From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 245: Kolkata Epilogue

Five days later in Kolkata.

"You ended up changing your mind after all, Crown!" Alvin's voice echoed in Bai Yang's ears, prompting a soft sigh and a slow nod from the latter.

"I did," Bai Yang replied, "but it wasn't so much my change as it was Wutian's. This nemesis of Tathagata, who once wandered without direction, has clearly undergone a profound evolution. I am actually starting to look forward to the moment he truly ascends to the rank of Buddha in this country!"

Originally, Bai Yang's meticulously designed story was supposed to revolve around the traditional figures of Buddhism. However, he suddenly realized that he didn't strictly need to rely on them. After all, Wutian was doing a spectacular job on this very soil, wasn't he?

"Furthermore, compared to a gentler Mount Sumeru, the current Wutian is far more suited for this country. His brutal methods actually seem more appropriate!" Bai Yang continued. "Kolkata only has a population of fifteen million, yet a staggering 1.5 billion people live across this subcontinent, all suffering under this very system!"

"Now that such a glaring consequence has been laid out right before their eyes, even the most ruthless Brahmins should know to rein themselves in!"

This terrifying spectacle had been broadcasted across the globe over the past few days. Surely, even the cruelest among the High-Castes would understand the dire consequences of their actions by now.

Bai Yang considered this endeavor highly successful, whether in terms of harvesting Wish Power or reforming the nation itself.

Following this battle, out of the fifteen million inhabitants in the entire city, a full ten million had become permanent residents of the virtual Shituling.

These sinners would endlessly repeat their agonizing suffering within Shituling. This was Wutian's ultimate decree. To Guide to Enlightenment was not merely simple brainwashing; it required them to devoutly believe in the Buddha for the rest of their eternal existence!Meanwhile, the illusory world of Shituling was slowly being nurtured and expanded by the boundless Wish Power generated from the sheer agony of these ten million souls.

This horrific realm had unexpectedly become the greatest harvest he could possibly extract from this massive event!

"Then, Crown, shall we move on to other cities? Travel to those unique metropolitan areas to fulfill our grand design for this nation?" Alvin inquired curiously.

Buddhism had firmly rooted itself in Kolkata. The display of the Wrathful Vajra Gaze and the compassionate, lowered brows of the Bodhisattva both powerfully demonstrated the sect's sheer dominance. This was bound to turn into a colossal feast of Faith collection.

If they could continue this guidance in other cities, or perhaps mold a direct antagonist to Buddhism, it might open up entirely new possibilities.

All that excess Faith would inevitably surge in that direction, potentially creating a faction capable of rivaling Buddhism in a very short amount of time.

"Doing that would certainly be effective, but it would be tantamount to giving those parasites another chance to rise up!" Bai Yang declared. "Unfortunately for them, I have no intention of giving them that opportunity!"

Because if they took that route, the only religious faction capable of achieving that goal would be Hinduism. In order to absorb that Faith, every aspect of Hinduism would inevitably be absorbed as well. No matter how much they tried to prevent it, there would be no way to ensure those sinners received their rightful punishment!

Naturally, Bai Yang found this unacceptable. The Faith produced by this particular religion was far too malicious and polluted. That was not a good thing.

He absolutely refused to absorb such tainted Faith. He lacked even the slightest desire to collect it. Thus, Bai Yang opted for a different approach.

"A new sect will undoubtedly emerge, but not just yet. This era belongs to Buddhism. We need to let these Buddhist Monks clean up the filth around here before we can properly entertain our guests!" Bai Yang remarked with a faint smile. "Look, our guests have arrived!"

Alvin turned around and observed the multitude of visitors stepping off their planes at the Kolkata Airport.

This, of course, was entirely within their expectations, as they had been preparing for this very moment since two days ago!

...

Rewind to two days prior, which was the third day after the cataclysmic battle between Buddha and Mara concluded.

Over the course of those three days, every major faction across the globe had managed to piece together a truly horrifying narrative, derived entirely from the testimonies of the people who woke up that fateful night.

Take the White House, for instance. Various experts were slowly racking their brains, desperately trying to string together all the fragments of the story presented before them.

This diverse group of individuals brought together whatever tales they could gather, cross-referencing them with all sorts of Historical Materials on hand. They continuously refined and compiled the information until it merged into a cohesive whole.

This was what they had been doing all along. Only by seeking knowledge and uncovering the truth of history could they chart their future path and determine what preparations were necessary.

After enduring three grueling days of all-nighters and repetitive torment, this gathering of humanity's top scholars finally managed to construct a relatively self-consistent timeline of events.

Once Golden Hair and the other top officials took their seats, it was time for the storytelling to begin.

Now, it was time for their chief story compiler, Theology Professor and history expert, Thomas Franklin, to take the stage! Professor Thomas's rise to fame naturally stemmed from his brilliant deduction regarding the unique history of The Church and Amerigo. That accomplishment had earned him a position as a special employee of the White House, serving as their mythological and historical information briefer. Today, he would continue elucidating myths for the assembly, except this time, the focus was Buddhist mythology!

"I apologize, Mr. Great Leader, honorable secretaries, and our newly arrived ladies and gentlemen. We do not have an abundance of documentation, so most of this information stems from my own hypotheses. It may not be entirely accurate!"

Professor Thomas proactively managed their expectations before turning on the screen behind him, displaying all the gathered intelligence for the room to see.

"First, we are all aware of what transpired in Kolkata, namely the appearance of an Asura and a Bodhisattva. Asuras first appeared in ancient Indian mythology and are among the most common mythological beings. You can find tales of them in the ancient Vedic myths, later Buddhism, Brahmin lore, and contemporary Hinduism!"

"Information regarding the Asura, known as Jari, is currently plastered all over the globe, so I won't waste time recounting it. What I wish to discuss is the story of this specific branch of Buddhism, or rather, the story of this particular Bodhisattva!"

Thomas's words were astonishing. His very first sentence left everyone reeling in shock. "First and foremost, you all need to understand one crucial point: Kinnara Bodhisattva, the instigator of this apocalyptic Guidance to Enlightenment, is not affiliated with Mount Sumeru. Or, at the very least, he isn't anymore!"

"He isn't?" The crowd gasped in horror upon hearing this. "A Bodhisattva who caused such a monumental upheaval isn't even part of orthodox Buddhism?"

"Exactly!" Thomas explained. "He absolutely is not, because in all existing Buddhist texts, there is no record of a Kinnara ascending from the Eight Legions to become a Bodhisattva. However, judging from Venerable Kashyapa's words, it wasn't hard to deduce that he acknowledged Kinnara's status as a Bodhisattva!"

"From this, we can conclude one of two things: either he is not actually a Bodhisattva, or his existence was erased from the scriptures through some special means!"

"I am inclined to believe the latter, and I have some evidence to corroborate it!"

"Based on the dialogue between them, we have reason to suspect that Kinnara Bodhisattva doesn't actually belong to the Buddhist establishment or orthodox Buddhism. He may have belonged to them in the past, but he has since broken off to become an independent entity!"

The moment Professor Thomas uttered those words, the eyes of nearly everyone in the room simultaneously lit up!

They were all shrewd politicians and strategists. Naturally, they could read between the lines. The hidden implication was clear: if this figure was a lone wolf, they could approach him privately!

Since he wasn't a true Buddhist figure, but rather someone who stood in opposition to orthodox Buddhism, and possessed immense magical power and capability—someone who, in Christian terms, was a powerhouse on the level of an Angel!

Then why shouldn't they try to establish contact? Even if Conversion was impossible, they could at least build some goodwill and offer Incense Offerings, couldn't they?

No one would ever complain about having ties with too many Transcendent Beings, let alone a Bodhisattva whose power was unfathomable even by the standards of this new world!

"Wait, that doesn't add up!" At the table, Vice President Qian Si suddenly spoke up in confusion. "I recall Cardinal Bennett Angus stating that, given the current state of the world, not even Angels can linger on Earth for too long. So how was this Bodhisattva able to physically manifest his true form in the mortal realm?"

"The sheer power he wielded was exponentially greater than that of the Angels on our side!"

Professor Thomas shook his head. "Your Excellency the Deputy Leader, in truth, the power he exerted was not immense. In fact, it might have been incredibly small!"

"Not immense?" The crowd was dumbfounded. "He literally hypnotized every single person in a major city and banished them to a realm called Shituling, and you're telling us his power output wasn't immense?"

"It truly wasn't. First, he killed no one. Second, he destroyed no cities. Third, he didn't physically annihilate anything. All he did was speak and strike a Wooden Fish!" Professor Thomas elaborated. "When you get down to it, he only manipulated things on the level of the mind and the Soul. If we're strictly talking about God Power or Divine Might, his output couldn't even compare to that of the Asura!"

That statement completely stumped everyone in the room.

But upon closer reflection, it actually made a twisted sort of sense.

The Bodhisattva was indeed the last to appear, and he was undoubtedly present from beginning to end. But what physical actions did he actually take? Nothing at all. He merely conversed, walked, and tapped his Wooden Fish.

Viewed in that light, his actions didn't actually contradict Angus's explanation of divine descents. If the Angels refrained from physical combat and merely engaged in similar activities, they too could likely remain in the mortal world for an extended period.

"So manipulating minds and shaping worlds... is that simply a base instinct of Buddhism?" Golden Hair asked, his brows furrowing.

Professor Thomas nodded. "These powers are fundamentally inscribed within the Buddhist sutras. The phrase 'worlds as countless as the grains of sand in the Ganges' encapsulates this very concept! In an era like this, the powers of Buddhism appear to be far more transcendent!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, but a chill couldn't help but creep into their hearts.

If Thomas's speculations were accurate, just how terrifying was the true power of Kinnara Bodhisattva?

Or, more accurately, just how terrifying was the true power of Buddhism!