Mahavairocana Tathagata

Wei Yuan smiled and nodded, speaking gently:

"Please, Arhat, get on the bus and have a cup of tea."

An unexpected invitation. Du'e Luohan frowned, scrutinized Wei Yuan for a moment, then glanced at Kou Yangzhou, who was acting as the coachman, and said expressionlessly:

"I'm here to kill."

"Murder?" Wei Yuan nodded at first, then asked in return:

"Will the Arhat of Salvation kill me, or Kou Yangzhou, or perhaps the millions of innocent people in the capital behind me?"

The Arhat Du'e slowly said:

"Whoever stands in my way, I will kill."

His purpose in coming east was to defeat the extraordinary experts of the Great Feng Dynasty, create an advantage for the Witch God Cult to attack the capital, and cut off the Great Feng extraordinary experts' attack on Alanto from the ground.

As for who was killed, there is no clear indication.

"It's alright, it's alright." Wei Yuan waved his hand with a smile.

"Whoever you want to kill, it won't stop us from drinking tea. Senior Kou, please step back a hundred feet and don't worry about me."

Kou Yangzhou was not Wei Yuan's subordinate, and upon hearing this, he nodded.

Don't blame me if you get killed.

Riding the wind, they indeed retreated a hundred feet.

Wei Yuan turned and walked back to the carriage, stopping there, smiling as he looked back and extended the invitation again:

"Arhat who has saved you from suffering, please!"

Having said that, he boarded the carriage and climbed into the compartment.

Du'e hesitated for a moment, gazing at Kouyang Prefecture in the distance. This time, he did not refuse and followed Wei Yuan into the carriage.

Kou Yangzhou didn't leave; he really didn't dare to enter the carriage, for the only consequence of being approached by a martial arts expert was death.

Inside the spacious and luxurious carriage, there was a long tea table and two large chairs covered with tiger skins. Wei Yuan sat on the inside, his left hand pressing down on the sleeve of his right hand, while his right hand held a teapot, pouring clear, bright yellow tea into the teacups, with steam rising gently.

"This is the finest fragrant tea grown by the Flower Goddess, a delicacy unavailable in the Western Regions." Wei Yuan pushed one of the cups of tea towards the old monk and said with a smile:

"Take a look."

Du'e Luohan smelled the aroma of tea filling the carriage, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and looked slightly surprised.

Without exaggeration, this was the most delicious tea he had ever tasted in his life.

The taste experience is secondary; this tea nourishes the body, relieves fatigue, and for ordinary people, it's practically a miracle drug for prolonging life.

While the Arhat who has overcome difficulties doesn't need to prolong his life, the tea-drinking experience is indeed excellent.

Perhaps feeling obligated to speak his mind, the Arhat Du'e initiated a conversation, speaking in a deep voice:

"Killing you now would be as easy as turning my hand."

No matter how fast Kou Yangzhou moved, he couldn't protect Wei Yuan at this moment.

Wei Yuan smiled. "I'm already a cripple. What's the point of killing me?"

Du'e said calmly:

"The truly terrifying aspect of this military genius is not his cultivation level."

Wei Yuan, still smiling, countered with a question:

"Does the Arhat Du'e believe that the future trend will be large-scale battles involving millions of soldiers?"

Du'e remained silent, watching him quietly, awaiting Wei Yuan's further explanation.

The young actress, her temples slightly frosted, sighed:

"Haven't you noticed? The situation in Kyushu today is completely different from what it was twenty years ago. All the top-tier experts are about to break free, and the number of masters in the extraordinary realm has obviously surged. There are rising stars like Xu Qi'an, His Majesty Huaiqing, and Flying Swallow Heroine."

"There are figures like Kou Yangzhou and Asuluo, who have accumulated great talent and are now ready to unleash their potential. There is also Shen Shu, who is about to rebuild his physical body, and the Gods and Devils 'Huang' who has returned from overseas."

"I can guarantee that in the future battlefields, the extraordinary will be the protagonists."

The Arhat Du'e did not express his opinion, but said calmly:

Why are you telling me all this?

"I, Wei, have come personally to welcome the Arhat of Salvation, because I wish to discuss a business deal with you," Wei Yuan said with a smile.

"Business?"

Wei Yuan nodded. "According to Asura, you wanted to promote Mahayana Buddhism and actively preached in various parts of the Western Regions, but Bodhisattva Guangxian was not very interested. Moreover, Garashu had already made it clear that he respected the existing Buddhist teachings and would not allow the promotion of Mahayana Buddhism."

The Arhat Du'e understood and sneered:

"You want to use this to bribe me, to make me abandon Buddhist School and turn to the Central Plains?"

The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed, and he said calmly:

"Bodhisattva Gara Tree does indeed resist Mahayana Buddhism, but since the war in the Central Plains ended, I have been propagating Mahayana Buddhism in the Western Regions, and Gara Tree has tacitly accepted this. Moreover, the people of the Western Regions highly approve of Mahayana Buddhism, and I dare to guarantee that within a hundred years, Mahayana Buddhism will surely flourish throughout the Western Regions."

"Wei Yuan, why would I betray Buddhist School and collude with you?"

Wei Yuan took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and said unhurriedly:

"Don't rush to refuse. When it comes to business, you have to talk first."

"The reason why the Gara Tree tacitly allows you to spread Mahayana Buddhism is because after Asura's betrayal, you are the only extraordinary expert below the level of Bodhisattva in Buddhist School left. Of course, he will not push you too far at this critical juncture."

"However, regardless of who wins or loses this battle, once the situation stabilizes, he will eventually settle scores and extinguish the flame of Mahayana Buddhism completely."

Du'e Arhat frowned. He had a vague premonition about this. The attitude of the Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva told him that the Gara tree was merely enduring, not truly accepting Mahayana Buddhism.

But Du'e Luohan still refused to listen to Wei Yuan and refused to fall into his trap, retorting:

"Since you know that Buddhist School is in dire need of people, you should understand that this reckoning will happen a very long time from now. In the future, if Mahayana Buddhism is deeply rooted, he may even be forced to accept it."

Because the Bodhisattva Lapis Lazuli is neutral, while the Bodhisattva Guangxian is actually biased towards Mahayana Buddhism, the decision of Aranya is not solely up to Garashu.

Wei Yuan nodded in agreement, then posed his question:

"Arhat Du'e, what are your views on Buddhist School? For example, on Bodhisattva Faji; or on the Buddha?"

Du'e Luohan's gaze suddenly sharpened, staring intently at him.

The carriage was filled with a somber atmosphere.

Wei Yuan, unperturbed, chuckled:

"Asura has already told us the situation. Xu Ningyan and I share roughly the same opinion: the cry for help you heard is most likely from the long-lost Bodhisattva Faji, not the Buddha."

"But no matter who it is, the Buddha is in trouble. You can't even be sure now whether the one sleeping in Aranya is the Buddha or not. Perhaps the deity attacking the mountain is the real Buddha."

"In this context, your cooperation with the Central Plains is not a betrayal of Buddhist School, but rather a turning away from darkness and towards the light. Those three bodhisattvas definitely knew some inside information, but they didn't reveal a single thing to you. Are you truly without any reservations?"

Du'e fell silent.

He has recently had a profound realization that he is not a core figure in Buddhist School.

Wei Yuan continued to add fuel to the fire:

"If there were problems with the Buddha, or if the Buddha had been replaced five hundred years ago, or if the opposition of the Gara tree to Mahayana Buddhism was the Buddha's intention, then the change of attitude of Bodhisattva Guangxian would also be for this reason."

Wei Yuan leaned forward, gazing intently at the Arhat Du'e, and said:

How should you deal with this?

Before the Arhat Du'e could answer, he sighed:

"Of course, if you give up propagating Mahayana Buddhism, then nothing is a problem, and you can kill me today. However, as the sage said, 'If one hears the Way in the morning, one can die content in the evening.' Ask yourself honestly, are you willing to give up Mahayana Buddhism?"

Seeing that Du'e was expressionless but had lost interest in speaking, Wei Yuan knew that his words had struck a nerve.

This made the other party lose the will to refute and aroused their anxiety.

"You're willing to sit down and listen to me, which suggests you might be considering cooperation, and perhaps you harbor some unspoken expectations. Because Mahayana Buddhism didn't originate in the Western Regions, but in the Central Plains, from Xu Ningyan. Do you believe it or not, the destiny of Mahayana Buddhism isn't in the Western Regions, but in the Central Plains."

Wei Yuan cleared his throat and said:

"If you agree, I can grant you permission to spread Buddhism in the Central Plains and propagate Mahayana Buddhism. The imperial court will appoint you as the National Preceptor and designate the Buddhist School you founded as the state religion. Your ideas will flourish throughout the Central Plains."

"You will become the founder of Mahayana Buddhism, and your name will be etched in history for generations to come."

That last sentence struck a chord with the Arhat Du'e.

Du'e Luohan still refused, and said in a deep voice:

"I have followers in the Western Regions, and I will not abandon them."

He outwardly refused, but in reality, he set conditions.

Wei Yuan laughed:

"Those believers, if they wish, you can bring them to the Central Plains. The imperial court will provide them with a place to stay. Perfect timing, as we need their help to rapidly spread Mahayana Buddhism in the Central Plains."

After a moment of silence, the Arhat Du'e said:

Why should I believe you!

Wei Yuan shook his head:

"You don't need to believe me, but you can believe Xu Qi'an. Today's conversation was at his behest; it was his promise. You know him well enough. Great Feng might go back on his word, but he won't."

Wei Yuan looked sincere, as if it were the truth.

But Xu Qi'an was completely unaware of this.

These words completely dispelled the last lingering doubt in the heart of the Arhat Du'e.

"I need to think about it."

Du'e Luohan slowly exhaled.

"I understand!" Wei Yuan nodded and said, "But I hope that when I come to you next time, you will have already made up your mind."

The two raised their cups at the same time and drank the tea in one gulp.

Wei Yuan got up and left the carriage, heading towards Kouyang Prefecture.

"It's done?"

Kou Yangzhou asked.

Although he had no idea from beginning to end why Wei Yuan had come to see the Arhat Du'e.

Wei Yuan nodded and transmitted his voice:

"You fight him, he'll get injured, and then you can go help the Imperial Advisor and the others."

Kou Yangzhou hummed in agreement and asked curiously:

What did you talk about with him?

I'm trying to win him over.

Kou Yangzhou was taken aback. "He agreed. Since that's the case, why bother with the act? Let's just storm over and kill those two Spiritual Masters of the Witch God Cult."

Wei Yuan frowned and said calmly via telepathy:

"What's the point of killing two third-rank officials? Besides, Du'e isn't stupid; he needs to observe the situation."

Although Du'e was tempted, he still wanted to consider it. It wasn't that his will to promote Mahayana Buddhism was wavering, but rather that he wanted to take a wait-and-see approach to the current situation.

We'll see how things go in Aranya.

Moreover, even if Du'e were to agree to surrender to the imperial court now, Wei Yuan would not allow him to cooperate with Kou Yangzhou in dealing with the Witch God Cult, because the Grand Witch is certainly invincible.

In this way, Aranya would learn of Du'e's betrayal of Buddhist School.

His attempt to win over Du'e Luohan was ostensibly to gain the favor of a second-rank transcendent being, but in reality, it was a strategic move for the future.

The Buddhist School will not punish Du'e in the short term, and will turn a blind eye to his propagation of Mahayana Buddhism. This is an opportunity.

If Du'e works hard enough, he can gather a large number of believers in the Western Regions. If these people migrate to the Central Plains, it will weaken the fortune of Buddhist School and the fortune of Aranya.

This is the killing move!

Wei Yuan's plan is for something of the highest rank, not just the two minor Witch God Cult Spiritual Masters before him.

Western Regions.

After the Vajra form collapsed, Garashu immediately formed a mudra with both hands and summoned the "Acala" who was sitting cross-legged with lowered brows.

The next moment, with a loud 'clang,' twelve fists shattered the spatial barrier, pounding directly and brutally onto the image of "Immovable King."

The tree remained motionless, like a sculpture that had been smashed and thrown a considerable distance before crashing into the forest with a "boom," causing a large-scale landslide.

Chance!

Xu Qi'an and the other extraordinary experts' eyes lit up.

The divine beings pressed their advantage, with Xu Qi'an shrouded in blood mist and Asura revealing his Asura bloodline. Each of them unleashed their full power, determined to break through the Immovable King of the Gara Tree Bodhisattva in the shortest possible time.

A terrifying aura swept over them. Gara Tree lowered his head solemnly, but a strong sense of crisis arose in his heart, and he sensed the danger of death.

Asura was one thing, but Xu Qi'an and Shen Shu were the real formidable enemies. If the two joined forces and unleashed their full power, Fudo Myo-o would definitely not last three breaths.

Keep in mind that even the defensive array couldn't stop them.

The beautiful eyes of the Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva flashed, and with her footing as the core, the colorless lapis lazuli domain rapidly expanded, taking away all colors from the surroundings and turning everything into pure black and white.

This includes Shen Shu, Xu Qi'an, and the many extraordinary experts behind them.

Freeze their thoughts, freeze their actions.

The twelve arms of the Divine Dharma Form pierced into the void and tore it apart with force; on the other side, Xu Qi'an made the same move.

"Bang!"

The air emitted a dull sound, and the colorless glass barrier, like a mirror, simultaneously revealed two gaps, originating from Xu Qi'an and Shen Shu respectively.

Under their brutal attack, the colorless glass domain didn't last even a second.

At this moment, Shen Shu, Xu Qi'an, and Asuluo were very close to the Gara Tree.

Suddenly, the sound of chanting filled the air, and brilliant golden light shone down upon the young monk Guangxian. A compassionate-faced deity with hands clasped in prayer appeared above his head.

The image of a compassionate and merciful deity.

The moment the chanting began, Li Miaozhen and Daoist Jinlian immediately had their spirits leave their bodies. The former's spirit was not completely immune to the influence of the "Great Compassionate Dharma Image," and inevitably felt compassion.

The same applies to Daoist Jinlian, but she is slightly better than Li Miaozhen.

However, the inability to generate the will to fight does not mean that a response cannot be made.

The two Yang Gods simultaneously lunged at Xu Qi'an, intending to combine their strength to possess him and eliminate the influence of the "Power of Compassion".

With Xu Qi'an's cultivation level, as long as there is an external opportunity and a slight influence, he can break free on his own.

"Boom!"

Thunder roared in the sky, and bolts of lightning as thick as water vats struck down, engulfing the two Yang Gods.

Nalan Tianlu, who was some distance away, intervened, using lightning to subdue the two Yang Gods.

Under the all-encompassing light of the compassionate Buddha, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, Sun Xuanji, and Zhao Shou revealed expressions of mercy, almost clasping their hands together and chanting "Amitabha."

Of the three who charged into battle, Shen Shu's movements faltered slightly, while Xu Qi'an and Asuluo, influenced by the compassionate Dharma image, revealed compassionate expressions.

Xu Qi'an's compassion was tinged with a sense of dazedness and resistance, while Asuluo was completely immersed in the atmosphere of compassion.

Seizing the fleeting opportunity, Gara Tree leaped up and pounced on Asura with a series of rapid steps.

He wasn't confident he could kill Xu Qi'an, but since Asuluo hadn't reached the first rank, even without the Vajra Dharma Form, the Gara Tree was still confident he could inflict heavy damage, or even kill the traitor, without the other party resisting.

On the other side, after the lightning bolt struck, Li Miaozhen and Daoist Jinlian changed their strategy. The latter separated a Dharma image covered with stone armor from his Yang spirit. This stone image expanded and transformed into a stone shield above everyone's heads.

Earth overcomes fire, and it can also overcome lightning.

Li Miaozhen plunged headlong into the body of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox. She originally wanted to possess Zhao Shou, but Zhao Shou possessed Vast Righteous Qi that made him impervious to all evil, and his yang spirit could not possess him.

The nine-tailed celestial fox trembled, regaining a sliver of consciousness.

No, no, I still can't regain my fighting spirit. Various thoughts flashed through the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox's mind. Realizing that she still couldn't completely get rid of the influence, she made a decisive move, tilted her head back, and let out a piercing shriek.

The whistling sound was like a demonic chant, carrying an extremely strong piercing effect.

This is one of the Nine-Tailed Fox's innate divine Divine Ability. When she reclaimed the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain, she used this move to break through the Buddhist scriptures' brainwashing.

Under the piercing influence of the demonic sound, Zhao Shou and the others regained some of their rationality, but they could not completely break free from the influence of the Great Compassion. However, this demonic sound that affected their Primordial Spirit was like a morning bell to Xu Qi'an, instantly helping him to get rid of the influence of the Great Compassion.

His gaze sharpened again as Xu Qi'an looked around, his eyes reflecting the image of Gara Tree smashing Asura's head with a single punch.

On the other side, Shenshu twelve clasped his arms together, like a Venus flytrap swallowing an insect, and engulfed Guangxian Bodhisattva.

The Dharma of Great Compassion and Mercy dissipates upon its manifestation.

Everyone regained their will.

The Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva, manifesting the form of the Pilgrim, appeared in the distance with the Guangxian Bodhisattva, leaving Shenshu empty-handed.

Gara Tree immediately abandoned Asura and tried to avoid Xu Qi'an.

At that moment, the headless Asura opened his arms, his left arm wreathed in flames, and his right arm radiating brilliant light. His arms, like iron clamps, tightly embraced the Gara tree.

If he could kill the Gara tree, Asura wouldn't mind risking his life; that was his resolve.

Gara Tree's eyes flashed with a fierce light, his muscles bulged, and he was about to form Method Formula to summon the image of Acala to kill this traitor.

Master Jinlian extended her palm from afar, aiming it at the Garuda tree, thus diminishing some of its good fortune and increasing its bad luck.

Li Miaozhen tacitly took out the Floating Pagoda, and the "Great Wisdom Dharma Image" appeared on the top of the pagoda, with the halo reversing.

Galo Tree's mind went blank for a moment, and he briefly lost the ability to think.

Originally, the position of the pagoda could not effectively affect the Gara tree, but its fortune was weakened by the Golden Lotus Daoist, and its luck became not so good.

The pagoda, on its own foundation, received the added blessing of Li Miaozhen, resulting in a balance of power.

Sun Xuanji rushed out, flicked his hand and threw out a light black rope, binding the Gara Tree and Asura together. At the same time, he pushed out a formation with his palm, turning the ground beneath their feet into a swamp.

The mud climbed up and tightly bound his legs.

The nine-tailed celestial fox soared into the air, its nine tails billowing behind it, bewitching and beautiful. They swept through the sky, entwining the Asura and Gara trees together.

The Bodhisattva Guangxian clasped his hands together, and golden light burst forth behind him, transforming into a giant wheel engraved with the "Six Realms".

Click~ The turntable made a metallic spinning sound, and the Sanskrit characters for "human," "asura," and "demon" lit up. He intended to weaken the enemy's combat power using the Six Paths of Reincarnation Dharma Form.

Just then, there was a loud "boom".

A bolt of lightning struck Guangxian Bodhisattva hard, hitting the Great Samsara Dharma Image.

The roulette wheel didn't break down, but it seemed to be stuck and failed to operate as expected; the lit Sanskrit characters went out.

Nalan Tianlu made his move, colluding with a powerful expert from the Great Feng to betray his ally.

The Confucian carving knife in Zhao Shou's hand and the Confucian hat on his head emitted a dazzling light as he spoke in a loud voice:

"The practitioner's form must not be displayed."

In the lingering echo, the figure of the Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva manifested not far from the Garuda tree.

"Puff!"

Zhao Shou looked up at the sky and spat out blood, his scholar's cap and carving knife losing their luster.

He restricted the Dharma form of a first-rank Bodhisattva, not through indirect influence, but through direct restriction.

Without the engraving knife and the scholar's cap, the Law Follows Speech would not be effective. Similarly, without these two Law Artifact to mitigate the backlash, Zhao Shou would already be a dead man.

Even so, he was still severely injured.

At this moment, Xu Qi'an and Shen Shu had already arrived close, one thrusting his sword at the back of the Gara tree, the other slamming down with twenty-four fists.

With the brute force of the two warriors, even the Dharma form of Fudo Myoo could be broken, let alone the fact that the Gara Tree was not currently supporting its Dharma form domain.

But at that very moment, deep within Aranya, a great sun slowly rose.