Chapter 542

The Tang Emperor Li Shimin, as the Emperor of the Great Tang, naturally could not tell the people of the world that he had been forced into such a situation by the evil soul of the Jinghe Dragon King that he needed the Buddhist Sect to step in.

Otherwise, the sanctity of the Emperor would be affected, so the Tang Emperor Li Shimin used delivering the souls of the wrongfully deceased as an excuse.

On the other side, the Daoist Sect, upon learning of this imperial decree, was shaken.

One must know that Daoism was the state religion of the Great Tang, and logically speaking, such matters of delivering souls should be handled by the Daoist Sect.

But now, the Tang Emperor Li Shimin had actually issued an imperial decree, proclaiming to the world that this matter would be handled by the monks of the Buddhist Sect.

For a time, there was much discussion within the Great Tang.

The Daoist Sect was even more resentful and dissatisfied; after all, in their view, this matter should have been completed by them.

However, the high-level figures within the Daoist Sect knew that the reason for this was because the Ghost-Repelling Array set up by Yuan Tiangang had been broken.

This had caused the Tang Emperor Li Shimin to have some resentment toward the Daoist Sect in his heart.

Therefore, under these circumstances, although the Daoist Sect was dissatisfied, they did not take any action.

One must know that Daoism was the state religion of the Great Tang, and if they really wanted to do something, they could completely ruin the Water and Land Dharma Assembly.

Of course, the consequences of doing so would also be extremely serious.

On the other side, the Buddhist disciples in Changancheng, upon hearing this imperial decree, were overjoyed.

One must know that in the past, the existence of Daoism could be said to have snatched away all the incense of the Buddhist Sect, so much so that as Buddhist disciples, they had always lived a miserable life.

That the Buddhist Sect could not eat meat was not some precept, but because the Buddhist Sect in the Great Tang was poor and couldn't afford it; they could only say that to forcefully maintain face.

Do you not see that whether it is Japanese Buddhism or Tibetan Buddhism, they can not only eat meat but also marry and have children!

Now, with the issuance of this imperial decree by the Tang Emperor Li Shimin, their Buddhist Sect could be considered to have made a name for itself in the Great Tang.

If they could help the Tang Emperor Li Shimin successfully complete the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, then Buddhism would be able to rival Daoism.

The most intuitive feeling this would bring is that the incense of the Buddhist Sect would definitely be endless from then on!

However, within the Buddhist Sect, there was now a disagreement.

Above, the Ancient Buddha Dipankara and the Maitreya Buddha, for the sake of the position of Buddha, even treated the Journey to the West plan, which the West had been plotting for nearly a thousand years, as a means to fight for power and position.

Below, the monks of the Jinshan Temple were also "showing their magical powers" in order to be able to serve as the host of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly.

Although there was a Buddhist disciple in the Buddhist Sect with the Dharma name Cihang, precisely because Cihang was a Buddhist disciple, it meant that Cihang’s foundation was not deep, and there were not many people supporting him.

So much so that Cihang was not even nominated for the host of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly.

"This poor monk has served the Buddha for more than fifty years; only this poor monk is qualified to be the host of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly!"

"Haha, if we only look at age, there is an old monk in my temple who has served the Buddha for eighty-six years. Wouldn't it be that this Water and Land Dharma Assembly must be chosen by him?"

"That is exactly so. Hosting the Water and Land Dharma Assembly depends on whether one’s Buddhist teachings are proficient. Coincidentally, this old monk has cultivated Cihang. If we talk about proficiency in Buddhist teachings, it must be this old monk!"

At this moment, Cihang’s master stood up and also began to fight for the host of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly.

"Fart, you still have the nerve to mention Cihang? What does Cihang’s success today have to do with you?"

"When you first took Cihang as a disciple, did you ever teach him for a single day? If it weren't for Cihang’s amazing comprehension, I fear this seedling would have been buried."

"And you still dare to mention profound Buddhist teachings? This is simply a great joke to the world!"

Here, this group of monks, one after another, began to dig up all the background of Cihang’s master.

So much so that at this moment, Cihang’s master didn't know what to say.

He could only repeat one sentence over and over.

"This old monk is testing Cihang’s Buddha-nature. If you don't understand, don't open your mouths!"

It is as the saying goes: what is practiced above will be imitated below.

At the moment, the Buddhist Sect, which should have been making a name for itself, could not even pick a host to organize the Water and Land Dharma Assembly.

It was not that the Buddhist Sect could not pick a suitable host to organize the Water and Land Dharma Assembly; Cihang, the reincarnation of the Great Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, naturally had Buddhist teachings that went without saying.

However, now that there was clearly a suitable candidate, the people of the Buddhist Sect, because of their own selfishness, did not mention him at all.

They even excluded him first, so as not to have this opportunity to make a name for himself snatched away by Cihang.

If they kept arguing like this, I fear they would miss the time for the Water and Land Dharma Assembly and would be unable to select a monk to organize it.