The cold and deep hall, with huge gilded pillars supporting this magnificent and solemn building, has 365 fist-sized pearls inlaid on the dome of the hall, as if the stars and all things were a bracket. Sitting at the highest point in this position, when looking down, it seems as if anyone is lower than oneself, crawling below like an ant.

Li Hui, dressed in the clothes of a scholar, with only a jade ring around his waist, walked up the stairs step by step. The sleeves of his plain robe fell down. He gently pressed his palms on the throne, and his fingers brushed across the throne bit by bit, feeling the cold touch. Finally, he pressed his hands on the cold armrests on both sides of the throne and slowly sat down.

It was as if I was shrouded in an icy feeling. Looking ahead, the land of Kyushu and all living things were right under my feet.

Recalling the time when I was in this position, I bowed with great reverence, my whole body seemed to be stiff as I knelt down.

Comparing this with the feeling of being kicked out and sitting here now, I have an indescribable feeling.

This is the throne.

This is authority!

Li Hui exhaled a breath. He was once willing to protect the Xuanjia Army and call on scholars to gather public opinion and barely check and balance his father's authority, but now he suddenly began to empathize with his father.

There is such a position.

Supreme.

Unparalleled.

Everything you see, all the nine provinces of the world, all living things, should prostrate themselves at your feet.

They call you a saint!

They revere you as the King!

The feeling of such power is indeed more wonderful than anything else. The intellectuals say that they love beauty more than the country, but this is just the delusion of those who have never achieved such power. When they understand the wonderfulness of such power, any beauty will be nothing but passing clouds, like all other things. How can they catch their eyes?

"Congratulations to the Saint Emperor, congratulations to the Saint Emperor."

"You are able to ascend to the throne and be honored as a saint. From now on, the fate of humanity is entirely in your control. A thought can bring about wind and rain, a thought can bring about thunder and lightning..."

The gentle voice woke Li Hui from his trance-like dream. He placed his hands on the cold throne and looked down at the monk who walked out of the shadows. He saw that the monk had a kind expression, sad eyes, and his hands were clasped together, as if he was standing on a pure holy land, with countless lotus flowers blooming and rising around him.

This is one of the Buddhas who helped him ascend the throne.

The so-called support does not mean the use of magical powers. If that were the case, all the talented people in the world with fiery temperaments would rise up, and those civil officials and military generals would inevitably retaliate. In fact, it was the Buddhas who created all kinds of auspicious signs and used the power under Li Hui to promote public opinion. On the one hand, they made the deeds of the previous emperors public, and on the other hand, they were step by step in line with the auspicious signs.

He then promulgated many laws that were beneficial to people's livelihood, such as reducing taxes and levies, and won popularity.

It is only by combining these three that one can reach this position.

Among them, it was the Buddhist sect that helped suppress the discontented ministers and their families.

Looking at this loyal minister.

A hint of coldness flashed across Li Hui's eyes.

He wanted to sit on the throne, but he was not going to listen to the monks.

He said calmly, "So you are the master. The achievements I have made today are all due to your contributions. I can allow you to build a temple in this capital city and open incense to attract believers. However, the human world is a place that emphasizes laws and regulations. Master, your every move must also comply with the laws of our human world. Please go on your own."

The monk was shocked, and then he realized that the new young emperor before him had a bigger appetite, more cautious methods, and more vicious behavior than the previous emperor. In his hands, Buddhism was just a knife that was easy to use and fast. Although a knife that was too fast was sharp, it could easily hurt the hand. Now that the matter was resolved, it was time to put it aside.

Good emperor!

There was a trace of anger in the monks' hearts.

But he knew how to persuade this young, yet ambitious, young emperor. He put his hands together and sighed, "What a pity, what a pity..." As he spoke, he turned around, shook his head, and walked away. The emperor had just ascended to the throne and was full of ambition. He could not bear to hear such a sigh, so he frowned and said:

"What did you say?"

The monk paused and said calmly, "I just say it's a pity."

"What a pity!!"

"What a pity? It's a pity that the previous Saint Emperor was also a man of great talent and ambition. He was not satisfied with being the ruler of the human world. He wanted to achieve great things, immortality, control all spirits, balance Taoism and Buddhism, and form an alliance with the Heavenly Court. However, he failed at the last step because a mountain Taoist broke in with a sword and killed him before everyone else."

"At its peak, he united the world, made friends with the Lord of all spirits, and made an agreement with Emperor Donghua, dominating the Nine Provinces. Even though there were many immortals, none of them could compete with him. The life and death of all living things depended on a single thought. But in the end, he died at the hands of others and became a laughing stock of the world. Even the things he did after his death would become steps for future generations to ascend to the throne. His reputation was destroyed in an instant. Isn't it tragic?"

Li Hui said slowly: "What exactly do you want to say?"

The monk turned around and said, "The late emperor was unrivaled in the realm of checks and balances, but in the end he was killed by others. Your Majesty, have you ever thought about the reason?"

"reason?!"

"Yes, but only a little."

The monk slowly extended his finger and spoke briefly. His voice fell calmly into Li Hui's ears, but it was as loud as thunder. He said: "Say - the great power does not belong to oneself."

This answer undoubtedly touched Li Hui's heart. He held his sword but did not draw it. He lowered his eyes and said in a low voice: "The great power does not belong to me."

The monk said gently, "Yes, it is precisely because his great power does not belong to himself, but comes from the human world, and will be affected by the human world. This is why he had to join forces with Emperor Donghua and the Lord of All Spirits from the beginning. However, such a joint effort puts him in a lower position and is interfered with by others. Later, people's hearts gradually turned away, and his luck became worse and worse. In the end, he was killed by a mere Taoist priest."

"But, Your Majesty, have you ever thought about the fact that the ancient human emperor eight thousand years ago possessed great power, and was able to rival the Dragon Emperor of the demon race, and was even strong enough to ascend to the heavens and discuss Taoism with the Jade Emperor. That was the legendary great realm, and immortality is just a small matter."

"In Taoism, he is called the Heavenly Lord; in the heavens, he is called the Emperor. Even in Buddhism, he sits on a lotus platform and is called the Buddha. The reason why the emperor of later generations no longer has such great power is only because of one reason."

Li Hui held a sword in his right hand.

He stared at the monk in front of him, and the reason in his heart told him that he could not believe anything the monk said. It was a trap, a bait to lead the beast into a deep pit. However, it was precisely because of the reason why he obtained the throne, and because he saw his father, who was majestic and cold when he held power, and as high as a god, was weak and powerless when he was beheaded.

He benefited from this.

But what I fear most is that one day I will become like this.

The monk's words just touched the soft spot in his heart, and he subconsciously asked, "Why?"

The monk said: "It is precisely because of the compassion of the Human Emperor that he has returned all the great powers to the common people."

Li Hui subconsciously refuted, "No, the destiny of humanity comes from the common people!"

"What do you mean by giving it back to them?"

"You are tempting me!"

"Your Majesty, do you think this is deception? Ah, the emperor must return everything to the people. The emperor must follow the teachings of the ancients and be a role model for the people. Your Majesty, you have also been [tamed] by these so-called morals."

The monk walked towards him step by step, held down Li Hui's sword with his hand, and said kindly:

"Don't you know? You are already high and mighty. The reason you are high and mighty is that in your previous life, the life before that, and even ten lives before that, you were a kind, courageous and good person who sacrificed for the common people. It is because of your sacrifice in your previous life that you have the destiny of reincarnating into the family of the emperor in this life. This is the compensation given to you by the way of reincarnation."

"And those despicable people are all because of greed, crimes, theft and robbery in their previous lives. They are reincarnated in this life to forgive their sins. Do you know?"

The monk looked gentle and compassionate.

He expressed the idea that after being modified and distorted from the Buddha's idea, it has become an idea that has great influence on all superiors.

"They deserved to suffer."

"You are in a high position because it was destined in your previous life. It is the result of your sacrifice in your previous life that has brought you back to this life."

"You are on top and they are on the bottom. This is only natural..."

The kind voice, seemingly the perfect concept of reincarnation, revealed some deadly power at this moment. The lights on the golden pillars burned and flickered, and the reflected lights projected the figures of the monks and the emperor on the wall, as if a huge monster was about to devour a person's head.

Li Hui knew the mistakes in the monk's words, but he was unable to resist the great influence brought by these mistakes.

Just as people know that drinking is bad, but they often indulge in it; they know that indulging in women is wrong, but they always find it difficult to give up.

These mistakes always come with huge consequences.

Li Hui struggled to refute: "No, these fortunes are the blood and sweat of the people. How can I take all of this for myself?"

The monk said gently: "No, no, no, it's karma and reincarnation. It was destined in the previous life, Your Majesty."

His eyes were dark and he spoke the greatest evil:

"You step on everyone's head in this life because--"

"They owe you."

…

The Saint Emperor ascends the throne.

Decrees were promulgated one after another, and amnesty was granted throughout the country. Many of them were beneficial to the people, but there were also many provisions that seemed insignificant at first glance, but when these provisions were combined with other laws, loopholes would appear, and these loopholes were prepared for some special people.

Monk.

These Buddhist monks were exempt from corvée and taxes, which already made them extremely powerful. Some common people converted to Buddhism to avoid taxes, while some wealthy families converted their own residences into "Lanruo", privately established monasteries, in order to gain many benefits. All of a sudden, the whole country was in motion, and the seeds that had been planted since the time of the previous emperor exploded overnight.

In a short period of time, thousands of temples sprang up.

The major monasteries also expanded rapidly, and a large number of men of marriageable age who wanted to avoid corvee and taxes joined the monasteries.

The tax revenue of the country dropped drastically, but there was a gradual trend of needing to spend money to support the monks. There was even a rumor that a third refuge besides "refuge in the Buddha and refuge in the Dharma" was coming out.

【Take refuge in the Sangha】

To practice Buddhism, do you need to convert to Buddhism by following the same monks who worship Buddha?

It can even be said that by offering alms to monks at every time and in every festival, one can gain immeasurable merit.

For a time, the world was in turmoil. There were countless shrewd people and monks who were chasing after profits, but there were also monks who were at a loss as to what to do.

A boat was on the river bank. An old monk stuffed a package into the arms of his illiterate young disciple and said, "You should leave quickly. The world is in chaos today. There will be disaster for Buddhism."

The young disciple was puzzled: "Who has the disaster?"

The old man peeked: "Buddha."

The young monk pointed at himself and asked with a smile: "Teacher, you are so strange, am I a Buddha?"

"Are you a Buddha?"

"If you are not a Buddha, why do you need to avoid him? If you are a Buddha, why do you need to avoid him?"

The old monk sighed. This young man was a cowherd whose parents had both passed away, but he was able to comprehend the true meaning of Buddhism. That's why the old monk accepted him as his disciple. Now the world has changed drastically, and he has to stay here again. If he passes on his robe and bowl to him, he might be killed by those monks who are eyeing the inheritance of the robe and bowl for their own benefit. So he didn't answer immediately, but just pushed hard. Wind rose and sent the disciple holding the robe and bowl away.

He put his hands together and murmured, "My disciple, you inherit my legacy, but you must be careful of those who pursue you."

"You must keep your identity secret, and only after fifteen years, when the world is at peace, can you come out into the world."

As he was turning around, he heard bursts of shouting. It turned out that the monks had come and asked where the teacher's robes and bowl were. The old monk looked at those familiar yet unfamiliar monks. He saw them wearing monk robes, sitting on the monk platform, living in the temple, chanting Buddhist scriptures, and doing such beneficial things. He couldn't help feeling sad and tears flowed down his face.

There was a flash of knife before his eyes, but he had already been killed.

This situation is not only not uncommon, but is surging in all parts of Kyushu. All parties that began preparing under the order of the previous Human Emperor, although they became cautious because of the death of the Human Emperor, have never withdrawn their previous preparations. Now that the opportunity has arrived, major changes have emerged like mushrooms after rain.

At this moment, there are rumors -

Li Zhai, the chief military strategist, led his army to conquer all directions, sweeping across the three surrounding kingdoms and defeating tens of thousands of enemies.

The military power was so powerful that it shocked all the countries.

Just when everyone was thinking that this military leader was expressing his unconditional support for his brother.

This rare and famous general suddenly turned his troops around and headed straight for the capital. He demolished and burned down temples along the way, and forced all the men to return to secular life and go back home. At that time, as the country was worshipping Buddhism, his presence was like a thunderclap that shocked everyone.

"You, how dare you disrespect the Dharma!"

"How dare you!"

"How dare you?! You don't respect Buddha, Dharma, or monks. You should go to the eighteen levels of hell and suffer the pain of purgatory for eternity without salvation!!!"

A monk was pinned down, looking angrily at the soldiers who had demolished the temple. Waves of shouts and curses came out of the elegant monk's mouth, which didn't seem like words a monk should say. Soon after, when the people discovered that several young women were brought out of the dark room of the monk's pavilion, the monk's face turned pale.

"Slander! You are slandering me!"

"You are slandering Buddhism! Slander!"

The old monk chanted sadly, bowed to the statue of Tathagata, knelt down and wailed, "Oh my Buddha, my Buddha Tathagata, manifests the Dharma, protects disciples and believers, and makes this evil disciple receive retribution. You, all of you, should receive retribution!!!"

His shrill voice echoed in all directions, but no one dared to scold him.

boom!!!

With a fierce gust of wind, the huge Buddha statue was shattered into pieces in the middle, and an arrow pierced into the depths.

Still shaking.

The old monk's pupils suddenly contracted, and the shattered gravel tore wounds on his face, and blood flowed.

Dead silence!

There was dead silence!

In the boundless silence, everyone slowly turned around, and a group of cavalry slowly appeared. The tall war horse was covered with armor, and a man holding a bow was wearing armor and a robe and sitting on the war horse. The war horse stepped on the ground step by step, and it seemed to be stepping on everyone's hearts, making them feel a little bit of fear.

Then the warhorse stopped, and he slightly pulled the reins of the warhorse. The warhorse raised its pace and actually stepped on the backs of the monks who were lying on the ground to force the soldiers not to enter the temple. Accompanied by screams and blood, the monks who relied on their country and worshipped Buddhism and whom the soldiers dared not touch slowly stopped moving.

Step by step, a long bloody road.

The chaotic situation became dead silent. Everyone looked at the famous general who was walking on a long bloody road like a nightmare. The leader of the military strategists, Li Zhai, said calmly: "If I am destroyed, where is the retribution?"

He rode on a majestic warhorse, looking down at the monks coldly.

The old monk seemed to be in a trance, his body suddenly trembled, and he said: "You, you, the devil, Po Xun, the devil king Po Xun!"

Li Zhai walked forward indifferently. The soldier behind him bowed and saluted, saying, "General, there are more than 30,000 monks in the temple. What should we do?"

The leader of the military strategists said calmly:

"Do not engage in production, be exempt from taxes, and be supported by all living beings."

"They are termites that feed on the blood of the people of our country."

"When a temple is burned down, all monks shall return to secular life and be ordered to go home to serve their parents. Those who do not return to secular life shall be killed."

"You!!! Demon king Poxun, demon king!" Amidst the fierce shouts and curses, the towering temple was set on fire. The red sky was reflected on the armor of Li Zhai, the leader of the military strategists. With an indifferent expression, he began an action that was extremely cruel, domineering, but also extremely resolute in the eyes of later generations.

【Clear the emperor’s side】

He looked at the distant sky and thought about old friends from the past.

King Qin Li Weifeng, his brother Li Hui who had once joined forces with him, Qiong Yu, and the Taoist priest.

"Humph, the world is changing drastically, my country is in trouble, if there is really retribution, come at me!"

"Master, let's meet again in the capital!"

"drive!"

Li Zhai raised a cold arc at the corner of his mouth, rode on his warhorse, and embarked on the journey of an extremely cold and domineering legend in his life.

…

The king was brave and strong when he was young, but he was arrogant and conceited. He often fought with others and hurt people, which caused resentment among the people.

At the age of fifteen, he entered the border before he was twenty...

He reorganized the army, enforced laws, and at the age of seventeen, he was able to lead an army of 100,000 to repel the enemy 300 miles away.

Twenty-two years old.

Enter the forbidden area with a knife.

In the twenty-third year of his life, he attacked the four barbarians, turned his troops around, burned temples and exterminated Buddhism.

He confronted the emperor head-on and his power shook the world.

At that time, people called it the Two Emperors in One Sky.

Known in history as the "Mighty King", his title is——

【Emperor Wuzong】

————《The World's Famous Generals, Human Race, the Brave and Mighty King》