Chapter 525: Woof

“Old Monk, your intuition is as sharp as ever.”

Lin Xun, stepping out of the night, looked at Complete Tranquility before him and spoke slowly.

“It’s alright, mostly because Benefactor Lin didn’t intentionally hide his aura.”

“Benefactor Lin allowed this Old Monk to discover him on purpose.”

“Otherwise, given Benefactor Lin’s strength and my own dimming eyesight, how could I have possibly noticed you?”

Complete Tranquility pressed his palms together and bowed to Lin Xun.

“I wonder, Benefactor Lin, what brings you to our Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land at this hour?”

“Actually, it’s nothing major.”

Lin Xun sat down unceremoniously on a stone stool in the courtyard and poured himself a cup of tea.

“I just wanted to ask you, Old Monk, about that ancient Forbidden Land of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land, and also about the Nether Abyss.”

Hearing Lin Xun mention the ancestral Forbidden Land, the Old Monk’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

The Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land did indeed have an ancestral Forbidden Land.

However, this Forbidden Land was known only to the successive abbots of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land.

Aside from them, only the Holy Lords of other Holy Lands were aware of its existence.

Beyond that, no one else knew anything about this sacred place.

Yet Complete Tranquility had not expected Lin Xun to know about the Forbidden Land within the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land.

Complete Tranquility didn’t believe that other Holy Lords would have told him.

So the question was, how on earth did Lin Xun find out?

“I wonder, how did Benefactor Lin learn of my Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land’s Forbidden Land?”

A monk does not lie, so the Old Monk did not deny the existence of the Forbidden Land.

Furthermore, since Lin Xun already knew about it, any denial would be futile.

“As for how I know, it’s a long story.”

“But my Ten Thousand Demon Sect has one as well.”

“You don’t need to worry too much.”

“I’m not here to cause trouble.”

“So, if you tell me about that Forbidden Land now…”

“…then there’s still time.”

“Otherwise, once that Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon comes looking for you, things might get difficult.”

“Besides, it won’t be long before news from the Dragon Cry Holy Land arrives, and then everyone will likely know about the existence of the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon Clan.”

Hearing Lin Xun’s words, the Old Monk’s brow furrowed slightly.

He knew that the one thing Lin Xun wouldn’t do was engage in alarmist talk.

Because for Lin Xun, there was simply no need for it.

“Then, I wonder what Benefactor Lin intends to do now that you know about our Forbidden Land?”

Complete Tranquility asked directly, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer.

Lin Xun shook his head.

“Nothing much to handle.”

“I mainly just want to take a look.”

“And then, if possible, I might even help you, Old fellow, reinforce the Seal.”

“Overall, you see, you’re the one getting the better deal, Old fellow.”

“And then there’s the matter of the Nether Abyss.”

“I heard you’ll be heading to the Nether Abyss eventually, Old Monk.”

“That’s not exactly a pleasant place.”

“So, in that case, I’ll show some mercy and accompany you there.”

“…”

Hearing Lin Xun speak so righteously about wanting to go to the Nether Abyss…

…the Old Monk was momentarily speechless.

The Old Monk didn’t know if he should agree.

Agreeing didn’t feel right, but neither did refusing.

It was a real dilemma.

“In that case, Benefactor Lin, please come with us.”

The Old Monk pressed his palms together and agreed to Lin Xun’s request.

In the Old Monk’s view, even if he refused, Lin Xun wouldn’t let it go.

In the end, he would be the one suffering for it.

Rather than that, he might as well be straightforward and just agree.

Besides, if Lin Xun was in a good mood, he might actually be quite helpful.

“Since that’s the case, Benefactor Lin, please find a temple and enter the Buddhist path first,” Complete Tranquility said.

“Hmm? Why?”

“Because one must possess a certain amount of Buddha-nature to descend into the Forbidden Land of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land; otherwise, the rejection will be severe.”

“The Nether Abyss is also extremely dangerous, and Buddha-nature can better protect Benefactor Lin.”

“And to cultivate Buddha-nature and Buddhist rhythm, one must enter a Buddhist temple.”

“There’s no need for such trouble.”

Lin Xun shook his head.

“I’ll just stay in the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land.”

“Eh?”

Complete Tranquility was stunned for a moment.

“Then shall this old man help Young Master Lin with the tonsure?”

If Lin Xun wanted to enter the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land to hide his identity…

…then he would have to shave his head completely.

Although for someone of Lin Xun’s Realm, regrowing hair was just a matter of a single thought…

…one’s body, hair, and skin are gifts from one’s parents.

Many Cultivators would not want their hair shaved off.

“Oh, there’s no need to shave my head.”

Saying so, Lin Xun pulled out a kasaya from somewhere and put it on.

Then, Lin Xun took out a skullcap from his Storage Pouch and placed it on his head.

A moment later, Lin Xun transformed, taking on the appearance of a monk.

The cap he wore was styled like a bald head, and its surface was even quite smooth.

One couldn’t tell it was a cap at all.

Complete Tranquility was momentarily dazed by Lin Xun’s maneuver.

He never imagined it could be done this way.

And so, Lin Xun successfully blended into the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land.

Although a monk does not lie, Complete Tranquility said nothing; he simply gave Lin Xun a token and told him to register at the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall himself.

Because the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land already had many lay Disciples.

Every year, some lay Disciples would have an epiphany and come to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land for a full tonsure to become true Disciples.

Thus, Lin Xun was naturally categorized among them.

After becoming a Disciple of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land, Lin Xun began to experience life there.

He found this immersive temple experience quite interesting.

But when he had to wake up at five in the morning for morning lessons and sutra chanting, Lin Xun was completely dumbfounded.

Lin Xun remembered that he hadn’t even woken up at five for his college entrance exams in his past life.

Although Cultivators didn’t need sleep…

…he had already formed the habit of sleeping.

The feeling of having his sleep interrupted was extremely uncomfortable.

But there was no choice; to gain more Buddha-nature and rhythm, Lin Xun grabbed Goudan, and the man and dog went to the main hall together.

Then Lin Xun began to chant sutras.

Wang Chen seemed to sense something, turning her head three or four times during this morning lesson.

However, Wang Chen failed to discover Lin Xun’s presence.

Gradually, Lin Xun and Goudan grew accustomed to waking up so early.

But looking at the food on the table, both Lin Xun and Goudan fell into deep thought.

It was all vegetables.

As carnivores, how were Lin Xun and Goudan supposed to eat this?

Especially Goudan.

Since Goudan had returned to this world, he had eaten so many delicacies.

Now, suddenly being told he couldn’t eat meat anymore…

…Goudan’s mood was filled with a hint of despair.

Lin Xun really wanted to go hunting on a nearby mountain and bring back some meat to roast.

But due to Lin Xun’s restrictions, Goudan could only move within a hundred-meter radius of him.

A few more days passed, and the day of the Buddhist Path Convention drew closer.

Lin Xun’s head throbbed from reading those sutras.

But there was no way around it; he had to go to the Forbidden Land behind the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land.

If he didn’t have some Buddha-nature, he would be rejected by that Forbidden Land.

So, to successfully enter that Forbidden Land…

…Lin Xun could only try to gain as much Buddha-nature as possible.

But to be honest…

…after chanting sutras every day, Lin Xun truly felt nothing for these scriptures.

He didn’t know how Wang Chen usually managed to study them.

Finally, the time arrived for the Buddhist Path Convention to be held as scheduled.

This Buddhist Path Convention was slightly different from previous ones.

In past years, the Buddhist Path Convention was almost entirely in the form of a Dao debate.

To put it simply, the Buddhist Path Convention was just about debating the Dao.

But this time, the Buddhist Path Convention was not just about debating the Dao.

There were also the topics of Demon Slaying and Proselytization.

Truth be told…

…Lin Xun had no idea what the other two topics were about.

But regardless, as long as Wang Chen could defeat that Buddha Son, everything would be fine.

At the same time, on one of the peaks within the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land…

Wang Chen was reading sutras in a courtyard with a strange, chimera-like little beast.

Every time Wang Chen turned a page, the little beast’s gaze would follow.

Since leaving the Heiwu Secret Realm, this little beast had been with Wang Chen for several years.

During these years, the Dream-Eating Tapir had been constantly listening to sutras.

In fact, by now, this Dream-Eating Tapir could already be considered a Buddhist Divine Beast.

However, it was obvious that Wang Chen was somewhat distracted while reading the scriptures today.

In fact, since a month ago, Wang Chen would space out every time she read the scriptures.

Whenever she did, she would look up in a certain direction.

For some reason, Wang Chen always felt that Big Brother Lin was within the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land.

Sometimes, she even felt he was very close, but just as she was about to find him, everything seemed to vanish.

“Mu mu mu…”

While Wang Chen was distracted and her page remained unturned for a long time…

…the Dream-Eating Tapir’s little paw gently patted the back of Wang Chen’s hand, looking curiously at its master.

“I keep feeling that Big Brother Lin is not far from us. Is it just my imagination?”

Wang Chen patted the Dream-Eating Tapir today, seemingly talking to herself yet also seeking its opinion.

The Dream-Eating Tapir understood Wang Chen’s words.

But it didn’t know who the person its master was talking about was.

The Dream-Eating Tapir just tilted its head and blinked at Wang Chen.

“I want to go over there and take a look. Will you come with me?”

Wang Chen closed the scripture in her hand and stood up.

The Dream-Eating Tapir understood and nodded, indicating it would follow its master.

Finally, Wang Chen took the Dream-Eating Tapir and headed toward that peak, following her intuition!

Despite having no proof, Wang Chen just felt that Big Brother Lin must be on that mountain.

Meanwhile, on the peak where Lin Xun was, he was still studying scriptures in the courtyard.

Although these sutras had many annotations…

…and Lin Xun could indeed understand them if he read them…

…it was still a massive headache to read.

But to successfully enter the Forbidden Land of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land, Lin Xun had no choice but to bite the bullet and keep reading.

After all, with something like sutras, even if one didn’t fully understand them, just reading them would increase one’s Buddhist rhythm.

Lin Xun wasn’t forcing it; whatever level it reached would be enough.

For Lin Xun, reducing the degree of rejection from the Forbidden Land even slightly was better than nothing.

It was better than being completely rejected.

Of course, Lin Xun knew very well that he wouldn’t be fully accepted.

As for Goudan, while Lin Xun was reading, he was running around the courtyard, looking extremely lively.

“Forget it, you’ve been quite obedient lately, so I’ll relax your boundaries a bit.”

“Now, you can move freely within a thousand-meter radius of me.”

“But if you go beyond a thousand meters and end up dead, don’t blame me.”

Hearing that this stinky human, Lin Xun, had relaxed his constraints to a thousand meters…

…Goudan jumped for joy.

Goudan ran to Lin Xun’s side and kept nuzzling against his leg guards.

Suddenly, Goudan felt a slight sense of goodwill toward Lin Xun.

Goudan thought this human might have a bit of humanity after all, and wasn’t so bad.

In fact, Goudan didn’t notice that, as an Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon who had finally escaped, being overjoyed over a mere thousand-meter range was quite abnormal.

With this rare freedom, Goudan happily bounded out of the courtyard.

While a thousand meters wasn’t much, it was enough for him to move freely between these two peaks.

For Goudan, he had been eating nothing but vegetarian food during this time, almost driving him crazy.

While Goudan was wandering through the woods looking for prey…

…he suddenly caught a very pleasant scent.

Salivating, Goudan rushed toward the source of the smell.

Noticing movement in the grass, Goudan crouched low, approaching like a hunting dog.

Finally, sensing the timing was right, Goudan pounced.

“Woof!”

Goudan let out a bark and pinned down the animal in the bushes.

Finally, under Wang Chen’s watchful gaze, a red object became entangled with her Dream-Eating Tapir.