Having passed through the Gate of Goodness, she was no longer under demon control, but shadows of the demon world still haunted her. She walked quickly, not daring to relax. Finally, countless caves and thatched huts appeared before her. It was a sharp contrast to the golden magnificence of the Demon World. She had entered the Illusory Realm of Buddhas within Self-Nature Mountain.
Crowds gathered outside every cave and hut. Dabei squeezed into a crowd and asked a refined young man, “What is happening here?”
“Oh, you must be new! You don’t even know this?” the young man said dismissively. She saw the poison of Arrogance drifting from his mouth.
“Don’t you see? There are seven caves on this mountain, all for detoxification. Every cave master says theirs is the best, and we don’t know which one to enter.”
“What are those thatched huts for?” she asked sincerely. The boy became even more disdainful: “You really don’t understand anything. Those huts are also for curing the five poisons of Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Arrogance, and Doubt. Surely you know the five poisons? We are all poisoned, but the people in the huts never come out, so no one knows if they’ve been cured.”
“But there are people outside those huts too,” she noted. “Those are relatives and friends. They hope the people inside will come out and say something. They’ve been waiting for years.” The boy finished and hurried into one of the caves.
Just then, cheers erupted outside one of the huts. From a distance, she saw a man with a shaved head wearing a grey robe. Her life identifier suddenly screamed, and the Divine Mirror reflected a familiar shadow. “It’s Duozhi!” She excitedly pushed through, but there were too many people, so she could only listen from the perimeter.
Someone asked, “Master, are you cured?” “Oh, do not call me Master,” Duozhi said humbly. “I am not cured, and the hut cannot cure the poison. But in these ten years inside, I have realized a truth.”
Hearing he was not cured, some people left. Others stayed to hear his truth. “It turns out there is something called ‘Ego-attachment’ in our bodies. As soon as it breaks, our poison will vanish instantly.”
“How can it be broken?”
“There is a Divine Being on this mountain. When his vessel is full of Merit Water, he emits the light of Universal Love. If we can receive this water and light, ‘Ego-attachment’ will break. But this Merit Water requires us to constantly give rise to good thoughts and perform good deeds to fill the vessel.”
“Can we find this Divine Being?”
“No, for there is no path up the mountain. When the water is full, he will naturally appear.”
“How long will that take? We want to be cured now. Let’s look at the other caves.” The crowd around Duozhi dispersed. Only one boy remained close to him; the Divine Mirror showed he was a rescue member.
Dabei was thrilled. She walked up to Duozhi and pulled his sleeve: “Duozhi!”
A pink toxic mist rose on Duozhi’s face as he pulled his hand away. The boy stepped between them and said angrily, “Do not be rude to the Master, you little demon girl!”
Dabei was shocked. “They don’t recognize me anymore,” she realized.
“Duozhi, I am Dabei. Do you remember King Duobao? Do you remember the rescue mission? Why are you living here? This is the Illusory Realm of Buddhas; staying here cannot cure the poison. We must find the Divine Being.”
Duozhi’s face turned from pink to sallow. The poison of Doubt was spreading through him.
“Where did you come from?” he asked sternly. She replied, “I came through the Demon Palace.”
“Haha!” Duozhi laughed. “You, a woman, crossed the Demon Palace? However, you seem relatively pure; perhaps you haven’t absorbed much demon poison and are not lying. I won’t pursue it, just leave. Otherwise, the cave masters will kill you if they find out.”
Dabei was frantic. “Duozhi, have you really forgotten your mission? Where did you enter the Illusory Realm of Buddhas?”
“Demon girl, go away!” the boy shouted again.
“Duozhi, I found you because I have the Mani Jewel, the Divine Mirror, and the life identifier given by King Duobao.”
Duozhi was about to walk away, but hearing this, he turned back hesitantly. Suppressing his excitement, he asked, “Lady, do you have the Mani Jewel?” His tone was much more respectful.
“Yes!” She nodded. More people began to gather. Duozhi grabbed her hand and said, “Follow me.” He led her into an empty cave while the boy blocked the entrance.
“Lady, forgive my rudeness. A while ago, the Demon King sent a group of demon girls who made a mess of the Illusory Realm of Buddhas, spreading demon poison. Originally, those caves could cure the poisons, but now demon-spawn have disguised themselves and infiltrated them. Now there is demon poison in the caves, and many people catch new poisons before the old ones are cured. That’s why I live in a hut. I was surprised you said you came from the Demon Palace. Can you tell me how you did it?”
Dabei told him about Duoli and the journey through the palace. Duozhi sighed: “Duoli’s heart and courage to find a cure within the Demon Illusion are praiseworthy. And that the Demon King could turn toward goodness because of love is truly inconceivable!”
“Where did you enter the Illusory Realm of Buddhas?” she asked.
“Lady, there is another entrance on this side of the mountain, but it is one-way. If those who enter the Illusory Realm of Buddhas fail to detoxify and try to leave, they must cross the Demon Illusion, where many become demon-spawn. So most people have lived here for a long time, unable to find a cure and unable to leave.”
“Why do you look like this?” she asked. Duozhi rubbed his head and laughed: “Many of us do this as a sign. Others see us as people dedicated to finding a cure. We do not marry and we eat a vegetarian diet. Because our profession is sacred, we are respected. If you leave the cave, don’t tell anyone you came from the Demon Palace. Since no one has seen someone enter from there without being poisoned, they will treat you as a demon girl, and it will be terrible! This place is very strict now to prevent demon-spawn from entering. The entrance is guarded by powerful guardians. Unless a cave master recognizes you and brings you in, the people here won’t accept you. I don’t have much influence, but I know a cave master who can protect you.”
Dabei grew anxious: “Duozhi, I don’t need protection in the Illusory Realm of Buddhas. I need to find all the rescue members and take you away.”
“Right! How could I forget the mission again?” Duozhi slapped the back of his head. “I remember everything now. We are all addicted and can’t find our way home. Even if you try to take us now, it will be hard. There were 3,000 of us. About 1,500 are in the Illusory Realm of Buddhas; 1,000 with heavy poison are still in the Five Poison Illusion; and about 500 are in the Demon Illusion. My poison is the lightest, yet as soon as I leave the Illusory Realm of Buddhas, it flares up and I become disoriented. To take us away, the most important thing is to find the Divine Being.” Duozhi lowered his head helplessly.
“Duozhi, have you forgotten the Mani Jewel can show the way?” As she spoke, she let the jewel rotate and silently prayed: “Mani Jewel, please find the way up the mountain.” The jewel emitted ten thousand rays of light, then sucked them back in. After several times, it shot a bolt of lightning straight to the cave ceiling, and a door opened.
“Look! The path to the summit has appeared!” she cried.
“Where?” Duozhi looked at her blankly. He couldn’t see the path shown by such intense light. Seeing his eyes filled with toxic addiction, she felt very sad.
“Duozhi, the Mani Jewel is merged with my heart and I cannot take it out, but I can see the path through the Divine Mirror. Just follow me. But there is no path from the floor to the ceiling. We need a ladder.” Duozhi laughed: “Dabei, almost every cave master in the Illusory Realm of Buddhas has such a ladder.”
Duozhi went out and soon returned with a finely crafted folding ladder. It was more than long enough. Praising its craftsmanship, she and Duozhi climbed toward the ceiling.
Entering the door, they found a long passage stretching into the distance, flickering with bizarre lights. They walked cautiously. Seeing these lights reminded her of the Demon Illusion. She thought of the Demon King and Duoli. As soon as the thought arose, the Demon King appeared in the air, glaring at her: “Dabei, you took the wrong path! This is the Demon Illusion. You cannot escape me. Give me the pearl!” Duoli also appeared, pale, shouting “Run!” before spitting blood and collapsing.
“Duoli died because of you! Give back her life!” The fierce Demon King lunged at her, and she recoiled in fear.
“Dabei, the light here is emitted by the five poisons plus the poisons of the Demon and Illusory Realm of Buddhass. The gas is heavier here. You must not move your mind! Whatever you think of will manifest in the light.”
The Demon King vanished, and in his place appeared the Divine Being with countless hands and eyes. She was overjoyed. “We finally found you!”
“Dabei, it’s fake. It’s an illusion created by your mind,” Duozhi said.
“But I wasn’t thinking of him just now?” she asked frantically.
“Even if you didn’t have a specific thought, your heart is attached to finding him, so his image manifested.”
Indeed, as she paused, the Divine Being vanished. Then Duozhi leaned against her: “Dabei, I have no strength. I can’t walk. Even without distracting thoughts, my addiction is heavier than yours. I just want to sleep… my head is heavy…” Before finishing, he fell asleep against her.
She knew he was right. She also felt faint. “I cannot sleep,” she thought, remembering the Detoxification Pill. As soon as she thought of it, her father appeared in the air. Knowing it was an illusion, she ignored it. She took out the pill, broke off half, and put it in Duozhi’s mouth.
“Dabei, you must return quickly. You have exceeded six days.” Hearing this, even though she knew it was an illusion, she became agitated. The five poisons took the opportunity to spread through her body. She quickly swallowed the other half of the pill. After a while, they both felt refreshed.
“That was close!” she thought. For the rest of the journey, they focused their spirits and dared not be distracted. After an unknown time, they saw another exit.