The Ancient Temple of Sumeru, Destroyed

His sudden appearance left the few surviving Ancient Buddhas below stunned. Then, a fierce glimmer of hope for survival burst from the eyes of Longevity Ancient Buddha.

“Junior Brother Huixin! Quickly! Activate the foundation of the Great Leiyin Temple and get us out of here! Together, we can resist this demon!”

However, Ancient Buddha Huixin paid him no heed. He merely gazed calmly at Little Black and continued:

“I have not come to interfere with your actions, Fellow Daoist, much less to become your enemy.

“Your divine abilities are peerless, and you see through all things. The calamity that has befallen the Mount Sumeru lineage today is entirely of its own making. The cycle of cause and effect is inescapable, and retribution never fails. This humble monk has nothing to say against it.”

At these words, the faces of Longevity, Zhihui, and the other Ancient Buddhas changed drastically. The hope in their eyes instantly turned into venomous resentment.

“Huixin! How dare you—”

Little Black’s cold gaze settled formally on Ancient Buddha Huixin for the first time, carrying what seemed to be a trace of scrutiny.

Huixin Ancient Buddha felt the pressure in that gaze. His figure swayed slightly, yet he forcibly steadied himself and continued:

“This humble monk asks only that Fellow Daoist hear a single word from me. It is also a question of karma on behalf of the Buddhist sect.”

“Fellow Daoist established the hundred-year pact and offered protection to those under your command. This is only right and proper.

“The Ancient Sumeru Temple allowed greed to cloud its judgment, violated the rules, and schemed in secret. Such conduct was unjust, and it deserves punishment.”

“However…” His tone shifted, and his voice became filled with deep compassion.

He looked toward the countless ordinary monks and believers below, trembling in the aftermath of the shockwaves with despair on their faces. Among them were even some young novices of low cultivation, whose eyes bore little trace of sin.

“Of the countless living beings below, most are merely ignorant practitioners who drift with the current. Some were driven by the need to survive, while others were trapped by their faith. Not every one of them took part in the conspiracy, nor are they all stained with sin.

“Among them are those who sincerely devote themselves to the Buddha and whose natures are kind.”

“As the Buddhist scriptures say, Heaven cherishes all life. With your boundless divine abilities, Fellow Daoist should be able to distinguish good from evil and discern the causes and effects of karma.

“This humble monk dares to ask that you punish only the chief offenders and settle accounts with the true culprits.

“As for these ordinary disciples and innocent believers, could you perhaps show them mercy, spare their lives, and give them a chance to mend their ways—or enter the cycle of reincarnation?”

“As an exchange…”

Ancient Buddha Huixin bowed deeply once more, lowering his posture to the utmost.

“This humble monk swears by the names of the successive patriarchs of the Great Leiyin Temple that from this day forward, the Great Leiyin Temple will guide them back onto the righteous path and cleanse them of their sins.

“If any of them commits such offenses again, there will be no need for Fellow Daoist to act. This humble monk will personally purge the sect and show no mercy. Furthermore…”

He reached into his robes and took out three beads the size of dragon eyes. They radiated a gentle, clear, seven-colored glaze, and faint chants of wisdom and Zen seemed to emanate from within them.

The moment these beads appeared, even the violent energy surging through the surroundings grew still.

“These are the Great Leiyin Temple’s supreme legacy treasures—the ‘Three-Life Bodhi Seeds.’ They contain profound wisdom and the true meaning of enlightenment. They can help one see through to their true nature, break through delusions, and comprehend the Great Dao. Their effects are unfathomable—even Great Emperors can benefit from them.

“I am willing to offer them to Fellow Daoist, or to someone behind you, as a token of apology and an opportunity to form a good karmic bond.”

Ancient Buddha Huixin’s posture had already been lowered to the dust.

He had acknowledged the Buddhist sect’s wrongdoing, admitted that Little Black’s actions were justified, and asked only that the potentially innocent ordinary disciples be spared. He had even brought out a Buddhist treasure powerful enough to move a Great Emperor, while promising to take responsibility for the aftermath.

It could be said that he had offered both a way out and sufficient compensation.

And yet—

Little Black’s eyes remained cold, without the slightest ripple.

He looked at Ancient Buddha Huixin, at the three Three-Life Bodhi Seeds, and then at the several Ancient Buddhas below.

Slowly, he shook his head. His calm voice carried the finality of an unquestionable verdict.

“Not enough.”

Those two icy words sent Ancient Buddha Huixin’s heart sinking into an abyss. The hope in the eyes of the five Ancient Buddhas below shattered once more.

“Once a rule has been established, those who violate it must die.”

“Hypocritical Buddhas, hiding filth beneath their robes, feeding on faith and treating all living beings as beasts—your very existence is a sin.”

“As for you…”

Little Black’s gaze locked onto Ancient Buddha Huixin once more.

“Your aura is pure, and your karmic burden is clean. You are not of the same path as these hypocritical bald fools. Leave now, and you may live.”

“But if you obstruct me…”

The destructive intent within Little Black’s giant palm, which covered the heavens and earth, suddenly surged to its peak.

“Then you shall perish together with this false Buddhist kingdom!”

His icy words were like a final judgment, echoing throughout the silent heavens and earth without the slightest room for negotiation.

Ancient Buddha Huixin’s withered body trembled faintly, and the last trace of color drained from his face.

Yet his folded hands did not lower, nor did his deeply bowed posture change. He did not immediately leave as Little Black had ordered.

Slowly, he straightened and calmly met Little Black’s eyes, which contained the annihilating power of the end. A faint, almost liberated smile appeared on his withered face, and his voice rang out, low yet clear:

“Amitabha.”

“This humble monk is willing to suffer this consequence together with all living beings here.”

He did not beg, argue, or retreat. In the calmest manner possible, he chose to venture into the Yellow Springs with them.

At this moment, all things fell silent.

Every divine sense observing this place held its breath.

Huixin was going to sacrifice himself for the Dao, using his own destruction as a final, silent protest and plea.

“This monk is acceptable.”

A calm, indifferent voice sounded directly in the depths of Little Black’s mind. It was Gu Changge.

“His karmic burden is clean. He is not one of them. Leave him behind to clean up the aftermath.”

Little Black’s cold gaze lingered on Huixin’s resolute face for an instant.

The giant palm that had gathered boundless power and was about to descend upon everything paused slightly.

At that imperceptible pause, an immense divine sense—formless and intangible, yet seemingly capable of illuminating the innate nature and very origin of all living beings across the heavens—spread out.

Like liquid mercury pouring across the land, or the Eye of Heaven opening, it silently swept over the vast ruins of the Buddhist kingdom, with Little Black at its center.

Wherever this divine sense passed, it neither harmed the mountains and rivers nor destroyed the vegetation and buildings. It merely illuminated the deepest karmic burdens, thoughts, and true nature within each living being’s heart.

“No—!”

“Buddha, save me!”

In an instant, shrill, fleeting screams and desperate wails erupted throughout every corner of the Buddhist kingdom—then abruptly ceased.

The monks who had not directly participated in the central conspiracy but had usually exploited others in the Buddha’s name, forcibly “converted” people through hypocrisy, and whose hearts were filled with greed, hatred, and delusion.

The fanatical believers who harbored resentment toward the destruction of the Buddhist sect, secretly cursed others, and were consumed by malicious thoughts.

Even the five Quasi-Emperor Ancient Buddhas, whose bodies were entangled in countless karmic debts—

Their bodies bore no wounds whatsoever, yet the light in their eyes instantly went out.

Their souls were consumed by an invisible flame. Their auras vanished completely, and they collapsed stiffly to the ground, their bodies and souls utterly destroyed.

Wherever the divine sense passed, all those burdened by heavy karma and harboring malicious intent were annihilated!

Yet there were far more ordinary believers and novices who merely followed the Buddha in ignorance, were struggling simply to survive, or possessed relatively pure hearts.

There were also the low-ranking monks who practiced Buddhist teachings without committing evil, and even those who carried benevolent intentions.

As well as ascetic monks who had never taken part in any sordid schemes and had devoted themselves solely to cultivation…

All they felt was an indescribable pressure, as though it could see straight through their souls, sweeping over their bodies and minds.

It brought with it an instant of icy terror, but they remained completely unharmed. They merely collapsed limply to the ground, bewildered and at a loss.

With a single thought, Little Black’s awareness swept across hundreds of millions of living beings, precisely discerning good from evil and settling their karmic debts!

The Sumeru Ancient Monastery, a sacred Buddhist site whose legacy had endured for countless ages, was utterly destroyed in that instant!!!