From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 233: Buddhist Intervention Must Be Prevented!

The scene playing out on the screen, along with every minor detail, had been captured by the cameras, allowing everyone present to witness the event in its entirety.

Zanluo the Buddhist monk's face, his actions, and his words were all broadcasted here, every detail clearly visible!

"Bam!" In the conference room of the police station, a hand slammed against a desk with a deafening crack. "This is a provocation!" a councilor bellowed. "This is an infidel provoking us!"

"A Buddhist actually killed our people on our own soil!" someone else chimed in. "This is completely unacceptable. The government must make a definitive statement!"

"He must be punished! This is utter contempt and provocation toward the high-castes!" All the high-caste individuals present were seething with absolute rage.

After all, the people who had died belonged to them; they were their foundational base!

They did not believe a single word about that ten-year nonsense. Ten years from now, it would be too late for anything. Why would those people even come back? They might as well be dead!

Their properties would have been thoroughly plundered, and their wives and daughters likely married off. What was the point of returning?

Therefore, they did not care in the slightest about what would happen ten years down the line. Naturally, they also ignored the atrocities those people had initially committed against that monk.

In their eyes, what was the big deal if Brahmins and Kshatriyas killed a few people? You pariahs shouldn't even think of resisting; you should feel honored to be slaughtered!Thus, their focus was entirely fixated on that mysterious monk. A Buddhist monk who could summon a golden lotus pedestal with a mere raise of his hand, turning hundreds of people into corpses in an instant, was simply far too terrifying!

The Sikh councilor, Singh, looked calmly at Arjun and continued to stir the pot. "High Priest, an Asura has appeared, and people from the Buddhist faith have made their move. So, where are your deities?"

"You..." Arjun glared daggers at him. If looks could kill, Singh would have already been murdered ten thousand times over!

"Our deities will naturally emerge when the time is right! The Asura Kings have already appeared, and they were originally deities of our religion anyway. In the days to come, the various gods, the Heavenly Emperor, and even Crown Vishnu and Crown Shiva will descend to the mortal realm to bless us, their faithful!"

As expected of the High Priest, the rhetoric flowed effortlessly from his lips, managing to somewhat stabilize the situation.

But Singh remained completely unmoved, stating nonchalantly, "Yet, how can you be so certain that the Asura is your deity? If I recall correctly, Buddhist scriptures also state that these Asura Kings originate from the Asura Realm, serving as their guardian deities, one of the Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas!"

"What if this is actually a Buddhist Asura, and this monk is merely here to capture them? What if your deities... haven't actually appeared at all?"

The man adjusted his turban, uttering words that made everyone shudder with fear!

Under the current circumstances, saying such a thing was a brutal attack on the heart!

Most importantly, it was entirely plausible to connect this monk with the previous Asura. Compared to the stubborn claims of the High Priest, this theory actually sounded far more credible.

The opposition had already revealed themselves, whereas the High Priest's claims were nothing but empty promises. Put side by side, the contrast was devastatingly stark!

Numerous councilors and family bosses surprisingly nodded in agreement. They, too, felt that those words held some truth!

High Priest Arjun gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. The only reason the opposition was acting so fearlessly was that the pariah Asura named Jari Rahtu had outright rejected the Brahmins' recruitment efforts, opting instead for a temporary truce with them!

And the reason behind this refusal? The man actually believed his caste was superior to the Brahmins and thus refused to accept the terms of obtaining a Brahmin caste status from them!

Arjun, of course, found this utterly unacceptable. What did it mean to be above the Brahmins? Did he want to step on all their heads? How could that be allowed!

If he had agreed to such terms, he would face immense backlash from the other Brahmin High Priests the very next day. By the third day, every follower of Hinduism across the entire country would become his enemy, likely going so far as to massacre his whole family!

Letting their sacred caste system serve as a stepping stone for an entirely new high-caste? Such a thing was impossible, even if Vishnu descended to earth or Shiva were to be reborn!

It went against human nature! How could these Brahmins, who had reigned supreme for over a thousand years, accept being a rank lower than someone else? Impossible!

As a result, the negotiations had fallen into a stalemate, leaving him powerless to break the deadlock.

Watching the two men lock horns, Mayor Pandit sat to the side, covering his face with his hands, unsure of what to say.

The discord between the Sikhs and Hinduism was intentionally fostered by the Indian government in the first place. After all, if Hinduism were truly allowed to hold the ultimate authority, would the country listen to the High Priest or the Prime Minister?

Logically speaking, Pandit should have kept his mouth shut. However, the current situation was entirely different from before. It wasn't just the emergence of Asuras; it was the appearance of a Buddhist monk!

What did this signify? What exactly was going on here?

Everyone clearly understood that a Buddhist monk represented the will of Buddhism. Although the influence of Buddhists was minuscule in this country, this was, after all, the birthplace of Buddhism. The crowd still possessed a certain level of understanding regarding this sect of individuals with shaven heads.

They were well aware of how these bald monks operated. The things they had accomplished in the southeast were no small feats—especially in Thailand, where they had even become the state religion!

"I think you two should stop arguing so fiercely," Pandit finally spoke up. "After all, if a Buddhist truly comes here and even gains the power to rule, will they not judge us by their own moral standards?"

"If he genuinely wields that kind of power, wouldn't he condemn us to Hell?"

In reality, a large part of the reason Buddhism had declined in this country was because their system of punishment was simply too draconian.

Compared to the near-absolute authoritarian power and the promises of boundless future bliss offered by the Brahmin caste of Hinduism, Buddhism's "crime and punishment system"—which judged everyone equally—was undeniably a terrifying prospect.

To the Brahmin nobles, the idea of having their good and evil deeds evaluated after death was simply not very 'Brahmin' at all.

Upon hearing this, the crowd's attitude reached a rare consensus: they absolutely could not allow this monk to amass any further influence!

It would be disastrous for the nation of India!

If a bunch of monks preaching the "Equality of All Sentient Beings" were allowed to rise, how would they continue to rule the country? How could they force the pariahs to obediently follow their commands? Concepts like "good and evil will ultimately face judgment" and "evildoers will be cast into the eighteen levels of Hell" were incredibly hostile notions to the high-level officials.

Being judged right alongside the pariahs was unacceptable and could never be permitted. It was a nightmare terrifying enough to jolt them awake from their sleep!

These true high-level officials were different from those who had undergone Brahmin brainwashing. They were keenly aware that their current status and power were entirely built upon the offerings of the lower classes.

As long as they continued to suppress those people, they could perpetually enjoy their elevated status, ensuring that their descendants would remain high-caste for countless generations. This was an undeniable fact!

But now, a transcendent being from the Buddhist faith had arrived. Even if the other party had no intention of proselytizing, they still could not swallow this reality.

"I will report this to New Delhi and ask for Mr. Narendra's opinion. The rest of you, prepare yourselves for the fallout!"

The crowd buzzed with frenzied discussion. When the blade was finally pressed against their own necks, even the most detached individuals found it impossible to remain calm.

As such, a radical directly suggested, "Why don't we just deploy the army into the city and wipe this monk out? If he can't even fight off these ordinary people, he definitely won't stand a chance against heavily armed soldiers!"

"Makes sense. To prevent him from posing any further threat to the safety of the public, we just need to kill him, right?"

"But do you even know where he is? You talk so easily about killing him," someone else objected.

"Have everyone search for him! Offer a reward of twenty thousand rupees to anyone who reports his location! There will definitely be plenty of people willing to rat him out!" the crowd clamored chaotically.

They were all immensely anxious. A fellow who dared to threaten their interests truly deserved to die!

Among the panicked crowd, Singh was the only one whose mindset remained steady and his expression unfazed.

Because he was a Sikh, and one of the core Sikh tenets was the absolute equality of all its followers. This was exactly why they had been able to attract so many converts, and it was the reason why, despite making up less than two percent of the national population, they could still operate unchecked in this country!

They were united, and they overflowed with power!

Now that a Buddhist had appeared, they didn't feel the slightest bit of panic.

The gap in their doctrines wasn't too massive. If things truly took a disastrous turn, defecting at the last minute wouldn't be too late.

They weren't some strict monotheistic or polytheistic religion anyway. In the end, they were essentially a specialized shape-shifting military organization that had simply come over to cooperate with the Indian government.

They didn't even have a deity of their own, so what difference did it make who they chose to side with?

The choices available to the Sikhs could be described as both diverse and colorful!

"So, where is this Buddhist now?" someone suddenly asked. "Could he still be in Kolkata? Could he be out somewhere right now, seeking his alms?"

"What if he comes begging for alms in our neighborhoods, and then..."

The moment those words were spoken, a dead silence swept through the room as everyone hastily sprang to their feet.

"I just remembered, there's an urgent matter at home. I need to head back!"

"My cow is giving birth! I have to go supervise!"

"My family has everything packed; we're leaving for Mumbai right now!"

Though everyone had acted incredibly dominant during the meeting, the moment the crisis truly threatened them personally, they all instinctively chose to flee.

If they couldn't fight him, couldn't they at least outrun him? They could just wait until the city was thoroughly purged before coming back. It wouldn't be too late!

These people truly displayed their cowardly, paper-tiger nature to the absolute fullest!