Deeper Layer World had no night. Because the Buddha light illuminated all things, it remained in eternal daylight, as if time itself did not flow.
However, there was still a way for the common people to distinguish day from night.
Under normal circumstances, roughly every seven hours, the sound of chanting the Sutra of Buddha Recitation would ring out from the Great Buddha Heaven above, originating from the highest-ranking Fude Tathagata, who was imparting Buddhist teachings.
Generally speaking, although all kinds of temples had Buddhas stationed within them, not every Buddha possessed a Fruit Position title.
The Dharma titles were divided into "Arhat," "Bodhisattva," and "Tathagata."
For example, Jinmen Temple, which had more than a hundred thousand monks, had three Buddhas, but none of them were Arhat Buddhas, indicating that their cultivation was still insufficient.
It was said that Arhats were common, Bodhisattvas could be found throughout Great Buddha Heaven, but there was only one Tathagata, Fude Tathagata.
"Amitabha."
Fude Tathagata revealed himself from the sea of clouds once again.
Whether in towns or in the wilderness, everything became quiet.
Even if the common people were traveling, once they heard Fude Tathagata's murmuring, they would find an isolated corner nearby and prepare to meditate.
For them, meditation was naturally the best form of rest.
Fude Tathagata's chanting lasted for varying lengths of time. When the voice abruptly stopped in Deeper Layer World, the common people resumed their normal activities.
Caravans flowed endlessly along the official roads. Regardless of whether they were men or women, all of them were dressed as tonsured monks.
Resources were scarce in Deeper Layer World. The vegetation had all taken on a crystalline form and could not bear fruit, making it even more impossible to cultivate crops and harvest them. Even large towns found it difficult to sustain themselves.
If they wanted to obtain food, they could only go to the Great Buddha Heaven above.
According to legend, every time Fude Tathagata breathed, golden rice stalks would flow from his mouth and nose. The closer one got to the Great Buddha Heaven, the less one had to worry about food.
The caravans existed to transport food, and most of them were organized by temples.
Fleshly Tathagata appeared near the official road and was soon noticed by passing commoners. Even from a great distance, they could feel their hearts pounding with fear.
According to an old man in one of the caravans, even encountering a beast was nowhere near this terrifying.
However, although Fleshly Tathagata's appearance was extremely frightening, it remained standing motionless like a mountain, even when exposed to wind and sunlight.
As time passed, the common people gradually became accustomed to its presence.
They even discovered something strange. As they approached Fleshly Tathagata, the fear in their hearts would transform into reverence.
Moreover, Fleshly Tathagata was indeed breathing in and out Buddha Qi, so passersby began to worship it as the "Mountain Buddha."
Just as the common people were scrambling to worship Fleshly Tathagata, two monks, one old and one young, deliberately moved away from its location instead.
"Senior Brother, I heard them say that the Mountain Buddha is also a Buddha."
The young novice monk scratched his head and could not help asking softly. The middle-aged monk beside him immediately made a gesture for silence, his face filled with fear.
The middle-aged monk had practiced Buddhism since childhood and had come into contact with the Buddhas of Jinmen Temple, but he could vaguely sense that Fleshly Tathagata was no benevolent being.
It was like the natural enemy of a Buddha. Although both emitted Buddha Qi, they were mutually opposed.
"Those who do not know are innocent. Apart from sinners, all things can become Buddhas."
As the middle-aged monk spoke, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the caravan not far away. He could see that because there were no horses, the goods were being carried entirely by the sloppily dressed Merit Monks.
"Senior Brother, if all things can become Buddhas, then why can't the sinners..."
Seeing that the young novice monk was about to continue asking, the middle-aged monk hurriedly covered his mouth.
The middle-aged monk did not know why they were called sinners either. Perhaps they had incurred the Buddha's displeasure, which was why they had remained slaves for generations.
From time to time, more sinners had appeared in the past, but their numbers had clearly been decreasing recently. They might become extinct before long.
The middle-aged monk could not help reprimanding the young novice monk and telling him to be careful with his words and actions.
Buddhas traveled through heaven and earth, and any disrespect could bring disaster.
Seeing that the novice monk's face was full of exhaustion, he softened and said, "Forget it. Let's meditate for a while before continuing on our way. We should try to reach Jinmen Temple by evening."
"All right, Senior Brother."
They placed their meditation mats at a location far from Fleshly Tathagata and sat cross-legged in the open air, simply chanting the Buddha's name to meditate.
Just as the middle-aged monk was picturing the Buddha's appearance in his mind.
Bang, bang, bang...
Deafening footsteps approached from far away, startling the two of them awake.
The middle-aged monk immediately reacted. Without even bothering to check where the disturbance came from, he picked up the young novice monk and ran toward the woods beside the official road.
As the footsteps continued to land, the desperate screams of the common people could be heard.
A strong smell of blood spread through the air.
The young novice monk widened his eyes. A figure more than a thousand meters tall was approaching, completely ignoring the lives of the common people. With every step, several people were crushed into minced flesh.
He covered his mouth tightly to prevent himself from making a sound, then realized that the figure was clearly the Guardian Buddha of Jinmen Temple.
The two were fairly lucky. The Buddha's target was obviously Fleshly Tathagata, so it passed right by them.
Meanwhile, the official road was already covered with corpses and shattered limbs.
The middle-aged monk collapsed helplessly onto the ground, his expression filled only with relief at having survived the disaster.
But before he could catch his breath, the earth shook violently again. This meant that another enormous Buddha was approaching Fleshly Tathagata.
The middle-aged monk grabbed the young novice monk and crawled into a hollow tree.
To the Buddhas, the common people were like insignificant ants. They simply did not care about life or death, and were even unwilling to waste time stopping.
Ren Qing awoke from his secluded cultivation and sized up the three Buddhas that had suddenly arrived.
According to the information flow, they should be called Insect Buddhas.
They were formed from Strange Objects, and their bodies could be used to contain Dipankara Buddha Qi.
The three Insect Buddhas had completely different appearances. One of them did not even have a head, with distorted facial features growing from the palm of its right hand.
All three had been transformed from Strange Objects of the Yin Difference realm.
However, under the erosion of Dipankara Buddha Qi, the Insect Buddhas had already broken through the restrictions of the Strange Object realm, reaching the level of the Yang Spirit realm.
The Insect Buddhas also noticed the strangeness of Fleshly Tathagata.
Their cultivation was clearly superior to Fleshly Tathagata, yet they felt an indescribable sense of fear, as if they were facing an existence that could easily destroy them.
Fleshly Tathagata's sinister nature was not limited to one aspect. The Buddha Qi it emitted seemed to be mixed with countless resentments. Its exterior looked as though it had been formed from piles of flesh, while vivid Arhat statues stood at its base.
It was difficult to imagine what kind of terrifying Buddha could have formed from such a thing.
"Amitabha. I wonder, Junior Brother, which temple did you originally come from?"
The speaker was an Insect Buddha whose exterior was covered in mouthparts. The mouthparts constantly absorbed Dipankara Buddha Qi, and tongues resembling tentacles occasionally extended from them.
Many-Tongued Buddha asked several times in succession, but after discovering that Fleshly Tathagata showed no reaction whatsoever, a bone-deep chill appeared in his eyes.
The three could not help exchanging glances and muttering among themselves.
When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.
Ren Qing quickly figured out the Insect Buddhas' strength. For Buddhas formed from Strange Objects like these, their strength could be judged entirely from their height.
They were all at the Yang Spirit realm, but Many-Tongued Buddha, who exceeded fifteen hundred meters, was clearly stronger. A thousand meters should be the lower limit of the Yang Spirit realm.
"You think it could be something that fell from Great Buddha Heaven, something connected to..."
Many-Tongued Buddha's muscles tensed, and the teeth in his hundreds of mouths clattered together. His eyes were filled with deep apprehension as he stared at Fleshly Tathagata.
"Impossible. I think it is the reincarnation of the soul of some Buddhist great adept. As long as..."
Palm Buddha released Buddha Qi, wanting to determine the true nature of the Tathagata before him, but the moment it came into contact with the mountain of flesh, he sensed that something was wrong.
The Buddha Qi within his body surged out of his control and was frantically devoured by Fleshly Tathagata.
While the other two Insect Buddhas were stunned, Palm Buddha had already shrunk by half. He had originally been around twelve hundred meters tall, but now he was only slightly over a thousand meters.
What shocked them most was that the surface of Fleshly Tathagata began to writhe.
The Arhat statues at its base were actually climbing upward. The Bodhisattva statues that had yet to fully form were doing the same, as if they were deliberately making room.
"What the hell is this thing?!!"
Many-Tongued Buddha was incredulous because a familiar face was gradually forming at the base of Fleshly Tathagata. It was precisely the face of Palm Buddha.
Ren Qing had not expected the false Buddhas of Deeper Layer World to be usable as nourishment for Fleshly Tathagata.
Palm Buddha was also utterly astonished and hurriedly broke free from Fleshly Tathagata's restraints. The surging mountain of flesh immediately calmed down.
"An evil demon. It absolutely came from the outside world..."
"Contact the Arhats as quickly as possible, otherwise Great Buddha Heaven will surely suffer a calamity."
They reined in their leaking Buddha Qi, their expressions solemn as they surrounded Fleshly Tathagata.
Faced with this great enemy whose nature they could not even define, they had no confidence in killing it, but temporarily sealing it should not be a problem.
Just as the battle was about to begin, Ren Qing secretly activated Heavenly Demon Tribulation, forcibly twisting the Insect Buddhas' thoughts and dispersing the fear in their hearts.
The Insect Buddhas were gathering an enormous amount of Buddha Qi, but suddenly, greed replaced their expressions, and Fleshly Tathagata in their eyes seemed to transform into a mountain of gold.
Heavy breathing echoed through the air.
In the ears of the Insect Buddhas, it was as though a voice were constantly whispering.
"What you see is the Buddhist sacred mountain, the reincarnation of the Buddha Ancestor. As long as you offer up your Buddha Qi, you can obtain an even greater opportunity..."
Ren Qing frowned when he discovered that Fleshly Tathagata was actually strengthening Heavenly Demon Tribulation.
He had originally intended to use Zhili Technique in conjunction with it, but Heavenly Demon Tribulation alone had already brainwashed the Insect Buddhas. Even their subconscious minds had been completely altered.
This was an unexpected surprise. Although Fleshly Tathagata possessed cultivation at the Yang Spirit realm, it had no means of attacking on its own.
The middle-aged monk watching from the side was somewhat at a loss.
Seeing the tense situation, he had thought that the Buddhas were about to fight.
Since the Buddhas had no intention of fighting, the middle-aged monk prepared to take the young novice monk and use the opportunity to move away from the center of the chaos.
But the moment he cautiously crawled out of the tree hollow, he saw a horrifying scene.
Fleshly Tathagata was flowing like liquid, then covered Many-Tongued Buddha's body, connecting to it bit by bit with flesh from the spine.
After only a few breaths, it was as if a mountain peak had grown from Many-Tongued Buddha's back.
Buddha statues could be seen on its surface, including even Many-Tongued Buddha himself, yet Many-Tongued Buddha was completely unaware that anything was wrong.
The three Insect Buddhas walked away toward the town.
"Senior Brother..."
"Something isn't right. We can't return to Jinmen Temple."
The middle-aged monk was trembling all over, but his tone was resolute as he said, "I told you before that the Mountain Buddha wasn't normal. Jinmen Temple will probably suffer a calamity. We must contact the other temples."
After saying this, he stomped his feet forcefully. Once he regained some sensation in them, he immediately followed the official road in the opposite direction.
The middle-aged monk did not notice that one of Fleshly Tathagata's faces was staring directly at him.