Chapter 278: Chapter 239: Then This Lady Is Truly Looking Forward to It, Not a Single Thought Arises

The faint glow atop the slender stick of incense finally died out, and the last wisp of smoke drifted into the air, vanishing without a trace.

Just then, Elder Monk De Hou’s booming voice once again echoed from all directions.

"The hour has come!"

As the voice sounded, the scene before everyone transformed once more. In the blink of an eye, they had returned to Yin Huan Hall.

Elder Monk De Hou was still seated before the altar, his back to the crowd. The monk who had led them in stood quietly to one side.

Once everyone had returned to Yin Huan Hall, they saw that radiant, golden Golden Body Illusions now enveloped several people. Yang An was, to their surprise, one of them.

This meant the results of the first trial were in.

Some had successfully secured a True Buddha Golden Body, passing the first trial. Others had failed to do so, their faces grim.

Out of more than eighty people, only eleven had managed to pass the first trial.

When many of them saw that Yang An, too, was enveloped in a Golden Body Illusion, they were stunned.

Since Yang An was the last one to dare make a move on a Golden Buddha Statue and suffer the backlash, many people remembered him.

"That guy! He actually passed the first trial?!"

"Didn’t he suffer the backlash? How is this possible?"

"Don’t tell me he found another True Buddha Golden Body when we weren’t looking?"

"No! He was faking it! The Golden Body he claimed must have been real, but the bastard pretended to suffer the backlash to fool us!"

Many people were baffled, but some figured it out in an instant.

That bastard... had played them all for fools!

Back then, when Yang An had collapsed from the backlash, everyone had subconsciously dismissed the Golden Body before him as a fake. Because of that, no one paid him any further attention, allowing him to pass the first trial without any trouble.

Thinking about it now, they had previously thought he was an idiot. As it turned out, they were the real idiots.

Devious! Utterly devious!

Hearing this, those who hadn’t known the truth—as well as those who were celebrating having passed the first trial—all turned to look at Yang An, their expressions guarded.

Feeling so many eyes on him, Yang An’s expression remained calm, but inwardly he was cursing up a storm, wanting nothing more than to slaughter the whole gossiping lot.

His original intention had been to keep a low profile and avoid attracting attention before entering Great Virtue Temple. Who would have thought that he would barely pass the first trial before these people exposed his ruse and announced it to everyone?

’It’s a good thing I can’t reveal my true strength. Otherwise, if I were to unleash a light of any color, not a single person here would be able to escape.’

"Silence!"

Fortunately, Elder Monk De Hou’s voice rang out again, instantly silencing the crowd.

Clearly, it was time to dismiss the failures. Those who lost the first trial were not qualified to remain here.

Some were even preparing to take their leave immediately.

But at that moment, Elder Monk De Hou, his back still to them, gave a wave of his hand. Instantly, the air in Yin Huan Hall grew thick with the energy of the incense, and dense smoke suddenly enveloped everyone present.

Golden Secret Seals flew out from within the thick smoke, instantly landing on everyone present.

Aside from those who had passed and were enveloped by the Golden Body Illusions, no one was spared.

Clearly, no one had expected this. They were about to ask Elder Monk De Hou what he was doing, but before the words could even leave their lips, those who had been marked by a Secret Seal began to collapse, one after another.

Yang An, also deep within the swirling smoke, watched them all fall one by one, and his eyes narrowed.

’Is there some kind of punishment for failing?’

The others enveloped by the Golden Body Illusions also wore grave expressions. They were all thinking the same thing.

"The failed participants will have their memories concerning the Three Heart-Vetting Trials erased. The rest of you, prepare for the second trial!"

Elder Monk De Hou offered a timely explanation, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was understandable, they supposed.

The Three Heart-Vetting Trials were the test that followed every Buddhist Assembly at Great Virtue Temple, but no word of what the three trials actually entailed had ever spread to the outside world.

If these failures were allowed to spread the word, then given that the Buddhist Assembly was held every three years, someone might figure out a way to crack the trials. The Three Heart-Vetting Trials would then become less and less effective.

’Is it really that simple?’

If he hadn’t already seen how the Great Virtue Temple operated, Yang An might have almost believed it.

As far as he was concerned, it was probably not as simple as merely erasing memories. He just didn’t know what other tricks the Great Virtue Temple might be pulling.

He recalled his time at Jia Fugui’s residence, and the things those monks had left inside Jia Fugui’s daughter. He had a strong feeling that the Great Virtue Temple was plotting something in the shadows.

’Perhaps this is why Elder Zhuan Yu sent me to go undercover in the Great Virtue Temple. This thing I need to find out... this is the purpose of my mission!’

As Yang An was pondering these questions, the scene before his eyes changed once more. Before he knew it, Yin Huan Hall had again become a dim land shrouded in clouds and mist.

The failed contestants did not reappear. The only ones here were those who had passed the first trial.

What confused everyone, however, was that the Golden Body Illusions enveloping them were still present and had not disappeared.

’Does this mean the Golden Body Illusion has a role to play in the second trial?’

"The second trial is called the Test of Falsehood!"

Just as everyone was feeling bewildered, De Hou’s voice sounded once more, as ethereal as ever, yet loud and resonant.