"True Buddha!?"
Mu Xiu and the others froze, then instinctively looked toward the statue.
As Master San Nong continued chanting the scriptures, golden lotuses bloomed one after another throughout the dilapidated temple. The shattered Buddha statue also unleashed an unprecedented, terrifying pressure, as if an ancient Buddha who had slumbered for countless ages had been awakened.
"My Buddha, be merciful!"
Master San Nong shed his earlier madness and bowed before the statue like a devout believer.
"Go back!"
A solemn voice, as if from the distant past, rang out. "I can sense that your heart holds not the slightest compassion. It is consumed only by worldly desires, and your hands are stained with blood. You are a sinner steeped in transgression, not the destined one I have been waiting for."
"Ah, what a pity!"
Mu Xiu and the others couldn't help sighing, lamenting that their brother hadn't received the inheritance.
"Amitabha!"
Master San Nong straightened up unhurriedly, palms pressed together as he argued, "This humble monk's hands are indeed stained with blood, and I have committed countless killings. But there has never been a right answer to the question of good and evil. To govern the world by law means that a hero who defies the law with martial force is evil. Yet in the eyes of the common people, a hero is righteous. In times of chaos, some say that kindness is a sin. Then why doesn't my Buddha descend from the mountain to save the people? Does my Buddha not represent righteousness? Or are outsiders inherently evil?!"
"Sophistry!"
The solemn voice rang out again. "The teachings of my Buddha are to cherish compassion, enlighten the world, and guide people toward goodness..."
"Amitabha!"
Master San Nong cut him off before he could finish. "I see all living beings trapped