After an unknown time, she felt a cool breeze on her face. Opening her eyes, she found herself lying on a giant lotus. She sat up and saw an ocean of lotuses. Nearby, Duozhi sat on a lotus with his eyes closed, his body emitting flickering light, with poison rising from him like steam.
She was puzzled, then noticed something different: her body had become a transparent vessel of lapis lazuli (Liyuli). Pillars of light shone within her. She moved her limbs; she felt light, as if her body didn’t exist.
She was overjoyed, knowing she was detoxified. “This must be the place of the Divine Being. Duozhi and I must have received his help.”
She remembered her mission and stood up, calling out: “Divine Being, where are you?” Instantly, ten thousand rays of golden light converged, and an old woman with white hair and eyebrows appeared. She descended and said, “Child, are you awake?”
“Elder, did you save me? Are you the Divine Being?”
“Child, you were both frozen by the divine light in the Illusory Realm of Light. I brought you here. I am not the Divine Being, only his attendant. He lives on the ‘Island of Dependent Origination’ (Yuanqi Dao) ahead. Look!”
Following her finger, Dabei saw a lonely island surrounded by white mist, its depths immeasurable—whether it was water or light, she couldn’t tell.
“Child, do you come from King Duobao?” the old woman asked. She was shocked! “How do you know?”
The woman laughed. As she did, a warm current flowed through Dabei.
“I have been to your planet. The Mani Jewel and Divine Mirror are his treasures.” She looked at Dabei’s chest.
Looking down, she noticed that since she had become a lapis lazuli body, the treasures had separated from her internal organs and were visible from the outside.
“You’ve seen my father?” She was thrilled.
“The King is truly compassionate to send his own daughter to this toxic planet,” the woman praised. “Child, the Divine Being has had me wait here for you for over two hundred years. He told me to give you this book.” She took a book from her bag.
Dabei received it with both hands. On the cover was the word “Origin” (Yuan). As she wondered about its meaning, the word began to rotate and emit golden light, which merged with the white pillars in her body. The word vanished.
She opened the book; it was blank. She flipped through it, but there wasn’t a single word.
Seeing her confusion, the old woman said: “This is the Wordless Heavenly Book. If there is a fated connection, it will show words or pictures to guide you.”
“Elder, can you take us to the Island of Dependent Origination? I want to see the Divine Being as soon as possible.”
The woman smiled mysteriously: “One cannot go there without a fated cause. The island is surrounded by an abyss of toxic gas and a sea of suffering. Nine evil dragons once lived there until they were subdued by the Divine Being to act as guardians. The illusions on the island are unpredictable. Two hundred years ago, there were lions, phoenixes, and peacocks. It was shrouded in auspicious clouds and celestial music. But for these two hundred years, I have only seen sorrowful mists.”
“Is the Divine Being still there?”
“The island is small; you will know when you get there.” The woman gave a meaningful smile and stood up. “My task is done. Take care.” She turned into ten thousand rays of light and dispersed. “Gathered, they form a shape; dispersed, they become spirit!” Dabei watched in awe.
“Dabei,” Duozhi woke up and walked over. After detoxification, he looked elegant and ethereal. “Duozhi, you are cured!” she cried. He seemed not to hear, staring at her in shock.
“Duozhi!” she shouted. He snapped out of it. “Your body is lapis lazuli! Incredible!”
“Why are you excited? Have you forgotten our people are Beings of Light?”
“I’ve just never seen a human become like this. When I was in the Illusory Realm of Buddhas, a cave master said his predecessor became like this, but I didn’t believe him.”
“Don’t stare at me, we have work to do.” she explained what happened.
“We must get to that island, but how?” Duozhi couldn’t think of a way. Then the Heavenly Book glowed. She opened it to see the words: “The Gathering of Nine Dragons.”
“The book is guiding us!” she cried. “How do we gather them?” After a moment, more words appeared: “Throw out the Mani Jewel.” They were both stunned.
“The book is amazing; it knows we have the jewel!” Dabei closed her eyes and entered meditation. She saw the jewel rush to her crown, which opened into a lotus to hold the pearl. She took the jewel in her hands. It didn’t emit light itself but reflected all light from the planet.
Duozhi hesitated: “It’s our planet’s treasure. Can we just leave it here?”
“That doesn’t matter. I’ll explain to my father. Finding the Divine Being is what’s important.”
Duozhi took the jewel and threw it toward the island. A streak of white light cut through the air. Instantly, thunderous dragon roars echoed through the mountain, and nine golden light pillars rose from the valley, lunging toward the jewel.
“The Gathering of Nine Dragons!” Golden snakes danced in the sky as the jewel became a sphere of white light. They were stunned by the spectacle. Suddenly, a massive flash and a thunderous crack seemed to split the mountain. When they recovered, the sky was clear—a rainbow-like bridge of golden scales extended to their feet.
They crossed the bridge, which vanished once they stepped onto the island.
The island was desolate, covered in weeds and animal skeletons. The marshes emitted a nauseating stench.
After a few steps, Duozhi shouted: “Look!” In the grass lay a giant white lion, staring at them with eyes like bronze bells. Duozhi stepped in front of Dabei, fearing an attack.
Looking into the lion’s hollow eyes, she felt a sense of familiarity. As the lion approached, they saw it was so thin its bones were showing. Yet it still possessed a kingly aura.
“Lion King?” she called out kindly. The lion seemed to understand and licked her hand. Duozhi excitedly reached out to pet its head. Before she could stop him, he cried out; the lion’s matted fur had pierced his hand. White blood flowed from his palm. The lion growled low, as if blaming his carelessness.
“My blood has become white milk!” Duozhi cried. Some drops fell on the lion’s head, and the matted fur instantly became smooth. He held his bleeding hand to the lion’s nose. The lion licked the wound, which healed instantly. After tasting the blood, the lion’s spirit surged, its eyes shone, and its muscles swelled.
The lion ran around them excitedly, then leaped onto a rock and roared. The sky darkened, wind and rain lashed the island, and lightning struck the lion. The lion stood unfazed, roaring back at the storm, enjoying the chaos…
Finally, several bolts of lightning struck the lion, turning it into a giant ball of light that began to shrink…
“Lion King!” Dabei shouted as she rushed toward the light. The lion was gone. In its place was a silver lapis lazuli bottle with the words: “The Sacred Vessel of Merit.” Duozhi caught up. The storm had ceased, and the air was fresh, though the sky remained grey.
“This is the vessel for Merit Water,” Duozhi said, “but it’s empty! And the Divine Being isn’t here.” Dabei was worried.
“If the water is full, he will appear,” Duozhi said.
“But how? Does no one on this planet have a good thought or do a good deed?” she asked sadly.
“It’s not that, Dabei. It’s just that they are so poisoned they use their toxic senses to judge things, creating illusions. I believe Merit Water is generated, but after one good deed, they do so many bad ones that the wind of evil thoughts dries it up again,” Duozhi said humorously.
She laughed. “Thinking of the suffering of those trapped in illusions, it’s so pitiful. We must find a way.”
“The Heavenly Book!” Duozhi flipped it open. One page read: “Dabei Sacrifices Her Body; The Merit Water Fills.”
“What does ‘sacrifice’ mean?” she asked. The book replied: “Jump from the Cliff of Sacrifice.”
“The Cliff of Sacrifice?”
They found a giant rock labeled “Cliff of Sacrifice.” Beside it was a note: “Below this cliff, all illusory realms converge; the toxic gas dissolves bones and souls, and the sea of suffering is bottomless.” Looking down, they saw black, green, and red clouds swirling like tornadoes. They could see faint images of the illusory realms…
“Duozhi, I’ll go down,” she said.
“No! The book must be joking. How can we go back down? You don’t have the Mani Jewel anymore; you’ll be destroyed.”
“I have no time. The book doesn’t lie. You stay here and wait for the Divine Being.”
“I’ll jump instead!” Duozhi cried.
“No, our missions are different. I have a lapis lazuli body, the Mirror, and the identifier. I might survive. My father would support this.” Before he could stop her, she leaped.
“Dabei!” Duozhi’s sorrowful cry echoed through the valley.