So much time had passed, yet Chu Xingchen's appearance remained unchanged, that gentle smile on his face just as it was back then.
For Yuan Kong, however, it had been quite some time since he last saw Chu Xingchen, and for a moment, he suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
"Well if it isn't Master Yuan Kong."
Chu Xingchen smiled and reached out to ruffle Yuan Kong's head as he used to, but stopped midway when he noticed Yuan Kong's hair had grown and looked unwashed for quite some time.
Instead, his hand smoothly curved to stroke his own chin as he continued,
"What happened? You're no longer the Buddha's son, but became a little blackie instead?"
Hearing the familiar teasing, the awkwardness in Yuan Kong's heart vanished instantly as he spoke with a slightly aggrieved tone:
"What do you mean little blackie? This is from being tanned by the sun, not like you, a transcendent powerhouse."
Chu Xingchen nodded: "Indeed, at my level, it's hard for mere mortals like you to catch up."
"You just love teasing me," Yuan Kong looked aggrieved, "This whole thing happened because of you, that's why I did it."
Hearing this, Chu Xingchen was slightly surprised, but figured it out after a moment and sighed lightly:
"Alright, alright, I owe you one. How about I deduct five spirit stones from what you owe me?"
"I almost lost my life, and it's only worth five? Didn't you say it would be completely waived?"
"Completely waived? You think I'm some great benefactor?"
Xu Jin waited for a moment, seeing they were just chatting, quickly interjected:
"The matter isn't finished yet. Let's handle business first. Senior Bai is still intercepting people at Pudu River, and the Buddha of Manifest Divinity also needs dealing with."
Chu Xingchen gave a slight nod, his gaze calmly looking at the young monk still standing by the threshold:
"Not going back to report the situation? Are you waiting for me to escort you back?"
The young monk spoke with a calm expression: "You personally released the evil Buddha. This concerns an absolute secret matter of Buddhism. Do you understand the seriousness of this?"
Chu Xingchen sneered: "Why tell me this? Go tell Xuanqing Heavenly Sect, go tell Tianyan Sect. So what if we released your evil Buddha?"
"This world belongs to the Daoist sects, not Buddhism. We let you have your corner, and now you're getting cocky?"
"If you're unhappy about the evil Buddha being released, just go catch him again. Don't tell me... you still want to cause us trouble?"
"Consider yourselves lucky we're not coming after you. Let me be direct on behalf of Xuanqing Heavenly Sect and Tianyan Sect—when you see our people in the future, know your place."
"We accept this matter. You can make it public and see whether the remaining fifteen immortal sects will help you or us."
Before the young monk could respond, Chu Xingchen's gaze shifted to Xu Jin:
"Notify Senior Bai that this matter is settled here. Have her withdraw. If Buddhism wants to preach, give them their only preaching—we did it!"
"If they have the guts, we have the guts to eradicate Buddhism! For any allied immortal sects, within their jurisdiction, completely purge all Buddhist temples and monasteries!"
Hearing this, Xu Jin gave a slight nod without hesitation and took out a talisman, injecting spiritual energy into it.
Chu Xingchen looked calmly at the young monk: "What else do you have to say now?"
"I hope what you said truly represents Xuanqing Heavenly Sect and Tianyan Sect," the young monk said with a hint of anger.
Chu Xingchen loudly asked: "Brother Xu, tell him! Can I or can't I?"
"Of course you can," Xu Jin answered without any hesitation.
The young monk's gaze swept across the two men but he said nothing. Suddenly, he closed his eyes, and moments later, his body fell straight backward, hitting the ground with a thud.
"Tsk..." Chu Xingchen glanced disdainfully at the fallen monk before looking at Xu Jin, "How is Senior Bai doing over there? Do we need to provide backup?"
Xu Jin shook his head slightly: "It's not just Senior Bai over there, but they can break free without issue. After all, they're just intercepting people."
"Buddhism wouldn't dare truly engage us. We've arranged a meeting place. Brother Chu, if you want to see Senior Bai, you can come with me."
Chu Xingchen gave a slight nod in agreement, then was about to reach out to take Yuan Kong with him when he saw Yuan Kong looking puzzled toward the west side of the main hall.
"What are you looking at?" Chu Xingchen asked.
Yuan Kong replied somewhat uncertainly, "That Buddha who just fled... seems to have left something behind."
"It's not something I was told... I just feel like I saw it in a dream. Wait a moment."
After speaking, Yuan Kong took small, cautious steps forward.
Chu Xingchen shook his head slightly and strode toward Yuan Kong, patting his shoulder.
"I'm right here, what are you afraid of? Even Buddhas have to flee when I'm around."
Hearing this, Yuan Kong showed a slight smile and quickly stepped inside, lifting a meditation mat from the west side before striking the ground fiercely.
Thump! Thump!
One punch after another, he broke through the ground in moments. Yuan Kong reached down and dug around, then picked up what seemed like a foundation-filling stone as if rummaging through trash.
He wiped the stone clean, confirmed his suspicions, and softly chanted a Buddhist scripture.
As he chanted, the stone slowly crumbled. After Yuan Kong finished, it completely fell away, revealing its true form—a golden sarira.
Yuan Kong's face was filled with excitement as he looked at Chu Xingchen. "Told you I was right."
Chu Xingchen nodded slightly and asked, "Is there more?"
"No."
The moment Yuan Kong spoke, the two of them vanished from the vast hall.
Only two streaks of rainbow light sped rapidly to the south.
Time passed, and once again the sun rose, its gentle light shining upon the ravaged land.
The abbot of Zhengyin Temple slowly entered the temple, which now contained only the Mahavira Hall.
His gaze swept across the faceless Buddha shattered on the ground, and the abbot suddenly smiled knowingly. However, his eyes quickly shifted to the west side of the hall.
The abbot walked over, seeing that the meditation mat he once sat upon had been moved aside, and the ground beneath had been dug up.
"The destined person has finally arrived," the abbot muttered to himself.
After a moment, he sighed softly.
With slightly slower steps, he walked out of the Mahavira Hall and looked at the desolate ruin before him.
The abbot placed his palms together and silently bowed his head, chanting the mantra for crossing over to nirvana.
It was truly... a complete mess.
————————
The meeting place wasn't in the West Ox Continent, but in Central Province.
Chu Xingchen followed Xu Jin into a hidden secret realm.
Xu Jin stepped inside and said, "Although the treasures inside were long taken, it's still a good gathering spot for its concealment."
Chu Xingchen remarked with admiration, "Tsk tsk... Whose idea was this? Who would've thought after dancing on graves, we'd be holding meetings in them."
"...When it's just us, try to talk less," Xu Jin said helplessly.
Chu Xingchen simply shrugged in response.
"What are you doing here? Did Xu Jin mess things up?"
Before entering the inner hall, Bai Xuanling's calm voice echoed out.
Chu Xingchen stepped into the main hall, his gaze falling upon Bai Xuanling who was seated in the primary position. He immediately swallowed his teasing words and quickly asked:
"What happened to you?"
Bai Xuanling's eyes were bloodshot, filled with murderous intent. Dark red spiritual energy churned around him as two Tianyan Sect elders worked together to suppress that red energy.
Bai Xuanling grinned slightly, looking ferocious as he said:
"I may have gotten a little too excited."
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