Versatile Mage: I have a proficiency panel

Chapter 61: Do your best and struggle

[Before King Ashoka, ancient India had always been a state of numerous city-states. For example, Rajagriha, Savatthi, Vaishali, etc., which are often mentioned in various Buddhist scriptures, were actually just big cities in each state.

At that time, the countries were fighting each other, demons were rampant, and the people at the bottom lived a miserable life, so some people called it "the king's trouble". It means that the king at that time was like a thief, and he didn't know when he would be destroyed.

It was not until the emergence of King Ashoka that the situation of warlords competing for supremacy in ancient India was resolved, and the city-states of India, large and small, were unified for the first time.

[Ashoka's name is Ayuga, which means worry-free, and he is also known as the Worry-Free King. According to Indian scriptures, his rule can be divided into two parts: black and white. The former is murderous and cruel, while the latter is tolerant and peaceful.]

[Before achieving his great cause of unification, Ashoka had always been very cruel. He once conquered Kalinga by force and committed brutal massacres there.]

【Ashoka converted to Buddhism and donated a large amount of land and wealth to monks to build temples and pagodas to enshrine Buddha's relics.】

【King Ashoka donated gold and silver, hoping that he would be as old as the mother river forever.】

……

Bai Jue selected the collections about Ashoka from various classics, and the image of a ruler gradually emerged in his mind. The pursuit of eternity as old as the mother river is the pursuit of immortality... Will he be the ruler of the Indian Land of the Dead?
At this time, everyone in the government office returned to the hotel. Bai Jue cast his eyes on them and said, "It looks like your challenge went smoothly. Did you get the badge of the Tianzhu State Hall?"

"I got it, no problem." Ai Jiangtu nodded.

"It just so happens that the next training site has been arranged. It is near the Ganges River. There have been recent cases of demons killing people there. We need to investigate the types of demons and the reasons for their appearance." Bai Jue handed them a stack of information.

“Ganga River?” Mo Fan rubbed his chin. He had never heard of this name before.

“The Ganges River is the holy river of India. It is a large river in the north of India. It has been a place of faith for Indian believers since ancient times. No demons have ever appeared there. It is home to the holy animals in the eyes of the Indians.” Zhao Manyan was used to Mo Fan’s illiteracy.

"It created the ancient civilization of Tianzhu. Its status in the local area is similar to that of the Huangshui River in our Kyushu. It is called the Mother of Tianzhu."

"I know about the Tianzhu Holy River, but I didn't know it was called the Ganges River... How come there are no monsters in it?" Mo Fan was surprised. If he remembered correctly, the scale of the Holy River was one of the largest in the world. How could there be no monsters in such a large basin?
"Although the reason is unclear, there are indeed no demons wreaking havoc in the holy river. I think this is one of the reasons why the Indian people worship the holy river. The numerous myths and religious legends derived from the holy river constitute the unique customs and practices on both sides of the holy river. They bathe in the water of the holy river, believing that this can wash away their sins." Bai Jue said.

"I will not participate in this training, but it will definitely be difficult. You should be mentally prepared."

...............

The bells beside the holy river rang out, marking the arrival of a new day. The stone carvings on the top of the Ashoka Pillar reflected the light of the sky, and the lions symbolizing faith, courage and strength seemed to come alive, and the four beasts on the base were also lifelike.

After arriving in Tianzhu for more than half a month, the ancient king has explored the entire place thoroughly and finally found the spatial node where the land of the dead is located. Unlike the vast space opened up by the Sanzu River, this place is just a boundary expanded by a certain space.

When 'Bai Jue' stepped into it, it was as if he had experienced the alternation of dusk and night. The dark but not completely pitch-black darkness made the surrounding altars, stone pillars, statues, and steles look particularly strange and evil... They were obviously buildings like Buddha statues and pagodas, but there was no feeling of holy light shining everywhere.

The black death energy made a sound like the wailing of thousands of ghosts. They formed a large mass that looked like a gray cloud, and kept wandering over the space, like resentful souls that could not be freed.

As if they had sensed the arrival of the invader, the skinny and deformed shadows in the darkness slowly stood up. They were made up of various broken limbs and looked a bit creepy, but they had no strength. They fell to the ground in an instant under the pressure of "Bai Jue".

'Bai Jue' went all the way to the core of this territory, and nothing along the way could stop him!
One checkpoint after another was broken through in the blink of an eye, and the owner of the tomb was finally awakened. It was a dried "Buddha statue".

The Buddha statue slowly opened its eyes and looked around through its empty eye sockets. Moss grew out of the cracks in the ground, incense ashes were twisted like tangled hemp, candles were like tree trunks fallen by lightning, and even the withered fruits were eaten beyond recognition by rats, insects and flies.

Bai Jue stood in front of the Buddha statue and also looked around. This was very strange. It was clearly a place of death, but this place was like a temple that no one in the outside world cared about. It was dilapidated but still had life.

"It seems that I have failed you. If you had another thousand years, you might have a chance to ascend to the throne of the emperor."

His thoughts swept across the entire land, and Bai Jue saw the clues. This was actually a well-arranged place for ascension. The pagodas and Buddha statues were placed according to a specific pattern, and they seemed to correspond to the buildings in Tianzhu one by one...

"The Dharma of Buddha is boundless and can save all living beings. I want to preach to the world...This situation is the result of fate and time." The Buddha statue, or Ashoka, puts his hands together, showing no joy or sadness.

When the Buddha comes, there will be miracles. The Buddha's light is immeasurable, shining on a hundred thousand countries without any obstacles. Birds of a common destiny sing harmonious music at six times of the day and night. But there has been no ripples in the past thousand years, so even if another thousand years come, it will be of no use.

Bai Jue raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "You really think you are a monk. You are not even conscious. The bones and corpses in this area are reminding you that the dead are the dead. I don't know if they can become Buddhas, but your cultivation seems to be too shallow. You won't be able to seize the opportunity even if you have it."

Ashoka was silent for a long time. He recited in a voice that sounded like singing, "If a person wears a monk's robe but does not get rid of all the dirt... he scolds me, beats me, defeats me, and robs me, if he holds this thought and his hatred cannot be stopped, and he does not realize it, we will be destroyed."

The ending was already determined and it seemed impossible to change the fate. As his last words fell, red fire rose up to the sky. Although Ashoka knew that the person in front of him had reached the realm he had always dreamed of, he still wanted to struggle.

If he had never seen the sun, he could accept his failure, but with a living example right in front of him, how could he accept it? How could he accept it?
"Then do the best you can, and struggle."

(End of this chapter)