My brother is so cunning

Chapter 1167: He who knows the current affairs is a hero
In the blink of an eye, the figures of the Guide and the Sage Zhunti froze in the light and shadow, while a turbulent storm raged within their sea of ​​consciousness.

The voice of the Guide Daoist resounded first in the heart of the Sage Zhunti, carrying a solemn sense of review, without any trace of the previous decisiveness: "Junior brother, the battle just now seemed to be evenly matched, but in fact we have already fallen behind. His time reversal is the most terrifying thing. It can not only correct the battle situation, but also make our previous mental energy go to waste, and even erase the tremors of our Dao foundation."

Sage Zhunti responded immediately, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible apprehension: "What you say is absolutely right, senior brother. Every time we fight him in the mandala, our Dao hearts are cracked due to the 'shaking of our ideals'—his 'belief in all sentient beings' is like a blunt knife, repeatedly cutting away at our attachment to the 'Buddha Kingdom on Earth.' But he has the blessing of Heavenly Dao merit, so his Dao heart becomes more and more stable. If this continues, our spiritual power will be exhausted sooner or later. At that time, let alone defeating him, we probably won't even have the strength to maintain the mandala."

“What’s even more troublesome is his methods.”

The Guide Daoist's consciousness deepened, as if recalling the details of the battle just now:

"The ability to manipulate the laws of nature with technology and counter our willpower with Buddhist teachings is unmatched in the Three Realms. Although we were able to forcibly pull him into the mandala today, we could not defeat him on a spiritual level. Instead, it exposed our weakness of relying on willpower and being unable to break the rules."

Sage Zhunti's divine sense carried a hint of resentment: "But in terms of raw strength, if the two of us join forces, we might be able to annihilate him on a physical level! However... this Free City is densely populated. If we were to unleash a powerful divine ability at this time, it would inevitably affect innocent people. At that time, the lives of the entire city's inhabitants would be lost, which would be an immeasurable act of killing."

"Killing is a small matter, but losing people's hearts is a big matter."

The Guide Daoist's divine sense was full of weighing the options. "Turning against all living beings in the Three Realms and killing one person would create such a terrible karma. The Western Sect's reputation for 'bloodlust' would never be washed away. At that time, all living beings would only see us as 'demons' rather than 'saviors,' and the path of spreading the Dharma would be completely cut off—this is worse than being killed."

"So we can only accept defeat and watch helplessly as he uses technology to shake the foundations of Buddhism?"

The Sage Zhunti's consciousness was somewhat impatient.

"I wouldn't admit defeat, but I need to know when to back down and understand that the time isn't right yet, so I can't force it."

The Guide Daoist's consciousness gradually calmed down: "Today's contest has proven that we cannot suppress him on a spiritual level, nor do we dare to bear the karma of killing on a material level—continuing to entangle us will only cause the Western Sect to suffer greater losses. It would be better to temporarily agree to cooperate, outwardly complying with the will of Heaven and all living beings, while secretly observing his weaknesses and making a long-term plan."

As the exchange of divine consciousness ended, the figures of the two saints gradually became clear.

The guide straightened his robes with a calm and unhurried gesture. The tension from the earlier duel in the mandala had long since dissipated, replaced by a sense of composure as if victory was assured—as if the fierce exchange had been nothing more than a casual discussion of the Dao, rather than a life-or-death struggle.

Saint Zhunti also sheathed the sharpness of the Seven Treasures Tree. The swaying shadow of the tree revealed a sense of leisure, and there was no trace of embarrassment in his eyes, only a precise control of the situation.

Although the fierce battle within the mandala of consciousness had not yet concluded, the two sages had already made their plans.

It should be understood that this mandala is a "spiritual fortress" built by the two through countless reincarnations and with the power of countless vows. Logically speaking, even saints like the Tongtian Sect Master, Laozi, and Yuanshi Tianzun, if drawn into it to fight on their home turf, would not gain the slightest advantage. However, Wen Rui thrived in it, and his performance in the spiritual world far exceeded the power he actually wielded in the material world.

If he cannot be killed in the spiritual world, then he will not be killed in the material world either, given the current situation.

Free City is the "home ground" of the Creator, and all the mortals in the city are his "natural shield." If he were to recklessly unleash his powerful divine abilities, he might be able to kill his opponent, but the lives of the city's inhabitants would also be reduced to ashes—that would not be "eliminating the enemy," but "destroying one's own foundation."

What makes Western religions stand firm in the Three Realms?
They rely on the reputation of "saving all living beings" and the nourishment from incense offerings in the mortal world.

If they were to truly bear the stigma of being "bloodthirsty," not only would the vision of a "Buddhist kingdom on earth" be completely ruined, but even existing temples would likely be demolished by angry mortals. At that point, winning over the hearts and minds of the people would be out of the question, and even preserving their own lineage would be a problem.

It would be far more important to take a different path and win back the hearts and minds of the people than to seek momentary gratification.

Just now, when they blatantly broke the contract and dragged Wen Rui into the mandala, in that very instant, the two saints sensed the malice of the world. The thoughts of the gods that they received through their telepathy and the curses against the Western Religion in the tablet's bullet comments never stopped.

If we don't seize the opportunity to turn back time to before all beings harbored boundless malice towards the Western Sect and reverse their impressions, even if we forcibly kill Wen Rui today, the Western Sect will still become a "lone wolf" despised by all beings. No matter how great their abilities, they can only be confined to Mount Ling, accompanied by ancient Buddhas and green lamps.

If we sacrifice the very foundation of our family line just to save face, then we truly suffer a loss.

How many generations have they lived through? What storms haven't they weathered?

Back then, when they fought against the Chan and Jie sects, the two sages still understood the principle of "not fighting for short-term gains or losses, but fighting for long-term benefits and losses." Now, facing Wenrui, who leads all living beings to command the Heavenly Way, how could they make such a low-level mistake?
Wanting to win the first battle and settle the score quickly is impossible. The most important thing right now is to use the pretext of "divine guidance" to put on a good show of "repentance," win back the hearts of the people, rebuild Mount Ling, and then have plenty of opportunities to turn the tide when we are fully prepared.

"This will of Heaven is indeed not to be defied."

The Guide Daoist spoke slowly, his voice steady and powerful, without the slightest weakness. When his gaze swept across the tablet screen, it carried a perfectly measured "frankness," as if he had already seen through the thoughts of all beings in the Three Realms. "Fellow Daoist Wenrui, we were previously fixated on the 'Buddha Kingdom on Earth,' and indeed neglected the fundamental principle of 'the happiness of all beings.' Today, after this experience, we can say that our wish has been fulfilled, and we have seen the true guidance of the Heavenly Dao."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Sage Zhunti immediately responded, raising his hand and nodding slightly to the void, his posture solemn yet not humble: "What you say is absolutely right, fellow Daoist! We are not stubborn and ignorant, but we failed to see the true meaning of 'conversion' before. Now we understand that Buddhism and technology are not opposed to each other. If they can complement each other, they can truly protect the Three Realms."

It is important to know that the memories of the other timeline before the time rewind were known only to Wen Rui and the two saints of the Western Sect. All the beings in the Three Realms were kept in the dark. All they saw was Wen Rui's persuasive speech, which was remarkably effective and actually convinced the two saints who possessed the strongest power in the primordial world.

(End of this chapter)