Chapter 362 - 230: Accident

The voice carried a terrifying power, echoing instantly within the room.

The Emperor, upon hearing this voice, suddenly felt an irrepressible excitement. At that moment, he only felt that all matters of the world were like dream-like illusions, and living within it was nothing but endless suffering, only the mysterious Buddhist Sect could provide true and ultimate freedom.

"Amitabha Buddha!" the Emperor exclaimed uncontrollably.

"It’s done!" the Arhat exclaimed excitedly upon hearing this "Amitabha Buddha."

After waiting for such a long time, he had finally accomplished this task, enlightening this Mortal Emperor. From now on, Dongsheng Shenzhou would become the backyard of the Buddhist Sect.

An endless stream of faith would soon surge in, and a new Earthly Buddhist Kingdom was about to be born, and all this credit went to himself.

With this merit, he wanted not just a Golden Body Arhat, but the Bodhisattva status or perhaps, after countless ages, even the throne of the Buddha was possible.

Thinking this, the Arhat couldn’t help but reveal an eager look, sizing up the Emperor of the mysterious Buddhist Sect as if he were appraising a peerless treasure.

"Amitabha Buddha, well said, well said!" the Arhat spoke deliberately with a voice full of compassion; he continued to deepen the enlightenment, though he had always mocked Jue Ming for his timidity, in reality, Jue Ming’s words had planted seeds of caution in his heart.

"Your Majesty, do you truly wish to convert to Buddhism?"

"Certainly, everything is like a dream-like illusion, evanescent as lightning," the Emperor said with a dignified presence, acting even more like a Buddhist disciple than the Arhat did.

"Buddha is compassionate, and since Your Majesty is willing to enter the Buddhist Sect, there is no reason to hinder you. However, our sect is currently weak and still needs Your Majesty’s vigorous assistance," the Arhat spoke softly.

"Just speak frankly, Master. For the sake of the Buddhist Sect, I am willing to do anything," the Emperor said fervently.

This fervor surprised the Arhat; the effect of the enlightenment was too good, achieving the desired result in one step, effectively making the Mortal Emperor into a fanatic.

It seemed highly probable that Jue Ming’s prior groundwork had taken effect. After all, as just a mortal, facing the powerful Enlightening Techniques of the Buddhist Sect, he had no power to resist.

"I want you to declare from tomorrow that Buddhism will be the state religion and begin expelling Taoists and converting Temples into Buddhist Temples. Can you do it?"

"Certainly. If the Buddhist Sect is to open the gates of convenience widely, that itself is the highest honor. Those members of the Daoist Sect who gain fame through deception, it’s time we cleared them out,"

The fanatic Emperor seemed even more radical than the Arhat, which made the Arhat frown slightly; the effect was perhaps too good, an excess being as bad as a deficit, as this development wasn’t entirely positive. After all, anyone observing the Emperor now might notice something amiss.

"Our Buddhist Sect should embrace compassion and avoid actions of petty strife; let’s take it step by step!" the Arhat quickly soothed, still needing the Emperor for significant purposes, not wanting his strangeness to be discovered too soon.

The Emperor with a deep, contemplative look seemed to be pondering something still, which made the Arhat feel uneasy from the bottom of his heart, always feeling that something might have gone wrong this time.

"Do not act impulsively, we must be steady and sure," Arhat hastily advised.

He had heard this phrase countless times from Jue Ming’s mouth, and each time he had scoffed at it, thinking the other was far too timid, always cautious and looking back. Little did he know that now he would have to say it himself, giving him a sense of karmic cycle and illusory dreams.

Left with no choice, Arhat could only continue to influence the Emperor with his ability, urging him to drop the decision to eliminate all Taoist priests in the world.

"Since the Mage has spoken, let us spare them this time and settle scores with them in the future," the Emperor finally relented after a long while.

This statement secretly relieved Arhat, at least preventing the situation from becoming irreparable. He wanted to achieve merit, but he was also unwilling to face the wrath of the Heavenly Court and the Daoist Sect.

"Today’s sermon is over; the old monk shall return to the temple to rest and await Your Majesty’s actions," Arhat said, seeing the timing was nearly right, and stood up to take his leave.

"Master, why not stay here? We can talk through the night. I have many doubts about Buddhist Scriptures that I wish to consult you on," the Emperor, however, unusually insisted on him staying.

At this moment, the Emperor was a genuine fanatic devotee of the Buddhist Sect, wholeheartedly devoted to Buddhism, naturally treasuring the Buddhist Scriptures and wishing to study them all day long. Now with a master right in front of him, how could he let him leave so easily?

Arhat now fully understood the meaning of shooting oneself in the foot; the fanatical Emperor seemed somewhat unreasonable—perhaps due to his status, even more radical and enthusiastic than other fanatics. Yet, it was his identity that Arhat needed to exploit, putting him in a difficult dilemma.

"It must not be so; you are the ruler of a nation. Although you have entered our Buddhist Sect, you have not yet been fully ordained. How can you neglect your royal duties? First, settle these matters, and afterwards, I will conduct the ceremony to formally ordain you," Arhat quickly replied.

After much persuasion, Arhat finally pacified the Emperor and was relieved that he could return to the temple with victorious news. He could hardly wait to see Jue Ming Monk’s astonished face.

However, just as he was about to leave the grand hall, a terrifying dragon’s roar suddenly erupted in his ears.

The sound reverberated far and wide, as if it crossed the gap between Heaven, Earth, and the Mortal World, resounding in the ears of all living beings.

"Not good!" Arhat immediately realized something was wrong. With such a fearsome force making him feel death’s imminence, he had a premonition that it was aimed at him.

But he had never heard anyone in the Mortal World possessing such power. Although the Emperors of Dongsheng Shenzhou called themselves True Dragon Emperors, to people like him, that was merely a joke. Even a True Dragon must bow before Mount Ling, let alone a so-called True Dragon Emperor.

However, the power that appeared that moment made him panic. This was no ordinary force; it seemed to have a certain priority, completely overbearing upon its emergence and significantly slowing down Arhat’s mana.

Now, he could only be considered a slightly powerful ordinary person, a realization that instilled fear in him. Fortunately, the Emperor had been enlightened and should be able to ensure his safety.

But when he turned to look at the Emperor, he noticed something amiss. The Emperor’s face was glowing with a golden light, his gaze gradually shifting from fanatic to icy cold, ultimately fixing a chilling stare at Arhat, the kind of glow that made this Arhat of Mount Ling feel a chill in his bones.

"Good, very good indeed, what a high-ranking monk, what a Buddhist!" the Emperor said coldly.