I am a living immortal.

Chen Dong turned his gaze toward the remaining spirits. He understood the principle of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys. The abbot reluctantly chanted a Buddhist chant, and the previously noisy chanting became peaceful. The karmic fire from hell vanished in an instant. The spirits, terrified, their golden light dimmed, and they retreated into the Buddha's image, not daring to reappear.

The hall fell into dead silence.

It seemed as if the Buddha’s anger just now was as ridiculous as an illusion.

Such weakness is nothing more than a few words provoked into greed, anger, and ignorance. A false Buddha is a false Buddha; no matter how similar it may be, it lacks the foundation and core of a Buddha. This Lotus Buddha Kingdom is nothing but a false name. This is understandable. Under the heavy pressure of the Han court, the soil for these religious beliefs is not fertile. Most people believe not in imaginary Buddhas, but in real people. For example, in the northern border, they worship the Zhenbei Army, and many of its generals have been enshrined with longevity tablets.

This kind of belief can be seen and touched, and is also the mainstream of the Han people.

As for the two religions, why was Buddhism so keen on cooperating with the Han? Because the land available for their growth was so scarce, their only way out was to cooperate with the Han.

Is the Vajra statue that was just destroyed by Chen Dong with a wave of his hand really that weak?

Not really. The Han people had a large population, and with a century of dedication, they were quite powerful. In fact, what Chen Dong admired about these monks was that they had actually cultivated an illusory rose in the barren soil. Although it was only a form, it was sufficient.

"It's time to end this farce." Chen Dong looked at the abbot.

"Actually, I didn't come here to cause a conflict with you. I have no grudge against Buddhism, but I am doing my job. The existence of the Lotus Buddha Kingdom will inevitably affect the future plans of the Han Dynasty. To avoid any unnecessary accidents, the Lotus Buddha Kingdom cannot exist anymore."

This sentence seemed to declare that the Lotus Buddha Kingdom no longer had the capital to resist, and no matter how unwilling it was, it could only accept its fate.

The abbot sighed, as if he had aged decades in an instant, and slowly said, "The Lotus Buddha Kingdom is willing to submit to the Han Dynasty. We hope that the Imperial Master will keep his promise and provide a good place for all the monks, big and small."

"Of course!"

Chen Dong agreed immediately: "You must obey my words. You can't leave even if you don't want to. All of you will enter the Imperial Master's Mansion and contribute to the Han Dynasty and future plans."

The abbot was in a trance for a moment, then asked curiously, "What are your plans next?"

"Of course! I've discovered that you're not completely useless. Your methods of conferring faith are remarkable. Do you think what I said before was all nonsense? The Han Dynasty has its own plans, and the Imperial Preceptor's Office has its own plans, and this plan cannot be separated from your help."

Chen Dong had been thinking about how to make the current Han Dynasty even stronger. It could be said that the Han Dynasty's strongest strength had already reached its peak. For example, the Shenwu General, the Han Emperor, the salty fish supervisor, and other officials, both large and small, although he had not met them all, he knew that they were very powerful.

It has reached a point where there is no room for further progress, otherwise the Han court would not have sought a change.

If they didn't break free from this shackle, all that awaited them was decline. This was a lesson from history. Neither the emperor nor his ministers wanted to see this happen. Promising a dynasty lasting for thousands of years was just talk; where in the world could such a thing exist? Yet the Han Dynasty wanted to slow down this decline.

What can I do?

Originally, Chen Dong didn't know, but when he saw the canonized spirits, he suddenly realized it. In his previous world, gods often treated all living things as pastures, but now he saw another direction: humans can also create gods, and humans can also canonize gods.

This is one of the ways.

If the upper limit is limited, then add quantity, quantitative change can produce qualitative change.

The human enthronement of the gods was only one part of the plan, a seemingly insignificant one. From this insignificant part, Chen Dong saw another, even more overlooked and insignificant group: humans.

The foundation of a dynasty lies in its people. The rise and fall of a dynasty isn't determined by the one or two leaders in power, but by the most overlooked. The saying "water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it" holds true.

Is General Shenwu powerful? Yes, he is. However, his strength is only that of one person. His power belongs to him alone, and has nothing to do with the common people. In fact, the common people shackle General Shenwu. Because of responsibility and protection, the strong are humbled and timid, unable to show their true strength.

And is there any way to have the best of both worlds?

Yes, that is to make every citizen of the world strong. This will not only free the powerful, but also allow the people to protect themselves without relying on external forces. Moreover, if such a huge base becomes stronger, it can greatly enhance the national strength of the Han Dynasty.

This is a win-win solution, but the real key point is how to implement it. Chen Dong now has a preliminary framework. It is extremely difficult to truly implement it, but isn't this exactly what Chen Dong wants to do?

In order to complete the preliminary framework envisioned by Chen Dong, it would require enormous manpower and material resources. The reason why Chen Dong dared to think so was because he had something crucial.

That is the omnipotent sun.

If you dare to dream it, you can achieve it. This time, I'm going to show him the limits of this sun.

Besides, this framework has countless loopholes. Even if Chen Dong is smart, he can't achieve perfection alone. This requires the help of many people.

These monks were one group, and the Xuantian League's Taoists would also have to be brought under their wing. With the addition of these two religious factions, which had been spreading for who knows how long, the framework would surely be perfected through collective wisdom. If even these monks could come up with a method for canonizing the Buddha, it would depend on whether the Xuantian League could bring him another surprise.

With the support of Taoism, Buddhism and the National Master's Office, as long as the framework is completed, it will surely be a revolutionary moment and the moment when the Han Dynasty truly transforms.

I just don’t know whether the Emperor of the Han Dynasty can accept this change.

Thinking of this, Chen Dong was filled with an inexplicable fighting spirit. This was the big thing he wanted to do.

The road ahead is clear, so the next step is to gather the necessary external conditions, and with the support of the sun, just rush forward.

After thinking this through, I calmed down my excitement. Now that Buddhism has surrendered, it's time to look at that troublesome Taoism. Taoism is definitely not as simple as Buddhism. Buddhism has always been willing to surrender, and strength and grace are equally important. It's just a matter of going with the flow.