Chapter 82: Like a God (Part 2)

Benfo Tubo sat high on the plateau, known as the country closest to the gods.

It also had an overly abundant spiritual energy, leading to many gods, demons, and monsters.

Only around temples where shamans or monks gathered, building cities, farming, mining, hunting, and herding to settle down, could the general public have a possibility of survival.

So when a piece of fertile land was reclaimed.

Buddhist or Bon believers who wanted to migrate there would voluntarily find the largest nearby temple and donate gold, silver, jewelry, ritual implements, and other precious items.

And this kind of transaction was very tacit.

When the abbot of the temple felt that the offerings received were enough.

He would send his subordinate monks or shamans to build a new temple on the newly reclaimed land.

And after the new temple was built, the abbot would personally dig a large pit in front of the temple.

The surrounding believers would continue to make offerings into the pit.

When the large pit was filled with treasures, the monks or shamans stationed at the new temple would hold a grand sacrifice.

They would kill all the demons and monsters in the surrounding area and use their remains to build a giant shrine.

This was the mandala.

Then the temple abbot would dig another, even larger deep pit for the believers to make offerings.

To build an even larger mandala.

This cycle was endless.

So one could imagine how many treasures a large temple like the "Great Elephant Majestic Temple" would hide...

Guru Padmasambhava.

Guru is the first-rank "fruit position" under the ancient Buddha.

Possessing the ability to be immortal and to pluck stars and grasp the moon, and the heart to save all living beings.

For a mortal, even if the world knew it was overstepping.

Being able to bind the title of "Guru" to oneself was already a manifestation of terrifying ability.

And Padmasambhava was such a person.

His birthplace and parents' background were unknown.

He first appeared in a small city called Udyana in the Xiangfan Kingdom.

Legend has it that the city lord of this small city, Indrabhuti, was very generous.

For the well-being of his people, he not only gave away all his wealth but even his own eyes.

Yet his good deeds did not receive a Buddhist reward; instead, his only son died suddenly.

The people in the city were also living in misery due to years of drought and famine.

In extreme pain, Indrabhuti prayed to the Buddha.

As a result, a five-colored rainbow appeared in the sky, landed on the ground, and turned into a child.

He said he was an incarnation of a Bodhisattva, here to save all living beings and promote Buddhist teachings.

After Indrabhuti heard this, his eyesight was instantly restored.

He was very happy to appoint the child as his successor, naming him Padmasambhava.

But the child only took the name "Padmasambhava" as his dharma name.

He was unwilling to inherit the position of city lord, instead running off to a graveyard to practice.

Using corpses as a seat, offerings as food, and shrouds as clothing.

Diligently practicing, overcoming all adversity, and attaining all achievements!

Later, in a place called "Penghua Garden," he learned countless methods of healing.

In a place called "Wagaona," he met a white-haired elder and learned astronomical holy language and various crafts.

At this time, his fame reached the ears of the Yuan Mountain Emperor, arousing the interest of Chang Sheng Tie Mu.

So Chang Sheng Tie Mu summoned Padmasambhava to his presence and talked with him for an entire night.

At dawn the next day.

Padmasambhava claimed he had received enlightenment from gods and Buddhas, ran to Benfo Tubo, and began to spread the tantric methods he had created himself.

With the cooperation of the Yuan Mountain army, he quickly created a situation in Front Zang.

Afterward, he proposed the "Heavenly Zang Three Veins" theory.

Saying that the native Buddhism of Benfo Tubo was the Red Religion, and the Bon religion was the Black Religion.

The tantric sect he created was the Yellow Religion, and because the Buddha they believed in was Vairocana, it was the most noble and powerful.

And the incarnation of Vairocana in the human world was Chang Sheng Tie Mu!

No matter which dimension, it was "only magic can defeat magic."

The native forces of Benfo Tubo originally relied on religious superstition to make the Yuan Mountain army have few substantial gains, even if they won six parts and lost four.

But once the "Heavenly Zang Three Veins" theory appeared, serfs who would rather die than surrender were immediately willing to work for the great Chang Sheng Buddha.

The stalemate was thus broken.

In just ten years, the Yuan Mountain people occupied the entire Front Zang.

Now they had occupied most of Middle Zang.

From this, one could see that Padmasambhava's importance was actually far above Chang Gong Zhe Bie.

But no matter how awesome a person was, the arrow had already left the string.

It was unstoppable.

With a loud roar, a black bone lotus bloomed on the mandala.

A huge red ox head grew from the center of the flower, raising its head to collide with the giant arrow.

As a result of the collision, the ox head shattered.

Half of the giant arrow's head also broke off and flew away, but the remaining arrow shaft still pierced the lotus seat.

It plunged deeply into the mandala.

Allowing countless treasures buried underground for hundreds or thousands of years to see the light of day again.

Top-grade agate, jade, crystallized demon ghost remains, and ritual implements flowed like a river.

Chang Gong Zhe Bie began to slowly bend down and pick through them.

The new owner of the "Great Elephant Majestic Temple" was simply furious to see the treasures that already belonged to him being picked through like this.

With Chang Gong Zhe Bie's status, if he were moving privately, let alone a few treasures.

Even if he rolled up the entire mandala, it wouldn't be a big deal.

But now it was completely in broad daylight, a public slap in the face.

The monk leader who came to receive the "Great Elephant Majestic Temple" was Padmasambhava's second direct disciple, Baoshan Duoji.

He was burly and solemn, looking like an Arhat reincarnated, and was highly appreciated by Padmasambhava.

That was why he got this extremely face-saving and beautiful job.

Now that a slip-up had occurred.

Baoshan Duoji couldn't help but feel anxious, but he didn't show panic.

Instead, he walked forward with a solemn face, blocked Chang Gong Zhe Bie with his own body, and first put a big label on him,

"General Zhebie, the 'Great Elephant Majestic Temple' has already been transferred to our Heavenly Zang Yellow Religion by the 'Conquest Benfo Tubo Shogunate'.

As the conquering general, are you unwilling to obey the Shogunate's military orders?"

The Shogunate's Great Staff Officer only then came to his senses and also felt that he had lost face.

Unwilling to fall behind, he also strode to Chang Gong Zhe Bie and said sternly:

"General Chang Gong Zhe Bie, do you even want to defy the Shogunate's military orders!

You must know that military orders are like mountains; no matter how meritorious you are, those who defy orders will be beheaded!"

This reprimand made the complexions of the thousand military officers on the entire temple square change drastically.

But Chang Gong Zhe Bie smiled faintly, took a letter from his bosom, and read:

"Chang Gong Zhe Bie, let Baori Eshen come back first.

I want him to go to the Qianji barbarians to be the Guard Envoy and fight the Hanli people.

This child has a temper as stubborn as a calf.

You find a Buddhist treasure from the temples of Benfo Tubo for him to carry to suppress his temper.

That is all."

The words in this letter were completely plain and straightforward, sounding like a family letter from an old herdsman.

But the Shogunate's Great Staff Officer turned pale, his lips trembling uncontrollably.

"I followed the instructions of the Eternal Heaven to break open the mandala and select a Buddhist treasure..."

"Death penalty, death penalty, I have committed a crime worthy of ten thousand deaths, death penalty, death penalty..."

Without waiting for Chang Gong Zhe Bie to put the label back on him, the Great Staff Officer was already prostrate on the ground.

Then Baoshan Duoji also realized what was happening and prostrated himself before Chang Gong Zhe Bie, or rather, before the letter in Chang Gong Zhe Bie's hand.

Then, on the entire square, only Chang Gong Zhe Bie, holding the letter, remained standing.

Everyone else was prostrate.

In a trance, it made people feel as if they were in the ancient times, that era where "divine grace was like the sea, and divine might was like a prison"!

And in Pingyang Town, ten thousand miles away.

Zhang Gui, who had just finished the shrimp paste noodles his mother made, sat on a small stool, drinking strong tea while chatting with his mother,

"The Yuan Mountain Kingdom, which is going to war with Ming Song, is powerful and is fighting on all sides.

But this is nothing.

No matter how strong it is, it cannot violate objective laws and spawn troops out of thin air..."

Speaking of this, suddenly remembering his own means of refining "Stone Corpse Soldiers," Zhang Gui coughed lightly and changed the subject,

"In short, if it really comes to a hard fight, Ming Song might not necessarily be afraid of it.

But the problem is that the Yuan Mountain Emperor is a true King of the Gray Wolves,

born as the son of a tribal chief of a small tribe that was almost exterminated.

In less than twenty years, he changed the entire Changsheng Great Prairie from a tribal alliance system to a unitary monarchy, with him supreme.

I heard that the Yuan Mountain people don't even call him Your Majesty, but 'Eternal Heaven'.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Encompassing the sun, moon, and stars, and containing the galaxy is what 'Heaven' is!

You say how crazy that is.

But the Ming Song Emperor is just a dog who thinks he is a tiger.

Isn't this comparison a disaster."

After finishing, he sighed and drank the tea in the basin with a gulp.

He helped his mother go to the courtyard to fetch water and wash the bowls.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 83 =====