From the God of Lies to the Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 230 The wooden fish strikes, the death knell tolls

Even for Shinra, today's events were a rather rare experience.

Because he rarely saw a situation where people remained unmoved even when reminded by Buddhist scriptures.

Many people would at least ponder and reflect, or at least hesitate, unlike the people in front of me, who showed no reflection whatsoever, and whose murderous intent only intensified!
So he switched to another scripture and continued reciting:

“The three realms are without peace, like a burning house, filled with all kinds of suffering, which is extremely frightening.”

This time he recited the Lotus Sutra, but it still didn't have much effect. He could only see the ferocious and terrifying expressions of the people in front of him. Their desires and evil thoughts, in Zhenluo's eyes, were as solidified as those ancient Buddhist rules, stubborn, clumsy, and rigid.

The difference is that these people are truly stubborn and incorrigible; the evil thoughts that come from their bodies have even transformed into a real and tangible will!
This peculiar realism caused these villains to rush towards him almost without stopping, their ferocious expressions and greedy desires seemingly materializing!

"It's so fair and clean, it must feel really comfortable to use!"

"Yes, so white, so beautiful, so wonderful..."

"You came first last time, so I want to go first this time!"

"Shut up, all of you! Of course, I was the first one here this time; I was the one who spotted him!"

Even though they hadn't achieved their ultimate goal, they had already begun dividing the spoils, except that the spoils weren't things, but people!
These people surrounded Zhenluo with lewd expressions, even trying to touch his face. "So handsome, monk..."

"Thump!" The wooden fish struck, shaking the man's hand away. At that moment, Zhenluo slowly opened his eyes, raised them, and looked at them, feeling only disappointment.

“I gave you three chances: once to enter the city, once to enter the alley, and once to exchange scriptures. But you had no reverence in your hearts, and your desires were even stronger and your greed even heavier. The karmic retribution will not be able to save you, and you did not follow the principle of cause and effect. You should suffer the karmic consequences of Avici Hell!”

"What are you mumbling about?" The Indians exchanged puzzled glances and decided that it would be more practical to take off their pants first.

It's not easy to meet someone so fair-skinned, and monks are even cleaner than Western tourists, so their experience must be better. They have this kind of insight!

Hearing these things and sensing what was in their minds, even Shinra felt that these people were truly beyond redemption!
It can even be said that its toxicity is so profound, severe, and potent that it is unprecedented in the world!

"Dong!" He struck the wooden fish in his hand again. "Since you have no regrets, then don't regret them. The Buddha has compassion and patience, but I don't!"

The sound of the wooden fish rang out again, this time no longer just a simple sound, but mixed with many other characteristics, "Come into my trap!"

One Buddhist chant after another resonated in their ears, another Buddhist hymn echoed before them, and yet another Buddhist verse appeared, causing everyone to pause their actions.

A peculiar look of bewilderment appeared on their faces, and they all knelt down and kowtowed before Zhenluo.

"Can't even atone for your sins, and haven't even repented for your crimes, all you can do is kowtow?" Shinra was so angry he laughed, and raised his wooden fish. "Then kneel down to atone for your sins, kneel and sin as you go!"

All the villains knelt down and kowtowed before Jinra, yet they showed not a single thought of repentance. It was as if the concept of "repentance" did not exist in their minds. Such ignorance and toxicity were truly rare in the world!

"This city... is not sick, it is dead. Even in a dead city, there is still a trace of warmth, but in this city, there is only a trace of poison left!"

"Shakyamuni, this is your birthplace, and also the place where you bear the consequences of your sins!"

"Hahahaha! It's truly, utterly ridiculous!"

He laughed loudly, letting the sound of the wooden fish continue to echo in the alley, its lingering resonance never fading.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Kolkata's streets are far from well-developed, with slums and wealthy neighborhoods mixed together, making the place appear exceptionally chaotic and disorderly.

But the sound of the wooden fish echoing in the alley was still too strange and attracted a lot of attention.

Especially when it comes to the gang behind this unscrupulous guide, I feel uneasy and my mind wanders.

Therefore, after some time, they still sent someone over to check.

How could a monk without any powerful connections have dragged this out for so long? Could these people have already taken advantage of him twice?

These people were thinking with utter malice!

He went alone and never returned.

Two people went, but still no news. Three people went, and still no news.

The people behind the scenes couldn't hold back any longer. They gathered dozens of people and went over to see what had happened.

So they all rushed into the alley and then saw a scene that looked like a ghost.

They were a group of familiar street "evil spirits" kneeling devoutly around a small wooden fish, then striking the wooden fish one by one and kneeling at the very end of the alley.

Bow your head, put your palms together, and kneel down.

The sound of kowtowing rang out, "thump thump thump," which mingled with the sound of the wooden fish.

This filled them with boundless fear, yet they couldn't even move a step, and could only follow along!
Those who came to watch did the same: they lined up obediently, struck the wooden fish, and then, as if possessed, knelt down in the alley and kowtowed.

The sound of that wooden fish drum was not like a wooden fish drum at all, but rather like a death knell, striking the hearts of everyone present.

All those with malicious intent cannot escape this voice. All who hear it strike the wooden fish here and then begin to repent!
Over such a long period of time, not a single one of those who came was a person with good intentions.

However, this didn't last long. As the sound of the wooden fish disappeared, the people gradually came to their senses.

They forgot what had just happened, only finding themselves here, bewildered and crammed together with a group of people!
They screamed in terror, not knowing what had happened, and could only flee in panic, unaware that a special Buddhist imprint flashed through their minds.

This is the initial stage of conversion.

A hand suddenly appeared out of thin air, grasping the wooden fish on the ground and revealing the monk's figure in the alley.

“Tsk, the Buddha said that the five aggregates are all empty, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form, but these people are simply impure in their six senses and restless in their samadhi!” Zhenluo said, his will already taking shape in his words, “Then let us be without self, without others, without sentient beings, and without life span!”

"These people don't even possess the most basic human characteristics, so how can they talk about the six senses and samadhi? They simply have nothing at all!"

He tapped the wooden fish, having made his decision, "Set a date for the Dharma assembly, seize the opportune moment, and let this city... transform into a Buddhist city!"

This is a solution that Jinra provided for this city; one could even say it's a solution he provided for this nation!
After all, after repentance, the next step should be the so-called "conversion" of Buddhist teachings into the mind, Buddhist scriptures into the heart, and Buddhist spirit into the body.

He once looked down on the Buddha Shakyamuni's "conversion," after all, such a thing was not much different from coercion.

But here, in this country, in a country where caste and hierarchy are deeply ingrained, he was surprised to find that this kind of thing actually seemed "compassionate"!

If this were the old him, he would probably slap everyone in this city to death, with most of them going to the eighteenth level of hell, a small number being reborn into the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm, or the Asura realm, and only a very few being able to be reborn as humans again.

But now, he has a completely new solution.

If he could convert most of the people in this city and make them members of the "Western Paradise," it would seem like a good idea.

After all, given the evil of this place, even a Bodhisattva like Ksitigarbha who is accustomed to evil would have to say that it is an ominous place. The people here are so obsessed that even Guanyin would have to say that they are innocent!
Because after all this time, there wasn't a single so-called "good person" kneeling here.

The Buddha said that a person who does good deeds for ten lifetimes can become a person who lives forever, a person who accumulates merit, or a person who saves the world.

But here, let alone a person who has been virtuous for ten lifetimes, there isn’t even a person who has been virtuous for one lifetime. There may be virtuous people in those wealthy areas, but the karmic retribution and family grudges they carry are so heavy that even Zhenluo feels terrified.

That's why he chose this path, choosing to be redeemed.

This experiment in the alley made him decide, but he still wouldn't act on it immediately, because he was no longer Muten, but Zhenluo.

Therefore, he must continue on his path.

“To meet someone on the street with malicious intent, and to find no one with compassion, is a great sorrow!” Zhenluo said softly. “The Brahmin high priest once asked me to complete three things before I could preach!”

"This time, I will encounter three kinds of suffering in this city before I can convert it!"

"If even one person is virtuous, I will release one-third of the people out of the city!"

"If there are no virtuous people, then let this city become my Buddhist kingdom!"

He shook his staff, making a crisp sound, and set off from the alley, continuing forward.

He didn't believe there could be any good in this sinful country, and that's why he tolled the death knell for the city!

(End of this chapter)