"I had wished to have you stay longer, Immortal Master, to properly fulfill my duties as your host. But since the Buddhist Assembly is starting today, I can only wish you well. If you have a spare moment in the future, please do visit again. I will be sure to give you a grand reception."

The Buddhist Assembly was starting today. Jia Fugui knew Yang An was about to leave, so he took the initiative to present some gold and silver to express his gratitude.

As a commoner, and setting aside whatever a lofty Immortal Master might truly desire, these worldly possessions were all he could offer.

Yang An did not refuse. Having some money on hand might come in handy at some point.

"Thank you for your kindness, Boss Jia. May we meet again."

Yang An said nothing more. After bidding farewell to Jia Fugui, he quickly left the Jia Family's residence.

'If I end up staying in Celestial Buddha City for a while longer, we might actually meet again.'

He left the Jia Family residence and walked out onto the main street. Just from his time at the Jia home, he could already sense that many Cultivators had arrived in Celestial Buddha City.

Now, walking along the street, these Cultivators had all gathered and were heading toward the center of Celestial Buddha City.

Yang An didn't even need to ask for directions to know where the Buddhist Assembly was being held; it was already obvious.

With the arrival of the Cultivators, the commoners of Celestial Buddha City knew today was a special occasion. Most of them hid in their homes, too afraid to venture out. Only the boldest few climbed their walls to watch in secret.

Although the arrivals were mostly Cultivators from minor Sects and a number of Loose Cultivators, each with a palpable hostile aura, no one dared to intentionally harm the commoners. After all, they were in a city under the Great Virtue Temple's jurisdiction.

Following the stream of people toward the city center, the crowd was a bustling throng, a clear sign of the fervor surrounding the Great Virtue Temple's Buddhist Assembly.

Despite this, everyone deliberately maintained a certain distance from each other as a precaution.

He had only just left the Jia Family's residence. The thick scent of incense permeated the air, and the low hum of Buddhist chanting met his ears. Though he had yet to reach the site of the Buddhist Assembly, the atmosphere was already becoming solemn and mesmerizing.

Moving at a moderate pace, Yang An finally saw where the crowd was gathering after walking for a little over half an hour.

Before him was an enormous, spacious plaza, a perfect circle. A ring of incense and candles lined its perimeter. Even in broad daylight, the collective glow of the candles was dazzling.

The plaza itself was solid and flat, paved with pure, jade-colored flagstones. Sturdy and imposing pillars stood around the plaza's perimeter, twelve in total.

Countless sticks of incense and candles burned silently. Although the arriving Cultivators brought gusts of wind as they entered the plaza, the flames remained completely unaffected.

A faint smoke permeated the entire plaza, creating an air of sanctity and solemnity.

The converging stream of people all poured into the plaza. Some had clearly attended previous Buddhist Assemblies and moved with practiced familiarity.

There were no guides, but upon seeing the scene before them, everyone knew what they were supposed to do.

Yang An followed the crowd into the plaza, found an open spot to stand, and waited for the Buddhist Assembly to officially begin.

There were simply too many people, several thousand at a conservative estimate. Even without actively extending his senses, he could feel the dense aura of their Cultivation Levels and various other energies around him.

Most of these people were at the Fake Food stage, with a minority at the Visceral Stone stage. Surprisingly, there wasn't a single person at the Corpse Transformation stage.

This led Yang An to wonder, 'Perhaps only those below the Corpse Transformation stage are qualified to participate in the Buddhist Assembly.'

But with so many people packed together, Yang An, standing in the middle of the crowd, felt nauseated.

The myriad of strange odors wafting from those around him mixed into an intoxicating stench that was impossible to escape.

The Bow Lady, on the other hand, was practically crying from hunger, constantly muttering about "handsome men" in Yang An's ear. If she had a mouth, her drool would probably be puddling on the ground by now.

'Even though I know that to anyone else, the Bow Lady is nothing more than an ordinary bow, I should still tell her to tone it down, lest something unexpected happen and she be discovered.'

He was afraid of drawing too much attention right now. If anyone recognized the Bow Lady as a special Magical Artifact capable of affecting the soul, his possession of such a treasure would undoubtedly attract trouble.

'After all, I'm here to go undercover, not to pillage and burn. An undercover agent should look the part. It's best not to draw any attention before I get into the Great Virtue Temple.'

More and more Cultivators gathered in the plaza. Fortunately, it was large enough to accommodate them. After waiting for nearly another half an hour, the sky began to dim slightly.

Suddenly, Yang An noticed the sound of chanting in his ears growing louder. At the same time, a thick, pungent scent of incense washed over him, like a gust of wind sweeping past everyone present.

"Thus have I heard: all sentient beings are mired in suffering. To guide the good and reform the wicked—this is the path of a True Buddha!"

A melodious chant traveled from afar, growing closer and closer.

Atop the twelve tall pillars surrounding the plaza, figures clad in Monk's Robes appeared. They seemed to be seated on Lotus Platforms, their eyes vacant, as if lost in a trance.

The appearance of these twelve Monks immediately captured everyone's attention. The once noisy, clamorous plaza rapidly fell quiet. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Incredibly, every one of these newly appeared Monks possessed a Cultivation Level of Corpse Transformation!

Just as these Monks took their seats atop the pillars, the incense and candles surrounding the plaza suddenly flared. The thick incense smoke, as if fuel had been poured on a fire, billowed up rapidly, completely enveloping the entire plaza.