Zhongzhou, Thunder Sound Pure Land.
Within the Thunder Sound Buddha Temple, a Grand Completion stage Buddha slowly opened his eyes. His figure was somewhat robust, his face showed signs of age, and his expression was as undisturbed as that Buddha statue. Buddhist light shimmered behind him.
The great hall, already silent, now grew even more solemn.
"Left and Right," the Buddha spoke, his tone still dignified.
"We await the revered Ling Shang Buddha's command."
The Arhat on the left and the Bodhisattva on the right responded in unison.
The Ling Shang Buddha's eyes narrowed slightly, his tone unchanged:
"Issue the order to deliver the entire Evil Spirit Sect. Also, investigate who the Evil Spirit Sect members in Wanfo Temple of Xiniu Hezhou truly are."
"If they can be converted to the true Dharma, bring them back. I will personally guide them."
The Arhat asked calmly with a respectful gesture: "May I ask, Ling Shang, is this delivery limited to the Evil Spirit Sect within Xiniu Hezhou?"
"All of them. Zhongzhou as well." The Ling Shang Buddha closed his eyes. "Brazen insects—laughable, insignificant creatures."
"As you command."
The Arhat and Bodhisattva on either side responded in unison once more, then slowly and silently withdrew to transmit the order.
Within the great hall, the Ling Shang Buddha slowly raised his palm, mimicking the same gesture as the golden Great Buddha of Wanfo Temple. In a flash, his posture became nearly identical to that of the Great Buddha.
Wanfo City.
News of yesterday's battle within Wanfo Temple had not spread externally. Instead, tales circulated that Buddhist light had shone forth from Wanfo Temple during the night, as if a true Buddha had descended upon this place.
So today, in addition to even more devout chanting of Buddhist scriptures, one could hear discussions about how the Buddhist light had illuminated Wanfo City as brightly as day.
Most were saying that the believers at this Wanfo Temple assembly were so devout that the Buddha would deliver the mortals of this region.
Naturally, the Buddha would not deliver everyone—only the most devout believers would receive salvation.
This alone, combined with last night's Buddhist light, made today's believers even more fervent.
The path to Wanfo Temple was packed so densely with people it was nearly impassable.
Parents held sick children in their arms, chanting Buddhist scriptures devoutly while making vows for their children's health.
Greedy gamblers prayed for the Buddha to bestow ten thousand taels of gold—though such wishes remained silently recited in their hearts.
The things people cannot obtain in this world are countless. Some seek health, others wealth, some power, others love.
Though their desires differ, the yearning in their hearts is the same.
Thus they all devoutly pray together toward their dreams.
They devoutly pray to the Buddha who can fulfill their dreams without any effort on their part.
lizhi gently sipped the strong wine in her mouth. This wine, which would have once moved her to admiration, now seemed somewhat bland.
She knew the reason—the events of yesterday were something she couldn't have dreamed up even in her wildest intoxication.
In that first moment, she had been stunned, unsure what was happening. Everything had occurred in a flash of lightning.
But given time, lizhi could piece together the full picture.
lizhi looked up at Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin, who sat calmly at the table, quietly sipping tea.
As if the battle in Wanfo Temple yesterday against the Zhongzhou Buddhist Sect hadn't involved them at all.
That golden Great Buddha suddenly speaking, that absolute aura of majesty and gravity...
lizhi waited for a long while. Seeing that Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin remained silent, each gazing out the window without exchanging glances, she finally ventured quietly:
"That golden Great Buddha yesterday... surely it couldn't have been just Golden Core stage?"
Chu Xingchen didn't turn around. Instead, he watched the vast power of faith, mingled with impure elements, drifting toward Wanfo Temple.
Within that power of faith, various impure thoughts intertwined. This faith wasn't pure either.
Greed, desire, violence.
"Mm, that Great Buddha yesterday was quite fierce. Nearly exposed our identities." Chu Xingchen replied indifferently.
lizhi gently traced her palm, then lowered her voice further:
"Will everyone we encounter from now on be at that level of cultivation? Or will they all be from Zhongzhou?"
As the sacred land of cultivation, Zhongzhou was naturally the aspiration of all cultivators.
But Zhongzhou cultivators were another matter entirely—at least for lizhi.
Who knew what cultivation level those who descended from Zhongzhou possessed? She, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, could show off in her small corner of the world.
But facing Zhongzhou cultivators of that caliber—they were either Golden Core or Nascent Soul...
In the past, when she saw Nascent Soul cultivators, lizhi had to bow and call them great masters. Now her cultivation hadn't increased, yet she expected those Nascent Soul masters to bow to her.
It was satisfying, especially when dealing with those bald monks she disliked.
lizhi considered herself clear-headed.
She could do the work, but risking her life for it? That was another matter.
As a genius of Xiniu Hezhou, she was destined to shine brilliantly there. She hadn't planned to fall early into the hands of Zhongzhou cultivators.
At this level of confrontation, having a Foundation Establishment cultivator as a guide was essentially meaningless.
And yet... her current level of involvement meant she couldn't simply withdraw even if she wanted to.
Especially since that monk might have actually seen her true appearance. If she were branded as an evil cultist, everything would be over.
The thrill of the moment had passed, and now regret flooded in.
lizhi felt deeply uneasy, for her parents were still alive and well.
Even Xu Jin, not just Chu Xingchen, could sense lizhi's desire to withdraw.
But he said nothing. He didn't know lizhi's specific circumstances. Whether to forcefully keep her or let her go was Chu Xingchen's decision to make.
Xu Jin didn't even turn his head. Instead, he waited for the power of faith to feed Wanfo Temple so he could trace its final destination.
Chu Xingchen turned back and used spiritual energy to summon a teacup, gently placing it before lizhi. He poured her a cup of tea himself.
"You've worked hard these days. The monk at Wanfo Temple didn't see your true face either."
"If you want to return and rest first, that's naturally fine. But remember to keep silent—you've never seen either of us."
"If you don't speak, you'll be safe."
lizhi watched as Chu Xingchen nearly filled her cup, then looked up at the habitual gentle smile on his face.
She wanted to say something elegant, but perhaps people of Xiniu Hezhou weren't skilled at such things.
In the end, lizhi simply said earnestly: "Thank you, Senior..."
She then intended to return the protective artifacts and talismans Chu Xingchen had given her.
Chu Xingchen refused the protective artifacts but took back the talismans. If these fell into Buddhist Sect hands, there was still a reasonable chance they could be traced back to him.
After all, the Eighteen Immortal Sects possessed some rather unfathomable methods.
These talismans were dangerous items.
No matter what, lizhi was still a member of the Tianyan Sect. Without sufficient evidence, the Buddhist Sect wouldn't tear off all pretense to cause trouble.
"I wish you a flourishing path of immortality." Chu Xingchen smiled. "You've been a great help this time."
lizhi quickly shook her head in denial and took out the materials she had prepared one by one from her spatial ring, respectfully placing them on the table.
"I hope Senior can make use of these things."
Chu Xingchen didn't refuse and accepted these books. He simply advised:
"Be careful on your way. Matters are pressing, so I won't see you off."
Xu Jin watched lizhi bow and depart. After waiting a moment to confirm she had left Wanfo City, he finally asked:
"Brother Chu, you're really just letting her go like that?"
Chu Xingchen stood up leisurely and gave an answer that wasn't quite relevant:
"lizhi's life is still a life. She still wants to eat lizhi, after all."
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