The Two Words of True Emotion

Tianyan Sect, the main hall of the sect.

Led by Runan, the Buddhas of the Buddhist sect had already taken their respective seats.

This was a major event for the Buddhist sect, but equally so for the Tianyan Sect.

Strictly speaking, it seemed to be the first time the Honored Buddha of the Buddhist sect had personally visited another sect.

Every exception carried its own potential risks.

On such an occasion, Lv Xuan naturally had to be present to receive the Buddhist delegation. Yan Yun naturally couldn't escape the tedious chore either; besides managing the schedule, he also had to handle any unforeseen circumstances.

In addition to the Buddhas, the Buddhist delegation included two Buddhist Sons and several Bodhisattvas and Arhats. The lineup was quite substantial.

Sitting high in the main seat, Lv Xuan looked gently at Runan, who also revealed a faint smile, and said:

I have long heard of the Honored Buddha's great name, but only today do I finally get to meet you.

Looking solely at status, Lv Xuan was the sect master of the Tianyan Sect, and Runan was the Honored Buddha; nominally, they were equals.

Runan possessed genuine Tribulation Transcendence cultivation, while Lv Xuan was only at the Mahayana realm, so there was still a gap.

Naturally, this didn't mean Lv Xuan was truly inferior to Runan. After all, Lv Xuan's position as sect master was genuinely recognized by the entire Tianyan Sect, granting him the authority to mobilize Tribulation Transcendence cultivators.

At the very least, the Tribulation Transcendence cultivators of the Tianyan Sect were far more obedient than those of the Buddhist sect.

However, a gap in cultivation realm sometimes still provided an advantage in conversation.

Runan slightly raised his eyes, his smile undiminished, and said:

I feel the same. Karma and coincidence have brought us together like this.

Lv Xuan chuckled and began to chat with Runan.

Runan naturally responded.

One would think this was just a formality—exchanging a few words to warm up the atmosphere before getting to business and inviting out the main figure, Chu Xingchen.

But Lv Xuan seemed truly in the mood to talk, chatting all the way from the founding of the Tianyan Sect to their deep historical ties and mutual assistance with the Buddhist sect.

They did have a history of mutual assistance, of course. Over a long period, anything could happen.

This so-called mutual assistance most likely meant teaming up with the Buddhists to scam some unlucky fool.

Compared to mutual assistance, the instances where the Tianyan Sect tried every possible way to scam the Buddhist sect were exponentially higher.

Runan naturally knew this in his heart, but he cooperatively began to envision a future of mutual development with the Tianyan Sect—even though he didn't believe a word of it.

Finally, they praised each other's disciples.

Anyway, kind words cost nothing; they just kept talking.

However, there was a limit to this idle chatter.

Especially when Lv Xuan prepared to have Yan Yun step up to further envision the grand future of joint development between their disciples and the Buddhist sect.

Runan realized that Lv Xuan was stalling for time—especially when Yan Yun actually went up and started spouting nonsense about the future.

Setting aside his internal feelings, Runan patiently listened through Yan Yun's vision.

Naturally, Runan wasn't listening closely; instead, he was calculating in his mind.

What did it mean that Chu Xingchen had clearly agreed to meet, yet was stalling the meeting time?

Was it a show of dominance... or was he preparing some sort of backup plan?

Runan's gaze swept past Yan Yun, who was still envisioning the future, and finally settled on Lv Xuan. His eyes were calm, yet steady and oppressive.

Facing this gaze, Lv Xuan half-squinted, looking at Yan Yun—wearing an expression that said, "If I don't look at you, I don't know you're looking at me."

Since ancient times, our two sects have upheld the righteous path. There may have been reasons in the past that led to poor communication, but in the future, we must cast aside our previous grievances...

Staring into the gaze of a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, Yan Yun remained composed, reciting emotionlessly as if reading from a script.

Excellent. As expected of the contemporary core disciple of the Tianyan Sect. You have truly envisioned an incredibly promising future.

Outside the hall, Chu Xingchen's voice suddenly interrupted Yan Yun's vision.

Yan Yun looked over and saw Chu Xingchen walking slowly into the hall, supported by Xie Lingyu. After a slight bow, Yan Yun consciously returned to his seat.

He still had about half of his script left unrecited. Chu Xingchen was actually quite punctual this time.

Yan Yun had thought he would have to freestyle his vision for ages.

Runan's expression grew serious. Looking over, he clearly sensed that the Innate Primal Chaos Dao-Fixing Dual Qi Beads isolated Chu Xingchen's aura.

Without using divine sense to probe, one could not perceive Chu Xingchen's specific condition just by looking.

Half-leaning on Xie Lingyu, Chu Xingchen entered the hall. He first smiled at Lv Xuan, then turned his gaze to Runan. Moving slowly, he steadied himself, took two slow breaths, and then cupped his hands and bowed slightly, saying:

Please forgive me, Honored Buddha. My ailing body has not yet recovered. I truly lacked the strength to meet with you earlier, and I hope for your understanding.

Runan stood up and spoke in a gentle tone:

There is no need for forgiveness; it was my lack of consideration.

Hearing this, Chu Xingchen looked relieved. He reached out and lightly leaned against Xie Lingyu again, then slowly said:

The Honored Buddha is sincere. On that day, I personally saw you block the demon race for me. I should have attended to you personally much earlier, but my ailing body suddenly felt unwell, so I had Daoist Yan Yun entertain you on my behalf.

Xie Lingyu frowned slightly. Following Chu Xingchen's prearranged plan, she directly interrupted him as he was about to continue speaking:

Go sit down first. Don't stand for too long.

Interrupted, Chu Xingchen gave Runan a slightly awkward smile.

Runan immediately showed an understanding expression, slightly extending his hand to gesture for Chu Xingchen to sit down first.

Chu Xingchen slowly took his seat, coughed lightly twice, and then slowly looked toward Runan.

Runan looked at Chu Xingchen, feeling in his heart that Chu Xingchen intended to stall him. After all, time was not on Runan's side. If things truly changed, or if Chu Xingchen used some trick while he was away from the Buddhist sect to scam away another Karma Buddha...

By then, when Runan truly lost his bargaining chips, that would be the moment of maximum profit for Chu Xingchen.

Chu Xingchen raised his eyes and said in a sincere tone:

I am unwell and cannot handle affairs for too long.

Hearing this, Runan became even more certain of his thoughts. Unwell and unable to handle things for long meant that chatting for a bit and resting for a day was inevitable.

However, the very next moment, Chu Xingchen's following words puzzled Runan.

His tone was slow but firm as he said:

Therefore, let's get straight to the point and skip the pleasantries. After all, the Honored Buddha's time is also precious.

First, if the Buddhist sect had truly fallen into the demonic path, the Honored Buddha would not have opened his Buddhist Kingdom to block the attacking demons for me that day, and the True Buddha Hua Wu certainly would not have come to my aid holding the Nirvana Sarira.

Runan looked at Chu Xingchen with a gaze that carried both joy and astonishment.

Facing this gaze, Chu Xingchen smiled lightly and nodded, saying:

There may have been some misunderstandings in the past, but with the great tribulation before us, it is not the time to dwell on grudges. We should only speak of right and wrong.

The Buddhist sect remains righteous and good; it is just that past misunderstandings were not fully clarified. Once this meeting with the Buddhist sect concludes, I will issue a statement immediately.

Runan nodded slightly, waiting for Chu Xingchen's next sentence—the "but" and the demands.

Such as letting Chu Xingchen investigate the Buddhist sect's situation, requiring the Buddhas to cooperate with the inspection, and so on.

These were the key points to be contested.

However, Chu Xingchen shifted the conversation again:

Next is the matter of the Bright Buddha that the Honored Buddha brought up. In truth, this is not something I can decide on my own.

Hearing this, Runan half-squinted his eyes. After a moment, he slowly opened his mouth and said:

"Let us put that aside for a moment. Regarding the public statement we discussed earlier, Fellow Daoist Chu, do you not need our Buddhist Sect to cooperate in any way?"

Chu Xingchen nodded and said,

"Naturally, you will need to cooperate in spreading the word together."

"And other than that?"

"Nothing else, naturally," Chu Xingchen said, his gaze entirely sincere. "I am somewhat aware of the current situation within the Buddhist Sect."

"Less scheming and more sincerity, that is true devotion to the Honored Buddha and the Buddhist Sect."

Runan was rendered speechless as he looked at Chu Xingchen and digested those words.

Then he recalled Chu Xingchen's earlier expression, the look of a man whose insatiable greed knew no bounds.

The word sincerity...

Truly did not feel the slightest bit sincere to him.