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Chapter 200 The Buddhist Temple (A long chapter of 4000 words)
The moment I heard that voice, all my doubts vanished.

It was like the sound of a clear spring, or a refreshing rain in the desert, seeping into people's hearts unexpectedly and dispelling all doubts and questions.

—What a terrible sin I have committed to dare to doubt the Dharma King?

A deep sense of guilt overwhelmed the snake monk. If he had a knife at hand, he would have plunged it into his own throat without hesitation.

Only in this way can one atone for one's sins to some extent.

However, at that moment, the voice echoed in his ears again.

It was as if he were the real Buddha, full of compassion and peace.

"Duen, it's alright, come here first."

For a moment, the snake monk had the urge to burst into tears.

What great mercy this is, that you would forgive my grave sins!

So all that remained in his mind was the majestic yet peaceful chanting of the Sanskrit, and he had no other thoughts.

Following the magnificent golden road, after an unknown amount of time, the snake monk finally arrived at a spacious and splendid hall.

Looking out, one sees soaring eaves and intricate corners, a magnificent sight, with countless towering vermilion pillars, each several meters high, arranged in neat rows, stretching as far as the eye can see—and facing this grand hall, the Viper Monk felt as if the entire sky itself had pressed down upon him—

Duen had never been to the capital, but even the emperor's palace was probably far inferior to this place.

This place is no longer the mortal realm; only the high and mighty gods and Buddhas can reside here.

The enormous and magnificent gate slowly opened, and the Serpent Monk stepped into the hall. The surroundings were still adorned with precious trees and jade flowers, no less expensive than the exterior, and even more exquisite. Countless towering statues of Bodhisattvas and Arhats sat on either side, their faces sculpted with lifelike realism, almost making one mistake them for...
They are all alive.

—Damn it, what am I thinking?

The snake monk slapped himself in the face, then bent over with all his might and bowed deeply to the statues.

The statue, of course, did not respond.

The snake monk sighed with relief and then walked with increasingly heavy steps toward the inner side of the hall.

and so.

He also failed to see that, in the instant he turned around, the eyeballs of all the statues behind him...
They all threw themselves at him in unison.
-
After an unknown amount of time, the road came to an end.

At the far end of this grand hall stands a lotus pedestal carved from cold jade. Adorned with garlands and dangling necklaces, every sight is filled with jewels and precious stones, so dazzling that it is almost unbearable to look directly at.

however.

On the lotus throne sat only a withered old man.

The old man was barely fleshy, his hair was gray and dry like weeds, and he wore a faded monk's robe. Although his face was obscured by the Buddha's light, he seemed like an alien, completely out of place in this world.

However, the snake monk dared not show the slightest disrespect; he devoutly clasped his hands together and then knelt down.

"Disciple Du En greets Your Excellency."

for a long time.

Then a voice, as old and decrepit as rotten wood, rang out.

"There's no need for that. Under the Buddha's feet, we are all equal, without any distinction of high or low. Please stand up."

However, despite saying this, the snake monk did not move an inch until half a cup of tea's time had passed before he respectfully got up.

Another soft sigh came from the lotus throne.

But the old man didn't say much, instead asking in a low voice.

Have you prepared the things I asked you to prepare before?

The snake monk clasped his hands together and said.

"Your Excellency, everything is ready. In the meantime, I have skinned five hundred complete human skins, prepared four hundred cleaned intestines, three hundred complete hearts, as well as incense sticks of various sizes, red and white bodhi seeds, and brain marrow."

The venomous monk calmly recited one bloody number after another, yet his expression remained unchanged, as if these lives were merely ordinary materials to him.

In the magnificent and opulent hall, only his steady voice echoed slowly.

The Dharma King was bathed in golden light, but there was no visible reaction from him.

After a long while, the snake monk, who was already quite thirsty, finally finished speaking.

"...Finally, there are sixty bottles of virgin blood. Because you, Venerable One, did not wish for them to be used in lotus-birth rituals, they were instead replaced with wood from a lonely grave. Most of these have already been transported to the small hut behind the temple, and I can deliver the rest today."

Only then did the old man sitting on the lotus platform slowly nod.

"These people, having dedicated themselves to serving the Buddha, will ascend to the land of monasteries after their attainment of Buddhahood in the Pure Land, and be reborn as Buddhas, receiving immeasurable blessings."

—Them? Have they become Buddhas?

—Also, wasn't it said that the Bodhisattva of Reception descended to earth? Why is the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss mentioned again?
However, just like before, these thoughts only lingered in my mind before vanishing.

The Venerable One is always right. Since he said that, he must have his own reasons.

Therefore, the only one who is wrong is oneself.

The snake monk lowered his head and praised him.

"What you say is absolutely right, that's exactly how it is."

however.

The old man did not reply, but suddenly bent over and gasped for breath. It took him a long time to recover, but his already weak body became even more hunched.

The snake monk wanted to go forward and greet the old man, but the old man stretched out his arm with difficulty and waved it away.

—And on his wrist, there was no palm.

"I'm fine, so let's get down to business. How's that thing I asked you to do coming along?"

The snake monk stopped and then bowed respectfully.

"Your Excellency, the capture of Zhengde is nearing its end. The indecisive Luo An faction has finally made up its mind and sent a wandering monk to help. Although it's not that big-nosed monk himself, it at least gives us some room to maneuver. I have now sent this man to the place where the curse is sealed, to lead that group of people from all walks of life to wear down Zhengde's barrier. After that, I will go there myself to capture Zhengde."

The old man nodded, and then said.

"The reminder I gave you before."

The snake monk immediately replied respectfully.

“I have already kept this in mind: Zhengde must not be killed, only captured alive—rest assured, Your Excellency, I am already prepared to pay for this with my life.”

The old man nodded slightly.

"Thank you for your hard work, but I think I need to add something about this matter."

“Please speak, Your Excellency.”

The old man coughed a few more times before finally speaking.

This time, his words were full of longing.

“A few days ago, I had a dream and happened to see that chosen one. Judging from his appearance, he should be the swordsman who helped Zhengde before. You must remember that you must capture him alive as well—in fact, his life is more important than Zhengde’s. I am unable to move around easily, so I have to rely on you for all of this.”

Ignoring the even more arduous and difficult requirements, the snake monk simply clasped his hands and sighed.

"If this is what you expect—then I will follow His Holiness's instructions."
-
Three or four hours later.

On a hillside. "Master, look, that's where that thief Zhengde is."

Na Benshan carefully helped Zhou You out of the car, then said with a fawning smile.

"That damned bald thief somehow got his hands on an Arhat relic, causing his cultivation to surge. Lately, he's been darting around like a rabbit. It's all thanks to my master's boundless supernatural powers and righteous intervention that he's managed to survive."

Zhou You casually stopped him.

"I've already covered that part, so just move on to the next one."

Na Benshan was about to boast about the Poisonous Snake Monk, but he was choked by this sentence. However, he didn't dare to talk back to this man, so he could only laugh awkwardly.

"--After that, things were simple. Although Zhengde's Hell Path was sealed, he could still use his other methods freely. So this villain used his own Heavenly God Path, plus the assistance of the Asura Path, to create a Ten-Light Compassionate Vow Dharma Realm. As a result, we ran into a brick wall."

Zhou You craned his neck and looked around following Ben Shan's directions, but could only see a patch of colorful fireflies and a house indistinctly behind them.

"Is that where Zhengde is located?"

"Master, you truly have discerning eyes; you spotted the spot at a glance. My admiration for you is boundless."

Ben Shan wanted to offer a few words of flattery as usual, but Zhou You merely raised his eyes, and the guy instantly fell silent.

Finally, he could only rub his hands together and say something.

"It is indeed over there—well, so that the master may know, this place was originally called Changliu Village, but decades ago it was flooded, causing all the residents to move out and never return, so the place was abandoned. The thief occupied an inn in the village and has been holding out there."

As Zhou You listened, he nodded as if he understood, but just as Ben Shan was about to finish speaking, he suddenly asked a question.

"Was Zhengde all alone? Such a large area, even if he had a Dharma Realm, wouldn't it be difficult for him to guard it?"

Ben Shan was taken aback for a moment, then continued.

"Master, you are indeed exceptionally intelligent and quick-witted."

However, remembering the two interruptions earlier, Benshan wisely stopped talking this time and didn't waste any more words.

"Indeed, that thief somehow managed to find a security escort agency to help him. The others were alright, none of them were particularly capable, but there was one petty thief in particular who was extremely annoying. He was wielding a dagger that was clearly a magical weapon, charging left and right. Coupled with the support of that bald thief Zhengde's magical realm, quite a few of our men died."

Hearing this, Zhou You's expression remained unchanged, but he was finally relieved.

It seems that Lu Xiuyuan and the others are relatively safe.

He chuckled again immediately.

Well, my cheap apprentice has really made something of himself; he's actually drawn blood!

However, seeing that Ben Shan was still waiting for his answer, Zhou You concealed the corners of his mouth that had been raised.

"By the way, since everyone was wiped out, where are the bodies? I only see this colorful Dharma Realm, but I haven't seen a single corpse."

Ben Shan answered in a low voice.

"Well... I already told you before, all the corpses were offered up as sacrifices, otherwise this Dharma realm wouldn't have been so defiled—you know, at the beginning, you couldn't even touch them."

Following Ben Shan's gaze, Zhou You indeed discovered a number of extremely abrupt bloodstains in the flowing light and shadow.

Okay, it was indeed my fault for not noticing.

—But speaking of which, don't you have any problems at all?

Zhou You rubbed his chin, made a very dissatisfied expression, and said.

"But how am I supposed to know where the flaws are without a body? — Are you suggesting I try it myself?"

Upon hearing this, Benshan hurriedly waved his hands.

"This... we absolutely dare not. How about this, Master, how about I go find a few commoners and have them go through the barrier? Anyway, Zhengde's barrier has been weakened, maybe those ordinary people can get in?"

Who would have guessed.

Zhou You merely glanced at him.

His gaze was like that of someone looking at an idiot, filled with utter contempt.

Ben Shan naturally didn't dare to get angry at this old man; he simply said with a sheepish expression.

"Then may I ask what your insightful opinion is, Master?"

"It's simple, just pick someone from the team and send them over."

".ah?"

Three or four breaths later, Ben Shan finally reacted, but before he could stop him, Zhou You pointed directly at one of the people from all walks of life next to him.

"You, come out and take a trip in that Dharma Realm."

The man who was pointed at was a fierce and ruthless man who clearly had many lives on his hands. He pointed at himself with disbelief on his face.

"What? Me?? Wait, wait, wait, wait, Master, you're sending me to my death!"

Zhou You spoke slowly with a gentle smile.

"It's not exactly suicide, it's just going to investigate. What, you're not happy about it?"

The man immediately protested.

"Of course I'm not happy about it! Why should I be the only one to go out there with so many people? And—"

To everyone's surprise, Zhou You answered directly.

"If you're not happy about it, then forget it."

Before the other party could even beam with joy, he slowly added, "But I also have to tell you, since you've openly defied my orders, it's not just about walking away; it's about betraying the Buddha—you know how our Tantric sect punishes those who betray the Buddha, so you probably don't want to try it out, do you?"

The man's eyes widened in anger, as if he wanted to say something—but in the end, he stomped his foot and fiercely charged forward.

Zhou You then gave further instructions from behind.

"Take it slow, watch your step, and you can come back after you go in for a quick walk."

Whether the man heard those words or not, his burly figure charged straight into the colorful light curtain.

However, nothing happened.

Just as everyone was somewhat stunned, the man who had already rushed in suddenly changed his expression. He bent over and leaped to the side—

The next second, a huge crater suddenly appeared where this guy had been standing!
It looked as if some invisible object had struck the ground, crashing down with tremendous force.

The man broke out in a cold sweat immediately. He looked around, as if trying to find a way to break free.

However, all that could be seen and obtained was a desolate wasteland devoid of anything.

Seeing that there was no cover around, the man gritted his teeth and, ignoring Zhou You's orders, tried to turn back to his team.

however.

The instant he took his first step, one of his feet suddenly twisted at an unbelievable angle and then exploded into a bloody pulp!

Before he could even scream, another dent appeared in his chest—

Then, in the next moment.

Under that invisible pressure, his whole body suddenly turned into a pile of meat patties.

(End of this chapter)