Unlimited employment

Chapter 142, 141 [The Celestial Master of Divine Power, Buddhist Conversion]

The evil spirits, which had transformed into various Buddhist deities, knelt beside Chen Sheng, bowing and worshipping him.

The Buddha's light shone brightly, and the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
Flowers rained down from the sky, and golden lotuses sprang from the ground;
This makes Chen Sheng seem like the Buddha of the Western Paradise.

At this moment, even someone as composed as him couldn't help but be moved.

"This... Master, you're being a bit too generous."

There's no way around it; comparing people will only lead to heartbreak, and comparing goods will only result in them being thrown away.

Compared to the Daoist emperor who had to work hard like a dog just to have a chance to be dismissed by his subordinates with a single wisp of malevolent energy, the Buddhist sect was far more sincere.

Dozens of fierce energy were sent away just like that.

Chen Sheng had lived for hundreds of years and had never gotten such a great deal before.

Happiness came so suddenly that he felt a strong sense of unreality.

However, Chen Sheng was ultimately skilled in cultivating his inner strength. He recalled the old monk's words about being able to condense a golden Arhat body and realized that the Buddhist sect was being suppressed by the combined forces of the imperial power and the Taoist sect, and thus regarded him as their last hope for a comeback.

Joining the emperor's ranks is merely icing on the cake, but boarding the pirate ship of Buddhism is a lifeline in the snow; the two are completely incomparable.

It's not surprising that there's such a big difference in treatment.

Moreover, every gift from fate comes with a price tag. Once he accepts this great gift, he will inevitably have to take the blame for Buddhism and stand up against the oppression of the emperor and Taoism.

As the saying goes, "Possessing a treasure is a crime." The moment Chen Sheng conjured the golden Arhat, he possessed the power to challenge the existing order, and thus inevitably faced persecution and suppression from those who benefited from it.

This road is not easy to travel!

Chen Sheng looked at the kneeling shamans around him and the magnificent Buddhist light that almost made the place resemble a sacred mountain before finally speaking.

"The master just said that those with fourth-level Buddhist cultivation, Ziwei star destiny, and the ability to be close to the Gangsha can use these Gangsha to condense a golden Arhat body. Is that true?"

This question brought tears to the old monk's eyes.

“A monk does not lie, let alone in front of a Buddhist disciple, how could I tell a lie?”

Whether this matter is true or false, the Buddhist disciple will know once he tries it.

only……"

He looked up and quickly added.

"Over the years, under the suppression of the Song emperor, Buddhism has been scattered all over the world. The temples that were originally not under each other's jurisdiction have gradually spontaneously united into two factions, the North and the South."

Now, all twenty-one portions of Buddhist energy and forty portions of Buddhist evil spirits collected by the Buddhist sects of the North are here and offered to the Buddhist disciples.

Meanwhile, the Buddhist sects in the south intended to support a lacquer garden owner named Fang La in his rebellion, and most of the remaining powerful spirits were in his hands.

It is hoped that after refining these evil spirits, the Buddhist disciples will immediately take action to destroy the demon Fang La, and retrieve the scattered evil spirits, so that the golden-bodied Arhat can achieve perfect merit.

After that, they would gradually plot the establishment of a Buddhist kingdom on earth.

"Fang La? Is it Fang La from Qingxi County, Muzhou, Liangzhe Circuit?"

"It is Fang La from Qingxi County. This demon, with the evil power of the God of Light he worships, forcibly controlled the evil energy offered by the Buddhist sects in the south. He is utterly despicable."

Such acts of blasphemy against Buddha are truly evil and heretical, even more detestable than Taoism and the emperor.

I urge you, Buddhist disciple, to slay this demon as soon as possible.

When Fang La was mentioned, the old monk made no attempt to hide his anger.

As a local strongman in Liangzhe Road, Chen Sheng naturally knew this person.

Fang La was a follower of Manichaeism, which originated from Persia. He was a third-level cultivator and proficient in mysterious foreign Taoist arts. The two had met a few times before.

Unexpectedly, this person, while practicing a heretical religion, managed to secure investment from Buddhist sects in the south and even attempted to rebel.

It’s really not simple!

It seems that after accepting the generous gift from the Buddhist sect in the North, we will have another adversary in the future.

Having learned this essential information, Chen Sheng had no more doubts and decided to consume the evil spirits.

He has never been one to hesitate or look back; when it comes to benefits offered to him, there's no reason for him to refuse.

It's just a matter of three opponents: the imperial court, the Taoist sect, and Fang La. Once we've got the benefits, we'll fight if we can win, and if we can't, we can just pack up and run back to the main world.

Chen Sheng was very open-minded and had no psychological burden whatsoever.

Thinking of this, he beckoned to the surrounding evil spirits, which then transformed into beams of golden light and flew into his spiritual realm.

As dozens of streams of energy entered his body, the job panel automatically popped up in front of Chen Sheng's eyes.

The [Gang Sha Mage]'s professional experience increased rapidly, his level changed repeatedly, and he eventually completed a job change.

[Profession 3]: Gang Sha Celestial Master
Level: Lv5 (146/500)

Talents: Stealing Qi and Seizing Evil, Connecting with Spiritual Qi, Furnace of Qi and Evil, Creation of Qi
Skills: Buddha's Aura (21), Buddha's Fiery Aura (42), Nine Heavens Cold Ice Clearing Aura, Earth Core Fierce Fire Turbid Aura, Kun Earth One Qi Five Yin Turbid Aura

After being promoted, I gained a talent called [One Qi Creation].

This gave Chen Sheng the ability to cultivate his own Qi, accelerate the cultivation of Qi, and also refine all the attributes of Qi, causing it to revert to its most primitive form of Qi.

This kind of farming-type ability won't be of much use in the short term.

Chen Sheng glanced at it only once before turning his attention to the skill bar.

Including his original Fudo Myo-o Buddha Sha and Asura Buddha Sha, he now has a total of forty-two Buddha Sha and twenty-one Buddha Gang.

According to the previous rules of the fusion of Qi and Sha, a Buddha statue formed from one unit of Qi or Sha can possess the combat power of the second tier; a Buddha statue formed from one unit of Qi plus two Sha can possess the combat power of the third tier; and a Buddha statue formed from three units of Qi plus six Sha can possess the combat power of the fourth tier.

With the existing twenty-one parts of Buddhist energy and forty-two parts of Buddhist evil energy, at most seven fourth-tier Buddha statues can be fused together.

If he had seven units of fourth-tier combat power, and Chen Sheng himself was already a master who had cultivated two Daoist arts to the fourth tier, his combat power would definitely reach an extremely terrifying level.

Although he certainly won't reach the fifth rank, he will be invincible among those at the fourth rank.

Chen Sheng's heart stirred, and an illusory crimson flame rose in his mind, baking those fierce energy clusters.

Talent [罡煞融炉]: Melts and refines罡煞 into particles, which can be used for cultivation, combat, alchemy, weapon crafting, array formation, and talisman drawing.

With such talent, Chen Sheng directly used his spiritual platform as a furnace and his mind as a flame to begin the fusion of Qi and Sha.

The sixty-three clumps of Qi melted into liquid under the baking and burning of the furnace fire, and then scattered into fine particles of light, which danced around in the spiritual platform.

Then, guided by the [One Qi Connects with the Spirit] talent, every nine parts were merged into one, forming seven tall Buddha statues.

The fire in the furnace slowly died down, but golden Buddhist flames ignited in the spiritual realm.

The seven Buddha statues stood bathed in flames, like the statues of heavenly kings in a temple, appearing majestic and solemn.

The next moment, the golden light emanating from the Buddhist fire illuminated the sea of ​​consciousness.

Bathed in this light, Chen Sheng's consciousness was unconsciously captivated, and he fell into a long, delirious dream. ...

"Whoa whoa-"

Beside the delivery bed, a newborn baby let out its first loud cry.

Chen Sheng, whose consciousness was clouded by the Buddha's light, opened his eyes. He carried no memories and was like a blank sheet of paper, arriving in a new world.

He had no martial arts skills that allowed him to leap across rooftops, no Taoist arts that allowed him to control gods and ghosts, and no endless reincarnations. Like all living beings in the world, his life was ordinary and unremarkable.

My childhood was carefree; I spent my days either catching grasshoppers on the mountain or shrimp and crabs in the river, unaware of what worries were.

As a child, he was innocent and carefree, and when he first fell in love, he fell for the older girl next door who was a few years older than him. He asked his father to propose marriage, but was completely ignored.

She could only watch helplessly as her sister got married, and she secretly hid away and cried for a long time.

In his youth, he fell in love with a girl from the same village and asked his father to propose marriage again. However, his father scolded him, saying that the girl from the farmer's family was not a good match and that he should marry the daughter of Butcher Hu.

Chen Sheng felt as if he had been struck by lightning. How could the fat, pig-like daughter of Butcher Hu be worthy of him?
Despite her family's objections, she married Xiaohuami directly. When she was three months pregnant, the two families had a big fight, but at least they were forced to get married.

It wasn't until his child was born and he had to worry about the daily necessities of life that he realized how hard life was and understood his father's good intentions in wanting him to marry a woman from the Hu family.

A few years later, their parents passed away, and the brothers fought each other over the inheritance, never speaking to each other again.

When Chen Sheng was middle-aged, his son was also at the age of being attracted to young women and kept clamoring to marry a poor girl he liked.

What does a child know? To prevent his child from following in his footsteps, Chen Sheng beat him up and married into a wealthy family whose daughter had a disability.

This arrangement will surely allow my son to avoid struggling for several lifetimes and live a life free from worries about food and drink.

As a result, the son suffered mistreatment at his father-in-law's house every day, becoming sullen and unhappy, and the relationship between father and son became strained.

Because of his marriage to a wealthy merchant, the Chen family became rich. With money in his pocket, he couldn't resist his lust and took a young concubine.

From that moment on, his wife, Xiaohua, never gave him a kind look again.

The house was in constant chaos.

More than twenty years later, Chen Sheng, now in his sixties, fell ill.

During the six months he was bedridden, his four sons, born to his wives and concubines, fought over his inheritance every day at his bedside, each saying that they had lived a hard life and deserved a larger share of the family fortune.

Chen Sheng, already terminally ill, breathed his last amidst the children's argument.

At the moment of his death, he vaguely heard several long sighs of relief.

"No, I don't want to die yet. I've done too many wrong things in my life and left too many regrets."

I wish I could live again. If I had just one more chance, I would definitely live a fulfilling life.

Chen Sheng's soul floated out of his body, shouting madly.

Then, his soul was reincarnated, and with a loud cry, he began a new cycle of reincarnation.

The Buddhist spirits that Chen Sheng possessed were all born from the Eight Treasures Merit Pool of the White Horse Temple. They were formed by absorbing the power of believers' thoughts and contained the ups and downs of countless ordinary people's lives.

Once a certain number are gathered, they will continuously manifest the eight sufferings of Buddhist life: birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, not getting what one desires, encountering those one hates, and the five aggregates.

This is a unique Buddhist method of salvation, which allows beings to become so immersed in the suffering of reincarnation that they cannot extricate themselves, and then awakens them at a crucial moment, saving them from the sea of ​​suffering.

Those who are saved will wholeheartedly accept the idea that the world is nothing but a dream, and their path and thoughts will unconsciously shift towards Buddhism.

Chen Sheng went through countless joys and sorrows in this cycle of suffering.

In a certain lifetime, at a certain moment, he suddenly had an epiphany.

Suddenly realizing that the world is like a hell on fire, and worldly affairs are as fleeting as dew or lightning, only by comprehending the wisdom and power that transcends all beings can one transcend all truths after "enlightenment".

A single thought can change the world.

When Chen Sheng came to his senses, he found himself in a magnificent and resplendent sacred mountain, radiating Buddhist light, surrounded by auspicious clouds.

At the highest point of Mount Ling, a lotus platform with thirty-six petals, which should have been the seat of the Buddha, hangs in the air, extremely conspicuous.

Below the lotus platform, numerous Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Devas, and Dharma Protectors sit in solemn posture.

The moment Chen Sheng appeared, they all stood up, looked at him with kind eyes, and praised him.

"The moon remains bright even as the sea of ​​tribulations rises and falls; the lotus blooms on its own as the boat returns unmoored. Congratulations to the Buddha for returning after countless tribulations and reclaiming his supreme position."

“A single thought on Mount Ling is a lifetime on Earth. In the blink of an eye, the Buddha has already gone through countless eons and his merits have been perfected. It is time for the whole world to celebrate.”

"The sea of ​​suffering is boundless, and there is no shore to turn back to. It is a joyous occasion that the Buddha has escaped from the sea of ​​karma accumulated by countless sentient beings."

……

The heavens and earth resounded with praise.

The Buddhas of Lingshan bowed in reverence.

At that moment, a loud cheer shook the entire Mount Sumeru, and the name of Buddha echoed in the sky like thunder. The Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss was welcoming its master's return.

Having just experienced countless reincarnations, Chen Sheng now enjoyed boundless honor.

Am I really Buddha?
A question arose in Chen Sheng's mind, but he quickly put it out of his mind.

How could the Buddhas mistake me? I am the Buddha. It's just that the memories of reincarnation are too complex, and I have temporarily forgotten some of the distant past.

At this moment, everyone is telling him, including his own inner voice, that he is the Buddha, and that as long as he can ascend the Buddha's throne, he will possess infinite power and obtain supreme authority.

The "wisdom" and "enlightenment" accumulated through countless reincarnations made Chen Sheng's impulse difficult to suppress.

He couldn't help but take a step forward, and his supernatural powers manifested, allowing him to traverse a thousand feet to reach the lotus platform.

Looking at the thirty-six-tiered lotus platform radiating Buddhist light, Chen Sheng suddenly laughed.
"I thought there was some kind of terrible trap hidden there, but I didn't expect it was just an attempt to convert me to the Buddhist doctrines."

The technique of "conversion" is fairly effective against ordinary cultivators.

But Chen Sheng was not an ordinary being.

As a Yama-fu insect that maintains a constant mental connection with its original self, the will of the main world helps it stay conscious throughout endless cycles of reincarnation.

Chen Sheng sighed and waved his hand.

The crimson flames of the Gangsha Furnace ignited the entire sacred mountain, turning it into a sea of ​​fire.

In the flames, all the Buddhas in the sky were burned to ashes, and the entire Ling Mountain was like a burning curtain, with holes burned out.

The environment revealed after the void was still Chen Sheng's own mental platform.

Crimson flames roared within the spiritual altar, and the seven golden Buddha statues, like bodies forged in the fire, shimmered with dazzling light.

(End of this chapter)