Disguised as an Elder

Wentesi frowned at the monk with closed eyes, thoroughly puzzled.

Why did he call me elder?

That was his greatest question, and it was also why the monk had stopped.

Wentesi had to understand this before he could judge what the monk would do next and decide how to respond.

He could sense that the monk's cultivation was clearly far beyond his own, at least at the fourth level of Embryonic Breathing.

But Wentesi was unafraid. On the contrary, he was eager to try his hand, thinking this would make a good warm-up after his period of slumber.

After all, Wentesi not only cultivated the Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao, but was also a giant dragon with a life level of nine!

As Wentesi sensed it, the monk before him posed little threat, so little that he could even call it negligible.

Though the monk's cultivation was higher than his, the threat he posed was only equivalent to twelve of the Beast-Transformed Leopards Wentesi had killed.

After his period of slumber, Wentesi's combat strength was roughly equivalent to forty Beast-Transformed Leopards.

Forty against twelve. The advantage was mine!

Strength was the greatest source of confidence. It was precisely because Wentesi trusted in his own strength that he could watch the show so calmly.

Of course, Wentesi also knew better than to be careless against an enemy. He had to beware of the bell in the monk's hand that could stiffen a person's body.

If they really fought and he found he couldn't win, Wentesi would naturally make himself scarce and use his ability to cross worlds to escape.

Thoughts raced through Wentesi's mind.

Mountain winds brushed the slopes, rustling the leaves. On the plain, mortals knelt devoutly on the ground, their palms pressed together.

The two cultivators gathering Blood Qi stood frozen in place like statues.

The monk kept his eyes closed and remained motionless in his bow, like a silent stone Buddha, waiting for the elder before him to speak.

Wentesi's thoughts flashed like lightning.

Since the monk had called him elder, he had assumed Wentesi was a member of the Buddhist sects, and one of considerable standing at that.

Yet he was clearly a red dragon with no connection to the Buddhist sects. If there was a connection, it could only be...

The answer was on the tip of his tongue: the Great Sun Earth Buddha Sutra.

It was the Golden Land he had cultivated through the Great Sun Earth Buddha Sutra. Other than the Golden Land he had refined, there was no other possibility.

The blindfolded monk might have sensed the presence of his Golden Land or something else by some means, and taken him for a Buddhist elder who possessed a Golden Land.

Having worked out the cause and effect, Wentesi felt somewhat reassured. He was certainly safe for now, but then his heart rose into his throat again.

The monk named Wuchen had been bowing for a long time. If Wentesi stayed silent much longer, the monk might well grow suspicious.

I can try pretending for now. If it doesn't work, I'll just attack.

If the disguise works, couldn't I act as a Buddhist elder in this world? That would be perfect.

A thought stirred in Wentesi's mind, and the next moment, his crimson wings snapped open.

His twelve-meter wingspan spread over the area as his massive dragon body rose into the air, then slowly descended toward higher ground on the plain amid a powerful rush of wind.

Gusts from his beating wings sent dust flying from the ground.

Though the monk's eyes were tightly shut, he had some means of "seeing" everything around him clearly.

When Wentesi's massive body landed, the monk's shoulders stiffened imperceptibly.

Why was this elder a giant lizard with wings?

The monk was astonished. The other party clearly bore the familiar presence of a Golden Land. Could this elder have an eccentric habit?

He searched through the lineages of the Buddhist sects in his mind, but could only think of the Consciousness-Only Sect. This elder's casual transformation seemed somewhat similar to descriptions of that sect's lineage.

He sensed the presence again and clearly detected nothing of an expert at the level of Dharma Master or above. Understanding dawned on him.

The elder before him had probably only recently reincarnated and did not have much cultivation.

Otherwise, according to the Buddhist sects' unwritten rules, he would surely have made a great show of his cultivation, afraid that others might not know of it.

His thoughts passed in an instant. The shock faded from the monk's face, and a humble, respectful smile returned.

He bowed once more and performed a formal Buddhist salute:

"This humble monk's Dharma name is Wuchen. I am a disciple under Dharma Master Daliang of the Six Desires Sect, and I cultivate the Stomach Earth lineage.

"By my master's orders, I was traveling to Bashu on business. Passing through this place, I happened upon Evil Cultivators causing trouble and intervened, disturbing your secluded cultivation, elder. Please forgive me."

As soon as he spoke, he made his Dharma name, sect, master, and purpose perfectly clear, taking the most deferential stance.

Wentesi landed on the ground. At first, he was still somewhat unaccustomed to his seven-meter-long dragon body, and it took him a while to adjust.

His crimson-gold dragon eyes studied Wuchen. After hearing him out, he slowly nodded.

The less I say, the fewer mistakes I'll make. The more I say, the more mistakes I'll make. I can simply say nothing.

Wentesi resolved to keep quiet, lest his accent and wording differ from those of the Buddhist sects and arouse suspicion.

Seeing Wentesi nod, Wuchen spoke in an eager tone:

"May I ask if you have any instructions while cultivating here in seclusion, elder? Wuchen is willing to go before you and render whatever humble service he can."

With that, he performed another Buddhist salute and respectfully awaited a reply.

Wuchen waited for quite a while, but all he heard ahead of him was steady breathing. There was no reply.

Wuchen grew even more puzzled. After waiting a while longer, he quietly activated the wondrous Brahma Sound Six Consciousnesses Many Ears Penetration and carefully probed.

But the massive figure's presence remained steady, revealing not the slightest fluctuation of emotion.

This elder is very strange. Why won't he speak? Could he have cultivated a Divine Ability like closed-mouth meditation?

Wuchen speculated inwardly and, in the silence, probed Wentesi's cultivation presence again, but could not determine which lineage he inherited.

He really is an elder cultivating anew after reincarnation.

As he watched the silent elder before him, a bold thought arose in Wuchen's mind.

His master, Dharma Master Daliang, was harsh and mean. Following him, Wuchen would have little hope of ever rising, and might someday end up as food in his belly, losing his life.

But this reincarnated elder who controlled a Golden Land was different.

He was clearly the reincarnation of an eminent monk. His cultivation was low for now, and he needed someone to assist him. If Wuchen could attach himself to the elder early, the future benefits would be unimaginable, far better than suffering under Dharma Master Daliang.

This was a chance, a chance to escape his present circumstances and ascend to heaven in a single step.

His mind made up, Wuchen grew more eager. No longer waiting for Wentesi to reply, he continued on his own:

"Elder, you may not know this, but I am traveling to Bashu for a Buddhist Shrine Secret Realm that is about to open.

"The secret realm was left behind by a Buddhist predecessor. It contains every kind of pill, Law Artifact, and cultivation inheritance one could want. There are considerable fortuitous opportunities within.

"Judging by your movements, elder, could you also be headed for that secret realm?"

As he spoke, he quietly watched Wentesi's reaction. Wentesi slowly nodded at his words, saying nothing more.

Wuchen became ever more certain that the other party was an elder cultivating anew after reincarnation, but whose soul had yet to awaken, leaving him inarticulate.

A moment later, Wuchen pointed at the mortals on the plain and the two Evil Cultivators frozen in place, and asked tentatively:

"Elder, how do you think these mortals on the plain and the two Evil Cultivators should be dealt with?

"If you need nourishment for your soul and wish to stabilize your cultivation, I can immediately refine all their Blood Qi and cultivation for you to absorb.

"A cultivator's essence is rich and mellow, while a mortal's Blood Qi is long-lasting. Nothing could be more nourishing."

Wentesi narrowed his dragon eyes at those words.

He had originally thought Wuchen was a righteous monk who had intervened against the Evil Cultivators out of compassion. He had not expected his methods to be just as ruthless, treating human lives like blades of grass.

Whatever kind of Buddhist cultivator he was, deep down he was not much different from the two Evil Cultivators gathering Blood Qi.

Refine living people to nourish my cultivation? I don't have that ability.

If he agreed, he would certainly be exposed.

This was the first time he had spoken since showing himself. A deep voice rumbled from his dragon throat, uttering only three words:

"No need."

"I obey your decree, elder."

Wuchen answered without the slightest hesitation and raised a hand to release the technique guiding the mortals on the plain.

His mind was quick, and he instantly read meaning into those few short words.

This elder disliked refining Blood Qi and had a line he would not cross. He truly conducted himself like an eminent monk of High Antiquity.

He was about to release the restrictions on the two blood cultivators as well when Wentesi's voice rang out:

"Kill those two."

"Yes."

Wuchen offered no objection and shook his bronze bell again.

Clang! Clang!!

The two men fell limply to the ground without so much as a scream, dead.

Having done all that, Wuchen put away the bronze bell. He no longer had any doubt that this was the reincarnation of an eminent monk of High Antiquity.

He disliked killing mortals indiscriminately, yet showed no mercy to Evil Cultivators. Those habits were plainly those of an ancient cultivator.

He stepped forward and repeated his invitation in a sincere tone:

"Elder, the road to the Buddhist Shrine Secret Realm is long, and Evil Cultivators and Rogue Cultivators cause trouble all along the way.

"Why not let this humble monk serve at your side and accompany you? I can take care of minor affairs and gather information for you along the way."

Wentesi answered with silence.

Meanwhile, in the Northern Region Buddha Kingdom, within a pitch-black hall hidden among thirty-three Golden Lands...

Several thousand enormous Buddhas sat in rows on either side, all with eyes closed and legs crossed, chanting scriptures. Deep Brahma sounds echoed through the hall in overlapping waves, condensing into a tangible golden halo.

The Buddha's manifestation in the seat of honor was utterly still, and the entire hall seemed forever destined to remain so silent.

Suddenly, a Buddha on the left slowly opened his eyes.

Pure gold flowed through his pupils, and two beams of golden light shot out, illuminating the dark hall in an instant.

Almost at the very moment he opened his eyes, every Buddha in the hall stopped chanting. Golden eyes opened as one, their flowing light illuminating the entire hall as brightly as day.

The Buddhas' manifestations all had different appearances: some were fierce-eyed, some compassionate, some gaunt, and some stout. Yet the golden light in their eyes was identical, containing Buddhist intent as vast as the sea.

The Buddha who had opened his eyes first spoke in a calm voice:

"Another junior brother has awakened in reincarnation. Choose someone to go and guide him back to the Pure Land."

When he finished, a round, plump Buddha beside him fingered the prayer beads in his hand. They clicked crisply together as he narrowed his eyes and spoke at a leisurely pace:

"This fellow disciple may have plans of his own."

"Oh?"

"He appeared in the Chuan Region, his presence heading straight toward Bashu. Presumably, he is going to that Buddhist Shrine Secret Realm."

The fat Buddha smiled. "Since this fellow disciple has his own arrangements, there is no need for us to make a point of guiding him."

The Buddha at the head pondered briefly, then nodded.

"Agreed."

When the words fell, every Buddha in the hall closed his eyes at once.

The next instant, the unceasing Brahma sounds rose again. The Buddhas in the hall pressed their palms together, and the chanting of scriptures resumed, echoing without end.