I, the Villain, Become Invincible the More Descendants I Have

Chapter 71 The Descent of the Holy MonkAfter unifying the East Sea, Emperor Cao Xukun returned to the capital with Eldest Princess Ling Xi and Second Princess Ling Yao, where the streets of Luoyang were packed with people welcoming them back. Back at the palace, his days were spent either accompanying his wives and playing with the children or taking Li Tieniu to Zuixian Tower for a feast; life was truly comfortable.

One day, as he lay on a rocking chair in the Imperial Garden, watching Consort Su Qingyue teach Cao Gu how to read, with Governor Ao Xue nearby sewing small clothes for the two unborn little ones, Li Tieniu came rushing in, stumbling and scrambling like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

”Emperor Xuan! Something big has happened!” Li Tieniu panted, clutching an urgent eight-hundred-mile express dispatch in his hand. ”A Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi has popped up in the Western Desert Buddhist Kingdom. He claims to be the reincarnation of the second disciple of the Tathagata Buddha. Now, the entire Western Desert reveres him as the ’Saintly Monk,’ and he has declared that he is coming to Luoyang to convert you, claiming you are a demon wreaking havoc on the world, and that only by being converted by him can the common people be saved!”

”Oh? Let me guess, another Son of Destiny?” Emperor Cao Xukun didn’t even lift an eyelid.

Li Tieniu’s eyes widened. ”I heard that when this guy was born, Buddha light descended from the heavens, tricking the people of the Western Desert into worshipping him like a living god. He is leading three thousand Buddhas, marching north, giving speeches everywhere along the way, saying your killing is too heavy, that you’ve created boundless sin, and that following you will lead to hell sooner or later. Only by converting to Buddhism can they be liberated. Many clueless commoners have been deceived by him!”

”Deceived? Isn’t this just a pyramid scheme leader from the Western Heaven?” Emperor Cao Xukun scoffed, sitting up straight. ”I’d like to see just how capable this so-called Saintly Monk is, daring to come to my territory to run wild.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion came from outside. A guard ran in to report: ”Your Majesty! Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi has arrived outside the capital city with three thousand Buddhist soldiers! They are currently preaching at the city gate, and many commoners have run over to watch!”

”Just in time.” Emperor Cao Xukun stood up and brushed the dust off his body. ”Let’s go see this Saintly Monk and see how many heads he actually has.”

Outside the capital city, it was already packed with a sea of people.

Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi was draped in a golden kasaya, holding a nine-ringed monk staff. His face was as handsome as jade, and his eyes were like bright stars. He sat cross-legged on a huge lotus pedestal. A gentle golden Buddha light radiated from his body, making him look dignified and incredibly compassionate. Three thousand Buddhist soldiers held Zen staffs, lined up behind him, chanting in unison. The sound was solemn and grave, making people’s hearts tremble.

”Benefactors!” Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi’s voice was gentle and pleasant, carrying a bewitching power that spread across the entire city gate square. ”Emperor Cao Xukun’s killing is excessive. He destroyed the Dragon Race, the Gu King’s race, and slaughtered the Sea Race; his hands are stained with blood. He is the number one demon of this age! His empire is built on piles of bones, and his throne is dyed with blood! Following such a demon, you will all sooner or later fall into the Avici Hell along with him!”

”Convert to my Buddha! Lay down your butcher’s knife and attain Buddhahood instantly! As long as you believe in my Buddha, I guarantee that after you die, you will ascend to the Western Heaven’s Paradise and enjoy eternal peace and happiness!”

The commoners below were bewitched by the Buddha light and the chanting, their eyes dazed. One by one, they knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi: ”Saintly Monk is compassionate! We are willing to convert to your Buddha! We beg the Saintly Monk to convert us!”

”Hahaha! Well said!”

Just then, a cold voice suddenly rang out, instantly drowning out all the chanting.

Emperor Cao Xukun was dressed in a black dragon robe, walking slowly with his hands behind his back. There was no light around him, yet he carried an aura of dominance over the world. Wherever he passed, the commoners involuntarily cleared a path, and their previously dazed eyes instantly cleared up a bit.

Li Tieniu carried a giant axe behind him, shouting at the top of his lungs: ”Don’t be fooled by this bald donkey! He’s just a liar! That so-called Western Heaven’s Paradise is all made up to trick you!”

Seeing Emperor Cao Xukun, Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi still wore a compassionate smile on his face. He slowly stood up and pressed his palms together: ”Amitabha, Benefactor Cao, you have finally come. This humble monk has come this time to convert you, and also to save the common people of the world. As long as you are willing to lay down your butcher’s knife, dissolve the Great Xuan Dynasty, and follow me back to the Western Desert to practice Buddhism with devotion, this humble monk guarantees that I will let bygones be bygones and allow you to attain a righteous fruition.”

”Convert me?” Emperor Cao Xukun laughed heartily, rocking back and forth. ”You think you’re worthy? I don’t think you’re here to convert me; you’re here to deliver your head and treasures to me, right? Long Aotian gave me the Dragon Race, the Gu King gave me the Witch Race, Sea Emperor Hai Wuya gave me the East Sea—what are you planning to give me? Are you giving me your bald head, or the entire Western Desert Buddhist Kingdom?”

”Benefactor Cao, stop spouting wild words!” Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi’s face sank. His tone remained gentle, but carried a hint of imperceptible malice. ”This humble monk has good intentions, yet you do not know what is good for you. You have created so much sin; aren’t you afraid of divine retribution? Aren’t you afraid of falling into the eighteen levels of hell after you die?”

”Divine retribution? I am the Heaven!” Emperor Cao Xukun’s eyes turned cold, and the pressure of the late Dongxu stage erupted, instantly making the three thousand Buddhist soldiers breathless. ”I destroyed the Dragon Race because Long Aotian was wreaking havoc in the Northern Territory; I pacified the Witch Race because the Gu King was using living people for Gu sacrifices; I slaughtered the Sea Race because Sea Emperor Hai Wuya was plundering merchant ships and killing commoners! Everything I have done is to ensure the common people can live a good life!”

He pointed to the commoners below, his voice resounding firmly: ”Ask these commoners: following me, Emperor Cao Xukun, have they had enough to eat and wear? Have they lived in peace and contentment? Have they been bullied by others again? You call me a demon, yet I have allowed millions of commoners to live good lives; you call yourself a Saintly Monk, yet the commoners in the Western Desert are still eating grass roots and tree bark, and still have to pay heavy incense money to your temples—if they can’t pay, they get beaten and scolded!”

”The compassion you speak of is letting the commoners go hungry while donating incense money to you; the Paradise you speak of is you living in a magnificent temple, eating delicacies, while the commoners outside starve and freeze to death!”

”A hypocrite like you with a Buddha’s mouth and a snake’s heart, you dare talk about compassion? You dare talk about conversion?”

These words were resounding, and the commoners below instantly erupted in an uproar.

”That’s right! The Saintly Monk says Emperor Xuan is a demon, but Emperor Xuan has given us a good life!”

”My cousin is in the Western Desert, and he says the temples there are more luxurious than the imperial palace, the monks are filthy rich, but the commoners are dirt poor!”

”Could it be that we’ve really been deceived?”

Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi did not expect Emperor Cao Xukun to be so eloquent, instantly piercing through his disguise, and he was so angry that his face turned pale. He knew that if he kept talking, he would be exposed, so he simply tore off his mask and shouted sternly: ”Emperor Cao Xukun! You are stubborn and have blasphemed the Buddha; you deserve to die! Since you won’t listen to good advice, this humble monk has no choice but to convert you with Buddhist Dharma!”

He suddenly raised his nine-ringed monk staff, and the Buddha light around him surged violently. He shouted sternly: ”Three days from now, I will set up the Duer Grand Formation at Shili Slope outside the city! If you have guts, come alone to the formation! If you can break my grand formation, I will lead the three thousand Buddhist soldiers back to the Western Desert and never come to the Central Plains again! If you cannot break it, then obediently cripple your own cultivation and follow me back to the Western Desert to practice Buddhism!”

”What? Can’t win with words so you want to fight?” Emperor Cao Xukun scoffed, looking disdainful. ”Don’t talk about any Duer Grand Formation; even if you called the Tathagata Buddha here, I would still punch him into pieces! Three days from now, I will be there! At that time, I’d like to see whether your Buddhist Dharma is stronger, or my fist is stronger!”

”Good! It’s a deal!” Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi gritted his teeth and said, while secretly feeling smug in his heart. His Duer Grand Formation was an ancient Buddhist formation capable of trapping and killing cultivators in the late Dongxu stage. No matter how powerful Emperor Cao Xukun was, he would definitely not be able to break it. At that time, he would be able to kill Emperor Cao Xukun, seize the Great Xuan empire, and become the emperor himself!

Emperor Cao Xukun couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words with him, and turned around to take Li Tieniu back into the city.

Watching Emperor Cao Xukun’s back, the compassionate smile on Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi’s face instantly vanished, replaced by a look of malice.

”Emperor Cao Xukun, just you wait! Three days from now will be your death day! This Great Xuan empire, and those wives of yours, will be mine sooner or later!”