Chapter 187

The Buddhist doctrine emphasizes the emptiness of the four elements and the absence of desires or attachments. Therefore, it is perfectly normal for a rosary to be associated with Buddhism. However, Bai Lian furrowed her delicate brows as if she was greatly astonished by the idea of a rosary protecting a demonic spirit. Even Xiao Wei Yang displayed a solemn expression upon hearing her words. Xiao Cheng Yin scratched his head. It seemed that both Bai Lian and Xiao Wei Yang knew what was happening, leaving him completely puzzled and clueless. What was happening to suddenly make him feel excluded? "Why do you say so, Miss Bai?" he asked. "From the buddha nature of this rosary, it is clearly of orthodox Buddhist origin," Bai Lian explained. "But for a pure buddha nature, it is like using a hot knife on pig lard for demonic spirits." She pointed at the demonic spirit emitting black vapors and continued, "Especially for a demonic spirit like this, which originated from heretical teachings, it would be unreasonable not to convert her, let alone to spare her life." Upon hearing her explanation, Xiao Cheng Yin suddenly understood. There are two things in the world that can cause the greatest harm to ghosts and demonic spirits. They are the Taoist Five Yang Thunder and the Buddhist Buddha Light. Both are extremely powerful and are feared by ordinary ghosts and demons. The rosary in the demonic spirit's hand was emitting pure Buddha Light, to the extent that it could even affect his consciousness. In theory, the demonic spirit should have been in unbearable pain under the Buddha Light's illumination, but not only was she unaffected, the rosary was actually healing her. "Could this demonic spirit also be related to people from the Buddhist sect?" Xiao Cheng Yin's face showed a puzzled expression. Bai Lian remained silent. In fact, she still had something else she had not told Xiao Cheng Yin. In her heart, the demonic spirit was likely the handiwork of Maitreya monks, and Maitreya teachings were equated with Tantric Buddhism. But based on her familiarity with Tantric Buddhism from playing the game for over a decade, those heretics could not possibly possess such pure Buddha Light. Could there be other forces at play behind this? Or has there been a deviation between the current Tantric Buddhism and the past? She pondered for a while before asking, "Brother Cheng, do you have any knowledge about the Maitreya monks who have recently appeared in the capital?" "Of course, I do," Xiao Cheng Yin replied. "Ever since the Emperor solely favored Taoism and established the Heavenly Pivot and Divine Equator as the state religion of our Great Xia Dynasty, the worship of Buddhism in the imperial city gradually faded. As a result, even the Buddhist sects within the country weakened and had to relocate to the Western Regions." "However, in recent years, the Emperor seems to have changed his mind and started neglecting the Heavenly Pivot and Divine Equator, turning to the study of Buddhism." As he spoke, a disdainful expression appeared on his face. "Although my third brother is not good at anything else, he is quite adept at manipulating the situation. He noticed that the Emperor now favors Buddhism, and coincidentally, there are demonic incidents in the capital that the Bureau of Demon Suppression cannot handle. So he somehow managed to invite a few Maitreya monks." "In my opinion, they are just a few pretentious charlatans from the Jianghu. I don't know what the Emperor is thinking, neglecting the Heavenly Pivot and Divine Equator and instead, favoring those monks when there are demonic disturbances in the capital." "Neglecting the Heavenly Pivot and Divine Equator and turning to the study of Buddhism?" Bai Lian furrowed her brows as she listened to Xiao Cheng Yin's words. While playing the game, during the plotline about the religious conflict in the Great Xia Dynasty, she had had several encounters with the current Emperor. However, during those encounters, she did not notice any particular bias towards Taoism or Buddhism from the Emperor. Of course, it could also be that at the time, she was too preoccupied and overlooked it. "I wonder what the reason behind the Emperor's neglect of the Heavenly Pivot and Divine Equator is?" she asked. Xiao Cheng Yin shook his head and said, "The Emperor's thoughts are too deep for me to fathom." "However, a few years ago, he had a dispute with the State Preceptor, which caused quite a stir in the court. Perhaps it's related to that." "Oh?" Bai Lian brightened up at the news and promptly inquired, "What happened?" "Eternal life," Xiao Cheng Yin said in a low voice. "Eternal life?" Bai Lian looked puzzled. No, something was not right. The current Xia Emperor was the Supreme Venerable of the Qianyuan. Supreme Venerables could live for thousands of years, yet he had only been on the throne for two hundred years. His lifespan was still very long—why would there be any dispute over eternal life? Wait, something suddenly occurred to her. It was something she had come across while idly browsing the game content in Sage mode—although the Great Xia Dynasty had lasted for thousands of years, almost all the emperors, despite being Supreme Venerables, did not live beyond three hundred years. Even the longest-living emperor had only lived for five hundred years before passing away peacefully. When she had seen this information, she had found it very strange. After all, even ordinary cultivators had a lifespan of at least three hundred years, and a Supreme Venerable at three hundred years old was still far from the point of passing away peacefully. "In recent years, the Emperor's health has not been very good. It's said that he suffered internal injuries during the battle against the evil spirits, which affected his foundation," Xiao Cheng Yin sighed. "During this time, he hardly even attends court assemblies. The ministers have been advising him to appoint a Crown Prince, but he not only refused but also did not see any of us, his children." "My brothers are starting to become restless." Bai Lian furrowed her delicate brows. Obviously, there must have been some uncontrollable situation with the Xia Emperor, leading to internal turmoil in Xia's capital. In order to address these undercurrents, it was necessary to understand what had happened to the Emperor. However, if even Xiao Cheng Yin, as a royal prince, was unable to see the Emperor, how was she supposed to grasp the Emperor’s circumstances? "Brother Cheng, is there a way for me to meet the State Preceptor if I want to?" she asked. "The State Preceptor?" Xiao Cheng Yin said, "In recent years, the State Preceptor rarely leaves the Observatory and never sees outside guests." "But you're lucky. In a few days, it will be the Emperor's birthday, and a celebration will be held at the palace. The State Preceptor will definitely attend." "You can find a way to enter the palace and see her then." Bai Lian blinked. She hadn't thought about that scenario, after all, who would bother to pay attention to the birthday of a disposable male cannon fodder? "White sister, you can disguise yourself as my maid and I'll take you into the palace," Xiao Wei Yang said with a smile, as if saying, "I've got it all under control." However, looking at her smile, Bai Lian had a feeling that she would likely be teased. But there seemed to be very few ways for an outsider to enter the palace, and it seemed that impersonating Xiao Wei Yang's maid was the best option. After all, the royal palace was filled with skilled experts, and with her at the Sky Soaring Realm, she simply couldn't infiltrate. In order to meet True Man Tianquan and understand the situation, she could only reluctantly agree. Just then, a maid's announcement came from outside the door. "Your Highness, Lord Chen from the Bureau of Demon Suppression is requesting an audience, saying he has come to question the demonic spirit." "Please let him in," Xiao Cheng Yin casually replied. However, the maid outside seemed somewhat hesitant. She said, "Your Highness, he seems to have brought a master from the Maitreya sect." "A Maitreya monk? What are they here for?" Xiao Cheng Yin frowned upon hearing this.