Chapter 377: Chapter 267: His Highness the Buddha Prince Endured Great Hardship, a Truly Divine Figure

"NO!!!"

A heaven-shaking roar echoed through the Immortal Origin Land.

But after the initial fury, the Demon Fiends quickly calmed down.

"Wait!

The Rules just manifested two things: a chunk of iron and a Demon Dragon. There must have been more than one of them. Someone else is hiding here!"

"Find them! Find them! I’m going to grind their bones to dust!"

...

"Hiss—"

Yang An sucked in a sharp breath, waking up in an underground cave so dark he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face.

The Bow Lady stood quietly against the wall, keeping watch for him.

Fortunately, no Demon Fiends or other people had come near. For now, he was safe.

Yang An stretched his body, his joints cracking and popping. An incredible pain wracked his entire being.

He felt as if he had been deep-fried in a wok, then had all his now-brittle bones shattered.

He hadn’t expected to feel such agony after committing suicide in his vessel body to return to his original body.

Still, compared to being killed by someone else and being unable to return to his original body, the pain was bearable.

Only after a long while did he finally catch his breath and recover.

Fortunately, the rewards from his risky venture into the Immortal Origin Land were enormous. Not only had he seen what the place was like, but he had also obtained the Forbidden Artifact Fragment from within.

And it was a Middle Grade Forbidden Artifact Fragment!

He now possessed two Middle Grade Forbidden Artifact Fragments before even advancing to the Zombie God realm. This was a good omen.

The Forbidden Artifact Fragments rested quietly in his Meat Burial Talisman. Yang An didn’t take them out, lest someone detect their aura.

He slung the Bow Lady back over his shoulder.

"Where are you off to next, you little brat?"

the Bow Lady asked curiously.

"Back to the Great Virtue Temple."

Yang An had already considered his options.

He would leave the matter of the Demon Fiends in the Four Buddha States to Qing Xin. He had accomplished what he set out to do: revive the Earth Spirit Stele, deceive the Workshop Master, and even reap some unexpected rewards.

He had put in a great deal of effort this time, destroying the Demon Fiends’ lair with a single arrow. But he couldn’t speak of this and needed to come up with a plausible story for his escape.

The reason he wasn’t going to find Qing Xin was that he feared what he’d seen in the Demon Fiend’s illusion might come to pass. It was better to return to the Great Virtue Temple one step ahead. ’First to complain... pfft! No, it’s about seizing the initiative.’

If he was alone, any suspicions would be easier to explain away. It wouldn’t be like in the illusion, where Qing Xin had turned on him.

...

On the seventh day of the fourth month, Yang An returned to the Great Virtue Temple in the Ten Thousand Buddha State.

Just as he was about to enter the Great Virtue Temple, he was stopped. A group of Monks, lying in wait, surrounded him and escorted him to the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall.

The atmosphere in the Great Virtue Temple felt a little off. The Monks, who were usually cautious and reserved, now had faces beaming with cheerful smiles.

Inside the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, Hai Shu Bodhisattva was already waiting.

After being brought into the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, Yang An dropped to his knees with a THUD, weeping with joy.

"Bodhisattva—"

’What’s coming has come.’ He was to be greeted by the "Great Matter of Cause and Effect."

Everyone at the Great Virtue Temple had great faith in the "Great Matter of Cause and Effect," as it was a powerful method for distinguishing truth from falsehood, capable of revealing the true nature of all worldly phenomena.

Little did they know, Yang An had no fear of this thing whatsoever; he was already prepared.

"Qing Xin said you were abducted by Demon Fiends."

Facing Yang An, who was still under suspicion, Hai Shu Bodhisattva showed none of his usual kind-browed, benevolent expression. In the utter silence of the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, with incense smoke filling the air and the eyes of ten thousand Buddhas upon them, he turned up the pressure to the maximum.

"Yuan Ji was indeed abducted by the Demon Fiends, but they were injured by Zen Master Qing Xin and thus didn’t have time to do anything to me. They just threw me into Blood Sea Mountain."

Yang An knew what Hai Shu wanted to ask. He had already prepared all his excuses on the way back and answered fluently, without a hint of hesitation.

"How did you escape?"

"For some reason, the Demon Fiends of Blood Sea Mountain poured out of their lair en masse, leaving it empty. I happened to have some insights during that time and was on the verge of a breakthrough, so I used my Corpse Transformation Cultivation Level to force my way out."

The "Great Matter of Cause and Effect" showed no reaction. Seeing this, Hai Shu Bodhisattva nodded.

Yang An didn’t know why the Demon Fiends had poured out of their lair, but Hai Shu did.

The Demon Fiends had mobilized to search for the Immortal Origin Land. Several Great Demon Fiends had even entered it, which was why their lair had been left empty.

Without the threat of Zombie God Demon Fiends, and with Yang An’s post-breakthrough Corpse Transformation Cultivation Level, plus a top-tier Body Refining Technique like the Jade Kala Vajra Body, escaping wouldn’t have been difficult.

"Then why didn’t you go find Qing Xin? Why return to the Land of Goodness first?"

"I know nothing of the Four Buddha States and was unaware of the Zen Master’s whereabouts. I could only ask for directions along the way and travel directly back to the Land of Goodness without delay."

"I didn’t expect you to have such gains. To make progress in the midst of a crisis... your fortune is truly unparalleled."

Hai Shu Bodhisattva quickly returned to his usual calm and benevolent demeanor. He withdrew the "Great Matter of Cause and Effect." Yang An’s answers had been flawless. His identity was verified; he had passed the test.

At the same time, Yang An breathed a sigh of relief internally. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

’It’s good to have the identity of the Buddha’s Son as cover,’ he thought. ’No matter how fast my progress, it’s considered normal. Anything less would be unworthy of a True Buddha Reincarnation.’

Soon, Hai Shu Bodhisattva summoned a Zen Master named Qing Zong.

"Make the arrangements. The Buddha’s Son, Yuan Ji, has rendered great service in slaying demons. He coordinated with Zen Master Qing Xin from within and without to annihilate the Blood Sea Mountain Demon Cave in the Four Buddha States, slaying ten thousand demons and returning in Perfection. This is a great accomplishment!"

"..."

Standing below in the hall, Yang An said nothing, but he was full of admiration.

’Well played, well played. As expected of a Bodhisattva, as expected of a monk. This move is truly masterful and unexpected.’