On-the-Spot Execution of the Evil Buddha

Zhengyin Dharma Temple.

Runan met Ruzhong's gaze. His expression held neither joy nor sorrow. He raised his hand to push away the hand Ruzhong had placed on his shoulder, his voice booming with the stern authority of Buddhist law:

"Ruzhong has been bewitched by the Evil Buddha; the desires and greed in his heart are a calamity."

"Attendants, take him down. Suppress him for a hundred years. Use the myriad Most Holy Sutras to cleanse his heart and remove the filth until his mind is restored."

The Buddha-voice resonated outward.

Ripples of sound vibrated far beyond the Zhengyin Dharma Temple.

As soon as Runan's voice fell, Arhats on either side rose and moved toward Ruzhong.

Ruzhong offered no resistance, allowing the Arhats to reach out and grasp his arms.

These words would eventually spread, at least within the Buddhist Sect. If Runan did not handle this, or if he gave tacit approval, it would imply that matters long since settled could be overturned and restarted.

The dispute over Mahayana Buddhism involved more than just fundamental doctrine; it was entangled with other interests.

The most critical and dangerous factor was the sect's Worldly Buddhas.

If one were to truly follow the theories of Mahayana Buddhism, then Worldly Buddhas should not exist within the Buddhist Sect.

The Worldly Buddhas were inherently external cultivators absorbed by the Buddhist Sect for the sake of survival and profit.

Putting aside the present, even in the past, the Karma Buddha had viewed the Worldly Buddhas with distinct disdain, looking down upon them.

They did not understand the Dharma, nor the future.

They knew not the principles, nor the karma.

If Mahayana Buddhism were truly established as the primary doctrine, the status of the Worldly Buddhas would plummet even further.

There was a high probability they would be stripped of the title of Buddha, and correspondingly, their benefits and authority would decline rapidly.

From the perspective of the Worldly Buddhas, allowing Mahayana Buddhism to become mainstream was completely unacceptable.

At that time, the situation of the Buddhist Sect was not good. With external winds of change blowing, they could not afford for the Worldly Buddhas to turn their backs or, worse, rebel against the sect.

At least, not then.

Whether the theoretical birth of Mahayana Buddhism was a step forward or not was no longer the issue to consider at that time.

Great reforms should not occur during moments of greatest crisis.

Some, like the Karma Buddha, were disappointed by the events of those years and left the sect to wander. Others, like the True Buddha Ru Hua, chose their path, while some, like the Buddha Ruzhong, chose to give up on themselves. There were also Buddhas who fell during that time.

The Worldly Buddhas used this opportunity to firmly root themselves within the sect.

Trying to push for change again was no easy task.

And then came later events, leading to various causes.

Runan looked at Ruzhong with obscure eyes; the situation today was much the same.

The Xuanqing Heavenly Sect, the Tianyan Sect, and the Taidao Sect had united, breaking the tacit understanding. They had marched straight into West Niu Hezhou, destroying Buddhist temples and dismantling faith.

News from South Nanzhan Buzhou had already returned: Chu Xingchen had indeed slain one of the Heavenly Demons there.

Among the Eighteen Immortal Gates, not all were interested in the other four continents.

Many sects governed only their own territories; the flow of their spirit veins was enough to drive a sect's ascension, so why fight other Immortal Gates for land with meager spiritual energy where the benefits were not significant?

The Eighteen Immortal Gates already stood at the peak; if they did not contend, they faced no calamity. This logic held true for them.

However, Chu Xingchen's goal in slaying the demon had become obvious.

Even those reclusive sects had begun contacting the Three Sects to ask about the situation, wondering if they needed to join forces...

Furthermore, Chu Xingchen had previously implied quite clearly that among the Buddhas, Heavenly Demons might be watching with covetous eyes.

How should the Buddhist Sect position itself?

The alliance of the Three Sects was targeting the Buddhist Sect.

If the Three Sects united to investigate the sect's Worldly Buddhas, what should the sect do?

If they agreed, would it lead to destruction? Would it not be handing the power of choice to the opposition?

If they refused, would there be even greater upheaval?

But handing over one's cards to let others play was undoubtedly the hardest thing to accept.

Chu Xingchen might desire to exterminate demons, but wouldn't other Immortal Gates use this pretext to tear apart the Buddhist Sect, attempting to feast upon its remains?

The Buddhist Sect still occupied spirit veins, a temptation enough to drive people mad.

Cultivators who could climb to the Tribulation Crossing Realm were no fools.

Intelligence and aptitude were key points in a cultivator's ascension.

Once the wind blew the wrong way, the Worldly Buddhas alone might be enough to tear the current Buddhist Sect apart.

What Runan truly thought in his heart no longer mattered. All he could do now was appease these Worldly Buddhas. At the very least, regarding the theory of Mahayana, he had to maintain an absolute stance.

How many people had poured their life's blood into the continuation of the Buddhist Sect to this day? How many predecessors had sacrificed themselves bravely?

Change could come in the future, but the sect could not be allowed to scatter completely at this moment.

Inside the hall of Zhengyin Dharma Temple, the Arhats on either side gently escorted Ruzhong as he slowly retreated.

Ruzhong walked backward, his gaze calmly fixed on Runan's half-closed eyes, watching as Runan refused to look at him again.

He spoke softly, his tone sincere:

"Junior Brother, between the Buddhist Sect and the common people of the world, if it truly comes to a point where you must choose one, how will you choose?"

Runan lowered his brows, acting as if he had heard nothing.

"If a choice had been made sooner, could this world have had a little more peace?" Ruzhong looked directly at the man in the magnificent kasaya, the man who lowered his eyes and refused to see the world.

This obsession, in the end, obscured the Buddha-child whose gaze had once been the most sincere of all.

Ruzhong opened his mouth to speak, but seeing Runan's expression, he knew not what to say.

As Ruzhong was taken out of the Zhengyin Dharma Temple, Runan raised his eyes and issued a command:

"Attendants, pass the order. Shrink the encirclement and kill the Evil Buddha on the spot. Do not let him escape the boundaries of West Niu Hezhou."

The Buddha-voice fell, and the red-gold message flew out; the order was given.

The hall returned to silence.

Time flowed, and the Buddha statues stood solemn.

Sanskrit chanting continued, saving all sentient beings.

After an unknown amount of time, a Buddha strode quickly into the hall from outside. After performing a Buddhist greeting, he looked at Runan and reported directly:

"Huang Miao of the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect has pressed up to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple. Chen Xiao of the Tianyan Sect is forcing his way toward the Evil Buddha."

"Daoist Scion Yuyang of the Taidao Sect has sent someone with a reprimand, asking why we did not keep our promise. Some days ago, Chu Xingchen's fourth disciple, Lin Luoyu, arrived at Daoist Scion Yuyang's place holding a token."

"Furthermore, disciples of the Three Sects are disrupting our arrangements."

"Chu Xingchen has already resolved the matter in South Nanzhan Buzhou and has turned his direction here."

"This man is meticulous and possesses diverse means; we must guard against him."

"He surely understands the value of the Evil Buddha. If he truly manages to rescue the Evil Buddha, the future situation will inevitably become even more difficult."

Runan propped himself up, looking at the Worldly Buddhas below, and spoke calmly:

"There are sixteen Buddhas who crossed the river this time. This Seat will take nine to intercept the enemy. The rest are to go and suppress the Evil Buddha immediately."

"My order has been given. Go and execute it swiftly."

The Buddha received a satisfactory answer. After bowing again, he turned and left.

After all, compared to facing a supreme cultivator like Huang Miao—and who knew how many other Tribulation Crossing experts—taking only nine people was already very few.

As for the Evil Buddha, although his reputation was notorious, he was only one man at the Tribulation Crossing Realm, and he had been suppressed for a long time.

If seven of them couldn't beat one, then the seat of Buddha should have belonged to the Evil Buddha in the first place.

Just as Runan was about to rise and leave, perhaps due to a sudden spiritual epiphany, he glanced sideways at the Buddha statue being worshipped.

This statue... had been sculpted to look somewhat like him.

Runan withdrew his gaze and walked outward, issuing an order as he went:

"Rebuild this Buddha statue."

The gathered Arhats and Bodhisattvas answered in unison:

"By Your Honor's command."