The Golden Buddha Statues began to twist and distort. Their faces, whether ferociously glaring or serenely benevolent, suddenly cracked open. In unison, they turned their heads to look at Hai Shu Bodhisattva.

In an instant, these Golden Buddha Statues threw their fists at Hai Shu Bodhisattva.

Yang An stood right beside Elder Monk Hai Shu. The immense pressure from the force of their fists made him feel as if his very flesh and blood would be blown away.

But at that moment, he was completely unable to resist on his own and could only look at Elder Monk Hai Shu.

If Elder Monk Hai Shu showed any sign of abandoning him, he would also, without hesitation, trigger a nuclear-level blast and escape.

Fortunately, Hai Shu had no intention of abandoning him.

Prayer Beads flew out from within the bodies of the Golden Buddha Statues, coalescing once more before Hai Shu, only to immediately explode into countless wisps of green smoke.

As the Prayer Beads shattered, the surrounding Golden Buddha Statues also crumbled apart, instantly causing the darkness of the entire Eternal Prison to churn as if the world were being turned upside down.

A hand landed on Yang An’s shoulder, pulling him rapidly upward. Everything around them, once stagnant, began to change at high speed as they returned to the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall.

Just then, a furious roar echoed up from the abyss that seemed to lie deep beneath the earth.

"Hai Shu! The Eternal Prison cannot hold me! I too am a Bodhisattva of the Great Virtue Temple! I know this place better than any of you! One day..."

The voice cut off. Everything returned to silence, and from the distance outside the hall, the sound of solemn and sacred Buddhist chanting could be heard.

When he came back to his senses, Yang An found he was already back in the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall with Hai Shu Bodhisattva.

’What the hell?’

’They’re actually imprisoning a Bodhisattva in the Eternal Prison? Isn’t that a place for locking up Evil Demons and Demons?’

Yang An’s face showed the relief of having narrowly escaped disaster, and he let out a long breath. Inwardly, however, he was utterly shocked.

’Have I just stumbled upon one of the Great Virtue Temple’s secrets?’

’Another piece of crucial intelligence!’

"Bodhisattva, just now, that was..."

He looked at Hai Shu and asked in a low voice, feigning curiosity.

But before he could finish, Hai Shu Bodhisattva raised a hand to cut him off.

"Go back, Yuan Ji. Cultivate diligently and do not slack off!"

"..."

Seeing that Elder Monk Hai Shu clearly didn’t want to discuss the matter, Yang An tactfully nodded.

"Yuan Ji takes his leave."

Then he left the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall.

’A huge secret! This is definitely a huge secret!’

The heavy bronze doors of the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall swung shut, and Yang An’s aura faded into the distance.

Meanwhile, inside the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, Hai Shu sat quietly upon his Lotus Platform. But the next moment, the black pupils in his eyes began to split rapidly.

One became two, two became four...

In the blink of an eye, his sockets were filled with countless black pupils, and two streams of black, bloody tears flowed out.

The shattered Prayer Beads materialized before Hai Shu, now completely reduced to dust. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

But these remaining fragments seemed to transform into some foreign substance. They began to writhe madly, coalescing before Hai Shu into a single, fist-sized eyeball.

The back of the eyeball was covered in vein-like roots that were embedded in the void, leading to some unknown place.

"I am the True Buddha! I am the True Buddha! You can’t trap me! The title of True Buddha will be mine sooner or later! HAHAHAHA!"

A voice echoed from within the eyeball, but here in the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, it was compressed to an extreme degree, becoming as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

The Kasaya draped over Hai Shu’s body suddenly swelled, transforming into a mass of flesh and blood. A gigantic hand, seemingly composed of countless layers of flesh, extended from within it.

The massive hand seized the eyeball and crushed it without any hesitation.

Scarlet blood shot out, spattering onto the nearby Golden Buddha Statues.

Green smoke rose, and the bloodstains were quickly erased. In the blink of an eye, the flesh reverted back into a Kasaya, and Hai Shu returned to his original appearance, his face full of compassion.

Just as the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall returned to its usual tranquility and the incense was relit, with everything appearing as if nothing had happened...

Suddenly, in the very center, the tallest Golden Buddha Statue trembled violently.

SHHHLRRAK—

With a sound like tearing flesh, the belly of the Golden Buddha Statue, which sat upon a massive Lotus Platform, was suddenly ripped open.

The green smoke from the surrounding incense seemed to be drawn in, streaming toward the statue’s broken belly.

But from within, a large number of black, fleshy tumors surged out. Amidst a scalp-numbing sound, they rapidly coalesced into five black Lotus Platforms.

The green smoke was sucked into the Lotus Platforms, and on top of them, several cross-legged figures materialized.

Each of these figures had their eyes tightly shut, their brows deeply furrowed. They were connected to the Lotus Platforms by the fleshy tumors and were positioned around Hai Shu.

"Hai Shu, what has happened in the Eternal Prison?"

"Amitabha. Senior Brothers, you sensed the disturbance in the Eternal Prison even during your seclusion?"

Hai Shu said with a calm expression.

"The Eternal Prison is a crucial part of our Land of Great Virtue and Goodness. Even while we are in seclusion cultivating our Buddhist Techniques, we would not let our guard down.

But you—you bear the heavy responsibility of suppressing the Eternal Prison. You still have a hundred years until your duty is fulfilled and you can be replaced. Now that something has happened, how do you plan to explain yourself to us? How will you explain yourself to the Great Bodhisattva?"

"Rest assured, Senior Brothers. It was merely Junior Brother Hai Xin growing restless in the Eternal Prison and coming out for some fresh air. There is no need for concern."

"Hai Xin again! He tried to seek the Great Dao of Buddhahood through an Old Technique. He has completely lost his balance and fallen to demonic ways. He can never be allowed out in this lifetime."

"Are you certain there are no problems in the Eternal Prison?"

"I am certain. I have been personally suppressing it and have not left my post for a single step. You may rest easy, Senior Brothers," Hai Shu replied slowly.

"Then why did you enter the Eternal Prison of your own volition?"

"I was simply letting the Great Virtue Temple’s new Buddha’s Son go there to temper himself against demons. The Buddha’s Son has already mastered the Jade Kala Vajra Body. After the Spiritual Body Bodhisattva, we finally have a second person who has grasped this Technique. His path to the Great Dao is promising."

"The Jade Kala Vajra Body?! You actually passed that Body Refining Technique on to him?"

"It was what he wanted."

"That’s not purely a New Technique. It’s just a modification of an Old Technique, substituting Dust for certain elements. Aren’t you afraid he’ll also fall to demonic ways through the Old Technique?"

"Senior Brothers, Light Magic is a Forbidden Technique that has been banned for millennia. Surely you don’t believe someone could actually master Light Magic, do you?" Hai Shu’s face broke into a confident smile.

"We can temporarily use the Great Brightness Buddha Golden Zen Spell by consuming our pulped flesh bodies. Others may not be incapable of the same!"

"Senior Brother, the Turbidity is growing ever more prevalent. No one can withstand the Light anymore. In a little more time, even the ’pulped flesh body’ method will no longer be viable. That is the reality," Hai Shu said, his expression unchanged.

The Ten Thousand Buddha Hall fell silent.

"You brought the Buddha’s Son into the Eternal Prison to temper himself. Have you cleaned up all the loose ends?"

"As always. All the filth was thrown into the Land of Shattered Armor. You may rest assured, Senior Brothers."

Everyone present knew that Broken Armor was just a dumping ground, and that they weren’t the only ones who used it as such.

"The Buddha’s Son has seen Hai Xin. What do you plan to do?" someone asked.

Upon hearing this question, a thoughtful expression appeared on Hai Shu’s face.

"What do you think should be done, Senior Brothers?"

"How about..."

"He is a True Buddha Reincarnation!"

"So what if he’s a True Buddha Reincarnation? What if he isn’t *our* Buddha?"

"There are three thousand Buddhas; it is difficult to tell the true from the false. Before we find his true self, it’s best not to make a move against him. He may be our future."

"Then let him take a trip to *that* place."