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

Chapter 72 Buddhist Soldiers Pressing InSaintly Monk Jin Chanzi, having his rhetoric exposed in public by Emperor Cao Xukun, suffered a mental breakdown on the spot. After throwing out some harsh threats, he immediately turned around, led his three thousand Buddhist soldiers to withdraw from the suburbs of the Imperial Capital overnight, and set up camp at Shili Slope.

This bald donkey preached ”compassion” with his mouth, but behind the scenes, he played dirtier than anyone else. His actions all the way north could be called the gold standard of Buddhist gaslighting.

Every time he passed a town, he would have his Buddhist soldiers spread rumors, claiming that Emperor Cao Xukun was conscripting all the people under heaven to build an imperial mausoleum, and that all males over fifteen would be forced into the army, or their entire families would be executed.

Once the people were in a panic, he would make his entrance stepping on a lotus platform, his body radiating Buddhist light. Holding his nine-ringed monk staff, he would point to the heavens and swear that he was a holy monk sent by the Tathagata to save the suffering. He claimed that as long as they converted to Buddhism, they would be exempt from all taxes and corvée labor, and upon death, they would ascend directly to the Western Paradise.

”Benefactors! Emperor Cao Xukun is a demon from hell! His empire is built on piles of bones, and his dragon robe is stained with blood! If you follow him, you will be treated like beasts of burden while you live, and you will descend to the eighteenth level of hell when you die!”

Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi stood on the high platform, weeping and wailing, acting even more realistically than a lead actress in an opera troupe. ”Convert to my Buddha! I guarantee that from now on, you will not need to pay taxes or serve as soldiers. As long as you recite the scriptures three times a day, you will be well-fed, warmly clothed, and enjoy eternal peace!”

The bewildered people, completely taken in by his lies, knelt on the ground one after another, crying and begging to convert.

Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi seized the opportunity to draft all the able-bodied young men into his Buddhist army and looted the government granaries and treasuries, calling it ”donations for the Buddhist sect,” though in reality, most of it was secretly transported back to the Great Leiyin Temple in the Western Desert.

In just half a month, his three thousand Buddhist soldiers swelled to over ten thousand, and he controlled over a dozen counties along the way, his influence growing larger by the day.

When the news reached Luoyang, Li Tieniu was so angry that he smashed the teacup in his hand. ”Damn it! That bald donkey is too shameless! He is clearly a robber who pillages homes, yet he pretends to be a Bodhisattva who saves the suffering! I will take fifty thousand troops over there right now and grind his ten thousand rabble into meat paste!”

”What’s the rush?” Emperor Cao Xukun leaned back on the dragon throne, slowly sipping his tea. ”Doesn’t he like to put on an act? Then let him act to his heart’s content. When he has pushed his pretense to the extreme, I will slap him to death; that will be satisfying enough. Besides, he helped me clean out those local officials who feigned compliance, so I should actually thank him.”

”But Emperor Xuan, that bald donkey is getting more and more outrageous!” Li Tieniu stamped his feet in anxiety. ”He is now going around saying you are a demon, and that he will invoke the Buddhist fire of the Western Heaven to burn down Luoyang, and take your wife and children to be monks and nuns!”

”Oh? He dares to say such things?” Emperor Cao Xukun put down his teacup, his eyes turning cold. ”It seems that if I don’t give this bald donkey a taste of his own medicine, he will really think I am made of clay. Pass down the order: tell the border guards not to obstruct him, let him come to the Imperial Capital. I want to see what tricks he can pull.”

Just as Emperor Cao Xukun expected, three days later, Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi arrived at Shili Slope outside the Imperial Capital with over ten thousand Buddhist soldiers in a grand procession. He chose the highest flat ground and ordered his Buddhist soldiers to set up a formation overnight. In less than a night, a massive ”Duer Grand Formation” rose from the ground.

The formation covered a radius of ten miles, entirely shrouded in golden Buddhist light. The interior was inscribed with Buddhist runes, and the phantom images of eighteen Arhats floated in mid-air, holding weapons and appearing majestic. Bursts of chanting emanated from the formation, carrying a power that bewitched people’s hearts, making the guards of the Imperial Capital feel uneasy.

Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi wore a gold-inlaid kasaya, a Vairocana hat, and held a nine-ringed monk staff. Standing on a nine-grade lotus platform in the center of the formation, his pretentiousness was off the charts. He cleared his throat, channeled his Buddhist divine powers, and his voice spread throughout the entire Imperial Capital:

”Brat Cao Xukun, listen up! This humble monk is the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, the second disciple of the Tathagata Buddha. By the decree of the Buddha, I have come to convert you, the number one demon of this world! Today, I have set up the Duer Grand Formation here. This formation is an ancient treasure of the Buddhist sect, capable of trapping and killing all demons and monsters!”

”I will give you one last chance! Before noon tomorrow, you must leave the city in person, cripple your own cultivation, kneel before me in repentance, dissolve the Great Xuan Dynasty, and hand over the empire to this humble monk to manage. Considering that you still have a shred of goodness, I will spare your life and let you follow me back to the Western Desert to devote yourself to Buddhism and attain enlightenment!”

”If you remain obstinate and resist stubbornly, at noon tomorrow, I will activate the formation and invoke the Buddhist fire of the Western Heaven to burn the entire Imperial Capital! When that time comes, all will be destroyed, and every citizen in the city will descend to hell with you! Emperor Cao Xukun, if you still have a shred of compassion, come out and surrender immediately! Do not implicate innocent people!”

Once these words were spoken, the Imperial Capital was immediately thrown into panic. Some timid citizens began packing their belongings, preparing to flee the city; others who had been bewitched by Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi were actually spreading rumors in the city, saying that Emperor Cao Xukun dared not fight, and that the Imperial Capital would sooner or later be breached by the Buddhist army.

Li Tieniu was trembling with rage and cursed at those outside the city: ”Bullshit! You fake monk, you real robber! If you have the guts, don’t use the common people as human shields! Emperor Xuan, do not listen to his nonsense! I will lead the army out right now and smash his lousy formation to pieces!”

”No need.” Emperor Cao Xukun waved his hand and stood up. His black dragon robe fluttered without wind, and the pressure of his late-stage Void Refinement realm slowly dispersed, instantly suppressing the Buddhist light outside the city, and the panic throughout the Imperial Capital instantly subsided.

”Doesn’t he like to use the common people as an excuse? Then I shall face the formation alone and let everyone see what his so-called Duer Grand Formation really is.” Emperor Cao Xukun curled his lips into a cold smile. ”I want all the people under heaven to know who the true savior is, and who is the wolf in monk’s clothing.”

Before his voice had even faded, he tapped his toes and stepped into the air, turning into a streak of black light that instantly reached the front of the Duer Grand Formation.

Seeing that Emperor Cao Xukun had actually come alone, Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi was secretly smug, but his face still wore a compassionate smile: ”Amitabha, Benefactor Cao truly has courage. Since you have come, hurry up and cripple your own cultivation and kneel to surrender. This humble monk guarantees that I will absolutely not harm the people in the city.”

”Surrender? I think your brain got stuck in a door.” Emperor Cao Xukun stood with his hands in his pockets, hovering in mid-air, scanning the entire formation with disdainful eyes. ”You have the nerve to bring out this piece of junk formation to embarrass yourself? I can break it with one hand.”

”You are courting death!” Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi’s face darkened, and he shouted sternly, ”Emperor Cao Xukun, do not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! This Duer Grand Formation can invoke the Buddhist power of the Western Heaven; even a cultivator in the late-stage Void Refinement realm would have no way out if they entered! Don’t think that just because you have some ability, you can act lawlessly!”

”Lawless? I am the law!” Emperor Cao Xukun laughed heartily, his voice shaking the entire formation. ”At noon tomorrow, I will come on time to break the formation. When that time comes, I will not only smash your lousy formation, but also seize your nine-ringed monk staff, dismantle your lotus platform, and make you admit that you are a fraud in front of all the people under heaven!”

”If you lose, take your Buddhist soldiers and roll back to the Western Desert, and you are never allowed to step into the Central Plains again. If you win, my life is yours to do with as you please.”

”Fine! It is a deal!” Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi said through gritted teeth, but he was secretly overjoyed. His Duer Grand Formation was filled with hidden murderous intent; as long as Emperor Cao Xukun dared to enter, he would definitely never return. When that time came, he could kill Emperor Cao Xukun, seize the Great Xuan empire, and become the master of the world.

Emperor Cao Xukun could not be bothered to waste any more breath on him, turned around, and flew back to the Imperial Capital.

Watching Emperor Cao Xukun’s back, the compassionate smile on Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi’s face instantly vanished, replaced by a sinister expression: ”Emperor Cao Xukun, just wait to die! Tomorrow at noon will be the anniversary of your death! This Great Xuan empire, along with all your beauties, will be mine sooner or later!”

On the way back to the city, Li Tieniu leaned close to Emperor Cao Xukun and said worriedly: ”Emperor Xuan, are you really going to break the formation alone? That bald donkey’s formation looks quite sinister; what if there is a trap?”

”A trap? What kind of trap could he possibly have?” Emperor Cao Xukun sneered. ”A swindler who makes a living by fooling people, what kind of powerful formation could he possibly create? Tomorrow, you just watch from the city wall and see how I slap this bald donkey’s face until it swells, and let him know what real strength is.”