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

Chapter 78 The Evidence is ObviousShortly after Prince Cao Chan’s one-month celebration, Emperor Cao Xukun returned to the Western Desert with Governor Ye Qingyi and her son, bringing Abbot Xuan Ci and Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi under guard.

As the news spread, the entire Western Desert was in an uproar.

The common people, young and old, flocked to Shazhou City from all directions, eager to see with their own eyes what fate would befall the scum of the Buddhist sect who had deceived them for centuries.

The public trial was held in the square in front of the Great Leiyin Temple.

On the high platform, Emperor Cao Xukun sat in the center, dressed in his black dragon robes.

Governor Ye Qingyi sat beside him, holding Prince Cao Chan, surrounded by an aura of Golden Luck, looking like a divine couple.

Li Tieniu stood to the side, carrying a giant axe, his eyes sharp as blades, fixed on the bound Abbot Xuan Ci and Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi below the platform.

Below, it was a sea of people; over a hundred thousand residents of the Western Desert were packed tightly together, their expressions complex.

Although they had heard of the evil deeds of the Great Leiyin Temple, centuries of faith were deeply rooted, and many still harbored a glimmer of hope that it wasn’t true.

”Bring out the prisoners!”

At Li Tieniu’s shout, two soldiers escorted Abbot Xuan Ci and Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi onto the platform.

Their hair was disheveled, their clothes ragged, and their faces covered in mud; they no longer looked anything like an abbot or a holy monk.

Yet Abbot Xuan Ci remained stubborn as a mule.

He suddenly raised his head and roared at the crowd, maintaining his pretentious facade to the bitter end: ”Benefactors! Do not be deceived by the devil Emperor Cao Xukun! He is slandering the Buddhist sect! I, Abbot Xuan Ci, have worshipped Buddha all my life and am filled with compassion; how could I ever oppress the people? These are all lies fabricated by Emperor Cao Xukun to seize the Western Desert!”

Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi also wailed: ”That’s right! I am the reincarnation of the Buddha’s second disciple; how could I deceive anyone? Emperor Cao Xukun destroyed the golden statue of the Buddha and blasphemed the Dharma; he will surely be struck by lightning! If you help him, you will all descend into the eighteenth level of hell after you die!”

A commotion rippled through the crowd, and many elderly people looked hesitant, whispering to one another.

”Keep pretending, go on,” Emperor Cao Xukun sneered.

With a flick of his finger, a thick stack of ledgers and land deeds flew into the air, transforming into countless sheets of paper that fluttered down toward the crowd.

”See for yourselves. These are the ledgers and land deeds seized from the treasury of the Great Leiyin Temple.

They clearly record where every ounce of incense money you donated over the past hundred years has gone, and who has seized every inch of land you tilled.”

Li Tieniu picked up the thickest ledger and read at the top of his lungs: ”In the third year of Yongxi, thirty thousand taels of incense money were collected from the people of Shazhou; Abbot Xuan Ci embezzled twenty thousand taels to craft a string of pure gold prayer beads.

In the fifth year of Yongxi, five hundred mu of fertile land were forcibly seized from Li Village, and three villagers who resisted were beaten to death.

In the seventh year of Yongxi, a daughter of the Wang family was forced into the temple as a slave, and unable to bear the humiliation, she threw herself into a well...”

The more he read, the angrier he became.

He slammed the ledger into Abbot Xuan Ci’s face: ”You old bald donkey! See for yourself! Is this what you call compassion? Is this what you call saving all living beings? You are no monk; you are a vampire drinking human blood!”

The people below picked up the fluttering papers.

Seeing the densely packed writing, their faces turned livid.

Those who had had their land seized or their loved ones killed were trembling with rage, their eyes red as if bleeding.

”It’s true! My family’s land was stolen by them! When my father went to reason with them, they broke his legs!”

”My sister was driven to her death by them! They claimed my sister was a demoness and burned her alive!”

”I donated incense money my whole life, and it turns out it was all used to build their houses and take concubines!”

Just then, a white-haired old woman leaning on a cane walked shakily onto the platform, pointing at Abbot Xuan Ci’s nose and crying out: ”Abbot Xuan Ci! You damned wretch! Twenty years ago, my son fell gravely ill.

I sold the only cow my family had and donated it to the temple to pray for the Buddha’s blessing.

You took my money but said my son was too sinful and beyond saving! My son died that very day, yet you used my money to take your thirteenth concubine! Tell me! Do you have any conscience? Are you worthy of the Buddha?”

The old woman became increasingly agitated, and unable to catch her breath, she nearly fainted.

Governor Ye Qingyi quickly stood up to support her and spoke slowly to the crowd: ”Fellow villagers, I was once a saintess of the Great Leiyin Temple, and I know their true faces better than anyone.

Abbot Xuan Ci and Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi appear compassionate on the surface but are depraved criminals in private.

They force us to observe strict precepts while they feast on delicacies every meal and keep harems of wives and concubines.

They make you scrimp and save to donate incense money while they use gold to craft Buddha statues and white jade to pave their floors.”

”I have seen with my own eyes how they sold villagers who couldn’t afford incense money to mines as slaves, and when they were worked to death, they were thrown into the desert to feed the wolves.

I have also seen them beat disobedient saintesses to death and throw them behind the mountain to feed the dogs.

Is such a Buddhist sect, such a Buddha, worthy of your worship?”

Governor Ye Qingyi’s words were the final straw, completely shattering the faith in the hearts of the people.

”They are not!”

”These swindlers! We’ve been deceived for centuries!”

”Beat them to death! Avenge our loved ones!”

Angry shouts erupted like a volcano, sweeping across the square.

The people picked up stones and dirt from the ground and hurled them at Abbot Xuan Ci and Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi.

Eggs and rotten vegetables flew through the air, instantly drenching the two men.

”Don’t throw! Don’t throw at me!” Abbot Xuan Ci crouched on the ground, covering his head, no longer having any of his previous arrogance.

”I was wrong! I was truly wrong! Please, spare me!”

”Spare you? It’s too late!” A young man roared, rushed up, and kicked Abbot Xuan Ci in the stomach.

Immediately after, more and more people rushed onto the platform, punching and kicking the two of them.

The soldiers wanted to intervene, but Emperor Cao Xukun raised his hand to stop them: ”Let them beat them.

These years, they have suffered too much; it is time for them to vent their anger.”

Abbot Xuan Ci and Saintly Monk Jin Chanzi were beaten until they cried for their parents, begging for mercy repeatedly, but no one sympathized with them.

Just then, someone shouted: ”Let’s go! Let’s smash the Great Leiyin Temple! Let’s take back everything they stole from us!”

”Yes! Smash the Great Leiyin Temple!”

”Take back our hard-earned money!”

Over a hundred thousand people surged toward the Great Leiyin Temple like a tidal wave.

The remaining monks, seeing the situation was bad, tried to close the gates to resist, but the angry crowd kicked the gates open.

The people rushed into the temple, smashed the Buddha statues built with their own hard-earned money, toppled the magnificent halls, and carried out all the gold, silver, jewelry, grain, and cloth from the treasury to distribute among the impoverished.

The once solemn and majestic Great Leiyin Temple was now reduced to ruins.

The monks cried and wailed; some knelt down to surrender, while others climbed over walls to flee.

Not a single one dared to resist.

Li Tieniu looked at the scene before him and laughed heartily: ”Emperor Xuan is awesome! This move completely exposed these Buddhist parasites, and their reputation has utterly collapsed! The resentment the people have been holding in for centuries has finally been vented!”

Emperor Cao Xukun stood up and looked at the chaotic Great Leiyin Temple with calm eyes: ”This is the retribution they deserve.

From the moment they drank the first drop of the people’s blood, they should have expected today’s fate.”

Governor Ye Qingyi held Prince Cao Chan and leaned against Emperor Cao Xukun, whispering: ”Thank you, Your Majesty.

It is you who allowed the people of the Western Desert to finally break free from the control of these vampires.”

Emperor Cao Xukun took her hand, a confident smile curling at the corners of his mouth: ”No need to thank me.

They fought for this themselves.

From now on, there will be no more Buddhist Kingdom in the Western Desert, only the people of Great Xuan.

I will ensure that you all live a good life where you are truly well-fed, clothed, and living in peace and prosperity.”

As the sun set, the golden afterglow spilled over the ruins of the Great Leiyin Temple.

Centuries of Buddhist rule crumbled completely amidst the fury of the people.