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

In fact, that was truly what Lin Nan thought. He didn't really care about Buddhism, reincarnation, or even so-called saints.

Lin Nan knew all too well how vast the primordial world was, and that the so-called sages and Hongjun were ultimately nothing more than puppets of the Heavenly Dao.

However, saying it is one thing, doing it is another. When faced with a real situation, you still have to be timid when necessary.

But at this moment, in this vast world, since no one can hear us anyway, why not let him show off a little?

Lin Nan spoke eloquently, while Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva beside him was completely shocked.

After a long silence, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva slowly asked, "Amitabha Buddha, may I ask, benefactor, what is your opinion of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?"

"Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?" Lin Nan was taken aback for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and asked, "You... are Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Buddhist disciple?"

Ksitigarbha was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

"Hahaha!" Lin Nan burst into laughter upon seeing this. He shook his head and poked at the campfire, saying, "So he's a follower of the number one unlucky bodhisattva in Buddhism. No wonder he's in such a miserable state!"

"Look at you, what a mess you've made of yourself! Even your monk's robe is tattered."

"If I were Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, I would expel you from the faction."

Upon hearing this, Ksitigarbha felt a sense of helplessness. His robes were indeed somewhat tattered, a result of his years of purifying the wronged souls of the Buddhist community underground, but it was far from the embarrassing state Lin Nan described.

Shaking his head, Lin Nan continued, "But in reality, it's no wonder that the Ksitigarbha lineage has fallen into such a state, you can't blame yourself for it."

"Ksitigarbha, that's a really unlucky old man."

"Because of a grand vow, he was tricked by the Buddhist sect into going to the underworld to purify countless wronged souls, saying that he would not become a Buddha until the underworld was empty... That's simply impossible."

"One of the four great Bodhisattvas, with a illustrious reputation, was tricked into going to the underworld to work for Buddhism, accumulating fortune and suppressing the spirits of the dead, while he himself got very little."

"Many other bodhisattva lineages have a core leader, but only the many Buddhas of the Ksitigarbha lineage are trembling with fear as they universally save sentient beings and deliver wronged souls and spirits."

"They put in the most effort, but they ended up doing the worst and suffering the most casualties."

"What do they rely on? It's just that Ksitigarbha is in the underworld and can't come out at all. All the dirty work, hard work, and even life-threatening situations are done by this lineage."

Upon hearing Lin Nan's words, Ksitigarbha's expression gradually turned sour.

“Amitabha, benefactor, this humble monk has heard that before Ksitigarbha entered the underworld, many Buddhist bodhisattvas and Buddhas said that they would take care of this lineage.” Ksitigarbha said, suppressing his displeasure.

"Protect? Are you kidding me?" Lin Nan looked at Ksitigarbha with the eyes of someone looking at a monster, and said, "The human realm is only so big, it doesn't even have enough of its own fortune and faith, and you want to give it to Ksitigarbha?"

“If Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva hadn’t been alive and hadn’t died in the underworld, you would have been in an even worse situation.”

"Look at you, don't you understand?"

Hearing these words, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva felt a surge of anger rising within him.

"Is all of this... really true?"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, reminiscing about the past, was filled with doubt and resentment as he was in the underworld.

Once, he devoted himself to Buddhism, and in the dark underworld, he did his best to eliminate the power of vows and deliver countless wronged souls, hoping to add merit to Buddhism.

But now, upon closer reflection, I realize that many of the Buddhas in my lineage have been ostracized and suppressed within the Buddhist community because of my absence.

When I made that grand vow, several people did come to me that very night, earnestly urging me to make up my mind. At that time, I was single-mindedly devoted to Buddhism and didn't think much of it, but now…

Ksitigarbha's face grew increasingly grim, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Could all of this be a carefully orchestrated conspiracy by the Buddhist sect? Did they merely intend to use him as a tool, sending him to the underworld to suppress the souls of the dead, thereby preserving the seemingly prosperous vestiges of Buddhism's fortune?
Just as Ksitigarbha's eyes turned cold and his thoughts were churning, a grilled fish suddenly appeared in front of him.

"What, aren't you going to eat?" Lin Nan's voice rang out from the side.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva stared blankly at the grilled fish before him, his mind momentarily unable to keep up with Lin Nan's train of thought. He frowned slightly and said, "Hmm, no, I can't eat this... If there were vegetarian dishes..."

Lin Nan rolled his eyes and said irritably, "You're such a fuss-cat. Look at you, you're so poor, yet you're still so picky." As he spoke, he casually tossed over a long sword and a basket of mushrooms, "Go roast them yourself."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva took the longsword and mushrooms, his expression turning extremely strange. Lin Nan, however, paid no attention, happily munching on grilled fish and drinking fruit wine, occasionally patting his belly and chatting with others with great relish.

"Alas, what a pity." Lin Nan suddenly sighed, "I think Ksitigarbha was a true man, but his fate was just too frustrating."

Upon hearing this, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "If you were in Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's position, what would you do?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Nan became interested and grinned, "Hey, what if I were Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva? I don't care about Buddhism, I don't care about Mount Ling, I don't care about whether the fortunes are prosperous or not. I'd rather look back on the mortal world than ascend to immortality, all the principles..." As he spoke, he viciously devoured the grilled fish, wiped the oil from the corner of his mouth, clenched his fist, and smiled brightly, "It's all in this fist!"

"If I become a demon, then there will be no Buddha in the world!" Lin Nan's voice was not loud, but it was as resounding as a great bell, deafening and awakening.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva softly murmured these two sentences, his eyes swirling with golden lightning and thunder, his heart struggling and hesitating.

"If I become a demon, if I become a demon..." Ksitigarbha murmured to himself, his hands clasped together, a faint Buddhist light spreading from his body. His expression was sometimes indifferent, as if he had seen through all things in the world; sometimes angry, as if filled with resentment towards the injustices of the world; sometimes chanting Buddhist scriptures, as if he had returned to the time when he was devoutly devoted to Buddha; and sometimes like an angry Vajra, his murderous aura overwhelming, as if he wanted to cut down all the injustices of the world. For thousands of years, Buddhist principles had been deeply rooted in Ksitigarbha's heart.

In his past understanding, contributing everything to Buddhism was the most important thing, a matter of course, and a matter of course. But today, every word Lin Nan said was like a thunderbolt, slashing hard at the beliefs he had built up with his own hands.

Ksitigarbha was not a fool; he simply hadn't paid attention to these details before. Now that he had come to his senses, a little calculation revealed that what Lin Nan said was mostly true.

"Becoming a Buddha, becoming a demon, prosperity, the truth..." Ksitigarbha opened his eyes. One eye shone brightly with Buddhist light, magnificent and surging, filled with Buddhist principles, as if to bring everything in this world under the protection of the Dharma; while the other eye was filled with murderous aura and flowing blood light, as if it was filled with anger and resentment towards this hypocritical Buddhism.

He was struggling, his heart caught in an unprecedented conflict. He had given everything for Buddhism, purifying the wronged souls and accumulating faith and fortune in the dark underworld, hoping to bring more glory to Buddhism. But now, Buddhism, in its pursuit of profit, had completely abandoned him. How could he not feel heartbroken?
Ksitigarbha was lost in confusion and hesitation. Meanwhile, Lin Nan looked at Ksitigarbha and thought to himself: "Wow, this kid is really a devout Buddhist."

It was unclear how much time had passed before the ripples around Ksitigarbha gradually subsided. He slowly opened his eyes, which were now devoid of Buddhist principles and bloodlust, filled only with a serene expression, as if he had experienced the vicissitudes of life and seen through all the chaos of the world.

“Amitabha,” Ksitigarbha said softly. “Thank you for your guidance, senior. However, one side’s story is not enough for me to give up on Buddhism. In the future, I will go to verify the facts, go up Mount Ling, and seek the truth of the matter.”

Lin Nan didn't seem to care much, casually waving her hand and saying, "Whatever. What would you do if you found out that's really the case?"

Ksitigarbha hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised his head, his voice slow but firm: "Then let us overthrow this Buddhist sect and seek the true Buddhist principles that belong to me!"

Hearing this, Lin Nan glanced at Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva with some surprise, secretly admiring him: "A little monk, yet he has quite the big mouth."

Looking at the spirited Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva with sparkling eyes, Lin Nan smiled, wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, sat down with a smile, and said softly, "Time flies, so many years have passed, and I haven't seen a monk I like. If you really want to find your own Buddhist principles, I have a lot to say..."

Upon hearing this, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva immediately sat cross-legged, performed the junior's greeting, leaned forward, and said earnestly and respectfully, "I humbly request that you, senior, enlighten me in detail!"

In the vast celestial realm, Ksitigarbha and Lin Nan sat cross-legged, discussing Buddhist doctrines. Meanwhile, atop the distant Mount Ling, they were unaware of what was unfolding here.

At this moment, Mount Ling was bathed in a vast expanse of Buddhist light. Above the Great Thunderclap Temple, numerous Buddhist monks sat quietly in meditation. The sounds of Buddhist chanting and the boundless golden light spread throughout the entire golden Mount Ling, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a peaceful Buddhist kingdom.

Guanyin Bodhisattva is leading many Buddhas to receive a corner of the Jade Disc of Creation from the heavens above, and to observe the fortune of Buddhism.

"Judging by the time, Tang Sanzang should have already arrived at Eagle's Sorrow Gorge," Guanyin Bodhisattva said softly.

"Where is the place where the White Dragon resides?" a Buddha asked.

“That’s right, it was a trial personally arranged by the Bodhisattva more than a decade ago,” another Buddha echoed.

Inside the Great Thunderclap Temple, many Buddhist monks were discussing in hushed tones. Since the incident with Sun Wukong under the Five Fingers Mountain, Buddhism had increased its oversight of the journey to the West. Although they couldn't observe directly, they could still monitor the increase in fortune through the Jade Disc of Creation after each difficult challenge.

Whether it was due to the excessive attention paid to it, or because the previous warnings had taken effect, Tang Sanzang's trials all went incredibly smoothly. This allowed Buddhism's previously greatly depleted fortune to recover somewhat. Everything was developing in a positive direction!

"It has been some time since Tang Sanzang entered Eagle's Sorrow Gorge," Guanyin Bodhisattva continued. "Judging by the time, they should be coming out of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge by now."

Many Buddhist monks nodded in agreement, since the White Dragon was not as difficult to control as Sun Wukong, and it would likely boost the fortunes of Buddhism once again!
"Hmm? One corner of the Jade Disc of Creation has been guided; we can now observe the fortune!" a Buddha exclaimed excitedly.

“Hahaha, does this even need watching? It’s definitely an ascension!” another Buddha laughed.

“Amitabha, that is so,” Guanyin Bodhisattva said with a smile.

Many Buddhist monks looked over excitedly. However, when they saw the Buddhist fortune on the Jade Disc of Creation, they immediately fell silent, and the entire Great Thunderclap Temple became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The smile that had been there before it even solidified froze on his face, and then slowly turned ashen.

What? It fell again?!
A corner of the Jade Disc of Creation, symbolizing the shimmering light of Buddhist fortune, flickered and emitted a dazzling golden glow, radiating a sense of peace and tranquility. In the past, all Buddhist disciples who witnessed this would be immensely gratified, for their Buddhist fortune was gradually growing stronger, eventually surpassing that of the Xuanmen (Taoist) sect.

Now, the faces of these Buddhist disciples were rather grim! Because within the aura of Buddhist fortune, there was a patch that had clearly dimmed, like a scar on the Buddhist community, piercing the hearts of every Buddhist disciple.

After a brief silence, the Great Thunderclap Temple erupted in chaos!

"Amitabha! What is this ghost?" a Buddha shouted angrily.

"Why is my fortune declining again?" another Buddha asked, his face full of doubt.

"This is impossible! Why is the fortune of our Buddhist sect declining again?" another Buddha said in disbelief.

As Guanyin Bodhisattva watched all this, her already pale face, which had not yet recovered from the loss of a thousand years of cultivation, turned even paler! She gripped the jade bottle tightly with her five fingers, disregarding everything else, and with a wave of her hand, conjured a Buddhist mirror in front of her, wanting to see what had happened.

How could it fall again! Guanyin Bodhisattva was filled with anxiety and anger.

"Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was staying in Rajagaha, on Mount Gijjhakuta, with a great assembly of twelve thousand monks... all of whom were great saints, whose supernatural powers had been attained." The Buddha's light shone brightly, and the sound of chanting filled the air, yet this solemn Buddhist chant could not conceal the anxiety and unease in the hearts of the Buddhist disciples. In the next instant, the Buddha's precious mirror suddenly shimmered with light, reflecting a wondrous scene.

The image shown in the magic mirror was none other than the figures of Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Seeing this, the Buddhist monks felt a pang of anxiety and wondered to themselves: What kind of unexpected event has occurred?
Could it be that Tang Sanzang has not yet subdued the White Dragon, causing the Buddhist fortune to suffer another setback and show signs of decline?

If that's the case, perhaps there's still room for redress...

The many Buddhas, filled with unease, hurriedly gathered around, their faces grave and unable to conceal their worry. (End of Chapter)