“I don’t know any mental techniques,” Yuanjing said, shaking his head.
“It’s all Buddhist dharma. My Buddhist secret techniques can’t break through this layer of Buddhist light either,” Guangyue said, shaking his head.
Both turned their gazes to Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng looked up at the giant Buddha above.
“Amitabha!” The Liuli Buddha gazed down upon all beings, his massive hand, several meters wide, pressing toward Lu Zheng. “You’ve entered my Liuli World and still refuse to convert? Demon, the Buddha will save you, how can you resist!”
“You’re a Buddha?” Lu Zheng chuckled. “I’m a god then. Come on, let’s see who’s real.”
In an instant, his eyes blazed with golden light. The *Nine Heavens Golden Palace True Transformation Method* unfolded, his spirit sharp as a sword, radiating thousands of golden rays that pierced the minds of all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats in the secret realm.
Though Lu Zheng lacked specific mental techniques, his cultivation of the *Transformation Method* made his true spirit exceptionally robust. Brute force alone was overwhelmingly powerful.
“Light of fortune, consume!”
“Buzz!”
“Gods reside in the Golden Palace, piercing the truth of the world! Break!”
“Boom!”
“A…mitabha…ah—”
“Ah—pain—”
“I am the Buddha, I am…ah—”
The dozen Bodhisattvas and Arhats all showed pained expressions, while the Liuli Buddha, high on his cloud, halted his palm strike, his Buddhist light flickering as he countered the golden palace divine light in his mind.
“Crack!”
A faint sound, and a fracture appeared in the Buddhist light, revealing a wisp of black energy.
Yuanjing and Guangyue’s eyes lit up. An opportunity!
“Great Sun Illumination!”
“Flying Cloud Evil-Breaker!”
White clouds gathered, sunlight poured down, the Buddhist light receded, and the black energy emerged.
From bottom to top, the golden Liuli World began to fade, revealing the secret realm’s true form.
Black jagged rocks, eerie withered trees, grotesque ghostly figures. Only the Liuli Buddha, high on his golden cloud, retained his golden Buddha form, now looking even more sinister.
“Liuli Buddha, you’re neither human nor Buddha!” Lu Zheng sneered.
“Bold demon! I’ll make you reveal your true form!” Guangyue’s eyes widened, his wooden staff shooting a beam of Buddhist light straight at the Liuli Buddha.
“Show your true form!” Yuanjing formed seals, stepping in a ritual pattern. The clouds in the Liuli World grew thicker and denser.
“Ah—my Liuli Paradise World—”
In the next moment, the golden cloud turned black, and the Liuli Buddha transformed into a green-faced, fanged creature with bell-like eyes, a gaping blood-red mouth, ashen muscles, and swirling black mist.
“Demon!”
“Evil spirit!”
Without the Buddhist light’s disguise, though its strength wasn’t greatly diminished, Guangyue’s illumination and Yuanjing’s evil-breaking clouds could now deal double damage.
Between internal and external attacks, wasn’t that a seventy percent reduction in strength?
“Demon, you broke my Buddhist dharma. I’ll make you die!” the Liuli Buddha roared, unleashing a wave of black energy.
“Supreme Pure Command, Gather Qi, Summon Cloud, Swift!”
…
In the secret realm, black mist swirled, white clouds gathered and dispersed, golden light flashed, and green rays shimmered.
…
“Pfft!”
Lu Zheng’s sword slashed down, cleaving the entity posing as the Moonlight Bodhisattva in two. Simultaneously, his eyes flashed with golden light, a mental sword striking to obliterate its true spirit.
“Buzz!”
Sixteen strands of fortune light were gained.
“Hm?” Lu Zheng frowned. It was less than expected, mismatched with its strength.
…
“Bang!”
Guangyue’s staff struck another entity dead, dissolving into black smoke without leaving a corpse.
“Buzz!”
Another fourteen strands of fortune light were gained.
Still too little!
…
As dawn approached, only the wounded Liuli Buddha remained in the small secret realm, his aura greatly diminished.
Moments later…
“Buzz!”
Sixty-nine strands of fortune light were gained. Though substantial, it still didn’t match the status and strength of this major foe.
But no matter. Quantity made up for quality.
Having defeated these dozen entities, Lu Zheng gained over three hundred strands of fortune light, fifty percent more than his wolf demon hunt. Not a small haul.
…
“Pah!”
Guangyue spat, picking up the only loot on the secret realm’s summit. “What Liuli Buddha? Just an evil Buddha relic!”
“Evil Buddha relic?” Lu Zheng asked. “What’s it for?”
“Inheritance,” Yuanjing answered.
Guangyue nodded, explaining, “Likely from a fallen elder of the Liuli Medicine Buddha lineage. Buddhist on the surface, demonic within. The stronger the Buddhist facade, the deeper the inner demonic intent.
Especially this Liuli dharma, pure and untainted, so its true form becomes the source of all corruption.”
Lu Zheng smacked his lips. “So…”
Guangyue nodded. “These dozen demons were likely Jiming Temple’s monks from years ago. The Liuli Buddha was probably the temple’s abbot a decade back. He obtained this relic, led the entire temple into this secret realm, turned demonic, and cultivated these techniques.”
“Hiss—”
Lu Zheng gasped. “Why abandon being proper Buddhist monks to practice such evil methods?”
“Power and longevity,” Guangyue said, holding the relic and lifting the Buddhist light sealing it.
“त्तछजझञटठडढण…”
Faint chants echoed in their minds, subtly tempting them to explore and cultivate the evil method.
A flash of Buddhist light, and Guangyue resealed the relic, silencing the chants.
Yuanjing grinned. “You’re keeping that thing? Destroy it!”
Guangyue shook his head. “Destroying it would be a pity. I’ll refine it with the *Great Sun Illumination Scripture*. It can be used to guard a temple against evil spirits.”
“Fine, do as you like. But its inheritance mark is strong. Refining it fully will cost you,” Yuanjing said, nodding. It wasn’t his loss, so a word of advice sufficed.
“No matter,” Guangyue said. “I plan to rebuild Jiming Temple. There’s time.”
“Rebuild Jiming Temple?” Yuanjing asked, surprised. “Don’t Rizhao Temple monks travel the world after training? You’re staying here?”
Guangyue shook his head. “I’ll travel, but first, I’ll rebuild Jiming Temple and take Brother Lu with me.”
Lu Zheng chuckled. “Then you’d better build it well. You might be here a while.”
“Amitabha!” Guangyue said solemnly. “If I can’t take Brother Lu with me, I won’t leave!”
“Buzz!”
Fifty-eight strands of fortune light were gained!
Lu Zheng: ???
Yuanjing glanced at Guangyue, then at Lu Zheng, pursed his lips, and said nothing.
But…
“Buzz!”
Another forty-two strands of fortune light were gained.
Lu Zheng: ???
…
Emerging from the secret realm, they found themselves at the ruins of Jiming Temple’s abbot room, the same spot as the illusory temple’s Great Hero Treasure Hall from the previous night.
“Taoist Yuanjing? Young Master Lu?”
“Hm?”
The trio looked toward the voice and saw two figures approaching. Lu Zheng recognized one: Du Huanzhen, a soul cultivation expert from Yizhou’s Anomaly Suppression Bureau.
Lu Zheng’s eyes flashed. Now he understood why the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats yielded so little fortune light. Once they appeared, and the Bureau got wind, their fortune must have plummeted…
With the Bureau now here, they wouldn’t have lasted long even without Lu Zheng’s intervention. No wonder their fortune was low.
Still…
“Lady Du!” Yuanjing saluted with a Taoist gesture.
“Sister Du!” Lu Zheng grinned, bowing with clasped hands.
Yuanjing: ⚆_⚆?
“Hey!” Du Huanzhen smiled brightly, turning to her companion. “Didn’t I say Young Master Lu is dashing and likable?”
“Indeed,” the other, a middle-aged woman, said, sizing up Lu Zheng with a smile. “Quite the charmer. Even Boss Chu praised you once.”
“This is my colleague, call her Madam Tang,” Du Huanzhen introduced, then asked Lu Zheng, “Are you here to investigate Jiming Temple’s anomaly? When did you arrive? Found anything?”
Lu Zheng blinked, sighing inwardly that art truly mirrors reality. The police always arrive last.
