Chapter 633 — The Heavenly Lord's Frame-Up

"Junior brother, you should return to your Sakra Heaven Realm and prepare to flee for your life. Take Benefactor Shen with you, and have him escort you out of the Buddha Realm," said the sweeping monk.

King Buddha Sakra glanced at Shen Mu, still black-faced, and laughed. "He is to escort me out? Does he have such dharma power? Elder brother, it would be better if you saw me out of the Buddha Realm. Your divine powers are vast and far surpass mine — you can roam the great thousand worlds in a dream. You must have some way to send me out safely."

The sweeping monk said nothing. His broom swept along the ground and suddenly swept across the top of King Buddha Sakra's foot. The world spun for King Buddha Sakra, and when he came back to himself, he and Shen Mu had been swept out the door and stood before the ruined temple.

The temple gate was ruined — smashed by Shen Mu himself. The monk stuck his head out from behind the half-collapsed brick wall and said to the two of them, "Benefactor Shen, you need not worry about Zhankong and Chenghuai. Once they have learned the Emperor's Throne True Scripture, they will return. Sending them away is much simpler than seeing you two off. I am repairing the wall and the gate — I will not escort you."

The dim halo behind King Buddha Sakra's head blazed bright again, Buddha light shining in all directions. He laughed. "Elder brother said this chamber pot is large enough, foul enough. I would rather like to see how large and how foul. Little friend Shen, do not keep your face so black. It was I who wronged you, and made you bear this burden..."

Shen Mu made as if to peel the golden willow leaf from his brow. King Buddha Sakra hastily bowed and apologized. "No need to peel it off. You may beat me — I can still flee. I offer my apology here, and in future I will surely repay you."

Shen Mu lowered his hand and said, "I am now carrying the pot for you, King Buddha — such a great black pot. Even after a long scrubbing, it may never come clean."

King Buddha Sakra laughed. "Rest assured, in the future I will restore your innocence. Besides, I too bear a chamber pot on my head. From the very start, elder brother spoke in my voice and my tone — the first chamber pot was fastened on me by him. Let us leave this place first. Though the Heavenly Court is bloated and corrupt, it will not take them more than a few days to learn the news and come to seize us. Let us return to the Sakra Heaven Realm and make our preparations."

Shen Mu's expression eased, and he nodded.

King Buddha Sakra lifted him into the air and looked around, seeing the corpses of Dharma King Molun and several Buddhas. His heart was both glad and shocked: "I long ago saw that this eye of his was strange, but I never imagined its power was so ferocious — even a Buddha Patriarch like Molun died. Though Molun's attainment in the Buddha Dharma was half a bucket of water, his strength was by no means small. This chamber pot is not small, but I can bear it — I can hold it up!"

He flew with Shen Mu to the Golden Sea and suddenly his expression went blank. The Buddha light behind his head nearly winked out. He saw that in the Buddha Realm's supreme holy ground, the golden sea's Buddha light was now nearly extinguished, more than half gone. Everywhere was the thick demonic aura of the City of the Dead. Holy mountains and holy isles had collapsed under blows; how many temples upon the holy mountains and isles had been sunk, no one could say!

This was nothing less than a great calamity!

King Buddha Sakra stared wide-eyed, the Buddha light behind his head flickering bright and dim as if it might go out at any moment. After a while he came back to himself and looked with difficulty at Shen Mu. "Is this chamber pot also to be fastened on my head? Could you not share a tiny bit of it?"

Shen Mu shook his head. "King Buddha, I already have a black pot of my own..."

King Buddha Sakra let out a turbid breath, somewhat dazed and soul-stricken. The Buddha Realm's supreme holy ground had become another City of the Dead. He reckoned that before long, many wronged spirits would gather here — perhaps even Lord Tu himself would come for a stroll!

This pure land would likely have to yield half of itself to Lord Tu!

"Hold on, I must hold on! Elder brother said my chamber pot will be washed clean in the future. He would not deceive me!"

King Buddha Sakra drew a long breath. Without looking at the devastation of the Great Brahma Heaven Realm, he brought Shen Mu to the Sakra Heaven Realm and said, "Just now, elder brother said you have a way to send me out of the Buddha Realm. May I ask, little friend Shen, what means and divine powers do you possess?"

Shen Mu was sullen and unhappy. "I came seeking the True Scripture. I did not obtain it, and when I return I will have no explanation to give — and on top of that I must carry a great pot on my back. How am I to face Tathagata when I go back? I have no face to see him. Better the Heavenly Court seize me and put me to the blade."

King Buddha Sakra understood it all and laughed. "Then I shall transmit my King Buddha Sakra's Scripture to you. Though it is not equal to the Emperor's Throne True Scripture, it is at least a Lingxiao True Scripture. Elder brother's Emperor's Throne True Scripture is broad and profound, difficult to fathom, too intricate — whereas my King Buddha Sakra's Scripture is far simpler: vigorous and bold, easy to take up in cultivation. Once you learn it, the effects will come quickly. Now, will you tell me how we are to leave the Buddha Realm?"