"This...this..."

At this moment, Wuzha looked at the young novice monk in front of him with a terrified expression.

He shakily extended his finger.

Pointing to that magnificent lotus platform,

I don't know if it was anger, or fear.

He couldn't utter a single word for ages...

The young novice monk looked at Wuzhao's horrified expression and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Brother Wuzhe, there's no need to be so shocked. Everyone reacts this way when they see such a scene for the first time. You'll get used to it after a while."

Ye Ran frowned slightly, his gaze fixed intently on the young novice monk:

"Does this practice somewhat contradict the original intent of Buddhism?"

The young novice monk remained calm upon hearing this.

He shook his head, his tone calm yet firm:

"That's not quite right... What's wrong with that? We Buddhists cultivate Buddhism for the sake of cultivating Buddhism, isn't it? It's just that one is the Dharma that the practitioner comprehends through their own understanding, and the other is the Dharma that the Buddha bestows upon us after the passing of a great master. In essence, they are both the transmission of the Dharma, so what's the difference? They simply lead to the same destination through different paths..."

Ye Ran listened to the young novice's logic in silence.

A moment later,

He then asked:

"So, have all the eminent monks here received this gift of Buddhist teachings?"

The young novice nodded, a hint of pride appearing on his face:

“Indeed. Most of the eminent monks here have received such gifts more than once. Of course, it is precisely because of this that their cultivation has made great progress, far surpassing their peers.”

As he said this, the young novice monk looked at Wuzha with a smile.

"As for the improvement in strength, I believe everyone is well aware of that. After all, according to the ranking rules of our Mahayana Buddhism, all the eminent monks here should have exchanged Buddhist teachings with your temple's abbot..."

Listening to the little novice monk's words,

Wuzhe's face paled, then he looked at the lotus platform with a complicated expression.

Silence

This can be considered an admission of guilt...

After listening to the young novice monk's introduction,

Ye Ran nodded, then looked around at the surrounding high-ranking monks.

At this moment, these venerable monks, with their kind faces, flowing white beards, and magnificent robes,

In his eyes, they had unknowingly transformed into greedy, man-eating demons.

Their eyes gleamed with barely concealed greed, and their lips curled into hypocritical smiles, as if they were ready at any moment to open their gaping maws and devour everything in their path.

This solemn and peaceful Buddhist holy site, filled with the smoke of incense, the gentle sounds of Buddhist chants, and the continuous recitation of sutras,

In his eyes, it slowly turned into a blood-soaked hell.

Behind that golden Buddha statue

It seemed as if countless wronged souls were climbing in despair.

Every wisp of rising sandalwood incense carries the stench of decay, and every clear sound of the wooden fish drum seems to echo the wails of the dead…

Ye Ran suddenly smiled calmly again, muttering to herself:

"I initially felt a bit burdened about going on a killing spree in this secluded place of cultivation, but now it seems I was overthinking it..."

"What is this senior brother saying?"

The young novice monk, unable to hear clearly, asked curiously.

Ye Ran smiled calmly: "It's nothing, I'm just mentally preparing myself, after all, it's the first time I've seen something like this..."

Hearing Ye Ran say this,

The young novice monk smiled, and with the air of someone who had been through it all, shook his head and said:

"No need, senior brother. Just quietly enjoy the process. Everything is arranged by Buddha. Trust me, this process will be wonderful..."

As the young novice spoke, he seemed to recall that wondrous feeling.

Gazing at the lotus platform, he trembled uncontrollably, as if he had inhaled something intoxicating, feeling lightheaded and blissful...

While everyone was talking,

The incense stick in front of the golden Buddha

It's finally gone out...

"Rumble..."

After the incense burned out, the lotus platform began to slowly rotate.

Golden light shone through the gaps in the lotus platform, illuminating the entire hall.

Countless golden runes danced in the air, forming mysterious halos.

At that moment, all the high monks in the hall seemed to receive some kind of signal, and they all adjusted their postures.

Sitting cross-legged facing the golden Buddha,

Their lips began to move.

First came the soft chanting of scriptures, which gradually coalesced into a deep, resonant chant that echoed throughout the entire hall...

"Amitabha Buddha, Namo Amitabha Bodhisattva..."

On the surface, these high monks all appeared solemn, with their hands clasped together, eyes closed, chanting scriptures, displaying the pure and holy appearance of highly cultivated monks.

However, Ye Ran and the others were able to keenly perceive it.

As the golden light grew stronger, these devout monks chanted...

Their eyelids trembled slightly, their faces flushed, their breathing became rapid and uneven, and fine beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.

A barely perceptible slit appeared at the corner of his eye, his gaze fixed intently on the lotus platform, his Adam's apple bobbing unnaturally, like a long-starved beast smelling blood...

Some monks, while outwardly chanting mantras, had knuckles white from excessive force as they clasped their hands together, their nails almost digging into their flesh. The smiles on their lips were no longer compassionate, but rather revealed a morbid greed and expectation…

In an instant, the sound of Buddhist chants arose, and the chanting of sutras soared.

The entire hall seemed to be enveloped in a golden light curtain.

A sacred yet eerie atmosphere permeated the air.

At this very moment,

An old man slowly emerged from the center of the lotus platform...

The old man was enveloped in a golden halo, like the rising sun at dawn, warm and sacred...

With his arrival, the Buddhist light within the entire hall suddenly intensified.

Countless golden rays of light shot out from behind the Buddha statue, like thousands of golden threads interwoven into a net, enveloping the entire Dharma assembly site.

Under the Buddha's light,

The air inside the hall seemed to become both heavy and light, with wisps of golden dust dancing in the air like countless fireflies twirling in the night...

After all the Buddha's light dissipated,

The high monk's face finally appeared before everyone.

"Holy crap?! It's him...!"

The moment he saw the high monk's face,

Ye Ran couldn't help but swear.

"What, Ye Ran, do you know this person?" Wang Xianghe looked at Ye Ran.

"More than just knowing..." Ye Ran waited for the person on the lotus platform, his expression complex.

"Duobao, do you still remember Chen Wuxin?"