From the God of Lies to the Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 249 The Conflict of Faith, First Signs!
The sudden arrival of the monk made Du Xuan immediately lower his head, put his hands together in prayer, and say, "Bodhisattva!"

Now everyone understood that the person who had come was none other than the true Bodhisattva who had converted the entire city of Calcutta!
"Hmm!" Zhenluo nodded slowly, looking at the crowd before him. "This humble monk, Zhenluo, greets you!"

This gesture of hands clasped together immediately set off alarm bells for everyone present. Without needing any prompting, they all obediently clasped their hands in greeting, not daring to actually let the other person bow down to them.

According to their understanding, accepting such a bow from this person would likely shorten their lifespan!
This is not one of those extraordinary beings existing in the world, but a true "Bodhisattva" from the extraordinary era, possessing a high level of attainment and great vows, an extraordinary being with full authenticity.

People in those large countries, especially those with deep ties to Buddhism, naturally have a clearer understanding of the information.

In essence, this person is almost the same as those legendary immortals and Buddhas, which is why they rushed over as soon as they received the invitation.

What other gods and Buddhas in mythology possess such power? And how can we truly make them understand?

Even angels who have descended to the mortal realm many times have only possessed other beings, unlike this one who descended in his true form!
This person is probably the highest-ranking among all the extraordinary systems in the world, and no amount of respect is too much.

Everyone wants to come and sound out his opinion on the world. If any country has really angered him, they might as well change their ways!

Anyway, whoever arrives, the first order they receive is not to make enemies with the people here, especially this Bodhisattva. Everyone is afraid that if the other party gets angry, he might come to their country or even their capital and stage a scene like the one at Lion Camel Ridge!

At that time, the whole city will fall silent, and the country will collapse and fall. It could happen in the blink of an eye!

Fortunately, Shinra didn't seem to have any intention of doing so. He smiled slightly as he looked at the wary gazes of the crowd, "The main reason I invited you here this time is for matters concerning Hell!"

"Hell?" someone muttered curiously, then heard Shinra continue.

"Hell was established by the Buddha when he attained enlightenment to punish sins. All criminals will enter it after death and cannot escape!" Zhenluo said. "All those with grave sins will go to hell to cleanse their sins and punish their evil deeds!"

"And all of Buddha's followers and enemies will enter this hell after death in order to resolve the cycle of birth, death, good, and evil!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded as if they understood.

So this is a hell he created for his own followers? That has little to do with us... Wait, didn't he mention the enemy? Is he threatening us?
Many people suddenly realized why the other party had called them over; it was to let them know that if they were enemies of Buddhism, they would go to their hell after death!
Some people were dissatisfied. They weren't Buddhists, so it seemed a bit much for them to be taken into hell after they died.

"Does the Bodhisattva mean... that if we oppose Buddhism, we will also go to your hell?" someone couldn't help but ask.

Zhenluo turned around and smiled, "Amitabha, you also think it's unreasonable, right? It is out of compassion that Buddha included you all. Otherwise, you would just be provisions for those gods, so what need is there to save you?"

"Supplies?" People who heard this term for the first time were somewhat puzzled.

"Of course it's provisions, because only under the rule of Buddha and the command of the Taoist gods can a person be reincarnated!" Zhenluo said. "Under the command of your gods, after death, one only has two choices: to fill their kingdom or to return to the underworld!"

Zhenluo's words were not nonsense, but rather stemmed from his interactions and wars with those heretical gods—as a Bodhisattva of Buddhism, he was naturally on the front lines during the inter-realm wars of that time!

But Zhenluo was just saying that; he didn't think it mattered whether these people understood or not. In the end, this was just one of the many realms, not a real "battleground between gods and demons." So he turned around immediately.

"The Three Realms are no longer what they used to be. The only thing that hasn't changed is the countless gods and Buddhas in the sky, hahahaha..."

Hearing his words, everyone became even more puzzled. Did this person invite them here just to listen to his complaints? That shouldn't be the case.
Then, a peculiar voice appeared in their ears: "So it seems that's really true! Only the Goddess Houtu and the King of Ksitigarbha have wholeheartedly established the cycle of reincarnation, to guide souls and dissolve sins, so that the dead can enter the cycle of reincarnation and have a next life!"

"But those otherworldly gods only grant humans one lifetime! Those who die, if they're lucky, can go to the underworld and prolong their lives once more!"

"If you're unlucky, you might be captured by evil gods, wizards, demons, or other evil creatures, and have your soul absorbed. In that case, even death would be a luxury. They would be living a life more painful than living!"

“Even believers and supplicants of the gods will eventually have their souls dissolve and vanish, unlike our cycle of reincarnation. If the true spirit does not perish, there is a chance for transcendence!” Upon hearing this, many believers of God suddenly became gloomy.

These words sound somewhat true, don't they? Really?

The monks around them, however, calmly put their palms together in greeting. One of them even said, "Although I practice diligently every day, I have occasionally broken the precept against greed and anger. After I die, I may have to go to this hell for a while!"

The monks sent here by various Buddhist temples are generally people with firm faith and clear self-awareness, so their words attract the attention of those around them.

If this had happened just now, they would have thought: Are these monks a bit crazy? Are they even willingly going to hell?

But now, upon hearing those mysterious words, everyone suddenly felt that it wasn't entirely unacceptable!

After all, going to hell to suffer is still a way of life, and one might even be reincarnated. But in their belief, death is as if one is truly dead.

Even the resurrections in those myths are all about gods and heroes. The immortality and eternal life of ordinary people are either vampires or necromancers, which are not good things!
"Death and suffering are both forms of spiritual practice, and the next life is also part of that practice. If this humble monk can emerge from hell, perhaps he can also meet Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva!"

The monks seemed even more excited. Zhenluo's words had undoubtedly given them a great deal of superiority and made them feel that their faith was worthwhile!

These are the words of a Bodhisattva, which offer more hope than other pantheons. Doesn't this prove that their faith is correct?

Upon hearing this, some people curiously asked the monks nearby, "What exactly does the term 'reincarnation' mean?"

Master Duxuan kindly explained to them, "In the interpretations of Eastern Taoism and Buddhism, this term represents a completely new and special future!"

"After death, a person does not completely disappear, but exists in a special space called the underworld. They enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation Platform to have their identity verified and their sins judged, and are eventually reincarnated as other life forms!"

"If one is a good person, one will enter the realm of gods, humans, or asuras, becoming a celestial being, a mortal, or an asura. If one is an evil person, one will enter the realm of hungry ghosts, hell, or animals, becoming a ghost, an animal, or even going to hell, where one will continue to be judged!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions varied, and some even asked, "Didn't we come here to see hell? Are you saying we're supposed to witness the horrific conditions of hell?"

"I feel it's more like it's telling us that even hell exists, unlike our gods, who are dead and can never exist again!"

Master Duxuan continued to explain, "It's not just that. If you can cleanse your sins in hell, you can still be reincarnated, perhaps as an animal, but after another life, you will have the chance to be reincarnated as a human!"

"This is the compassion of Buddha. Everyone has the need to be saved, and everyone should have the possibility of being reborn as a human!"

Upon hearing Du Xuan's words, everyone present displayed a variety of expressions, and a seed called "Buddha" was planted in their hearts.

Isn't this way of cleansing oneself of sins and being reborn as a human being a kind of alternative immortality? Even if the memories are gone, it's still oneself, isn't it?

Of course, most people still don't take it seriously. After all, they naturally believe that Buddha, as a deity here, must have conflicts with the deities there, so it's normal for him to say things that belittle other gods and praise himself.

However, the only one who sensed something was wrong was Zhenluo, or rather, Muten himself. As he listened to the crowd's words, he suddenly realized that these people had something he hadn't mentioned. In other words, someone was telling them something else.

What is this? His expression turned serious!
PS: Thank you so much to 天地99999 for the 500 Qidian Coins reward!

PS2: There will still be four updates today, but the fourth one will be a little later. It gave me a headache to write, so I kept deleting and revising... Sigh!

(End of this chapter)