The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

With her palms clasped together, Saint Lotus wore a calm expression.

"Since he is such a virtuous person, why would I need someone else to help me?"

“You have put down the knife in your hand, but the knife in your heart remains.”

How can one remove the knife from one's heart?

"lay down."

"You do have some skills, but there are many things you don't know. There are some things that you just can't let go of no matter what."

Shi Bai shook his head.

"I ask you, of the five eyes in Buddhism, how many have you opened?"

"The physical eye, the divine eye, the wisdom eye, the Dharma eye, the Buddha eye—this humble monk only possesses the wisdom eye."

Saint Lotus nodded.

"A discerning eye, no wonder. Can you tell what kind of people we are?"

Shi Bai pointed to himself and Yue Yejian.

“You two benefactors are no ordinary people.”

He glanced at Tsukiyo, who was sitting on a stone chair to the side, and gave a calm reply.

“This female benefactor possesses divinity and must be a deity. This humble monk dares not presume to do anything rash. However, this humble monk observes that the benefactor is burdened with endless karmic obstacles and only wishes to purify her body so that she will not be troubled by these karmic obstacles.”

"Don't even think about it. This is not something you can solve."

Shi Bai waved his hand casually.

"We came here specifically today, mainly for..."

"It's man-made."

Saint Lotus remained resolute.

"But seeing that you, benefactor, are burdened with karmic obstacles, this place should have already been a river of blood. You are a person of great virtue, and this humble monk should help you."

"Um...actually, I'm also a Buddhist."

Ignoring the surprised look in Yueye's eyes, Shi Bai held up a finger and began to speak in a serious tone.

“However, you worship Vaishravana, while I worship the Buddha of Freedom. You take it upon yourself to guide people out of their delusions, while I pursue a different kind of freedom.”

"The Buddha of Freedom?"

A slight look of confusion appeared on Shengminglian's face.

"That's right, it's the Buddha of Freedom."

Shi Bai nodded with a serious expression.

"Namo Nuclear Free Buddha, countless eons of high temperature, radiation to guide people with compassion, every family worships the Buddha of every family."

—And so, Saint Lotus's face immediately showed even more confusion.

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

"Are you saying that a demon stole your treasures and then infiltrated this temple to hide?"

After hearing the explanation of the purpose of the visit, Shengminglian couldn't help but frown slightly.

"This humble monk has always stayed within the temple and has never seen any monsters coming and going. This place is not a gathering place for evil spirits."

"Where the sunlight is strongest, the shadows are also deepest. Since you're so certain of this, could you allow us to conduct a little search?"

Shi Bai spread his hands, his face showing complete indifference.

"I can assure you I won't interfere with anything."

"This one……"

Saint Lotus seemed slightly hesitant.

"The longer it drags on, the more serious the possible consequences will be. If that monster is really released, it will definitely cause widespread death and destruction."

Without giving Saint Lotus time to think or hesitate, Moonlit Night spoke coldly from the side.

"Back then, we paid such a high price to barely seal that monster away. Can humanity now withstand that terrifying existence? You can continue to hesitate, but when disaster strikes, I hope you won't run away in fear."

"Please allow this humble monk to accompany me."

Perhaps persuaded by Tsukiyomi's words, after taking a deep breath, Seimei Ren solemnly stood up.

P.S.: There will be another update around 11 or 12 o'clock.

Chapter Thirteen: The Sacred Lotus and the Sacred White Lotus

The words spoken by Tsukiyo were not actually alarmist.

The [Treasure Hammer] follows the principle of equivalent exchange without a fixed price. However, if you make a wish far exceeding your limits, and you are unable to pay the corresponding price, then everything you possess will be consumed by the [Treasure Hammer] as the price to be paid.

It's fair to say that the [Treasure Hammer] is a rather malevolent artifact. If one's own mental strength is insufficient and one lacks sufficient self-awareness, one will instead become a puppet or a manipulator of the [Treasure Hammer].

It didn't take long, or rather, after Bishamonten, who should have been there, was gone, Shibai and Seimei Ren discovered a magnificent secret chamber beneath the temple... or it could be called a palace.

"How could this place exist here?"

Looking at the underground chamber before her, which was many times more luxurious than the temple above, Saint Lotus's expression turned rather unpleasant.

"Is it hard to understand why Bishamonten built a private treasury for himself?"

As he walked forward, Shi Bai shrugged nonchalantly.

“You are still human after all, and you may not understand much about the things between gods. Gods also have their own needs and desires. This place was built by Bishamonten specifically for his followers.”

"Do gods also have desires...?"

Repeating these words to himself, Saint Lotus fell silent. While he remained silent, Moonlit Night had already passed him and followed behind Shi Bai.

In front of outsiders, Tsukiyomi always maintained the dignity of the supreme ruler of the Moon Capital.

—This is a palace complex built underground.

Although Takamagahara is the abode of the gods, a considerable number of deities do not choose to reside there. For example, the two gods of Moriya Shrine spend most of their time within their own shrine. Bishamon also has his own residence outside the shrine, and the palace complex located beneath the temple is an example of this.

A few minutes later, they arrived outside a large hall in the palace. The magnificent golden doors were ajar, and faint sounds of laughter could be heard from inside.

After peeking through the crack in the door, Sheng Minglian's expression quickly darkened.

Inside the vast hall, numerous monsters were holding a lively banquet. A red tablecloth was laid on the table in the center of the hall, and countless delicacies appeared from the tablecloth as if by magic, only to be quickly taken away by the monsters nearby.

"Beneath the temple lies a monster's lair..."

"Are you sure? This is Bishamonten's palace. If I'm not mistaken, the monsters inside are probably Bishamonten's followers or shikigami."

With a slight pout, Shi Bai simply found a sofa-like chair made of gold near the doorway and sat down.

"Self-production and self-sales, Bishamonten really has some ideas."

"........."

After hearing what Shi Bai said, Sheng Minglian fell silent for a moment, while someone continued to speak.

"The temple enshrines Bishamonten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods... I'm sorry, but that's probably not the case now. It was probably a few decades ago, or even earlier, that Bishamonten became the deity enshrined in this temple. Over the next few decades, due to the numerous miracles he performed and his effectiveness in exorcising demons, he gained a large following and became quite famous... In this era where demons are rampant, do you know the fastest way for a deity to gather faith?"

Looking at the Holy Lotus in front of him, Shi Bai snapped his fingers.

"It's very simple. Just stand up and defeat the monsters when humans are attacked. By going through life and death, you will gain a lot of faith from humans. However, the competition for faith between gods is also quite fierce. How can you gain faith before other gods? The method is also very simple. Just make the process controllable."

"...So you mean that Lord Bishamonten subdued a large number of demons, then sent those demons to attack humans, and then he himself helped humans to gain their faith?"

With one hand held upright in front of her, Saint Lotus let out a soft sigh.

"To be a god yet associate with monsters and instruct them to attack humans—is this what you're trying to convey?"

"Isn't this obvious? To become a well-known god in such a short time, although the method is somewhat underhanded, it is undoubtedly very effective. Compared to the gods in Moriya Shrine, it is many times better."

Shi Bai spread his hands, his face showing no sign of agreement or disagreement.

"Of course, after the initial accumulation, his fame will naturally spread widely and become deeply rooted in people's hearts, at which point there will be no need to use such despicable means anymore."

"If that's the case, why are there still so many monsters gathered here?"

Saint Lotus frowned slightly as she glanced at the half-closed door.

"Furthermore, where did all this wealth come from?"

Along the way, what shocked him most was that he had never known for so many years that there was such a magnificent palace complex beneath the temple. What next amazed him was the countless riches here, which could rival the wealth of a country.

"Gods, for the sake of faith, must be great and righteous in people's hearts. But gods also have their own desires and secrets. There are some things that can't be seen in the light, and naturally someone has to deal with them. So is it strange to recruit some monsters with special abilities?"

With one hand resting on the armrest of the sofa chair to support his head, Shi Bai answered lazily.

"Just like how some famous deities open branch shrines, temples will also open branch temples in other places, right? You can never have too much faith. So the self-production and self-sales model I mentioned above only ends here, but it doesn't mean it ends elsewhere, or that it's just beginning somewhere else. As for wealth..."

Shi Bai pointed to the hall, which was slightly ajar, with a mysterious look on his face.

"Among the monsters gathered here, there's one with a unique treasure-hunting ability. She's the one who stole my lost item. So, do you have any other questions?"

"This humble monk does indeed still have a question in his mind."

Taking a deep breath, Shengminglian looked at the man in front of her and solemnly asked him a question.

"May I ask your identity, benefactor? May I ask if I may know?"

"My identity? Of course, it's not a big secret anyway."

He sat up straight, pointed to himself with his back to the ground, and Shi Bai had a serious expression on his face.

"I am a successor of communism, a delicate flower of the motherland, a Young Pioneer who does good deeds anonymously. My home is in Room 1001, Building 2, Fandou Garden, Fandou Street. My father's name is Hu Yingjun, my mother's name is Zhang Xiaoli, and my name is Hu Tutu. I am 3 years old this year... no, I am 18 years old."

Saint Lotus: "..."

Tsukiyo: "..."

Without saying a word, she moved her body a few steps away from the person to indicate that she didn't know them, and Tsukiyo showed a rather disgusted expression on her face.

……………………………………………………………

There's not much to say after that. Although there's Tsukiyomi, who's a huge burden, Seimei Ren alone is enough to deal with all the youkai partying in the hall.

The mastermind behind gathering those monsters together for a banquet using a "food tablecloth" was, just as Shiro had predicted, a proud and arrogant monster named Ratna Zinling.

Saint Lotus still harbored a compassionate heart; the monsters inside were only temporarily stunned by some means he used, leaving only the culprit identified by Shi Bai.

However, Nazrin clearly didn't appreciate Seimei Ren's behavior and arrogantly declared that she was Bishamonten's most favored subordinate, demanding that Seimei Ren immediately release her, apologize, and submit...

Perhaps Nazrin wasn't like this at first, but after so many years under Bishamonten's protection, she had never encountered any danger or difficulty, and had long since developed that arrogant and conceited habit... or you could call it domineering and arrogant.

Shi Bai deliberately turned his head to look at Yue Yejian, only to see the other person turn his head away expressionlessly.

After all, in other words, Nazrin's current actions are exactly the same as when Tsukiyoshi provoked him. The only difference is that Nazrin's strength is limited and she is just using someone else's power, while Tsukiyoshi simply believes in his own strength.

To deal with someone like Nazrin, Shi Bai found some very useful methods. After taking out a huge spiked club full of sharp spikes from his storage ring and placing it in front of her, Nazrin quickly became obedient.

What a joke! Even if he can't solve the problem, surely he can at least solve the problem of the person who raised it?

Nazling honestly told everything she knew.

It was at this moment that Shi Bai and Yue Ye Jian learned that they had been targeted by Bishamonten for decades. In order to obtain the [Treasure Hammer], Bishamonten had even begun plotting this matter decades ago.

With a calculated strategy and years of preparation, coupled with coordinated efforts from various parties, Bishamonten finally succeeded in obtaining what he desired. Furthermore, because they hadn't made any proper preparations—the [Treasure Hammer] was casually lent to Tatara Kogasa for cracking walnuts—Bishamonten's 316 prepared countermeasures were completely rendered useless…

This is like when final exams are approaching, and in order not to fail, you frantically ask the teacher for highlighted notes, go to the library, give up all entertainment, study all night, and devote yourself entirely to this preparation. After a month of intensive study, you feel that you have mastered the skills and are sure to pass the exam.

Then, when the day of the exam arrived, you strode confidently into the exam hall, looking down with an air of superiority at your roommate who was still listless from playing games all night. When the exam papers were finally handed out, you gave a cold laugh, opened your pen as if going into battle, and looked at the exam paper, only to find that there was only one question.

【84 + 55545 + 45886658 + 10 = ?】

That's roughly how it feels.

"To remain unchanged amidst constant change, that truly lives up to my reputation."

With his arms crossed, Shi Bai nodded with considerable pride.

She glanced at someone with disdain, having almost grown accustomed to that person's boastful behavior, and looked at Nazrin kneeling in front of her, who was kneeling there as if to say, "I'm very well-behaved, so please don't hit me." Her tone was as cold and indifferent as ever.

"What about the [Treasure Hammer]? You gave it to that guy, Bisha Mentian?"

"...Yes, I gave it to you."