Not long before.
Moon.
Inside an exploration spaceship from the Buddha Country.
A wooden-faced young man was sitting dumbly on the ground, his eyes watching the scenes flickering across the screen, but his body showed no reaction whatsoever.
All sorts of electronics and detection devices surrounded him, with dense clusters of wires connected to his brain, organs, and limbs, revealing every minute change occurring within his body on a large screen.
Du Kong looked at the steady data on the screen with a hint of hesitation, "This body... is it alive or dead?"
During their last visit to the other side of the Moon Immortal Gate with Moonlight Buddha, the corpse of Lin Xing they had discovered on the Moon had mysteriously reanimated.
As they were in doubt and unsure of how to deal with this resurrected Lin Xing, they soon realized sothing was amiss.
Hui Ling said slowly, "We have been trying to stimulate him with various thods these past days, but nothing has been effective."
"This Lin Xing feels like an empty husk to . No Primordial Spirit, not even a soul, and certainly no consciousness."
"A normal human, even a newborn, couldn’t possibly have no reaction to external stimuli."
Hearing Hui Ling’s words, Du Kong nodded slightly, stroking his chin, "Yes, like an empty husk... but why create this empty husk? What was Lin Xing’s purpose in creating it?"
As the two fell back into discussion, Moonlight Buddha suddenly spoke up, "Perhaps it wasn’t Lin Xing’s intention to create such a body."
The chanical Buddha emitted a thoughtful electronic tone, "According to the experience of many Electronic Buddhas within Buddha Country, after data transfer, all Electronic Buddhas delete excess consciousness entities. Each backup of consciousness is also subject to strict restrictions..."
Hui Ling queried with confusion, "Why? Shouldn’t the more Buddhas there are, the stronger they would be?"
Moonlight Buddha emitted a personified light chuckle, "What would you do if one day you suddenly cloned yourself, identical from mories to strengths and even the physical body?"
Hui Ling furrowed her brow, speaking slowly, "Control the other, make her obey."
Moonlight Buddha continued, "Coincidentally, your clone thinks the sa. Both of you, with the sa mories, would likely believe that you are the original."
"Therefore, each replication, if not restricted, often poses great risks."
"And Lin Xing was said to be able to reconstruct his Primordial Spirit and even create bodies at will, refining the flesh like Immortal Artifacts."
"If he were to change his body, then he would certainly obliterate on the old body, all possibilities that could give birth to consciousness."
Hui Ling’s eyes flickered with acknowledgnt, "So, this body is one that Lin Xing has discarded?"
The thought made her mood dip sowhat, as if she had thought they had unearthed a great secret, only to find it was re gossip.
While the Buddha and the two were deliberating, a vast mighty force suddenly descended upon the exploration spaceship.
Accompanied by endless brightness seeping through the screens of the spaceship, a handso, upright figure had already floated down and slowly descended before them.
Du Kong and the others straightened up with serious expressions, bowing deeply in respect, yet feeling a bit of surprise in their hearts.
These days, the Great Bright Buddha had been ditating in seclusion, not erging for any event in the outside world, and now he had left the Buddha Country and co to the Moon.
The Great Bright Buddha looked at the corpse of Lin Xing with a complex gaze and spoke slowly, "Step back. No matter what happens next, do not enter without my command."
Du Kong and the others bowed and retreated, while the Great Bright Buddha’s form flashed and dissolved into a radiant light.
At the sa ti, bundles of light re-coalesced in front of Lin Xing’s corpse, once again taking the form of the Great Bright Buddha.
He sensed the allure emanating from the body before him, as if it were an incredibly exquisite, rare treasure, incessantly calling out to the Great Bright Buddha.
"Moonlight Buddha is right, this body has no vestige of self-awareness, due to the chanisms left by Lin Xing."
"But I can feel that this is not simply a body discarded by Lin Xing."
Thirty-two haloes of lightning appeared behind the Great Bright Buddha, sending out ripples of thunderous force, seemingly in resonance with the corpse before him, creating a curious attraction.
"Lin Xing, you want to use to perfect your Divine Skills...to use to forge an even stronger Immortal Artifact..."
"But do I not also desire to seize your power?"
The Great Bright Buddha sat cross-legged in front of Lin Xing’s corpse, aware that his current consciousness had fully rged with the body, making the previous style of Seize Control impossible.
Yet, if he were to copy his consciousness into this body, transferring all his power into the corpse before him, would the newly accomplished being still be him?
"To progress further, must I sacrifice the old to achieve the new ?"
"Lin Xing, you foresaw my death in seven years, six years ago. Did you decide then that I would ultimately self-sacrifice for a breakthrough?"
Great Bright Buddha looked at the lifeless body before him. Even he could not calmly make this life-and-death decision to sacrifice his current self just to achieve a stronger new life, one with the sa power and mories as his own.
For greater power... is it worth it?
At this mont, Great Bright Buddha reflected on his past, his cultivation journey, and the great vows in his heart.
"Since my earliest mories, this world’s royals and commoners, apex beings, and field insects alike have all been struggling and fighting, spending their lives in vain seeking peace, forever squeezed by the desires and malevolence within their hearts."
"But even if one fights a lifeti and reaches the summit, they ultimately may pour everything out for the Immortal Court."
"It could be said that all beings suffer."
A faint aura radiated from Great Bright Buddha, his face showing both a compassionate sorrow for the world and an imposing solemnity.
"Since achieving my cultivation, I have vowed to ferry all beings from their worldly suffering."
"Alas... the Immortal Court..."
"If I wholeheartedly pursue ascension, I will never escape the control of the Immortal Court."
"And if I don’t ascend, I will never have the power to contend with the Immortal Court."
"Upon pondering all this, I understood that the battle with the Immortal Court had not yet begun, and I had already failed."
"I had no choice but to accumulate power, to seek a new path... until Lin Xing appeared, the world dramatically changed, and I finally made a breakthrough. From the fate of this world, I saw a glimr of life and created the Buddha Country."
"But... it’s still not enough."
Great Bright Buddha sat quietly in front of Lin Xing’s body, contemplating his life and understanding his true feelings as ti slipped by.
He rembered the deaths of old friends, the withering of countless followers, and the demise of the great figures of the Nine Great Sects...
One day, two days, three days... He kept thinking, kept rembering.
His eyes grew clearer, and the Buddha’s light seed to beco even more pure.
"Heh."
On the ninth day, accompanied by a chuckle, a vast power surged from Great Bright Buddha.
"I wish to ferry all beings."
He slowly grasped his own head and said faintly, "I don’t want to die either."
"But..."
With a sound like breaking steel, Great Bright Buddha’s muscles and neck were forcefully torn apart by his hands.
"Now that it’s my turn..."
He held his own head in one hand and took Lin Xing’s head from before him, placing it onto his severed neck.
Instantly, trendous lightning burst forth from the back of his head, seemingly rging with Lin Xing’s head, releasing unprecedented power.
At the sa ti, under Lin Xing’s head, the body of Great Bright Buddha shimred with layers of Buddha’s light, with so marvelous transformation taking place within.
His head held in his hand, he smiled faintly, "If I don’t enter hell, who will?"
Simultaneously, layers of Buddha’s light had perated Lin Xing’s head.
He opened his eyes, looked at the head in his hands, and sighed softly, "You can rest easy now. It’s my turn."
They exchanged smiles, their eyes revealing a mutual acceptance.
About 1.5 seconds later, as Great Bright Buddha’s spirit changed, all the chanical Buddhas and Electronic Buddhas on both Earth and Moon began a consciousness update.
After this update, Great Bright Buddha no longer imposed any restrictions on the copies of his consciousness.
Because at that mont, having shared Great Bright Buddha’s newest spiritual realm, they all gained the sa heart for ferrying the world.
At that mont, they seed no longer to fear death. Countless thoughts flowed through Buddha Country, nothing more than advancing one after another, dying to live on.
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