Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 219 The Last Day

There was nothing behind Zhengde, but somehow a thing that was about the same size as him appeared out of thin air.

But this is not the point.

The key point is... both Cai Yuankui and Zhou You recognize this thing.

—That was the Buddha in his physical form, whom Zhou You had pieced together in the palm of his hand and then transmitted to the Dharma realm back in Bodhi Temple.

But where did Zhengde get it from?

Two or three breaths later, Cai Yuankui opened his mouth in astonishment.

"No, monk, you're quite nimble-fingered. You even managed to sneak this out before you left?"

Zhengde softly chanted a Buddhist prayer, and then spoke.

"This was not something I took out; it stood up on its own when I was unfolding the Hell Path, and then suddenly jumped in."

Lu Ping was curiously poking at the Buddha in his present life when he was startled by these words.

"—Is this thing alive?"

Zhengde shook his head, denying the speculation.

"No, young benefactor, this one is dead, long ago."

Faced with the questioning looks from the group, he took a deep breath and then explained in a low voice.

"So that everyone may know, this thing... was originally my master's body. However, since he had already attained the Bodhisattva status and no longer needed a mortal body, this remaining body was placed in the Mahavira Hall as proof for the Tantric sect."

"Of course, if it were just this mutilated body, it wouldn't be of much use, because even if one is a Buddha in this very life, if all four limbs are missing, it cannot be considered complete. My master searched for a long time before, even using the pretense of a token to lure people in, but he was always missing one piece—until..."

Zhengde raised his head and stared intently at Zhou You.

"The Taoist priest took out the last half of his palm and pieced it back together."

At that moment, Cai Yuankui suddenly interjected.

"Monk, what does this have to do with killing your master before? Do you know that legendary 'Killing by Prayer' technique, and can you use this thing to curse and kill your master?"

Zhengde gently shook his head.

“This humble monk does not know such magic. But since we have this, we have a chance to stop the true form of Maitreya. Master Zhou, do you remember what Benefactor Lu mentioned at Ci'en Temple before, that my master once served as the abbot of the temple?”

Zhou You paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Remember, what happened?"

Zhengde replied.

“It’s very simple. My master has served as the abbot of the temple for many years and has worshipped Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for so many years. His karma is already connected with the temple. Even if he later abandons Buddhism, it will be the same. Since that’s the case, as long as there is a Buddha who has cultivated a complete body of relics, I can learn from Brother Chen and ask Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to descend to earth in his wrathful form to temporarily hold back the Dharma body of Maitreya Buddha.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou You and Cai Yuankui both fell into deep thought.

Zhengde's method was indeed feasible. Although Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was merely a manifestation and not his true form, Maitreya's Dragon Flower Assembly had only just begun, and due to the suppression of this world, his supernatural powers were estimated to be less than one-hundredth of their former strength. Even if he couldn't defeat him, he could at least hold him off.
Zhou You suddenly spoke.

"—But Zhengde, you've only revealed this method now; there must be some limitations involved, right?"

Zhengde clasped his hands together, bowed, and continued.

“Master Zhou, you are indeed right. This method has two problems. First, if we want to invite the Dharma body of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva from Shuanghe City, then this humble monk needs at least the preparation time of two cups of tea. During this time, we will inevitably be obstructed by Maitreya Bodhisattva. This humble monk needs someone to help block him.”

Cai Yuankui suddenly raised his eyebrows.

"That monk is the true form of a deity. Even if Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain mobilized all the incense and prayers of Xinzhou, he might not be able to stop him. He would need to join forces with the other two Zen masters to have any chance of fighting him. Right now, we are all injured or ill, so who can?"

But before he could finish speaking, Zhou You interrupted him. "...I have a way of dealing with that, Zhengde. Now, tell me the next question."

As if he had expected it, Zhengde continued without hesitation.

"Secondly, the Dharma realm is still in effect. Although Master's Dharma body is now in hand, I need it to maintain the descent of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, so I can only send one person in."

In an instant, everyone fell silent.

However, Cai Yuankui quickly revealed a nonchalant smile and said.

"I'll handle this. It seems most of the monsters in that realm have already been released, so we shouldn't be overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. Besides, we Dao Knights always disregard life and death, so even if..."

However, a hand suddenly reached out in front of him.

“Brother Cai, your skills are probably not suited for direct confrontation, so let me handle this second problem as well.”

Cai Yuankui was taken aback, and then became anxious.

"Master, my life is worthless, and besides, you have little to do with this matter; you were merely dragged into it. Why bother?"

Zhou You simply patted him on the shoulder, his words leaving no room for argument.

"Don't worry, this is my own wish, and I also have reasons to go—by the way, I've never mentioned this to you before, but I'm still a member of the Yun Jing Sect, right?"

"It wasn't mentioned, but what does that have to do with the present?"

Looking out the window at the glimmer of light, Zhou You thought of his cheap master and uncle, and suddenly laughed.

"Our Yun Jing Sect has a rule: in life, one should only seek pleasure and not ask about anything else."

"Besides, I, Zhou You, am a Taoist priest after all. How can I stand idly by and watch this world be filled with demons and monsters?"
-
Seeing that he could no longer persuade him, Cai Yuankui could only walk backwards out the door, filled with resentment.

Meanwhile, the peasant woman had been waiting for a long time.

"Your Excellency, has a result been reached in the discussions?"

Cai Yuankui sighed, and then said.

“Monk Zhengde has made up his mind to die. Just pass this message on to Posuo Temple. Also, gather all the remaining personnel, including the spies in Lizhou—this time we really have to prepare to fight to the death.”

The peasant woman replied in a very ordinary voice.

“In that case, the entire power of the department will be wiped out in Lizhou, and it will take decades to recover. The higher-ups may have a lot of complaints about this.”

"Complaints? I'm not even sure if I'll see the sun rise tomorrow, why would I care if they complain?" Cai Yuankui rolled his eyes. "Move all the remaining soldiers you can, every little bit more manpower counts. Don't let your guard down with the evacuation of the civilians, just in case things go wrong. And also..."

Cai Yuankui hesitated for a moment, then continued.

"Bring over 'that' thing, just in case."

A slight change finally appeared on the face of the peasant woman, whose expression had remained unchanged.

"Imperial Guard, that's the last one. It's a treasure that's considered as precious as life itself within the entire division. Are you sure you want it?"

Cai Yuankui simply smiled.

"If Master Zhou and Zhengde are willing to risk their lives for these people, how can we, the people of the Evil Suppression Division, be stingy? Rest assured, when the division investigates, I will take full responsibility for all the problems."

The peasant woman hesitated for a moment, but finally clasped her hands in a fist and bowed.

"Subordinate... I obey."

(End of this chapter)