Chapter 397: The Holy Lord
Chapter 397: The Holy Lord
The moment the crown of the City God of Fengdu touched the ground, all the Netherworld lamps in the hall suddenly shrank into bean-sized flames.
As the lights flickered, the silver lines on Zhenjun's brocade robe turned into three thousand flowing laws of heaven, with a star hanging at the end of each silver line.
"Ding……"
The Nine Nether Mysterious Snake that was wrapped around the temple pillar suddenly stiffened and fell to the ground, its pupils reflecting the three-pointed, double-edged sword hanging from the True Lord's waist.
The demon-binding rope wrapped around the hilt was oozing with light golden blood stains, and no one knew which big demon had killed True Lord Yinhen by his sword.
Fengdu City God saw from the corner of his eye that the "Book of Good and Evil" on his desk was turning pages rapidly. The pages that recorded the deeds of Zhenjun in subduing demons were turned into chains and wrapped around the beams of the hall. At this point, Zhenjun's authority had completely penetrated into the City God Hall of Fengdu City.
However, the above text about Zhenjun does not record his real name.
It turns out that this True Lord's surname is Yang, and his honorific title is "True Lord of the Pure Source and Wonderful Way", and also "True Lord of the Erlang Sagely Manifestation". This is different from the folk custom of using "Yang Jian" to refer to Erlang Shen.
The high-ranking god of the underworld, Fengdu City God, vaguely knew the inside story and the real name of Zhenjun was not Yang Jian.
Zhenjun’s real name is actually a big secret in the Three Realms and Six Paths, and it is not even recorded in the Book of Life and Death.
The City God of Fengdu once heard this from Judge Cui, the most senior judge in the underworld.
Zhenjun shares the same ability with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, which is to reveal his holiness by hearing a sound.
The general idea is that if sentient beings in the sea of suffering are sincere and recite their divine names, they can receive their help.
Of course, the three mighty ones’ manifestations of divine power are also different.
Guanyin is responsible for saving people from suffering, Erlang is responsible for slaying demons and eliminating evil, and Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun seems to have the functions of both.
However, although Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun often saves the world with compassion, he does not save people with compassion. In terms of incense burning in the world, he is not as good as Guanyin, and is even inferior to Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun in some aspects.
It's just that Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun doesn't ask for incense, so the lack of incense has no effect on him. In fact, among the big leaders of the underworld, everyone likes Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun the most, because Tianzun only does things and never asks about the private affairs of his subordinates. Moreover, he appears when he hears the call, and he meets people by chance. His subordinates want to pay tribute, but they can't find a way.
Later, the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sect intervened more and more in the affairs of the underworld, and the operation of the underworld was not as good as before.
Alas, the atmosphere in the underworld is so corrupt.
In addition, the True Lord in front of you is the executor of the Heavenly Law, and is also the sharp sword hanging over the heads of the gods in the underworld. Although he does not directly manage the affairs of the underworld, if he finds fault with you, you can only bear it.
"I heard that Yinshan has a new master." When Zhenjun spoke, his voice seemed to carry the coolness of Meishan snow water.
The City God of Fengdu heaved a sigh of relief, it turned out that he was not here to cause trouble for him.
But his heart soon rose again.
I hope the True Lord won't be trying to make things difficult for that person.
Alas, when gods fight, the little devils suffer.
He is that little devil.
For some reason, an idea came to the mind of Fengdu City God.
The Fengdu City is close to the Yinshan Mountains, and it is likely to be a troubled place in the future.
He secretly made up his mind to find an opportunity to transfer.
Fengdu City God's mind flashed, and he quickly replied: "Report to the True Lord, this is exactly what happened."
"Let him come to see me." Zhenjun said lightly, and then sat on the throne of the City God.
In an instant, it seemed as if the entire Fengdu City had changed hands.
This is actually true.
At this moment, the throne of Fengdu City God seemed to suddenly transform into a towering snow-capped mountain the moment Zhenjun sat down, just like the legendary Kunlun.
Magnificent beyond words.
The soul-calling bell at the Naihe Bridge in Fengdu Ghost Town became mute and silent.
At this place, Meng Po, who was standing on the Naihe Bridge, had the soup spoon in her hand break with a "crack".
The water of the Wangchuan River rolled back into the sky and condensed into the image of a three-eyed divine general above the city of Fengdu.
Meng Po, who was boiling soup, looked up and stretched out her hand to try to calm the waves of the Wangchuan River. Then she shook her head and whispered, "Is it time for the children to make trouble again?"
The ebb and flow of the Lethe River seemed far less frequent than the ebb and flow she experienced in her heart.
The incident of Erlang's appearance as the Holy Lord merely caused some ripples in the heart of "Po Meng", which soon disappeared.
...
...
All the ghost officials in Fengdu City were terrified.
"Hurry up and report to King Qin Guang!" The ox-headed ghost broke the soul-binding chain, and the netherworld lamps hanging on the ox's horns all exploded. They found that the soul-binding rope in their hands automatically wrapped around their necks, and the iron hook at the end of the rope was turning into the phantom of a three-pointed, double-edged sword. The horse-faced ghost was even more unbearable, and knelt on the ground with all four hooves.
These ghost messengers were shocked to find that their forms were transforming into grass-headed gods under the command of Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun.
In Fengdu City, golden light broke through the sky.
The majestic power of the gods seemed to tear open a crack in the dark cloud of the underworld that would never dissipate.
...
...
A five-colored canopy suddenly rose in the sky in the direction of Yinshan Mountain.
Xu Qing stood on the observatory on the top floor of the Netherworld Palace. The thin black divine dog's hair stood on end: "That golden light..."
"It's Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun."
The evil dragon exclaimed under the dragon gate.
...
...
In Fengdu City, Zhenjun tapped the armrest of the throne with his fingertips. Every time he tapped, three hundred grass-headed gods appeared in the city. These phantoms held the special measuring ruler made by Meishan and were measuring every inch of land. In the areas measured by the ruler, the laws of the underworld were replaced by the laws of the heaven at Guanjiangkou.
Fengdu City God sat slumped on the jade steps below the palace and found that his official seal was fading. The Xiezhi beast on the seal button jumped off the seal platform and actually knelt three times and kowtowed nine times to the throne of the True Lord.
"Why don't you leave quickly?" Zhenjun's words were like a three-pointed, double-edged sword piercing the heart of Fengdu City God.
His divine body couldn't help but break out in cold sweat, and he replied to Xiansheng Zhenjun: "I will go right away."
...
...
Yinshan.
Xu Qing stood with his hands behind his back, "Lord God, your master is here."
The thin black divine dog blushed: "Master, stop laughing at me."
Now Xu Qing is of course clear that although the thin black divine dog is the body of the Howling Sky Dog, the soul inside is the Di Ting divine beast under the seat of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
Xu Qing asked again: "Do you know, Lord God, whether this Lord Erlang Xiansheng came here for you or for me?"
He was born with the innate Taiyi Dao, so he had already felt that Fengdu Ghost City could not be easily entered for the time being. As expected!
If he had gone in directly earlier, he would have collided with Xiansheng Zhenjun at this moment. It is hard to say what the result would have been then.
"Xiansheng Zhenjun was the God of Justice in the Heavenly Court in the last era. In this era, although the Heavenly Court has collapsed, he is still the top fighter in the Three Realms and Six Paths. In my opinion, it is better not to make an enemy of him before the Taoist priest has achieved eternal invincibility."
In the view of the thin black divine dog, although Xu Qing had previously broken the magic circle set up by Avalokitesvara's past Buddha body, Dharma-Bright Tathagata, and the Five Great Bright Kings, it was not Avalokitesvara who came in person after all.
Moreover, at that time, Xu Qing had to crush the Taiyi Dao Seed to survive, otherwise there was no hope of turning the situation around.
Implicitly, the thin black divine dog also felt that Xu Qing was able to break the formation for other reasons.
For example, the skeleton of Venerable Jinpeng, the relics of the ancient Buddha Dipankara - the coffin lamp and...
However, Taoist Master Xu Qing no longer has the innate Taiyi Taoist seed, so all his knowledge seems to have been melted into one furnace.
In time, I will definitely catch up with those powerful ones.
But definitely not now.
"If the Taoist priest thinks that my physical body is the reason for the coming of the Holy Lord, then I don't want this physical body." The thin black divine dog raised its eyes and looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing smiled and said, "Even if you come here for the Lord God, I will protect him." The black divine dog was surprised and said, "Master, we just met by chance, why do you treat me differently?"
Xu Qing: "Because Xu is protective of his people and cannot let those around him be bullied."
It is impossible to tell what is right and wrong in the world.
All Xu Qing could do was to make himself someone who would not be bullied.
If Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun came for the thin black divine dog, Xu Qing would definitely not hand it over.
This is not a question of right or wrong, but a question of face.
Xu Qing knew very well that if he was not tough enough, the trouble would be even bigger.
Sometimes, stance is more important than right or wrong.
so funny.
He hopes that the world is fair, but often, he does things that are not so fair.
In addition, he had a vague feeling in his heart that this True Lord Xiansheng did not come for the thin black divine dog, but his target was himself.
Just imagine, if it was the thin black divine dog, then the thin black divine dog would have stayed in Wuchang City for who knows how many years, and would have come a long time ago.
The thin black divine dog felt a little uncomfortable when he heard Xu Qing's words.
It was used to seeing holy immortals and Buddhas who eliminated emotions and nature in pursuit of the great way. It was extremely rare to see an immortal with a human touch like Xu Qing.
In fact, this is not necessarily a good thing.
Because gods have no human touch, this is the optimal solution found after countless years of accumulation.
It is precisely because of the lack of humanity that it is easier to become a god.
Those sacred immortals and Buddhas who are full of affection and righteousness often die early.
In fact, becoming an immortal or a Buddha is itself anti-human.
The humanity here is the "humanity" of all spirits in heaven and earth.
People are not identified by their appearance, but also by their thinking.
It had heard Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva say that the birth and death of the universe, in the final analysis, was actually a struggle between "man" and "Tao".
It vaguely remembered that the Bodhisattva once said that among the three realms and six paths, only Jade Pure Yuanshi Tianzun was the most compassionate and equal.
When the black divine dog first heard this, it simply couldn't understand it. Because Yuqing was most particular about having a good family background, and was kind to his disciples who were born with a natural talent for Taoism, but he showed no disdain for other people who were born from eggs.
It was the Bodhisattva who explained patiently.
Yuqing looks at all inequalities equally.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva made no secret of his opposition to Tathagata's concept of "equality of all beings".
He said that any major religion that advocates the equality of all beings is not ultimately for the equality of all beings.
All things are created by nature. Wolves eat sheep, and sheep eat grass.
All inequalities were destined from the moment the world was created.
Since the world is not equal, isn't it just wishful thinking to demand that all living beings be unequal?
He thought that Tathagata used falsehoods to confuse sentient beings, and that the talk of cause and effect, blessings, and the sacred mountain and paradise was no different from the actions of the devil.
It asked the Bodhisattva, if this is the case, what can be done to benefit all living beings?
The Bodhisattva said: "If the fault lies with the heaven and earth, then we should change the heaven and earth."
Therefore, in the eyes of Ksitigarbha, the ultimate goal of the end of one era after another is to create a new "perfect world".
Otherwise, it would be a waste of the sacrifices of countless lives at the end of the universe.
But the thin black dog knew that changing the world was much more difficult than shouting slogans and deceiving believers.
It can rule the heaven and the underworld by just shouting slogans, so why does it need to do anything like "changing heaven and earth"?
And all living beings have never said that they want to be equal. Isn’t it that we all work hard just to become a superior person?
Although the thin black divine dog did not say anything at the time, he also felt that the Bodhisattva was wrong, very wrong.
Facts have proved that it is true.
So the Bodhisattva is missing!
The black dog was very moved by Xu Qing, so he told her what he was thinking. He didn't want Xu Qing to follow the old path of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
After hearing these things, Xu Qing was slightly startled, and then said: "So, the disappearance of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is related to what He wants to do?"
Change the world!
As a reformer of a dynasty, Xu Qing certainly understood how terribly difficult this was.
To destroy the heaven and earth and reshape what Ksitigarbha considers to be a perfect world is simply to be hostile to all the enlightened ones in the past and present.
Not to mention Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva doing this, even if the Three Pure Ones came, they would all be reduced to nothingness.
Xu Qing looked at the black divine dog with sympathy, "It's really not easy for you to keep your soul now."
Thin black divine dog: “…”
It then felt a little sad.
The Bodhisattva was the best one it had ever seen, but at the end of his practice, his brain had problems.
But if given the chance, it is still willing to continue following its master Ksitigarbha.
Because an enlightened person who is willing to make the world a better place will be admired and touched even if he makes mistakes or does some bad things.
The Bodhisattva could have been high above, enjoying the incense and worship.
He did not choose to do so.
This is the true great compassion.
In fact, since the middle and late period of the last era, both heaven and hell have changed.
The holy immortals and Buddhas all devote their energy to training and enlightening all living beings.
There are more and more heavenly laws, more and more religious rules and regulations, and more and more complicated rituals. The concepts of salvation are becoming more and more lofty, but in essence, there is no change.
The cattle and horses are smart, so we give them a chance to become a member of the holy Buddha. But the hope of this chance is very slim. Even the smartest people may be ruined for life if they take the wrong path.
Just hope, there is indeed hope.
As for Xu Qing, the thin black divine dog did not want him to become Ksitigarbha, but he had a secret hope in his heart.
It always felt that this Taoist priest was different from those who were striving to become holy immortals or Buddhas.
...
...
"I am Xu Qing, the poor Taoist priest. I am honored to meet you, Lord Fu."
The City God has his own government, just like a governor in the human world, so calling him "the Lord of the City" is actually a unique and elegant title.
Compared to the trembling with fear when he was with Erlang Xian Zhenjun, the City God of Fengdu felt like he was wrapped in a spring breeze when he saw Xu Qing, and was extremely happy.
but……
The City God of Fengdu still hesitated and told the purpose of his visit.
He was afraid that the immortal would be angry.
Unexpectedly, Xu Qing just smiled faintly after hearing this, "Thank you for your hard work, go back and tell the True Lord that I won't go."
The City God of Fengdu was not surprised by this.
If it were him, he wouldn't go either.
But Xu Qing's attitude towards him was too good. Fengdu City God was not someone who did not understand the ways of the world. He reminded him, "If the True Lord is too pushy, the Immortal can go find Meng Po outside Fengdu City."
Having said this, he stopped talking and bowed to Xu Qing to say goodbye.
(End of this chapter)