263: Plan launch

Silver-white light shimmered, illuminating the entire courtyard. The statue of the Moonlight True Buddha in the Mahavira Hall was no longer a clay or wooden sculpture, but a living, breathing person—or rather, a living, breathing Buddha!

All the devout men and women, as well as the real and fake monks in the temple, were prostrate on the ground. Some even performed full prostrations, their state of devotion beyond compare.

"Hmph... is that it?" Nezha couldn't help but sneer. "Back on Cuiping Mountain, there were more commoners worshipping me than this..."

"It's not about the number of people, but their status!"

Tang Ku pointed at the people kneeling on the ground and said, "High officials, wealthy merchants, beggars, children... people from every class and status are here. Back then, those who worshipped you were ordinary, poor commoners. Because your straightforward personality and your image of the Righteous Path fit the image of a hero in the hearts of the lowest commoners... But these people here... they all have their own agendas; one could say they are all harboring ulterior motives. From this, it can be seen that this so-called Moonlight True Buddha is definitely not a kind being, because truly kind people would only be oppressed by these fake monks... For example, the family named Kang we saw during the day; not a single member of their family came to worship this 'True Buddha'!"

Nezha looked thoughtful, then nodded and said, "Understood. These people who come to worship either have ghosts in their hearts or have something to ask for. In short, they are not good people!"

"Not necessarily bad people!" Wei Zheng stroked his beard and said. "Many of those low-level worshippers are just begging for a full meal. They are so poor they can't afford to eat; how could they have the chance to be kind? As the saying goes, poverty breeds deceit, wealth breeds kindness. That is the principle."

"The old gentleman is absolutely right. When you can't even get enough to eat, how can you have any noble sentiments? In the hearts of the common folk, as long as they aren't starved to death, who they worship doesn't matter. They have just been fooled by these guys; their nature isn't actually bad!" Tang Ku said in a deep voice.

"By the way, speaking of which, how is Old Man Kang's daughter?" Nezha suddenly asked. "Being caught by this bunch, she must be having a hard time, right!"

Xingyunzi smiled and said, "Rest assured, I have already monitored her location. There are quite a few other women with some beauty locked up with her. When the time comes, we will just follow the plan as the Holy Monk told us earlier!"

While they were discussing, the Moonlight True Buddha had already stepped down from the altar and was walking outside step by step. As he walked, his body grew larger and larger. By the time he walked out of the hall, he was already three or four zhang tall. His kind-looking appearance truly made people have certain illusions about this "Buddha."

"What a good look. With this appearance, the commoners can't help but believe..." Wei Zheng curled his lips and said.

"Where are there Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that are entirely silver-white?" Tang Ku narrowed his eyes slightly. "Pure Buddha Power is primarily golden in tone. Not only has this guy made the Buddha Dharma seem plausible but wrong, but he hasn't even mastered what Buddha Power is, yet he dares to falsely claim to be a Buddha?"

"Yuelang, I told you to have someone invite the Buddha of Sandalwood Merit; why haven't I seen him yet?" The huge head turned towards the Old Monk.

The Old Monk respectfully raised his head, not daring to look directly, and clasped his hands together, saying, "World-Honored One, this Disciple has already ordered Moon Spirit to invite him. I believe he will arrive momentarily..."

Before his words had finished, a monk came running over in a panic, shouting, "Something terrible has happened, something terrible has happened! Senior Brother Moon Spirit is gone, and the Buddha of Sandalwood Merit is also gone..." This person was the very monk the Old Monk had just sent out.

The Old Monk was shocked. Before he could speak, a sudden gust of wind rose. A huge roar, sounding like neither a Dragon nor a tiger, swept in. A massive monster with a square face suddenly jumped in from outside the temple, roaring loudly at that so-called Buddha.

Now the worshipping believers instantly erupted. Some shouted loudly, "There's a monster... run away quickly..." The entire temple was instantly in chaos. Before anyone could even start to run, the monster suddenly flew up and pounced on the Moonlight True Buddha.

The True Buddha actually just frowned slightly and struck out with his right palm towards the monster.

The monster was knocked back by this slap, suspended in mid-air, and opened its huge mouth to spit out a fireball.

"Where did this demon come from, daring to stroke the tiger's whiskers? You are truly tired of living!" The Moonlight True Buddha was furious. He rubbed his hands together, and a Vajra pestle appeared in his hand. With a light wave, he smashed the fireball to pieces. Sparks flew everywhere; some landed on the roof, some landed on the monks' robes, instantly igniting countless flames. If he hadn't intentionally controlled the power of the flames, this single strike could have turned the entire courtyard into a sea of fire.

The Moonlight True Buddha flew up and crashed into the monster. The two figures began to fight in mid-air. However, it looked like the Moonlight True Buddha had the upper hand in this engagement, and the monster was retreating step by step. But at this moment, who among the devout men and women had the leisure to watch their True Buddha display his Divine Might? They were all crying for their parents, scrambling to escape towards the temple gate, stumbling along like headless flies. If the temple gate hadn't been wide enough, who knows how many people would have died from the stampede alone.

The monks below were at a loss. The Old Monk finally realized that the monk they had captured today might not be simple. Just now, he saw that the location where the monster appeared was exactly where the monk's horse had been during the day.

Just as he was wondering what to do, the Old Monk suddenly felt a fierce wind blowing in his face. Knowing something was wrong, he grabbed out with his right hand and happened to grab a Physical Body. His strength was immense; he actually pierced right through the body. But by the time he realized what had happened, it was already too late...

Because the person he had killed with that claw was none other than his most trusted Junior Brother, the monk Moon Spirit.

This monk Moon Spirit was originally a bandit strategist from the nearby mountains; it could be said he had committed countless evils and killed countless people. Now, he had met his retribution. The Old Monk Yuelang was shocked and hurriedly threw the person in his hand aside. Just as he was feeling annoyed, he suddenly heard a voice from the side say, "Monk Yuelang? Monk Moon Spirit? Both are from the 'Moon' class? Heh, these aren't monk dharma names at all; they sound just like the nicknames those monsters who occupy mountains as kings give to their subordinates!"

The Old Monk was terrified, and when he turned back, he only saw a ball of golden light rushing towards his face.

Meanwhile, a general wearing golden armor and holding a painted halberd was outside the temple, discussing something with a monk in similar robes and a shaved head. Suddenly hearing the sound of a Dragon roaring and a tiger howling in the air, he heard the monk laugh and say, "Master's signal has come. General, let's proceed according to the plan..."