Chapter 1161: Buddha Emperor Mara Heart Sutra of Deliverance and Peace

“Those who want to live, follow me!”

Ye Qing raised his fists and forced back two of the approaching Strangers. Then, he waved for the group to follow before running toward the source of the chime.

The group did not understand what was going on with him, but they still fell in behind him and stayed close to him.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Dozens of breaths later, Ye Qing suddenly stopped in his tracks. The others did the same thing.

Not far ahead of them, a massive black bull was leisurely strolling across the icy plains.

The black bull was as big as a hill. Its hooves were as big as stone pillars, and it was pitch black from head to toe. Hanging at the tip of its crescent-shaped horns were a pair of bronze bells. They rang melodiously with every step it took.

The bull was alive. It was a living, breathing bull.

This was surprising because every Stranger they had encountered until now were composed of taint, deathly qi, and evil energy. They might look alive, but they weren’t really a living being.

This bull was definitely alive though. They did not sense any evilness or malice from it either.

The bull wasn’t the most surprising thing, however. It was the monks sitting on its massive back.

At first glance, the monks were wearing solemn, dignified expressions.

Ye Qing’s senses told him the truth, however. Their flesh and blood were withered, and their souls were long gone. In other words, they had been dead since heavens-know-how-long.

This wasn’t the strangest thing though. It was the fact that these dead monks were chanting a Buddhist sutra.

That’s right. The dead were chanting a sutra.

At first, no one could hear the chanting. All they could hear was the melodious bell chime. When the black bull came within a certain range though, they could suddenly hear the chants.

The chanting sounded peaceful, auspicious, and benevolent. It relaxed the body and soothed the mind.

“Is that... is that the ‘Buddha Emperor Mara Heart Sutra of Deliverance and Peace’?”

The old woman suddenly exclaimed in excitement, “It is! It really is the Mara Sect’s long lost sutra, the ‘Buddha Emperor Mara Heart Sutra of Deliverance and Peace’!”

Devi Ruyi nodded in agreement. “It is the ‘Buddha Emperor Mara Heart Sutra of Deliverance and Peace’.”

Jinpeng Moyun at least knew where his priorities lay. He looked at Ye Qing and asked, “Is that what you have been spending so much time and effort looking for?”

“That’s right.” Ye Qing smiled. “Didn’t you notice? The Strangers have stopped approaching us since we heard the chanting.”

Jinpeng Moyun scanned his surroundings carefully before exclaiming in astonishment, “You’re right. Does that mean that the chantings somehow possess the power to stop the Strangers?”

Ye Qing nodded. “For now, and from the looks of it, yes.”

“That’s wonderful!”

As arrogant as Jinpeng Moyun was, even he could not help but smile widely at the realization. The rest of the group were practically weeping and dancing with joy.

“We’re safe!”

“The Buddha Emperor protects us!”

“The Buddha Emperor protects us!”

......

“Don’t be too happy just yet. Look behind the black bull!”

Ye Qing gave them a moment to process their feelings before pouring cold water on everyone’s head.

It was only then Jinpeng Moyun, Devi Ruyi and the others noticed that a group of people were following behind the black bull.

Looking at their attire and cultivation levels, these people were probably the Buddhist thieves, treasure seekers, and treasure hunters who made a living on the Myriad Buddha Plains.

They were all alive, but something was clearly wrong about them.

Clasping their hands in prayer and closing their eyes, they were all chanting a Buddhist sutra while wearing a tranquil expression on their faces. They were following behind the black bull with steady, even footsteps.

Ye Qing’s demonic thought found only devotion and reverence for the Mara Buddha Emperor inside their hearts. They were literally more devout than the likes of Devi Ruyi, the old woman, Jinpeng Moyun, and the Mara Sect disciples.

This was the strange part. After all, the large majority of these people were grave diggers, murderers, and robbers who had committed every crime under the sun. A sow would fly long before any one of these people would chant a sutra and worship a religion.

Even if some of them did choose to break the mold, there was no way they would choose the distant Mara Sect when an orthodox Buddhist sect was right behind their backs.

Therefore, these people had most likely been influenced by something. At the very least, they were operating on an unconscious level.

They were still alive, but they were no different from puppets.

And why did this happen? It was most likely because of the black bull, the monks, of the Buddhist sutra they were chanting.

“What’s going on?” Devi Ruyi and Jinpeng Moyun noticed the oddity as soon as Ye Qing had pointed it out.

“I’m the one who should be asking you that,” Ye Qing said while scratching his nose.

“I think I can answer that.”

Devi Ruyi spoke up. “Legend has it that the ‘Buddha Emperor Mara Heart Sutra of Deliverance and Peace’ is a boundless Buddhist art the Mara Buddha Emperor himself had personally taught to the human world. It possesses the power to enlighten the living, calm the soul, brighten the heart, repel the evils, and suppress all demons. It can deliver all beings—mortal, spirit, divine, or demonic—from suffering, convert them to the Mara Sect, and make them worship the Buddha Emperor.”

“If I’m not mistaken, these monks are probably our venerated ancestors. Although they have passed away, their physical shells remain intact, and their wills are imperishable. They continue to roam the Myriad Buddha Plains forever to deliver all beings from suffering.”

Well, it looks like this sutra has delivered even its victims’ consciousness from “suffering”. This is why pagan religions are just...

Ye Qing mentally complained inside his head but was careful not to reveal any of it on his face. Despite this, Devi Ruyi seemed to read his thoughts and added,

“The ‘Buddha Emperor Mara Heart Sutra of Deliverance and Peace’ can convert any being to the Mara Sect, but it does not wipe away one’s consciousness. Personally, I believe that their unconsciousness is due to the anomalies currently plaguing the Myriad Buddha Plains.”

“That is a possibility!” Ye Qing nodded before breaking into a sudden grin. “Let’s ask a first hand witness and see if our guesses are true, shall we?”

Ye Qing blurred and disappeared into the group of converted thieves. A moment later, he returned with a frail, scholarly-looking youngster in his twenties.

Ye Qing was lifting the youngster by the neck, but he continued to pray and chant as if he couldn’t feel Ye Qing’s touch at all. Not only then, he immediately started walking back to the crowd after Ye Qing had released him.

Ye Qing grabbed the youngster again and tapped him on the forehead, causing a ripple of demonic thought to spread inside his headspace.

A short while later, the youngster slowly began to open his eyes.

At first, the youngster looked both dazed and wary. Then, his expression turned complicated and fearful as if he finally recalled what happened to him.

The youngster dropped to his knees before Ye Qing and thanked him profusely, “Thank you for saving my life, senior! Thank you!”

“R-Right! Can you please save my friends as well, senior? They were corrupted by the Buddhist sounds as well.”

“Your friends?” Ye Qing shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s too late for them. You are the only one out of everyone who could still be saved.”

The reason Ye Qing was able to save this youngster was because he sensed resistance from his mind and consciousness. It meant that there was still hope for the youngster. That was why he was able to cleanse his mind and awaken his dormant consciousness.

However, the rest of the group had been fully corrupted by the Buddhist chantings, leaving behind nothing except wholehearted devotion toward the Mara Buddha Emperor.

If he tried to cleanse the corruption inside their mind, he would succeed, but they would also drop dead the next instant.