Longzang

Chapter 1214 The True God
The spread of Buddhism in Qingming was quite difficult, mainly because Qingming was full of unruly people, many of whom harbored great disrespect, fearing neither ghosts nor gods, but only revering heaven and earth. Those who did not even respect heaven, earth, and their ancestors were also considered unruly people in the eyes of Qingming.

When they encounter monks expounding profound Buddhist teachings, these guys like to pry and ask probing questions, such as, "Everyone chants scriptures and recites Buddha's name, so what do you eat?"

For example, "Where exactly is the Buddhist kingdom? Have you ever been there?"

For example, "Did you witness the deeds of a certain eminent monk? What does it have to do with you? Are you his relative?"

Various forms of disrespect were rampant, sometimes even provoking monks of less profound cultivation to spew eloquent words, which would then inevitably lead to physical altercations.

Although the mages traveling outside all had some martial arts skills, there were countless cultivators in the Azure Netherworld. After fighting one, a bunch of Foundation Establishment cultivators would swarm around him. Even the people laying foundations at the construction site next door were Foundation Establishment cultivators.

In fact, it wasn't just Buddhism; all other religions and sects, including the doctrines of the Four Saints Academy, encountered obstacles everywhere in Qingming. Only the philosophy of the Primordial Palace truly prevailed throughout Qingming.

This is quite normal, as the world now regards Qingming as the fourth branch of the Taichu Palace. If one's own branch doesn't promote the Taichu ideals, why would they promote someone else's?

However, Wei Yuan himself wasn't entirely clear on what the Primordial Ideas were. Each Palace Master had their own set of ideas, except for the current one.

Generally speaking, all the previous palace masters had one thing in common: those who refused to submit were crushed.

As for the current Palace Master... Wei Yuan didn't even know his name, let alone his deeds. If Yan Shi and Zhu Yan hadn't both claimed to be Deputy Palace Masters, Wei Yuan would have almost forgotten that there was a Palace Master above him.

Since the current Palace Master took office, the atmosphere of Taichu Palace seems to have changed. It is no longer so domineering, but more elegant and ethereal, and skilled in planning and maneuvering.

Regardless of the philosophies of the Primordial Palace, a trend of Neo-Confucianism is now emerging in the Azure Netherworld. Neo-Confucianism emphasizes logic, reasoning, verification, and so on, based on mathematics, but not limited to mathematics.

High-level cultivators like Yu Jing disdained this, but those focused on template-based cultivation flocked to it, and articles of all kinds sprang up like mushrooms after rain. At this time, most of these articles were still in the early stages of establishing a logical system, and there were many brilliant works.

Wei Yuan both paid attention to this and disdained it. He had read most important articles, usually just the beginning and the end, finding them too simplistic and easy to understand, then noting down the conclusion and that was it.

In such a vast and mysterious place, it is indeed difficult for any religious sect to spread.

In northern Ganzhou, autumn had already arrived, a crucial time for harvesting summer crops. However, most believers remained unmoved from farming, busy repairing temples and sculpting golden statues. In short, they refused to work in the fields, their message clear: "Does Wei Yuan intend to stand by and watch millions starve to death?"
This is the first question posed by the Pure Land School.

Such a minor task was easily handled by the numerous elite warriors of Qingming; Wei Yuan didn't need to personally intervene. After reviewing the talents of his group, Wei Yuan ultimately assigned Sun Yu to handle the affairs in the north.

Sun Yu accepted the order and led a hundred beautiful disciples, dozens of medical masters, and Wei Yuan's newly trained army of five thousand thunder whip warriors to the north to take up their posts.

Upon assuming office, Sun Yu immediately toured the various prefectures, summoning all the county magistrates to the prefectural capitals. He then declared that Wei Yuan, the Lord of the Azure Netherworld, had realized the inevitability of the situation in the north and was therefore preparing to bestow honors upon Buddhist monks and promote Buddhism in the north. Following the established practice of the Azure Netherworld, he also proposed establishing Buddhist academies in various regions, with eminent monks presiding over lectures to promote the orthodox teachings of Buddhism and prevent unorthodox and licentious monks from spreading their teachings.

The Buddhist academy naturally needed lecturers, so each county was asked to submit a list of accomplished Dharma masters. The county magistrates all thought this was a great thing and were very enthusiastic, submitting several hundred names on the spot, and then submitting another thousand or so after returning home.

Sun Yu then gathered them at the Buddhist Academy. This so-called Buddhist Academy was originally the Qingming Academy, but it had long since become a Buddhist monastery. Sun Yu then dispatched troops to guard the Buddhist Academy, and only then did he turn against them.

He divided the land in each county into regions, assigning each monk a region, and set targets for the autumn harvest. If a monk failed to meet the target for even one day, he would be publicly whipped fifty times. If the target was not met by the end of the autumn harvest, the monk would be beheaded.

Sun Yu specially instructed people to write countless notices and post them in the surrounding villages. The content of the notices was similar, and in short, it was: whoever refuses to accept grain is the murderer who killed the monk and will be condemned to eternal damnation!
Such theories are naturally met with dissatisfaction from many believers, and Sun Yu has specifically opened up channels for debate, allowing those who disagree to come forward and argue. However, given Sun Yu's noble status, only highly respected monks with late-stage Dharma Aspect cultivation can stand before him.

If believers want to argue, it is considered insubordination, and they will be beaten away with sticks. Those who do not leave will be knocked unconscious and imprisoned. If someone gathers to cause trouble, they will be punished with salt water and thunder whips.

Since the believers couldn't argue, only the Dharma Masters could, but all the virtuous and eloquent Dharma Masters were imprisoned by Sun Yu.

So after opening up channels for discussion, surprisingly no one came to debate, which delighted Sun Yu, and he then implemented this method.

Over three days, more than eighty monks were subjected to this punishment, lying naked in the fields, while believers wept bitterly. By the fourth day, countless people were working in the fields, their diligence comparable to that of temple repair workers.

When Wei Yuan saw Sun Yu's method, he covered his face in embarrassment, but he had to admit that Sun Yu had indeed solved the immediate crisis and helped him vent his anger. However, it was only a temporary solution and did not address the root cause of the crisis of faith.

When the autumn harvest ended and Sun Yu returned, he brought back over five hundred monks and over three thousand followers. All the followers had serious crimes punishable by death according to the law.

The charges against the mages were somewhat far-fetched. The main charge was insulting the Realm Lord, followed by the Yin-Yang Realm Lord... Since neither of the above two charges could be applied, Sun Yu created a new charge: harboring resentment towards the Realm Lord.

Wei Yuan was also puzzled upon seeing the report, so he immediately sent his avatar to find Sun Yu. Only after Wei Yuan's avatar arrived did Sun Yu show him a secret document.

In this document, all the monks were labeled with different tags. The simplest tags were their identity, age, and gender. The next level of tags were their cultivation level, supernatural powers, and the school of their practice. The final tags were their background and experiences. Some had their cause and effect noted, while most had unclear cause and effect.

These monks all carry different labels and karmic burdens. The labels on the believers are much simpler, but they are also divided into hundreds of subcategories based on their physical condition, level of enlightenment, etc., with two to three people in each category.

Wei Yuan immediately understood upon seeing the document: Sun Yu was about to begin another experiment. He sighed and said, "You're... the karmic resentment is a bit too heavy." Sun Yu remained unmoved, smiling slightly, "It's alright. If we don't understand these things, we'll never grasp the principles of salvation, and thus have no way to prevent it. Someone has to do this kind of thing. I don't have that many complicated backgrounds, and I'm good at this, so I'm perfect for it. Besides, my Dharma form can also dispel resentment."

Unlike Bao Yun and Cui Yu, Sun Yu doesn't have a family background. This is a matter of completely eradicating the roots of purity, something even scions of noble families can't do. Feng Tingyu, Wang Hu, and others don't know anything about medicine, so only he is the most suitable.

Seeing Wei Yuan's worried expression, Sun Yu laughed and said, "It's alright. I was prepared long ago, so I've been quite enjoying myself these past few years. People like me have no hope of ascending to immortality anyway, so I might as well do more for everyone. Go back now, the experimental base has been built, so you don't need to come and see it, to avoid getting involved in any karma."

……

At the border of Qingming and Ming, a convoy of vehicles traveled in a long, winding manner until it reached the checkpoint.

The officer guarding the gate stepped forward, checked the convoy's identification documents and pass tokens, and immediately became more respectful, saying, "So it is Senior Faxiang who has come in response to the summons. Why didn't you take a flying boat? If there is no way to get there, then there is a county town 120 li away, where flying boats can be rented. Flying boats are good things, but they are a bit expensive."

The person who came forward to negotiate was a middle-aged cultivator, who was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He said, "Our ancestor brought a secret technique with him, intending to promote it in Qingming. Therefore, there are many array plates and magic artifacts. There are also many clansmen and disciples. Ordinary flying boats cannot accommodate them all, so we simply travel by land."

The officer said, "We would appreciate it if you would show yourself so we can complete some formalities..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than an elderly man with an air of otherworldly wisdom appeared before him, his eyes a strange gold. He said calmly, "Did you see clearly?"

The officer was startled, but facing a powerful cultivator in the late stage of the Dharma Aspect realm, he still examined him carefully. Seeing that his aura and appearance matched the description on the jade tablet, he allowed him to pass without any leniency.

After passing the checkpoint, the caravan continued deeper into the Azure Netherworld. Inside the carriage, the old man said slowly, "The aura of the Azure Netherworld is indeed different. Even a minor official guarding a roadblock has the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment stage."

One of the boys scoffed, "This kind of template can be called a Dao Foundation? I could take on several of them by myself!"

The old man sighed, "Don't you think about your background and theirs? Even if you can take on ten, twenty, or thirty, Qingming's roadblocks are all templates. You can imagine how many templates he has! If you make a move, you'll probably be facing more than a hundred."

Another boy next to him said, "Even if there are a hundred pieces of trash, each with a magic sword, they could turn you into a hedgehog."

Finally, the middle-aged cultivator in charge of the convoy also said, "I've heard that Qingming cultivators all have methods for forming formations, so they always travel in groups and are not a disorganized mess. Moreover, Qingming's formation techniques are quite famous and should not be underestimated."

The boy remained unconvinced, muttering, "All they do is swarm in, what's so glorious about that..."

Laughter erupted in the carriage; the proud and arrogant young man had surprisingly yielded for once.

The convoy traveled for almost half a month before finally arriving at its destination. It was a medium-sized city with a population of over 100,000, and quite prosperous. The convoy entered the city and completed the necessary paperwork.

The arrival of a late-stage Dharma Aspect cultivator was a major event in itself, especially since he came through the Outstanding Cultivator Program and brought his entire clan. As a result, the city lord personally arranged a large mansion and several independent courtyards, along with a Daoist temple, which together occupied the entire block.

Once everything was settled, notices were posted on bulletin boards throughout the city: Master Xiaoyu has opened a Taoist temple to spread the Great Dao, teaching without discrimination. Anyone who meets the following conditions may apply...

Everyone was quite surprised when they saw the conditions. The conditions were incredibly low. Anyone who was physically healthy, in their prime, and capable of physical training could apply!
Three days later, the temple opened, and thousands of people rushed in, filling the temple to capacity!

Master Xiaoyu changed into a Taoist robe, exuding an air of otherworldly grace. On each side of him stood three disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage, lined up in a row!

This display... is a bit weak. There are many Qingming Dao Foundations, and wealthy families often flaunt their wealth, frequently having two rows of black-clad Dao Foundations standing at their gates, stretching all the way to the main hall...

Fortunately, Xiaoyu was a Grand Master in the late stage of the Dharma Aspect realm, so none of the Qingming disciples dared to act rashly. Seeing that all the disciples to be accepted had arrived, Grand Master Xiaoyu stood up, and two young female disciples presented a Daoist scripture.

Master Xiaoyu then said, "This is the secret method of our sect, the 'Southern Litian White Gardenia Worship Method.' If you cultivate it to a high level, you can directly reach the Imperial Realm! Although you are not very talented, as long as you cultivate diligently, given time, half of you should be able to establish a foundation for the Dao."

An uproar immediately erupted below!
Those who can register here must be mediocre in terms of qualifications. Good talents have already been selected by major academies and cultivation schools by the age of five or six. How could they possibly be selected by this kind of wild training ground?
The old Taoist priest's probability was even higher than the template. Naturally, no one believed him, but even if there was only a 10% chance, everyone felt it was worth it.

The group sat down cross-legged, and the old Taoist priest began to impart his teachings.

This "Nan Li Tian Bai Zhi Worship Method" is essentially a visualization worship method, drawing inspiration from the path of incense-based deities. It primarily involves selecting a main deity for worship, using a secret method to cultivate three sticks of incense within one's sea of ​​consciousness, and then offering the incense as a sacrifice. The object being worshipped absorbs the power of the incense's power, gradually strengthening itself. The stronger the deity being worshipped, the more supernatural abilities and cultivation it receives in return, and the stronger the believer becomes.

In this secret method, the choice of offerings is crucial. Not only must they be of high status, but they must also possess great fortune and be able to receive the power of supernatural wishes.

This Taoist classic was as thick as a brick. When the old Taoist was lecturing, it was surrounded by countless pale blue runes, each rune containing hundreds to thousands of words of Taoist teachings. However, the old Taoist explained it in a simple and easy-to-understand way, and finished the introductory part in just half a day. Surprisingly, most of the people understood it.

Just as everyone was fretting over what to offer in the sacrifice, the old Taoist seemed to know what they were thinking. He stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "You need not worry. I have already chosen the main deity for you. You can choose the three auxiliary deities later. Someone, please invite the main deity!"

Immediately, four disciples carried out a statue. This statue was the same height as a person, made entirely of turbid jade, and its affected expression was lifelike; it was none other than Wei Yuan.

(End of this chapter)