Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 358 Suppression of Buddhism (Part 1)

There was a beautiful woman in the Shu palace, surnamed Xu, who was known as Lady Huarui.

Her face was like dew on jade, her eyebrows like distant mountains shrouded in mist, and her eyes, when they moved, were like spring water reflecting peach blossoms. Her hair was piled high like raven feathers, shining naturally without gold ornaments; her fair hands, like ice, outshone the morning glow even without rouge. She was especially skilled in the dance of the Rainbow Skirt Dance; when her wide sleeves fluttered, it was like a startled swan reflecting its image, and with each light step she took, a subtle fragrance of orchids and musk was carried.

Maha Pond.

Bathed in the light of the crystal palace lamps, Duncan slowly rose and walked to the bedside. Lu Qiongxian, who had been waiting outside the side hall, heard the commotion and led the two women, Meiquan and Meiyang, along with several palace maids, forward. Lu Qiongxian wore a plain white dress, her long black hair styled in an updo. She was not wearing any undergarments, and her fair figure was faintly visible. Meiquan and Meiyang knelt at Duncan's feet to help him dress, while she stepped forward to fasten his jade belt and whispered, "Your Majesty."

"But are you still not done enjoying yourself?"

"There are also some well-trained and beautiful palace maids in the palace."

It was late at night, and Lu Qiongxian glanced at Lady Huarui, whose face was flushed and who was fast asleep. She thought to herself that she would have to teach her some martial arts in the future, otherwise it would be difficult for His Majesty to enjoy her as he pleased.

As she spoke, she gestured to the two women beside her, and their faces immediately lit up with joy.

"no need."

But then Duncan said, "Go change your clothes, and come with me for a walk in a bit."

Lady Huarui truly lived up to her name, just like a flower bud.

This woman possessed flawless skin and a delicate fragrance, no wonder she had captivated two emperors. But Duncan, with his pants up, was now erect, his eyes calm and unwavering, thinking to himself, "She's nothing special, but I can still enjoy her from time to time."

Among the beauties of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Lady Huarui was taken in by Zhao Kuangyin, and Xiao Zhouhou was taken in by Zhao Guangyi.

Lady Huarui was shot and killed by Zhao Guangyi, and Empress Xiao Zhou also died at his hands.

In that sense, Zhao Guangyi was indeed a ruthless person who cruelly destroyed women.

Ok.

Such a ruthless person will naturally require Duncan to personally take his head in the future.

Duncan got up and walked out of the Crystal Palace. Not long after, Lu Qiongxian changed her clothes and hurriedly followed. The two walked along the Maha Pond and entered the streets and alleys of Chengdu. At this time, it was late at night and everyone was quiet. Duncan's figure floated into the air and flew across the ground. Lu Qiongxian looked surprised and quickly followed after him.

After Duncan's figure stopped, she knelt down and congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on your great achievement!"

Flying off the ground like an immortal.

When Duncan used his movement technique just now, there was no longer the powerful impact of his previous energy. Instead, he floated up like Magneto, and no true energy fluctuations could be felt. This was far beyond the Taoist cloud-riding technique. It was as if the gravity of this world disappeared with his thought.

"No need to be polite."

Duncan glanced at Lu Qiongxian beside him and said calmly, "I know you despise your status and dare not take credit."

"But I never care about this when it comes to hiring people."

"I remember your contribution too."

Lu Qiongxian had an extremely bad reputation among the people, and many others were hostile towards her. After all, she was a female attendant during the reigns of Liu Chang and his son, and was jokingly called a veteran of three reigns. But Duncan didn't care about these things. The King of Kings could still tolerate a woman, as long as she was useful.

Upon hearing Duncan's words, Lu Qiongxian knelt down again, burying her head, and said in a trembling voice, "I dare not take credit."

"This humble concubine only wishes to do her bit for Your Majesty."

"The world will be at peace in the future."

"Even a lowly concubine can wash away the mistakes she has made."

Duncan gently reached out and lifted Lu Qiongxian, who was kneeling on the ground, to her feet. He gazed at the bright moon above and said softly with his back to her, "Today I have glimpsed the third realm of the Great Wisdom and Love Sutra: Emptiness and Wondrous Existence."

As he spoke, he reached out and beckoned to a peach branch not far away. A short branch fell into his palm, and Duncan infused it with his true essence to activate it. To Lu Qiongxian's astonishment, the peach branch actually blossomed with life, opening several peach blossoms at an astonishing speed.

This is already divine intervention!
Duncan smiled calmly, then turned to Lu Qiongxian beside him and said, "Interested in coming with me to see the outer heavens?"

what?
Lu Qiongxian looked up in shock and saw Duncan waving. She was so excited that her delicate body trembled, and she reached out to hug Duncan's strong waist.

go!
Duncan lightly touched the ground with his toes, unleashing a burst of energy that sent peach blossoms flying. In an instant, the two figures soared into the air. The intense airflow made it almost impossible for Lu Qiongxian to open her eyes. You must know that after following Duncan, she had also entered the Dao Realm on the verge of enlightenment, just one step away from breaking through that threshold.

To put it more dramatically, those who followed Duncan entered the Dao realm as if they were being sold in bulk, blessed by their own destiny. Many of them were stuck at the threshold of halfway to the Dao realm.

Perhaps some will never see through this in this lifetime, but some will have the opportunity to attain enlightenment.

—The Kunpeng Transformation.

Duncan pushed his true energy to its limit. With the blessing of the wondrous state of vacuum, he flew thousands of meters into the air in the blink of an eye. He stepped on the air in mid-air to gain momentum, relying on his powerful true energy to replenish his breath, and then burst forth again, flying at a terrifying speed towards the direction of the moon in the sky.

"Is Your Majesty going to take me to ascend to heaven with you?" Lu Qiongxian was unaware of what was happening.

At this moment, Chengdu was gradually receding into the distance in her eyes. Looking down from the sky, she could only see that the Crystal Palace of Maha Pond was still brightly lit. The two of them were about three thousand meters in the air, where the strong wind was quite fierce. Duncan's protective true energy spread out, enveloping Lu Qiongxian as well.

If someone were to fall like that, even a master of innate talent could be smashed into a pulp.

boom!
The sonic boom reappeared.

Duncan's aura remained as steady as a rock. Holding Lu Qiongxian in his arms, he looked up at the moon to make sure he could fly high in the sky. He then poured his true essence into his Yongquan acupoint, and his body was protected by a protective aura. He then used the Double Kunpeng Transformation, accelerating rapidly as if he were doing a double jump. In the blink of an eye, he flew into the clouds with Lu Qiongxian in his arms.

This is no longer a movement technique.

This is magical power!
Duncan first destroyed the Southern Han, then conquered the Later Shu. Millions of people under his command have gradually settled down and lived in peace. Part of the promise he made to his childhood friend has been fulfilled. His state of mind has also changed. The bottleneck of the Dao Realm has become increasingly fragile. The Three Corpses do not even dare to appear in his presence as illusions.

True essence is ever-flowing.

Duncan activated the supreme secret techniques in sequence, first the Heavenly Demon Great Art, then the Everlasting Youth Technique, followed by the Great Wisdom and Love Scripture, the Yin-Yang Secret Manual, and so on. The true essence attribute changed subtly with each technique. When the Heavenly Demon True Essence was activated, its explosive power was extremely strong, and both the Free and Easy Wandering and the Kunpeng Transformation were enhanced in power. The Everlasting Youth Technique quickly replenished and restored his Qi, allowing him to rapidly replenish the true essence he had consumed. As for the other techniques, the Vacuum and Wonderful Existence of the Great Wisdom and Love Scripture allowed his mind to enter a state of great joy and freedom.

8,000 meters.

12,000 meters.

Lu Qiongxian gradually felt a bit of difficulty breathing. She didn't know if it was due to the fierce wind or some other reason. As the altitude continued to rise, she actually saw the clouds beneath her feet. Duncan finally stopped climbing for the time being. He wrapped one arm around Lu Qiongxian's slender waist and stepped on the clouds with both feet, as if stepping on cotton, creating ripples of air.

A ray of sunlight could be seen in the distance, and the bright moon seemed to be right next to her; she could even see some cratered marks.

We've entered the stratosphere.

Roughly equivalent to the altitude of a passenger plane in later times, Duncan's true energy bar was about one-twentieth depleted. If he exerted all his strength, he would indeed have a chance to leave the atmosphere directly, because his true energy recovers very quickly.

"It seems that this world is also a planet, but there are some differences in the spatial dimension."

Duncan stood above the sea of ​​clouds, with Lu Qiongxian clinging tightly to his arm. Falling from this height, even someone at the halfway point of the Dao Realm could die.

—To command the wind and rain!
—Pinch the clouds to form dew!
Duncan casually stretched out his palm, and a giant handprint a hundred meters long appeared in the sea of ​​clouds beside him. Then the clouds gathered into rain, followed by a cold true essence that instantly froze into ice. He strolled along the sea of ​​clouds, as if taking a leisurely walk after a meal, stepping on the cotton-like clouds.

Lu Qiongxian clung tightly to his arm, her breathing rapid and her expression excited as she gazed at the seemingly divine skill before her.

Duncan looked up at the moon again.

For some reason, the moon looked somewhat unreal to him, different from the moon in his previous life.

"The evolutionary world is indeed like an independent plane."

"Break through the atmosphere?"

"Does this mean we've left this space?"

Duncan's figure rose higher again. He did not see the Heavenly Palace, nor did he find the South Heavenly Gate. So his enemy, like himself, was also in the mortal world. The power of faith in this world had not yet evolved into the thirty-three heavens.

Finally, he steadied himself and slowly landed on a sea of ​​clouds. Seemingly in good spirits, he glanced at Lu Qiongxian, whose skin was as white as snow, beside him.

Lu Qiongxian was incredibly intelligent; she instantly guessed what was going on. Trembling, she hugged Duncan and knelt on the sea of ​​clouds.

I do not know how long it has been.

A bright sun appeared on the horizon.

Duncan had almost finished observing the stratosphere when he carried Lu Qiongxian, whose face was flushed, as they plummeted downwards. With the howling wind in their ears, Lu Qiongxian still felt as if she were in a dream. She almost thought that His Majesty was going to take her with him as they shattered the void.

pity.

His Majesty seemed to only intend to go up to the sky to look at the moon. He stared at the moon for a long time before letting out a long sigh and gesturing for her to get up.

Crescent Moon Sky Rush

If he hadn't already gotten used to the absence of a superior being, Duncan might have transformed into Homelander at any moment.

Dawn breaks.

Amidst the astonished gazes of numerous imperial guards, Duncan, carrying Lu Qiongxian, appeared as if a deity had descended to earth. As he approached the ground, he gradually slowed down, then his figure hovered in the air and lightly landed on the surface of the Maha Pool.

Once she was standing on the water, Lu Qiongxian finally breathed a sigh of relief. With her light-footed skills, walking on water was not difficult for her.

Of course, standing on the water like Duncan, with not a single wet spot on his toes, is not something an ordinary person can do.

"Go."

"Settle the palace servants down, and then select a group to send to the Prince of Xing's residence for further training."

Duncan patted Lu Qiongxian's full moon.

Lu Qiongxian remained excited, her face flushed, and respectfully bowed, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty." There were also many eunuchs present.

Even if Jill is cut off, don't give up hope. With the cultivation system of this world, if you can cultivate to the Dao Realm, there is a chance that it will grow back.

Entering the Dao realm is a watershed moment; crossing it marks the beginning of a qualitative change.

Duncan would not underestimate any expert who had entered the Dao realm. If a eunuch could enter the Dao and attain enlightenment, he would not mind promoting him. He would give him whatever he wanted, as long as it was not excessive, since the King of Kings was always very generous.

"I'm still missing a Zheng He!"

Duncan looked quite regretful; among so many eunuchs, not a single one was capable of being Zheng He.

He always acted unconventionally; even as a eunuch, he could be made a king as long as he made meritorious contributions.

"His Majesty."

As Duncan returned to the main hall, a pale-faced, beardless man rushed over, knelt down, and said, "This is a message from Wei Zang."

"It's related to Master Bujie."

Ok?
Is the senior monk in trouble?

Duncan reached out and took it, glanced at it, remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "He's not dead, is he?"

The kneeling eunuch replied, "Master Bujie should be fine."

"But he killed a Dharma King of the Vajrayana sect in the Western Regions."

The monk Bujie traveled westward and the sights he saw were somewhat shocking. It is said that he went to the Potala Palace, but it is unclear what exactly happened. However, it is rumored that he fought a great battle with a Tibetan master and even killed a Dharma King of the Vajrayana sect in the Western Regions.

During this period, Monk Bujie's strength also improved by leaps and bounds. It is said that he fought against several masters from the Western Regions alone, and used the Flying Dragon Staff to perform the Chaotic Cloak Staff Technique, smashing the head of a Dharma King before leaving triumphantly.

However, he must have been seriously injured, because after that battle, Monk Bujie disappeared without a trace.

"Send people to keep an eye on things in the Western Regions."

Duncan ultimately did not intervene. If the monk Bujie wants to attain the Vajra Arhatship, some things must be done by himself. If he succeeds in the future, Duncan might even elevate him to the status of a Bodhisattva.

However, given his current state of mind, he's only good enough to be an Arhat at best.

"What about news from Dali?" Duncan asked casually.

The eunuch replied, "Our people haven't infiltrated Dali yet; all the news from there comes from the Five Immortals Sect."

"It is said that the Duan family of Dali has already sent people to prepare for paying tribute."

Duan Yu's ancestor.

For Duncan, not a single piece of land belonging to China could be lost. Not to mention Dali, he wanted all of Southeast Asia, as long as it belonged to China during the Qin and Han dynasties.

Dali is a remote and isolated area, so there's no need to rush into dealing with it.

Duncan had other plans in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, where there were too many ethnic minorities and the region was not yet fully developed. Only Sichuan and Chongqing had strategic value.

The twenty-seventh day since the fall of Later Shu.

Duncan returned to his loyal Xingwang Mansion, by which time the envoys sent by the Southern Tang had been there for several days.

It's funny to say that.

While intensifying the training of the Longxiang Army, Li Yu also sent envoys to pay tribute, as if this would allow him to resist the tide of events and continue to reign peacefully as emperor.

"His Majesty."

"The Buddhist community in Jinling has been acting strangely lately. I heard that an Arhat has descended to earth, known as the Dragon Subduer." The Good Mother's expression was solemn.

Duncan destroyed Later Shu too quickly.

The news spread so fast that the various factions didn't have time to react. After all, information spread slowly in ancient times. By the time they learned of the news, Bashu had already been basically pacified.

In just two months, everything changed.

"Buddhism?"

Upon hearing this, Duncan narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of killing intent flashing within them, and said, "Dragon Subduing?"

"Have you heard the rumors about the Black Dragon?"

The voluptuous woman stepped forward, handed him a secret scroll, and respectfully said, "Yes."

"It is said that he is a holy Buddhist monk who has the ability to subdue dragons and tigers."

The dragon that is subdued refers to the black dragon.

Fu Hu is most likely Lu Shan Jun.

There are many rumors about Duncan now, some of which have gradually become mythical, similar to how the Roman Empire worshipped the emperor as a god. These are not things he did intentionally, but the existence of Lu Shanjun and Mo Jiao is indeed full of mythical color.

There are already rumors circulating among the people that he is the reincarnation of a great god.

Subduing dragons? Taming tigers?
Which Buddhist monk has appeared in disguise?
The Butterfly Effect.

Perhaps due to the immense pressure from Duncan, Buddhism placed its heavy bets on Li Yu. Although he lacked the talent to be an emperor, he had one advantage: his devout faith in Buddhism.

Li Yu was described by Zhong Mo, a minister of the Southern Tang Dynasty, as "a devout Buddhist, weak and lacking in virtue".

This person was sentenced to death just last year.

Li Yu's original name was Li Congjia. At that time, some people asked Li Congshan, the Duke of Ji, to be made crown prince. However, with the support of Buddhism, everything proceeded according to the original historical trajectory. In fact, after Li Yu ascended the throne, his support for Buddhism was even greater than before.

In June of this year, Li Jing died of illness, and Li Congjia ascended the throne in Jinling, changing his name to Li Yu. He honored his mother, Lady Zhong, as the Holy Empress (i.e., Empress Zhong) and made his concubine, Lady Zhou, the Empress (i.e., Empress Da Zhou).

After Li Yu ascended the throne, he ordered the minting of iron coins, increased taxes, relaxed the restrictions on Buddhist temples, and issued many decrees to honor Buddhism.

During the reign of Li Jing, the Southern Tang Dynasty suffered from depleted national treasury due to frequent military campaigns.

By the time of Li Yu, the national treasury was already stretched thin. In order to make up for the insufficient national funds, the Southern Tang court changed its previous policy of reducing taxes and allowing wealth to be stored among the people, and began to levy various exorbitant taxes on the people. At the same time, because Buddhist forces in the Southern Tang enjoyed special treatment, temple lands were exempt from taxes, and monks were not required to perform military service. As a result, many commoners who could not bear the burden shaved their heads and became monks.

The Southern Han Dynasty had many eunuchs.

The Southern Tang Dynasty, on the other hand, had many monks.

Li Yu's devotion to Buddhism was no less than that of a fanatic. There were many temples in the Southern Tang palaces, and countless Buddhist temples in Jinling City. Whenever a Buddhist temple was built, the court would allocate land for it.

This is just the beginning.

He would do even more outrageous things in the future, with the imperial court funding the recruitment of ordinary people and Taoist priests to become monks, and rewarding Taoist priests with two taels of gold if they were willing to become monks.

Offering money to Taoist priests to become monks is truly the style of Buddhism.

The Buddha said that he only saves those who have attained enlightenment.

The kind mother hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "There is an ancestral temple of the Pure Land School in the Southern Tang Dynasty."

"Buddhism is deeply rooted here, and there are many masters."

Emperor Shizong of Zhou, Chai Rong, did not completely eradicate Buddhism, as many Buddhists fled to the Southern Tang. In fact, his actions actually brought the entire Buddhist community together, making the Southern Tang their base of operations.

But this is also good, as it makes it easier for Duncan to take them all at once.

"We don't want these bald monks' heads anymore, so let's just take them off to avoid wasting food and send them to see Buddha ahead of time."

Duncan is currently short of money; Meng Chang has squandered a considerable amount of the Later Shu's national treasury.

Who has money right now?
The Southern Tang Dynasty was very wealthy due to its Buddhist community.

Temples in the Southern Tang Dynasty enjoyed privileges and accumulated wealth through rewards, donations, and business operations (such as inns and mills). Some large temples had "vast land holdings, comparable to those of powerful clans."

The temple also engaged in lending, profiting from mortgage loans, a practice consistent with that of temples during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

There are even rumors among the people that the temple has so much grain, silk, gold and silver that its warehouses can't hold it all.

Why are a group of monks eating so well?
Give me everything.

Duncan had made up his mind and was determined to kill. These monks had no choice but to be beheaded or go to the Potala Palace to discuss their doctrines.

at this time.

Suddenly, someone outside the palace announced, "Your Majesty."

“There is a monk outside who claims to be virtuous and wants to see you.”

Neither abstaining from nor being greedy.

Both of Duncan's only Buddhist friends showed up.

………………

(End of this chapter)