The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 271 Eight Heavenly Dragons
Mu Wanqing plucked a golden pine flower, walked through the magnificent palace that seemed to be made of pure gold and was inlaid with jewels, passed by the luxurious and ornate domed temple, and came to a meadow.

The grass was a pleasing green, dotted with various wildflowers, and beyond that lay an endless, interconnected vast Buddhist kingdom.

She crossed the meadow and arrived at this Buddhist kingdom. There she saw wisps of smoke rising, the scent of sandalwood candles lingering, and various exotic fragrances wafting in the air.

Looking up at this Buddhist kingdom, even without entering it, Mu Wanqing felt for some reason that there was still no one here.

But if no one is there, who lights the incense? Who plays the ritual instruments? Who takes care of this magnificent, majestic, and boundless Buddhist temple complex?

Mu Wanqing bit her lip, feeling quite uneasy. She missed her home and Zhao Ti, and didn't want to stay here for even a moment longer, but she had no choice but to look for a way out.

She walked into the Buddhist kingdom, which was situated on a high place, with 108 steps leading up to it.

These steps were extremely long and large, silvery-white in color, and emitted a lustrous glow, as if they were not from this world.

As Mu Wanqing stepped onto the first set of steps, her heart suddenly began to pound, her breathing became unsteady, and a jumble of thoughts flooded her mind.

She hurriedly began reciting the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, having already memorized the entire sutra left by Abbot Juefa in the past few days.

Mu Wanqing recited the scriptures in a low voice. This place was deserted and mysterious. When she was flustered, she relied on the scriptures to calm her mind.

Sure enough, the effects on the upper levels disappeared after she started chanting the sutra, and her breathing stabilized. She took a breath and continued walking upwards.

One hundred and eight steps may not seem like many, but the higher you go, the more difficult it becomes. Each step seems incredibly heavy. Even if you push your internal energy to its limit, it's still difficult to walk. If it weren't for the Great Wisdom Sutra's assistance and help to calm your mind, she probably wouldn't even be able to climb ten steps.

As several hours passed, she finally stepped onto the last step. She immediately felt a lightness in her body, as if her senses were clear and her mind was cleansed. The internal energy she had lost climbing the stone steps began to recover at several times the usual speed.

Mu Wanqing looked up and surveyed her surroundings, and what she saw was even more breathtaking than what she had seen from below. The palaces stretched endlessly, each with its own unique style and characteristics, all magnificent and awe-inspiring.

She hesitated slightly before walking towards the main hall directly in front of her. Although the hall was glittering with gold on the outside, it looked too big and magnificent, exuding a solemn atmosphere that made people feel suffocated.

Mu Wanqing walked around the main hall and headed into the Buddhist kingdom. At this time, the sound of chanting and bells came from many halls, as if welcoming her, which made her feel slightly flustered.

Finally, they found a small temple and went inside. There, they saw a statue of an Arhat, whose appearance was extremely ferocious and menacing. The statue was covered in gold paint and shone brightly. In one hand, it held a vajra, and in the other hand, it held some kind of magical artifact.

Mu Wanqing stared at it for a long time but couldn't recognize which Arhat it was. She had limited knowledge of these things, but she knew some from Kufan ​​Temple and a little from Daxiangguo Temple in Tokyo.

Although Dali is a Buddhist city and she had visited some temples in the city, she had only seen them briefly without any explanation. She recognized the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but not the Arhats.

Leaving this hall, we continued our search and entered some more halls, but they were still filled with Arhat statues, each with a different expression and posture: some were joyful and melancholy, some were sad and angry, some had long eyebrows and many arms, and some rode tigers and deer.

Mu Wanqing couldn't help but wonder, why are they all Arhats, and there are no other Bodhisattvas or Dharma protectors?

But after a moment's thought, she realized that this Buddhist kingdom was of immeasurable size, and that the places she had been to were mostly adorned with golden statues of Arhats, with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas likely residing nearby.

They continued walking towards the center and suddenly saw a group of strange and unusual buildings. Although they were still in the Buddhist style, they were different from ordinary temples.

Curious, she approached and found it to be a huge hall, far more magnificent than the Arhat Halls, exuding a sense of extravagance.

Mu Wanqing thought for a moment, then walked to the palace door. The door was not open. She pushed it hard, but it didn't budge. She then circulated her internal energy and heard a creaking sound, finally opening the door halfway.

Upon entering the hall, one sees that every place is inlaid with precious stones and jade, shining brightly. In the center is a tall statue, neither a Buddha nor a Bodhisattva nor an Arhat, but very majestic, seemingly possessing boundless magical power.

Mu Wanqing carefully examined the body and recognized it; it was none other than Indra, the leader of the Eight Heavenly Dragons Guardian Gods.

Indra is not the most powerful among the gods, but he is the nominal leader of the gods and leads them in battle.

Some celestial beings do not reside in the Tribhuti Heaven, also known as the Thirty-Three Heavens, where Indra resides. Instead, they live elsewhere, are not under Indra's jurisdiction, and some even wield greater power than Indra.

Buddhism has a total of 28 great heavens: six heavens in the Desire Realm, 18 heavens in the Form Realm, and four heavens in the Formless Realm. The so-called 33 heavens actually refer to the second heaven in the Desire Realm, the Trayastrimsa Heaven.

The Trayastrimsa Heaven is located on the top of Mount Sumeru. At its center is Sudarshana, the city where Indra resides. There are eight heavens on each of the four sides, for a total of thirty-two heavens. Including the Sudarshana Heaven in the central city, there are a total of thirty-three heavens.

In other words, the Twenty-Eight Heavens are the Great Heavens, while the Thirty-Three Heavens are actually the second Heaven of the Desire Realm, the Heaven of the Desire Realm, which is ruled by Indra.

Renli Heaven was divided into thirty-three parts, which were called the Thirty-Three Heavens, also known as the Lesser Heavens.

Mu Wanqing looked at the statue of Indra for a moment and was surprised. She wondered where the other seven gods were.

The only god-king in this hall is Indra, while on each side of the hall are sixteen celestial beings of different appearances, totaling thirty-two.

Although Mu Wanqing had never seen these thirty-two statues before, she guessed that they were the thirty-two closest subordinates of Emperor Shitian.

The Trayastrimsa Heaven is ruled by Indra, who has thirty-two ministers who assist him. In addition to Indra himself, they reside in the four directions and the center, each with a large city and a celestial palace.

Mu Wanqing looked around for a while, then stepped back and continued to explore her surroundings. After a while, she saw a strange hall that was very different from a normal Buddhist hall. She couldn't help but use her inner strength to push open the hall door.

The deity enshrined in this hall is the Dragon King, one of the Eight Heavenly Dragon Guardian Deities.

The eight classes of dragons are headed by Nanda, the Dragon King, who means "Joyful Dragon King." He is the leader of the Dharma-protecting dragon gods, possessing great power and wisdom, able to comply with the wishes of all beings, control the wind and rain, and dominate the waters.

The dragons are different from the celestial beings. The powerful celestial beings have all become independent, and the power of the race is concentrated in the hands of Indra.

The power of the dragons was more decentralized. In addition to the nominal leader, Nanda, there were seven other dragon kings in charge of the clan: Bananda, Bhaga, Vasuki, Wudhika, Anavatapta, Manas, and Utpala.

Besides these, there are many other dragon kings who do not manage clan affairs and live their own lives. For example, Sagara Dragon King, the seventh dragon king among the 177 dragon kings of the Salt Sea, has a daughter who is the dragon girl who manifested Buddhahood at the Lotus Sutra Assembly.

When the Dragon Girl was eight years old, she was incredibly intelligent and could uphold the profound secret teachings of all the Buddhas. In an instant, she developed the Bodhicitta and attained non-retrogression.

At the Lotus Sutra assembly on Vulture Peak, after the Buddha spoke the Lotus Sutra, the Dragon Girl offered the Buddha a pearl worth three thousand great chiliocosms. She immediately transformed into the Buddha, rode auspicious clouds to the Immaculate World in the south, sat on a jeweled lotus throne, attained perfect enlightenment, possessed the thirty-two marks and eighty minor marks of a Buddha, and universally expounded the wonderful Dharma to all sentient beings in the ten directions.

Mu Wanqing stood on both sides of the hall and looked around. The other seven dragon kings were also enshrined here. They were in different forms, some with several heads and claws, some like giant pythons without horns, and their expressions were also different, some irritable, some angry, and some gentle.

She paused for a moment, then walked out of the hall and continued her search ahead.

Then, not far away, they found the temple of the Gandharva King.

The Gandharva King is also known in the secular world as Gandharva or the God of Fragrance. His name means unpredictable and ever-changing. In Sanskrit, magicians are also called Gandharvas. Mirages are called Gandharva cities, representing something vague, ethereal, and hard to fathom.

She was most familiar with this statue, having seen it most often at the Kufan ​​Temple. A slight smile played on the corners of the God-King's lips.

Mu Wanqing stared for a long time, feeling as if she had seen the God King's smile somewhere before. She had this feeling when she was at the Bitter Fan Temple, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it before.

After leaving the palace, she walked through several other strangely styled halls, all of which were dedicated to the Eight Gods. Finally, she saw a hall with gold and blue colors and went inside.

This is a statue of Kinnara, a female deity, who is dignified and beautiful, and seems to be holding a musical instrument in her hand.

Kinnara God King is also known as the God of Song, or the God of Music. It is said that women in his tribe often travel with men from the Gandharva tribe, one playing divine music and the other singing divine songs, their collaboration seamless.

Just then, Mu Wanqing suddenly felt a bit tired. These days, when she was tired, she would fall asleep in various houses, halls, or on the grass. Now, in a daze, she walked to the Sumeru Platform in front of her and leaned down.

In a daze, it seemed as if a song was being sung inside the hall, mysterious and ethereal, melodious and pleasant.

A slight smile appeared on her face as she murmured the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, and she slowly drifted off to sleep...

(End of this chapter)