My brother is so cunning

Chapter 920 Buddhist Nature Sweeped Away

When Venerable Kasyapa led three thousand Jiedi and five hundred Arhats to storm Lingjiu Temple, he never imagined that he would be no better off leading three thousand five hundred pigs.

At least 3,500 pigs will not be used by the enemy as tools to pound the earth!
And let me tell you, throughout the entire Three Realms, there is no tool more suitable than the golden-bodied Arhats and golden-bodied Vidyarajas for breaking through the ground reinforced by the great supernatural power of "turning soil into steel".

The Western Buddhist masters at the Bodhisattva and Buddha levels can transform the ground into steel, making it as hard as diamond. Ordinary divine weapons and sharp tools, before they can even dig through the ground, are already shattered and bent by the enormous recoil force.

Even if the monkey swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff) to smash it, even if the staff had the ability to change shape at will, it could bend and then turn back, and the force of the shock would still crack the monkey's tiger's mouth.

In comparison, the Vajra Arhat has many advantages. For example, its indestructible body is strong enough to withstand long-term damage. Even if it is slightly damaged, the two Sun and Moon Bodhisattvas in the sky can continuously bless it with the Medicine King Mantra to repair it, ensuring its durability.

For example, the Vajra Arhat is not a rigid object that transmits the force of the shock. It has multiple joints. When the ankle is grabbed and swung around, the bald head is used to smash the ground. The force is transmitted from the neck to the spine, then to the hip, and then to the knee and ankle, like a multi-section staff or a chain hammer. The effect of neutralizing force is outstanding. The force of the shock cannot be transmitted to the claws of the demonic insects holding the ankle.

It is sturdy and durable, and does not vibrate in the hand. It can be used to go head-to-head with the Vajra ground reinforced by Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. Where else in the Three Realms can you find such a good tool?

Even if the world is vast and full of wonders, and alternatives could be found, there couldn't possibly be as many as three thousand five hundred. If these Western Christian monks weren't living beings, they would be perfectly suited as standard weapons for the elite Mosquito Legion, far better than the current situation where they have no weapons and can only rely on their own growing claws and fangs to fight.

Loud thuds echoed from the ground as bald heads slammed to the earth, resembling a grand Buddhist ceremony with monks prostrating themselves in devout worship.

The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on the cloud were caught in a dilemma, just like Venerable Kasyapa.

The spell to harden the ground was cast jointly by them. If it is not lifted now, it is unknown how long the heads of the three thousand Jiedi and five hundred Arhats can withstand such forceful pounding.

The hard ground, enhanced by magic, is not so easy to break even with a strong hammer blow. No matter how much force is used, it only consumes a portion of the caster's magic power.

These Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are all highly accomplished Buddhist masters with profound spiritual attainments and powerful magical abilities. They are also casting spells together, with each person sharing the burden of the energy expenditure. Even if the demonic insects desperately try to break through the defenses, they will not be able to escape underground in a short period of time.

But the problem now is not whether the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas' magical power or the elite demonic insects' physical strength will be exhausted first, but whether the monks' heads or the ground will break first.

The power of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is vast and enduring, but the sturdiness and durability of the golden bodies of each Arhat and Dharma Protector King are relatively limited in comparison.

If the Arhats and Vidyarajas used as hammers were to smash their heads to death on the ground, wouldn't that count as the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the clouds indirectly creating the karma of killing?
This is a bit complicated. Logically speaking, the ones carrying the tools and smashing the ground are demonic insects. These demonic insects don't care about creating karma. On the other hand, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who use their supernatural powers to reinforce the ground have the right to cancel their supernatural powers at any time.

Once the ability to turn soil into steel was dispelled, the rocks and soil on the ground would be no different from cotton cushions to the Arhats with Vajra bodies, and they certainly wouldn't be crushed to death.

However, once the ability to turn soil into steel is removed, the swarm of demonic mosquitoes and the Mosquito Taoist who seized the Buddhist treasure while lurking among them can move freely and escape underground at any time, making them impossible to catch.

Ever since the Mosquito Taoist's blood shadow appeared, Tathagata had already set off from Mount Ling and was on his way.

The Buddha should have remained as immovable as Mount Sumeru. Even if Lingjiu Temple was in dire straits, he had to remain stationed on Mount Ling. This was to prevent the Mosquito Taoist from using a diversionary tactic, allowing her to infiltrate Mount Ling and wreak havoc while the Buddha was away, even devouring the remaining Nine-Rank Merit Lotus. Once the Buddha had concrete information about the Mosquito Taoist and knew her location, he could confidently launch an expedition and personally subdue this demon.

Knowing full well that failing to resolve the transformation of earth into steel would kill all the Ming Kings and Arhats, if the greater good were prioritized, and the retreat of the Mosquito Taoist and the ten thousand demons were to be cut off, sacrificing three thousand Jiedi and five hundred Arhats, and persisting until the Buddha arrived, this demonic calamity could be completely ended.

But Western religion is not some kind of demonic cult, and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are not some kind of devils. We can't just stand by and watch our disciples and Dharma protectors die for each other. That would go against our doctrine and conflict with our Buddhist heart!

The resounding thuds on the ground seemed to strike the hearts of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, each second a test of their Buddha-nature.

The Western version of the trolley dilemma belongs to this category.

The five hundred Arhats and three thousand Vidyarajas came to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path, and they had done nothing wrong. The switch that turns the earth into steel is like the switch that changes the direction of the tram, and it is now in the hands of several Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Is it better to stand by and watch, sacrificing these most loyal disciples of the Western religion to save the Three Realms and gain great merit from the Heavenly Dao, or to release the demons back to the mountains and continue to struggle to deal with the invasion of demonic insects that are many times more powerful in the future?

It's such a difficult choice!

If the five hundred Arhats and three thousand Dharma protectors were a little more sensible and enlightened at this moment, they would have stepped forward to sacrifice themselves and shouted, "Don't worry about me! For the sake of the Western Religion, we would die without regret!"

Even the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can save face without feeling any pangs of conscience.

Unfortunately, while the five hundred Arhats were alright, the three thousand Jiedi were a mixed bag, including all sorts of demons and monsters, whose moral standards and awareness were truly worrying. Many of the guardian deities had already started crying out to the heavens, shouting, "Bodhisattva, save me! Buddha, save me! I have shed blood for the Western Sect, I have rendered meritorious service to the Western Sect, please don't stand by and watch me die!"

Such a shout makes the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the clouds seem cold-blooded and heartless.

What's even more infuriating is that among the three thousand Jiedi, the one who shouted the loudest and most boisterous was none other than the Golden-Winged Roc, who was yelling something like, "My nephew is the Tathagata! If you don't save them, you have to save me! If I die here, it's because of you! My nephew will not let you get away with this!"

This is utterly a disgrace to Buddhism, and a complete disgrace to Western religions!
These guardian deities are different from the Arhats. The Arhats enter reincarnation after death, which is also a part of their spiritual practice. If they have the opportunity in the next life, they will have the chance to go further.

The guardian deities are mostly powerful demons who have already converted to Buddhism. If they were to be reincarnated, they would never have the great opportunity to cultivate to such a powerful level again in this life.

Even if they accumulate some merit, they will at most be reborn as humans in their next life, and will not have to suffer in the Asura realm, the hungry ghost realm, or the animal realm.

But what good is the fate of a human in the next life compared to the fate of a demon god or monster in this life?

They were losing money hand over fist, so none of the three thousand Jiedi were afraid of death or willing to be reincarnated. If they didn't shout for help now, when would they?

(End of this chapter)