Chapter 212: Boring, I want to see a river of blood
"Skulls are like mountains, bones are like forests. Human hair has turned into felt pieces, and human skin and flesh have rotted into dust. Human tendons are entangled on trees, dry and burnt, shining like silver. There are mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and the stench is unbearable. Little demons take living people and peel their flesh, and demons cook and cook human flesh..."
When Feng Qing'an followed Wen Pan into the main hall of the City God of Fengtian Yinsi, he saw the Tianlong monk who had just entered the Yinsi not long ago standing in the center of the hall, speaking in a clear and calm voice, telling the horrifying stories of demons.
Feng Qing'an, who had just entered the hall, was startled when he heard about such a brutal demon. His expression became solemn, and he looked left and right, and saw the Taoist masters and eminent monks who had come in earlier, now sitting at the tables on both sides.
However, when Feng Qing'an looked at others, the Taoists and monks who came in earlier also looked at him. They were all stunned when they saw him. Even Zen Master Yinghai, who was explaining the cruelty of demons, turned his head to glance at Feng Qing'an.
Feng Qing'an clearly saw that the face of the Tianlong monk, who had dared to rebuke ghosts and gods upon his arrival and was not afraid of even the City God, twitched slightly when he saw him. It was unknown what extremely unpleasant past event he was thinking of.
"Please take a seat, sir!"
Wen Pan slightly turned sideways and extended his hand to lead the way to the seat under the City God, the chief seat on the right, which was the seat for the most prestigious guest at the banquet. Feng Qingan glanced at the vacant chief seat, then looked at the monks and nuns who were basically sitting in the back, shook his head and smiled,
"I'll just sit on one side with this senior!"
Feng Qing'an's gaze was cast towards an old beggar sitting in the middle seat, who was the first Taoist master to break into the underworld. This disheveled, ragged old beggar was holding a shiny roast chicken in his hands and devouring it with relish, just like an old beggar who was tasting meat and wine for the first time.
"You look so familiar, kid. Sit in front of me and block the way for me. Don't sit in the back. I thought I was being low-key, but these guys all hunched their heads and wanted to stand at the door to listen to the fun, but they just refused to sit in the front!"
Hearing Feng Qing'an's voice, the old beggar looked up at him, then gave a stern look to the Taoist priests and monks who were behind him.
Because even if he was sitting in the middle seat, he was closest to the front, away from the altar, and couldn't even see his general appearance. He was just closest to the City God who was emitting the blazing blue-purple divine light.
"This should be the first time I meet you, Senior. You think I look familiar, so you must have seen my brother before!"
Feng Qing'an walked towards the seat in front of the old beggar, and Sen Miao and Heishan Baiyao followed closely behind him, not daring to fall behind. Here, no one dared to show off.
"Your brother?"
The old beggar, who was just eating heartily, was reminded and stared at Feng Qingan's face for a few seconds. His old face suddenly wrinkled, revealing a confused look, extremely puzzled.
"Strange!"
"Why is that so strange?"
Feng Qing'an sat down and glanced at the green jade table in front of him. There were several plates of spiritual fruits and a pot of sake on it. It looked very simple. It was obvious that Fengtian Yinsi had prepared this Dharma discussion very hastily. It was probably put together at the last minute. After all, even the guests came in to join in the fun, so it was not surprising.
"It's okay, it's okay, it's just that I'm an old man who is not well-trained and made a mistake in the calculation!"
The old beggar kept looking at Feng Qingan until he sat down and looked at him, then he withdrew his gaze and focused on the greasy roast chicken in front of him. However, he mumbled something from time to time, but Feng Qingan could not hear it.
"I have been practicing Buddhism for half a century and have seen at least ten such mountains of corpses and seas of blood, as well as caves of bones and demons!"
The celestial dragon monk Yinghai just glanced at Feng Qing'an, and then continued to explain the harm of demons to the city god. What he talked about were all things he had experienced personally. He had seen the human Pilin in the White Bone Mountain. As for demons, he believed that it was better to kill them by mistake than to let them go.
"A demon is a demon. It eats human flesh and blood, just like humans slaughtering cattle and sheep. Even if they pretend to be kind, they cannot change their cannibalistic nature. If you ghosts and gods sympathize with the other species, you are equivalent to being an accomplice of the demons, harming innocent mortals!"
"My goodness, he has cultivated Buddhism for half a century and has achieved such a high level of accomplishment. Where does this little bald donkey come from? Are the bald donkeys outside so powerful? Compared to this, the bald donkeys in Nanhua should just return to secular life and stop embarrassing their Buddha!"
Hearing what the Tianlong monk said, the old beggar with a greasy mouth was immediately amazed. If he was amazed not at the brutality of the monsters in Xilan Continent, but at the short time of cultivation of the Tianlong monk in front of him.
"Amitabha!"
No monk could tolerate being scolded as a bald donkey in front of him. A monk sitting at the opposite table chanted the Buddha's name. He looked kind and benevolent, but a hazy Buddha's light was already emanating from his body.
"I have heard that in Xilan Continent, there is a Buddhist temple that has been passed down for ten thousand years, and Buddhist disciples have been born in every generation. I wonder if Master Yinghai is a Buddhist disciple of Tianlong Temple?"
"Amitabha, I am just a little monk in the temple, not a Buddhist disciple. The current Buddhist disciple of this temple is my senior brother, Fayuan!"
Hearing the question, Zen Master Yinghai responded, but while speaking, his eyelids were drooped, as if he didn't want to talk about it any more.
"How could the Zen master, with all his accomplishments, not be a Buddhist disciple in the temple?"
As soon as Yinghai finished speaking, several old monks showed surprise on their faces. Not only these monks, but also other practitioners who came in here, also showed moved expressions.
People who practice cultivation can tell a person's age by looking at his face and feeling his bones. It's common for them to judge a person's age by just a breath. And no matter how one judges, this Zen Master Yinghai is not very old.
But no one expected that the other party was so young. Being young would be fine, but his strength to suppress ghosts and gods in the city was terrifying, and it also made people more awed by the Tianlong Temple behind him.
"My senior brother Fayuan is far better than me in both debate and Buddhist practice. What virtue and ability do I have to be a Buddhist disciple?"
The monk, who looked extremely young and handsome, spoke in a very calm tone, but Feng Qingan found it a bit strange. Why did his words sound so unwilling?
From what the monk said, he couldn't win the argument or the fight, so he could only give up his position. Tsk, could it be that this monk was crushed in all aspects by his senior brother, so he came to Nanhua Luzhou to relax?
"Amitabha, has Buddhism in Xilan Continent reached such a level? In my lifetime, I will definitely travel to Xilan and discuss the sutras and the Dharma with the eminent monks of Xilan!"
A glimpse of the whole picture can reveal the whole picture. Although the monk in front of him has such strength, he is not even a Buddhist in Xilan Continent. This is enough to show the prosperity of Buddhism in Xilan. This immediately made the faces of several monks present show admiration and yearning. An old monk in a bright red cassock immediately sighed.
"Master Senduo, I think you should stay in Nanhua. This little monk is only this young, but he has seen at least ten demon caves. With your level of cultivation, I'm afraid that you will be eaten alive by demons before you even get to the place!"
The monk's words had just fallen when an old farmer who was sitting not far from the old monk and who had also brought in an old ox began to persuade him with a smile. Although his tone was much more polite than that of the old beggar, he was still sarcastically aggressive.
If it had happened elsewhere, or even several years ago, when Taoism and Buddhism met, it would certainly not be like this. At least superficial harmony could have been maintained.
But in the Great Jin Dynasty, any Taoist priest would not be polite when meeting a monk. It was already a sign of restraint from these Taoist priests that they did not use their magic weapons to smash the bald monk's face on the spot.
After all, everyone in the Dao Sect knew what these bald monks were up to. They poached people from the Dao Sect. How could they tolerate this? And the person was a reincarnated immortal.
"Amitabha, thank you for your concern, Mr. Mu Niu. If I ever set off for Xilan, I will have the magical power to subdue demons and monsters!"
The old monk who made the wish had a calm face and responded without any annoyance or anger. They also knew that they were trying to dig into the Taoist sect, so naturally they did not expect the Taoist master to have any good face towards them.
Even if they are Taoist friends who have known each other for many years, it is already a great honor for them to be able to say a few words to each other the moment they meet instead of just using magical powers to greet each other.
"Master, I think it is better to set off today than to wait for a day. I think your Buddhist teachings are profound. These are just some demon caves. With your magical powers, you can easily destroy them. It will also help to rescue those sentient beings trapped in the demon caves and help them escape from the sea of suffering and avoid disasters as soon as possible!"
At the last seat in the main hall, a handsome young man with a handsome appearance was waving a folding fan and speaking with a warm smile.
"Amitabha, I still have some achievements to accomplish. I will cross the sea only when I have accomplished them!"
"Old bald donkey, you can't achieve your goal. Give up as soon as possible. Even if you succeed, I will smash you to pieces!"
The moment the monk finished speaking, an old Taoist priest who looked like a charlatan spoke. He leaned on the table with one hand to support his head, and with the other hand he threw the spiritual fruits prepared by the underworld into his mouth one by one, with a bohemian air that was inconsistent with his appearance.
"Amitabha, you all are obsessed with appearances. The Mingwang of our temple has issued a decree... "
"You are just a Ming Wang, and you dare to issue orders? I thought it was the Buddha. If the Buddha issues an order, I have brought a few incense sticks with me, so I can ask the ancestor from the upper world to show his power!"
Seeing that there was still a bald man who dared to join in, a dignified female cultivator spoke in a cold voice, which instantly made the monk from a big temple blush, looking extremely angry but not daring to show it.
"Oh my goodness, big sister, you brought this kind of treasure with you. Hey, bald donkey over there, don't hide it. Didn't your Ming Wang send down a decree? Take out your Ming Wang's decree and let me see it. I want to see the demeanor of the fairy. Give me a chance!"
The words uttered by the elegant and graceful female cultivator, who looked like a blooming jade flower, brightened the eyes of the old beggar, whose lips were still dripping with oil. He rubbed his paws, and then could not wait to yell at the group of monks, looking like someone who enjoyed watching the fun and adding fuel to the fire.
"My fellow Taoists, can you please give me some face? This is the Fengtian Underworld!"
Seeing that the Buddhists and Taoists present seemed to be about to fight, the deep and majestic voice of Fengtian City God, as the host of this place, rang out. Although he was confident that it was enough to suppress the whole scene , the prerequisite was that these Buddhists and Taoists did not ask for their ancestors' help.
If the monks on one side asked for the will of the Ming King, and the monks on the other side burned incense and asked the ancestors to appear, the Fengtian Underworld might collapse. Only then did the City God realize that he had been ill-considered in opening the gates of the underworld and inviting Buddhists and Taoists to enter together.
This move was acceptable two years ago. Even though Buddhism and Taoism had , they would exercise restraint in some major occasions. But now, in the territory of Dajin, Buddhism and Taoism are not as hostile as water and fire, but they are not much different.
Many Taoist masters have fought with great monks, with both sides winning and losing. Some monks or masters even had to leave temporarily and recuperate in seclusion because they were too seriously injured.
But no matter how much he heard, it was not as good as the conflict happening right under his nose. After just a few words, the Buddhist and Taoist sides were about to fight, and they did it in one go, directly calling on their ancestors.
"Of course we have to give face to Lord City God. We have no intention of starting a war here. It's just that some monks don't know what's good for them and always want to do something unrealistic!"
The old farmer who had brought in all the cattle spoke with a smile.
"Amitabha, this poor monk..."
"Master, do you have any doubts about what I said about the demons' brutality? If so, please feel free to speak up. If it is irrelevant to this matter, could you please keep silent?"
The monk was interrupted by Yinghai with a frown on his face before he could finish his words. He didn't know what the Buddhists and Taoists in Nanhua Continent were arguing about, and he didn't want to get involved in matters that had nothing to do with him.
He just wanted to discuss with the local ghost gods how to deal with demons and monsters, but these guys inexplicably looked like they were about to fight, disrupting his debate with the ghost gods.
“…”
Under the pressure of Yinghai's gaze, the monk, who already seemed a little weak, suddenly kept silent.
But the other two monks looked at each other and communicated with their eyes. They could naturally see that this monk who came all the way from Xilan Continent had no intention of interfering in the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism in Nanhua Continent. However, this matter was related to the prosperity of Buddhism, and as they were both from Buddhism, they should naturally be united in facing the outside world.
"Master, Xilan Continent is full of demons and monsters, but you are now in Nanhua Continent. I have ascended to the throne of God and have been worshipped for a thousand years. Humanity is flourishing, demons are dormant, and there are spiritual beasts in the mountains that are influenced by the spiritual energy and have the desire to be kind, protecting woodcutters and hunters..."
The debate between the City God and the Dragon Monk continued. The deity, who had been worshipped for a thousand years, and the monk, who had seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood, both used what they had seen and heard as the basis for their arguments, either to defend their own views or to attack the other side.
When the Tianlong monk traveled around Xilan Continent, he saw too many cruel and cunning faces of demons. As for those aliens other than humans, he adhered to the principle of rather killing a thousand by mistake than letting one go.
However, the City God believed that all things in the world have spirituality. If they were to suppress, exclude, or even slaughter all species that are different from humans, wouldn't that mean they would be enemies with all living things?
Regardless of whether they are humans or monsters, they should be distinguished between good and evil. The good will be rewarded, and the evil should be punished!