"Now, we shall punish Xuan Guang, the traitor of our sect, making him kneel here, never to rise for eternity, until his body decays and turns to dust."

The grand voice echoed across the Zhenwu Seven Peaks, and hearing that Xuan Guang had been captured, all the disciples looked up at the figure in the sky, their eyes filled with admiration.

Since Qing Yu took the position, the stature of the Zhenwu Sect has been rising steadily, and the disciples regard this new sect leader as a deity.

Now that the traitor Xuan Guang, who had been at large for years, was captured, everyone naturally attributed this achievement to the sect leader, casting looks of reverence.

At the same time, Qing Yu's actions quickly spread outside, and before long, many in the know were aware of Qing Yu's treatment of Xuan Guang.

It was unavoidable since even trivial acts by great figures hold deep meaning, let alone Qing Yu imposing such severe punishment on Xuan Guang.

Now that Qing Yu's power grows deeper and his status rises higher, naturally, his every move draws the attention of the world. Many in the Taoist community construed this as a warning from the True Martial Dao Jun, cautioning those who submit to not engage in betrayal.

Otherwise, at the steps of Bai Yu, they would not mind two more statues.

Especially a certain Taoist hermit, still under house arrest in the Zhenwu Sect, who smiled wryly, his fear of Qing Yu deepening, making him even more cautious.

And the Buddhist community, currently the greatest rival to the Taoists, viewed this as Qing Yu's deterrence, proclaiming that the Dao Jun wouldn't mind a few more bald statues.

Unknowingly, Qing Yu also experienced the treatment famously described by Mr. Lu Xun, where every action of his held deep meaning.

························

In the Great Zen Temple, Xinyuan and Wula once again gathered. Both were supreme figures in Buddhism, deeply worried about the current plight of Buddhism.

Xinyuan changed into more than a dozen different forms, each bearing an expression of worry and a look of concern.

"Dozens of Buddhist temples have been massacred by Demonic Dao demons, yet our Buddhism finds it hard to enter the territory of Northern Zhou to retaliate. All monks are filled with wrath, hard to control.

Now, the True Martial Dao Jun also threatens both Buddhist and Taoist doors, making Taoists follow him, and our Buddhists fear him. The crisis is near, yet you, Wula, still refuse to relent?"

Xinyuan roared like a lion, sternly questioning Wula, his True Qi surging, as if this Great Zen Temple abbot had reached the limit of his patience.

Recently, Buddhism has been hit repeatedly with misfortune. First, the Great Zen Temple was attacked, leaving less than a tenth of the monks there, followed by massacres at dozens of temples. As the head of Central Plains Buddhism, the Great Zen Temple was at a loss.

Now, with the Taoists united, what was once a fragmented force is now fully grasped by Lord Qing Yu, forming a strong front, posing a severe threat to Buddhism.

All these factors have driven the Great Zen Temple and Buddhism to the edge of a cliff.

"Repeated blows have shattered the confidence of the monks in the Great Zen Temple. If we want Buddhism to rally together, we must give them hope. Initiating the Pure Land is imperative; otherwise, Buddhism faces the risk of extinction," Xinyuan said gravely.

The repeated failures of the Great Zen Temple, with temples destroyed and powerless to hunt down Demonic People, have left many Buddhist temples restless and no longer as obedient as before. However, across today's Buddhism, only the Great Zen Temple can lead the monks in a contest with the Taoists.

Such words from Xinyuan are not mere alarmism; they carry genuine intent.

Faced with this crisis, Wula finally relented, sighing, "Then let us initiate the Pure Land. During the Buddha Bathing Festival, gather ten thousand monks to open the Pure Land gate with us at the lead."

The method left by Buddha to open the Pure Land is quite simple: it only requires gathering enough Buddha Power. But the amount of this power is desperately large. Even the two strongest, Xinyuan and Wula, cannot open the Pure Land gate without the assistance of ten thousand monks.

Xinyuan had been persuading Wula persistently, urging him to help, as he could not dare claim that even with the gathering of ten thousand monks, he could open the Pure Land gate alone.

Now seeing his goal achieved, even with Xinyuan's deep scheming, a trace of joy flashed in his eyes. But this joy was fleeting, as Xinyuan used his Diamond Heart to stabilize his mental state, preventing Wula, adept at sensing thoughts, from noticing his inner joy.

"The Buddha Bathing Festival is in five days. Let this old monk first sit in meditation to settle the mind; we will meet again then, Xinyuan Abbot."

"Please!"

Xinyuan stood up to personally see him off, watching Wula leave.

Even long after Wula's figure disappeared, Xinyuan still stood outside the quiet room, looking in the direction of Wula's departure, speechless for a long time.

However, Xinyuan's gaze was not as calm as it appeared on the surface. His eyes sometimes looked ancient, sometimes vibrant, and sometimes tender like water... Although his appearance did not change, the myriad expressions of life were all present in his eyes.

"Finally... the day has come."

Xinyuan raised his head, with a look of sentimentality, perhaps reminiscing, "If there are those who hear and accept with faith, who could believe the Tathagata is the abiding law, those people are exceedingly rare like the udumbara flower. After my Nirvana, if there are those who hear such a profound Mahayana Sutra and give rise to faith and respect, know that these are like unto many future ages of countless billions without falling into the evil paths.

Such is the Great Nirvana, and so it shall be."

The voice was faint, as if spinning through a thousand turns, and as if whispering softly, the emotions within complex beyond words.

The scriptures Xinyuan recited were from the "Mahaparinirvana Sutra," widely known in Buddhism. But in this world, are there truly beings of Nirvana, Buddhas reborn from silent annihilation?

This point, Xinyuan did not mention, nor was there anyone else present to pose such a question to him.

He merely gazed quietly at the sky for a moment, then returned to a serene expression, as if the previous worry and sorrow were non-existent, turned back to the quiet room, and resumed his daily sutra chanting and meditation.

························

Late at night, in the Northern Zhou Divine City.

The night was dark, and in the early night sky, there was only a thin crescent, casting faint moonlight.

But at one moment, a full moon rose above the Divine City, enveloping the Northern Zhou Imperial City in frosty white light.

"This Demon Body is more astonishing than I anticipated; during the breakthrough, it actually released such a powerful energy," Yin Tianxia murmured, looking at the bright moon in the sky.

Phenomena are expected upon a breakthrough to Divine Communication, but except for deliberate show-offs, such exaggerated phenomena do not occur.

The current abnormality arose not because Yun Wuyue deliberately made a presence in the deep night, but because her initial breakthrough failed to control all her True Qi, thus resonating with the heavens and earth, resulting in such a phenomenon.

"With the Saint Energy of this full moon, even the Sacred Body is no concern, not to mention the Demon Body," Ye Lingshuang walked up and said with a smile.

"Then let it be called the 'Taiyin Saint Body'," said Yin Tianxia, "With Wuyue's breakthrough, the sect should spread the Sacred Body among everyone. The Yin Demon Sect will have a flourishing new atmosphere in the hands of me and Wuyue."

Regarding the martial arts of the Yin Demon Sect, Yin Tianxia was actually very dissatisfied. Though she stepped out of the confines of the Yin Demon Sect, there were still many within stuck in the past.

If everyone could cultivate according to the Taiyin Dao, the heritage of the Yin Demon Sect would be preserved for generations, with no chance of returning to the old path.

"It shall be so," said Ye Lingshuang.

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