Volume One, Chapter Forty-One: Never Commit Incest

Chapter Forty-One: Never Ever

Mo Bojun, feeling frustrated, returned to the topic at hand:

“Although the rules and precepts the Buddha asks people to follow are attributed to good and evil, this is already somewhat absurd. Think about it: ordinary people who break the precepts are condemned to hell, but those with spiritual attainments who violate them get off with barely a slap on the wrist—or the transgression is simply ignored. Is there anything in this world more hypocritical and shameless than that?

Still, it’s not fair to say the Buddha’s understanding of the world is wrong. The Buddha does have his methods. I’ll admit that.

Now, let’s get to the main point.

The Daoist practice of refining the spirit until it returns to emptiness is about transforming the elixir into an infant, achieving the primordial spirit. This corresponds to the second stage among the six Arhat realms in Buddhism—the stage of the Dharmic-Arhat. Refining emptiness to join with the Dao parallels the fifth stage, the Capable-Arhat.

So, in a sense, Daoism and Buddhism take different paths but reach the same destination. They are two sides of the same coin—just as Daoists say the Buddha is a branch of the Primordial Ancestor Hongjun. It’s a bit self-serving and shameless, but there’s some truth in it.

To truly explain these things, I’d need to tell you a lot more. But today, let’s keep it simple and get straight to the point.

Let’s talk about the spirit.

What is the spirit? Is it the soul?

Yes—and no.

The spirit refers to someone born with innate supernatural abilities, who doesn’t need cultivation—they’re gifted from birth. That’s what we call a spirit. Abilities gained through cultivation are the domain of immortals.

The second meaning is the soul.

This soul is the most mysterious aspect of sentient beings. It encompasses thought, will, and spiritual awareness.

The mind is where the soul resides. The mind isn’t a chaotic void; it has layers. If you introspect, you’ll find an oval-shaped area in the forehead, like a boundary. Daoists call it the Mud Pill, the Purple Palace, the Spiritual Platform—this is where the Alaya-consciousness dwells. This place has three layers: the surface is called the Ability Store; deeper is the Object Store; the deepest is the Attachment Store. Each store is wondrous in its own way. Cultivated to the extreme, it can give birth to an infant, the so-called Primordial Infant in Daoism. The Primordial Infant is the crystallization of spiritual awareness. Yet the most mysterious spiritual awareness isn’t even this—it’s a presence that’s ambiguous, sometimes visible, sometimes not. This awareness takes law as its substance, traces of the Dao as its form; it can be an infant, it can be anything, its marvels are beyond comprehension. That’s why the Buddha said: it cannot be spoken.

Actually, kid, it’s not that it cannot be spoken—it’s that he can’t explain it clearly! If you can’t explain it, you just don’t say anything, right? Haha…”

Tu Zhe finally understood. But where exactly was the Amala-consciousness?

Mo Bojun told him: The Amala-consciousness exists within the Alaya-consciousness, yet is independent of it. It’s the highest level of Alaya-consciousness, wandering within it, uncertain of its location.

Tu Zhe rolled his eyes. This was all so mystical—if you don’t know where it is, Master, how did you seal the Brahma Egg inside the Amala-consciousness? Isn’t that a contradiction?

Mo Bojun explained, “That’s where you need to cooperate. I’ve sensed your spiritual awareness—it’s thousands of times stronger than that of an ordinary celestial. Did you have some extraordinary encounter?”

Tu Zhe was too lazy to explain; his spiritual awareness had absorbed all the energy of the ancestor Chi You’s divided soul—of course it was powerful.

Tu Zhe said, “Master, how do you want me to cooperate? Hurry up, time’s pressing, I feel a huge crisis and the pressure is immense, haha…”

Mo Bojun told Tu Zhe to sit cross-legged, form the Samaya seal, enter meditation, visualize, and introspect the spiritual platform, imagining the Amala-consciousness drifting among the Ability, Object, and Attachment Stores.

Tu Zhe followed the instructions, and soon entered a wondrous state. He saw, within the egg-shaped Alaya-consciousness, a faint, flickering spiritual light drifting through the misty chaos.

From Mo Bojun’s brow a vertical white light shot forth, striking Tu Zhe’s spiritual platform, capturing that faint spiritual glow.

“Good, it’s done.”

Mo Bojun sent his spiritual awareness into Tu Zhe’s Sumeru ring, and in an instant arrived at the towering pagoda within, ascending to the second level. His spiritual awareness, transformed into a bolt of lightning, crackled and split the seal on the second level, creating a fissure. The spiritual awareness wormed its way inside, and before the fissure closed, a ball of electricity wrapped around an egg-shaped object, bursting out through the crack.

Immediately, the egg-shaped object appeared in Mo Bojun’s hand.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at this rare treasure.

It was a misty, egg-shaped object the size of a human head, with strands of Brahma energy swirling about it. Within the Brahma energy, faint golden light flickered, like a beating heart.

My goodness, this was the Seed of the World!

Was a medium-sized world gestating within it?

How much energy must that contain?

When it is born—exploding, splitting, expanding, separating yin and yang, floating and sinking in heaven and earth—how grand and breathtaking must that spectacle be!

Mo Bojun, this mighty presence of the three realms and heavens, was visibly shaken; his hand trembled.

He continued to sit cross-legged, forming seals and visualizing.

Tu Zhe, following Mo Bojun’s instructions, continued to track the drifting spiritual light within the Alaya-consciousness, tightly entwined around it.

Mo Bojun chanted solemn mantras, then shouted:

“As vast as Sumeru, as small as a mustard seed; may its size be as I wish—let it become a mustard seed!”

Instantly, the Brahma Egg in his hand shrank to a nearly invisible point of light.

Mo Bojun’s spiritual awareness, wrapped around this light, entered Tu Zhe’s spiritual platform, following Tu Zhe’s thoughts to the drifting spiritual glow.

Mo Bojun shouted again:

“Amala-consciousness, as small as a mustard seed and as vast as Sumeru; may its size be as I wish—let it become Sumeru!”

In that instant, Tu Zhe felt the spiritual glow suddenly expand, growing infinitely until it filled boundless space.

The Brahma Egg, wrapped in Mo Bojun’s spiritual awareness, was cast into the vast Amala-consciousness, becoming a speck of starlight floating within.

Mo Bojun continued to shout:

“Amala-consciousness, as free as you wish, as void as you wish; appear and vanish at will—let it become void!”

Immediately, Tu Zhe felt the Amala-consciousness vanish. He could no longer find the spiritual glow, as if it had never existed.

Mo Bojun let out a long sigh. His expression was a bit ashen; clearly, even for him, the transfer and concealment of the Brahma Egg had consumed tremendous energy.

Tu Zhe opened his eyes and gazed silently at Mo Bojun.

Doggy handed Mo Bojun a celestial treasure cup filled with Heavenly Suddha wine, saying, “Big guy, you’ve worked hard—have a cup of fine wine, hehe…”

Mo Bojun took it and drank silently.

Tu Zhe asked, “Master… do you need to rest?”

Mo Bojun waved his hand, “No need for words. Kid, the Brahma Egg is hidden in your Amala-consciousness. The chance of it being discovered is very low—even a divine scan from the Great Thief wouldn’t find it.

But in this world, spiritual awareness isn’t the only way to find hidden things. If the Great Thief is proficient in the art of fate deduction, he might be able to infer the Brahma Egg’s location.

So, concealing fate is necessary. However, whether it’s me or Lord Mu Xiu Lou Tuo, we’re good with transformation techniques, but concealing fate is a challenge.”

Mu Xiu Lou Tuo said, “King Rahu of the Asuras has the Eclipse Veil, which can conceal fate. The problem is, why would he teach Tu Zhe this technique? It’s his ace skill, his life-saving art…”

Tu Zhe’s eyes blazed, and he hurriedly asked, “Lord Mu, are you referring to Rahu, King of the Asuras, father of Lady Yueyi?”

Mu Xiu Lou Tuo replied, “Of course—there’s only one Rahu, isn’t there?”

Tu Zhe punched his palm, “That settles it! Rahu, King of the Asuras, is family—if he gives it to anyone, it’ll be me, haha…”

Mo Bojun looked at Tu Zhe in surprise, “When did you acquire such a relative?”

Doggy, ever eager to expose Tu Zhe, squealed, “Rogue bro’s courting the most beautiful woman of the three realms—of course Rahu, King of the Asuras, is his lucky father-in-law, hehe…”

Tu Zhe’s face darkened, and he gave Doggy a smack, “Don’t listen to Doggy’s nonsense—Lady Yueyi is my sworn sister, nothing to do with romantic affairs…”

Doggy looked up at the ceiling and muttered, “You’d better not woo her—if you do, you’ll be… hmm hmm hmm…”