Outsiders listened in amazement, and a straightforward young man couldn't help but frown and said:

"Didn't you just say it was a few hundred, a few thousand bolts of lightning?"

"How did it become tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of bolts now?"

The local was taken aback, blushed, and said, "I saw it with my own eyes, believe it or not!"

"..."

Inside the Daoist Temple, Lin Heng listened to the exaggerated statements outside and finally understood what it meant when they said a sheep died at the village head, and by the time the news reached the village end, it had become a woman's death.

This guy even managed to concoct rumors that the sky had been punched with holes.

To this, Lin Heng could only say, don't believe in rumors, don't spread rumors!

...

...

On the other side.

Today, Zen Spirit Temple had reached the peak of desolation.

From dawn until close to nine o'clock, the incense burners who came to worship did not exceed the number of fingers on two hands.

Such an enormous gap cast a gloomy and depressing atmosphere over the entire Zen Spirit Temple.

Until a young monk hurriedly entered the Buddhist Hall.

"Reporting to the Abbot, Elder Kong Wen and the Zen Masters from the Great Brightness Temple have arrived at the foot of the mountain!"

As Fa Ling, who was reciting sutras with closed eyes, heard this, the prayer beads in his hand paused, and he quickly stood up, saying:

"Immediately notify all monks in the temple to welcome them at the mountain gate!"

"As you command!"

Soon after.

Under the guidance of Kong Wen, Zen Master Du'e ascended Zen Spirit Temple.

From a great distance, they saw near the mountain gate, nearly a hundred monks respectfully and humbly bowing their heads in greeting.

Upon seeing Zen Master Du'e, Fa Ling immediately put on a delighted smile, bowed from afar, and said:

"Welcome, Master Du'e, to our humble temple!"

Under his lead, all the monks bowed together.

"Welcome, Zen Master, to our humble temple!"

This reception was undoubtedly the grandest they could muster.

Zen Master Du'e's lips curled into a slight, satisfied smile, but his expression remained haughty as he glanced around the desolate Zen Spirit Temple and disdainfully said to Fa Ling:

"Temples everywhere are flourishing with incense."

"How did you manage to bring such a large temple to the point where it is deserted?"

Hearing Zen Master's reproach, a look of guilt appeared on Fa Ling's face, and he nodded, taking responsibility:

"It's all due to my incompetence, Master."

Zen Master Du'e's eyes were cold: "Enough, let's proceed inside the Buddhist Hall where you will elaborate on the situation."

"As you command!"

Fa Ling immediately took the lead, not forgetting to express his gratitude:

"This time, Master Du'e traveled miles to come, which brings great glory to Zen Spirit Temple, and I am utterly grateful!"

"Enough." Zen Master Du'e wasn't interested in such false courtesies and coldly replied: "Were it not for the concern over the reputation of the Buddhist Sect, I wouldn't have come to your little temple!"

At this point, Zen Master Du'e paused and suddenly asked, "Does that Daoist truly have a magical artifact of Sixth Grade or higher?"

Fa Ling chuckled coldly in his heart upon hearing this.

This Master Uncle was always the same, never acting without profit.

He showed a serious expression, speaking firmly:

"Yes, it is definitely above Sixth Grade, very likely Seventh Grade!"

Zen Master Du'e nodded and, before he knew it, they found themselves in the Buddhist Hall. After both were seated on meditation mats, just as Fa Ling was about to let the monks leave, Zen Master Du'e shook his head, keeping them in the hall.

Fa Ling squinted slightly, discreetly glancing at Kong Xuan and the other monks.

Kong Xuan and the others naturally understood the implication.

As expected, Zen Master Du'e asked about the situation.

"Did you fight with that Daoist?"

Fa Ling did not hide the truth.

"Replying to Master Uncle, no, I am aware that I am not his match and did not dare to initiate a confrontation."

"Oh?" Kong Xuan said impassively, "In your opinion, how capable is that Daoist?"

Although Zen Master Du'e was haughty, as a monk over a century old, he was cunning and wouldn't easily act recklessly for profit.

This time, even with an intent to seize the magical artifact, he needed to have a rough understanding of the opponent.

Blindly rushing, that is not the way of the Buddhist Sect!

"Well…" Fa Ling hesitated for a moment and said, "Replying to Master Uncle, I actually don't know his exact strength."

"The reason I consider myself inferior is mainly because that person has successively dealt with several demons of the Innate Realm."

"And just yesterday, he subdued three corpses."

"Rumor has it that all three corpses were in the Innate Great Success Realm, with one of them possibly having stepped into the Profound Communication Realm."

"Honestly, the fact that the Daoist can single-handedly deal with these three formidable entities is beyond me…"

Fa Ling spoke earnestly.

Zen Master Du'e's single eye slightly narrowed, his gaze shifting to the monks in the Buddhist Hall, finally landing on Kong Xing.

"Have you seen that Daoist? What do you think of his strength?"

"Well…" Kong Xing, who consistently insisted on dealing with that Daoist, hesitated for a moment before decisively saying:

"Frankly, I've always advised the Abbot to take action against that guy."

"Unfortunately, several fellow disciples called me reckless, and the Abbot himself lacked confidence, which is why it has been delayed until now…"

"But I still believe that the Abbot, in his lifetime, is second to none!"

His expression was straightforward, his tone somewhat indignant.

But this behavior made the attending monks silently give him a thumbs-up.

Even Fa Ling couldn't help but smile internally; the usually tactless Kong Xing surprisingly displayed some cunning today!

This remark also dispelled much of Zen Master Du'e's doubts.

However, Fa Ling feigned concern and had a young monk present three videos.

One was of Lin Heng subduing the Evil Spirit City God.

Another was of Lin Heng dealing with the Mouse Demon in Nanling Cave.

The last one was of Lin Heng being interviewed.

"Master Uncle, this individual is not simple…"

Fa Ling pretended to advise with concern.

Zen Master Du'e watched all three videos, showing a bit of surprise not at the Daoist's strength, but at his methods!

"It truly is the Golden Light Spell!"

Before coming, Kong Wen had clearly mentioned that the Daoist had Maoshan Palm Thunder and allegedly the Golden Light Spell.

Initially, Zen Master Du'e was skeptical.

In his view, a Daoist with Palm Thunder had to be from Maoshan and could not possibly possess the exclusive secrets of the Dragon and Tiger Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion.

But now, it seemed he was wrong.

"This person is not ordinary, indeed."

Zen Master Du'e pondered for a long time before saying.

Fa Ling showed a helpless expression: "I have the same concern and thus dare not act recklessly."

"But now, as Master Uncle has seen, his statements during the interview have already caused a great impact online."

"If not addressed, it could indeed harm the reputation of our Buddhist Sect…"

Saying this, he suddenly stood up and bowed, saying:

"I beseech Zen Master Du'e to act and bolster the reputation of the Buddhist Sect!"

All the monks in the Buddhist Hall stood up, following suit: "We beg the Zen Master to act and bolster the reputation of the Buddhist Sect!"

Their voices were sonorous, their tone imploring.

The scene was so passionate that it moved everyone.

To this, Zen Master Du'e also stood up, showing a haughty expression:

"Whether he's from Maoshan or the Dragon and Tiger Mountain!"

"The decline of the Daoist Sect and the rise of the Buddhist Sect is already a foregone conclusion."

"No one can attempt to reverse it!"

"This Daoist is already on the path to destruction!"

"Lead the way, and witness how I, this day, crush Daoism into the dust!"

The people in the Buddhist Hall were filled with joy upon hearing this.

The next moment, Fa Ling, along with four elders of the "Kong" generation, led Zen Master Du'e directly to Qingfeng Temple.

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