The "gods and buddhas" on the wall clearly knew nothing of Mo Chuan's conversation with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
"Why isn't this filthy thing talking? Is it mute?" on the wall, "Medicine Buddha" spoke to 'Maitreya.'
"Then let him witness the all-encompassing might of my Buddhist kingdom," 'Maitreya' sneered.
On the other side, Mo Chuan frowned and asked, "Since you are Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, why are you and these demons all clad in bronze?"
"It's a long story... In short, during that great catastrophe, I was saved by a female benefactor, who preserved my soul. Later, after many twists and turns, I managed to escape this realm of hell," Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sighed silently. "But I never expected that after leaving here, my soul was forced into slumber. If not for the benefactor bringing me back, I might never have awakened again."
"Then, honored sir, looking at the current situation, what should we do?"
"That 'Maitreya' possesses a divine ability to unfold a Buddhist realm and lead these demon beasts to reveal their 'Buddha' forms. Once he deploys his realm, throw my bronze statue onto my mount to help me clear out these demons. I will then send you out and bestow upon you a fortunate encounter."
Good heavens, things were becoming increasingly fantastical.
"Then why haven't my companions woken up yet?"
"This... I am currently unable to probe souls, so I do not know."
On the wall, 'Maitreya' clasped his hands and shouted, "Disciples, heed my command, chant with me, and unfold the Buddhist kingdom!"
As 'Maitreya' spoke in Sanskrit, the other Bodhisattvas, Vajras, and Arhats on the wall joined in the chanting. For a moment, Buddhist light shone from above, while golden lotuses emerged from below, and the Sanskrit mantras resonated like great bells throughout the room.
Seeing this, Mo Chuan could only shield Qing Lianzi and the others who had fallen unconscious. As for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's proposal, he was somewhat hesitant.
It wasn't for any other reason; the "Qin" character on the bronze statue alone made it difficult for Mo Chuan to trust him.
Golden auspicious clouds and fine white sand slowly engulfed every corner of the room. Beyond the Buddhist light and clouds, the bronze statues revealed their true forms – figures clad in kasayas and monastic robes, with halos of light behind their heads, each holding different dharma artifacts. Some had three heads and six arms, others sat or lay, some laughed heartily, and some had dignified appearances. It was as if this place were a true Buddhist kingdom.
However, Mo Chuan noticed something different.
The fingernails of every Vajra, Mingwang, and Arhat were sharp, slender, and pitch-black; every Bodhisattva and Honored One had long or short beards on their cheeks, and they were exceedingly rough. Above the three foremost positions, only lotus thrones remained. The Medicine Buddha and Maitreya on either side had Buddha seats but lacked the most crucial dharma artifacts and "enlightenment halos" (the thirteenth halo of a Buddha, possessed only by Buddhas).
"Interesting..." Mo Chuan thought carefully. It seemed that only the bronze statue in his hand was relatively normal—at least it was a person.
"Alright, honored sir, I'll trust you this once. But you must save my brothers and explain what exactly is happening here."
"Rest assured, benefactor. I am naturally one who repays kindness."
Mo Chuan nodded, instantly summoned his grappling hook, armed himself with the 'Hellbringer·Crimson Moon' skin, and then activated his domain, 'Narakasuraguyas'.
In an instant, the entire room seemed to fall into a chasm between heaven and earth: on one side, a world of bliss with harmonious Sanskrit chants and emerging golden lotuses; on the other, a desolate and silent netherworld with a blood moon hanging high.
"I never imagined... I would see the underworld again..." Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva murmured to himself, feeling the surrounding aura.
"The underworld? Didn't those old fellows perish along with the Heavenly Court and the mortal realm? Could this mortal be a successor of the underworld?" on the lotus throne, 'Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva' frowned.
"Do not panic. No one can resist the enlightenment of my Buddhist Pure Land." As the words fell, 'Maitreya' threw a string of prayer beads, and the Medicine Buddha followed suit by throwing an incense burner.
As the prayer beads and incense burner ascended, even more intense Buddhist light surged towards Mo Chuan, constantly counteracting the netherworld's dark green flames.
Although Mo Chuan was not close, he could feel the intense heat of the Buddhist light.
"Honored sir, is that the white dog?" Mo Chuan searched for a long time, finally locating a white dog dozing on the ground below 'Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva'.
"Uh... that should be Di Ting..." Although only his voice was heard, the hesitation in Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's tone made Mo Chuan's head spin.
"As long as I get it delivered to that white dog, right?" Mo Chuan said, quietly taking out the bronze statue from his bag.
"Wait, what do you intend to do?" Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Let's witness the power of the Shadow Isles!"
With Mo Chuan's command, a dilapidated gate rose from the ground, repelling all approaching Buddhist light.
Then, the gate slowly opened, and a team of undead cavalry, dressed in nomadic fashion and riding skeletal steeds, emerged slowly.
The Khan at the front turned to look at Mo Chuan, as if awaiting his command.
"Deliver this to that white dog." Mo Chuan shoved the bronze statue into the Khan's hand, then intensified the mana input for 'Narakasuraguyas', shouting, "Netherworld Legion! Shadow Charge!"
Upon receiving the order, the Khan immediately brandished his saber, letting out a cry of excitement that roused the soldiers and skeletal horses behind him.
Then, as the Khan pointed his saber towards the gods and buddhas above, the cavalry, like wolves spotting a flock of sheep, spurred their horses and charged towards the Buddhist kingdom.
The netherworld cavalry, trailing a sky full of burning netherworld green flames, broke directly into this "pure land" of myriad buddhas.
"What?!" 'Maitreya' stared in disbelief as the cavalry surged into his Buddhist kingdom like a tidal wave. With every impact of their iron hooves on the golden lotuses, a wisp of green flame would burn the surrounding monks, causing them to wail. Some monks who didn't manage to escape the expansion of Narakasuraguyas were directly incinerated by the roaring green flames, their original forms revealed before turning to charcoal.
"So that's how it is..." Mo Chuan narrowed his eyes. "The honored sir and Arhats are all disguised as Asuras and Yakshas; the Vajras, Mingwangs, and the like are all disguised as Asura Kings and Yaksha Kings; and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas... are all disguised as avian beasts..."
"Coupled with the vacant seat of Mahavairocana Buddha, I should have guessed it," Mo Chuan recalled Zhang Hanshan's previous analysis and chuckled. "I never expected the Green Winged Eagle clan to collude with the demons and replace all these buddhas. This 'stealing the heavens and changing the sun' trick is brilliant."
However, Maitreya on the opposite side was not without means to counter the netherworld legion. He chanted a Buddhist phrase and shouted, "All disciples, chant the 'True Scripture of Mahavairocana Buddha'!"
As the Sanskrit chants rose again, this time, the Buddhist light slowly solidified behind the buddhas, finally transforming into a colossal, heaven-reaching phantom Buddha.
The heat, akin to the sun, directly turned the foremost cavalry into dust.