Chapter 90: Dharma Assembly of Merit

In the Nanhai region, this Dharma Assembly at Daci Dabe Temple has been highly regarded by all parties from the very beginning.

Not only have a large number of distinguished believers rushed to attend.

Even other factions and sects from outside the Eastern cultural sphere have sent people to observe the ceremony.

Some of these high-ranking guests even possess seniority and qualifications surpassing those of Grandmaster Yuan Ci!

Early this morning, Grandmaster Yuan Ci learned from a phone call that two very important guests had changed their schedules and might arrive to observe the ceremony when it officially commences.

This can be considered an affirmation and support for the efforts Daci Dabe Temple has made over these years.

In the past, Grandmaster Yuan Ci might have been excited and thrilled by this for a while.

But now, faced with these worldly temptations, Grandmaster Yuan Ci already feels them to be insipid.

It is only for those visits that truly cannot be declined that Grandmaster Yuan Ci has no choice but to receive them.

As for the rest, he pushes them away whenever he can, or simply lets his junior fellow disciples receive them in his stead.

The plaza in front of the Main Hall of Daci Dabe Temple is already overcrowded, even though the sky has not yet fully brightened.

Most of the guests have also arrived at the VIP platform.

Outside the plaza, even if they cannot see the Dharma Assembly site, believers are still rushing over eagerly, as if the closer they are to the assembly, the more they can demonstrate their piety, and the easier it will be to receive blessings in the future.

Even though the staff of Daci Dabe Temple had long since run over multiple times to explain that the content of the Dharma Assembly would be synchronized online and via local broadcasts.

Everyone can hear it in real-time, so there is no need to get worked up or push!

Dong!

Accompanied by the ringing of the bell, the Dharma Assembly officially began with the performance of a professional temple scripture ensemble.

The venue was already packed with no empty seats.

The aisles on the sides were also filled with people.

After bathing and changing, Grandmaster Yuan Ci, accompanied by numerous monks, completed the subsequent series of cumbersome rituals before finally appearing on the plaza, meeting the direct gaze of tens of thousands of people.

Grandmaster Yuan Ci calmly accepted this attention and looked at the sky.

It was cloudless for ten thousand miles, with a crisp and refreshing breeze.

It was a good day for holding a Dharma Assembly!

Grandmaster Yuan Ci gathered his emotions and began to preside over the Dharma Assembly.

At first, everything was normal, and everyone was just immersed in the atmosphere of the assembly without thinking too much.

But!

After the initial disaster-averting and blessing ritual ended, Grandmaster Yuan Ci suddenly spoke, skipping the subsequent programs on the planning document and going straight to the exorcism.

The heads of the planning company were dumbfounded.

They have cooperated with Daci Dabe Temple so many times—they are old partners—and this is the first time such a situation has occurred!

There was a slight stir among the monks, but hindered by the authority of Grandmaster Yuan Ci and the fact that so many people were watching at the venue.

No one dared to ask why.

"Beyond the realms exist Heavenly Demons, which enter to become Evil Spirits, capable of confusing the human heart and destroying the human mind."

"They further pollute all things, preventing living beings from falling into Samsara; they are a great scourge to the human world!"

"Fortunately, there is a Venerable One of supreme, great power..."

Grandmaster Yuan Ci's voice was resonant, amplified by the broadcast.

All the attendees and those believers and tourists at Daci Dabe Temple heard this opening statement.

Some believers spoke up repeatedly: Amitabha, truly believing that there are such great scourges to the human world as Evil Spirits.

Some tourists found it novel; this was a brand-new version they had not encountered in the Dharma Assemblies they had attended before.

Yet at the assembly site, the VIPs were not quite the same.

Several fellow practitioners whose seniority and qualifications were no lower than Grandmaster Yuan Ci's faces turned black in an instant.

In their eyes, had Grandmaster Yuan Ci become senile, that he would actually start spreading heretical words to deceive the masses?

Even if he wanted to conjure up a human scourge or Evil Spirit to attract attention, he should have tipped them off first, let them vet it, and then found some background in the scriptures to endorse it.

Hindered by decades of friendship, even though they heard something was wrong, these fellow practitioners exchanged a few glances and no one walked away to wreck the assembly.

They only whispered to each other, preparing to find Grandmaster Yuan Ci to ask for clarification when the session adjourned.

Suddenly, after Grandmaster Yuan Ci explained why the sacrifice was being held and that this Dharma Assembly was in the hope of gaining everyone's help to slay demons and eliminate Evil Spirits.

A passage of scripture that sounded very reasonable, yet felt like something was wrong—seeming plausible but not quite right—was chanted from the mouth of Grandmaster Yuan Ci.

The broadcast also simultaneously transmitted the sound of Grandmaster Yuan Ci's scripture chanting.

This sound, following Su Ping's intervention, was enhanced by the activation of the Array.

Especially while the great monk Grandmaster Yuan Ci was chanting, Su Ping also channeled his Dharma Power to simultaneously chant the scripture, blending it into the original audio.

The attendees at Daci Dabe Temple encountered for the first time a chant containing transcendent power.

Those who did not understand only felt that what Grandmaster Yuan Ci said was truly good and truly reasonable.

They also felt they should pray for the peace and kindness of the human world to persist, and offer their own insignificant faith toward eliminating the Evil Spirits.

The old practitioners who already had cultivation experience immediately sensed the abnormal psychological suggestion in these words.

They lacked Dharma Power and could not do the same thing, but they could at least sense the anomaly and understand what it contained!

This... this was a true Dharma that could take effect in a public setting!

Compared to this, those techniques of theirs that relied on the Little Dark Room to extend the time of psychological suggestion... were simply the difference between a morning star and the Sun!

"Amitabha, these are words to awaken the world!"

A great monk, also seventy or eighty years old, widened his eyes, staring fixedly at Grandmaster Yuan Ci, his face full of shock and, even more, a trace of craving.

Several old Daoists also gripped the horsetail whisks in their hands, whispering repeatedly about how this could be possible.

In their view, the passage of scripture chanted by Grandmaster Yuan Ci had already utilized the Dharma-transmitting divine ability they had only ever read about in ancient texts!

Su Ping felt the time had come, so he added fuel to the fire, operating the amplification spell at full power during the final passage of the scripture and increasing the volume.

This made the sound of Grandmaster Yuan Ci's final scripture passage seem to resonate with heaven and earth, booming in the ears of everyone inside and outside the temple.

It struck deep into people's hearts, making countless believers feel a tingling sensation in their scalps, convinced that this was a revelation from the heavens!

As the scripture reading finished, the broadcast began to repeat.

Without the support of Dharma Power, the effect weakened significantly all at once.

However, the atmosphere at the Dharma Assembly site became increasingly solemn.

With the previous effects combined, and given that humans are naturally herd animals.

The entire Daci Dabe Temple fell into a state filled with a solemn atmosphere.

There was no shortage of people following the broadcast to recite the scripture.

In a world filled with chaotic thoughts that ordinary people cannot see, and even Cultivators cannot see, only being able to sense it slightly through the Vajra Demon-Subduing Array.

As the exorcism Array operated, the exorcism beliefs of the thousands of believers within the influence of the Array were collected, forming runes that slammed into the Mysterious Remains inside the Sealed Dharma Artifact.

Su Ping felt this change and could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, as long as Spirit Stones are provided, this large-scale Array can operate just as well on Water Blue Star.

And nothing strange happened.

Su Ping looked at Grandmaster Yuan Ci.

After the noon break, he was surrounded by a group of fellow Daoists.

At this moment, it was Grandmaster Yuan Ci's turn to skillfully play the role of a riddle-maker.

He only said there was no need to make such a fuss; this was merely the foundation of Daci Dabe Temple's thousand-year heritage!

He believed that such a foundation should also exist in other long-standing sects!

By the time the Dharma Assembly ended in the evening and they rested again.

The Exorcism Dharma Assembly at Daci Dabe Temple began to ferment.

More and more people learned that a great monk named Grandmaster Yuan Ci had held a Dharma Assembly to use everyone's power to eliminate Mysterious Remains.

Some suspected that this great monk had read too many novels.

Others felt that the original intention was good, and it still seemed to be persuading people to be kind.

Some even dug up Grandmaster Yuan Ci's background, which sparked a wave of admiration and comments asking if this was fake.

Others even created summaries and various memes, which actually served as another wave of promotion.

Grandmaster Yuan Ci's scripture and opening remarks also slowly became known to more and more people.

Although Su Ping could not collect the beliefs of these people for now.

However, this was an introduction, a preventive measure taken in advance.

As long as they heard about this matter and read the news or discussions, the seed regarding the general situation of the Evil Spirit was already planted in their hearts.

Going from nothing to something is often the hardest part.

Late at night, the temple's Dharma Assembly should have dispersed to wait for the next day.

Yet, there was a long line outside the Main Hall, waiting to go in in batches to pray for help with the exorcism, and then receive Grandmaster Yuan Ci's blessing.

What surprised some of the monks was that they discovered it wasn't just those faithful believers; many attending Daoists had actually participated as well.

They could not help but feel proud; it seemed that after experiencing this Dharma Assembly.

The reputation of Daci Dabe Temple could rise to a new level.

The Main Hall's absorption and operation of belief were also proceeding smoothly.

After watching for a while, Su Ping left a portion of newly controlled rats around the mountain where the temple was located.

He then stopped paying attention and turned to leave this field of merit.

He believed that Grandmaster Yuan Ci was someone capable of getting things done and doing good deeds.

He would certainly be able to take good care of this field of merit and strive for a bright future for himself and his future Fo affinity!

…………

At the same time, Huang Zong and the others in Nierbo also used money and the accompanying sense of mystery to pave the way, establishing a relationship with a local Dharma King who possessed a temple and vast lands.

This Dharma King belonged to the type who became a monk halfway through his life, mainly used to occupy the position.

He had many lands under his name, but the produce from the land had long been contracted by large companies; the portion he personally received was enough in the eyes of others.

But after seeing more of the world, this Dharma King naturally wanted more.

It was just that the believers in Gade City were truly too poor to squeeze any profit out of!

He was also timid, so he had to give up.

Now that he learned he could exchange those believers for large amounts of extra income.

This Dharma King agreed without a second word.

It was just that what made him slightly depressed was that his believers learned they were to worship the Ghost God of those Easterners.

They actually acted even more excited and proactive than he was!

But thinking about it, it made sense; the other party's Ghost God had truly manifested, an existence that wiped out an armed group!

Which one of these Dharma Kings could pat their chest and guarantee that the one they worshipped could do the same thing?

Don't look at how stupid the believers appear; apart from the very few who were trapped by too much sunk cost, who didn't have a little bit of their own secret thoughts?

Isn't the simplest and most universal fact in this world that people believe in whoever is more effective?

"Not bad, not bad, both paths are proceeding smoothly."

"The next step is to slowly accumulate merit and accumulate cultivation resources."

Through the detection of the rats, Su Ping confirmed that things were just as smooth in Nierbo, and with no more worries, he chose to return to the Cultivation World.

Cultivation World, Linyue Villa.

Su Ping had been away for a little bit too long this time.

When going to persuade Grandmaster Yuan Ci, Su Ping chose to meditate and spend the night in the Floating Vanity Dream Temple within the Pot Heaven.

It could be considered experiencing the effects of this main structure.

The improvement in cultivation base naturally felt inferior to the rare-grade Zhaoyue Tingfeng Pavilion.

However, the heart-questioning Array of this Floating Vanity Dream Temple was quite interesting.

The first time Su Ping encountered the demons, monsters, ghosts, and spirits of the myriad worlds, and later, among these demons and monsters, there appeared some indescribable things that only appeared in Su Ping's childhood nightmares; Su Ping only lasted for half an hour before having to voluntarily shut it down.

Later, after seeing them more often, his state of mind gradually stabilized, and by now, he could persist for an hour without wavering.

Su Ping felt that this would be of great help to him in resisting certain curses and soul-related arts in the future.

Seeing Su Ping return, the manager of Linyue Villa felt as if they had found their backbone and hurriedly handed over the documents accumulated over these days to Su Ping.

Su Ping waved the others away and began to read through them slowly in the study.

It had only been a few days!

News had appeared again of Demon Beasts that had slipped through the Immortal Sect's net, wreaking havoc in the mortal realm.

Of course, the good news was that this time the Demon Beasts had not appeared in the direction of his Jinque City, but in another area.

The bad news was that more refugees had fled to Jinque City.

Both the City Lord Mansion and the Ji Family came to report that if they continued to take people in like this, their food supplies would not hold out!

The Cultivation World is vast and rich in resources, and food production is also guaranteed.

Plus, martial artists have abundant physical strength, and every one of them is a good hand at farming.

Under normal circumstances, it is very difficult for large-scale famines to occur.

But that refers to normal circumstances.

The Immortal Sects did not start having problems this year; it was just that in the last year, they had erupted in a concentrated manner, accelerating the degree of deterioration.

The appearance of an Ancient Relic does not just bring Cultivators together.

Nearby farms are basically abandoned.

Furthermore, a large amount of manpower is drafted to dig river channels and clear forests.

Added to that are the frequent strikes of natural disasters and the Demon Beasts coming to add fuel to the fire.

It would be contrary to common sense if there were still enough food.

After all, most Immortals are high and mighty; they feel they don't have enough resources themselves, so there is no way they would waste precious time exerting effort for the people.

Boom!

A heavy rain suddenly began to fall in Jinque City.

At first, Su Ping did not pay any attention to this heavy rain.

It was not until this heavy rain had fallen continuously for three days and three nights, and more and more information was transmitted along with it,

that Su Ping realized the abnormality of this heavy rain.