Meanwhile, far above the very summit of the Three Realms—Naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana, the Realm of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception.
Apart from the Five Pure Abodes, which were inhabited by beings who had attained at least the stage of Non-Return, this was the highest realm within the entire Three Realms.
A group of demons had breached the consciousness of a Formless Brahma.
The Formless Brahma appeared as a flame formed entirely from thought.
Its consciousness burned with a gentle, warm radiance.
And that radiance constantly shifted through a spectrum of colors.
Red.
Orange.
Yellow.
Green.
Cyan.
Blue.
Violet.
Seven colors of light revolved endlessly around one another.
Ordinarily, a Formless Brahma would never become a target of demonic interference.
Their state was almost identical to that of the Mindless Brahmas. They possessed no material form whatsoever.
Only the aggregates of name remained.
For this reason, they possessed almost no ability to interact with or perceive the outside world.
They were like a flame waiting patiently to go out.
All they had to do was wait until the store of good karma that had brought them into the Formless Realm was finally exhausted.
Yet this time was different.
A Darkangel who wielded divine authority had personally led these demons across the boundaries of the realms. Only through that extraordinary intervention had they been able to penetrate the Formless Realm as though no barrier existed at all.
Under normal circumstances, no matter how violently demons might rampage, they could never have disturbed a Formless Brahma.
The two existed in entirely different dimensions.
The methods of demons simply had no means of functioning here.
Unfortunately—
there was always an exception.
And the mastermind behind this invasion was none other than the eldest princess of the Demon Realm—
Princess Arati.
The daughter of the Demon King had unleashed her heaven-defying authority—the power to deny reality itself.
Under that mysterious force capable of twisting causality, the entire system of laws governing the Formless Realm began to tremble violently.
A fatal flaw appeared.
The barrier that had once been absolute was torn apart.
Through that breach, the demons under Arati's command successfully infiltrated the system and interfered with its laws, launching a merciless assault upon the Formless Brahma they had chosen as their target.
And when the demons finally penetrated the deepest layer of his consciousness—
they were confronted by a strange and wondrous sight.
The consciousness before them shifted continuously beneath the radiance of seven-colored rainbow light.
Brilliant iridescence surrounded it on every side.
Yet as the demons drew closer—
so close that they could even touch the last remaining fragment of the Brahma's thought-aggregate—
his memories and perceptions—
they all realized something at the same moment.
This Formless Brahma...
also longed to become a great sage who could save all living beings.
Yet he, too, had never attained any stage of the Noble Path of the Arhat or Bodhisattva.
Long ago, he had simply clung to and cultivated the meditation of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception until the end of his previous life.
That attachment to the meditative state had carried him into this realm.
Now, existing as nothing more than pure consciousness—a single flame of thought, without a body, without any physical or mental structure—
he had remained in peaceful stillness for a full three hundred and sixty million years.
To human beings in the mortal world, such a span of time was unimaginably vast.
But to this Formless Brahma—
he was still considered extremely young.
For the minimum lifespan of beings dwelling in Naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana was no less than eighty thousand great kalpas.
And this young Formless Brahma, whose beautiful flame of consciousness shimmered endlessly through seven colors—
was none other than the one Itihasa had spoken of.
Shuo Lei.
“Demons...”
A soft and warm male voice emerged leisurely from the center of the brilliant consciousness.
Before the Darkangel leader could bow, offer a greeting, or even speak—
the voice had already reached them.
“How surprising.”
The Darkangel leader slowly spoke, his tone carrying a trace of amusement.
“For a Formless Brahma of such exalted attainment to lower himself enough to communicate with us through an actual voice, rather than using telepathy... that is truly unexpected.”
“You may find it strange.”
Shuo Lei's voice remained as gentle as before.
“But it is merely a choice we have made.”
“To us, sound and thought carry equal value.”
“As long as the words spoken do not violate the precepts, what difference does it make?”
His voice was gentle.
Friendly.
Yet that very transcendence made things far more difficult for the demons, who were accustomed to dealing with fear, anger, and resentment.
Because Shuo Lei had chosen to communicate through speech rather than telepathy from the very beginning, the Darkangel leader immediately reached a conclusion.
This Formless Brahma's mind was extraordinarily grounded.
Such an existence...
would be exceedingly difficult to infiltrate.
And even harder to shake.
“But still...”
Shuo Lei asked leisurely,
“You have crossed countless realms at enormous risk to reach Naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana.”
“You have even employed a strange technique that beings such as ourselves should ordinarily be incapable of experiencing—forcing us out of our natural state of silence and restoring our senses and perception.”
“So tell me.”
“What matter could possibly be so important that you had to seek us out?”
The demons fell silent.
For a moment, none of them knew what to say.
So Shuo Lei was the one who finally broke the silence.
“We came only to praise the immeasurable merit of the revered Brahma.”
The Darkangel leader answered.
He pressed his palms together and bowed respectfully toward Shuo Lei, doing everything in his power to make his expression appear sincere.
“We have heard that, in the distant past, you underwent countless years of cultivation and accumulated immeasurable good karma, all in the hope of becoming a supreme great being capable of guiding the entire universe...”
“That is true.”
Shuo Lei answered calmly.
A gleam flashed through the Darkangel leader's eyes.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The opportunity has come.
He immediately employed the demons' favorite method of temptation, allowing malicious intent disguised as kindness to seep slowly into Shuo Lei's consciousness.
“But what a pity.”
“All the good karma and merit you accumulated through such hardship may ultimately come to nothing.”
“Because no matter how diligently you cultivate from this point onward, you can never become the greatest being you have dreamed of becoming.”
The Darkangel leader was utterly confident in his words.
He believed this carefully crafted poison would drag Shuo Lei's mind into doubt and despair.
But—
when that gentle voice answered once more, the expressions of every demon suddenly became solemn.
“No.”
“The merit we have accumulated has not disappeared.”
“It simply has not yet reached the time to bear fruit.”
“Some seeds are naturally slow to grow. Some require a very long period of dormancy.”
“They simply need to wait.”
“They need more time than other plants before they can break through the soil.”
“Perhaps their flowers will bloom later than those of other plants.”
“Perhaps their fruit will come later as well.”
“But no matter how long it takes—”
“one day, they will still bloom and bear fruit.”
Not only his voice—
even Shuo Lei's inner flame and the rainbow radiance surrounding him remained gentle and pure.
His mind was still firmly established in the bliss of liberation.
Not even the slightest ripple of disturbance could be found within it.
“But even so, you can never become that supreme being who knows all things.”
The demon who commanded the aggregate of mental formations immediately delivered another venomous remark.
“Because you have never received a Buddha's prediction!”
He regarded this cruel “truth” as a weapon capable of striking directly into the heart.
He desperately hoped Shuo Lei would be unable to accept reality.
Hoped that his spiritual resolve would collapse.
Hoped that somewhere within the Formless Brahma's defenses, they might find even the smallest crack through which they could enter.
Yet—
Shuo Lei's answer remained as calm as still water.
“That is merely because we are not yet good enough.”
“But that is no great matter.”
“To us, becoming that supreme being who guides the universe and failing to do so possess equal value.”
“If we succeed, naturally, that would be wonderful.”
“We could use that opportunity to help more of our friends who remain trapped in the suffering of samsara.”
“And if we fail, that is wonderful as well.”
“For even if we cannot liberate all living beings, we can at least liberate ourselves and escape suffering forever.”
His transcendental response struck the demons like an invisible hammer.
Their minds reeled.
Their confidence collapsed beneath an overwhelming wave of frustration.
Yet the Darkangel leader, the one who had guided them here through divine authority, still refused to surrender.
He suddenly raised his voice.
His demonic roar exploded like thunder, attempting to pour his anger and violence directly into Shuo Lei's consciousness.
“Do you truly feel no injustice in your heart?!”
“Think about it!”
“We perform good deeds just as others do!”
“We cultivate just as others do!”
“We struggle for countless years to accumulate merit!”
“And yet, in the end, only those who receive a Buddha's prediction can become great beings whose names will be remembered throughout the ages!”
“Can you truly not see it?!”
“The law of karma has no justice at all—!!!”
“That is not the fault of the law of karma.”
Shuo Lei answered in the same gentle voice.
“You are truly certain of that?!”
The Imp in command of the aggregate of mental formations pressed forward.
Its voice was filled with a shrill, grating cry.
It thrust its ugly demonic body toward the seven-colored flame, glaring with eyes wide open as though it could turn its poisonous thoughts into blades and drive them directly into the heart of Shuo Lei's consciousness.
But all of it was futile.
Shuo Lei's thoughts remained as firm as stone.
Not even the slightest tremor could be found.
“We cannot claim to know everything with absolute certainty.”
“But there is one thing we can say with certainty.”
“The Wheel of Causality—the very law governing the workings of this world—bears the sacred responsibility of assigning karmic consequences to every living being throughout the Three Realms with absolute fairness.”
“If it were ever negligent in fulfilling that great responsibility...”
“If it were to fail in carrying out its duty correctly...”
“then it too would have to face heavenly punishment.”
At that moment, the flame at the center of Shuo Lei's consciousness paused ever so slightly.
His voice suddenly carried an authority that could not be questioned.
“No.”
“More precisely...”
“It would be Brahmic Punishment.”
The demons watched helplessly.
Even the most powerful Darkangel among them, together with the Imp who served as his deputy, had failed to disturb Shuo Lei's mind.
Then one of the Fiends suddenly conceived another strategy.
Feigning casual curiosity, it posed another question.
“You speak with such absolute certainty.”
“Do you truly believe that you are destined to receive the prediction of one of the two Buddhas who will arise during this kalpa...?”
Shuo Lei did not answer.
He simply remained silent.
That transcendent silence spoke more clearly than words ever could.
To him—
receiving such a prediction or not receiving it—
made no difference.
But the demons foolishly interpreted his silence as silent confirmation.
The Imp immediately played its final card.
“You certainly have every right to be confident.”
“But perhaps you have forgotten one thing.”
“What if, when this kalpa finally comes to an end, the next kalpa that descends upon the universe...”
“is the Empty Kalpa?”
“What then will you do...?!”
“Even though the Empty Kalpa is the shortest of all kalpas, it will still endure for an unimaginably long span of time.”
“Again and again.”
“Cycle after cycle of desolation.”
“Can you truly be certain that you will be able to maintain your present exalted state in the heavens, survive one cataclysm after another capable of destroying the Three Realms, and somehow remain until that distant day arrives?!”
“And even if you somehow survive the Empty Kalpa...”
“What if the kalpa that follows is another Empty Kalpa in which nothing can be born?”
“Would that not mean you must continue waiting through endless ages of meaningless silence?”
There was no denying it.
The demons had finally brought forth their most powerful weapon.
A dark and hopeless Empty Kalpa.
Waiting that stretched beyond imagination.
And the terrible prospect of struggling through one cataclysm after another, each capable of reducing the Three Realms to ashes, merely for the faint possibility that another cycle might someday begin.
These words had been crafted specifically to awaken the hidden dullness and self-doubt within Brahmas and Formless Brahmas who longed to become great beings.
Throughout the endless ages, countless Brahmas and Formless Brahmas had already fallen to this very temptation.
They succumbed to despair.
They experienced the decline and death of heavenly beings.
And in the final collapse of their minds—
they fell into the demonic path.
Thus, the Imp and all the other demons firmly believed that Shuo Lei would inevitably suffer the same fate.
Because this was their most reliable weapon.
Their perfect killing blow.
If an existence had not yet attained enlightenment, had not even opened the eye of wisdom, then no matter how exalted a god or Brahma might be, resisting such bottomless despair disguised as “truth” was extraordinarily difficult.
And yet—
just as the demons eagerly awaited the complete collapse of Shuo Lei's will...
they themselves were suddenly seized by an inexplicable sense of confusion.
Because the young Formless Brahma, surrounded by seven-colored rainbow light, remained exactly as he had been.
His voice was clear, utterly untouched by worldly dust.
Calm.
Serene.
And he simply said—
“Then what of it?”
“Long ago, when we still possessed bodies, physical forms, and complete minds, we made a vow.”
“If we were never able to attain the supreme Noble Path that would make our dream come true...”
“If, in our next life, we could no longer be reborn as a god or Brahma...”
“then we would become a musician.”
“We would use beautiful music to ignite hope within our many friends throughout the Three Realms.”
“Whenever we encountered someone trapped in an ocean of suffering, someone facing hardship and despair, we would do everything within our power to help.”
“We would simply continue doing so.”
“Until the day our brilliant dream finally came true.”
“You...”
The Darkangel leader could no longer contain himself.
He cried out in disbelief.
“How did you do it...?!”
“How were you able to completely separate your mind from our demonic influence?!”
His voice was filled with undisguised shock.
There was even a trace of fear toward the Formless Brahma glowing before him.
The Imp serving as his deputy could not help but ask in horror:
“Do you truly feel no pain at all?!”
“You harbor not even the slightest resentment?!”
“You truly have no unwillingness to accept your fate?!”
Shuo Lei's voice remained gentle.
“You all know that we are Brahmas.”
“Under normal circumstances, in our present state as Formless Brahmas, we should have no means of interacting with you at all.”
“But since you have used some strange and mysterious power to forcibly restore our senses and perception, allowing us to communicate with one another...”
“then we would like to ask you something in return.”
“Demons...”
“Do you know what the Brahmic virtues are?”
His voice remained filled with boundless compassion and goodwill.
Even though Shuo Lei understood perfectly well how much malice these demons had carried when they first came.
The demons fell silent once again.
Because at this moment—
they had become the defeated.
And this defeat, utterly beyond anything they had expected, struck their violent minds like a colossal wave.
Seeing that none of them could answer, Shuo Lei calmly supplied the answer himself.
“They are—”
“Loving-kindness.”
“Compassion.”
“Sympathetic joy.”
“Equanimity.”
“Are they not?”
“But looking at you now...”
“I fear you have long since forgotten them all.”
“Yet at the very beginning, you too once engraved these four pure Brahmic virtues deep within your hearts.”
The moment those words were spoken—
every demon trembled violently.
Shuo Lei continued in that same sincere and gentle voice.
“Once, you too were exalted gods.”
“Perhaps...”
“you were even noble Brahmas.”
“You simply failed to fulfill a great benevolent vow that reached far beyond your own ability.”
“And because, at some point during those endless ages, you lost the heart of sympathetic joy...”
“the poisonous fire of jealousy began to burn.”
“You became envious of those living beings throughout the Three Realms who received the very things you had longed for.”
“That fire of jealousy eventually consumed your souls.”
“You continued along the path of resentment and collapse until the decline of heavenly existence overtook you.”
“Until you died.”
“And finally...”
“you fell completely into the demonic path.”
“If you had never forgotten sympathetic joy...”
“If you could have sincerely rejoiced for those friends throughout the Three Realms who were more fortunate than you, who had obtained the things you yourselves desired...”
“then perhaps...”
“you would have already attained true liberation by now.”
“Unfortunately, there is little we can do for you now.”
“We cannot offer you any tangible salvation.”
“But we can only wish that one day...”
“the vast store of good karma you accumulated in the past may become a guiding light, helping you escape the suffering of the demonic path once more.”
The demons stood in silence for a very long time.
So long that time itself seemed to freeze.
Finally—
the Darkangel leader slowly spoke.
His voice was filled with relief and reverence.
“We... have lost.”
“Shuo Lei...”
“May you overcome all interference from us demons through that magnificent heart of sympathetic joy.”
“Please accept our respect.”
The Darkangel leader pressed his palms together and bowed deeply before the Formless Brahma who had defeated the demons not through violence, but by overcoming the demonic barriers within his own mind.
The other demons followed.
One after another, they lowered their ugly heads and bowed in unison.
Their original purpose had been to harm Shuo Lei.
Yet the respect they showed now was neither false nor merely a temporary strategy.
It was another supreme and unusual law of the demonic path.
Demons had always taken pride in believing that they possessed greater principles and morality than mortal human beings.
Regardless of their kind or rank, they all followed the same immutable rule:
Know defeat.****
Know victory.
Know forgiveness.
Once defeated, they would never behave like sore losers who refused to accept the outcome.
Nor would they secretly harbor hatred and wait for an opportunity to take revenge.
They would accept their defeat.
And then—they would leave.
Without resentment.
Without hatred.
Seeing that these demons had genuinely changed their hearts and sincerely bowed before him, Shuo Lei was deeply moved.
He bestowed upon them a supreme blessing of compassion.
“May every great and benevolent vow you once held within your hearts eventually be fulfilled.”
As Shuo Lei's pure blessing, embracing all things without discrimination, descended upon them—
an incomprehensible radiance of purification swept outward like a flood of divine light.
Under that sacred baptism, the violent darkness and demonic shackles entangling the demons were completely purified.
The ugly forms of the ordinary demons gradually became transparent and pure.
It was a sign that the good karma of their distant past had begun to awaken once more.
One after another, they transformed into points of flowing light and disappeared, finally breaking free from the chains of the demonic path.
All the demons had been saved.
Each had found their proper destination.
And the consciousness flame surrounded by seven-colored rainbow light continued to burn silently in the vast emptiness of Naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana.
There was no anger.
No hatred.
No contempt toward those who had once been his enemies.
There remained only one thing—
a gentle yet unshakable great vow.
Even if he could never become the supreme being capable of guiding the universe...
Even if fulfilling his dream required him to wait through hundreds of millions of kalpas...
Even if the Empty Kalpa was approaching—
bringing the annihilation of all things and an age of darkness and silence beyond imagination—
as long as he could allow even a single life standing upon the brink of despair to see hope once again...
that alone would be enough.