Ordinary people pray to Buddha and gods, often with a great deal of utilitarianism. All the heavenly gods and Buddhas are created because they are needed, be it oriental or Western, theologies are all like this.
So, in the world, there is originally no Buddha, and for the audience, to let them keep their original faith is in itself a very difficult task.
In the broadcast world, the Jade Emperor and Tathagata Buddha can both appear as NPCs or gatekeepers. In this circumstance, who can continue maintaining their original belief?
Faith comes from awe, comes from mystery. Once these things are no longer present, it is very hard to form what is called faith, and the original system it relies on will collapse instantly.
So actually, a long time ago, the monk already chose his own path. He practiced Buddhism while also cultivating himself. His devoutness to Buddha was not to serve those ethereal deities, but to serve himself.
