Inside the Guardian Deity Hall, three figures sprang up from meditation almost simultaneously.
Grand Elder Fa Ming, clad in ash-white monk's robes, his cheeks hollow, arrived first. Before the Buddhist shrine in the inner hall, he froze.
Second Elder Fa Yan and Third Elder Fa Yuan followed close behind.
Following the Grand Elder's gaze, they saw that the Golden Body Buddha statue enshrining Buddha Master Yi Du's origin avatar was covered in fine cracks, from its crown to its pedestal.
The Buddha body, once suffused with ten thousand zhang of golden radiance, was now shrouded in a gray, decayed blackness, dull and lightless.
Several wisps of golden smoke that had yet to fully disperse lingered over the lotus dais at the statue's base, like the ashes left behind after something had been forcibly torn away.
"Buddha Master's origin body... shattered?"
How great a price had they paid to help Buddha Master condense this origin avatar?
The heavenly materials and earthly treasures they had gathered alone numbered no fewer than a hundred, not to mention the lingering intent of three ancient Buddhas that had empowered it.
How could it just be gone?
"This humble monk clearly sensed that Buddha Master's aura still remains, but this avatar..."
Fa Yuan reached out and touched the statue's surface. The instant his fingertip made contact, a large black fragment fell away, crashing onto the floor with a dull thud.
The three exchanged glances and all took a step back.
This had nothing to do with them. Surely no one was trying to frame them?
Fa Ming pressed his palms together, attempting to use Buddhist power to establish a connection with Yi Du. All three attempts were blocked by a chaotic force.
"I can't reach him."
Fa Yan said in a gruff voice, "Could someone have