255: Chapter 255 Puppet by My Side, Power in My Hands

At this moment, Bodhisattva Guanyin stood upon the high platform in the central plaza, preaching and gathering followers.

Below the platform, a sea of people knelt in devout prayer.

She was speaking on the path of cultivation.

In the crowd, Jiang Chen stood quietly, listening, wanting to see what kind of nonsense this great Buddhist figure could spout.

"All living beings in heaven and earth have cultivation as the fundamental basis for their existence."

"And from the moment a human is born, they possess two inherent methods of cultivation—sleeping and eating."

"This is passive cultivation. If one can do these two things well, the body will naturally remain sound."

"Now, under the protection of my Buddha, people can cultivate actively, keeping their bodies healthy and immune to all illnesses!"

These remarks, while seemingly plain, were highly bewitching.

The people of the border town listened, enthralled, and responded one after another.

The momentum of the incense offerings climbed steadily.

Just then—

The crowd parted, and a figure slowly stepped out.

Reaching the front of the high platform, the old man raised his eyes, his voice cold: "You are Bodhisattva Guanyin? Why don't we try a duel of magic?"

"Oh?" Bodhisattva Guanyin raised her eyes, her gaze falling upon him.

In an instant, her heart trembled.

The person before her had an aura like an abyss, with chaos surging; she couldn't fathom his depth at all!

What kind of existence was this?

But her expression remained unchanged, and she replied calmly: "How shall we duel?"

"Let's compare control—see who can control the other first." Jiang Chen smiled, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

"Heh." Bodhisattva Guanyin let out a soft laugh.

Control? This was the field in which the Buddhist sect excelled most!

She walked the mortal world every day, preaching with words and capturing hearts with thoughts; she had long since honed this technique to the pinnacle of perfection.

At this moment, someone dared to talk about mental suppression in front of her?

It was simply like brandishing an axe before Lu Ban, or dancing with a broadsword before Guan Yu!

"Very well." She pinched her fingertips, formed a dharma seal, and the power of faith surged out like a tide, rushing straight into Jiang Chen's sea of consciousness, intending to break his obsession!

However—

The moment that golden mental power touched his body, it was like a clay ox entering the sea, vanishing without a sound.

There were no ripples at all.

"What?!" Bodhisattva Guanyin's pupils constricted sharply.

Before she could react, a strange aura of chaos had already permeated the air, cold, primal, and transcending the rules of the Three Realms!

Her expression changed drastically!

The aura of chaos?!

That was the primordial energy that only existed before the creation of heaven and earth! It was absolutely impossible for it to appear within the Three Realms!

What was going on?!

In the very moment her mind wavered—

Jiang Chen's primordial spirit stirred slightly, his intent like a sword, piercing through the void and entering!

Bodhisattva Guanyin specialized in "obsession implantation," relying on dismantling others' beliefs and replacing them;

But Jiang Chen directly unleashed his "primordial spirit intent"!

No need to break the obsession, just overwrite it directly!

Boom—!

A torrent of consciousness slammed into her sea of consciousness; Bodhisattva Guanyin trembled violently, her eyes losing focus.

"I... I am Bodhisattva Guanyin... From this day forth, I swear to serve you until death... Should you have any commands, I will not hesitate even at the cost of my life..."

She knelt on the ground, her tone devout, as if a believer had seen a deity.

The entire scene fell silent.

The next second, an uproar erupted.

In the eyes of the world, Bodhisattva Guanyin was the supreme Great Buddha, sitting on a lotus throne, overlooking all living beings; who dared to touch even a hair of hers?

But now—she had actually been controlled by someone?

"A demon! This is a demon! Even Bodhisattva Guanyin has been captured; the sky is collapsing!"

"It's over, it's over; such an evil spirit dares to lay hands on the Holy Venerable; is there any way for us to live?"

"May the heavens open their eyes and see this!"

The villagers fell into chaos, screams rang out everywhere, and those with weak legs collapsed directly onto the ground.

Just amidst this chaos, Bodhisattva Guanyin suddenly spoke, her voice clear and cold like a bell: "Quiet."

"Everyone, be quiet!"

"This is a discussion of the Dao between myself and the immortals and Buddhas; mortals need not panic. Next, I will continue to preach the Dharma!"

As she finished speaking, her expression was calm, letting Jiang Chen stand by her side, as if everything were well within her control.

Immediately, she began to preach again, her voice resonating like Sanskrit chanting: "The path of the cultivator does not lie in burning incense and kowtowing, but in self-awakening! Rather than blindly believing in gods and Buddhas, it is better to ignite your own spiritual fire!"

"As the saying goes: Relying on heaven and earth is not as good as relying on oneself!"

"From this day forth, there is no need to worship Buddhas and pray for wishes—each and every one of you can embark on the path of cultivation!"

"Not only that, but you can also pass this path on, lighting the way for others!"

"Now, I will tell you the true method of longevity—"

"So-called immortality cannot be obtained through prayer and blessings. It only requires three things: eating well, sleeping well, straightening out karma, and mastering destiny!"

"And the key to all of this depends entirely on the word 'enlightenment.' If spiritual nature is not awakened, all things are empty."

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the crowd, and continued: "After a person dies, the soul returns by one of two paths—either entering heaven or falling into hell."

"Only by purging karmic obstacles and resolving karma there can one enter the Underworld and approach the Gate of Samsara."

"And you, who are still in the world of the living, should cultivate as early as possible!"

"If you take every step ahead of time, you can reach the Great Dao sooner. If you spend your life in a daze, knowing only how to eat, drink, play, and compete for fame and profit, you will regret it too late when the time of death comes!"

"You may not believe it..."

"Then today, I will make an exception—I will open the Heavenly Gate and reveal the path to the netherworld, so you can see for yourselves!"

"Whoosh—"

Before her voice had faded, she raised her hand and made a sweeping motion; the void split open, and a vast illusion stretched across heaven and earth.

On one side was the Paradise of Ultimate Bliss, radiant with golden light and filled with celestial music, with jade palaces and surging auspicious clouds, breathtakingly beautiful.

On the other side was the abyss of hell, where yin winds howled and raging flames scorched the sky, with scorched earth stretching for thousands of miles, evil ghosts wandering, and mountains of corpses and seas of blood—a shocking sight.

Just from this one glance, everyone's minds were shaken violently.

"I want to go to heaven! I want to escape the sea of suffering and ascend to the Pure Land!"

"I want to cultivate too! I'll start cultivating immediately!"

The cheers were like a tide; the crowd was in a frenzy, with unprecedented desire burning in their eyes.

And those who had committed countless evils, looking at the struggling and wailing souls in hell, had already lost all color in their faces, cold sweat streaming down.

"We will definitely cultivate diligently! We will never waste this life!"

"Fate must be held in our own hands! No longer relying on illusory gods!"

Cheers and shouts resounded through the border town.

At this moment, they seemed to see the ladder to transcendence slowly unfolding before their eyes.

But how was this Bodhisattva Guanyin preaching?

It was clearly Jiang Chen using her mouth to carry out his own path.

Heaven and hell were rules he had set with his own hands.

Everyone cultivating themselves and breaking the shackles of faith was the result he truly wanted.

As for those in the Buddhist sect who survived on the power of incense and faith...

From now on, no one would believe, and no one would worship.

Their source of power was cut off.

"Whoosh—"

As the words fell, Bodhisattva Guanyin's figure flickered, and she soared into the sky.

Jiang Chen also disappeared along with her.

The people of the border town remained immersed in the shock, their cheers never ceasing.

The news swept through the Great Tang like a gale, shaking the world.

The spread of Buddhism to the East back then had ended in such a manner.

The hearts of the people had changed completely.

It was no longer blind worship, but a vying to seek the Dao, thirsting for awakening.

Only the Tang imperial family took this matter particularly to heart.

Emperor Li Shimin personally went out to welcome Xuanzang, treating him with great courtesy, and built the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Chang'an, exclusively for the purpose of translating scriptures.

He also ordered the construction of new temples as residences for high monks.

The whole country knew of it, and the grand occasion was unprecedented.

The story of the Journey to the West came to an end here.

But the true layout of the Buddha had only just begun.

Tang Emperor Emperor Li Shimin was destined to wreak havoc on the world after his death—or to be precise, before his body was even cold, he would lead an army of the dead to unleash a catastrophe. To prevent this calamity, Jiang Chen personally stepped into Chang'an of the Great Tang.

Bodhisattva Guanyin had already had his will planted in her; she had completely become a puppet, obedient to his every word, like a personal maid.

This act gave him much peace of mind. Next, his targets were the Tang Emperor and Xuanzang; the two of them had to be kept under his control.

Although Tang Emperor Emperor Li Shimin was an outstanding talent, he was ultimately of mortal flesh and blood, with only his obsession remaining. If Jiang Chen were to use mental control, it would be as easy as turning over his hand.