Yang An returned to the Mingxin Zen Courtyard.

This trip, being summoned by Elder Monk Hai Shu, could only be described as immensely rewarding.

A Bodhisattva... or rather, a former Bodhisattva, was actually imprisoned in the Eternal Prison.

This was an absolutely enormous secret to the Great Virtue Temple, one he should never have been privy to.

This made Yang An a little worried.

Now that he had accidentally learned this secret, how would the Great Virtue Temple deal with him?

’Kill me to keep me quiet?’

’That’s probably not very likely.’

As the Buddha’s Son, the True Buddha Reincarnation, he should hold great potential value for the Great Virtue Temple.

Since they wouldn’t kill him, they would definitely make him keep the secret.

And the most effective ways to ensure a secret is kept were to either tamper with his memories of the event or make him a truly wholehearted believer in the Great Virtue Temple.

Make him completely one of their own to guarantee the secret wouldn’t be leaked.

Only then would the higher-ups feel at ease.

But regardless of which method they chose, Yang An felt a sense of urgency. ’Do I need to pass this secret to Elder Zhuan Yu as soon as possible?’

If he did choose to pass it on, in what capacity should he speak with Elder Zhuan Yu?

An ordinary person would never come into contact with a secret of this level. But if his identity as the Buddha’s Son were to be exposed, the things he needed to do later would become very dangerous.

Besides, he had no idea when Elder Zhuan Yu would contact him...

Mulling these things over, Yang An returned to his Quiet Chamber.

Only within the Quiet Chamber did the feeling of being watched finally disappear.

He sealed the Quiet Chamber and began to ponder whether he still needed to put on an act.

He had just activated the Jade Kala Vajra Body in the Eternal Prison, but he hadn’t yet shown any signs of suffering the consequences.

But as he thought about it, Yang An’s entire body suddenly stiffened. He clenched his jaw, veins bulged on his forehead, and a look of agony contorted his face.

THUD!

He collapsed stiffly to the ground, the flesh and blood of his body trembling uncontrollably.

An excruciating pain, seemingly originating from the depths of his soul, caught him completely off guard. He never expected it to strike so suddenly.

’What’s going on?’

’Didn’t I already eliminate the consequences of the Golden Dust and the Jade Kala Vajra Body?’

’This pain... It hurts so much...’

"You little brat, the Rule Seal on your soul has been activated!"

Just then, the Bow Lady’s voice suddenly echoed in Yang An’s mind.

"The Rule Seal!"

Hearing the Bow Lady’s words amidst the waves of ceaseless pain, Yang An suddenly remembered what Elder Zhuan Yu had said before he left the Golden Thread Pavilion.

The Rule Seal placed upon him would activate once every three months, and only Elder Zhuan Yu could intervene.

It had indeed been three months since he arrived at the Great Virtue Temple!

’In that case... Elder Zhuan Yu should be appearing soon!’

Pain washed over him like a tide, wave after relentless wave crashing through his body. In an instant, cold sweat soaked his Monk’s Robe, dripping onto the floor. DRIP, DRIP, DRIP.

Yang An gritted his teeth and held on, refusing to let himself cry out in pain.

He had only ever used soul-level pain before when the Bow Lady activated Pain Amplification for him.

But this was far from being as simple or brief as a bite from the Bow Lady.

Yang An even felt as if he might die in the next second. From the inside out, from his soul to his bones to his very flesh, there wasn’t a single part of him that didn’t ache in agony.

Even his consciousness, clear at first, began to blur and fade as he sank into the pain.

An unknown amount of time passed before a familiar voice slowly drifted into Yang An’s ears.

"My disciple, how do you feel?"

In his daze, hearing this familiar address, Yang An almost subconsciously thought it was that old fellow, Life Crane.

But when he opened his eyes, the Quiet Chamber was empty. Only then did he realize it wasn’t Life Crane, but Zhuan Yu.

"Master..." Yang An’s voice was faint and weak, even trembling as he spoke.

’I endured for so long, and this guy finally shows up.’

The next moment, a chilling sensation suddenly spread throughout his body, as if he had been plunged into a world of ice and snow. The cold was bone-deep.

But along with this icy chill, Yang An was stunned to find that the pain, which had been dragging him to the brink of death, had vanished!

He shivered. Still shaken, Yang An confirmed that the pain from the Rule Seal was gone before slowly pushing himself up from the floor.

This was the first time he had ever experienced such intense pain. Not even when his flesh had been beaten to a pulp in past battles had he suffered so much.

At the same time, he viscerally understood that under this Rule Seal, he was like a pathetically weak ant that could be crushed with ease.

If he had been hesitant before about whether to confess his identity as the Great Virtue Temple’s Buddha’s Son to Zhuan Yu...

...then the activation of the Rule Seal had now made him come to a firm decision.

He absolutely could not confess!

Once he confessed, his identity as the Buddha’s Son would put him in extreme danger down the line. The Rule Seal would become a definitive threat, a cage that would trap him completely.

"My disciple, how are you now?"

Elder Zhuan Yu’s voice came again, seeming to travel from an impossibly distant shore—its source untraceable, yet perfectly clear.

There was even a hint of a smile in his tone.

"Much better. Thank you, Master."

’And I even have to thank him.’

But Yang An could only be obedient.

"How have you been during this time, my disciple?"

Elder Zhuan Yu asked in a leisurely tone.

"Since entering the Great Virtue Temple, this disciple has spent his days listening to scriptures, chanting sutras, and doing miscellaneous chores."