The moment Ouyang finished speaking, the atmosphere throughout the Great Hero Hall froze.
Hui Zhi, who had remained silent all this time, abruptly raised his head, met Ouyang's eyes brimming with laughter, then lowered it again.
The white-browed old monk said, "Buddhism will not split. Even if it did, outsiders would have no right to interfere!"
"Outsiders? Who's an outsider?" Ouyang looked around, then pointed at Dongxu Zi and said, "You mean this old man? Then let him get lost first, and we can talk things over properly!"
Dongxu Zi smiled at Ouyang, who had regained his high spirits. Seemingly realizing something, he stroked his beard and said, "Indeed. If my presence here is inconvenient, I can wait outside!"
Hui Zhi finally could not help standing up. He looked at Ouyang and said, "Buddhism will not split. This is precisely when Buddhism should be at its most prosperous. No Buddhist cultivator should leave at a time like this!"
His words rang out with resounding force, yet the hall was so quiet not even a crow or sparrow could be heard. Everyone knew that Buddhism had already split into two factions when Hui Zhi comprehended his secret art.
One was the conservative faction that clung to established rules, and the other was the radical faction led by Hui Zhi!
As Hui Zhi's standing in the Great Spirit Mountain Temple rose, more and more conservatives defected to the radicals, but there were always a few old diehards as foul and unyielding as stones in a latrine!
Yet everyone had tacitly refrained from tearing away this fig leaf. Now that Ouyang had suddenly lifted it, they instead fell silent.
Ouyang smiled at Hui Zhi, who had suddenly stood up, and said, "What's wrong? Getting anxious?"
Hui Zhi stared at Ouyang. He did not