"The third challenge is you?" Zuan's expression was solemn. This colossus was too mysterious. He had never even seen its full appearance. He felt a sense of bewilderment, like drawing his sword and looking around.
"Don't be nervous. You only need to answer a few questions for this test." The giant statue seemed to chuckle.
“If I don’t answer correctly, can you let me pass the trial?” Zaun asked.
The colossus gasped, “Of course not. When I set up this trial, I was determined to be fair and just.”
"That settles it then. If I can't win the trial, I'm destined to die. How can I not be nervous?" Zuan said irritably.
"Since you know this and still came to participate in this trial, it proves that you are a person of great courage and wisdom, so I am optimistic that you can pass the trial," the colossus said.
"Instead of all this encouragement, you might as well give me some real help. Aren't we friends?" Zuan muttered.
"How do you know I haven't given you any real help?" the colossus suddenly retorted.
Zuan was taken aback, wondering when he had ever actually helped me.
He knew that such a being would have no reason to lie. Could it be the reminder from the River of Oblivion earlier?
A few thoughts suddenly arose in Zu'an's mind, but he didn't ask them aloud. Instead, he calmed himself down and said, "Let's begin."
“Alright,” the colossus’s voice filled the heavens and earth, “Actually, the problem in this level is closely related to the previous two levels.”
"Having gone through the first two trials, what do you think is the truth hidden behind the 'Death of the Jing River Dragon King'?" The giant's voice paused, then added, "You must think carefully before you answer."
Zu An was filled with thoughts. In fact, he had been thinking about this question all along. At first, he experienced it firsthand from the perspective of the Jinghe Dragon King, and then he experienced it from the perspective of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. Many seemingly complicated pieces of information finally found a hidden thread connecting them.
He replied in a deep voice, "The reason why the Jinghe Dragon King died was because he was caught up in the Western Paradise Sect's plan to spread Buddhism to the East. The Buddhist sect had scriptures that they wanted to transmit to the Tang Dynasty in the East. The Bodhisattva volunteered to find a scripture seeker. If I'm not mistaken, Yuan Shoucheng or the person around him was probably an incarnation of the Bodhisattva. That's why he was so powerful and could foresee the secrets of heaven."
"The Jinghe Dragon King was so stupid that he knew nothing. His advisors, such as Shad and Yaksha, were probably Buddhists. Even his daughter-in-law was rescued in advance and placed next to Li Shimin."
"After disobeying the imperial edict and violating the heavenly rules, he still thought of asking Yuan Shoucheng for help. He was really being sold out and still counting the money for the seller."
"Next, he was beheaded and went to the underworld to file a complaint. The King of Hell brought Li Shimin's soul to be questioned, so that Buddhism could arrange for the wronged souls of his various mortal enemies to come and claim his life along the way, such as Li Jiancheng, Yuanji, and the eighteen rebel kings in the City of the Wrongfully Dead, etc.; and the miserable and terrifying scenes in hell would frighten Li Shimin, making him understand the concept of reincarnation, and at the same time seek help from the great Buddhist teachings to help his soul be liberated and cleansed of his sins, so that he would not be burdened by karmic obstacles and go to hell after death. In this way, the matter of Tang Sanzang's journey to the West to obtain the scriptures would proceed naturally."
As Zuan spoke, he suddenly frowned. He felt as if he had missed some crucial information, but he couldn't figure out what it was even after thinking about it carefully.
"So, from what you're saying, the Buddhist sect was behind all of this?" the giant's voice rang out.
Zuan was about to answer yes when he suddenly froze, realizing that something was wrong.
In the underworld, why did both Judge Cui and the Ten Kings of Hell treat Li Shimin with such courtesy and respect? Initially, it was believed that this was due to the protection of the Emperor's fortune.
But after passing through the gates of hell, he also saw Li Yuan. Wasn't he also the Emperor? After his death, he was just sent by a little ghost by Judge Cui to scold and take him away. He didn't have the treatment of an Emperor at all.
There must be something different about him than Li Shimin that caused this difference.
Li Shimin was indeed much more capable than Li Yuan, but is this difference in ability between ordinary mortals really that important to the gods and ghosts in the underworld?
That's probably because they needed Li Shimin's help with something, and Li Yuan couldn't provide the same assistance.
From this perspective, Li Shimin is the current emperor who can influence the national policies of the Tang Dynasty, namely, providing the greatest convenience for the eastward spread of Buddhism and attracting countless believers.
So here's the question: these guys in the Netherworld are clearly subordinates of the Heavenly Court, so why would they cooperate with Buddhism to cross over to their own territory?
This is illogical!
It should be noted that the Heavenly Court at that time was mainly based on Taoism, so how could it possibly cooperate with Buddhism to encroach on its territory?
Wei Zheng was also puzzled. The voice of the giant statue had just said that he had studied immortal arts since childhood, which was why he was chosen as a judge. Moreover, he was able to slay the Dragon King in his dream, so he obviously had supernatural powers. But when he was harassed by the ghost of the Jing River Dragon King, why did he say that he had not yet performed his duties and could not use his supernatural powers?
With his abilities as a judge in the underworld, could he really not realize that the dragon girl was just pretending to be a ghost from beginning to end?
Why would he deceive Li Shimin?
Surely it couldn't be to avenge his former master, Li Jiancheng?
Thinking of the scene where Li Jiancheng was scolded by the little devil, he immediately ruled out this possibility.
Then there's only one possibility left: he and the Dragon Girl are in cahoots?
Upon realizing this, Zu An was immediately horrified.
Has Buddhism infiltrated the Heavenly Court to this extent?
But if they're so powerful, why would they go to all the trouble of setting up such a scheme?
For a moment, Zuan felt his mind was in complete chaos. One moment he thought it was one possibility, and the next he thought it was another, but each possibility had some parts that couldn't be explained.
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