From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 249: The Battle of Faith Emerges!

The suddenly arriving Buddhist Monk made Duxuan immediately lower his eyes and press his palms together. "Bodhisattva!"

Now everyone understood. The person who had arrived was none other than Bodhisattva Zanluo, the one who had guided the entire city of Calcutta to enlightenment!

"Mhm!" Zanluo nodded slowly, looking at the crowd before him. "This poor monk, Zanluo, greets you all!"

This gesture of pressing his palms together set off alarm bells for everyone present. Without needing any reminders, they all obediently pressed their hands together in return, not daring to actually let the other party bow to them.

According to their understanding, accepting a bow from such a figure would likely shave years off their lifespan!

This was no ordinary Transcendent Being existing in the world, but a true "Bodhisattva" from the Era of the Extraordinary—an entity possessing a spiritual fruit status and a great vow, a Transcendent existence brimming with absolute authenticity.

The people from major nations, especially those with deeper ties to the Buddhist Sect, naturally had much clearer information.

Fundamentally speaking, this figure was already akin to the legendary immortals and Buddhas. This was exactly why they had hurried over the moment they received the invitation.

How could the immortals and Buddhas from other myths possess such power? And how could they ever truly understand them?

Even the angels who had descended to the lower realm many times only did so through possession, rather than descending in their True Body like this one!This entity was likely the one with the highest status across all Extraordinary Power Systems in the entire world. No amount of respect would be considered excessive.

Everyone still wanted to test the waters and see what this figure thought of the various countries around the world. If any nation had truly offended him, it was not impossible for them to change their ways!

Regardless of who it was, the very first order they received upon arriving was to avoid forming grudges with anyone here, especially this Bodhisattva. Everyone feared that if he truly grew enraged, he might visit their Realm or even their capital, staging another Shituling incident!

When that time came, the entire city would fall silent, and the nation would collapse and overturn, perhaps in the blink of an eye!

Fortunately, Zanluo did not seem to have any intention of doing so. Looking at their wary gazes, he smiled faintly. "I have invited you all here this time primarily for the matter of Hell!"

"Hell?" someone muttered out of curiosity, only to hear Zanluo continue.

"Hell is a region established by Lord Buddha upon attaining enlightenment, designed to punish evil. Anyone guilty of Sin will enter it after death, unable to escape!" Zanluo declared. "All those burdened by grievous sins shall enter Hell to wash away their guilt and be punished for their wickedness!"

"Furthermore, all of The Faithful and adversaries of Lord Buddha will also enter this Hell after death, seeking to resolve the karma of life, death, good, and evil!"

Hearing this, everyone nodded with half-understanding.

'So it is a Hell established for your own believers. That does not have much to do with us...' The thought barely crossed their minds before realization struck. 'Wait, did he say adversaries? Is he threatening us?'

Many people abruptly reacted. No wonder he had called them over. It was to let them know that if they made an enemy of the Buddhist Sect, they would be cast into their Hell after death!

Some began to show signs of dissatisfaction. They were not Buddhists; to be swallowed by this Hell after death seemed a bit excessive, did it not?

"Does the Bodhisattva mean... if we become enemies with the Buddhist Sect, we will also go to your Hell?" someone could not help but ask.

Zanluo turned and smiled. "Amitābha. You also feel it is unreasonable, do you not? It is only due to Lord Buddha's Compassionate Mercy that you are included. Otherwise, you would be nothing more than resources for those Deities. What need would there be to save you?"

"Resources?" The people hearing this term for the first time were somewhat confused.

"Resources, of course. Because only under the governance of Lord Buddha, and under the banner of the Daoist gods, is reincarnation possible for humanity!" Zanluo explained. "If you fall under the command of your own pantheons, after death, you are left with only two choices: to populate their Realm or to return to the dead lands of the Underworld!"

Zanluo was naturally not speaking nonsense. His words stemmed from his past interactions and battles with those pagan gods—as a Bodhisattva of the Buddhist Sect, he had naturally been on the front lines of the Wars of the Worlds back then!

But Zanluo was merely stating a fact. He did not care whether these people understood it or not. After all, this was merely one of the All Worlds, not some true 'contested battleground of gods and demons,' so he simply turned away.

"The Three Realms of today have long since ceased to be what they once were. The only things that remain unchanged are those gods and Buddhas filling the skies. Hahahaha..."

Hearing his words, the crowd appeared even more bewildered. Had this figure summoned them here just to listen to him complain? That shouldn't be the case, right?

Then, a peculiar voice echoed by their ears: "Now that you mention it, that really seems to be the case! Only Mother Houtu and Ksitigarbha dedicated themselves to establishing reincarnation, guiding Souls to enlightenment, and absolving Sin, all so that the deceased could enter the cycle of reincarnation and have a next life!"

"But those foreign Deities only permit humans a single lifetime! Those who die, if they are slightly luckier, might go to the Underworld to eke out a miserable existence for a little longer!"

"If they are unlucky, they are captured by Evil Gods, Sorcerers, Demons, and other wicked creatures, who absorb their Souls. At that point, even death becomes an extravagant luxury. They exist in a state far more agonizing than life itself!"

"Even The Faithful and petitioners of the gods face the eventual dissolution and scattering of their Souls. It is nothing like our cycle of reincarnation, where as long as the True Spirit remains unextinguished, there is a chance for transcendence!" Hearing these words, the expressions of many followers of God suddenly turned gloomy.

'These words actually sound a bit true? It couldn't be, right?'

Meanwhile, the Buddhist Monks beside them calmly pressed their hands together in a salute. One even remarked, "Although this poor monk engages in Ascetic Practice daily, I still occasionally violate the precepts of greed and anger. After death, I suppose I must make a trip to this Hell!"

The monks dispatched here by the various temples were all individuals with steadfast belief and clear self-awareness, so their words drew sideways glances from the surrounding crowd.

If this had been just a moment ago, they would have thought: 'Is there something wrong with these Buddhist Monks? Who actively wants to go to Hell?'

But now, after hearing those mysterious words, everyone suddenly felt that it was not entirely unacceptable!

After all, going to Hell meant suffering, but they would still exist, and there was even the possibility of direct reincarnation. In their own faiths, however, death seemed to be the absolute end.

Even the resurrections in those Mythological Stories were reserved for Deities and Mythological Heroes. For Mortals, achieving longevity and Eternal Life meant becoming either a Vampire or a necromancer—neither of which were anything good!

"Death and suffering are both forms of cultivation, and the afterlife is also part of that practice. If this poor monk can walk out of Hell, perhaps I, too, might be able to behold Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva!"

The Buddhist Monks grew visibly more excited. Zanluo's earlier words had undoubtedly infused them with a massive sense of superiority, making them feel even more strongly that their faith was worthwhile!

These were the words of a Bodhisattva, offering far more hope than any other Divine Pantheon. Did this not prove that their faith was the correct one?

Hearing this, someone curiously asked the Buddhist Monks beside them what the term "cycle of reincarnation" actually meant.

Master Duxuan very kindly explained it to them: "In the interpretations of the Eastern Daoist and Buddhist Sects, this term represents a completely new and special future!"

"After a person dies, they do not dissipate completely. Instead, they exist in a special dimension known as the Netherworld. They enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation Platform, undergo identity verification and punishment for their Sins, and ultimately reincarnate into another lifeform!"

"If they are a Virtuous Person, they enter the Deva Path, the Human Path, or the Asura Realm, becoming celestial beings, Mortals, or Asuras. If they are wicked, they enter the Hungry Ghost Path, the Hell Path, or the Animal Path, becoming ghosts, beasts, or even descending into Hell to continue receiving punishment!"

Hearing these words, everyone's expressions varied. Someone else asked, "Aren't we here this time to see Hell? Could it be that he wants us to clearly witness the miserable state of descending into Hell?"

"I feel like it's more about telling us that even if we go to Hell, we still exist. Unlike with our God, where death is the absolute end and we can never exist again!"

Master Duxuan continued explaining, "It is more than just that. If you can wash away your Sins in Hell, you can still reincarnate. Perhaps only as an animal at first, but after another lifetime, you will have the chance to be reborn as a human!"

"This is the Compassionate Mercy of Lord Buddha. Everyone deserves to be saved, and everyone should have the possibility of reincarnating as a human!"

Hearing Duxuan's words, the people present displayed a variety of complex expressions. A seed named 'Buddha' had been planted in their hearts.

'This method of washing away Sin and reincarnating as a human again—isn't it an alternative form of Eternal Life? Even if the memories disappear, it is still myself, right?'

Of course, the majority of people currently remained unconvinced. After all, they naturally assumed that the Buddha, as a Deity of this region, definitely had conflicts with the Deities of their lands. Thus, it was perfectly normal for him to say things that belittled other gods and praised his own.

However, the only one who sensed something amiss was Zanluo, or rather, Wutian himself. Listening to the crowd's murmurs, he abruptly realized that these people had thoughts in their minds about things he had never mentioned. That meant someone else was whispering other things to them!

'What is this?' His expression turned stern!