The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

"Join you..."

Huai Cheng's weak face was framed by a pair of eyes filled with a mixture of mockery and anger.

"I, Huaicheng, have studied Buddhism since childhood and revere the teachings of the Great Compassionate One. I will never associate with you false Buddhists and demonic monks!"

Xuan Ye stood in front of the stone pillar, looking at Huai Cheng who was still refusing, his tone tinged with regret.

"Junior Brother Huaicheng, you are the only person in the Yuanjing lineage in the past hundred years to have successfully cultivated the Yuanjing Bright Light Seal. You were also my colleague who joined Wanfo Temple at the same time. I really don't want to kill you."

Xuan Ye sighed and shook his head slightly: "Why can't you let go of your outdated and stubborn ideas, join hands with us, and prove the supreme Dao together? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"The Supreme Dao? Xuan Ye, you're insane! Do you know what you're saying?"

Huai Cheng's voice was hoarse, yet every word was clear: "Back then, the Great Compassionate One founded the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, teaching us to be compassionate and save the world, to protect all living beings. But look at what you've done! You've kidnapped children, squeezed their life force, and concocted evil pills. Do you even deserve to be called Buddhism? Do you even deserve to call yourselves the supreme path?"

"Junior Brother Huaicheng, your perspective is too limited?"

Xuan Ye slowly turned the prayer beads in his hand, and smiled indifferently: "Buddha saves all beings in order to attain enlightenment. The suffering of all beings is the merit and resources bestowed by Heaven. The world is dull-witted, has short lifespans, and is born into suffering. This is meant to help perfect the great path of Buddhism. The vitality of all beings nourishes the lifespan of Buddhism, and the suffering of the mortal world proves the golden body of Bodhi. This is going with the flow, it is great freedom and great transcendence."

"absurd!"

Huai Cheng retorted sharply, which aggravated his wounds. He coughed violently a few times, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but the sharp light in his eyes remained undiminished.

"Buddha does not attain Buddhahood through sentient beings, but for the sake of sentient beings. When sentient beings suffer, I will take their place; when sentient beings face difficulties, I will help them. Buddhist practice is about giving, not taking."

Xuan Ye chuckled upon hearing this, his smile carrying a hint of arrogance.

"Junior Brother Huaicheng, your thinking is too naive."

"The world is full of ignorance, sinking into a sea of ​​suffering. The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is the ultimate truth of the universe. Do you really think that chanting scriptures and reciting Buddha's name can save the world?"

Xuan Ye slowly walked away, his voice echoing in the air: "We take a wisp of life from a child, refine it into a divine pill, and achieve our own Great Dao. When we achieve fame and fortune and live as long as the heavens, we will turn around and save countless people. This is true salvation, a worthwhile act of compassion, and a benevolent act for the greater good."

Huai Cheng shook his head again upon hearing this, his gaze clear yet sharp as a sword as he looked at Xuan Ye.

"Xuanye, the grand scheme you speak of is trading innocent lives for your own immortality; that is greed, not Zen."

"To pave the path of a sect with the blood and flesh of children is the work of demons, not Buddhas."

"You chant compassion, but harbor murderous intent. The beings in your eyes are not believers who need to be converted, but merely commodities that can be used."

"Stone sieves refine children, extracting their life force... Even demons and monsters wouldn't do such things, yet you, clad in monks' robes, do them with a clear conscience, even harming the children before your eyes. What right do you have to talk about saving the world in the future? It's nothing but finding a high-sounding excuse for your own greed!"

Xuan Ye's expression remained unchanged, still displaying a calm demeanor as he worked to save all living beings.

"Brother Huaicheng is attached to appearances. The physical body and life and death are all illusions. It is their good fortune and blessing to be able to offer their bodies to the Buddhist community. A few sacrifices can bring peace to the world. This is the supreme compassion of Mahayana Buddhism."

Huai Cheng sighed, his voice low and sorrowful.

"True Mahayana Buddhism is never about sacrificing the weak to benefit the strong; true compassion is about protecting the weakest and pitying the most suffering."

"When the Buddha sees an orphan, he should feel compassion, not see alchemical materials."

"When the Buddha sees a child, he should protect him, not exploit his life force."

"Xuanye, what you cultivate has never been the Buddhist path; what you cultivate is the demonic path disguised as Buddhism."

The two exchanged words, each one a clash of Buddhist and Taoist philosophies.

One who upholds the ancient teachings of the Buddha, is compassionate, and remains untainted by worldly affairs.

One believes in the survival of the fittest, seeks to prove their path through force, and cultivates both power and law. Their paths are different, and they have long been irreconcilable enemies.

In the end, Huaicheng looked at Xuanye with only disappointment in his eyes.

"Xuanye, you have completely gone mad. If this continues, Wanfo Temple will be destroyed by your hands sooner or later."

"destroy?"

Xuan Ye chuckled and shook his head: "The Ten Thousand Buddha Temple will only grow stronger. Before long, the entire Xuan Yin Kingdom will be on our side."

"The Xuan Yin Kingdom...?"

Huai Cheng sighed helplessly: "Buddhism is supposed to be a pure place for spiritual practice and cultivation, but you have meddled in royal power, interfered in politics, and secretly carried out demonic deeds. You will not have a good end."

"Junior Brother Huaicheng, you still can't see through it."

Xuan Ye's smile remained unchanged, but his tone carried a hint of condescension.

"Only those with power can protect the Way; only those with influence can spread the Dharma. If we merely stay in ancient temples deep in the mountains chanting scriptures, even the greatest Buddhist teachings will not spread beyond a hundred miles. We must tie Buddhism to the fate of the nation so that Wanfo Temple can be passed down through the ages. This is the true path. Your approach is outdated."

Upon hearing this, Huai Cheng looked at Xuan Ye and suddenly asked a question.

"If you are truly right, then why did the four-armed red ape leave back then?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the air seemed to turn cold.

The smile on Xuan Ye's face slowly faded.

The departure of the four-armed red ape is undoubtedly the greatest taboo and disgrace for Wanfo Temple in recent years.

"snort!"

Ji Luo, who had been silent until now, suddenly clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, his face filled with resentment.

Back then, the Hongye, Guanheng, Jifa, and Pugong lineages of the five lineages of Wanfo Temple unified their ideas and decided to bring Buddhism into the court and use the power of the king to promote the teachings. At first, it went very smoothly. However, when the temple's guardian spirit beast, the four-armed red ape, found out about this, the spirit beast was very unhappy. After causing a ruckus, it smashed countless newly built temples and then planned to leave Wanfo Temple.

To stop this spirit beast, the four sects went to great lengths, and in the end, they even had to take action. Ji Luo was almost slapped to death by the four-armed red ape.

"Hmph, that beast, so stubborn and incorrigible, is not worthy of being associated with my Wanfo Temple. It's good that it left!" Jiluo cursed angrily, clearly hating the fact that he almost died at the hands of the four-armed red ape back then.

Xuan Ye nodded slowly, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable indifference.

"The four-armed red ape clings to those old rules and is stubborn. It is not suitable for the Wanfo Temple in the present day. Junior brother is right. It is good that it has left."

As Xuan Ye changed the subject, a burning light suddenly ignited in his pupils.

"Moreover, compared to the four-armed red ape, the white deer, the eleventh newly born spirit beast in the world, is an excellent guardian spirit beast for my Wanfo Temple."

Xuan Ye's voice was filled with undisguised greed and desire.

"Junior Brother Huaicheng, you may not know this, but this spirit beast, the white deer, is said to be able to control all trees, and with a single thought, ten thousand trees will grow. It also has the power to heal the wounded and save lives. Its blood contains the ultimate life force, which can prolong life and enhance cultivation. Compared to the four-armed red ape, this spirit beast is more valuable to our Wanfo Temple. When we have it, its blood will be at our disposal, and the strength of our Wanfo Temple will surely rise to several levels."

Hearing Xuan Ye's greedy and delusional words, Huai Cheng decided not to waste any more breath, closed his eyes, and stopped looking at him.

He left behind only a simple yet incredibly firm statement.

"The wicked will eventually be punished. Sooner or later, someone will come to settle all your sins."

After saying this, he lowered his head and remained silent, letting the iron chains leave deep bloody marks on his body.

Xuan Ye watched his retreating figure, not angry, but simply smiled gently.

"Junior Brother Huaicheng, I'm waiting for the settlement you mentioned. By the way, you heard what happened earlier, didn't you? One of our branches was destroyed, and a group of ungrateful people might come looking for us. When that happens, you'll see for yourself how I wipe out these ants who are blocking my way."

After speaking, Xuan Ye turned around, his voice gentle, yet carrying a chilling undertone.

"I hope that by then, Junior Brother Huaicheng, you will have a complete awakening; otherwise... my patience is also limited."

Xuan Ye turned his head to the side, his eyes glancing at Huai Cheng on the stone pillar, a hint of cruelty in his smile.

"At that time, we will have no choice but to throw you into the alchemy furnace as well, so that you and the children you want to save will become part of the Pure Karma Bodhi Pill, which will also fulfill your wish to save the world."

Having said that, Xuan Ye ignored Huai Cheng and slowly walked backward.

What they found was not a cramped cave, but a vast and astonishing underground space.

On one side is the bluestone dam wall of Wanzhen Cangdi, with hundreds of water outlets densely carved into the dam wall, and various ingenious mechanisms also covering it.

Below the dam wall is an artificial lake.

In the very center of the lake, there is a stone island with a diameter of nearly 100 meters.

On a high platform on the island, a giant alchemy furnace, more than six meters tall, sits steadily, its mouth spewing out raging flames and rolling heat waves.

Surrounding the giant furnace were more than a dozen smaller alchemy furnaces, each over a meter tall, their flames flickering.

Around the high platform, small figures were tied with hemp ropes to the stone pillars; these were all children sent from various branches.

Nearly half of their bodies were petrified, and some had their eyes closed and were unconscious.

Some of them opened their eyes weakly, their eyes devoid of any childlike light, filled only with numbness and despair.

They were like living sacrifices, waiting for the day they would be thrown into the alchemical furnace.

The wind blew in through the holes in the dam wall, carrying the fishy smell of the lake water, and swept over the children's thin clothes, making a whimpering sound.

It's like crying, or like waiting, waiting for a belated redemption.