I looked around and saw walls and halls made of piles of white bones, human skins hanging as decorations on the walls, and blood filling the oil lamps.

"Where... where is this?" I felt incredulous. I was just at Ling Mountain before. Is this now some demon's cave?

"Master, this is Ling Mountain."

"Impossible, Ling Mountain couldn't be like this."

"Ling Mountain may not have been like this before, but due to the Buddhas' private desires and continuous harm to living beings, Ling Mountain naturally became like this."

Though shocked, I couldn't help but refute such nonsense, "Nonsense! Buddhas have always guided people towards goodness, enlightening living beings. How could they have private desires? It's impossible for them to harm living beings."

Pigsy sighed, "These are the results of my investigations during my cultivation. Master, please listen to me."

"Do you know why your Buddhist teachings speak of instant enlightenment and transformation, letting go of violence to become Buddhas?"

I responded, "Of course, the Buddha's teachings are profound, guiding people towards goodness, doing good deeds. As long as people practice Buddhism, abandon evil and violence, they can naturally attain spiritual redemption and liberation."

Pigsy burst into laughter, covering his face, "Haha, Master, you are still so naive. That's why the Buddhas insisted on getting you out even at the cost of a fight. If you escape, there is indeed a possibility of revitalizing Buddhism."

"But what's the use of revitalizing Buddhism? Isn't it just another cycle in a different place?"

I furrowed my brow, "Pigsy, what are you trying to say?"

Pigsy continued to explain to me.

"Human nature and demonic nature coexist. When Buddhas practice Buddhism, there is also a layer of demons accompanying them. Buddhas advocate practicing Buddhism to purify people's demonic nature, purifying the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance.

"However, demonic nature cannot disappear on its own. As Buddha nature increases, demonic nature also increases. Normal practice should integrate both natures, cultivating one's own mind and spirit together to achieve harmony.

"But Buddhism itself started later than Eastern Taoism. To compete with Taoism, the Buddhas had to develop at a faster pace. So, in order to speed up their practice,

"they separated their demonic nature from their Buddha nature. This way, they could possess a purer Buddha nature and maintain an extremely fast pace of practice."

Pigsy's words shattered my previous understanding.

I shook my head, "It's impossible, Buddhism emphasizes the cultivation of body and mind together."

"Hmph! Impossible? That's because you haven't encountered this yet. Look at the demons and monsters around us. The closer to Ling Mountain, the higher their cultivation. This is all due to the demonic energy released by Ling Mountain.

"Initially, the Buddha privately met the Jade Emperor, saying that Buddhism would face a great calamity in the West. If Buddhism couldn't escape, he hoped to re-establish Buddhism in the East. The Tathagata Buddha said he would send his second disciple, Golden Cicada, to the mortal world to retrieve the scriptures from the West and re-establish Buddhism in the East. This Golden Cicada is you, Master.

"The Jade Emperor found it quite strange, as Ling Mountain had long lost contact with the Heavenly Court. So, he arranged for me to join the pilgrimage team to investigate."

Countless pieces of information flooded my mind, completely overturning my previous understanding.