Chapter 380: Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus!
[Manjushri Bodhisattva: Jieyin Buddha will naturally make his choice; we just need to watch from here.]
[Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva: I have been in the Eighteen Levels of Hell for so long, and clearing Hell is extremely difficult. I must further advance my cultivation. However, progressing step by step makes rapid improvement nearly impossible. If only I could obtain the Thousand-Buddha Pill!]
Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva directly expressed his desire for it, but Jieyin Buddha did not respond to him immediately. Instead, the other Bodhisattvas criticized him.
[Lingji Bodhisattva: The great vow you made should be accomplished by you alone. The Thousand-Buddha Pill is a reward from Jieyin Buddha—what does it have to do with you?]
[Samantabhadra Bodhisattva: Exactly! The second reward has yet to be revealed, and Jieyin Buddha may not even choose the Thousand-Buddha Pill. Even if he does, there's no guarantee it will go to you. There are so many disciples in Buddhism—who among them is inferior to you?]
After speaking, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva immediately regretted it. Seeing so many people opposing him, he realized it would be even harder to obtain the pill.
Moreover, his impatience had likely offended Jieyin Buddha, making it even less likely that he would receive the Thousand-Buddha Pill.
Once Jieyin Buddha chose the Thousand-Buddha Pill, it would become a target for countless disciples, who might use any means to obtain it. The key question was whom Jieyin Buddha would grant it to.
At this moment, Tongtian Jiaozhu naturally wouldn't remain idle and stepped in to fan the flames.
[Tongtian Jiaozhu: Such a great treasure can enhance the strength of disciples. If it were me, I wouldn't hesitate. Jieyin Buddha, what is there to deliberate?]
Yuanshi Tianzun also took the opportunity to retaliate for being previously pressured.
[Yuanshi Tianzun: A reward ranked this low won't provide much of a boost, even if the second reward is decent. It would be better to choose the Thousand-Buddha Pill to improve the disciples' strength!]
After the two Saints spoke, many Buddhist disciples agreed. However, none of them dared to voice their support too loudly, fearing they might displease Jieyin Buddha.
In reality, these two Saints had no intention of speaking in favor of the Buddhist disciples—they merely wanted to make things difficult for Jieyin Buddha.
If Jieyin Buddha chose the Thousand-Buddha Pill, whether willingly or not, Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu would be delighted to see it.
If he did not choose it, then their words would provoke dissatisfaction among the people. Even if others did not openly express their displeasure, they would undoubtedly feel uneasy.
[Jieyin Buddha: There is no need to rush! I understand your thoughts and know how to weigh the options. Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu, there is no need to stir up trouble here. Once the second reward is revealed, I will naturally choose the better one. For now, no matter how important the Thousand-Buddha Pill is, it cannot be chosen recklessly!]
Jieyin Buddha had the most rational approach, and everyone naturally wanted to see what the second reward would be.
They didn't have to wait long before the second reward was announced.
[Fifth place on the Technique List Reward: Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus!]
[This is an innate supreme treasure, formed from a lotus seed of the same original Thirty-Six-Rank Golden Lotus. Each use is akin to a world-destroying catastrophe. The Blackwater has both offensive and defensive properties, capable of blocking most spells and attacks, and is especially effective against fire-based techniques!]
Similar treasures existed in the Primordial World, and each was an innate supreme treasure. Although this was among the weaker ones, it was still one of the highest-tier artifacts in the Primordial World, as the number of innate supreme treasures was quite limited.
In terms of power, the Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus ranked among the top three weapons in Jieyin Buddha's arsenal.
Even he hadn't expected to receive such a great reward despite ranking so low, exceeding his expectations entirely. This filled him with immense joy.
The moment he saw the Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus, he completely forgot about the Thousand-Buddha Pill. After all, the pill had no use for him and was something he could easily discard.
However, the Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus was extremely important to him. If he obtained it, it would compensate for his lack of a powerful weapon and significantly enhance his strength.
Throughout this ranking event, he had gained very few suitable rewards. Now that the Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus had appeared, there was no way he would let it slip away.
The Buddhist disciples, seeing this reward, felt utterly disheartened. The power of this weapon was evident to all, meaning their hopes of obtaining the Thousand-Buddha Pill had completely vanished.
They all understood that the Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus was undoubtedly Jieyin Buddha's choice.
[Tathāgata Buddha: The Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus is undoubtedly the better choice. The appearance of such a powerful weapon at this stage signifies its karmic connection with Jieyin Buddha. The Thousand-Buddha Pill would not significantly enhance his strength—choosing it would merely waste this reward!]
Tathāgata Buddha was very shrewd. He was the first to voice his opinion, making it easier for Jieyin Buddha to finalize his decision, especially since the other two Saints had been pressuring him.
Others quickly followed suit, as they could clearly see the situation.
[Guanyin Bodhisattva: Such a rare treasure appearing despite the low ranking means that if the Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus isn't chosen, the Golden List may never issue such a great reward again!]
[Lingji Bodhisattva: Although the Thousand-Buddha Pill is valuable to us disciples, Jieyin Buddha's strength is even more important. The Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus is a crucial treasure that must not be forsaken!]
[Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva: The Eighteen Levels of Hell can be dealt with gradually. The Thousand-Buddha Pill truly isn't the right choice!]
[Manjushri Bodhisattva: Jieyin Buddha will undoubtedly make the best choice!]
[Samantabhadra Bodhisattva: Without the Thousand-Buddha Pill, we disciples can still continue cultivating and growing stronger over time. But if we miss this opportunity, the Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus will never appear again. This is an immensely powerful treasure!]
Seeing so many people supporting the choice of the Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus, Jieyin Buddha was greatly pleased. At least his disciples understood the bigger picture and knew what should and shouldn't be done.
At this point, he had no reason to hesitate. As for others, he completely disregarded them—especially Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu. He no longer cared to listen to anything they had to say and was eager to claim the reward before they could make any more snide remarks just to irritate him.
[Jieyin Buddha: As everyone wishes, I choose the second reward—the Twelve-Rank World-Destroying Blackwater Golden Lotus!]