Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Link didn't reply, he just looked up at the three suns in the sky.

Currently, he has already accomplished a certain extent what he wanted to do.

Whether or not one can continue depends not on the strength of one's will, but on whether or not one pays attention to the three great suns overhead, or whether or not they allow it.

As a reincarnation of a saint, Lotesno certainly knew how powerful a saint's abilities were.

It can be said that there is almost nothing that a being of the Saint rank cannot do even if they want to.

Within the remnants of Buddhist civilization, nothing can escape the notice of the three great suns above, as long as they so desire.

Although theoretically, the three great suns cannot interfere with the philosophical and enlightenment trends initiated by Link.

However, while Link cannot be openly labeled as a wicked Buddha or a demon, he can subtly guide his subordinates to do certain things.

such as……

Ci'en Temple, Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty.

The monk Nengqing, who had been in confinement for more than a month, received a visitor.

"Disciple Nengqing greets Grandmaster Uncle."

In the secluded cave, Neng Qing, by the dim light, could make out the visitor's appearance and quickly stood up to greet him.

"Um."

The visitor responded with a curt reply.

Without him making any move, a bright light suddenly shone into the secluded cave.

The darkness was dispelled, the dampness was dispelled, and much of the gloom in my heart was also dispelled.

The visitor stood in the light, as if a halo like the sun was floating behind his head, his appearance solemn and dignified.

"Disciple Nengqing pays respects to Bodhisattva Cihang."

The monk Nengqing straightened his robes, adopted a dignified posture, and solemnly performed a grand salute.

"rise."

Cihang Bodhisattva raises his right hand, forming the Abhaya Mudra (gesture of fearlessness), while his left hand hangs down, forming the Varada Mudra (gesture of granting wishes). He is full of compassion and mercy, just like a true Buddha in the human world.

Monk Nengqing was suddenly deeply moved, feeling that his more than one month of confinement had not been in vain.

He is right.

The monk Liaofan of Baima Temple is a sinner against Buddhism!

The ideas promoted by the monk Liaofan are even more heretical and evil.

Otherwise, why would Cihang Bodhisattva, who is most likely to stretch across the void and transform into the great sun, come to see him?

"Go."

Cihang Bodhisattva didn't say much, but simply gave a brief instruction.

Boundless and endless precious light emanated from between the eyebrows of Cihang Bodhisattva, shining upon Monk Nengqing and washing away all the gloom surrounding him.

At this moment, the monk Nengqing felt that he had entered the Buddhist realm.

He was overjoyed and sat cross-legged, holding a flower and smiling.

This strange state lasted for an unknown period of time.

When Monk Nengqing regained consciousness and felt that his cultivation level had leaped to the peak of Arhat and that he was on the verge of becoming a Bodhisattva, his grand-uncle Cihang Bodhisattva, who had come to enlighten him, had already disappeared.

The cave where they were imprisoned remained brightly lit.

The monk Nengqing understood his meaning, got up from the ground, and walked out of the cave without looking back.

Because he never looked back, Monk Nengqing only saw the light ahead and failed to see the cave behind him return to darkness.

In the shadows, shadowy figures seemed to sway, and rustling sounds rose and fell.

It was as if some invisible, intangible entity was discussing, mocking, ridiculing, and laughing triumphantly...

After leaving the cave where he had been in seclusion, Monk Nengqing made no attempt to conceal his presence and entered Ci'en Temple openly and honestly.

All the monks in the temple, from the abbot down to the newly initiated novices, turned a blind eye.

They neither intervened nor offered any support.

silence.

Only silence.

In the silence, Monk Nengqing left Ci'en Temple and went into the mortal world to seek out and subdue the demon.

Link, who was playing the role of an ascetic practicing the Bodhisattva path of Buddhism, suddenly felt a sense of destiny.

"They're here."

He murmured something, then ignored it, continuing on his way, doing good deeds, and following his own path.

"They're here!"

Forrest, with a large hole pierced through his chest, spoke weakly to Medici, who had lost his left calf.

"It was worth it!"

Leaning against a stone pillar at the dilapidated temple gate, Medici was pale and weak, barely breathing.

For nearly two months, Forrest and Medici traveled to various places.

Today they punish lewd and abusive monks here, tomorrow they burn down exploitative Buddhist temples there, and the day after tomorrow they launch a surprise attack or randomly go somewhere else...

Under Forrest and Medici's reckless actions, the situation in this world deteriorated rapidly, with war breaking out everywhere and turmoil raging.

As the source of the unrest, Forrest and Medici experienced the most intense suppression.

Being able to maneuver around for nearly two months is already the limit of what Forrest and Medici can do.

After all, this was the home ground of the remnants of Buddhist civilization, where they had neither the right timing nor the advantage of location.

In terms of human resources, it's roughly a 50/50 split.

Those who benefited from Buddhism naturally harbored deep hatred for Forrest and Medici, the two ringleaders of the chaos.

The lower classes, who suffer from oppression and exploitation by the Buddhist community and the vested interests, want to help Forrest and Medici, but are powerless to do so.

Moreover, their own strength is also very limited.

Thus, Forrest and Medici finally reached a dead end.

There was no way to go to heaven, and no way to go to hell.

Before long, six bodhisattvas (great sages) surrounded Forrest and Medici.

There was no wasted words between the two sides.

The Buddhist sect could not persuade them to surrender or capture them alive. Forrest and Medici knew their fate but would never sit idly by and wait to die.

A fierce and brutal battle suddenly broke out.

And it reaches its climax right from the start, then abruptly ends.

With a deafening roar, the mountain collapsed and the earth split open.

Frost and Medici teamed up to self-destruct, completely erasing the dilapidated Buddhist temple.

None of the six Buddhist bodhisattvas (great sages) who attacked the two men died, but each of them was wounded.

"Amitabha."

The leading Buddhist bodhisattva looked at the gradually calming mushroom cloud and couldn't quite understand Forrest and Medici's choice.

Even if they were going to expose themselves, they exposed themselves too early and too obviously.

Sufficient reaction time was given, allowing the six Buddhist bodhisattvas to avoid the area with the greatest power.

It seems that from the beginning, they didn't want to kill anyone, but only wanted to cause enough casualties.

Why is that?

Just as they were wondering, the leading Bodhisattva suddenly sensed something and turned his head in surprise.

In his line of sight, he saw a mountain far away, where a group of ragged old men were watching everything happening there in real time through a water mirror.

There are not just one, two, or three such hills, but four, five, or six...

In other words, tens of thousands of ordinary people saw the high-ranking Buddhist bodhisattvas injured and bleeding.

"Amitabha!"

The leading bodhisattva's face showed pain and pity. He chanted a Buddhist mantra and then made a decision to attack the first mountain peak he saw.

At the same time, a sentence resonated in the minds of the other five Bodhisattvas.

"Kill them all!"

Upon hearing the telepathic message, the five Bodhisattvas did not hesitate and each chose a mountain to attack.

They want to kill all the common people who have seen even Buddhist monks and Bodhisattvas get hurt and bleed!

The image of Buddhist bodhisattvas as high above, sacred and inviolable, must be maintained.

If Buddhist bodhisattvas were like ordinary people, able to be injured when attacked and killed when murdered, what a filthy hell this world would be.

For the sake of the world and for the sake of Buddhism, the six Bodhisattvas, with compassion in their hearts, resolutely sacrificed themselves to serve the demons, breaking the precept against killing, in order to save all sentient beings!

"Amitabha!"

Opposite Iris, an old monk with snow-white eyebrows and beard leaned on a nine-ringed staff, chanting Buddhist mantras. His face showed compassion and pity as he earnestly advised, "Benefactor, please stop."

"Stop? Why should I stop?"

With a sneer, Iris countered with a questioning look, "And when did I make a move?"

"Amitabha!"

The old monk chanted the Buddha's name once more, then slowly closed his eyes, which were filled with compassion and pity.

Centered on Liangshan, the entire area within a radius of 100,000 li was engulfed in flames of war, bloodshed, and carnage.

The situation in this world has completely descended into chaos, a complete mess.

The common people are dying, the secular ruling class is dying, and Buddhist monks are dying.

The conflict and hatred have been thoroughly ignited, and it will be difficult to end the situation.

The strangest thing is that the closer to Liangshan and the farther away from the Buddhist temple, the more peaceful the atmosphere.

They paid an extremely heavy price, with every family wearing mourning clothes, and many families even losing their descendants. After completely driving out the Buddhist forces, the lower classes resumed production and lived in peace and contentment under the call of the Lotus Society.

Despite wearing mourning clothes, or having physical disabilities, despite still having to work hard, and despite still not being able to get enough to eat, the people all had light in their eyes and hope on their faces.

the reason is simple.

The house I live in is my own, the land I cultivate is my own, the grain I harvest is my own, the clothes I weave are my own…

Having a place to live, producing goods, having food to eat, and having clothes to wear is enough.

The common people don't ask for much.

As long as I'm alive, that's enough.

The farther away from Liangshan and the closer to the Buddhist temple, the more tense the atmosphere becomes.

How could those people who hadn't yet eradicated Buddhism possibly be content with the way those who had been expelled live after seeing what kind of lives they were living?

It's the same thing: one head, two arms, and two legs!

If they could expel Buddhism and live a good life, so can we!

Is Buddhism willing to suffer defeat after defeat?

I'm not reconciled.

As a result, conflicts, wars, slaughter, and casualties escalated to ever greater intensity!

In this situation, Iris is like a white lotus growing in the mud, blooming more and more beautifully, becoming more and more sacred, and has already reached the realm of a Bodhisattva (a great sage).

She can claim to have become a Buddha (a great sage of the ninth level) whenever she so desires.

The old monk slowly opened his eyes, forgetting what he had seen along the way, forgetting the reality that the closer he got to the Buddhist temple, the more miserable he became, and the farther he got from the Buddhist temple, the more peaceful he became.

In the blink of an eye, the Bodhisattva with lowered brows disappeared, and the Vajra with wrathful eyes appeared in the world.

"Oh……"

Iris scoffed, "This is Buddha?"

"Hehe...hehehe..."

As she laughed, Iris's laughter grew louder and more sarcastic.

"Disregarding reason and relying solely on brute force—that's true Buddhahood!"

The old monk, unwilling to waste any more words with Iris and sway his Buddhist resolve, brandished his nine-ringed staff and slowly brought it down.

This smash was simple and natural, without any unusual phenomena.

This strike was slow and gentle, devoid of any murderous intent, and showed compassion.

With this strike, the old monk, though his face was kind, was more ferocious than any demon!

Iris stood still, enduring the blow from the old monk's nine-ringed staff.

Not only did she not move or dodge, but Iris didn't even put up the slightest resistance, letting her head be smashed by the Nine-Ringed Zen Staff, letting her brains splatter everywhere, and letting her body be crushed.

The old monk stared blankly at Iris, who had died so easily under his staff, filled with endless doubts.

"He's dead already?"

After sensing the situation and confirming that Iris was truly dead and not someone who had used a substitute or faked her death, the old monk became even more puzzled.

"He's dead already?"

"He's dead already?"

After muttering to himself for a while, the old monk raised his nine-ringed staff, propped it on the ground, ignored the bloodstains under his feet, and looked around Liangshan.

The culprit who stirred up this turmoil and calamity that affected most of the world in just over three months is dead?

Where the old monk could not see, Iris's true spirit broke free from its restraints and severed the last connection between herself and the "White Lotus".

learn from mistakes.

With the ninth trial of the special ruins world after intervention ahead, how could Iris not know the risk of losing control when the "White Lotus" path reaches its final stage?

Although "I" decisively and cleanly annihilated myself to make Iris possible, Iris dared not easily believe this.

Precautions are necessary and must be taken thoroughly.

Isn't it just about giving up a "white lotus"?

Iris has no regrets at all.

She is a wizard, her foundation is in the wizarding civilization, and she would never be like "me," who, after returning to the wizarding civilization, was still reluctant to part with the "Tao Fruit" she brought back from other universes.

Moreover, Iris is well aware that her true purpose in "possessing" the remnants of Buddhist civilization and working from the inside out is not to completely overthrow them.

That's something the Celestial Court of the Immortal and Divine Civilization and the Supreme Council of the Wizarding Civilization need to consider and accomplish.

Iris believed that her mission was merely to infiltrate behind enemy lines, stir up trouble, weaken the remaining forces of Buddhist civilization, or divert some of the Buddha's attention.

From this perspective, Iris felt that she had done a great job.

No one can criticize her choice from any angle.

Most importantly, Iris, like Lottesno, Forrest, and Medici, is a supporting character in this mission.

The main character is Link Grand!

Without hesitation, Iris's true spirit followed the mysterious connection, broke away from the remnants of Buddhist civilization, and returned to the "body-stealing" artifact jointly created by the four wizard saints, returning to her true body.

Squeak, squeak, squeak...

Three voices rang out simultaneously, and Iris, Forrest, and Medici all sat up at the same time.

The three exchanged a glance, remained silent, and floated out of the "possession" artifact.

Looking at Link, Molly, and Lauter Snow, still lying peacefully asleep in their sleep pods, Forrest suddenly asked, "When do you think they'll be back?"

Who knows?

Medici shrugged and said nonchalantly, "You guys talk, I'm leaving."

After saying that, Medici turned and left.

Before the "possession," Medici received guidance from the reincarnation of the saint, Lotesno, and had already reached the level of a seventh-level great sage.

This time, returning to the Wizarding Civilization universe will definitely allow me to advance smoothly.

Iris remained silent, her brows furrowed.

I thought I had completely severed my connection with the "White Lotus," but to my surprise, a phantom of a white lotus was still swaying in my mind's eye.

The prayers and pleas of countless people could be faintly heard.

Countless people yearn for salvation amidst despair! (End of Chapter)