The Investiture: Unlimited Blade Works Nezha
Chapter 356 - 355 Buddhist Sect and Heavenly Court

Chapter 356: Chapter 355 Buddhist Sect and Heavenly Court

Nezha discovered something—regardless of whether they were female immortals of the Buddhist Sect or Daoist Sect, they all had unique insights when it came to makeup.

Nezha was dressed up thoroughly by Guanyin, and his appearance now carried a distinct Western flair.

First was the head—his hair wasn’t cut but was tied back, and his original jade crown was replaced with a silver Virochana hat encrusted with gemstones.

His original Daoist robe was swapped for a moon-white kasaya embroidered with golden patterns and bordered with blue diamond-shaped opal gems. Coupled with Nezha’s already handsome appearance and upright posture, he now looked exceptionally noble and pure.

Nezha glanced at himself, then looked at Guanyin’s attire, suspecting that Guanyin intended for them to wear matching outfits to attend the Water and Land Dharma Meeting.

"Amitabha Buddha, this little monk greets the Bodhisattva Guanyin."

Guanyin, still wearing his moon-white monk robes, though now adorned with more decorations and looking even grander, nodded slightly and smiled, placing his hands in front and saying, "Amitabha Buddha, I see that you possess profound Buddha Nature. Why not stay by my side and cultivate Buddhist Law in the future?"

"If it’s only teaching Buddhist Law, I wouldn’t learn it."

...

This time, it was a relatively formal occasion for Buddhism. Guanyin rode his Golden Lion, while Nezha rode his own mount, the Big Yellow Ox.

Over the years, Big Yellow had secured a formal position. In the Heavenly Court, he was a leader’s mount, though Nezha didn’t require his services often. Still, Big Yellow lived quite comfortably, as evidenced by his shiny outer coat.

The two traveled together to Lingshan, encountering several Bodhisattvas and Arhats on their way.

At the gates of Lingshan, they were greeted by Old Li’s two registered disciples, Anan and Kasyapa. Although their understanding of Buddhist Law was terrible, they were good at handling affairs and very obedient, which made them suitable for welcoming guests.

Seeing Nezha and Guanyin arrive, the two hurried over ingratiatingly to personally greet them and called for several little Sha Mis to take care of their mounts.

"Little monk Anan (Kasyapa) greets the Great Strength Venerable King Buddha and the Bodhisattva Guanyin."

Nezha was quite familiar with these two and didn’t hold any particular dislike; everyone has their own method of survival.

"Ah, it’s the envoys Anan and Kasyapa. Do you know where the World Venerable is?"

Anan gave Kasyapa a look, then led Nezha and Guanyin toward the Great Heroic Treasure Hall while introducing, "The World Venerable is currently in the Lingshan Palace. Buddha, please follow me."

He continued explaining the arrangement of the meeting and the important figures who had already arrived.

As this was the first gathering since the establishment of Buddhism, attendees were particularly enthusiastic. In addition to disciples of the original Western Sect like Maitreya, Dashizhi, and the Pharmacist, representatives of independent powers such as Duobao, Lu Ya, and Kong Xuan also made appearances.

There were also immortals close to Buddhism, such as Lingshan’s old neighbor Zhen Yuanzi and Old Li’s former teacher, the West Kunlun Crossing Calamity Immortal.

Even the Mo Family Four Generals, who should have been on duty in the Heavenly Court, showed up.

After sending them off with a bow, Anan returned to welcoming guests. Nezha, not standing on ceremony, entered the Great Heroic Treasure Hall of Lingshan with Guanyin.

This hall counted as Old Li’s personal residence. When Nezha entered, Old Li was chatting with Lady Yin.

Hearing movement, he turned around and couldn’t help but smile upon seeing Nezha’s attire: "Oh, Zha’er, are you really planning to join the Buddhist Sect and embrace the Four Immeasurables?"

Nezha didn’t care at all about Lady Yin’s teasing—he thought if he ever became a monk, the first person to panic would be her.

"Isn’t this a Buddhist gathering? I figured I shouldn’t spoil the atmosphere."

Lady Yin pulled Nezha over for a closer look and sighed, "Why haven’t you grown up?"

Then she dragged the Bodhisattva Guanyin away to organize the Water and Land Dharma Meeting, leaving Nezha to sit across from Old Li. There was still some time before the meeting officially started, so the two began chatting.

Nezha shared some updates on the military arrangements for the Three Constellations. Old Li, being a military general by origin, helped revise the distribution of troops. After that, they shifted the conversation to the current state of Buddhism.

Buddhism was currently on the rise, primarily because it had hit rock bottom previously. As long as it didn’t go bankrupt, any growth was considered progress—the only question was the pace.

Old Li had once served as a local leader in Nantang, but his approach was overly proper. While a stable development of good territory under normal circumstances wasn’t impossible, the Western regions weren’t exactly ideal.

The early days were especially dire, and although things had improved in recent years, they were still far from satisfactory. Without the integration of Eastern and Western Qi Fortune, the West would remain impoverished and backward.

Old Li’s main responsibility now was to ensure the stable operation of Buddhism and hold out until the successful completion of the Journey to the West.

Another point worth mentioning was the tension between Buddhism and the Heavenly Court. Buddhism relied on ritual offerings (oil), while the immortals in the Heavenly Court relied on incense offerings (fire). When Nezha was temporarily the Heavenly Emperor, he could mediate between the two.

Now that Hao Tian had returned, he showed no intention of accommodating Buddhism. In the East, mainstream practices still involved worshiping the Daoist Three Pure Ones and the Heavenly Emperor. The only reason Buddhism had a foothold in Great Tang was due to Old Li’s personal influence.

After all, Nezha’s practical approach in the past had been less than friendly toward Buddhism. The people of the Buddhist Sect couldn’t just rely on flowery words to secure offerings—they had to work for it.

This had led to one phenomenon: competition!

In the West, due to its sparse population and widespread poverty, coupled with the lack of Human Dao Qi Fortune shielding them from frequent demonic interference, Buddhism could maintain its dominance.

In the East, however, it was all about effectiveness. People worshiped whoever worked, and if a deity wasn’t effective, they would switch to another. If no deity proved useful, they would cultivate themselves to become immortals.

After all, it wasn’t uncommon in Great Tang, where King Su’s prince consort was an immortal. The divine texts left behind by Great Tang’s immortals were also numerous.

Spending a few decades cultivating, while perhaps not achieving immortality, was more than enough to bless the local community with abundant harvests.

Nezha’s personality had already set the tone for Great Tang—the practical approach had become deeply rooted in people’s hearts.

After listening to Old Li vent his frustrations for half a day, Nezha couldn’t help but laugh. He, too, was now a person of responsibilities and understood well the difference between an individual and a faction.

Despite the damage done to his star domain during the Witch Demon War, he could still pick out some treasures. Combined with the basic subsidies from the Heavenly Court, his faction was at least able to maintain basic needs. For anything extra, they’d have to work—it wasn’t as if Nezha didn’t have useful skills.

"With Buddhism’s Qi Fortune currently on the rise, the dragon clan, though wealthy, has been in a bad state ever since their mountains were destroyed and temples punished by Yin Shou. Why not bring some dragons into Buddhism as guardians to bolster external strength? The lower-level dragons could offset their karma and might even reap significant rewards."

Old Li understood Nezha’s implications—essentially, would the dragon clan really send people and resources willingly? It sounded almost dreamlike. Still, he trusted his youngest brother’s reliability, believing Nezha had some information he couldn’t share outright.

That seemed plausible.

During the previous repairs to Returning Ruins, Fu Xi had looked reluctant but followed through completely. Even if Nezha wasn’t the most perceptive, he had picked up on hints. Of course, seeing something was one thing, but acting on it was another matter entirely.