272: Being taken advantage of

When trouble struck the Western World, this guy ran the fastest... Come to think of it, snakes do have strong stealth abilities, and coupled with the fact that his magic power wasn't considered strong in the Western Heaven, nor was he particularly famous, his escape actually went unnoticed by the enemy.

He settled down in the Shravasti Kingdom at the foot of Mount Ling, hiding quietly for fear of being discovered by the enemy. Later, relying on his strong spiritual perception, he sensed that the enemy seemed to have left Mount Ling, so he returned, only to find that the entire Mount Ling was empty, except for the skeleton soaking in the Hua Long Pond.

At that time, he was both happy, sad, and helpless; one could say his emotions were quite complex.

Well, now there was finally no one to manage him. He was the only living thing in the Western Heaven worth mentioning, so he had an idea—an idea that could allow him to become a Buddha and an ancestor. He believed this was his opportunity.

Thus, he left Mount Ling and eventually arrived within the borders of the Great Tang.

At first, he only did small things, occasionally showing his abilities to cure diseases for Mortals, punishing evil and promoting good, and gathering Lei Wei and those formidable bandits, strictly disciplining them to force them to do good deeds, which could also be considered a bit of Karma.

However, this Lei Wei was not a simple character. He discovered that although the other party had high magic power, he seemed a bit dim-witted, so he first obeyed him, coaxed him, and inquired about his background.

Later, after figuring out his temperament, this Lei Wei had a crooked idea: if he could get this guy to show some divine miracles and solve the local drought, wouldn't he immediately gain a large number of believers and become a True Buddha?

Mahoraga was initially unwilling to do so, but Lei Wei said: He has high magic power, and being able to solve the difficulties for the people is a great good deed. Don't you want to become a Buddha and an ancestor? Isn't this a perfect opportunity?

Mahoraga had been in the Western Heaven for a long time and did not understand worldly affairs. Many things in the human world were told to him by this bandit leader. Hearing that there was an opportunity to start a sect, he was even more excited, casting everything else to the back of his mind, and under Lei Wei's guidance, he staged a grand show.

Lei Wei first disguised himself as a monk and went to find the Governor, attributing the local drought to demons. He claimed he could pray for a True Buddha to appear, eliminate the demons, bring down sweet rain, and save the people from misery.

The Governor gladly agreed. Afterwards, there was the giant snake coiling around the city, the True Buddha appearing, slaying the demons, and finally using magic power to bring down rain and accelerate the growth of various crops.

At this time, he still thought he was doing good deeds. Even if he had lied and acted, the final result was good, so he didn't pay attention to anything else.

Later, when Lei Wei revealed his true colors and wanted to use this emerging True Buddha and the newly established sect to help the Governor rebel, Mahoraga regretted knowing too late.

Because before this, he had promised that no matter what method Lei Wei used to help him establish the sect, he would not interfere, nor could he take his life because of it.

Lei Wei and others learned many Spells and Profound Truths from him, and somehow mastered some evil arts, so they had the idea of making "divine soldiers" using high-ranking monks and ordinary monks, a method like the treatment Tang Ku almost suffered.

However, no matter how they tossed about, Mahoraga had no ability to manage it now. Because as a titled deity, once you promise someone something, you cannot go back on your word, because the moment you promise someone, it is equivalent to having signed some kind of contract with the other party, and this contract is protected by the Dao. Once he violates the agreement, he will be punished by Heaven.

Therefore, he went out every day, just not wanting to see all the filthy deeds of the other party.

"So you mean, you actually know about them violating women, seizing people's land, killing and setting fires, and doing all kinds of evil, but you just can't manage it because of your oath?" Tang Ku frowned slightly.

Beside him, Nezha said disdainfully: "You're really cleaning yourself up nicely, as if these bad things have nothing to do with you!"

"I can't say it has nothing to do with me..."

Mahoraga had a whole roast chicken in his stomach, and his hunger had subsided quite a bit. He hugged the wine barrel and took another gulp, saying, "I shouldn't have made a deal with a bandit from the very beginning. I should have killed this guy at the start... Sigh, twists and turns, riding a tiger is hard to get off, one misstep becomes eternal regret!"

Tang Ku held the wine pot and drank, then said: "Riding a tiger is hard to get off? Not necessarily... Hehe, as one of the hardest powers to obtain, the Power Of Faith, you have already felt its benefits, right?"

Mahoraga was stunned and hadn't spoken yet, but heard Tang Ku continue:

"Don't deny it, because I have also undergone similar tests... Hmm, when the Power Of Faith was added to me, I felt like I was going to float to the sky... The difference between you and me is just that I walked out of it, while you are addicted to it, that's all!"

Mahoraga was silent for a moment, then couldn't help but smile bitterly: "You are right, I am addicted to it. I have finally experienced the joy of being believed in by people that only the gods and Buddhas in the sky can experience, so... riding a tiger is hard to get off is exactly what this means..."

"Hmm, but... this matter cannot be blamed entirely on you!"

Tang Ku suddenly stood up with his wine glass, looked at the gate of the pagoda, narrowed his eyes slightly and said: "Not far from you, there is a powerful Bodhisattva. Honestly, when I knocked you down, I already discovered him... To be honest, if he hadn't let you do whatever you wanted, you wouldn't have reached this point. If there is a mistake, he is even more outrageous!"

Mahoraga didn't know who Tang Ku was talking about, but he understood that what he said must be true.

"...You mean, he could have stopped me? But... but what I know is that there are no living people in the Western Heaven!" Mahoraga said in shock.

"You thought I was dead at first, didn't you? Aren't I standing right in front of you?" Tang Ku laughed.

Mahoraga was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "Who... who are you talking about?"

"Who it is doesn't matter, what matters is what he wants to use you to do, or rather, what kind of effect he wants to achieve by using you..." Tang Ku said, "If you were a little more careful, you would find that your plans have already shaken some things on the Foundation of the Great Tang. And if that Lei Wei really uses your name to revolt and secede, what will happen!"

Mahoraga was completely stunned, then stammered: "You... are you talking about... related to Luck?"