The vast plain stretched endlessly to the horizon. Under the shepherds' guidance, tens of thousands of sheep moved northwest in orderly formations.
From time to time, the shepherds would lead the flock to lush grazing grounds. As they watched the sheep feed, they continuously chanted the name "All-Beings Buddha."
Every so often, they would glance toward Ren Qing, their eyes filled with an indescribable emotion.
Ren Qing lay at the rear of the caravan. The shepherds had respectfully settled him onto a cart pulled by the strongest horse available.
Over the past few days, he had made no attempt to interact with them, choosing instead to observe from the shadows.
At the same time, he was learning their language and had noticed more and more peculiarities, causing him to become increasingly wary of the Buddhist force behind them.
Even after discovering that Ren Qing had awakened, the shepherds never approached him with questions. They merely stared at him with unsettling gazes.
They were even more sinister than the monks of Heaven Above Heaven.
Those monks had been born from Great Compassion Buddhist Qi. Though they repeated the same actions day after day, they possessed independent consciousness and showed traces of cultivating Buddhist Qi.
Yet there was nothing abnormal about the shepherds' bodies or souls. The fine-wool sheep were the same. They showed no signs whatsoever of being influenced by a Buddhist faction.
However, they seemed to worship a Buddha known as All-Beings Buddha.
They prayed morning and night, even offering the flesh of fine-wool sheep as sacrifices.
Ren Qing's understanding of Buddhism was no longer superficial, but he had never heard of any All-Beings Buddha, nor did he know what Song Zongwu meant by "Ten Spiritual Bodies, Complete at Once."
Later, through the Buddhist cultivators trapped in the Mirror World, he obtained many Buddhist scriptures from the remnants of their consciousness.
Among them, he found descriptions concerning the Ten Spiritual Bodies, Complete at Once.
According to the texts, a Buddha's body and soul were divided into ten parts:
The Śrāvaka Body, Pratyekabuddha Body, Bodhisattva Body, Tathagata Body, Dharma Body, Wisdom Body, Void Body, Karma-Recompense Body, All-Beings Body, and Pure Land Body.
All-Beings Buddha was certainly not a traditional Buddha Fruit position. Ren Qing had no idea whether it was some bizarre creation produced by a Buddhist faction.
He had checked the shepherds with the information stream before, yet discovered nothing.
While pretending to recover from his injuries, he was actually extracting excess death qi from his body, allowing himself to gradually heal while making the Buddhist Qi he emitted become increasingly dense.
Ren Qing felt that this was part of a Buddhist scheme, though he still didn't know what role Song Zongwu played in it.
Pretending to have regained some strength, he slowly climbed down from the cart and coughed violently a few times, casually leaking traces of Buddhist Qi taken from the Laughing Lion Arhat.
The sheep continued bleating.
Yet the shepherds, who had been chatting moments ago, instantly fell silent.
They halted their horses and stared fixedly at Ren Qing.
Regardless of age or gender, all of them muttered the title "All-Beings Buddha."
Ren Qing tested the waters.
"This old monk is Zong Qing of Lion Buddha Temple. I was trapped within Dead Man Land for years and only recently escaped. Many thanks to this Buddhist brother for saving me."
He jumped off the cart.
The shepherds' eyes remained locked on him.
No matter where Ren Qing moved, their heads would turn to follow him. Some even guided their horses closer, gradually surrounding him.
Ren Qing cursed inwardly.
What an All-Beings Buddha, always hiding behind others.
He immediately turned to leave.
If the other side refused to reveal itself, then he would have to pursue another route and use dream techniques to locate Song Zongwu.
Ren Qing moved faster than the horses.
In just a few breaths, he had already widened the distance.
"Laughing Lion Buddha Child, please wait..."
A shrill voice suddenly echoed through the air.
Pain could be heard beneath its tone.
The tens of thousands of fine-wool sheep present instantly shut their mouths in fear.
Ren Qing narrowed his eyes.
Under the effects of Dreamflower, Buddhist Qi transformed into Zong Qing's signature methods, condensing into a golden lion around him.
The being speaking to him was most likely the All-Beings Buddha worshipped by the shepherds.
At first, Ren Qing hadn't understood why the All-Beings Buddha addressed him as Laughing Lion Buddha Child.
Then realization struck.
All of his Buddhist Qi had been stripped from the Laughing Lion Arhat.
Although the Arhat Fruit position was not inside the original body, the Buddhist Qi undeniably originated from a Heavenly Aberration Realm Arhat.
If Ren Qing and Song Zongwu stood side by side, Ren Qing would undoubtedly appear more like a Buddha Child.
"All-Beings Buddha?"
Ren Qing turned around warily.
The shepherds rode closer, while the voice originated from within their chests and abdomens.
"Indeed, it is this Venerable One. It seems All-Beings Buddha is already known throughout Buddhism. Kekekekeke..."
Ren Qing did not know the relationship between Buddhism and All-Beings Buddha.
But the latter's methods were extraordinarily covert.
At the very least, Ren Qing had failed to detect them.
"Laughing Lion Buddha Child, don't be frightened. This Venerable One shall demonstrate a divine ability... ugh."
All-Beings Buddha let out a muffled groan.
The shepherds removed their upper garments.
The flesh on their chests and bellies began writhing.
Ren Qing's Buddhist Qi surged even more intensely.
In reality, it was merely a distraction.
His Ghost Shadow, hidden by the ability to erase his own presence, silently approached the shepherds.
The flesh on their bodies gradually formed twisted faces.
It looked as though heads were about to burst from their chests.
Faint Buddhist Qi emanated from them, but it felt distinctly different from orthodox Buddhist Qi.
"Kekekekeke, Laughing Lion Buddha Child should now understand the greatness of the Esoteric Buddhist Sect, yes?"
Pain saturated All-Beings Buddha's voice.
Clearly, using such methods required paying a strange price.
As excitement overtook him, cracking sounds erupted throughout the shepherds' bodies.
Blood seeped from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths.
Their bodies were on the verge of collapse.
Originally, Ren Qing had assumed this was a Storyteller-like ability, with All-Beings Buddha parasitizing mortals.
However, he quickly realized that what stood before him was not the true body.
Ghost Shadow merged into a shepherd's shadow.
The information stream surged.
...
[All-Beings Buddha]
[Age: 1,357]
[Lifespan: 7,613 years]´
[Technique: All-Beings Body]
[All-Beings Body]
[Created by the Nameless Ascetic. Cultivation requires forging a body from the wombs of one thousand women who are devoutly faithful to All-Beings Buddha, then fusing the soul of a reincarnated Buddha Child into it. Once body and soul become one, the technique is achieved.]
...
Ren Qing's expression changed slightly.
All-Beings Buddha could definitely be considered an unorthodox and sinister path.
What, then, were the other nine Spiritual Bodies?
What concerned him most was that the All-Beings Body had been created by the Nameless Ascetic.
The Nameless Ascetic was Song Zongwu's master.
He had also created techniques such as the Asura Method and Listening Technique, making him an unfathomable figure.
However, anyone capable of creating a Restraint Officer technique must have gazed upon the Heavenly Dao many times.
How could such a person's mental state possibly remain normal?
Ren Qing guessed that the All-Beings Body could use All-Beings Buddha's believers to forcibly descend into their bodies.
Or perhaps merely knowing of All-Beings Buddha was enough to allow the descent.
Killing intent unconsciously arose within him.
Such a bizarre technique should not exist.
It felt far too likely to expose him.
All-Beings Buddha laughed.
"Would Laughing Lion Buddha Child be willing to explore the Esoteric Buddhist Sect together? We can transcend Fruit positions themselves. There is no need to fear having body and soul seized after attaining enlightenment..."
He continued talking without pause.
At the same time, Buddhist Qi surged, and subtle threats filled his words.
Ren Qing did not immediately agree.
Only after sensing that All-Beings Buddha's aura had reached the Yang God Realm did he finally respond.
"I have indeed already lived through nine lifetimes. In this life, I will likely attain the Arhat Fruit position. At that time, I shall become nourishment for the Buddhist Diagram."
All-Beings Buddha's aura withdrew.
Acidic fluid from the shepherd's stomach poured from his mouth as he burst into wild laughter.
"No wonder Tathagata Buddha pointed toward this place. So it was because of Laughing Lion Buddha Child. With your addition, the Ten Spiritual Bodies become even more complete. The Dao is about to be achieved. About to be achieved!"
He was utterly mad.
The shepherd serving as his vessel was rapidly dying.
Still laughing, All-Beings Buddha said,
"I shall guide you to the Three Bodhis. With the foundation of a Laughing Lion Buddha Child, you will certainly ascend to Buddhahood."
"Allow me to congratulate you in advance. As it happens, I have refined a Dharma artifact of the Esoteric Buddhist Sect using human-sheep, and these tens of thousands of human-sheep shall also be gifted to you, Zong Qing. Kekekekeke..."
As his words fell, a woman among the shepherds suddenly let out a miserable scream.
She vomited a strange lotus flower the size of a fist.
The lotus rapidly expanded upon touching the ground.
In moments, it had become a fleshy lotus Throne of Skulls.
However, this one was assembled entirely from women's wombs.
...
[Flesh Lotus Throne of Skulls]
[Refined by All-Beings Buddha. Requires thousands of female wombs as materials. Sitting upon the Throne of Skulls allows one to experience the suffering of the karmic burdens of all living beings.]
...
Ren Qing had witnessed countless evil Buddhist paths before.
Yet the Esoteric Buddhist Sect still filled him with a chilling sense of horror.
Goosebumps rose all over his body.
The Tathagata Buddha mentioned by All-Beings Buddha was almost certainly Song Zongwu.
He was likely cultivating the Tathagata Body among the Ten Spiritual Bodies.
Song Zongwu may have been trying to warn the Hall of Restraint Officers about something, only to attract the attention of All-Beings Buddha instead.
Ren Qing recalled the missing organs inside the fine-wool sheep and the peanut-sized wombs.
The bizarre exchanges of sheep among the shepherds were likely part of All-Beings Buddha's process of refining Dharma artifacts.
However, All-Beings Buddha's control over the shepherds appeared heavily restricted.
That was why he had used Buddha Corpses to drive them.
The flesh on the shepherds' chests began writhing again.
All-Beings Buddha's face vanished.
The sheep resumed their noisy bleating.
What exactly was the Nameless Ascetic trying to accomplish?
Even if his goal was to escape the restraints of Buddhist techniques, there was no need to resort to such extreme methods.
No...
Ren Qing suddenly realized it wasn't that simple.
Based on All-Beings Buddha's age, the Esoteric Buddhist Sect might have been founded by the Nameless Ascetic, but it had clearly existed for several hundred years already.
An elderly shepherd stepped forward.
Wiping blood from his mouth and nose with his sleeve, he respectfully said,
"Buddha, we shall now guide you to the Three Bodhis. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."
"What are the Three Bodhis?"
Reverence filled the old man's eyes.
Breathing heavily, he replied,
"Reporting to Buddha, it is the cultivation ground of a thousand Buddhas. We mortals-"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough!"
Seeing that they were badly injured, Ren Qing flicked his sleeve and released Buddhist Qi to nourish the shepherds.
Using the Buddhist Sect Dreamflower, it was easy enough for him to perform simple manipulations of Buddhist Qi.
Actual combat, however, would likely expose his true level.
"Many thanks, Buddha."
The shepherds were moved to tears.
Yet they quickly returned to their previous calmness.
Clearly, All-Beings Buddha did not wish his followers to worship Ren Qing too fervently.
Ren Qing ignored him.
Opening his mouth, he drew all tens of thousands of fine-wool sheep into the Stomach World.
At present, he had no way to restore them to human form.
He simply handed them over to the Hall of Restraint Officers and, at the same time, issued an urgent task.
The Hall was to complete the specialized artifact transformation of the Forbidden Corpse's entire body as quickly as possible, steering it toward the mutation path of the Dead Man's Sutra.
All-Beings Buddha's true body was probably only at the peak of the Yang God Realm.
However, there was no telling whether the Esoteric Buddhist Sect possessed Heavenly Aberration Realm cultivators.
A trace of ruthlessness appeared in Ren Qing's eyes.
If he encountered a powerful enemy, he would temporarily fuse a Dead Man's Sutra strange object into the Forbidden Corpse.
Then, after summoning the Corpse Immortal, he would strip the strange object back out and flee amidst the chaos.
After all, the Forbidden Corpse was just a corpse.
As long as it wasn't completely destroyed, it could be restored with vitality.
So, Nameless Ascetic, is it?