Chapter 374

Countless cultivators from the immortal sects looked up, gazing at the Buddha-light star in the sky.

Since two months ago, the Buddha-light star had begun to accelerate its dimming upon its already faint foundation, growing dimmer with every flicker.

Everyone knew that,

because of the deaths of one fanatic after another, the deity had taken no action, manifesting none of the miracles proclaimed in the sect's scriptures: "Vajra Immortality, Unbreakable," "Divine Might Like a Prison, Divine Might Like an Ocean," "Those Who Blaspheme the True Buddha Shall Receive Divine Punishment, Their Souls Cast into the Avici Hell for Eternity Without Rebirth," and so on.

Instead, one after another, abbots, guest masters, and chief disciples who had appeared kind and benevolent in daily life exposed their true forms under public trial, terrified and fleeing, with mountains of gold and silver piled in their homes and crowds of maids and beautiful concubines.

There was no might.

There was no kindness either.

In the hearts of the common people, Bao Ding Maitreya instantly transformed from a majestic and profound deity into a rat crossing the street, a detestable clown.

In society, the people struggled between hunger and cold, and the many suppressed resentments suddenly erupted.

The incense deity suppressed the desires of all beings, forcing them to live in poverty and struggle along the line of subsistence, concentrating their only hope and spiritual reliance on the temples to obtain faith.

Now, the backlash had arrived.

Infinite resentment, flowing along the existing incense faith pathways, surged into the hearts of the former believers,

into the Western Pure Land they had so fervently longed for!

At this very moment,

what the incense divine realm swallowed and exhaled with every flicker was no longer incense faith, but resentment!

The resentful curses awakened in countless common people, comparable to the most terrible poison, poured into it.

With every flicker, it grew dimmer, becoming dimmer and dimmer.

Until only a sliver of light remained, it stopped.

Even if more resentment entered afterward, no further changes occurred.

"This is the limit."

Chief of Staff An Siyan explained: "He employed a Divine Path secret technique obtained from the Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace, temporarily sealing the port that receives external incense faith within the incense faith sarira, surviving on the accumulated incense faith of the past."

"Bao Ding Maitreya is merely an incense deity that flourished for a few decades; his incense faith is limited."

"The elders of the Immortal Sect Military Department analyzed that as long as we wait thirty to fifty years, provided external faith does not change, he will die naturally."

"Commander-in-Chief, what is your opinion?"

An Siyan asked.

Many gazes converged.

As the overall commander of the ground landing forces,

he held immense authority in this matter; whatever choice was made, the Huangtong Spaceborne Army would show respect. Thirty to fifty years meant nothing to most high-level cultivators.

"Attack."

Jiang Ding's answer was simple.

"Yes!"

An Siyan saluted and transmitted this order to officers at all levels.

Four million tank units started their engines; the roaring shook heaven and earth, waves parted in rows, advancing toward the direction of the Brother Xuanwu Four Poles Boundary-Setting Array.

Though there were no shouts of battle,

a heavy killing intent echoed through heaven and earth, cold and grim; within hundreds of kilometers, sea demons in the ocean ran wildly like wolves and pigs, fleeing for their lives in madness.

Inside the Boundary-Setting Array.

No cold ground was visible, only crisscrossing array patterns.

Looking out, rivers flowed with honey water and nectar, mountains of roasted meat, boulders made of white flour mantou, soil paved with brown sugar, and the golden palace of the Buddha in the distant clouds...

Everything, from the perspective of the soul, was exactly as described in the scriptures of the Bao Ding Maitreya Jiao Sect.

Now, the situation had long since changed.

Desolation everywhere.

The rivers of honey and nectar dried up, the mountains of roasted meat rotted and stank, and the white flour mantou boulders turned into real granite boulders.

The golden palace in the clouds fell, crashing onto the ground to become ruins, without a trace of light.

Inside the Great Hero Hall of the golden palace,

Bao Ding Maitreya sat in peace, his expression more serene and kind than ever before.

Around him, the corpses of Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace Foundation Establishment cultivators lay scattered haphazardly; some had been drained of their vital blood, others had their skulls gnawed off, and others had half their bodies torn apart.

"I am so at ease..."

Bao Ding Maitreya, in a daze, murmured to himself: "So, I am a deity; I should decide life and death, not be bound by soul prohibitions, muddled and confused, arbitrarily commanded by the ants of the Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace..."

"... In the future, I wish to be so at ease..."

"At ease..."

He revealed a trace of ferocity: "To slaughter those faithless, lowly mortals who do not know the deity, to turn this world into a true Bao Ding Buddha Kingdom! What Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace, what Eastern Extreme Demon Gate, within my Buddha Kingdom, all must die!"

Whoosh, whoosh whoosh!

From the ears came a series of piercing whistles.

Looking up,

millions of armor-piercing shells, their spiritual light flickering, formed an endless canopy of sky, constantly falling here, shattering the great array and the outer defenses of the Buddha Kingdom, and extinguishing layer after layer of spiritual light.

"My believers, awaken! Our final struggle..."

A trace of tenderness appeared in Bao Ding Maitreya's eyes.

The ground cracked open, the golden palace radiated light once more, and figures emerged from within—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants all present, their expressions fanatical.

"True Buddha!"

"... Precious Cauldron Maitreya, Vajra Immortal, invincible and unbreakable... Vajra Immortal..."

They loudly recited the scriptures of the Precious Cauldron Maitreya Sect, reviving from the earth and the golden hall, approaching artillery pieces one by one, skillfully operating them as if they had undergone countless trainings, every single movement perfectly standard.

For many years, the accumulated souls of madly faithful Buddhists and devout Buddhists!

Millions of armor-piercing shells fired in ten rounds of roaring volleys; the smoke cleared.

They failed to cause any damage to the Brother Xuanwu Four Poles Boundary-Setting Array.

The thirty-six heavenly pillars still shone with brilliant spiritual light, and the sound of artillery explosions rang out from within.

"The Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace is still using the same old tricks."

Jiang Ding said calmly.

Without needing any orders, the steel tank torrent rumbled forward, approaching the Boundary-Setting Array fifty kilometers away; heavy artillery fired multiple rounds of roaring volleys again, shattering all the World War II cannons and the Buddhist realm believers within, who seemed to possess real bodies.

Following the steel tank torrent, he stepped into the Boundary-Setting Array and the Precious Cauldron Incense-Burning Buddhist Realm in one stride.

"... Vajra Immortal, invincible and unbreakable..."

"... Our Buddha, the Precious Cauldron Maitreya, the Supreme True Buddha..."

The moment Jiang Ding appeared in this world.

The array and the Incense-Burning Buddhist Realm trembled together; the sky and the earth cracked open, and an army of the Buddhist Realm, marching in neat formations, emerged from the fissures.

Endless incense faith power rippled through the heavens and the earth as they emerged, and the broken Incense-Burning Buddhist Realm partially regained its former vitality.

This Buddhist army consisted of eight divisions.

Divided into the Devas Division, the Naga Division, the Yaksha Division, the Gandharva Division, the Asura Division, the Garuda Division, the Kinnara Division, and the Mahoraga Division, each with a hundred thousand soldiers; the kings of each division all radiated the terrifying aura of the Late Golden Core stage, leading their followers to form the Vajra Buddha Great Array, completely surrounding the youth who had broken in.

The Brother Xuanwu Four Poles Boundary-Setting Great Array roared into operation, merging with it, once again elevating its power by a notch.

"Amitabha!"

A Buddha descended, hands pressed together in prayer, six arms growing from his back, his divine appearance solemn, becoming the core of the Vajra Buddha Great Array and governing everything.

(End of this chapter)