Thanks for the invitation, I just entered the chat group after traveling through Under One Person.

Chapter 221 Monk Cleansing the Ground
Master Liu formed a hand seal, and the remaining roots of Fusang Island suddenly burst forth from the ground, forming a towering net around the demon god. Purple lightning traveled along the green vines, blasting the demon god's eight-headed serpent tail, causing its scales to fly off.

The snake's tail, in pain, lashed out with its severed limbs towards the clouds. Concrete fragments, accompanied by a nuclear dust storm, hurtled towards them. Master Sun pointed his sword repeatedly, pinning the flying subway debris to the void, each fragment unleashing a violent roar of sword energy.

The Amaterasu mask on the front suddenly opened its snake eyes, and the broken sword in its right eye burst forth with the afterimage of Susanoo with ten fists, about to crush the Eight Views Lantern with a clenched fist; the Tengu on the side spewed out cursed ema plaques from its hooked beak, each wooden plaque engraved with a rebirth incantation; the skull on the back of its head gathered hundreds of vengeful spirits' faces into a vortex, rushing straight towards the Niwan Palace of the Taoist priests.

"Protect the Dao with Xuanqing, Lock the Soul with Shaoyang!" Master Wang shouted, transforming himself into a phantom of a Taiji diagram that enveloped the battlefield.

Master Sun's seventy-two azure rainbows formed the Big Dipper Sword Formation, forcefully blocking the iron fist of Susanoo's afterimage. Master Liu's iron crutch smashed into the vortex of the ema plaque, each lightning pattern shattering into fragments of incantations; Master Liu chanted the "Scripture of Salvation," the golden light of the scripture transforming into chains, one by one liberating the vengeful spirits and faces within the skulls.

The demon roared in pain, and the fragment of the sun emblem in its chest suddenly exploded. The purple-gold venomous flames, a fusion of Amaterasu fire and Yamata no Serpent venom, swept across a radius of a hundred miles, leaving behind black, decaying patches in the very air it passed through.

Seeing this, Master Wang suddenly unfolded the Taiji Diagram, revealing the Yin and Yang poles, and drew all the poisonous flames into the Yin Yin vortex: "This fiend's origin lies in the earth's veins beneath the volcano! Fellow Daoist Hai Chan, draw water from the East Sea to quench the earth's fissures; Fellow Daoist Hua Yang, use the Dao of Green Wood to seal the three souls; Fellow Daoist Xuan Qing, please sever its connection to the dragon vein of the main mountain range!"

Master Liu drew his iron crutch, creating a galaxy, causing the waters of the East Sea to surge upwards, forming obsidian chains amidst the volcanic ash erupting from Mount Fuji. Master Liu then formed the Five Thunder Wood Seal with his hands, causing five giant trees to take root and crack in the ground, their bark engraved with soul-suppressing incantations; Master Sun pointed his sword at Mount Fuji, unleashing seventy-two sword beams that swept across the land like a plow, severing all the black mist roots extending from the demon god towards the volcano.

Deprived of the earth's support, the demon god finally let out a broken howl. The three-layered structure began to collapse. The vengeful spirits at the bottom layer gradually became transparent under the light of the Eight Scenery Lights, the remnants of the demonic beasts in the middle layer were refined to death by lightning and fire, and the fragments of the gods at the top layer were reduced to dust in the Tai Chi diagram.

In its final moments, the Amaterasu mask atop the demon's head suddenly twisted westward. It attempted to parasitize the remnant soul of a Fusang shrine far away.

"Where do you think you're going!" Master Wang suddenly spoke, flicking a speck of dust from his fingertip. The particle transformed into a massive mountain, directly slamming the demon god's escaping consciousness into the depths of the earth's fissure. With a final muffled thud, the fissure on Fusang Island closed completely amidst the green wood and thunder, and the blood and remains in the ruins were washed away by the waters of the East Sea.

As the auspicious clouds gradually dispersed, the patriarchs had returned to the clouds. Looking at the ruins riddled with holes at his feet, Patriarch Liu suddenly laughed and said, "When that eminent monk crossed the sea to spread the Dharma, we knew that this country's fate was fraught with misfortune. Today, it can be said that the prophecy of 'having survived all the tribulations, we will return to chaos' has come true."

Master Wang shook his head and sighed, "It was destined to be this calamity. The monster's resentment before its death had already seeped into the earth's veins."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a gigantic golden Buddha's hand suddenly appeared on the distant horizon, as Buddhist Arhats arrived to provide support. Chen Huanling, who was snacking and watching the spectacle, looked at the Buddha's light with utter disrespect and laughed, "Where were you all this time? Coming now? Are you here to whitewash us?"

Buddhism is not well-liked because many Buddhists do not live up to their words, such as not adhering to precepts and being fond of lecturing others. There is also excessive commercialization, such as charging high prices for incense and using donation boxes to make money.

Historically, many "Buddhist persecutions" were also related to monks interfering in politics and temples excessively accumulating wealth, such as the phenomenon in the Tang Dynasty where "seven or eight out of ten parts of the world's wealth went to Buddhism."

The former refers to behavior, and there are also problems with Buddhism's own concepts, which contain contradictions. For example, "equality of all beings" is in contrast to a strict hierarchical system, and "karma" is in contrast to "instant enlightenment."

As time travelers, few would like Buddhism. It is undeniable that Buddhism has produced many great sages, but these people possessed great compassion and wisdom, and gleaned the true meaning from the mixed bag of Buddhist teachings.

A golden Buddha's hand, supporting a seven-colored lotus platform, strode in on the waves. Twelve golden Arhats sat cross-legged on the lotus petals, the leader holding a nine-ringed staff, the swastika pattern embroidered in gold thread on his robe flickering in the sea breeze. Before even approaching the clouds, a chanting voice, as loud as a bell, resounded: "Amitabha, fellow Daoists, you have worked hard. We have come to deliver the vengeful spirits, lest they fall into the Avici Hell!" "Deliverance?" Chen Huanling crunched on the dried fish in his hand, flicking the crumbs away in the sea breeze, and said sarcastically, "When I was watching the play in Tokyo three hours ago, why didn't I see any trace of karmic fire on the staffs of these Arhats? Now that the earth has just healed, the Buddha's light has arrived riding on the waves. It doesn't seem like you've come to sincerely deliver the spirits, but rather like you've calculated the page number in the merit book."

Chen Huanling spoke softly, just in a normal voice, complaining to Shang Qin beside her. Shang Qin nodded frequently in agreement; the two of them, being resourceful, were naturally unafraid of these bald monks.

Although the voice wasn't loud, all the Taoists and monks present were at least at the level of Human Immortals, and they heard Chen Huanling's words clearly.

Master Liu smiled, pointing his iron crutch towards the sea. The waves from the East China Sea crashed onto the base of the lotus platform, and the splashing water dispersed a few strands of chanting: "When the monk Jianzhen crossed the sea to the East, he was barefoot and blind. How could he be like you all with your radiant golden bodies?"

Master Wang's gentle voice carried an undeniable authority: "Now that the Arhats have arrived, go and clean up the remnants of the poisonous flames at the foot of Mount Fuji. Just don't follow the example of the monk Amoghavajra and refine the earth veins into the stupa, lest it lead to another incident of 'abolishing Buddhism and destroying the faith'."

Yi Qing was also talking to Qing Yuan beside him: "When I was still cultivating in my own world, I heard that a certain temple had cast eighteen Arhat statues, and the bases were filled with incense money donated by believers. I don't know if it's true or not."

“I don’t know much about Buddhism either, and Mi Er didn’t describe it much. But from the plot, the monk Jiekong of Lingyin Temple is a character,” Qingyuan said.

Qi Luo sneered: "The fact that the major Buddhist sect Shaolin Temple allowed Jie Kong to register at Shaolin and become one of the Ten Elders shows that the vast Shaolin Temple doesn't have any outstanding figures."

Yan Huan replied, "It's alright. I guess most of the virtuous people died in that turmoil decades ago."

"Of the disciples trained by Jiekong Sect, besides Xiao Zizai, only one other disciple has shown his face once, and it's clear he harbors considerable anger. Even those trained by Buddhism aren't any better."

"I thought it would be a war between immortals and mortals, but now we have to add a conflict between Buddhism and Taoism to the mix," Yan Huan sighed. Conflicts between Buddhism and Taoism have occurred frequently throughout the myriad realms, and they hadn't thought that since *Under One Person* didn't depict it, they wouldn't have a chance to witness it. But now that the Inner Realm has been unsealed, they finally have a chance to see it for themselves.

Su Heng, who had been very low-key and had only played a supporting role in the previous battles, looked at the twelve golden Arhats and asked in confusion, "According to the old Celestial Master's standard for becoming an immortal, cultivation, Taoist magic, and temperament are all indispensable. Under this standard, those who become immortals in Buddhism should also be highly accomplished monks. Why don't they look like good people at all?"

The twelve golden Arhat statues were very attractive; an ordinary person would probably kneel down in worship upon seeing them. But for knowledgeable people like Su Heng and Yi Qing, a truly enlightened monk would not have such a carefully crafted appearance.

It's not surprising that these guys are here to "whitewash" the situation; the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism has always been like this. Keep in mind that Gao Yushan is broadcasting live nationwide, and other countries are also watching the events in Japan through their own means.

When Taoist priests vanquished a demon god, those watching the live stream in China, seeking apprenticeship or offering their faith, naturally thought of the Taoist sect, which had demonstrated its power. Buddhist Arhats, too, had no choice but to make a cameo appearance.

"Is that even a question? Which Buddhist sect in fantasy novels doesn't have a bunch of unorthodox methods? I've already explained it, the orthodox ones are only the three immortals of Heaven, Earth, and Man. These bald monks definitely don't belong to that category."

(End of this chapter)