Buddha (Bonus chapter for one of the alliance leaders of this book)

"He has become a Buddha." Hearing the abbot say this calmly, Li Huowang instantly felt a chill run down his spine.

He abruptly looked up at the five giant golden Buddhas around him. The solemnity they had exuded just moments ago seemed to have instantly transformed into a different, sinister demeanor.

Just as Li Huowang was about to get up, he glanced at the bright sunshine outside the door, then back at the abbot before him.

The old abbot remained as he was, sitting there with unwavering composure, neither pleased nor saddened, as if those words had not come from his mouth.

Wait, don't scare yourself. It might not be what I think it is.

After pondering for a while, Li Huowang spoke again, "Abbot, Zhengde Temple and Danyangzi should have a feud, right?"

"Indeed. He has been abducting and killing people everywhere, causing chaos and unrest. I once sent the Damo Academy's martial monks from this temple to capture him, but he has repeatedly escaped."

"If you can find a way to eliminate this person, it would be a meritorious deed."

"Then may I ask, Master, how did such a heinous villain become a Buddha? How could he possibly become a Buddha?"

"Amitabha, what he is now does not depend on what he is in himself. I have Buddha in my heart; in my heart, he is Buddha."

Hearing him say this, Li Huowang felt a surge of annoyance. This old Monk wasn't speaking properly, but playing riddles with him.

"Benefactor, Danyangzi has now escaped into the macrocosm. What I think he is doesn't matter. What matters is what you think he is. What you think he is, he is. After all, his karma now lies with you, not with me."

Xin Hui's voice remained calm and even, but this time Li Huowang understood what he meant.

"Are you saying that Danyangzi has now become a shapeless mass that can change according to people's thoughts? Similar to Lord You?"

"Indeed."

"But why? How did he become that kind of ghostly thing? Those cultivation methods for becoming an immortal were all made up by me! So many poisonous things, swallowing them should have killed him directly!"

Li Huowang couldn't figure out this question no matter how hard he tried.

"This old Monk does not know."

Such a frank answer caught Li Huowang off guard. "You don't know?"

"This old Monk is not the Future Buddha and cannot be omniscient and omnipotent. A Monk does not speak falsely; not knowing is not knowing."

Li Huowang pondered again for a moment, then asked another crucial question.

"Abbot, is there a way to completely get rid of Danyangzi? Since he is our opponent, it's not good to just leave him hanging like this."

He had gone to so much trouble to come this far to solve this.

No matter what Danyangzi had become, he had to get rid of him.

This time, Xin Hui didn't answer so quickly. Instead, he pondered for a moment, then raised his right hand. "Come closer, I need to take another look."

Looking at that wrinkled white hand, Li Huowang hesitated.

"Benefactor Xuan Yang, if you still suspect that I want to harm you, then you shouldn't have stepped into the temple gate just now."

Li Huowang thought for a moment, then pressed his forehead against his palm.

With a "buzz," Li Huowang felt all the colors around him instantly become several times more vivid, and his whole body felt light and airy.

This wonderful feeling came quickly and went quickly. When everything returned to normal, Li Huowang didn't know why, but he felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.

He understood that this old abbot definitely possessed some special Buddhist supernatural powers, to say the least.

"Well... this matter is of great importance. This old monk needs to discuss countermeasures with the other Elders. You may stay at the temple for now, and I will give you an answer tomorrow."

Upon hearing that he was to stay, Li Huowang immediately became somewhat nervous. "I have friends outside the temple; they will worry if I don't return."

Seeing Li Huowang's refusal, the abbot's tone remained unhurried and calm.

"It is up to you whether you stay or leave. Zhengde Temple will open its doors at Chen Hour tomorrow. Xuan Yang, Benefactor, please do not break your word. You also know that if this trouble is not eliminated, it will ultimately be a major hidden danger for you and all the people in the world."

When Li Huowang walked out of the hall and stood in the sunlight, looking back inside, he discovered that the abbot had once again turned around and resumed chanting sutras in front of the giant golden Buddha.

Li Huowang looked up at the midday sun overhead, then surveyed the peaceful and serene Buddhist temple all around. It didn't seem like anything was happening at all.

Just as Li Huowang had turned to leave after taking only a few steps, the bald back of the abbot's head, who was still chanting sutras, began to wriggle.

Before long, a seam slowly cracked open in the smooth skin beneath the Five Buddha Hat, and a huge, fist-sized vertical eye emerged, staring fixedly at Li Huowang.

At this moment, the sound of the sutras being chanted by the old abbot suddenly increased by an order of magnitude. "Form is not me... if it were me. Form should not be sick and suffer. I want form to be like this, I do not want form to be like that, according to my desires. Therefore, know this..."

After Li Huowang made several turns, following the small paths between the temples, he returned to the bustling main gate filled with pilgrims. He felt like he had returned to the human world once more.

Standing in the crowd, he looked towards the alley he had just emerged from. "Should I trust him?" Li Huowang felt somewhat hesitant.

"Hey! Daoist! I'm over here!" Hearing someone call him, Li Huowang turned his head and saw the Old Beggar on the road not far away, excitedly waving at him.

"You came to this Zhengde Temple? They were willing to take you in?"

The Old Beggar nodded excitedly. "Yes, just now that Monk said that seeing how pitiful I am, they could let me stay in this temple to work."

"That's good too. You should work hard here; it's at least better than digging for wild vegetables and eating offerings for the dead outside. I have something to do, so I'll leave first. Oh right, I haven't asked you what your name is yet."

"You can just call me Monk. I like being called Monk. Come visit the temple when you have time."

"Hehe, according to you Buddhists, let it be as fate wills."

After bidding farewell to this Old Monk, Li Huowang left Zhengde Temple.

When he arrived at the inn they had agreed upon, the others swarmed up to him.

Li Huowang raised his hand to stop the others from asking further, and said, "I have something for you all to do. You will split up and inquire about Zhengde Temple from the locals."

Although his interactions with those Monks today were very normal, he still planned to hear the local people's opinions of Zhengde Temple before making any decisions.

The others didn't ask anything, nodded, and turned to walk out of the inn.

Time passed bit by bit. When the sun set, the seven people who had scattered out returned one after another and began to report their findings to Li Huowang.

"They say that Zhengde Temple is the largest temple in the entire West Capital City, and its incense is the most prosperous."

"I heard that those Monks are very devout and strictly abide by the rules and precepts. Last time, a Monk secretly ate meat and was directly expelled from the temple."

"I heard that the emperor in the palace also goes to that temple to worship Buddha. If you're lucky and get a good spot, you can even see the emperor!"

"What I heard from them is about the same. Senior Brother, why do you want us to inquire about Zhengde Temple?"

Li Huowang didn't answer. He didn't want to tell them about the terrifying possibility that Danyangzi might still exist, lest they become worried and afraid.

After carefully pondering their findings for a while, Li Huowang realized that he had no reason to refuse.

If he didn't trust these monks, then he could only confront Danyangzi, who had become a "Buddha," on his own. This choice would undoubtedly be courting death.

After weighing the pros and cons, Li Huowang made up his mind to return to Zhengde Temple tomorrow.

Thanks to Morgenrote for the 100,000 Qidian coin reward.