The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 106 must be attended by a great Bodhisattva! (3k)
This cry of "The Mountain God of Pinglan has received the decree" brought almost boundless hope to the entire Qingzhou coastline.

They thought that with the floods raging and evil spirits in power, they had no way to survive.

Unexpectedly, the Bodhisattva, in his compassion, truly came to save them.

Regardless of what they were doing, the people inside and outside Qingzhou hurriedly stopped everything and uniformly turned towards Pinglan Mountain, where the Buddha's light shone, to worship endlessly.

"Buddha has appeared!"

"Qingzhou is saved! Thank you for your mercy, Bodhisattva!"

"Please, Bodhisattva, quickly vanquish the demons and monsters!"

Today's extraordinary sights, any one of them, have surpassed anything the people of Qingzhou have ever seen in their entire lives.

The Mi River turned red, a battle of wits took place at the city gate, a giant fish struck a boat, and the Great Canal was suspended in midstream. Any one of these events was earth-shattering.

But today they actually met, and even met one after another.

Even when they thought there was no way out, they were surprised to see the Buddha's light shining brightly and compassion descending upon the world.

Under such circumstances, how could one not be moved to the point of prostrating oneself in worship to the Bodhisattva who came to save the world after hearing the cries of the people?

It was at this moment that everyone saw a majestic phantom appear from Pinglan Mountain.

The Pinglan Mountain God, whose Dharma form was seven zhang tall, was striding towards the Mi River.

When such a miracle came to the attention of the people of Qingzhou, they were first stunned, then erupted in even more ecstatic shouts:

"It is Lord Pinglan!"

"It really is Lord Pinglan!"

"Lord Pinglan has come to help us control the Mi River again!"

Pinglan Temple gradually declined and fell into disrepair due to the silent intervention of the government, to the point that its incense offerings almost ceased.

But the appearance of Duke Pinglan—that of a thin, dark-skinned, simple old man, and the black robe he wore, which was completely different from the official system of today—is still passed down by word of mouth and remembered by countless people along the river.

This is also the fundamental reason why, even though the incense offerings to Lord Pinglan have almost died out and his golden statue is covered with cracks, he has not disappeared—the people still remember him!
The people wept with joy, while the two people in the middle of the Mi River were plunged into deep horror.

Because they cannot understand why someone could bestow the title of a true god when Heaven's will is in effect and calamity is still imminent.

Even the appearance of this mountain god exceeds His proper specifications.

The 'True Man,' who was also a righteous god, silently began to calculate the proper status for this Duke Pinglan.

Pinglan Mountain only appears majestic in Qingzhou, a place without towering mountains. In truth, such a mountain could at most provide a two-zhang-tall golden statue for the God of Fengzheng.

If we also consider his contribution to controlling the floods and redirecting the flow two hundred years ago, then at most, we would add another three zhang to his name.

The Five-Zhang Dharma Form signifies that the deity has transformed from a lowly, unruly god into a legitimate local deity, entitled to the worship of the people without being bound by Confucian rites and laws.

But what's with these extra two zhang?

Completely bewildered, He looked at the still-radiant Buddha light with a mixture of realization and horror.

The extra two zhang of Dharma form were forcibly raised by the other party?!

There are only three orthodox methods for establishing deities; all others are unorthodox and do not belong to the mainstream.

The three correct principles are: first, Heaven's intervention; second, the people's respect for the ruler; and third, the decree from above.

The first method is that Heaven and Earth, moved by virtue, allow the soul of a virtuous person to attach itself to an ancient tree at the foot of a mountain or a spectacular landscape after death, and then mold it into a deity.

Such righteous deities possess unique and flawless virtues and forms, without any omissions. If there are any flaws, they are due to deficiencies in virtue, a loss incurred by Heaven. In short, they are a type without any errors. Their forms are exactly as high as they are meant to be.

The second type involves local people diligently worshipping the clay idols they erected day after day, year after year, using their hard work and the virtues they accumulated during their lifetime to officially recognize them.

These kinds of righteous gods are diverse, and although they are not wild or licentious shrines, they are still protected by heaven and earth. However, their golden statues and images are often unworthy of their status, and one often sees them in shabby homes.

The last type is when a great god or powerful being bestows a title of righteousness upon the person through their own authority.

It is also the only method of bestowing divine authority that would allow the golden body to exceed the proper specifications, since this is equivalent to receiving its favor and is an extension of the other party's esteemed position.

Even He Himself was one of the last kind.
This is not surprising; in fact, it is the one that bestows the most righteous gods among the Three Righteous Laws.

But, but, that was before the great calamity came!

Now, this is a time when the law of heaven is in charge and all laws are silent!
When he first heard about the official appointment, he thought that the other party must have used the same trick as that 'old monk,' taking advantage of the current fate to carry out his schemes!
For example, they might use the other party's own virtue and the blessings of the people of Qingzhou to gild their own official position.

Anyway, the Pinglan Mountain God is different from them; he is a 'person of this world' who is free from calamities.

If a clever trick is used skillfully, even God will turn a blind eye and allow a miracle that shouldn't happen in theory to occur.

But now, these extra two zhang directly told Him.

The other party truly defied divine law and calamity, forcibly bestowing upon themselves the title of emperor through their own exalted position!

so.
Amidst a mix of emotions, He looked up at the sky with a complicated expression.

Is this really how things should be in this situation?

Compared to that Thunder God.

The 'old monk' who was the main character in the incident had his eyes and mouth twitching incessantly.

What the Thunder God could see, he could of course see as well.

He even thought about things more deeply.

He wanted to cause a flood with the Mi River, but the other party not only appointed a mountain god who was incompatible with the river to deal with him.

They even specifically bestowed the title upon the mountain god revered for his control over the Mi River. What was that bald monk trying to do? Wasn't he just trying to use this to exert his Great Dao pressure on him?!

Such ability suggests a great bodhisattva who has attained a high position.

In the past, let alone him alone, even with the Thunder God beside him, everyone would have to obediently bow their heads and make way for this great Bodhisattva.

But it's different now.

He has now staked almost all of his wealth, braving divine retribution and calamity to secure this one chance tonight!
If he gives up now, even if the Great World comes tomorrow, he will probably fall out of the realm.

So he couldn't swallow this insult.

Thinking of this, his eyes were filled with dark rage!
"Yes, I'm already at my limit and not qualified to compare myself to you. But even you, a great bodhisattva, must have spent a lot of effort placing this stone, right?"

"What are you going to do?"

The 'real person' who sensed something was wrong exclaimed in surprise.

If such a great Bodhisattva were to come, and we were to resist stubbornly, then all our efforts would be in vain!

The old monk exhaled a breath of stale air and said:

"My lineage of Xiangyang Mountain has always upheld the principle of unwavering resolve and resolute commitment!"

After glancing at the radiant Buddha light, even though they had once been adversaries, the 'True Man' couldn't help but offer a word of advice:
"Are you crazy? How could you, at your last gasp, possibly defeat a Bodhisattva?"

We've all made it this far, and it's true that we feel a deep sense of shared sorrow, so much so that we don't want to see each other suffer greatly.

"Hmph, of course I'm not that arrogant, thinking I can do anything to a Bodhisattva. But what I want is this!"

After the old monk shouted, he stirred up the entire Mi River before it got completely out of control.

The Great River was already known as the Water Dragon, and now, under his control and with the blessing of King Anqing's destiny, it is as if a true dragon has been reborn.

"What I want is to destroy his move!"

Amidst the wild laughter, the water dragon instantly materialized and fiercely crashed into the divine image of Pinglan Mountain.

He saw it clearly: even if he were at his last gasp, and without any mistakes, he couldn't defeat a Bodhisattva who had attained a high level of attainment.

However, he was not fighting this great Bodhisattva, but the Pinglan Mountain God who only had a golden body and a Dharma appearance!

Absolutely.

He was just a newly appointed mountain god. Even though his golden body and appearance were impressive, he had never fought against anyone with magic.

He might not even know how to use his own supernatural powers!

Under such a blatant attack, he would inevitably lose his composure, and the great bodhisattva who had just been forcibly conferred a divine title by defying the laws of heaven would surely be powerless to continue.

With all these factors combined, he was confident that he could absolutely crush this mountain god, who possessed only an extraordinary appearance, with a single blow.

Then the floodwaters submerged half of Qingzhou, making this supposedly miraculous bodhisattva a laughingstock!

Looking at the approaching crimson water dragon and the clearly bewildered Pinglan Mountain God.

He could no longer contain his laughter and burst into wild hysteria:

"I lost, but no one can win tonight!!!"

"Nobody's here!!!!"

It's better to lose everything than to let someone win alone!
But as he laughed, he choked on his laughter, just like the 'real person' from before.

For he was horrified to see that the will and power of all people were filling the heavens and the earth!
Immediately afterwards, the sound of Buddhist chanting arose again:
"By the power of the people's prayers, we forge a water-controlling ruler for you! May this divine sharpness, derived from the instrument you used to measure the river and determine its clarity, forever guard the vast waves!"

The Buddhist chanting resounded, and countless vows surged and converged like a torrent, suddenly condensing into an ancient ruler, which fell into the palm of the Pinglan Mountain God.

After a moment of stunned silence, the other person simply waved the ruler lightly and said:
"Go to me!"

The overwhelming blood dragon that had been pressing down on them shattered inch by inch and retreated back into the depths of the riverbed!
"what?!"

After shouting those words in horror, as the floodwaters surged back, his entire body began to crumble inch by inch, just like a water dragon.

The true self, hidden somewhere unknown, also vomited a mouthful of blood from his heart.

Looking at the gradually clearing Mi River and the lingering Buddha light, he was filled with melancholy.

He knew he had lost completely this time, and now it wasn't just a matter of falling from grace, but the crucial question of whether he could even survive until the great era arrived.

The only fortunate thing is
"Tsk tsk tsk, how pitiful, how pitiful! Your Wugui Mountain lineage is truly doomed!"

These words made him stare intently at Raibu Masakami, who had spoken, as if he were a venomous snake.

The person who noticed this gaze smiled, but their eyes were filled with coldness.

"What nonsense did you spout earlier about your Xiangyang Mountain lineage having an unyielding spirit? Weren't you just trying to see if anyone would discover your background so you could shift the blame and hide yourself away?"

"Oh dear, what a pity! I'm not blind, but that person certainly is too!"

As he spoke, he added with even greater sarcasm:
"So, how does it feel to have been fooled by me twice?"

The rabbit mourns the fox's death? Don't make a fool of yourself. They're fighting face-to-face, who cares about the other's life or death!

They'll definitely do whatever they can to cause trouble!

"You're so cruel!!!"

(End of this chapter)