A white-robed phantom stood in the center of the square. Although he did not deliberately release his aura, the air around him seemed to solidify into a tangible form.
Lin Zhou's gaze swept lightly over the Buddhist cultivators who were slumped on the ground, and finally landed on the three half-step Dao Integration cultivators who were barely able to stand up straight—the Xuanzhen True Buddha who had attacked the most fiercely earlier, and the other two True Buddhas.
"Unravel the Dao?" Lin Zhou's voice carried a hint of amusement. "Use encirclement and slaughter, use deadly formations to unravel the Dao? Your Buddhist Dao is about forcing people to their deaths?"
Xuanzhen Zhenfo's face turned pale, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to speak: "Benefactor, you are unaware that although this boy (Su She) has a firm will, he has gone astray, placing worldly thoughts above Buddhist and Taoist principles. Our intervention is actually to enlighten him, to make him understand that 'the Great Tao is ruthless,' so that he can break through the illusion..."
“That’s right!” Another True Buddha who was halfway to the Dao Realm quickly echoed, his tone filled with “heartache and indignation”, “The Buddhist sect is compassionate, how could it harm people without reason? We are doing this for the good of the young benefactor, and we hope that the benefactor will not be deceived by appearances and misunderstand the Buddha’s good intentions.”
The third Buddha clasped his hands together, lowered his eyes, and said, “Benefactor, your cultivation is extraordinary. You should know that ‘those who follow different paths cannot make plans together,’ but you should also understand ‘teaching according to aptitude.’ The trials we have given you may seem harsh, but in reality, they are to help you comprehend the Dao more quickly. We hope you will understand the good intentions of our Buddhist sect.”
The three of them spoke one after another, describing the previous ambush as "enlightenment" and packaging their murderous intent as "good intentions." Every word they uttered leaned towards "morality" and "righteousness," clearly trying to use moral blackmail to make Lin Zhou reluctant to take action again.
After all, the white-robed man in front of them was of unfathomable strength, and there was no chance of winning in a direct confrontation. They could only hope that the other party would respect the "face of the strong" and would not kill them, the Buddhist cultivators who had "painstakingly enlightened the younger generation".
Su She stood beside Lin Zhou, his brows furrowed as he listened—these Buddhist cultivators were indeed eloquent, able to make the dead seem alive. If he hadn't personally experienced that life-or-death siege, he would probably have been deceived by their "compassionate" rhetoric.
He looked at Lin Zhou, only to see that his master's face was expressionless, but there seemed to be a faint hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth.
Lin Zhou was indeed smiling.
Moral blackmail?
This is the kind of thing he's never been one to fall for in his life.
When he took Xiao Chen, Jiang Li, Su She, and Shi Tou as his disciples, he did it all for their freedom. When did he ever talk about "morality" or "righteousness"? Anyone who offended him, whether they were a Buddha or a demon, he would beat them up without hesitation; anyone who protected him, even if they were the most heinous of villains, he would still protect.
"Finished talking?" Lin Zhou was too lazy to listen anymore. He raised his hand and slightly bent three fingers.
Xuanzhen, Zhenfo, and the other two were taken aback, thinking he had been persuaded. Just as they were about to try to persuade him again, they saw Lin Zhou flick out three barely perceptible streams of spiritual energy from his fingertips.
The spiritual energy was colorless and odorless, and extremely fast. Almost instantly, it landed between the three people's eyebrows.
"puff……"
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no horrific screams.
The three True Buddhas, who were half-step into the Dao, suddenly stiffened. The expressions of "heartache" and "compassion" on their faces froze instantly. Their eyes widened and their mouths were slightly open, as if they still had words to say. But their breath stopped in an instant, and they fell straight down.
He died.
Clean and efficient, without even a drop of blood spilling.
Lin Zhou withdrew his fingers, as if merely brushing off the dust from his fingertips, and said in a flat tone, "Noisy."
The remaining Buddhist monks in the square were completely dumbfounded.
He was a half-step Dao Integration cultivator! He was already a top-tier fighter on this continent, a pillar of Buddhism, and yet... he was killed by three fingers? He didn't even have a chance to fight back?
What kind of monster is this person in white robes?!
Inside the deepest meditation room of the Great Thunderclap Temple, the eight Buddha statues suddenly opened their eyes, revealing shock and anger for the first time!
"He actually dared to make a move!" The giant Buddha on the left slammed his palm onto the prayer mat in front of him, instantly turning it into dust. "Three half-step Dao Integration cultivators, gone just like that!"
"A madman! He's a madman!" The giant Buddha on the right exclaimed, his breathing disordered. "Isn't he afraid of a blood feud with our Buddhist sect?"
The large Buddha statue in the center had a face so dark it seemed to drip water, and the Buddhist patterns on its fingertips flickered violently: "It's not that he's not afraid, it's that he doesn't take my Buddhist sect seriously at all!"
His biggest concern wasn't losing three half-step Dao-merging experts—Buddhism has a deep foundation and can afford to lose them.
His worry was that after the man in white robes led the scholar down the mountain, he would make today's events public!
Over the years, Buddhism has outwardly appeared to be compassionate and compassionate, but inwardly it has eliminated many dissidents and suppressed countless rebellious forces, leaving enemies throughout the four and central regions! The reason it has been able to remain peaceful until now is because of its reputation as the "Holy Land of Ten Thousand Buddhas" and "Compassionate Salvation of the World," and because of the world's reverence for "Buddha."
But once the white-robed man spreads the news that the Buddhist sect besieged and killed scholars seeking enlightenment, and that the high-ranking members were hypocritical and bloodthirsty, this fig leaf will be completely torn off!
What will happen to those hidden enemies then? What will become of the forces in the four regions?
They will find that the so-called "Buddhist holy land" is nothing but a den of hypocrites; the so-called "top power" cannot even stop a scholar and his master.
At that time, without anyone else taking action, the impact of the "collapse of the sacred" alone will be enough to cause turmoil in Buddhism, not to mention that those enemies who are waiting for an opportunity will surely swarm in and kick it while it's down!
"We can't let them leave!" The central Buddha statue suddenly stood up, its golden robes fluttering even without wind. "Issue my decree: activate the 'Arhat Formation' and the 'Wall of Ten Thousand Buddhas' to seal off the entire Ten Thousand Buddha Mountain! Even if it means exposing our true strength, we must suppress and kill those two here!"
“But…that white-robed man’s strength…” one of the Buddhas hesitated.
"We can't worry about that now!" A resolute glint flashed in the eyes of the central Buddha. "If we let them go today, Buddhism will face annihilation! With the eight of us joining forces, even if he is at the peak of the Dao Inquiry stage, we will make him pay the price!"
The other seven Buddha statues exchanged glances and nodded.
Now that things have come to this, there's no turning back.
Alternatively, they could leave behind the white-robed man and the scholar, upholding the empty reputation of Buddhism, even at a heavy price.
Either let them leave and wait for Buddhism to become a laughingstock in the four regions and be torn apart by its enemies.
They had no choice.
"Walk!"
Eight golden figures rose simultaneously and flew towards the mountaintop plaza.
The pressure from the Dao Inquiry Realm swept across the entire Wanfo Mountain like a tsunami. Even the believers at the foot of the mountain felt the earth-shattering aura and were terrified.
The air atop Wanfo Mountain grew heavy once more; a great battle concerning the very survival of Buddhism was about to erupt.
Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow as he watched the eight powerful auras sweeping towards the meditation room. He pulled Su She back half a step, a hint of amusement playing on his lips: "Oh? Finally decided to come out?"
Su She gripped the Tao Te Ching tightly. Although he felt nervous, he was mostly at ease—with his master by his side, even if the sky were to fall, he could hold it up.
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