Chapter 464: Chapter 419: Returning the Scroll
The vast voice of The Buddha continued to echo: "Manjusri Bodhisattva, I bestow upon you a green lotus, pure and untainted by the dust of ignorance; I bestow upon you a Wisdom Sword, with the power of Vajra to slay hordes of demons.
With the power of wisdom, you may sever all ignorance and afflictions."
Manjusri Bodhisattva immediately stepped forward and gave a respectful bow, joyfully saying, "Many thanks to The Buddha!"
The Buddha waved his hand casually, and a green lotus slowly drifted down, at the heart of which was embedded a cyan-colored treasure sword wrapped with vine patterns.
Manjusri grasped the stem of the lotus with one hand and drew the treasure sword with the other, bowed his head with a smile, and returned to his original place.
The Buddha then looked towards Universal Virtue Bodhisattva and said: "Universal Virtue Bodhisattva, I bestow upon you a Ruyi, with which you shall achieve the Four Wishes: Desire Ruyi, Thought Ruyi, Diligence Ruyi, Wisdom Ruyi.
All shall be as you will it." With a casual wave of his hand, a Ruyi floated down towards the area below.
Universal Virtue Bodhisattva stepped forward, raising both hands to receive the Jade Ruyi, respectfully saying, "Many thanks to The Buddha!"
The Buddha nodded slightly, and Universal Virtue returned to his original place, an unspoken understanding flowing between them; as the saying goes, ’When a terrapin meets a mung bean, they see eye to eye,’ Guanyin Bodhisattva, Universal Virtue Bodhisattva, and Manjusri Bodhisattva have successfully changed thresholds.
The vast voice of The Buddha transmitted: "As Buddhism is newly established and much work lies ahead, all Buddha Bodhisattvas must exert their efforts."
Buddha of Tranquil Light and Joy, The Bodhisattva Guanyin, and all others clasped their hands together respectfully and stated, "We will honor The Buddha’s teachings～"
The vast voice of The Buddha rang out: "With Buddhism united, its doctrine shall spread throughout the Western Continent."
"Yes!" All Buddha Bodhisattvas retreated respectfully.
...
Within the empty Great Thunder Monastery, two servants, Anan and Kasyapa, came walking in, respectfully bowed once, and each held up a white lotus, reverently saying, "The Buddha, these are congratulatory gifts sent from various places!"
The Buddha stretched out his hand, and the two lotuses flew up and landed in The Buddha’s immense palm.
Anan and Kasyapa respectfully retreated.
A fruit basket flew out from the white lotuses, suspended in front, and half of a Purple Pattern Flat Peach, shining with faint light and exuding a fragrant aroma, was revealed on the top of the basket.
Duo Bao Tathagata could not help but reveal a trace of a smile; the Purple Pattern Flat Peaches were supreme delicacies from the innate mother tree of Peach and could even be beneficial to Quasi-Saints; truly precious and extraordinary. Emperor Haotian actually sent thirty-six of them; he’s really being prodigal! How could the Heavenly Court not decline with such a Heavenly Emperor?
The Buddha picked up the topmost Purple Pattern Flat Peach, and his pupils suddenly constricted—his movements froze. Where in the basket was there even half a Purple Pattern Flat Peach?
A dense stream of spirit fruits flew out from the basket—Goddess fruit, figs, Big Apples—all were ordinary spirit fruits.
The Buddha immediately laughed in annoyance, his vast voice resounding within the hall: "Well done, Heavenly Emperor, you actually dared to use ordinary spirit fruits to impersonate Purple Pattern Flat Peaches."
He immediately thought of the time before, when Shen Gongbao, without a change in expression, announced to All Immortals that thirty-six Purple Pattern Peaches were sent from the Heavenly Court, boasting with a smug look, causing shock and envy among the Primordial Immortals. This angel was no easy opponent.
Right, at that time, he had also expressed sincere thanks. Who could have expected that the Majestic Heavenly Emperor, Master of Three Realms, would play such a trick, using ordinary spirit fruits to substitute for Flat Peaches, truly exasperating!
Duo Bao Tathagata grabbed the only Flat Peach left, ferociously took a bite, and a peach fragrance spread between his lips and teeth. Nicely done, Emperor Haotian, truly despicable and shameless to the extreme; now even if I were to proclaim the truth, I fear no one would believe it!
...
On the other side, Shen Gongbao returned to the Heavenly Court and went directly to the Bird’s Nest.
Within the Bird’s Nest, Bai Jin welcomed Shen Gongbao into the great hall and offered him tea.
Bai Jin sat in the main seat while Shen Gongbao took a seat below him.
Shen Gongbao took a sip of tea and lifted his head to say, "Just as the Emperor predicted, indeed there are some forces who are showing good favor to Buddhism."
Bai Jin asked, "Who are they?"
"Firstly, it’s the Demon Court of the Northern Continent. A Bi Fang of the Demon Clan named Bi Yan went to congratulate them and showed much good favor to Buddhism, and during that time he also caused quite a bit of trouble for me."
Bai Jin tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair, pondered for a moment, and said, "The Demon Clan has always believed that the Heavenly Court should belong to them, the current Divine Heavenly Court is occupying the Demon Clan’s rightful place, so their animosity towards the Heavenly Court is understandable.
But they should also think about it, what was the situation of the Three Realms when Di Jun Taiyi was in power, and what is it now?
Di Jun Taiyi practiced despotism, ruled by military power and caused endless wars, resulting in countless casualties. Though his name was feared, he wasn’t a qualified Heavenly Emperor.
Whereas Emperor Haotian practices the Kingly Way, operates Heaven and Earth with the help of all gods, constrains the Immortals with Heavenly Rules, establishing order and propriety, the Three Realms are well-organized, all of which fit the demeanor of the Heavenly Emperor.
Despotism might flourish temporarily, but ultimately, it is the Kingly Way that will endure."
Shen Gongbao nodded and said, "Senior brother is absolutely right! I also think the same way."
"Anything else?"
"There are also the Black Water Mysterious Snake Clan, the Colorful Feathered Bird Clan, the Ape Clan..."
Shen Gongbao hesitated for a moment before saying, "Senior brother, I also noticed that Wuzhuang Temple seems rather discontent with Buddhism."
Bai Jin’s eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked, "How can you tell?" Immortal Zhenyuan of Wuzhuang Temple is not weaker than Emperor Haotian in terms of power. If Wuzhuang Temple is discontent with Buddhism, our Heavenly Court could make a great effort to win them over.
"At the banquet, I saw all the guests were happy and smiling, except Qingfeng little Taoist from Wuzhuang Temple who had a cold face throughout as if he harbored a deep hatred, indicating that Wuzhuang Temple does not have a good relationship with Buddhism."
Bai Jin, somewhat disappointed, shook his head slightly and said, "You’re not aware, it’s not that Wuzhuang Temple has a bad relationship with Buddhism. A few years ago, Qingfeng little Taoist and Mingyue little Taoist nun of Wuzhuang Temple got married, and I even ordered Shi Ji to send a generous gift to celebrate.
But now, Qingfeng and Mingyue are in the middle of marital strife, it’s said they’re talking about divorce, even the task of caring for the ginseng fruit trees has been neglected."
Shen Gongbao exclaimed in surprise, "Divorcing?"
Bai Jin sighed and said, "Yes, indeed! I really can’t comprehend what these young people are thinking – life is not easy, they should cherish every moment!"
Shen Gongbao obviously didn’t care about Qingfeng and Mingyue’s marital issues and disappointedly said, "So, it means that Wuzhuang Temple does not dislike Buddhism, it’s just that Qingfeng little Taoist is in a bad mood."
Bai Jin nodded slightly and said, "Indeed.
Junior brother, was the scroll I gave you of use?"
Shen Gongbao immediately stood up, smiled and said, "I must thank senior brother, indeed, the Demon Clan and Buddhism tried to trouble me during the banquet, wanting to test the attitude of the Heavenly Court towards Buddhism.
In the end, I used the scroll senior brother gave me and reclaimed all the Merit of Buddhas like Womb of the Earth Bodhisattva, Maitreya Buddha, Mahasthamaprapta, Medicine Buddha, and Great Sun Tathagata, stripping Buddhism of half of their founding Merit. This hit them hard and the Buddhist banquet ended in discord."
With an outstretched hand, several scrolls appeared in the palm, each shining with Merit Golden Light, "Senior brother, this disciple returns the scrolls!"