Chapter 11: I Said Stop The Buddha Ascension Ceremony

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In Wangjiang Tower along the Yan River in Dongping.

“Ridiculous, this is simply absurd! Ever since the founding of our country, such a ridiculous thing has never happened. I think Imperial Father…”

In Heaven Room 1, the young man in embroidered clothes slammed the table and gritted his teeth.

Beside him, a white-haired old man’s eyes narrowed as he interrupted the young man, “Your Highness, watch your words.”

Chu Han, the Crown Prince of Dongping, took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

He said in a deep voice, “Thank you for your reminder, Old Bo.”

Chu Han respected this old man.

This old man was called Bo Tian, a real Aura Refining cultivator. He was not even 80 years old this year, but he had already reached the Qi Refining stage!

Bo Tian came from Chu Han’s mother’s family.

With such a Qi Refining expert following him, Chu Han could secure his position as the Crown Prince.

“Elder Bo,” Chu Han said in a low voice, “A month ago, after that evil monk from the Evil Cloud Temple entered the palace, my Imperial Father seemed to have changed into a completely different person. He began to build Buddhist temples in the country, spreading Buddhist teachings, and even wanted to establish the Evil Cloud Temple as the national religion.

“It’s midsummer now, and the flood season is about to arrive. Many parts of the country need to strengthen the dams, but Imperial Father used this funding to build the Buddhist Ascension Temple…”

Chu Han stood by the window and looked at the tall temple in the distance. The temple was magnificent and occupied many fertile fields and residences of the commoners. The walls outside were pasted with gold foil, blazing with golden light.

The gold foil was exposed, but no one had any thoughts about it. There were imperial guards guarding the temple with a post every ten steps. The defense was tight, day and night.

The Buddhist Ascension Temple was a major project of the State of Dongping. The emperor had allocated funds from the national treasury to build this temple in order to hold the Buddha Ascension Ceremony for the Living Buddha of the Evil Cloud Temple.

To be able to build such a building in a month, one could imagine how much manpower and material resources were expended.

“That evil monk’s methods are truly brilliant. That day, he entered the palace to meet the Saint and fought with the Old Marshal. He actually killed the Old Marshal and then saved him on the spot.”

Bo Tian sighed.

As a Qi Refining cultivator, he was also present on the day of the battle.

The strongest person in Dongping, the current Preceptor, could not even take a single move from the evil monk.

One had to know that the Old Marshal was a Foundation Building expert who had cultivated for nearly 200 years. In terms of the cultivation realm, no one in the entire country of Dongping could surpass him.

With Bo Tian’s knowledge, he guessed that the evil monk could use such a terrifying method.

It was very likely that the other party was a legendary Golden Core expert!

Of course, this speculation was even more despairing.

If the evil monk was really a Golden Core cultivator, then the entire Dongping would be powerless to resist.

In this regard, Old Bo, who had lived for more than 70 years and had rich life experience, suggested that he should vote.

It was already very rare for a mortal martial empire like the country of Dongping to have an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding it.

This time, a Golden Core big shot came. Destroying Dongping was as easy as flipping his hand. He could not beat them, so he might as well pledge allegiance in advance and become their dog.

Bo Tian calculated that as a Qi Refining cultivator, he was naturally different from ordinary people.

If he ran over and barked, perhaps the senior monk would be happy and reward him with a few bones.

Chu Han did not want to be a dog. He had seen with his own eyes the faces of those commoners who believed in the Evil Cloud Temple.

Each of them had a fanatical expression and was as wooden as puppets. They only knew how to burn incense and kowtow at home every day.

Some people did not even have time to eat and could starve themselves to death.

Once this evil cult spread throughout the country, Dongping would be completely destroyed in a few years.

“Your Highness,” Bo Tian interrupted Chu Han’s thoughts. He said in a low voice, “The Buddha Ascension Ceremony is about to begin.”

…

The Yan River was a large river within the borders of Dongping. It flowed from north to south, and the water flow was very stable, so water transportation was developed.

The coastal cities relied on the Grand Canal to develop, and the most famous one was Yanshui city.

A month ago, the Emperor of Dongping ordered the construction of the Buddhist Ascension Temple in Yanshui. When the temple was completed, the Living Buddha from the Evil Cloud Temple would hold the Buddha Ascension Ceremony, and all the people in the city would have to participate.

Chu Han stood atop Wangjiang Tower and looked at the scene in the distance silently.

The ceremony had yet to begin, but a large number of commoners had already gathered around the Evil Cloud Temple, shoulder to shoulder, their faces carrying a kind of pilgrimage piety.

Among them, there were many people who dragged their families and waited near the Evil Cloud Temple before dawn, just to be the first to see that so-called Living Buddha.

Thump, thump, thump…

The dull bell rang nine times in a row. The crowd slowly parted and prostrated themselves.

The guards of honor opened the way, and the guards with swords lined up on both sides. A canopy appeared in Chu Han’s field of vision.

The Emperor of Dongping had arrived.

Bo Tian said, “Your Highness, we should go down too.”

Chu Han sighed.

As the Crown Prince of Dongping, even if he was extremely reluctant to do so, he had to follow the Emperor and participate in this ceremony.

…

Shortly after that, the Emperor of Dongping, Chu Li, met his son in front of the Buddhist Ascension Temple.

He snorted coldly. He knew that Chu Han was deliberately neglecting him, but the Buddha Ascension Ceremony was more important. He had no time to punish this unfilial son at this time.

Chu Li stood in front of the commoners, and behind him was a group of nobles, ministers, princes, and princesses. Everyone held their breaths and looked solemn.

After the time for one incense stick to burn, the Living Buddha had yet to appear, but Chu Li did not look impatient at all.

At this moment, a golden light suddenly appeared on the river’s surface in the distance.

Everyone looked up and saw that the river had stopped flowing as if time had stopped.

In the next moment, the entire river actually began to flow backward!

A dazzling golden carriage appeared in everyone’s sight. There were 48 monks under the carriage, all dressed in bright yellow robes. There was a lotus platform on the carriage, and an old white-browed monk was sitting on it. He wore a kasaya and looked solemn.

The monks carried the huge carriage and went upstream from the lower reaches of the Yan River. The monks walked on the waves, but their clothes were not wet, as if they were walking on flat ground.

On the shore, Chu Li and the other nobles and ministers were stunned. They had never seen such a scene in their lives.

To the people of Dongping, this was a miracle.

The yellow-robed monks carried the carriage ashore. The white-browed old monk put his palms together.

“I rushed here and delayed some time. I hope everyone won’t blame me.”

Although he didn’t make a mockery of himself as “a poor monk”, no one present felt that it was inappropriate. Even Crown Prince Chu Han was immersed in the scene of the river flowing backward and rushing forward. He didn’t come back to his senses for a long time.

In the crowd, someone shouted “Living Buddha”, and it was as if a pot had exploded, and the mountains and seas responded.

Commoners, merchants, officials, and even the royal family knelt down and shouted the name of the Living Buddha. Many people’s expressions were almost fanatical.

The white-browed old monk sat on the lotus throne and floated in the air. He put his palms together and smiled.

“Today, I…”

At this moment, a voice came from above the clouds.