Others follow advice and imitate celebrities, but you start by pretending to be a god?

“Yes, the Taoist soldiers seem to be even more powerful than our monk soldiers. What should we do? Now we seem to be at a disadvantage again.” Another minister sighed, his face full of worry.

"In that case, wasn't the Duke of Wei's death utterly meaningless? All his life's strategies were never put to use before he was trapped by those Dao soldiers. It's truly heartbreaking!" a civil official said with grief and indignation, tears welling in his eyes.

In the imperial court, the officials began to discuss the matter, some immersed in grief, while others sighed helplessly.

In short, the news from Tiger Ridge cast a pall of gloom over the entire imperial court.

Emperor Taizong of Tang listened quietly to the discussions of his officials, outwardly maintaining his usual composure, but inwardly his mind was in turmoil as he began to secretly plot. He first reassured his ministers, telling them to calm down, and then temporarily left the Golden Palace, going alone to a quiet place.

Once everyone was alone, Li Shimin slowly took out a Buddha statue from his robes, carefully placed it on a pedestal, and then lit three incense sticks. He clasped his hands together and chanted, "Greatly Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea..." As he chanted, the Guanyin Bodhisattva statue before him slowly emitted a soft light.

Finally, amidst a burst of dazzling light, the figure of Guanyin Bodhisattva emerged from the Buddha statue. Her figure was graceful, she held a vase, and her expression was serene, like a lotus flower blooming in the mortal world.

"Why does the Tang Emperor summon this humble monk?" Guanyin Bodhisattva asked softly from within the divine light, her voice like heavenly music.

"Great Bodhisattva Guanyin." Before Guanyin Bodhisattva, Emperor Li Shimin of Tang could no longer maintain his composure in the court, his face full of anxiety.

"Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, why are the monk soldiers inferior to the Taoist soldiers? As a result, Duke Li Jing of Weiguo perished, and a hundred thousand troops were lost in the process..." Li Shimin's words carried a hint of resentment. After all, these monk soldiers were arranged by Guanyin Bodhisattva. It was precisely because of his confidence in the monk soldiers that the Tang Dynasty dispatched a hundred thousand troops in one fell swoop, intending to destroy the Datong Society in one fell swoop.

If it weren't for the assistance of the monk soldiers, the Tang Dynasty would never have been so reckless, which meant that even a military genius like Li Jing was unable to fully utilize his talents.

But now, even with the help of the monk soldiers, they were utterly defeated by the Taoist soldiers from the Datong Society. How could he not feel resentful?

Guanyin Bodhisattva sensed the resentment in Li Shimin's words and also understood the whole story. She smiled slightly and said softly, "Your Majesty, please do not be anxious."

"That soldier came from Chechi. Someone deceived the heavenly secrets, so this humble monk was caught off guard. It was because of this deliberate scheming that we suffered such a great setback," Guanyin Bodhisattva said slowly, her voice tinged with helplessness.

"Moreover, even the Buddhist community has lost a Venerable Vajra..." Guanyin Bodhisattva murmured, a trace of regret flashing in her eyes.

"This..." Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was shocked by Guanyin Bodhisattva's words. From Guanyin Bodhisattva's words, he felt as if he had entered a level he could not control, a level that seemed to have risen to the level of immortals and Buddhas, where mortal life was nothing more than an insignificant existence.

Realizing this, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, suddenly discovered that the initiative in this conflict was no longer in his hands. Suppressing his unease, he calmly asked, "Then, what should we do?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva was surrounded by divine light, her gaze profound, as if she could see through everything in the world. She slowly said, "Your Majesty, please do not worry too much. This humble monk will also use the power of Buddhism to help the Great Tang again."

Li Shimin nodded, and at that moment he could only agree to Guanyin Bodhisattva's words.

After all, he himself had nothing left to rely on. Moreover, the current battle was no longer just a conflict between the Tang Dynasty and the Great Harmony Society.

Thinking this, Li Shimin's thoughts drifted back to more than twenty years ago.

At that time, there was a Taoist priest in Chang'an who rode a dragon. He once advised Li Shimin that he hoped the Tang Dynasty would give more respect to the Taoist sect.

However, Li Shimin did not take it to heart at the time. Now, thinking back, Li Shimin couldn't help but feel a little enlightened, and at the same time, a faint sense of regret arose in his heart.

"If I had listened to that person's words back then and respected the Daoist sect, perhaps none of this would have happened today? Is it really a case of one retribution for another?" Li Shimin sighed inwardly, but it was too late for regrets.

Now, all he can rely on is Buddhism, and it is the only thing he can rely on!

News of the Battle of Tiger Ridge spread rapidly through newspapers, shaking the entire Tang Dynasty. The people discussed the fierce battle, and the streets and alleys were abuzz with talk of the Duke of Wei's fall and the loss of 100,000 troops.

This news also reached the Heavenly Court. In the Lingxiao Palace, a grand assembly of immortals and gods commenced.

"Your Majesty, the mortal dynasties are in turmoil, and there are signs of a change of dynasty!" In the Lingxiao Palace, Venus stepped forward and respectfully reported this matter to the Jade Emperor.

In fact, the Jade Emperor already knew about the situation in the mortal realm without Taibai Jinxing's report, after all, he was the supreme ruler of the Three Realms and knew everything about the affairs of the Three Realms.

Moreover, most of the immortals and gods had paid some attention to the situation in the mortal realm and were aware of the unusual nature of this conflict.

Venus's report essentially brought up the topic, informing the immortals in the Lingxiao Palace.

"I already know." The Jade Emperor nodded slightly and said calmly, "The Tang Dynasty was originally supposed to last for many years, but now trouble has suddenly arisen. It can be seen that the will of Heaven is unpredictable. Of the forty-nine cycles of Heaven, one can escape."

Below, a Heavenly King emerged carrying a pagoda; it was none other than Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. His expression was grave as he reported to the Jade Emperor, "Your Majesty, the turmoil in the mortal realm is extraordinary, and Chechi is heavily implicated. Such actions will inevitably cause chaos in the human world." Li Jing's words clearly contained his opinion of Chechi.

However, as soon as Li Jing said this, the Lingxiao Palace suddenly fell silent.

None of the immortals and gods on either side echoed his sentiment. After all, Che Chi was now famous throughout the Three Realms because of Lin Nan. But who was Lin Nan?
That is the current Dao Lord, the one appointed as the leader of the Daoist sect under the Three Pure Ones.

How many of these celestial beings are not from the Daoist court or from the lineage of the Three Pure Ones?
Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, was an exception, as he was clearly of Buddhist origin. His famous "Exquisite Pagoda" was a gift from the ancient Buddha Dipankara, and his two sons, Jinzha and Muzha, were also in Buddhism. He and the other Four Heavenly Kings all had close ties to Buddhism. Therefore, when Li Jing spoke, none of the other deities responded. Only the Four Heavenly Kings stood up together, showing their support for Li Jing.

“Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, is mistaken.” Just then, a deity broke the silence and spoke up. The Jade Emperor turned his gaze and recognized the person as none other than Wang Lingguan.

Wang Lingguan, during the havoc in the Heavenly Palace, seemed to be no match for Sun Wukong. But in reality, he was a general in the Jade Emperor's court, in charge of investigating matters between Heaven and Earth.

In addition, he was also the "Taiyi Thunderclap Responding to Transformation Venerable" and the "Great Spirit Official of the Capital Heavenly Inspectorate," in charge of controlling thunder and fire, maintaining peace among Taoists and laypeople, and subduing demons.

Wang Lingguan is the head of the five hundred spirit officials and is known as the first guardian deity of Taoism. There is a special "Lingguan Incantation" that has been passed down, and the "Lingguan Sect" is a branch of Taoism.

Without a doubt, this Wang Lingguan was a member of the Taoist sect. At this moment, in response to Li Jing's words, his third eye widened, and he loudly proclaimed, "In those human affairs, it was clearly Buddhism that first intervened, sending monks to infiltrate the Tang army camp. Only then did the Chechi Taoist soldiers assist the Datong Society. You must know that before this, the Datong Society had not used any superhuman power!"

Wang Lingguan stepped forward at this moment to speak for Chechi, or rather, for the Daoist sect, and also out of consideration for Lin Nan. Following Wang Lingguan's words, other immortals and deities immediately echoed him. There were far more people echoing Wang Lingguan than Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. The Five Thunder Generals, the Four Directional Gods, and numerous star lords all readily agreed with Wang Lingguan's words.

After these immortals and deities expressed their opinions, they awaited the response from the Jade Emperor, the ruler of the Three Realms. The Jade Emperor remained calm and slowly said, "Indeed, both Buddhism and Taoism have been involved in this matter. It was Buddhism that first intervened."

Venus asked, "Your Majesty, what should we do then?"

The Jade Emperor pondered for a moment, having already made his decision. He slowly said, "Since that's the case, let Buddhism and Taoism resolve it among themselves. However, it must be announced to the Western Paradise and Chechi that innocent mortals must not be harmed."

The Jade Emperor devised his own solution to these matters. However, he was ultimately powerless to intervene and resolve the issues.

On one hand, there is the Western Paradise, whose power is currently at its zenith. The Western Paradise Buddhist sect is in accordance with the will of Heaven, its fortune is at its peak, and even the immortals and gods find it difficult to stop its rise. Anyone who attempts to stop it is tantamount to defying Heaven and will surely suffer divine retribution.

On the other hand, there is the deeply rooted and influential Taoist sect, whose power extends throughout the Three Realms. The Taoist sect has a complex and intertwined presence throughout the Three Realms, and its members can be found everywhere.

The most crucial issue at present is that all the immortals and Buddhas in the heavens are powerless to stop the rise of the Western Paradise Buddhism. Under such circumstances, only Lin Nan, the leader of the Daoist sect, has the ability to turn the tide and change this situation.

As the ruler of the Three Realms, the Jade Emperor naturally did not want to see the Western Paradise Buddhism flourish and become dominant. However, since he could not directly stop the development of Buddhism, he could only rely on the power of Taoism to counterbalance it.

One could even say that the Jade Emperor was quite happy to sit back and watch the tigers fight. However, this "watching the tigers fight" wasn't entirely passive; he actually leaned more towards Taoism. After all, how many of the gods in the Heavenly Court today didn't originate from Taoism?
In the Heavenly Court, most of the immortals and gods originated from the Taoist sect. There was no clear distinction of primary or secondary, superior or inferior, high or low between the Heavenly Court and the Taoist sect; the two were interdependent and closely related. On the contrary, the Heavenly Court always harbored suspicion towards the Western Paradise.

The Jade Emperor had already made up his mind. He not only planned to sit back and watch the fight, but also intended to secretly provide some assistance to the Taoist sect at a crucial moment.

Meanwhile, in the distant Western Paradise, at the Great Thunderclap Temple, a deep and solemn chanting filled the air. Guanyin Bodhisattva was reporting to the Buddha about the current situation of the Tang Dynasty.

In reality, with the Buddha's supreme enlightenment, he already knew everything that had happened between the Tang Dynasty and the Great Harmony Society. Guanyin Bodhisattva's report was primarily intended for the other Bodhisattvas and Arhats.

After Guanyin Bodhisattva finished speaking, the Buddha Tathagata gently raised his finger and said in a grand and profound tone, "Chechi has already been eliminated, which is clearly the intention of that Daoist master of Chechi. On the journey to the West to obtain the scriptures, they have repeatedly obstructed our Buddhist sect from spreading the teachings. Now, they are even attempting to sabotage our Buddhist sect's grand plan for prosperity in the Tang Dynasty by changing the dynasties of the mortal world. This is a struggle between the Daoist sect and our Buddhist sect, which cannot be avoided."

As he spoke, the Buddha's gaze swept over the Arhats, Bodhisattvas, and some Venerable Ones beside him, and he personally called out their names: "Dragon-Subduing Arhat, Tiger-Taming Arhat... Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva... Vajra Skanda, Chakrasamvara..."

After calling out the names, the Buddha continued, "You can all enter the world and assist our Buddhist sect in dealing with this crisis."

Meanwhile, in the mortal realm of the Tang Dynasty, the Battle of Tiger Ridge had just concluded. In this great battle, the Tang army suffered heavy losses, with corpses strewn across the battlefield. The Datong Society, however, emerged almost unscathed; any casualties were limited to their Daoist soldiers.

These Taoist soldiers were extremely special; as long as their army remained intact, they seemed to possess a rudimentary form of "immortality." Therefore, Tiger Ridge was filled with the souls of Tang soldiers who had perished.

Upon seeing this, the Taoist priests of the Datong Society sprang into action. Led by Vice President Chen Maosheng, they went to Tiger Crouching Ridge, set up an altar, and performed rituals, chanting the "Houtu Reincarnation Mantra" and the "Houtu Rebirth Sutra."

One by one, the souls of the Tang Dynasty perished, clearly emerged under the blessing of the Taoist priests' magic power, and were then sent into reincarnation.

Even more miraculously, underworld messengers came to this place and opened the door of convenience to help the Taoist priests deliver the souls of the dead.

It turns out that the Datong Society has extremely deep connections. Lin Nan's disciple, Lü Dongbin, is now a special advisor to the Datong Society; Lin Nan's mount, Ao Yu, also came to Hujuling in person to help the Taoist priests to deliver the souls of the dead.

As a result, the Ten Kings of Hell took this matter very seriously and specially dispatched the underworld messengers Wuchang to assist them.

In this way, the souls of the Tang soldiers were all sent to the underworld, and Tiger Ridge was able to return to peace, free from any future troubles, and would no longer become a dangerous place like a cursed land.

Besides the Tang soldiers who died in battle, many others were captured. These prisoners were imprisoned in the Datonghui prisoner-of-war camp.

However, the Datong Society's prisoner-of-war camps were completely different from what people imagined.

Wang Wu was an ordinary soldier in the Tang army. He was completely illiterate; besides his own name, he didn't recognize a single third character. (End of Chapter)