He Wasn't a Thief-He Was the Thief Saint!

Hearing Li Hao's imposing voice, the Buddha Master's expression remained unchanged, and he still smiled:

"Although General Haotian is Gong-rank Noble, our Buddhist Sect resides outside the imperial court and is not bound by its formalities. Moreover, hundreds of years ago, I rendered meritorious service in subduing demons and received the Demon Subduing Merit Badge from His Majesty Yu Emperor. Even when meeting the Emperor in court, there is no need for me to kneel and pay my respects."

Li Hao narrowed his eyes and sneered:

"What a Demon Subduing Merit Badge! What a meritorious deed in subduing demons!"

"General Haotian, it seems you have some misunderstanding about me?"

The Buddha Master's eyes were gentle as he spoke softly, "You've come in such a furious state; what brings you here? Do you perhaps wish to exonerate that petty thief?"

Li Hao's eyes suddenly flashed with murderous intent, and he said coldly, "He's not a petty thief, he's Thief Saint!"

"A thief is a thief; to label him with a saintly name is an insult to Sage."

The Buddha Master smiled and said, "General Haotian, you should think carefully about your words. Defending a notorious villain will not end well, even if you have made great contributions in saving Liang Prefecture and Qing Prefecture. You will likely bear some infamy. Although you may not be stripped of your rank and generalship, the people of the All Under Heaven have discerning eyes. There is no good end to associating with thieves."

"I thought you could at least be more honest, but I didn't expect you to be this fake."

Li Hao took a step forward, his aura rising accordingly, his gaze turning sinister:

"When you captured him, did you not know about my relationship with him? If he hadn't been guarding Heaven's Gate Pass for me, how could you have captured him?"

"Didn't you expect me to come when you were about to be publicly executed? Why bother with these false words? Just tell me directly: is this aimed at me, or do you have some other purpose? I can grant your wish. It's just Merit and Fame and fortune, what's wrong with taking it off? Even if I don't become a rank or a general, do you think it's your turn? If you want it, go and fight for it!"

At this moment, Lin Wujing and the other two Bodhisattva also caught up from behind. When they heard Li Hao questioning the Buddha Master in the Buddhist hall, they all changed color.

Lin Wujing couldn't help but say, "General Haotian, please be more polite. The Buddha Master's merits are immeasurable; our Buddhist Sect has saved hundreds of millions of people. How can your saving of just two states compare? Don't be so arrogant..."

"Roll!"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Hao only muttered angrily in a low voice. He didn't turn around, but simply took a step forward.

A powerful force erupted from behind him, slamming down like a heavy punch, sending the three arriving Bodhisattva flying backward and spitting blood again.

Seeing the three Bodhisattva injured before his eyes, the Buddha Master's expression finally softened slightly, and he calmly said:

"I initially thought you were merely using this thief, but it turns out you've colluded with him. Now that you enjoy such wealth and honor, don't forget His Majesty's favor towards you. You come here as a thief to denounce my Buddhist Sect and trespass into my temple. Have you lived up to His Majesty's favor, or the people's respect and trust in you?"

"If I did not come, I would be betraying His Majesty's trust. How can I protect the common people if I cannot even turn a blind eye to the life and death of my friends?"

"Besides a few bald Buddhist Sect you, there's no one else here. What's the point of you putting on an act with me?"

Li Hao said coldly, "Could it be that your Bodhisattva don't know what's going on? Are you putting on a show for them?"

"General Haotian, your offense against the Buddhist Sect is too profound. Even if you are Gong-rank Noble, you cannot escape punishment. I will personally impeach you before His Majesty!" the Buddha Master said solemnly.

"Go ahead and go. I've come today to see where my friend is."

Li Hao stared at him; if it weren't for the fact that Old Feng was still in the other party's hands, he would have already made a move.

The Buddha Master calmly said, "It seems you are truly stubborn and unrepentant. Are you really willing to make an enemy of the Buddhist Sect and All Under Heaven living beings for the sake of a petty thief?"

"Stop dragging the common people into this all the time. Do you think your Buddhist Sect deserves to do so? There are hundreds of cities in this prefecture, and every city has a Buddhist temple, but how many temples do you have in the towns Townships outside the cities?! If you truly had boundless merit, that would be one thing, but you sit here on this high platform, watching the world Water and Fire. Where were you when Liang Prefecture was attacked?"

"Where were you when Qing Prefecture was attacked?! You said Liang Prefecture was too far away, but Qing Prefecture was right in front of you, where were you then?!"

Li Hao cursed angrily.

"If what you say is true, where was Your Majesty when Liang Prefecture was attacked, and where was Your Majesty when Qing Prefecture was attacked?"

The Buddha Master calmly said, "We sit on this high platform, surveying the All Under Heaven. We are waging a battle against Demon lurking in the shadows. If the Frontier of one state is in trouble, must soldiers from Nineteen Provinces rush Past to be considered brave? Everyone has their own responsibility. My Boundless Mountain protects the area within a radius of five hundred miles, preventing Demon from invading. Isn't that because I am here to oversee it?"

Li Hao sneered and said, "No need to argue. What you say seems reasonable, but you know best whether you've actually done your job. Words can only deceive others, but they can't deceive your own heart! You, a Great Peace Dao Realm, even known as the strongest Great Peace Dao Realm below the Dao Hearing, can't even intimidate those Great Demon forces?"

"Your Boundless Mountain is located on the Frontier of Qing Prefecture, and Qing Prefecture has the Divine General Residence there. Yet, the Dragon Gate and the Saint Palace dared to launch a large-scale attack, sweeping across the land after breaching the Frontier, leaving their rear undefended. Aren't you worried that your Boundless Mountain will retaliate?"

"As you've seen, they have the Desolate God behind them, so there's no need to be on guard," the Buddha Master said calmly.

Li Hao sneered, "But those Desolate God were extremely unwilling to make their move. They never intended to expose themselves in Qing Prefecture. So you're saying you had prior knowledge of the two Desolate God avatars and therefore dared not act? Did you give the Li Family any hints?"

"I did send someone to warn them, but by the time I realized it, Qing Prefecture had already fallen, the battle situation was complicated, and the disciples I sent out seemed to have been caught up in the Demon and disappeared without a trace."

The Buddha Master said.

Li Hao wanted to laugh and said, "It's one thing to fool the people, but is there any need to continue this act here? Do you think I'm a child to be fooled? Do you think I'm like your idiotic disciples?"

"Everyone knows why All Under Heaven, nobles, and commoners are divided into three classes. Just like merchants, they are in it for profit, making a profit from the price difference. They sell something for a dollar when it costs a penny. Ruthless people can't be merchants, but at least they put a price tag on their goods. It's a willing buyer and willing seller situation, which can be considered honesty!"

"You make the people believe in you, you fool them, you give them something to cling to, that's one thing, but in the end, all you want is fame! Since it's for fame, just admit it openly, don't pretend to be compassionate. Only those at the very bottom of society care about good and evil."

The Buddha Master calmly said, "You are too biased. Although you are exceptionally Heavenly Talent, you are still young and your understanding of the world is too limited. You have never heard the truth of the Buddhist Sect, nor do you know the myriad sufferings in the world, the difficulty of navigating the Sea of Bitterness. Only the Buddha can forge a ship with truth to guide people across the sea of Sea of Bitterness and reach the Other Shore."

"Before the Buddha, all beings in the world are equal. There are no emperors or generals, nor distinctions between commoners and ordinary people. All are born as human beings and are entitled to board the ship of liberation."

Li Hao said, "Don't give me that nonsense. Immediately bring Feng Boping out, or I won't mind making your Buddhist Sect transcend too!"

"General Haotian, do you truly intend to sink into this Sea of Bitterness, vowing never to turn back? Now that this matter has been revealed, do you know how the All Under Heaven will view you?" The Buddha Master stared intently at Li Hao.

Li Hao, however, saw a deeply hidden indifference in the other person's calm eyes, an indifference that even seemed like mockery, as if his actions had already given the other person what they wanted.

He knew that once he took this step, all the merits he had previously earned might be tarnished, but he didn't care.

He simply didn't understand why this Buddha Master cared so much and was trying to use Old Feng to smear him.

"The world will judge, and centuries from now, will know. What good will it do you to get what you want by releasing them?"

Li Hao's eyes were icy cold as he said, "Don't give me that nonsense anymore, or I'll smash your Lotus Pedestal and overturn your Buddhist shrine!"

The Buddha Master glanced at him quietly, then nodded slightly and said in a clear voice:

"Go and bring that Universal Salvation Bodhisattva here, so that all you nobles may see how arrogant General Haotian is, even going so far as to try and get rid of this little thief."

"Yes."

A Buddhist chant came from outside the temple, and then the Aura of one of the Bodhisattva rapidly disappeared into the distance.

Upon hearing the Buddha Master's words, Li Hao's eyes turned cold. This move was indeed aimed at him, and the other party had even anticipated that he would arrive as soon as he learned of the news. He had arrived quickly enough, but there were also nobles present, who had obviously been invited in advance before the news was announced.

"What do you want by ruining my reputation?"

If the Buddha Master wanted to gain fame, he hadn't stood in his way, so why go to such lengths? This piqued Li Hao's curiosity.

The Buddha Master calmly said, "If I had known you had such Heavenly Talent earlier, I would have sent Samantabhadra Bodhisattva to bring you up the mountain and take you as my disciple. It's a pity you were so clever from a young age, but you hid it too well."

Li Hao sneered, "Stop with the nonsense. If you don't put on a good act, I'm afraid your Buddhist Sect might send someone to Assassination me under the guise of a visit!"

"Furthermore, when she was not even two years old, you gave that Vicious Woman the hidden God Blood Poison Pill. You had already chosen her. That stupid woman may have only had some thoughts originally, but under your guidance, she did such a foolish thing. What you are plotting is to let Li Qianfeng inherit the Li Family True Dragon, and thereby take control of the Li Family?"

With Li Hao's current perspective and vision, looking at the Boundless Mountain again, he felt the danger of them even more.

The Poison Pill came from Boundless Mountain, and Li Qianfeng also became a disciple of Boundless Mountain; the Buddhist Sect's purpose is obvious.

"It's just the general trend of the All Under Heaven, not something to control. It's just about borrowing some of the Li Family's power. But it's the same now. Although you Heavenly Talent talented, once you leave the Li Family, no one in the Li Family can stop you from becoming True Dragon." The Buddha Master said calmly, his face no longer showing the gentle compassion of before, and he seemed to have made no attempt to hide it.

Li Hao sneered inwardly. He wanted Li Qianfeng to take over, but how could he not have foreseen this?

"I still have one question: why did you choose to poison me instead of someone else? Was it because I was easier to do, and the others had parents to look after them? Or were you sure the others didn't possess Divine Blood and wouldn't be an obstacle?"

Li Hao asked.

"Naturally, it's because only you possess Divine Blood. The cultivation talents of the other sons, apart from those who have already died in battle, are not as good as your father, Li Tiangang. Although he concealed this information, it couldn't escape my eyes."

The Buddha Master looked down at Li Hao calmly.

Li Hao immediately understood the meaning behind that expression; all of this was orchestrated by the Buddha Master before him.

She told Liu Yuerong that she possessed Divine Blood, which posed a threat to her son.

Lure them with Poison Pill to make them act; the opponent is merely Chess Piece.

Li Hao's eyes were filled with Killing Aura, but he restrained himself. He stared at his opponent. Old Feng the bait that had lured him here, and now the opponent was revealing himself without any concealment, seemingly deliberately provoking him to make a move.

What are the downsides of taking action?

The Buddhist Sect is a force in the martial arts world, but it also has elements of the imperial court. Given his current status, if he were to act without cause, he would naturally be held accountable.

Is he trying to use the power of the imperial court to investigate him, or is he trying to use this opportunity to create a rift between himself and the Great Yu Dynasty?

If it's a complete break...

Demon, Buddhist Sect... Li Hao's eyes turned slightly cold as he stared at the Buddha Master before him. The Buddha's calm eyes met Li Hao's directly, without flinching or avoiding his gaze.

Their gazes seemed to see right through each other's hearts.