Chapter 136: Master, please preach! Why don’t you preach?
Ghost Kingdom, the capital
In this expanding and increasingly large capital city, a temple with Buddhist lights shining brightly has recently been added near the royal palace.
The golden Buddha light made every ghost passing by, and even the nobles of the ghost country living nearby, feel extremely uncomfortable. However, there was no disgust or dissatisfaction in the eyes of every ghost when they looked at the Buddhist temple.
Because there really are a group of monks with flesh and blood in this temple, monks from the human world.
Therefore, the ghosts looked towards this Buddhist temple with greed in their eyes. Some of those with weaker willpower even drooled in their mouths. To them, this Buddhist temple contained the most delicious food in the underworld.
However, those powerful ghost generals and ministers had already received the news that the monks in this temple were not there to reward them or feed them, but to preach to them.
Although it is a bit regrettable, it is normal. After all, their king does not even allow them to eat souls, so how could he allow them to share food with monks?
But even so, the nobles of the Ghost Kingdom, who possess strength commensurate with their own power and status, are full of anticipation for listening to Buddhist scriptures.
The hatred and evil that gave rise to them, although they made them what they are, can also devour their minds at any time and destroy everything they have now.
No matter how great the power is, once one becomes crazy and loses his reason, the power will instantly become a passing cloud, vanish into thin air and cease to exist, and the only thing left is the destruction of the soul.
But now, with the arrival of this group of monks, everything can be saved, because the first thing these monks do when they arrive in the Ghost Kingdom is to try to restore sanity to a group of crazy and out-of-control ghosts.
"Amitabha!"
Inside the temple, monks, young and old, fat and thin, looked at each other in silence, all with sorrow on their faces, because right in front of them were neatly packed with more than a hundred frantically roaring ghosts.
Although all these evil ghosts had been restricted at this time and could only drool at the sight of the monks and could not do anything substantial to harm them , these ghosts could still decide their life and death.
"Uncle Master, what should we do?"
There was an indelible sorrow between the old monk's brows. Although he had traveled in Nanhua Continent for many years, exorcising demons and monsters, he had encountered evil spirits like the one before him several times.
But every time they met, he used Buddhism to convert them, and the evil ghosts would reincarnate and be reborn, leaving nothing behind. But if he did that again now, the king would make sure that not even a trace of them would be left.
"What else can we do? Just leave it to fate!"
The fat monk's face was full of sighs at this moment. He really never dreamed that when he was looking for the reincarnated immortal, he would be caught in the underworld. He should not have listened to his nephew's advice.
He had come to his senses at this moment. The ghost country leader who had captured them might have some connection with the reincarnated immortal monarch. Otherwise, there would be no such coincidences in the world. They had just arrived when they were captured.
This ghost king is so unique. It's not like he hasn't seen the ghost king before. Which of the ghost kings who rose up in the netherworld doesn't like the flesh and blood of living people? Monks like them are even better for ghost kings.
However, this king had no interest in their flesh, blood, and souls. Instead, he asked them to preach. If it were just that, it would have been fine. He even saw that the king forbade his subjects to devour them.
This is not something the Ghost King can do, or it could be said that the person who can do this should not be the Ghost King. What he saw and heard made the fat monk have a lot of thoughts in his mind.
One of the backup plans left by the reincarnated immortal?
It is not impossible. After all, the phoenix has appeared. Although the color is not right, it is still a phoenix.
If this is true, then their lives are actually guaranteed, but this is just his guess and there is no clear evidence, so he still cannot be careless or take it lightly.
“Leave it to fate?!”
Many monks looked at each other in bewilderment. They had never expected to hear such an answer. The abbot was the one with the highest attainments in Buddhism among them, and also had the broadest vision and the greatest seniority.
"Of course, I don't mean to do nothing. Let's chant the Bodhi Heart Mantra and try it!"
The fat monk sighed and made a decision that there was no time to delay.
"this……"
The old and young monks were still hesitant. Chanting scriptures and reciting mantras were naturally ingrained in their bones and they could perform them without thinking, but the question was, what about the consequences?
What if they chanted the sutras and killed the evil spirits in front of them? The king handed the evil spirits over to them, but asked them to help them eliminate the hatred and evil spirits that corroded their minds.
To be honest, such detailed requirements really make it difficult for these monks. If they encountered such ghosts in the human world, they would just convert them and let them be reborn. Who would have nothing better to do than to subdue such crazy and evil ghosts?
"Do we have any other choice? Even if we cannot bring back their consciousness, saving them and helping them to be liberated is also a merit!"
"Uncle Master is right!"
The old monk was still the first to respond, and then he looked at his fellow disciples.
"This time it was me who started it, so naturally I should start it. Let me recite the scriptures alone. If I anger the king, it will be all my fault."
"Brother, what are you talking about? We have fallen into the ghost country and there is no distinction between you and me. If we need to recite scriptures, we brothers will do it together. If there is any trouble, we will bear it together!"
"Amitabha, good, good!"
The monks finally calmed down, and the rippling Buddhist music suddenly echoed in the temple. More than a hundred ghosts that were tightly bound suddenly let out sharp and painful screams and roars in the Zen music and Buddhist light.
It seemed as if there was a raging fire. These ghosts whose bodies had been bound and unable to move made sizzling sounds, and thick black and gray smoke was rising from their bodies. However, that was not smoke, but the external manifestation of the evil spirits being forcibly expelled from them.
However, as the evil spirits were purified by the Buddha's light, the sounds of the ghosts' painful roars and howls suddenly became much smaller and weaker. The originally solid bodies of some ghosts even began to become illusory, and they were about to dissolve in the Buddha's light.
If they saw any ghosts, they would turn them into ashes while chanting. The monks would also stop chanting, because if the ghosts were gone, they might disappear with them.
“Keep chanting!”
A cold voice sounded at this moment, and after hearing the king's indifferent and ruthless order, the chanting sound that had originally weakened became clear again, and ghosts began to disappear in the increasingly blazing Buddha's light.
But there were also ghosts in the Buddha's light. Because the evil spirits were eliminated, their consciousness gradually recovered, their brains began to become clear, and they were no longer crazy. Fear naturally appeared in their eyes.
“Just as expected!”
When the monk began to chant, the Lord of Youhuang, who was standing in the air and looking down at everything, remained calm. He did not even glance at those ghosts who were annihilated in the Buddha's light and could not get rid of their madness until their death.
However, she fished out those ghosts that were beginning to regain consciousness. As for the vast Buddha's light and Zen sound, they were of no use to her at all.
It's just Buddhist scriptures. She listened to them a lot with her father back then. She even used them to hone her mind. Although the Buddhist scriptures are meant to save people, they can also be used to hone one's mind.
"Are these monks really useful?"
Youyou, who was standing on Donghuang's shoulder, was quite surprised to see the group of ghosts that had regained consciousness.
"If the Buddhist scriptures cannot even do this, then they are not worthy of being called the right path."
Dong Huang was not surprised by such a result. The most difficult part of this matter was how to get the monks who were well versed in Buddhism to cooperate. For the Buddhists, the only way for ghosts that had gone crazy was to convert them. There was no need to save them. Even if they were saved, their mentality would not last long and they would fall into madness again.
"Let these monks convert one by one, and select the one with the highest attainments in Buddhism to preach the sutras to the ghost generals under my command!"
"good!"
The little phoenix flapped its wings quietly and flew up. She was responsible for this matter. After all, not everyone could ignore the golden light of Buddhism like her and Donghuang.
Ten days later, in front of the Bodhi Temple, fierce ghosts like clouds came one after another. Giant ghosts with bodies dozens of feet tall came one after another. Even the ghost king, who was surrounded by people, appeared from time to time.
But no matter how vicious the ghost is, even if the ghost king comes here, he must transform into the size of an ordinary human being and cannot run rampant here, because this is the order of the king.
This temple is considered quite large if placed in a town, but it would be too small if placed in a country. Being able to enter and listen to sutras is only for ghosts, and it is also a manifestation of power and status.
Therefore, many powerful ghosts gathered outside the temple, looking at this small temple with unwillingness in their eyes. They wanted to enter it, but they did not get a place.
This group of ghosts did not have any particular yearning for Buddhist scriptures. It was just because this matter was led by the king, and among them gathered the most powerful ghost generals and ministers in the ghost country. If they could sneak in and be appreciated by one of them, it would not be impossible to rise to the top.
In the temple that has become a place of fame and fortune in the ghost country of the Netherworld, many monks have numb expressions. Each of them emits a faint golden light of Buddhism, resisting the ghost aura of the Netherworld that is coming from all directions and becoming increasingly dense.
However, there was a hint of relief on the numb faces of most monks, because they only needed to resist the negative energy that was naturally emitted when those powerful ghosts gathered here.
"Yi Xiu, be modest and calm, don't panic!"
The fat monk with the highest status looked at the old monk sitting opposite him with a face full of compassion. The master's eyes were also full of numbness, but they were full of despair, and the palms of his hands that were turning the Buddhist beads were trembling slightly.
He was very honored to be designated as the lecturer by the Lord of Youhuang Kingdom, so today he had to face a group of high-ranking officials of the Ghost Kingdom who were extremely powerful and well-backed, and they were also the most powerful group of ghosts, among whom there were many ferocious beings who had reached the level of Ghost King.
Therefore, even though he could be called a great monk, Master Yixiu's Zen mind was showing signs of collapse at this moment. This was completely different from the time a few days ago when he was tied up and unable to move and was in a frenzy with a group of ghosts.
At that time, even if it was not done well, it would not be a big deal if the ghosts were converted by accident. The Lord of the Ghost Kingdom obviously did not mind it.
Later, he will face a group of ghost kings, the commander-in-chief of the ghost kingdom and the most elite ghost generals, and they will not be bound by any constraints.
As an old monk from the human world with fresh blood, he recited scriptures to such a group of powerful and ferocious ghosts, which had the effect of restraining and purifying them.
Master Yixiu had no doubt that he would die here today and be buried in the stomachs of ghosts.
His existence itself is a great temptation to ghosts, and if he recites Buddhist scriptures, it will most likely stimulate the ghosts and arouse the resentment and madness hidden in their hearts. Once he makes them crazy, his end will surely be extremely miserable.
But he had no choice at all, the Lord of the Ghost Country did not give him any chance or room to refuse.
The ghosts died from eating each other!
Amitabha!
How much sin did he commit to deserve such an end?
"Where is that Buddhist master who was supposed to give a lecture? It's time for him to give a lecture, so why hasn't he shown up yet?"
"Maybe you are afraid of us, so you hide in the house and dare not come out!"
"Hahaha, it's very possible, but this won't do. We are gathered here to listen to the sutras, we can't make this trip in vain!"
"That's right, that's right. Everyone among us has important tasks to attend to. How can we be so idle?"
"Master, if you don't come out to preach again, we will go in and ask you to come out!"
Outside the house, the sounds of ghosts teasing and laughing could be heard. Even with the king's order, they could not eat the monks from the human world, let alone hurt them. But saying a few words and communicating a little would be fine, right?
"Yi Xiu, we will follow you out. We must not let these ghosts look down on us. We must not bring shame to Buddhism and the Bodhi Temple!"
The ghost's outrageous words made the numbness on the faces of the monks in the house disappear. If they really had no choice and could not escape the tragic end, they might as well be more open-minded.
"Thank you, uncle, and all my fellow disciples. Since the king has appointed me to preach to the ghosts, I can face them alone. You don't have to take risks with me!"
Yi Xiu became calm at this moment. The crazy behavior of the ghost outside the house aroused his desire to conquer the demon. He even thought about what to say:
The Mantra of Acala to Subdue Demons
As soon as the thought came to his mind, the old monk stood up, opened the door and walked out. In an instant, hundreds of gazes with a heavy sense of oppression fell on him.
In an instant, the temple, which was filled with heavy yin energy and eerie ghost atmosphere, suddenly became quiet, and a ghost general raised his hand to wipe the saliva flowing from the corner of his mouth.
At this moment, a lazy black wolf walked into the temple at an unhurried pace. The old monk, who had been stiff all over, suddenly widened his eyes and stared at the black wolf. He raised his hand holding the rosary with trembling hands and pointed at the black mountain.
"It's you!?"