Conferred God: Got cramped at the beginning

Chapter 1053 Standoff at Huaiting, Subduing and Controlling Dragons

"Great idea!"

"Great idea!"

Upon hearing this, the Buddhist disciples burst into joyful laughter.

That's what it means to win early but not to win at all—you only win when you win in the end!

Their ancestral Buddhist temple, Baima Temple, was indeed submerged in these waves.

But the waves that buried the White Horse Temple also became chains that bound those dragon gods.

The dragon race always leaves one dragon god to guard this place.

After that, they chanted scriptures by the lake day and night without ceasing—and with their perseverance, the dragon god guarding the place was naturally converted by their Buddhist practice.

They will obediently carry the White Horse Temple out!
And that’s not all!
These monks came from different temples and different lineages—the Buddhist teachings they practiced were also different, making it difficult to distinguish their superiority.

If we were to determine who is superior in other ways, it would obviously damage the harmony within Buddhism.

But now... if we were to discuss the merits of each other's Buddhist teachings by converting that dragon god, that would be much better.

Whose Buddhist teachings could convert that dragon god and make him carry the White Horse Temple out?

The Buddhism of this family is naturally more profound than other Buddhist teachings—when Buddhism flourishes, they will naturally be the leaders of Buddhism in the human world!
Thinking this, the monks here also sent messages to the rear, requesting the most profound and powerful senior monks in their respective lineages to come here to expound the Dharma in order to save the evil dragon.

As for the battle situation on the Huai River...

Hey, what is that?
Anyway, it's a war we're bound to win!

It doesn't matter whether they go or not.

Compared to the Huai River, this place is the most important!
Since their status was established here, even if they didn't go to the battlefield on the Huai River, in the end, the Buddhist community in the human world would still respect them.

Conversely, if we lose here, then no matter how great the sacrifices on the Huai River battlefield are, we will still be inferior to others.

However, no matter how much the Buddhist monks chanted by the lake, the 'Dragon God' in the lake remained unmoved, as if it were completely unaffected by the Buddhist teachings.

—Of course it won't be affected!

Because there is no dragon god guarding this lake at all!

After the White Horse Temple was sunk here, the dragon gods dispersed. Some hid in the Yi River, while others returned to the Huai River Dragon Court. There were no dragon gods left behind.

As for the fact that no one was left to guard the temple, which allowed the monks to rescue the White Horse Temple again—those dragon gods didn't care at all!
As per Princess Longji's instructions, let the monks do as they please.

Every time the Buddhist sect tries to salvage something, the Dragon Clan will come and sink it.

They wanted to see just how much face Buddhism had that could withstand repeated setbacks.

……

On the other side, Xuanzang's steps were already blocked by a rolling wave.

Originally, this river was guarded by a dragon god.

However, the Buddhist sect mobilized in large numbers, and those lone dragon gods were forcibly converted by the Buddhist sect. So Princess Longji issued a decree to summon all the dragon gods from various places to the Huai River Dragon Court.

Once the dragon gods withdrew, the rivers and lakes in these places were naturally occupied by the aquatic creatures that the Buddhist disciples had enlightened and converted.

"Monk, the road to the Huai River is probably not going to be peaceful." The Great Sage Equaling Heaven reached out and stirred the waves in front of him. From the waves, a water creature covered in golden light emerged and cursed at the monkey.

"Where did this stinky monkey come from, daring to disturb the water god here? Aren't you afraid of angering the water lord and being sentenced to the crime of being devoured by ten thousand waters?"

"It's nothing more than opening up mountains and crossing rivers," said the monk Xuanzang, his words carrying a chilling aura of killing intent.

Hearing Xuanzang's words, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven suddenly reached out and forcibly pulled out the water god hiding at the bottom of the lake.

This so-called water god was actually a catfish spirit, who had not yet manifested human form—on the top of his head was a patch of golden scales, it was unclear whether they were dragon scales or Buddha scales.

"Water God?"

"When I was in Heaven, I also saw the registers of the mountain gods and water gods from all sides."

"How come I've never seen you before, you bird-fish spirit?"

"You say you are the water god of this place."

"Then let me ask you, is your name recorded in the Heavenly Register?"

"Where is your water god's seal?"

"Can't say it, can you?"

"In my opinion, you are clearly a monster who has seized the water veins!"

"You don't even recognize me, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, yet you dare to call yourself the Water God?"

"You monster, why don't you die before your grandpa Sun is dead!"

The Monkey King roared and threw the catfish demon, who claimed to be the water god, into the water.

The surging power, the sheer force of the water's surface alone, was enough to kill the catfish demon.

"Is there anyone else who wants to stop me from protecting Xuanzang across the river?" The Great Sage Equaling Heaven bared his teeth, his gaze sweeping across the room, revealing boundless ferocity.

For the Monkey King, this war between the Buddhist sects and the Dragon Clan was incredibly unlucky.

After all, that Buddhist temple was where he would go in the future, and it was also where his husband's family lived.

But the Dragon Clan was his maternal home!
Now, his future in-laws have launched a massive operation to suppress his current family...

Under such circumstances, the flames that had been simmering in the heart of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven were about to erupt at any moment, burning everything he saw to ashes.

"Monk Xuanzang, you say that Buddhism has been corrupted by Mara and that the Buddhist community has been tainted by demons. Is this true?" The Great Sage Equaling Heaven's gaze swept over a temple on the shore, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"The Buddha's teachings are a universal salvation method." Xuanzang calmly looked at the small temple standing on the shore.

After the Buddhist sect seized this water vein, they specifically built a temple here to suppress the water vein and control the 'water god'.

“Look at the Buddhist community in this world, these Buddhist disciples, where is there any trace of compassion left?”

"What's the difference between that greedy, all-consuming nature and the legendary plague locust?"

“They have all fallen into demonic possession,” Xuanzang said.

"That's good. In that case, I, Old Sun, will have no more reservations when I start taking action!"

The Monkey King held his Ruyi Jingu Bang across the river, and it instantly transformed into a single-plank bridge.

After Xuanzang crossed the bridge, the Monkey King rolled his Ruyi Jingu Bang (magic staff) again. As the staff rolled, the newly erected temple and the Buddhist disciples guarding it vanished into thin air.

"Amitabha." Not far away, an old monk and a young monk stood on the mountainside, looking at the temple that had been crushed to ashes, both with their hands clasped together.

The two monks, one old and one young, were also planning to build a temple.

However, the temple they were building was not like the one that was destroyed, standing on the bank of this river.

Instead, it was built on a hillside.

With his discerning eyes, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven could clearly see that the location of the temple halfway up the mountain was not chosen randomly—it was a place where the evil spirits of wind manifested.

The temple was built there, clearly with the intention of mitigating and purifying the evil winds, thus ensuring that the surrounding creatures would not be invaded by the evil winds or have the evil winds enter their bodies.

Compared to the monks who built the temple directly on the riverbank, usurping power and controlling the waterways, the old man and the young man seemed more like Buddhist disciples.

It was precisely because of this contrast between the old and the young that the Great Sage Equaling Heaven easily believed Xuanzang's claim that Mara was corrupting the Dharma.

Otherwise, there is nothing that can explain why, among all Buddhist disciples in the human world, and all Buddhas transmitting the Dharma from afar, some Buddhist disciples are able to be content with poverty and have the well-being of all sentient beings in their hearts, while others only think about power, only about profit, and only about receiving the worship of sentient beings.

"Master, are we really not going to the Huai River?" The little monk couldn't help but ask as he watched the Monkey King and the monk Xuanzang cross the river.

"I'm not going," the old monk shook his head.

"Buddhism?"

What is Buddhism?

“Master Xuanzang said that Buddhism has been corrupted by Mara, and I didn’t believe it at first.”

"But now, looking at the movements of many Buddhist temples, they are truly no different from Mara."

The old monk spoke with great sorrow and tears streaming down his face.

At first, everyone lay low in the temple, and under that deliberate suppression, they couldn't see each other's true nature.

But at that moment, as soon as the Buddha's decree was issued, countless monks emerged—and soon after, those monks revealed their true nature.

What emerged from the temple were not eminent monks or virtuous masters, but countless ferocious beasts that could not control themselves!
“Let’s wait here.” The old monk turned around, picked up a stone, and placed it on the foundation of the temple.

"Waiting for Master Xuanzang to return from the Great Thunder Temple."

"Waiting for Master Xuanzang to purify the very foundation of Buddhism."

"What if Master Xuanzang fails?" the little monk couldn't help but ask.

He couldn't see any chance of Xuanzang winning.

The mere existence of Buddhist disciples in this world is enough to induce utter despair—not to mention that Master Xuanzang also has to rely on the Great Thunderclap Temple.
"Human traditions are passed down continuously, and Buddhist traditions are passed down endlessly."

"Even if this Xuanzang is gone, there will always be another Xuanzang."

“People like us have neither the wisdom to comprehend the Buddha’s teachings nor the courage to bear everything.”

“Then we can only choose a place to hide away, avoid the disputes of Buddhism, and lest we also be misled by Mara,” the old monk said slowly, his face full of sorrow.

In his eyes, the golden, dazzling Buddha light between heaven and earth seemed to have transformed into countless black venomous snakes, devouring the minds of countless Buddhist disciples.

“When we were debating the Dharma in Chang’an, Master Xuanzang said that Buddhist disciples should focus on studying the Dharma with a compassionate heart. To pursue supernatural powers is to abandon the essential for the trivial.”

"I didn't think much of it at the time."

"Now that I see it, it is indeed so."

"These Buddhist disciples have all been blinded by supernatural powers!"

If there were other Buddhist disciples here, they would surely recognize that the old monk in front of them was none other than the abbot of Fahua Temple, another ancestral temple of Buddhism!

Back when they were debating in Chang'an, he and Xuanzang debated for a full day and night about whether Buddhist disciples should cultivate supernatural powers. During that debate, if it weren't for the humane atmosphere in Chang'an suppressing all supernatural powers, he would have jumped directly in front of Xuanzang and used his own supernatural powers to let Xuanzang know whether Buddhist disciples needed to cultivate supernatural powers.

In retrospect, Xuanzang's statement was clearly correct!

Buddhist disciples should indeed not pursue supernatural powers!
We should never pursue immortality!
The focus of Buddhist disciples should be on the Dharma, on upholding compassion, walking between heaven and earth to save and enlighten all sentient beings—and supernatural powers and immortality are merely byproducts of this process.

……

Within the Huai River, the auras of the Immortal Lord of the Huai River, Princess Longji, and a Buddhist disciple confronted each other.

Three different auras flowed through the Huai River, almost tearing it apart.

In particular, the aura belonging to the Buddhist disciple sometimes merged with that of Immortal Lord Huaishui, suppressing Princess Longji's aura, and at other times it repelled Immortal Lord Huaishui's aura, suppressing it.

"Amitabha, well done, well done." The monk's figure appeared—it was none other than the Arhat Subduing Dragon!
Among the eighteen great Arhats of Buddhism, he was the one who was most at odds with the dragon race.

"Who do you think it is? It's you, Jianglong."

"All the immortals and gods in the world believe that you are on Mount Ling."

"But unexpectedly, you have been lying dormant in the human world all along."

"If I remember correctly, not long ago, the position of the Great Arhat who subdued the tiger collapsed and was almost destroyed."

"Now, you, the Dragon Subduer, have come to the Dragon Court on your own initiative."

"What, aren't you afraid that the position of the Great Arhat who Subdues Dragons will also collapse?" Princess Longji waved a command flag in her hand.

“Star Lord, in the past, the dragon race covered the human world.”

"But now, the power of the dragon race has been suppressed back into the Huai River."

"At this time, why does the Star Lord need to put on a show of force?" The Great Arhat Subduing Dragon clasped his hands together, a golden ring faintly visible in his hand.

Within the golden ring, a peculiar aura that suppressed the dragon race was manifested.

Princess Longji was familiar with this aura.

That's the aura of the 'cowherd'.

It's the aura emanating from the Dragon-Controlling Dao Lord!

Many years ago, the incarnation of the Dragon-Controlling Dao Lord appeared in this world within the Pantian realm, disguised as the Cowherd, and forcibly married the Jade Emperor's youngest daughter, hoping to forge his own legend in this world and establish his anchor point here, entrusting the Great Luo Dao Fruit to this place—this matter also involved the Bull Demon King's younger brother, Niu Ruyi.

Then, Ao Bing made a ruthless move, killing the cowherd and dispersing the aura of the Dragon-Controlling Daoist.

But who could have imagined that after the Daoist Lord of the Dragon-Controlling Sect's Daoist emblem dissipated, a Buddhist disciple would, countless millennia later, collect the Daoist Lord of the Dragon-Controlling Sect's aura and transform it into this Dragon-Subduing Treasure?

(End of this chapter)