"Layman, let us enter the place as well."

Yi Yeshu and Shanyin walked to the venue, with the sound of Buddhist chanting in the air. Shanyin spoke and wanted to pull Yi Yeshu along to join in the chanting, to add a bit of strength to this grand Buddhist ceremony.

"No rush, let's observe a bit more."

Yi Yeshu lightly waved his large sleeve and said with a gentle smile.

Thousands of Buddhist monks gathered at the venue, and the numbers were still increasing, with two of the strongest in Buddhism sitting high above, leading the monks. If one were to join them, even a warrior in the Divinity Realm might be unconsciously influenced. Although not necessarily converting to Buddhism immediately, they might develop an affinity towards it, harboring a great admiration for Buddhism.

To some extent, this action is not dissimilar to brainwashing, which is one of the reasons why many people are reluctant to attend Buddhist ceremonies.

Just like this Buddha Bathing Festival, even though Qing Yu, a major figure from the rival side, received an invitation, in reality, there isn't a single non-Buddhist person to be seen here.

Anyone who is eligible to receive an invitation is aware of some secrets of the ceremony, and naturally, they do not want to travel thousands of miles just to become a henchman for Buddhism.

Of course, the ceremony is not solely about brainwashing. More importantly, it leverages the resonance of monks' chanting to open participants' spiritual acupoints and illuminate higher truths.

Many people, after participating in a ceremony, seem to become Enlightened, making unbelievable progress in Buddhist teachings and Buddha skills. Especially with two supreme powers presiding over the ceremony, the gains are unprecedented.

But the premise of gaining is that you must be of the Buddhist faith.

"This... Layman, coming here and not joining the ceremony might be inappropriate." Shanyin said with a slightly sinking voice.

"Joining in like this would indeed be inappropriate," Yi Yeshu sighed softly. "Shanyin, aren't you approaching me because among these thousands of Buddhist monks, none besides those two can rival me? If I were to simply join these monks, could they bear the weight of my words?"

"Hoo—"

A sudden breeze blew across the venue, stirring Yi Yeshu's hair and gently lifting the hem of his robe adorned with cloud patterns. Originally possessing a calm and serene demeanor, he now exhibited a touch of aloofness and a sense of disdain.

Among his snow-white hair, three strands of black hair fluttered wildly, introducing a hint of peculiarity, yet harmonizing with the sense of tranquility, presenting a scene of ease.

"You... Is this still Yi Yeshu?"

Shanyin did not expect that a small change in demeanor could create such a vast difference in a person. If the earlier Yi Yeshu was a reclusive Buddhist hermit, the current Yi Yeshu is like an Evil Heart Demon Buddha, with a hidden demonic nature beneath pure Buddha Energy, inspiring both fear and...

A sense of yearning.

Shanyin shook his head repeatedly, trying to shake off the feeling of yearning, and took three steps back, momentarily speechless with shock.

Yi Yeshu was right, Shanyin deliberately approached him. Previously, this guise had already met with Wula and naturally could not escape the attention of those in the Buddhist circle.

In fact, the moment Yi Yeshu openly approached the Great Zen Temple, Xinyuan and Wula were already aware.

"Amitabha, the Buddhist friend is right. It's really too difficult to make you all get close to this Buddhist friend."

Sitting cross-legged in mid-air, Xinyuan slightly raised his hand, and a Luminous Buddha Light shone from the Floating Platform, extending quickly yet seemingly slowly beneath Yi Yeshu's feet.

"Buddhist Friend, please!"

The monks present seemed to freeze for a moment, and even the scriptures they chanted fell into disarray. If it weren't for Wula's mental guidance, chaos might have ensued.

Just because Xinyuan intended to invite this unknown layman to the top of the Floating Platform, joining the two of them.

This indicates that this suddenly appearing white-haired layman is also Supreme.

"To refuse would be impolite."

Yi Yeshu laughed heartily, stepped onto the Buddha Light, and was slowly guided towards the Glazed Pagoda by the Buddha Light.

Before long, the Buddha Light carrying Yi Yeshu flew over the heads of the monks and reached the top of the Floating Platform.

Yi Yeshu casually flicked his robe and sat cross-legged in mid-air, forming a triangular stance with Xinyuan and Wula.

"It seems the two of you have been waiting for me for a long time." Yi Yeshu, also known as Qing Yu, glanced at the two, showing a smile of realization.

"The opening of the Pure Land is a grand event for Buddhism, so I, a humble Taoist, do not believe that a high person like the Buddhist friend would be absent." Xinyuan gently rotated the prayer beads in his hand and said.

The Buddha is the source of Buddhism, and anyone with understanding would not want to miss such an event. In fact, if it weren't for the fear of being influenced, the Great Zen Temple would already be overcrowded.

However, Qing Yu is likely one of the few who has no interest in the Pure Land.

Although the Pure Land would also provide significant benefits to Qing Yu, who cultivates Buddha skills, those benefits are not indispensable. Through the system, Qing Yu can achieve equivalent benefits, even surpassing what can be gained in the Pure Land.

He came here not to enter the Pure Land but to disrupt Buddhism's agenda by sealing the Pure Land.

After all, the benefits Qing Yu can gain from the Pure Land, no matter how great, could never match those for Buddhism. Here, except for him, a Taoist cultivating Buddha skills, the others have barely dabbled in Buddha skills.

In contrast, Buddhism, from top to bottom, has uniformly shaven heads and pure Buddha lineage, allowing all of them to benefit from the Pure Land.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Qing Yu would engage in actions that harm others without benefiting oneself. Or one might say, harming the enemy is beneficial to oneself.

"Haha," Qing Yu laughed twice, "I am indeed here for the Pure Land. Do you two have any instructions for me?"

"We wouldn't dare instruct," Wula gently raised his eyelids, his somewhat cloudy old eyes gazing quietly at Qing Yu, "I just don't understand why a spiritual figure with such profound Buddha skills would want to aid the wicked and oppose Buddhism?"

"Why shouldn't I oppose?" Qing Yu retorted, "Sentient beings are entangled in causality, and being foes or friends lies between a thought. Even siblings and loyal friends may turn against each other overnight. Since I am neither kin nor acquaintance with you, why can't I be your opponent?"

"Buddhism is based on saving all living beings, rooted in compassion, leading people towards goodness. As a Buddhist practitioner, you should understand Buddhist teachings. Why oppose us? Is your heart devoid of goodness?" Xinyuan asked.

"How can you define good and evil? You say Buddhism saves all beings, so why is the world full of suffering? You claim to hold compassion, so why not remedy the chaos in the world? The so-called compassion and salvation are mere words from your mouth, not words of the general populace." Qing Yu responded calmly and logically.

"You say my heart lacks goodness, but does yours hold goodness?"

"Of course, it does." Xinyuan replied.

"Yet, the Buddha states: all actions are impermanent, all laws are not self, Nirvana is Silent Annihilation. Awareness of self-mind, mind without dwelling, thoughts of life and death without attachment, body and mind illusions extinguished. Only by abandoning the self can one find true self. You cling to the notion of goodness, is that not attachment? How does such attachment allow you to see the true self?"

The words, though gentle, were filled with scriptures and direct to the heart.

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