousand-Buddha Pagoda. Some monks inside the pagoda hurried out, unwilling to remain within.
The Elder Buddha smiled, "Quinn Shepherd, you are also a demon cult master, steeped in demonic nature. Since ancient times, Buddhism and demonism have been distinct. As a guest seeking help, I will not subdue you. But while I subdue Cult Master Li, I hope you will remain in Great Thunderclap Temple, listen to the Dharma, and resolve the violence in your heart—so that you’ll commit fewer killings in the future."
Grandpa Mark and Grandpa Blindeye saw clearly what was happening: the Elder Buddha wanted to keep them in Great Thunderclap Temple. If he could convert them, all the better; if not, he would simply keep them from leaving.