The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 522 - 398, Zhao Douan: East and West Buddhism, absurdly argue over Buddhist Law? Utterly ridiculous.

They're entering!

"Dang—Dang—"

Inside the Divine Dragon Temple, the deep bell tones resonated from the ancient monastery, rolling over the entire venue, instantly invigorating the spirits of the hundred officials in the Water Viewing Tower.

One could see, outside the Divine Dragon Temple, on the plaza that had been cleared of snow earlier, besides the imperial guard in armor sealing off the area, a conspicuous group of monks from the Western Regions strode forward.

Among the procession were the "Five Directions Monk Group" from under the Dharma King of the Western Regions—monks in black, green, white, red, and yellow robes—but the most eye-catching was the Red Sect Master leading at the front.

The "Holy Monk," resembling an old monkey, led his followers forth, his demeanor solemn and austere. By his side, the young Dan Che, carrying a prayer wheel, matched his pace step for step.

The group, under the watchful eyes of the imperial guard and the nobility invited to observe the Debating Scripture on the plaza, made their way to one side of the viewing stands.

Dan Che glanced around, slightly furrowed his brow, and softly said,

"Master, there aren't many people."

The Red Sect Master did not glance aside but clearly also felt some disappointment—not due to the number of spectators…

Upon learning about the "Buddhist prohibition," he had guessed that today's scripture debate would not have a large number of followers observing; what really made him frown was—the fewer the people, the more difficult the chance of "wisdom" appearing would be.

Nevertheless, as matters stood, he had to calm his heart and quietly cautioned,

"Don't look around distractedly. Do you think these people on the field? In those surrounding buildings, there are even more Yu Country people hidden. Today, the Empress of Yu is nearby in that Water Viewing Tower.

Furthermore, the purpose of the scripture debate is not only to make a name but also to compete with the Divine Dragon Temple, to make the monks inside realize that the orthodox Buddhist Law lies in the Western Regions—that is our true goal."

In essence, today's debate was about the internal competition between the East and West Buddhism.

Putting on a show for outsiders was secondary; the core was to fight for the status of "orthodoxy."

"Dang—Dang—"

The bell tones echoed deeply.

Following the entrance of the Western Regions Mission into the plaza, from within the doors of the Divine Dragon Temple, a large group of monks emerged as well.

Leading them was none other than the abbot Xuan Yin, wearing a brown robe and wrapped in a golden kasaya, his body hunched and his features aged.

This powerhouse, who had hidden away in the Buddhist Temple for many years and had not appeared in the world, showed himself again after not long ago when Xu Zhenguan had pressed down on the Divine Dragon Temple, firmly resisting three strikes from the Empress.

Behind Abbot Xuan Yin followed three people.

They were:

Bian Ji in a white robe;

Long Shu Bodhisattva, burly and completely bald-faced;

And Prajna, a female Bodhisattva with all her blue hair cascading down to her waist, her figure plump and charming, her pupil nearly translucent.

Behind them followed a dense crowd of monks, hundreds in number, each with a solemn and grave expression at this moment.

Both parties made their way to the two sides of a hastily built large round platform in the plaza.

Almost simultaneously, all the monks chanted in unison with their palms pressed together, "Amitabha Buddha!"

Their voices melded together like a great bell, causing the tiles on the buildings around the plaza to vibrate subtly.

The momentum was immense!

The numerous onlookers nearby all looked astounded, feeling suddenly enveloped by a solemn atmosphere that had descended.

...

On the Water Viewing Tower.

The court officials gazed out over the snowy plaza, clearly hearing that loud chant.

Mo Chou, a female servant, stood by the Empress's side, her hand just having poured a full cup of water when she saw, with a throb of her eyelids, the ripples in the teacups on the table stir.

Subsequently, everyone clearly heard the reverb from the loud voices greeting each other in the distance.

Presumably, it was the Red Sect Mage representing the Dharma King conversing with Xuan Yin, explaining the purpose of today's scripture debate, to contest for "orthodoxy" and so on.

"What a roar…"

Princess Wen Zhu's expression was strange; although she had spent many years in the Western Regions, this was also her first time witnessing a debate of this scale.

"The high platform is engraved with an Array all around, even without intentionally using Magic, the sound of the debate can spread far,"

Xu Zhenguan sat in the main seat, his expression indifferent, smiling as he said, "Does my aunt know what the debate will be like later? What is the topic for today?"

Princess Wen Zhu shook her head, "I am not aware."

After she entered the Capital, she deliberately kept her distance from the Western Regions Monk Group. Today, she sat here as the "Princess of Yu," rather than anything else.

Xu Zhenguan personally introduced:

"Do you see that high platform? Later, each side will send people up and collectively summon the projection of the heavenly Buddha, suspended in the air. Both sides will start the debate with 'What defines a good deed'. The outcome will not be decided by humans, but by the Buddha himself…

Heh, the Buddha is a deity of wisdom, the best 'judge' one could hope for… This is also the reason for the contest for 'orthodoxy.' Whichever side's understanding of the Buddhist Law gains the favor of the Buddha, they will naturally inherit the true orthodoxy of Buddhism."

Her familiarity came because such debates in history weren't the first time.

But to truly witness it was a rare experience in her life.

The struggles in the religious world were no gentler than secular power struggles. Which sect struggle in history, when opened in the history books, did not erupt in blood and fire?

...

While slightly distracted, the cordiality on the plaza came to an end.

"Master…" Dan Che looked at the old monk beside him, only to see the latter's large hand gently patting the young monk's head.

The Red Sect Master stepped forward, ascended the platform, adjusted his robe, and sat down cross-legged.

He looked across and said aloud, "Please!"

Sitting in a chair in front of all the monks of the Divine Dragon Temple was Master Xuan Yin, a towering figure of the Heavenly Human Realm. According to the rules, he did not participate in this Debating Scripture.

The plump and beautiful Prajna Bodhisattva glanced at the other two with a complex smile and took her seat on the empty chair to the right of Xuan Yin.

As one of the three Bodhisattvas of Buddhism, Prajna had long been at odds with Xuan Yin and had been expressly ordered by him not to take part.

All eyes fell on Bian Ji and Long Shu Bodhisattva.

However, in the end, Long Shu Bodhisattva, who was supposed to be the number two personality of Divine Dragon Temple and upon whom great expectations were placed, huffed and took a seat to the left of Xuan Yin.

First, Tianhai was defeated, and then at the banks of Yansuo Lake... After Long Shu Bodhisattva's return to the Capital, his power was severely cut by an enraged Xuan Yin.

Thus, the one representing Divine Dragon Temple in today's battle turned out to be the highly eloquent debater, Bian Ji, whom Xuan Yin relied on the most.

Bian Ji walked step by step onto the high platform and sat down cross-legged.

As he took his seat, suddenly and without warning, dark clouds gathered in the sky above the square, and the prayer wheel in the hands of the little monk Dan Che began to spin wildly on its own.

Meanwhile, on the Divine Dragon Temple side, the unfathomable old monk Xuan Yin, at some unknown time, had opened his palm and gently tossed a Buddhist Scripture character "卍" into the sky.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous explosion, ripples of Buddha Light spread across the sky, accompanied by the chanting of Buddhist sutras by hundreds of monks on the square.

Amidst the rolling chants of sutras, an astonishing scene unfolded!

A large hole tore through the clouds high above, revealing a colossal and somewhat indistinct Buddha's Head, gazing upon the Debating Scripture platform with an air of overlooking the earth while bathing in Buddha Light.

"The Buddha!"

Around the square, the nobles and nearby buildings filled with court officials and scholars were stirred, dazzled, and entranced.

They revered the descent of one of the strongest deities on Earth, the Buddha!

Not just them, this time, even ordinary people within nearly half of the Capital, outside of the imperial guard's blockade, caught a glimpse of the golden light in the sky.

Those who lived closer and were believers in the vicinity of Divine Dragon Temple, seeing the divine image of the Buddha emerging in the distance from their home courtyards, knelt down in awe.

They chanted: "Amitabha Buddha."

"Your Majesty... it's about to begin." Mo Chou took a deep breath and handed the teacup to the Empress.

Upstairs, including Xu Zhenguan, all of the court officials watched the Debating Scripture position intently, imagining the upcoming verbal duel between the competitors.

However, just as the debate was about to begin, suddenly, a discordant voice came from somewhere, shattering the solemn atmosphere.

"Hehe, it looks like I've arrived just in time!"

Instantly, people were shocked and looked towards the source of the voice, only to see that, on the rooftop of a two-story building near the square, a figure had appeared out of nowhere!

Zhao Douan, dressed in loose robes with his hair carelessly tied behind his head, held a makeshift flag that he appeared to have hastily procured from some shop.

Standing against the wind, he wore a derisive smile.

As people looked on in astonishment, Zhao Douan threw the flagpole forward with all his might, leaping into the air.

Then, like a dragonfly skimming the water, after leaping over ten yards, he stepped on the flagpole, using it to propel himself towards the high Debating Scripture platform.

"Bang!"

The flagpole under his feet, like a long spear, made a piercing noise as it cut through the air, and with a gust of wind, it fiercely implanted itself in the center of the platform.

"Whirl..."

The flag wrapped around the flagpole unfurled in the wind, the characters for "Challenge" dramatically displayed.

Then, Zhao Douan floated down onto the platform to everyone's dumbfounded gaze, casually glancing at the seated Red Sect Master and the White-Robed Bian Ji, snickering:

"East and West Buddhism? Debating Buddhist Law? A bunch of blockheads who've clearly lost their way, yet they dare to absurdly claim what is the orthodoxy of Buddhist Law, utterly laughable!!"

Silence!

The originally solemn and tense scene of the debate seemed to be paused, as both the monks on the square and the watching nobles and surrounding imperial guards all looked on, astonished.

In the distance, on the Water Viewing Tower.

The court officials were collectively dumbfounded, then suddenly erupted into a buzz of activity.

"Mr. Zhao? He... how did he get up there?!" an official exclaimed in shock.

"This kid... has gone mad..." Ma Yan's forehead broke out into a cold sweat.

"What's the meaning of this, Master Zhao? Mr. Yuan?"

Xue Shence was also baffled, turning his head to look at Big Qingyi beside him, only to see the usually unflappable Imperial Censor with a slightly stunned expression.

However, Zhao Douan's old adversary, Prime Minister Li Yanfu, suddenly turned his head to look at the Empress after his initial shock.

Then, the other officials came to their senses as well, turning their gazes towards the Empress.

Speculation rose in their hearts:

Could it be that this was arranged by Her Majesty? Surely it must be the Empress's arrangement?

"Zhao... how could he..." Mo Chou was speechless, nearly failing to grasp the teapot in her hand.

Princess Wen Zhu, however, was the most composed. After a moment of surprise, she blurted out:

"Is that Zhao Douan?"

As she spoke, she looked towards the figure standing tall on the platform in the distance, feeling an inexplicable familiarity, yet also certain she had never seen this person before.

Turning her head to look at her niece, she saw Xu Zhenguan sitting in the chair, statue-like, with a faint vein throbbing on her forehead.

Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes reflected the figure of Zhao Douan, gritting her teeth:

"What are you up to now, you..."