novelraw Chapter 232: Killed, So Be It
Chapter 232: Killed, So Be It
And so, the Buddhist monk named Zhenluo lay on the verge of death amidst the brutal assault of the mob.
This body was fundamentally that of an ordinary person, so it was perfectly normal that he could not fight back. He had no intention of fighting back, or rather, the thought of fighting back had never even crossed his mind.
He simply experienced that silent agony, looking up at the gloomy sky and nodding slightly.
"This second suffering is the suffering of High-Caste arrogance!"
"Namo Amitabha. All Mahasattva Bodhisattvas should thus develop a pure and clean mind; they should not have a Mind Arising from Form, nor should they have a Mind Arising from Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch, and Mental Objects. They should Generate a Mind That Abides Nowhere."
He chanted the scriptures in a low voice, sealing off his physical pain and allowing his perception to gradually clear. Then, he swept his gaze across the people before him.
He wanted to remember all of this, to record these terrifying expressions. In the future, if Shakyamuni truly used this so-called "sin of attempting To Guide to Enlightenment over an entire city" as an excuse to crusade against him, he would use this evidence in his hands to give the World-Honored One a resounding slap in the face!
Even during the time of Cutting Flesh to Feed an Eagle, when had the Buddha ever witnessed such a speechless scene, such boiling malice, such terrifying sights and shadows?
It was not as if he had denied them a chance; on the contrary, he had given them a massive opportunity!
If there had been even a single shred of goodwill among this group, if someone had shown a single trace of kindness, he would not have been able to carry out his plan To Guide to Enlightenment with such absolute justification!After all, even the Buddhist Sect itself knew just what kind of cruel and terrifying reality it meant To Guide to Enlightenment!
In reality, apart from the lack of physical death, there was little essential difference between this kind of attempt To Guide to Enlightenment and outright murder.
Because personalities were wiped away, because character traits were erased, and even a person's entire True Spirit would be branded with the mark of the Buddhist Sect here.
Afterward, other than their memories and bodies still belonging to them, every other cognitive attribute would no longer belong to themselves, but to the Buddhist Sect. As for whether the World-Honored One of the Buddhist Sect would acknowledge this or not, that was another matter.
Regardless, Wutian would definitely acknowledge it.
The behavior of these people only worsened his negative impression of this city. Therefore, he no longer concealed anything. With a flick of his fingers, he tossed the Alms Bowl in his hand, launching it into the air!
This action naturally stunned everyone!
They were the attackers. This was not the first time they had beaten someone or participated in a mob lynching, so they naturally knew what kind of reaction was normal for a victim under such a beating.
Gasping for air, vomiting blood, or lying motionless were all very normal things, but the victim definitely shouldn't have the strength to hurl a black pot into the sky.
After all, his neck had just been slashed by a knife. Where could he possibly find the strength to do such a thing?
Thus, many people instinctively looked up to watch it. And once they raised their heads, they never had the chance to lower them again.
Because at that exact moment, the black Alms Bowl abruptly expanded into a massive Golden Lotus, hanging in the air as it slowly rotated!
In that instant, almost everyone was completely bewildered. When they looked back at the Buddhist monk on the ground, they saw that he had slowly sat up. With blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and looking incredibly wretched, he sat perfectly upright on the ground, gazing at them with a silent expression!
Blood still flowed from his neck, the blade having cut deep into the bone. An injury that would have likely killed any ordinary person did not affect his upright posture in the slightest.
The man holding the knife was so terrified by this sight that he dropped his weapon. His legs trembled as he fell to his knees. "God... O God... please forgive my disrespect!"
In a nation steeped in such a heavy religious atmosphere, the fact that he immediately thought of the word "God" was actually not surprising, and the Buddha was also a figure frequently preached about by the Brahmins.
They told their followers that the Buddha was also an incarnation of Vishnu, and therefore the Buddhist Sect was essentially a part of their own faith.
Of course, the Buddhist Followers of the world did not accept this point, but that didn't matter. It was enough that they themselves accepted it.
If the Brahmins accepted it, the followers would naturally accept it too. Even if they normally wouldn't, now that a Divine Miracle had suddenly manifested, they had to accept it.
Thus, the moment he fell to his knees, everyone immediately snapped out of their daze and dropped to the ground in a sprawling mass of bodies.
Now, they began to pray that this descending "God" was some incarnation of Vishnu, or even Brahma if absolutely necessary, but please, let it not be Shiva.
If it turned out to be Shiva, being squashed to death with a single slap would be considered an incredibly lucky fate.
The reputation of the God of Destruction wasn't merely built on empty tales; he was a mighty deity truly capable of reforming earth, wind, water, and fire. His dance was the legendary Tandava, which reduced the entire Universe to absolute nothingness!
(This was exactly how Shiva's karmic dance earned its name.)
If it truly was an incarnation of that particular deity descending to the mortal realm, then they were completely doomed!
Even so, it never crossed their minds that this could be a true Buddha descending. This was all the result of deep-seated Brainwashing. Living on this land, they had long lost any sort of "outside perspective." Therefore, even in their final prayers, they were worshipping the wrong person!
Zhenluo shook his head, lamenting that this group had missed their final chance. He muttered the words from the Dhammapada: "Hatred is Never Appeased by Hatred; By Non-Hatred Alone is Hatred Appeased. This is an Eternal Law of the Ancient Sages."
"Victory Breeds Hatred, the Defeated Live in Anguish. Letting Go of Victory and Defeat, One Finds Peace."
As Zhenluo recited the Dhammapada's verses on "enduring humiliation to stop hatred", there was not a single shred of Compassion in his eyes. These scriptures were originally the Buddha's words to save the world, but at this moment, they transformed into a dagger thrust toward the World-Honored One.
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pressed it against his neck. The torn and rolled-up flesh fused back together under the Buddha's Light. The spilled blood flowed in reverse back into the wound, leaving behind only a dark red scar.
However, although his body had recovered, those superficial external wounds were not fully healed. This pertained to his third suffering.
And as for these people present right now, he had no intention of sparing them.
Compared to the low-caste Vaishya and Shudra, the people in this community were of a very High-Caste. If they weren't Brahmins, they were Kshatriyas. And precisely because of this, they were even more wicked!
The killings and treacherous cunning of the lower classes were mostly for survival. They had no choice but to act that way, and over time, much of it became customary, devolving into habitual murders driven by path dependence.
Zhenluo could sense this, which was why he used his Wooden Fish to discipline them, forcing them to kowtow as a physical punishment.
Those people had low cognitive awareness; many of them had simply never received an education, and thus they showed no remorse!
But these High-Caste individuals were different. Their murders were conscious, "deterrent-style" killings. They had read many books and understood morality, yet they still formed mobs to kill, deeply understanding the principle that the law does not punish the masses as well as the sheer sin of murder!
These people were the most terrifying. They knew full well that murder was wrong, yet they still did it gladly, all just to solidify their status and Rule!
These people were the ones who truly and clearly knew what kinds of situations benefited their Rule, and what kinds of circumstances required them to take action.
Even the law would bend in their favor. For the sake of their Interests, they would resort to any means necessary!
Knowing the law yet still breaking it—that was their greatest Sin.
Compared to those ignorant and uneducated low castes, they deserved to die even more!
The calculated and deliberate plotting of murder, the hands-on group suppression, and the secure backing that allowed them to kill with absolute impunity—all of it filled Zhenluo with sheer disgust.
Therefore, he had never once considered letting these people go. At the very moment they knelt in mass prayer, the Golden Lotus swayed. A terrifying purple Light cast down, enveloping the bodies of everyone present, before abruptly showering them in an even more radiant illumination!
These people's bodies went rigid, and their Souls were instantly extracted, sucked right into the Primordial Spirit Black Lotus. Their physical forms naturally crumpled to the ground, becoming nothing more than still-warm Corpses.
He wasn't the Buddha. Why would he bother preaching about the Compassionate Mercy that pitied the world? Since he was preparing To Guide to Enlightenment the entire city, did he really care about the lives of these few individuals?
He was merely pondering his next steps. He didn't want to draw the authorities in too early, but he didn't want them to stay out of it either!
If the authorities didn't get involved, would he just let this city be blissfully unaware as he proceeded To Guide to Enlightenment over it?
No, no, no. He wouldn't do that. Doing it that way could indeed achieve his goal, but the profits would be far too meager!
If he was going to do it, he had to make the people of this city understand exactly why they were being chosen To Guide to Enlightenment. He needed them to know the reason and the cause for it!
Because only by doing so could he harvest their Divine Faith. The Buddha spoke of three thousand limitless and boundless worlds, but ultimately, he was Bai Yang's creation. He still relied on Wish Power, still remained bound by Divine Faith.
And by making this kind of move, the Wish Power of the city's over ten million inhabitants would, in a very short amount of time, become his source of strength!
However devout those people were to the god Shiva, that was exactly how devout they would become to him. It would be a threat of death; it would be a complete pivot of Divine Faith!
"I'll use these Corpses to send a little greeting to their authorities!"
"Tell them that my Buddha shows Compassionate Mercy. I have merely taken their Souls without harming their original true nature!"
Zhenluo muttered to himself. With a wave of his hand, he shifted from a seated position to standing upright. And that lotus slowly descended from the sky to the ground, landing right in his hand and transforming back into an inconspicuous black Alms Bowl.
"Amitabha!" Zhenluo pressed one palm forward and chanted the Buddha's name. Looking exactly like a true Eminent Monk of Great Virtue, he slowly spoke toward a street-side Camera.
"Such obstinate and unruly fools must undergo ten years of teachings before they can return! If their physical bodies are still intact in ten years, they will naturally be unharmed! I ask that everyone please take good care of their physical bodies!"
"This destitute monk has merely issued A Minor Punishment as a Major Warning. I was truly left with no other choice!"
As his words fell, his figure slowly dissipated, leaving nothing but a Golden Lotus lingering on the screen!