As soon as the governor of the Harmony province sent a request for help to the Dragon province, his face suddenly changed. He used the Aura Observation technique, only to see the aura of the populace rapidly diminishing in the east of the province several thousand kilometres away. Even natural disasters like droughts, floods, and plagues could not wreak such havoc.
“She’s in the east!”
“Your majesty, what do we do now?”
The governor of the Harmony province spent a good moment considering that question. He let out a long sigh. “We wait for reinforcements!”
Even if they rushed over there now, they could not stop her.
They could not lock onto the aura of an opponent like that, nor could they divine her position. Her strength was equivalent to theirs as well, even surpassing the Ten Daemon Kings. It was basically unfathomable.
He could not help but resent the religious preceptor of the left a little. He had such a great opportunity, yet he still failed to kill her. He really was useless.
“Also report to the Dragon province that if this continues, the Harmony province will be left without a single living soul before long!”
……
In the Spirit K?etra temple of the Dragon province, the religious preceptor of the left’s face was sunken. He just stood there silently.
The Monk Kings felt extremely shocked. Originally, they thought they had dealt heavy injuries to the buddha nemesis and had made her grow wary, needing to spend a period hidden to recover at the very least. They never expected her to strike back so quickly. Perhaps she did not even understand what wariness meant.
Under the solemn atmosphere, a young monk with delicate facial features stood up and bowed. “Please go to the Harmony province to provide reinforcements immediately, religious preceptor!”
He was the abbot of the Bhik?u Mountain temple. The Bhik?u Mountain temple was located within the Harmony province as their largest buddhist monastery.
The religious preceptor of the left waved his hand. “Say nothing more. The opportunity is not there yet. The buddha nemesis is capable of extraordinary things, and she’s in possession of the Five Absolute Immortal’s Immortal Relinquished sword. Unless we have an exceptional opportunity, we will struggle to kill her.”
Only when Great Xia gathered all of their forces did they have some chance, but that was absolutely impossible right now, which was why they had left the matter of reinforcements to the Spirit K?etra temple.
“Then I take my leave!”
The abbot of the Bhik?u Mountain temple brought his palms together and bowed, turning to leave.
“It’s of no benefit even if you return. Your life might even be in danger,” the religious preceptor of the left said sternly.
Something major was at hand. He had not gathered the monks from everywhere just to deal with a buddha nemesis. The abbot of the Bhik?u Mountain temple was a rare talent within buddhism, undergoing the third heavenly tribulation in less than three centuries. He had a very vast future ahead of him.
The abbot of the Bhik?u Mountain temple said, “Over the past ten thousand years, my Bhik?u Mountain temple has received the worship and prayers of the people of the Harmony province. As the abbot, how can I just turn my back on them?”
The religious preceptor of the left scolded him. “Foolish! Narrow-minded!”
The abbot of the Bhik?u Mountain temple had already made his way out, sailing off into the air.
The other Monk Kings looked at one another. Many of them also disagreed with the religious preceptor of the left. The buddha nemesis was a mortal enemy of buddhism. Even if their strength was insufficient and the odds would be against them, they had to do everything that they could to eliminate this threat to the world. How could they let her wantonly massacre the living?
The religious preceptor of the left became even more furious. With a flip of his right hand, he grabbed the wooden fish and swung it gently.
The Unraging monk rolled out on the floor, having been placed under the restraints of numerous formations already, such that he was immobilised. He glared at the religious preceptor of the left furiously.
The religious preceptor of the left threw a transmission jade talisman at his face. “Unraging, look at the great deed you’ve done. If it weren’t for you, I would have killed the buddha nemesis already and saved countless lives!”
The Unraging monk felt the restraints loosen. He grabbed the jade talisman and saw the news, which also left him shocked. He said sorrowfully, “Xiao An, oh Xiao An. Do you really plan on continuing like this, going your own way!?”
The religious preceptor of the left said, “Do you understand your crimes?”
“The crimes are with the religious preceptor!”
The religious preceptor of the left laughed out of anger. “You really have gone too far with the demonic arts.”
The Unraging monk said furiously, “If the buddha nemesis is here, I’m willing to perish with her and save everyone! However, if the religious preceptor had attacked the ghost tower a little earlier without resorting to such underhanded tricks like a lesser person, launching an ambush in secret, would any of this have happened in the first place?”
“A lesser person! What a lesser person! You have no idea about the general situation, no understanding about the bigger picture. Do you think the buddha nemesis will perish with you if you just die? The Hungry Ghost realm wants her. If she doesn’t die, the Hungry Ghost realm will never give up!”
“Among the buddhist scriptures I have read, I have only heard about the buddha cutting flesh from his own body to feed hawks, sacrificing his own body to satiate tigers. I have never heard about the buddha setting ambushes to capture and kill hawks and tigers. I have never learnt about any general situation or bigger picture either. As the religious preceptor, you should be setting yourself as an example so that all buddhist disciples throughout the world understand the spirit of the buddha, not scheming and resorting to trickery, only weighing the costs and the benefits…”
“…My death might be useless, but I still have countless colleagues, as well as the arhats and bodhisattvas. Perhaps the Hungry Ghost realm might not give up, but without the nine provinces, there is still the trichiliocosm and the six realms of sa?sāra. Even in the face of countless difficulties, as long as the buddhist dharma is not twisted, it can shine forever, bringing light to all! The true buddha nemesis is not in the outside world, but within us.”
Despite the restraints, the Unraging monk’s spirit of grandeur filled the hall. There would always be some “fools” who firmly believed the concepts mentioned in the books, refusing to turn back even if the world left them bloodied. Even when he dirtied himself with alcohol and meat, spending his time among demonfolk, that was not enough to extinguish the spirit within him.
“Be quiet, y- you heretic who twists the buddhist dharma. What do you know about the spirit of the buddha?”
“I know nothing, but if the buddha also launched sneak attacks and set up ambushes like the religious preceptor, then I’d rather hurl myself at the buddha’s statue and die!”
“I hereby abolish your identity as Monk King. Drag him out and punish him with three thousand beatings!”
……
The sun sank in the west. A short day had passed. What came next was the lengthy night.
“Fellows, reinforcements won’t be coming from the Dragon province. If we want to fight the buddha nemesis, we can only rely on ourselves! As the governor of the Harmony province, I have a duty to the land, so I must fight. If anyone refuses to take this risk, you are welcome to leave. I definitely won’t force you to stay,” the governor of the Harmony province said to his honoured guests sternly. Behind him was the abbot of the Bhik?u Mountain temple.
Not a single honoured guest left. All of them had been born and raised in the Harmony province. They were extremely far away from being mortals now, but if all mortals died, then where would the cultivators come from? Their sects and schools would end with them as well.
“Your wish is our command, your majesty!”
The governor of the Harmony province took out a mental map of the province. “All we can do is this…”
Late at night.
The honoured guests scattered throughout the sky of the Harmony province, forming groups of twos and threes as they watched the various regions of the Harmony province. Once they discovered the buddha nemesis’s activity, they would not be in a hurry to strike. Instead, they would send the news to gather everyone so that they could deal a lethal blow to the buddha nemesis.
The governor of the Harmony province watched the auras on the platform in the Black Dragon King, presiding over the entire situation.
Fortunately, the Harmony province was even slightly smaller than the Green province. Otherwise, if it had been as large as the Frost province or the Mist province, then it would be impossible to watch the entire place. However, the Mist province was the main headquarters of the Great Banyan Tree King, while the Frost province was freezing and very sparse in population, which was why they had not served as her first choice.
“Your majesty, there are flames in the east!” The governor of the Harmony province received the news and immediately looked towards the east. Sure enough, he saw the aura of the populace decline. “Is it still the east?”
Right when he was about to gather the honoured guests and venture to the east, he received more news. “Your majesty, there are flames in the northwest too!” “The south as well!”
At that moment, the Samādhi Flames of White Bone burned in every single part of the Harmony province.
The Skeleton Demons that had recovered their strength ran through the wilderness with strange cackles, setting the mountains, forests, and cities alight like sparks.
The governor of the Harmony province hesitated. He tried using the Aura Observation technique to determine where the buddha nemesis actually was.
The abbot of the Bhik?u Mountain temple who had remained silent the entire time suddenly said, “Your majesty, I can sense that the formation of the Bhik?u Mountain temple has been destroyed! The buddha nemesis is at the Bhik?u Mountain temple!”
“How’s that possible!? The Bhik?u Mountain temple has the Heavenly King’s Formation of Enveloping Earth. Even the Black Dragon King would struggle to breach that.”
“I don’t know. The enemy is at the Bhik?u Mountain temple. Please provide reinforcements quickly. Oh no, the buddha nemesis is trying to open the demon cavern and cause a demonfolk invasion!”
