Chosen Evolution: I can load the protagonist template

Chapter 795 Others only want the monks to die, but you're plotting to dig up the roots of Buddhism.

Cheng Tian led his team down an unforeseen path.

To use Metal Slug as an analogy, it's like Cheng Tian siding with General Modern and becoming the enemy of the Sparrow and Peregrine Squads.

But as the tip suggests, it's not only when you become an enemy that you can cause trouble for others. Sometimes, a jolt from an ally can be more powerful than a blow from a purely adversary.

The eighty-one tribulations that the pilgrimage team had to go through were not all indiscriminate fighting and killing. They also involved a great deal of human relationships and even the tender feelings of love that could move people's hearts.

Cheng Tian certainly disliked the Buddhist way of doing things, but that doesn't mean he felt the same way about Monkey King and his friends.

Now, the Three Immortals have been incorporated into the ranks of the Grassroots Gods. As long as Cheng Tian still has the template of Erlang Shen, the Three Immortals will obey Cheng Tian, ​​their superior, on their behalf. In other words, Cheng Tian has effectively gained control of 70-80% of Chechi Kingdom. He can directly influence the policies of the entire country with just a few words.

The three major calamities of "delayed transport vehicles," "gambling on big wins and losses," and "eliminating Taoism and promoting Buddhism" are essentially just one problem.

As long as the three immortals are not so petty and are willing to put aside their pride and save their lives, the monks here will still be enslaved, and Taoism will remain the dominant religion in Chechi Kingdom.

Of course, this is based on the original work, but the current worldview is that of Journey to the West: The Legend of the Monkey King. In other words, the composition of the pilgrimage team has already changed.

Besides the most basic Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, the White Dragon Horse may frequently transform into human form.

As for how the dragon girl, who might appear, would integrate into the team, Cheng Tian found it hard to imagine.

But don't worry, just deal with things as they come.
Before long, the story of the altar battle and the final bowing of the three immortals to Cheng Tian spread throughout the streets and alleys of Chechi Kingdom at lightning speed.

It is worth mentioning, however, that the status of the three immortals in Chechi Kingdom did not decline as a result; on the contrary, it remained very stable.

The reason is that the King of Chechi Kingdom is a superstitious person who is easily manipulated by magic, and Cheng Tian has shown more exaggerated and magnificent supernatural powers than the Three Immortals. Even if Cheng Tian said, "I will be the national teacher," he probably wouldn't hesitate much and would immediately set up a "Grand National Teacher" position for Cheng Tian to sit in.

The reason for retaining the status of the Three Immortals is twofold: firstly, their ability to control the weather is the underlying logic upon which Chechi Kingdom survives; and secondly, it is also an attempt to maintain the relationship with the Three Immortals in a way that indirectly maintains the relationship with Cheng Tian.

In the king's eyes, Cheng Tian was a god descended to earth, so what was wrong with kowtowing and worshipping him? Countless people wanted to worship a true immortal but couldn't even get the chance!

The King of Chechi Kingdom was quite a clever man, capable of both yielding and standing firm.

In the original work, when he saw Tang Sanzang and his group, he immediately followed the instructions of the national teachers and prepared to throw all these hairy and hairless people into the dungeon, and then stuff them into the labor team to do hard labor.

But when he saw the travel document and learned that the group was from the Tang Dynasty in the East, he immediately performed a Sichuan opera face-changing act, repeatedly saying "People from the Tang Dynasty are not to be trifled with," while preparing to let them pass directly.

If the three immortals hadn't been so stubborn and insisted on causing trouble, the king would have already stamped the document, added travel expenses, and released them.

Not long after the contest ended, a series of administrative orders were issued directly from the palace and quickly spread to the country's Taoist and military systems.

This is where the advantage of a small boat being easy to maneuver becomes apparent. Although the small country's national strength cannot compare to that of the Tang Dynasty, its smaller territory and fewer people mean that many policies that would be difficult to implement or even distorted in a larger country spread very smoothly in a small country where the king's word is law. The country's Taoist priests and soldiers, though puzzled by the new decrees, could only mutter under the weight of the three immortals and the king's authority.

But the most shocking thing is the 500 monks who are barely surviving in the local Zhiyuan Temple.

Since losing power, they have been exploited and used like livestock by their own country. Of the original two thousand monks, some died and some went insane. Now only a quarter remain, and they are all those who have a strong will to survive and are gritting their teeth and enduring it.

Some monks who survive such immense pressure may indeed possess a strong will that affects their physical body, using their loyalty to Buddha to resist the cruelty of reality, but they are ultimately a minority.

When even getting enough to eat becomes a problem, faith becomes utterly insignificant. For many monks, the only thing separating them from complete collapse is a single reed.

Chechi Kingdom, Quarry.

As the most arduous and exhausting job in the entire Chechi Kingdom, this place has taken away the wronged souls of countless monks. The magnificent Sanqing Temple in Chechi Kingdom was clearly built partly with the blood and flesh of these monks from Zhiyuan Temple.

The harm inflicted on monks by quarries is not limited to the heavy and dangerous falling rocks, but also includes dust that can cause permanent damage to the chest, lungs, respiratory tract and other organs. It may not be very obvious when they are young, but as they get older, the decline in their physical functions will highlight the problems in these areas.

Of course, for these five hundred monks, whether they can live long enough to develop an illness is still a question.

"What are these evil Taoist priests up to now!?"

A monk, whose face was almost unrecognizable due to the ravages of work and the environment, but whose voice sounded quite young, looked at the approaching Taoist priest and the handcart covered with a cloth, and began to curse under his breath.

After long periods of hard labor and exploitation, even the most virtuous monks would not be able to show a pleasant expression when facing Taoist priests. In fact, if they didn't still have Buddha in their hearts, they would probably have already uttered profanities.

"Tsk! Keep your voice down!"

Then the monk was kicked in the shin, and an older monk next to him immediately reprimanded him in a low voice.

These monks, who were demoted to doing hard labor, eating coarse rice, and sleeping in the open, were simply powerless to resist those ruddy-faced Taoist priests; their strength simply did not allow it.

If they are overheard gossiping here, a lash would be the least of their worries. If the lash prevents them from working, their supplies will likely be cut off in the future. The biggest difference between this and being killed is that being executed might be a quicker and more painless punishment...

Soon, the Taoist priests stepped into the quarry and began to make announcements amidst the stunned gazes of the monks.

"In recognition of the merits of all the monks in building the Sanqing Temple, we are now giving you a choice. If you are willing to take off your monk robes and put on Taoist robes, and from now on worship Taoism and the Three Pure Ones, you will be exempt from hard labor."

Without giving the other side a chance to react, the Taoist priest ripped off the cloth from the cart, revealing stacks of Taoist robes.

As soon as he finished speaking, the whole scene fell silent for a moment, and then the monks' emotions began to boil over!

(End of this chapter)