Vajra Glare, Bodhisattva Weeps

No one expected that the Mani Relic would suddenly burst into brilliant golden flames.

The light immediately stung the eyes of everyone in the hall, making it impossible for them to look directly at it. They all raised their sleeves to cover their faces.

Even with such intense Buddhist light, Xiao Chen couldn't get within three feet of it.

Although he stood still, he did not make any move.

Suddenly, a Black Mist rose around him, and in the blink of an eye, it was like a dam bursting in the Ink Sea, with a surging, Sha Qi churning out.

The Sha Qi was not entirely black; various strange and bizarre phenomena also appeared within it.

In the center, countless fragmented images of broken weapons could be vaguely seen floating in the Black Mist, their sharp edges seeming to clash and ring out.

Dark green venom dripped from the mist at the edge, merging with the Buddha's light in mid-air and turning into wisps of blue smoke.

The temperature in the entire hall dropped sharply, and a noticeable layer of frost instantly appeared on the surface of the Seven Treasures Incense Burner in the corner.

Strands of Red Lotus Karmic Fire rose from his back, causing the surrounding air to distort slightly.

The blue bricks beneath their feet have turned into Yellow Springs Mud, and amidst the churning Turbid Qi, stark White Bone are revealed, with pale mycelium spreading across the ground.

In the blink of an eye, it enveloped most of the palace!

Surprisingly, it forced the dazzling Buddha light back inch by inch.

At the same time, a foul gust of wind suddenly rushed out from nowhere, scattering the Sandalwood Incense in the hall and replacing it with a rusty, bloody smell.

"Hiss~!"

Everyone in the hall gasped in unison, involuntarily taking a few steps back.

"Click! Click! Click!"

The eight Guardian Vajra seemed to come alive, turning their heads to glare angrily at Xiao Chen, their bronze-cast bodies emitting a dull metallic scraping sound.

They held up all eight Law Artifact in their hands, including the Demon Subduing Pestle, the Demon Quelling Sword, and the Vajra Wheel.

It seemed as if it would crash down at any moment, carrying out its act of subduing demons and monsters.

Moreover, Purified Nature Zen Master Jingxing made a shocking discovery.

The statues of the Twenty-Four Heavenly Bodhisattvas on both sides of the main hall also exhibited strange phenomena.

The Guanyin Dharma Form sculpted from Pure World Glazed Glass has a single tear of blood slowly flowing from its eye; the Ksitigarbha statue carved from Ten Thousand Year Agarwood has a sorrowful expression; the Manjushri Wisdom Image carved from White Mutton Fat Spirit Jade has lowered eyes, as if sighing...

The hundreds of Wish Power Lamps on the altar swayed in unison, their flames flickering and their wicks crackling.

The Flame Heart rapidly contracted and shrank, turning from golden yellow to a deathly white, illuminating the ground as if it were a ghostly realm.

Even the scene of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss in the murals on the roof of the temple was distorted after the Buddha's light was forced back.

The gold paint on the pagoda peeled off piece by piece, the auspicious clouds of glazed glass gradually turned into a murky gray-black, and the lotus in the hands of the Flying Celestial Maidens withered for no reason, its petals falling into the air and turning into ashes.

"Splash!"

The Handwritten Buddhist Scriptures hanging on the wall moved without wind, the ink characters on the paper floating into the air one by one, rushing headlong into the Sha Qi.

But one by one they dimmed and vanished, as if swallowed by an endless abyss.

For a moment, the entire Great Hero Hall fell into a deathly silence.

Purified Dust Zen Master, who had only recovered from his injuries a few months ago, had fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

He had been presiding over Universal Salvation Temple for over 650 years; had he ever witnessed such a strange phenomenon?

Zen Master Jing Hua, who usually enjoys reading Ancient Books, was completely dumbfounded at this moment.

Back then, the Blood Demon Ancestor slaughtered dozens of markets by himself, and the Sha Qi he gathered was not even enough to condense into blood clouds, not even one-tenth of this.

The Yellow Springs have materialized within this Black Mist; how many lives will they ultimately harm?

Purified Nature Zen Master subconsciously took out the Formation Flag, intending to use the Formation Power to suppress it.

Fortunately, he possessed profound cultivation and immediately stopped his actions with an even faster reaction.

Nevertheless, he gripped the Formation Flag tightly, ready to respond at any moment.

"Wait a minute, everyone calm down!"

At this moment Gang Yuan True Monarch's mind was actually blank, but he still habitually tried to smooth things over. "Let's talk things out calmly and slowly."

Honestly, he had never seen such a scene before and had absolutely no relevant experience.

What's wrong with me today?

One accident after another?

Surprise and suspicion flashed in Zhang Shouquan's eyes as he looked thoughtfully at the billowing Sha Qi.

This situation is truly bizarre.

Karmic Red Lotus, and the Road to the Yellow Springs appears in the human world. Even if Demon God were to descend to earth, it would probably be no different.

Zhang Shouquan's heart skipped a beat—could it be that Daoist Xiao was secretly cultivating the demonic path as well?

Otherwise, how can it be explained?

It can only be said that he was, after all, Newly Promoted True Monarch, and made the same mistake as the previous Thunderbolt True Monarch, overestimating the power of Devil Cultivation Method.

In comparison.

Gang Yuan True Monarch was also wondering what Daoist Xiao had done to be covered in such a thick aura of Sha Qi.

As a result, Buddhist scriptures could not save them, and Vajra could not subdue them.

However, he immediately realized that such a situation was beyond the capabilities of one person alone.

It's likely that the assistance from the Hidden Dao Heritage to which Xiao Chen belongs is indispensable, and there may even be a huge causal connection involved.

Thinking of this, Gang Yuan True Monarch felt a tremor in his heart.

Wow~, did he accidentally guess some incredible secret?

This is bad. If the Hidden Dao Heritage behind Xiao Chen is going to such lengths to plan something, it might be something major involving Spirit Transformation Venerable.

However, he was, after all, Nascent Soul True Lord. He only had a few guesses in his mind. As long as he didn't investigate the truth later, he shouldn't be implicated.

In fact, it wasn't just them who were horrified.

Xiao Chen himself was taken aback at first.

To be honest, he was already somewhat prepared after seeing Zhang Shouquan's condition.

And they started planning ahead, figuring out what excuse they would use if they also disturbed the Guardian Vajra.

But he never expected that he would be able to trigger such a violent change.

This not only alarmed all the Guardian Vajra, but also caused some damage to items.

Honestly, this was purely an accident, so there shouldn't be any need for compensation, right?

"Well, I think there's some misunderstanding here."

Xiao Chen coughed lightly and explained, "As everyone knows, I dealt with the demonic cultivators of the Illuminating Void Sect before, and this might be a problem left over from that time."

"In short, it doesn't seem appropriate for me to continue standing here."

"Everyone, please wait a few steps before I move out, then we can slowly look for the problem."

As he spoke, he lifted his leg and took three steps back.

Just like how shadow puppetry causes shadows on a wall to shrink when the puppet is moved away from a light source.

After Xiao Chen moved a certain distance away from the Buddha's light, the Sha Qi on his body seemed to have diminished considerably.

Strangely, everything returned to normal after Zhang Shouquan stepped back three steps, as if nothing had happened.

But taking three steps back only slightly alleviated the situation.

"Hmm, it seems a little too close. I'll move back a bit more then."

Xiao Chen blinked, then retreated to the palace entrance in one breath.

Just as they were about to leave, the Mani Relic on the forehead of the Three Worlds Buddha was finally obscured by the beams and curtains of the palace.

The light emanating from the temple vanished completely.

Without the illumination of the Buddha's light, the intense Sha Qi could no longer be seen by the crowd.

Immediately afterwards, the eight Guardian Vajra lowered their raised ritual Law Artifact and returned to their original positions.

The strange phenomena caused by the Left and Right Bodhisattvas and right all disappeared, and the surface of the Seven Treasures Incense Burner was as smooth as new, without a trace of frost.

There was nothing unusual about the clanging of weapons, the Yellow Springs Mud, or even the Wish Power Lamps and the murals on the ceiling.

It was as if what everyone had just heard was an illusion, and what they had just seen was a false impression.

Okay, that's all for now.

Xiao Chen was very pleased with this.

Gang Yuan True Monarch also breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that everything has returned to normal, we can try to act as if nothing happened.

"Sigh!"

Purified Nature Zen Master sighed deeply, his brows furrowed, and his gaze swept over the still blank Handwritten Buddhist Scriptures on the surrounding walls, revealing a deep sense of worry.

Clearly, what just happened was not an illusion, and there are scriptures to prove it.

Of course, his sighs and distress were not because he was heartbroken over the Buddhist scriptures.

Although this stuff is quite expensive outside, Universal Salvation Temple is a large and well-established company that produces and sells its own products, so it doesn't need the money at all.

Purified Nature Zen Master was truly concerned about was the extraordinary phenomenon of the Vajra Glare and the Bodhisattva Weeps.

That was clearly the sign of the ' Asura Manifestation ' recorded in the Asura Sutra!

If he remembers correctly, this is a very bad omen.

This signifies that a catastrophe will soon befall the world.

"Sigh, these are turbulent times!"

Purified Nature Zen Master Jingxing sighed again, "Layman Xiao, may I ask where this... Sha Qi emanating from you comes from?"

"A few Devil Artifact alone would hardly be enough to cause this."

"This matter is of utmost importance, and we urge you to tell us the truth."

This question is actually quite easy to answer.

But if you're pressed like that, it's hard to say.

Xiao Chen himself had a pretty good idea of the specific reasons.

After all, he possessed carefully collected Five Elements Sars.

Meanwhile, some of the unusual phenomena we just witnessed are also highly related to the Five Elements Sars.

Therefore, the truth of the matter is probably that Universal Salvation Temple claims to be able to distinguish between good and evil by using the Mani Relic's ability to detect Sha Qi.

In essence, it uses the fact that wicked and evil people are tainted by murder and have an aura of Sha Qi to judge good and bad.

As a result, he mistakenly took the Five Elements Sars on his body as the Blood Sha Qi brought about by killing.

But how can this truth be explained?

Xiao Chen had no intention of revealing to the outside world that he possessed the Five Elements Sars Qi.

Once the news leaks out, people will definitely suspect his purpose in collecting the Five Elements Sars, and then their suspicions will wander to other places.

"Abbot Jingxing, there's no need to get to the bottom of this."

Gang Yuan True Monarch spoke first, "I can testify, and Fellow Daoist Yunfeng and the others can also testify, that Mirror Reflection True Monarch of the Illuminating Void Sect did indeed fall into the demonic path back then."

"If needed, I can also provide him with the Memory Stone of his commanding demon generals."

"Daoist Xiao may have inadvertently come into contact with some Sha Qi, but failed to notice and remove it in time."

"After all, this thing is invisible and intangible, so it makes perfect sense."

In his heart, Gang Yuan True Monarch wished he could shout it out loud.

This is outrageous! Can you please not ask such questions?!

He had absolutely no desire to know the source of the Sha Qi, nor did he want to know the truth of the matter.

Unfortunately, Purified Nature Zen Master Jingxing shook his head. "Layman Gang Yuan, it's not that I'm unwilling to believe you."

"But the Sha Qi emanating from Layman Xiao just now was far too overwhelming. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that it could not be explained by the mere mention of 'Devil Artifact '."

"Please, Layman Xiao, think carefully about what the reason might be."

ah?

Gang Yuan True Monarch was truly going crazy now.

He was already offering a way out, but he still wouldn't let it go and kept asking questions.

Keep in mind that they came to provide reinforcements out of kindness, and now there's the formidable enemy of the Sea Race outside, watching them with predatory eyes.

Whatever the problem may be, is it really necessary to dig into it at this point?

Please stop asking!

And as the old saying goes, curiosity killed the cat.

In the Cultivation World, everyone who successfully advances to the Nascent Soul has some secrets.

Abbot Jingxing should clearly understand this principle.

Why did I have to make such a mistake at this crucial moment?

"Layman Xiao, my senior brother didn't mean any harm."

Zen Master Fa Zhao stepped forward to mediate, saying, "There is a reason why we are concerned about the source of the Sha Qi."

As he spoke, he recited the relevant passage from the Asura Sutra.

He even used colloquial language to explain the meaning of the scriptures.

Then he concluded, "Perhaps you lay Buddhists don't quite believe in such warnings of calamity."

"However, within our Buddhist Sect, such warnings are extremely serious and crucial, and their accuracy is remarkably high, with almost no errors."

"That's precisely why Senior Brother dares not be careless."

"Actually, he's not usually the type to get to the bottom of things like this, so please don't misunderstand."

That concludes what I've said.

Zen Master Fa Zhao then looked at Xiao Chen and explained separately, "Layman Xiao, carefully recalling and finding the source of the Sha Qi will actually benefit you."

"After being entangled by the Sha Qi, there doesn't seem to be any obvious effect in the short term."

"In fact, it can easily cause a cultivator to undergo a drastic change in temperament without realizing it, or even suffer a qi deviation during cultivation."

"And the longer it goes on, the greater the impact will be."

"We need to find a way to eliminate or suppress it as soon as possible to avoid its impact."

"However, a crucial prerequisite for clearing or suppressing this Sha Qi is understanding its source and the different types it may contain."

"Firstly, it allows for targeted treatment and enhances the effect."

"Secondly, it can also prevent us from unknowingly coming into contact with the source again and becoming contaminated with the Sha Qi."

"Therefore, I hope that Layman Xiao can understand my senior brother's intentions."

"In order to find out the source of the catastrophe in advance, and for our own safety, let's think carefully about what the specific source of the Sha Qi is?"

Zen Master Fa Zhao spoke with True Intention, because these were truly his heartfelt words.

But when it reached the ears of Gang Yuan True Monarch, it made his heart tremble.

Oh no, it's even related to a human catastrophe!

Those who truly deserve these four titles are likely to be more than just one or two Spirit Transformation Venerable.

It looks like this matter is about to get bigger and bigger.

He felt everything go black, and he felt completely overwhelmed.

Zhang Shouquan also felt that he was not feeling well at all.

He only knew before that being exposed to too much Sha Qi was bad, as it could lead to demonic possession.

I've never heard of such a thing before. It's as if Sha Qi can drastically change a cultivator's temperament and cause even more serious effects over time.

At this moment, I suddenly heard such a secret.

Zhang Shouquan quickly memorized this information and resolved to find a way to get rid of the Sha Qi on his body as soon as possible.

One couldn't help but sigh, realizing that rogue cultivators could never compare to those established sect disciples.

Sometimes people are already infected without even realizing it.

If he Not Today, he probably wouldn't have known to deal with the Sha Qi in time.

It is very likely that in the future, he will be affected by it and go mad, dying unjustly without knowing where he went wrong.

Therefore, we still need to find ways to gather more intelligence in the future to broaden our horizons.

By the way, he had also heard at the banquet that Xiao Chen had a habit of borrowing scriptures from the various sects' Scripture Pavilion.

It is said that he has already visited several sects but is still not satisfied.

They also made advance reservations for the Azure Sea Immortal Sect and the Thousand Machines Valley.

At the time, Zhang Shouquan didn't quite understand what Xiao Chen's purpose was in repeatedly watching the videos. Shouldn't two or three sites be enough?

Now he finally realized that there was indeed an underlying reason why people did this.

He should take this as an example in the future and try to borrow more books.

Zhang Shouquan's mind raced, and he stood there, lost in thought.

But no one was paying attention to him at that moment.

Everyone was staring at Xiao Chen.

Purified Nature Zen Master Jingxing nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it was for these two reasons that I asked the question."

"Please, Layman Xiao, do not refuse; tell me the truth."

Fortunately, Xiao Chen was prepared.

He had considered beforehand whether it was inappropriate to use the same reason as Zhang Shouquan.

So he came up with another explanation. "Let me think... I've killed quite a few Sea Race Great Demon recently, perhaps it's because of this?"

"In addition, I have previously handled and destroyed some Demonic Path Material, and I have also used demonic Blood Escape Talisman."

"The current situation is likely due to a combination of factors."

After he finished speaking, the hall remained somewhat quiet.

Purified Nature Zen Master Jingxing stared intently at him, clearly waiting for the real reason to follow.

Honestly, that's a bit much.

Xiao Chen retorted directly, "If the Abbot has any ideas, he might as well just say so. Why beat around the bush with me?"

"If I had known that Universal Salvation Temple treated its guests like this, I wouldn't have come here to suffer."

He glanced at the Formation Flag on Purified Nature Zen Master's hands and feet. "Or rather, does the Abbot intend to attack me first?"

Gang Yuan True Monarch quickly tried to smooth things over. "Oh, it's not that serious, why go to such lengths?"

"Abbot Jingxing, I'm not trying to be mean, but with a formidable enemy at hand, how can you treat your own people like this?"

"What does this say about my Daoist Sect?"

"Please put away your Formation Flag first, otherwise things will definitely not end well today."

Zhang Shouquan sighed inwardly; as expected, nothing good ever came of following Xiao Chen.

Let's hope that Buddhist Dao don't end up fighting each other first.

But he still spoke up, "Please, Abbot, put away the Formation Flag first!"

Things had come to this point, which was actually beyond the expectations of the Buddhist Sect community.

Fortunately, Purified Nature Zen Master Jingxing was taken aback upon hearing this, and then immediately put away the Formation Flag.

He then clasped his hands together, bowed to Xiao Chen, and apologized, saying, "I am very sorry that you misunderstood me Layman Xiao."

"I was merely surprised to see the Sha Qi, which is why I instinctively took out the Formation Flag. I had no intention of coercing anyone."

"I am truly grateful to the three lay Buddhists for coming to my aid at this time."

"I swear before Buddha that everything I have said and everything I have done today came from a heart full of good intentions, and contained not a trace of evil."

"Including questioning Layman Xiao, it was entirely out of concern for the human catastrophe mentioned in the warning."

"If any of the above statements are false or contain even the slightest selfishness, may you be condemned to the Avici Hell, never to be reborn."

He maintained a bowing posture throughout his speech.

Only at the very end did he rise and make an oath before the Three Worlds Buddha.

With one side yielding humbly, the atmosphere inside the hall immediately eased considerably.

However, that's not all.

Purified Nature Zen Master continued, "If Layman Xiao does not wish to say more today, then this old monk understands and will not force him."

"As long as the layperson clearly refuses, everything will be over."

"However, before that, I humbly request Layman Xiao to clarify the truth for the sake of all living beings."

"It should be noted that the Asura's Omen also appeared once before, in an era even longer than Ancient Times."

"At that time, due to a lack of preparedness, countless people died or were injured throughout the world. The only thing we know for sure is that at least 200 million cultivators perished."

"If such a calamity were to occur again, no matter how vast the world is, it would likely be nothing but piles of White Bone."

As he spoke, he actually stepped forward and knelt down in front of Xiao Chen, saying, "This old monk, on behalf of the world, begs Layman Xiao for the truth."

ah?

Xiao Chen fainted.

No, you... how could you, oh dear.

You, the Abbot of Universal Salvation Temple, have no regard for your own reputation?

The problem is that Xiao Chen didn't want to talk about it; the key issue is that it was actually just a misunderstanding.

In fact, there was no Asura's Omen at all. How was he supposed to answer that?

To be honest, if the other side were to use force, he could simply use the Night's Edge to escape.

The problem is that doing it this way... ugh, it's so annoying.

More importantly, now that things have come to this, wouldn't it be inappropriate for him to say that it was all a misunderstanding?

Wouldn't that make it seem like he's playing tricks on Universal Salvation Temple and deceiving a kind Abbot?

Although deception was not his intention, it's hard to imagine that Universal Salvation Temple wouldn't care after learning the truth.

Xiao Chen felt like he was in a bit of a dilemma.

To be honest, revealing that I possess Sha Qi won't do me any good.

Telling a lie—well, if I just went along with it and told a white lie, it wouldn't be so bad.

Just come up with a plausible reason.

This way, the awkward situation can be eased without revealing that you possess Sha Qi.

Generally speaking, this reason is not easy to find.

But then a brilliant idea struck him, and he actually came up with a perfect excuse.

"Abbot, there's no need for that!"

While reaching out to help the other person up, Xiao Chen explained, "Since things have come to this point, I'm not an unreasonable person."

"Actually, I've already guessed the general reason."

"I didn't want to talk about it earlier because it involved Fifth-Tier Spirit Item."

"Daoist Gang Yuan is actually aware of this matter as well."

"That was when I broke through the Sea Race Grand Array and was inspecting the spoils of war the other day, I unexpectedly found a tentacle from Fifth-Tier Great Demon."

"Because I didn't recognize it in time, my carelessness led to the invasion of Demonic Essence."

"It was at that moment that I vaguely felt as if an invisible force was binding me."

"But the feeling wasn't strong at the time; it seemed like just an illusion, so I didn't think much of it."

"Looking back now, it must have been around that time that we unwittingly fell into the trap of some unknown Fifth-Tier Great Demon."

"Several fellow Daoists can serve as witnesses to this matter; there is absolutely no falsehood in it."