After "persuading" the two disciples, the Taoist Saint waved a clear light and fell into the southern border.
After a while, Tathagata Buddha came to the back mountain on a cloud platform, put his hands together and saluted: "The poor monk pays homage to the Taoist Sage, and has met Zhuang Sage and the Human Emperor."
"I don't know what the instructions are for the poor monk who has been summoned?"
The Taoist Saint smiled and said: "The sacred tree of Jianmu has entered the mature stage and is in urgent need of a large amount of faith to further grow. Pindao originally ordered Zhuang Zhou and Linze to do it, but they cheated and cheated and made no achievements for a long time."
"I suddenly remembered that Buddhism is best at gathering the power of faith, so I call you to come and ask, are you capable of handling this matter?"
When Tathagata Buddha heard this, a look of understanding appeared on his face. No wonder Zhuang Zhou and Lin Ze looked a little sad. It turned out that they had been scolded.
Should I accept it directly, or hesitate for a moment?
"With such an important task, the poor monk dare not accept it easily. I would also like to ask the poor monk with a holy face to think about it for a moment."
After thinking about it carefully, Tathagata Buddha felt that he should consider it carefully before making a decision.
Next to him, Lin Ze looked happy when he heard this, and quickly interjected: "Teacher Qi, the disciple has arranged for Jiang Yuesheng to select people, and he can start collecting the power of faith tomorrow at the latest."
"There are hundreds of millions of people in the Western Qin Dynasty, and with the full cooperation of the disciples, we will definitely be able to gather enough power of faith in a short period of time. Please give me your instructions, teacher."
Tathagata Buddha's mood changed after hearing this. Is Lin Ze still fighting for this matter?
There was a hint of coldness on Dao Sheng's face, and his tone was stern: "In that case, why did you go today? Why didn't I see you take any action before I summoned you?"
"I really think that without you, I wouldn't be able to do anything in this world, right?"
Lin Ze bowed and saluted: "Disciple doesn't dare. It's just that I think that I have been taking care of the Jianmu Sacred Tree and I still have some experience. I can shoulder the responsibility for the subsequent cultivation. Why should the teacher rely on outsiders?"
Zhuang Zhou then echoed: "Yes, I hope that the teacher will give him another chance in recognition of his hard work and achievements in cultivating the sacred tree for the past ten years. I am willing to help him complete this matter together."
Taoist Sage's expression softened slightly, he glanced at Tathagata Buddha who looked hesitant, nodded slightly and said: "Tathagata Buddha seems to have no time to take care of this matter, so I'll leave it to you two to do it."
Lin Ze and Zhuang Zhou smiled at the same time, bowed and said, "Thank you, teacher."
The Taoist sage ignored him, turned to Tathagata Buddha, smiled lightly and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Tathagata Buddha saw the joy on Lin Zezhuangzhou's face and felt as if he had missed some opportunity. He said decisively: "Taoist saint, wait a minute, this poor monk has something to say."
Dao Sheng looked at him slightly surprised, as if asking what do you want to say?
Tathagata Buddha said confidently: "The poor monk secretly thinks that gathering the power of faith should be done by Buddhism. No one in the world knows how to collect the power of faith better than the Buddhists."
"Although the Taoist Palace is strong, you have to admit that it is slightly inferior to Buddhism in this regard. The poor monk hopes that the Taoist Sage can take a long-term view and leave this matter to the poor monk."
Lin Ze's displeasure was evident in his words, and he said in a deep voice: "As the saying goes, there is a difference between closeness and distance, and there is a difference between inside and outside. How can such an important matter be left to someone outside the Dao Palace?"
The Tathagata Buddha did not back down and retorted: "The poor monk was greatly favored by the Taoist Saint and was able to enter the realm of a saint. In this life, he has regarded himself as a disciple of the Taoist Saint. In the past ten years, he has served the Taoist Saint with all his heart and dared not to do anything.
No slightest bit of neglect.”
"Looking at the Human Emperor, even though he has worked hard and achieved great results in the past ten years, how many times have he visited the Taoist palace to pay filial piety to the Taoist saints?"
"If there really is a distinction between closeness and distance, the poor monk will feel that he will not be worse than the Human Emperor, or even better than the Human Emperor."
Lin Ze said coldly: "So what? How can someone with no name or status have the right to comment on the friendship between me and my teacher?"
Tathagata Buddha recalled that in the past ten years, Lin Ze had controlled the Jianmu Sacred Tree and had exclusive opportunities. He went to him privately and refused to give him any favors. Only those who sought Taoism would be reluctant to share a small part.
Even those who were promised by Tao Sheng would either evade or be greatly discounted when they came to him, which was really abominable.
Thinking of this, in order to compete for this opportunity, Tathagata Buddha was so heartbroken that he even lost his dignity. He smiled and said sarcastically: "Isn't it possible that the Human Emperor is too unworthy to be criticized?"
Lin Ze's aura erupted and he said angrily: "How can you be allowed to be so presumptuous in the land of Dao Palace?"
"boom"
The Taoist sage slapped the stone table, neither lightly nor seriously: "Don't be so presumptuous."
Lin Ze's expression changed, his breath fluctuated, and he reluctantly said: "Disciple doesn't dare."
The Taoist Saint looked at Lin Ze indifferently: "You are a dignified man, and you act in such a petty manner. I am very disappointed in you. I don't need you to worry about collecting the power of faith for the time being. I will find a suitable candidate on my own."
Lin Ze looked panicked and said without hesitation: "In this case, the heavenly reward obtained for cultivating the Jianmu Sacred Tree will become someone else's. Teacher, think twice."
The Taoist Saint said indifferently: "Is it your turn to comment when I work for my master?"
Lin Ze lowered his head and said, "Disciple doesn't dare."
Zhuang Zhou advised him at the right time: "Teacher, please calm down. I am just worried that the Taoist palace will miss the opportunity. I have no ill intentions."
The Taoist sage's expression did not change, he turned to Tathagata Buddha and asked: "Do you want to do this?"
Tathagata Buddha replied: "I don't dare to deceive you. I really want to do this."
The Taoist Sage said calmly: "From today to the next one month, it is up to you to gather the power of faith. If you perform well, continue to do it. If you perform poorly, I will replace you with someone else."
A flash of joy flashed across the face of Tathagata Buddha, he clasped his hands together and said, "The poor monk will definitely live up to the expectations of the Taoist Saint."
The Taoist Saint thought for a while and said: "Pindao has a secret method in his hand. He can inject the collected power of faith into the Jianmu Divine Tree to help the Jianmu Divine Tree grow. Pindao will teach you this method. Stay calm and concentrate."
, don’t resist.”
After speaking, he stretched out a finger, and a ray of clear light sank into Tathagata Buddha's body.
The Tathagata Buddha's attitude was respectful: "Thank you, the Taoist Saint, for your gift of the Dharma."
The Taoist sage waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite, just go do your work."
Lin Ze suddenly took a step forward and said, "Teacher, please give me the same secret technique."
The Taoist Saint glanced at him and said calmly: "When you are responsible for collecting the power of faith for the Jianmu Sacred Tree, come find me as your teacher."
Lin Ze wanted to say more, but was dragged away by Zhuang Zhou.
A hint of joy flashed in Tathagata Buddha's eyes, he clasped his hands together, lowered his head slightly and said, "I'm sorry, monk, please leave."
…
In the evening, Tathagata Buddha sat on a cloud platform and came to the Jianmu Sacred Tree. He held a light group emitting seven colors of light and sent it into the Jianmu Sacred Tree according to the method recorded in the secret method.
After a moment, a ray of light fell from the nine heavens and disappeared into the body of Tathagata Buddha.
The Tathagata Buddha, who felt comfortable all over and had a look of satisfaction on his face, said, "What a great opportunity. Someone has been occupying it for ten years. It's finally my turn."
…
In the early morning of the next day, when Tathagata Buddha came to the Jianmu Sacred Tree, he found that Lin Ze was directing a group of people to build an altar and surrounded the Jianmu Sacred Tree.
Tathagata Buddha patiently stood aside and watched for a while, but Lin Ze turned a blind eye to him and didn't even say hello.
After a long time, Tathagata Buddha could no longer hold back. He took a step forward, clasped his hands together and said, "Can the Emperor of Humanity ask someone to make room for the poor monk, so as not to delay the task assigned by the Taoist Saint?"
Lin Ze glanced back at him and said lazily: "Wait a moment, I will naturally make room for you after I finish my work."
After saying that, he left Tathagata Buddha aside and continued to direct others to do things.
Tathagata Buddha's face was gloomy: "The Human Emperor must not forget that cultivating the Jianmu Sacred Tree is a matter assigned by the Taoist Sage. We cannot afford to delay it."
A trace of disdain appeared on the corner of Lin Ze's mouth: "What a coincidence, what I will do here is also what the teacher told me to do. In terms of time, I am still ahead of you."
"Everything has to come first. Is it possible that Buddhism is so domineering and self-centered?"
Tathagata Buddha took a deep look at Lin Ze and knew that this matter could not be solved, so he turned around and headed towards the Taoist Palace.
A moment later, Taoist Saint's majestic voice sounded in Lin Ze's ears: "Lin Ze, don't cause trouble over nothing."
Lin Ze bowed slightly and said: "Disciple just acted according to the teacher's previous instructions, how can he cause trouble over nothing?"
"Whatever you want to do, I will leave you alone as a teacher. You must not delay cultivating the Jianmu Sacred Tree. Do you understand?"
Lin Ze narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "The altar?"
"When Tathagata Buddha uses the power of faith to support the building, he pauses. Wait until he finishes and you start again."
A look of extreme reluctance appeared on Lin Ze's face, and he whispered: "Disciple, I obey."
Then he ordered the people surrounding the Jianmu Sacred Tree: "That's it for today, get out."
The next moment, Tathagata Buddha returned with a proud look on his face, sent the power of faith into the Jianmu Sacred Tree, took the heavenly reward and left.
…
Lin Ze intentionally or unintentionally blocked Tathagata Buddha for five days, and it was not until the altar was completed on the fifth day that it came to an end.
Before leaving, Tathagata Buddha suddenly asked: "I wonder what the human emperor does by building this altar? If it is useless, it is better to tear it down so as not to leave it here as an eyesore."
Lin Ze sneered and said: "This altar was built by the demon master Kunpeng who specially found a teacher to worship the sacred tree. It is said to have indescribable miraculous qualities."
"If you're really capable, just dismantle it, and maybe I'll look up to you."
Tathagata Buddha chuckled lightly and remained silent.
Lin Ze smiled again, turned and left.
…
After Lin Ze left, Tathagata Buddha stepped forward and wanted to send in the collected power of faith, but suddenly stopped for a moment.
Looking back, I saw that there was no one else there except some mortal guards who were looking intently.
The Tathagata Buddha's expression was changing, and by some strange coincidence he walked up to the newly built altar and sat down cross-legged.
An inexplicable feeling came to my mind, and the road between heaven and earth seemed much clearer.
The Demon Master of the Demon Clan is truly worthy of his reputation, and the specially built altar actually has such an effect.
Do you want to use it?
A bold idea came to Tathagata Buddha's mind. What he didn't notice was that the surrounding formations started to act strangely, glowing with light and illuminating the entire space.
After a long time, a solemn look appeared on Tathagata Buddha's face. He sat cross-legged on the altar and sent the power of faith into the sacred Jianmu tree. Then, a stream of heavenly rewards fell that was 50% more than the previous days.
Tathagata Buddha left with a satisfied look on his face.
In the house near the Jianmu Sacred Tree, Lin Ze saw this scene and said in surprise: "You fell into the trap so easily?"
Zhuang Zhou walked up to him and said with a sigh on his face: "The moment he took a shortcut to get promoted, his Taoist heart was broken. A person without a Taoist heart is just a walking corpse, no matter how strong he is."
Lin Ze was shocked when he heard this: "Then junior brother, wouldn't I be in trouble?"
Zhuang Zhou glanced at him and said calmly: "Junior brother, don't worry, your Taoist heart is to put yourself first, and taking shortcuts is in line with your Taoist heart."