I Can See Your Combat Power

Chapter 941: Chapter 235: Zen Debate (Thanks to alliance leader Kai Kai KK’s reward~)

Listen to the strings for the music; heed the tone behind the words.

People can convey so little with language, and the key difference between a smart person and a foolish one is that, apart from understanding what others say, a smart person can also grasp the hidden messages beneath their words.

Liaoyin was very polite and amiable. As the Great Zen Master of Buddha’s Country and the venerable one of the Esoteric Sect, having such manners was indeed a rarity. But this was merely a surface appearance.

He handled the situation with ease, simply because he was certain Tang Luo wouldn’t dare to act rashly. Faced with the vast Buddha’s Country, even a Grandmaster would have to lower his proud head; thus, he was willing to provide a way out.

As the true protector of the Feitian Sect, Liaoyin naturally took control of all the conversation, and even though he referred to the Xiushi Emperor with respectful titles, there wasn’t a hint of true respect in his words.

Tang Luo’s eyes were smiling as he calmly said, “Does the master think that I came to Neide because I was unaware that the Feitian Sect was under the protection of Buddha’s Country?”

“Namah sever-doubts, pull-desires, remove-darkness Buddha.” Liaoyin put down his Buddhist beads, and with a puzzled yet curious tone, he asked, “If the gentleman knows, then why take the risk?”

“There has to be some hope for the people of the Wilderness; don’t let them all think about transcending life and death, believing that as long as they dedicate everything they have, they will ascend to Divine Country after death and enjoy endless pleasure.”

Tang Luo, with a scornful glance at the Asura congregation and the monk before him, disdainfully said, “I really want to know, when you deceive those pitiful Wilderness people, telling them they were born as lowly beings and can only atone by giving up everything, does your conscience truly not ache?”

Everyone’s faces changed, but before they could answer, Tang Luo waved his hand and apologized, “Oh, sorry, I misspoke; Asuras belong to the path of beasts, where is the conscience to speak of, eh? My oversight.”

As the Asura congregation in the sky heard this, they all brought forth Blood Fiend divine weapons in their hands, drawing bows and aiming arrows at Tang Luo while roaring vehemently, as if deeply insulted and wanting to settle life and death, only Liaoyin the Zen Master appeared to suddenly understand.

Waving his hand to stop the Asuras’ outburst, Liaoyin said to Tang Luo, “So to speak, the gentleman feels the teaching of karma and reincarnation is utterly false, and this is why he targeted the Feitian Sect?”

“Partially,” Tang Luo shrugged, “I am not here to be some grand hero saving the Wilderness. I just particularly dislike the Feitian Sect, and you may consider me a passing demon. The master is a revered figure of the Esoteric Sect, but he protects a heretical cult. Can he really overcome the barrier within his own Zen Heart?”

“Namah sever-doubts, pull-desires, remove-darkness Buddha, please be careful with your words, sir. People are ignorant, thus they need the guidance of the Buddha’s teachings. The doctrine of the Feitian Sect has been examined by the Buddha’s Country and is considered orthodox Buddhism, with only slight differences in ideology. What would be there for me to disagree with?”

Intoning a Buddha’s name, Liaoyin calmly explained, “The sages educate the masses and drive away demons, all to encourage humans to strengthen themselves. The doctrine of the Feitian Sect aims to do the same. The gentleman only sees the cycle of sin and retribution but has never considered why those high monks and holy ones would do so. While the teachings of the Feitian Sect may differ from the usual Zen, in advocating for spiritual practice, they align perfectly.”

Liaoyin turned his head and asked the Xiushi Emperor, “May I ask Your Majesty, is it true that in the Wilderness, anyone who cultivates to the Foundation Building stage can remove their lowly status and become a noble?”

“Absolutely true!” The Xiushi Emperor, holding his chest, nodded and said to Tang Luo with a sneer, “I wonder which petty person has bewitched Mr. Tang into thinking that the Feitian Sect is a heresy. It is truly regrettable!”

Ignoring the mockery, Liaoyin turned back to Tang Luo and continued, “Encouraging cultivation is the core tenet of the Feitian Sect and the reason the Zen Temple was established. For those who cannot cultivate, they are induced and supported in cultivation, telling them cultivating can accumulate merit for the next life’s reward; for those who are unwilling to cultivate, they are driven and pushed with a lowly status, thus creating a system of classes and rewards and punishments; therefore, whether it’s the commoners who wish to become nobles and live in paradise or those who cultivate out of fear of a lowly status, the temple treats them all equally. As long as Vimazhita originally cultivated the Asura Path to the Foundation Building stage, the Feitian Sect will acknowledge his status as a noble.”

“Of course, the Buddhist teachings of the Feitian Sect might seem unworthy of mention in your eyes, but there are few people with great wisdom like you in this world. There are many ordinary people, and even more who are less intelligent, so the Feitian Sect’s doctrines are in fact designed for the ordinary and the less intelligent. The concept of karma and reincarnation is also created for those who are below average. You see only the sorrow of the Wilderness commoners being born into lowliness but fail to see the painstaking efforts of the Feitian Sect, isn’t that a great mistake?”

After hearing the words of the Great Zen Master Liaoyin, cheers erupted from the congregation of Asuras, every member of the Feitian Sect held their heads high with pride, as if there was great goodwill hidden behind the Feitian Sect’s strict doctrines.

This sight made Tang Luo snort with laughter, and with a polite gesture, he mocked, “Truly worthy of being an honored one from the Esoteric Sect, even such seemingly reasonable but flawed arguments can be made to seem justifiable. I am impressed!” noveldrama

“With doctrines that sound grand on the surface but the heart of a demon within, do the Wilderness commoners become nobles as soon as they achieve Foundation Building? Ridiculous. If you truly encouraged cultivation, you wouldn’t ban official languages and writing, cutting off the source of the martial path, and only leave behind the Foundation Building diagrams and the Asura Path for the commoners to cultivate? How are those commoners, who can’t even get enough to eat, supposed to withstand the tempering of Evil Qi!?”

“Why is it so easy for the Feitian clan and the nobles to cultivate the Asura Path? Do you really believe it is because the heavens favor you, or is it not because spiritual food is regularly served at your tables, and you have solid physical constitutions to rely on?”

Tang Luo crossed his arms and said disdainfully to Liaoyin, “A monk is also a Grandmaster figure. Your martial prowess must be extraordinary. Can you not see that without a sufficient physique, even if the will can withstand the Evil Qi, one would still be tormented to death by the Blood Fiend?”

“Moreover, if they are lowly, so be it; even if they can’t live in the city, they can support a family by herding livestock. Over time, they could save some money, and if they are lucky enough to not encounter any disasters or famine years, they might be able to save enough money to support the next generation’s cultivation, with the hope of changing their fate. But because of the doctrines of the Feitian Sect, the commoners of the Wilderness donate all their money to the temple for constructing statues!”

At this point, an irate Tang Luo threw a punch, sending a column of air through a side hall and breaking its beams, toppling the towering golden Asura God statue.

As the statue fell and the seemingly majestic figure shattered into pieces on the ground, the empty interior of the statue caused the faces of the Asuras in the heavens to drastically change.

“Ha, the commoners give their life’s savings to the temple, believing the Feitian clan would create a solid gold statue. Now, who will tell me, why is this statue hollow?”

With a cold smirk, Tang Luo’s punches flew like dragons, knocking down temple after temple, toppling statue after statue.

Empty, empty, they were all empty!