Chapter 272
"Hehe, you don't know the truth."
Krishna, hands clasped behind his back. "Not all the major sects are accepted. Some of those ascetics believe that mercury can grant immortality; some specialize in digging up the bones of others; and some live in crematoriums and abandoned forests where corpses are disposed of..."
Even Duryodhana showed a look of disgust.
But it was precisely because of these words that he was completely relieved.
Otherwise, if the deal comes too cheaply, how can anyone trust it?
As for those extreme sects that believe in the Mahadeva Shiva, who will they harm after standing in the sunlight... Heh, what does that have to do with them?
Duryodhana extended his hand. "Happy transaction."
Krishna smirked. "A pleasant transaction."
The two hands touched and then released immediately.
Krishna's figure vanished into thin air.
The chirping of insects outside the window made Duryodhana shiver.
A confident smile returned to his face, and he quickly ordered his servants to inform Shakuni.
Where did you go?
At dusk, Arjuna found Krishna.
"To contribute to our grand plan."
Krishna calmly replied, "And you, Partha, what have you done today?"
"We plan to burn down the Khandava Forest to clear enough land to build a great city."
Arjuna replied, "My brothers and I all agree with this idea, but I would like to ask for your opinion as well... After all, this primeval forest has existed since the Vedic Age, and countless tribes from the Pure Land live there."
"I have no objection."
Krishna smiled. "In my eyes, the creatures living in Khandava Forest are no different from humans. But since you want to live, you cannot avoid soiling your hands; this is a necessary sacrifice."
"After all, everything will be alright..."
Krishna said in a low voice, his face finally showing only a faint smile.
"Haven't we trained many ascetics who have faith in the Great Deity? If any issues arise, let them handle them."
Krishna's words were like a stabilizing force, a definitive statement that gave Arjuna peace of mind.
But before actually setting fire to Khandava Forest, a sacrifice had to be performed. The object of the sacrifice was none other than the Mahadeva Shiva and the fire Agni.
To be precise, the Great Heaven is merely a figurehead; the real focus of the worship is the fire Agni.
Orange-red light rose from the flames, then quickly turned blood-red.
The enormous phantom of the god of fire appeared in response to the prayer, and there was even a dark crown on the pointed horn on his forehead.
"Sons of Indra, what do you want by calling my name?"
Arjuna raised his head without fear to meet his gaze. "Agni, the god of fire, I wish to build a city here, but the Khandava Forest is hindering our plans, so I have no choice but to eradicate it..."
Before Arjuna could finish speaking, Agni resolutely refused. "I have not unleashed my ferocity for many years. To expect me to set fire to Khandava Forest, unless—"
"Unless, by some means, you reveal your name before you became a god?"
Krishna's voice said calmly, "Very well, Bhrigu, I command you to burn Khandava Forest and devour all the animals within."
"You, you—"
The skin of the god of fire Agni, gradually turned orange-yellow, and his face became strange and terrifying, with bright light constantly flashing around him.
His ancient demonic nature, suppressed by Indra and the priests, is surging and erupting.
Thirst, hunger!
These violent desires compelled him to devour all the living creatures in the Khandava Forest!
"Yes, sir!"
Bhrigu, the Lord of Camael, roared in response, "You must guard the four corners of Khandava Forest and not let a single living creature escape!"
Bhrigu leaped out of the firelight and landed on Arjuna's arrow, which Arjuna immediately drew his bow and released.
In an instant, a rain of fire fell from the sky, engulfing the peaceful primeval forest in flames.
From the sacrificial fire emerged a Divine Bow and a war chariot.
The great bowstring rang out with a resounding clang, echoing in all directions. It was the legendary "Gandiva" Divine Bow, crafted by the Brahma himself. A white horse rode atop the chariot, and on the banner stood a towering, earth-shaking divine monkey wielding an iron rod.
—Although Hanuman intruded into the Pure Land and disrupted a corner of the Dharma, his actions inadvertently helped the Vedas gods to possess humanity.
All the Vedas gods were secretly grateful for Hanuman's kindness.
Flames were already shooting straight into the sky. Arjuna laughed loudly and began to drive his chariot around at high speed.
With this Divine Bow, his arrows were inexhaustible. No animal that fled in all directions could escape the arrows' lock; they were either shot dead on the spot or, after being struck, were consumed by flames!
In the Khandava Forest, the lamentations of all things overthrowing the earth reach the Pure Land along the cracks etched by Hanuman's blows.
Indra opened his eyes and was surprised and bewildered to see that the fire god had reappeared in the form of the Demon King Bhrigu.
He became even angrier when he saw the painful struggle on Bhrigu's face.
Whether as the Vedic king or the Demon King of the Sarkaz, he had to lend a helping hand—to both Bhrigu and the creatures of the Khandava Forest.
"I'm coming to save you!"
Thunder rumbled in the sky, dark clouds rolled in, and rain poured down like a waterfall!
Krishna looked at the figure that was faintly visible in the clouds and smiled slightly.
Indra also took the bait.
Meanwhile, in the Khandava Forest, Bhrigu, having feasted on blood, was experiencing extreme joy, and without Krishna's intervention, even more flames began to erupt.
Now, dark clouds gathered over Khandava Forest, thunder roared, and gales howled; water and fire mingled in mid-air, and smoke filled the air; the forest, shrouded in the dark sky, emitted a dazzling golden light, while the wails of the creatures in the forest echoed—at the third quarter of the hour of Chou, Khandava Forest transformed into a brutal and murderous hell.
Oh, Namo San, what a terrible scene!
If an ordinary person witnessed this scene, they would surely lose control of their bladder!
When Indra saw that he had not Extinguishing Fires, he raised his vajra with a grim expression and appeared from the clouds.
Before he could speak, Krishna raised his hand and pointed at him from afar.
"The Exile!"
In an instant, the thunder and lightning that roared in the sky, the dark clouds and the rain all stopped.
Krishna's commandment pierced through the Snow Mountain Pure Land and resounded in Indra's mind, who fell silently from the sky and crashed down in front of Krishna.
Indra was certainly not dead, but he was in a very sorry state.
In that instant, he almost recalled the dusty, bumpy journey he had taken when he first escaped from Egypt.
This long-awaited humiliation caused Indra to raise his head and glare angrily at Krishna, who was walking towards him.
"Who exactly are you? Do you know the consequences of doing this?!"
In the distance, Arjuna was still firing arrows, accurately killing the animals that ran out of the Khandava Forest, Bhrigu's mournful yet joyful laughter echoed from the raging flames.
Krishna pinched Indra's cheek. "Of course I know, the Demon King [The Exile] who was ordered by Imhotep to lead the Sarkaz out of the Desert."
Indra's eyes widened as his greatest secret was revealed. He stared at Krishna, feeling a chill run down his spine.
In that instant, he threw a punch almost without regard for decorum.
Even though so many years have passed and Indra has become lazy and indifferent to most things... he has never forgotten the figure that led everyone out of the boundless darkness.
In his extreme rage, a blinding flash of lightning even crackled between his fingers as he punched. But the fist wasn't aimed at Krishna; it was aimed at Indra's own head!
—Trying to harm her through me? Don't even think about it!
However, just as his fist was about to touch his head, Krishna's voice rang out again.
"You're that loyal to her? Fine, in that case, I'll give you a new name... From now on, just be loyal to me."
"[Indra]!"
In the mortal world, countless ascetics throw incense into the sacrificial fire, and sacred chants emanate from their mouths.
"Praise Mahakala! Praise be to Indra!"
Chapter 324, a classic program from the Jieshe (戒社) program, is now being broadcast to you.
In Hebe's previous life, the name Indra was derived from a Buddhist modification.
The scriptures refer to Indra as the Indra, who holds a vajra and was a protector of the Buddha when he preached. He was later included in the system of the twenty gods.
At this time, with the decline of the Vedas gods and the rise of the Trimurti, Indra's position became particularly awkward. His incorporation into Buddhism gave him a second spring.
Furthermore, the alternative name "Indra" is not widely used in Bharata.
Its true fame was largely due to the vigorous dissemination within the Cathay cultural sphere.
In the Higashi, Indra is regarded as the prototype of the Gozu Tennō, the supreme heavenly emperor who wields thunder and lightning and royal power.
In the Tanguk, Indra is regarded as the commander who dominates the battlefield, the lord of Vaisravana, and the embodiment of pure thunder.
In South Seas, Indra is seen as a punishment for disobedience—which happens to coincide with the authority of Scar Father;
In Cathay, the Indra was deliberately conflated with that of a sovereign by those with ulterior motives, who attempted to establish a folk belief similar to that of the Jade Emperor... Of course, this approach ultimately failed.
The reason for the failure is simple—in Cathay before the Fourth Histories, only the "Emperor" was the earthly representative of the sovereign.
In other words, the Son of Heaven was the priest king of Cathay.
Therefore, under the powerful and visible blows of the Three Wu and One Zong emperors, Indra and Buddhism quickly declined together.
As the saying goes, the weapon of Critique! cannot replace the Critique! of weapons.
—What are you chanting so incoherently about? Go tell my Mo Dao!
In short, under these circumstances, Indra and Buddhist beliefs had to be spread secretly in Cathay through the form of societies.
—Until they were rejuvenated together in the Snowy Plateau in the name of Vajrayana Buddhism, experiencing a third spring.
Yes, even in Hebe's previous life, this was a rather niche and obscure piece of knowledge.
That is the so-called "superior esoteric Buddhism" of the Snowy Plateau, which actually originated later than Buddhism in Han areas.
It was the introduction of Han Chinese Buddhism into the snowy region that brought the earliest Buddhist theories there.
But this is not enough to establish a foothold in the snowy region. On this harsh and cold plateau, only sufficiently terrifying rituals can subdue the hearts of those who yearn for change.
At that time, the ruler of the plateau urgently needed to find a substitute for Bon Religion —the original religion of the snowy land.
The advanced and philosophical Han Chinese Buddhism could not meet his needs. At this time, a yogi named Padmasambhava visited him with a ritual that was terrifying, perfect, and "superior" enough.
In the Lhasa court, Padmasambhava performed a bizarre ritual using human blood, intestines, and brains, which defeated both Han Chinese Buddhism and the Bon Religion of Tibet.
The Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism thus took root in the snowy region.
This "religion" uses Buddhism as its outer shell and worships "Mahāvairocana" as its main deity.
However, the true main deity worshipped by him is called "Mahakala," while Indra exists as his guardian deity.
Does it feel familiar? Good.
Mahakala is another name for Mahadeva Shiva in Tantra, while the latter is the true form of the August Archon · Remnant Wolf in Bharata.
And coincidentally.
—The difference between "Mahakala" Shiva and "Krishna" Krishna in Cathay is only one word.
Even without deliberately trying to confuse them, if someone who has never heard of these two gods were to come here, they would probably think that they are the same god.
The core of this vast network, spanning Bharata, Cathay, the Higashi, Tanguk, South Seas, encompassing the entire Cathay cultural sphere, is Indra.
Coincidentally, the source of his idea was Hebe's thousand-year-old plan in the Higashi.
The only difference is that Hebe was on a time scale, while he was on a spatial scale.
Krishna held Indra's head in his hands, and the smile on his face became increasingly exaggerated and sinister, with bloody compound eyes breaking free from his cheekbone.