The courtyard, once paved with green stone slabs, seemed as if it had been plowed through, with soil turned up to the surface.

The once delicate garden and exquisite stone carvings had turned to ashes, and ruins were everywhere. Judging from the scene, it was estimated that it would be impossible to recover without some time.

"Inform everyone, any monks from the Buddhist Sect we catch are to be brought to the Capital City. I want all the people of Chechi Kingdom to witness the downfall of the Buddhist Sect," Great Immortal Lu Li said bitterly. Every plant, every brick here was accumulated by them bit by bit, and now it has been destroyed at the hands of that despicable monk.

What grieved him even more was that after the sparring with Lin Fang and this battle, the insects he had painstakingly cultivated were almost all gone. It could be said that his most powerful tactics had been mostly ruined, which aggravated his fury even more, making him wish to tear those monks to pieces.

"Tomorrow at the morning court, my brothers and I will go to see His Majesty and ask for a royal decree, to destroy monasteries and temples. I want the Buddhist Sect to have no foothold in Chechi Kingdom," Great Immortal Hu Li said solemnly, his eyes flashed with hatred. Clearly, the monks still in Chechi Kingdom were in for misfortune.

Meanwhile, in a dense forest hundreds of miles from the Capital City, a group of monks were in hiding, precisely those who had parted ways with Faming earlier.

"Abbot, do you think Mage Faming will be able to return safely?" a young novice monk asked with some concern.

The old monk showed a kind smile and stroked the young novice’s shaved head with his somewhat aged hand before reassuringly saying, "He will certainly return safely. Don’t forget, Mage Faming is an incarnation of an Arhat. Those sorcerers can’t do anything to him."

Although he comforted the young ones with these words, the old monk’s heart was actually filled with trepidation, as the three State Preceptors they were facing were also immortals capable of summoning wind and calling rain. He could only hope that the Buddha would bless them and that Faming’s divine skills were strong enough to ensure his safe escape.

As the sky grew darker, the old monk sighed softly. The three-day deadline they had agreed upon was fast approaching, and they had not yet seen any sign of Faming. He had to make a decision.

After all, Chechi Kingdom was becoming increasingly dangerous for monks. The longer they stayed, the more dangerous it became. These young novice monks were the hope of the Buddhist Sect, who would spread Buddha’s teachings across this land. The old monk was aged, but he still hoped to preserve these precious seeds for Buddha, even if it meant paying with his life.

As the old monk worried, an auspicious cloud floated over from the sky and descended in front of them—it was Faming, who had caused an uproar at the National Master Mansion.

In the past two days, Faming had found a place to meditate and rest. Though the battle seemed to have gone in his favor, he was actually not lightly wounded, especially by the terrifying final thunderbolt. Fortunately, he had his golden body for protection, which prevented him from suffering severe injuries.

"Mage Faming!" an excited chorus of voices rose up, bringing a warm smile to Faming’s otherwise stern face.

"Amitabha Buddha, I apologize for making you wait, Abbot," Faming said with some regret, having waited two days to recover from his injuries before meeting up with the old abbot.

"Not at all, not at all, as long as you are unharmed, that’s what matters," the old monk said with a smile, waving his hand. With Faming there, he felt reassured because otherwise, escaping from the far reaches of Chechi Kingdom would mean encountering untold hardships. With just his own abilities, he feared he might not be able to lead these young ones to safety.

"Mage Faming, did you see the State Preceptor when you went to the Capital City?"

"Exactly, exactly, did you ask him why he is doing this to us? We’ve been so obedient since we were little," a few little monks said, feeling aggrieved. They thought they had been very obedient, reciting scriptures and praying every day, yet the State Preceptor still wanted to persecute them.

"I’ve seen them, they are all monsters!" Faming whispered.

The old monk’s face instantly showed a look of shock, and he said in surprise, "They are monsters, how could they possibly be monsters?"

No matter how he thought about it, he had not expected this situation. After all, the Three Immortals’ reputation in the Chechi Kingdom was truly like living Buddhas to thousands of households; many people were able to survive in this capital that suffered from years of drought because of them.

The Three Immortals had almost become the faith of the entire Chechi Kingdom, after all, it was only thanks to them that sweet rain could be summoned at the times of greatest need.

"But why would they do this?" The old monk couldn’t understand. If they truly were monsters, why would they waste their mana day after day to bring rain to the Chechi Kingdom? Weren’t monsters supposed to be naturally cruel and take pleasure in eating humans?

"Perhaps they came for our Buddhist Sect in the first place," Faming speculated.

He then recalled the power that Great Immortal Hu Li had shown during their magic duel, the endless thunder that fell from the sky; it all seemed like a technique from the Daoist Sect. Besides the Dragon Clan, only the pure lineage of Daoism could wield such a technique as Summoning Wind and Calling Rain, as everyone said.

Thinking of this, Faming’s brow furrowed. If that was the case, the things hidden in the background were certainly not simple.

"These matters are not for us to worry about. I will send this information to Mount Ling, let the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of Mount Ling decide. As for us, we need to leave this country and find a new place to continue to spread the Buddhist Law," he said.

Compared to fighting and killing, Faming preferred to teach more people to join the Buddhist Sect and to spread the concept of compassion throughout the world.

In the darkness, Faming led a group of monks on their long journey. As for the events happening in Chechi Kingdom, they were beyond his power to stop. All he could do was pass the matter on to Mount Ling.

Atop Mount Ling, when the news arrived, many Bodhisattvas and Buddhas could no longer sit still. They all wished to teach these ignorant monsters a lesson, to let them know what happens when one offends the majesty of the Buddhist Sect.

"Amitabha Buddha!" Buddha’s Light in gold illuminated Mount Ling, and a Bodhisattva descended from the summit, it was Manjushri Bodhisattva, the representative of wisdom.

As soon as he appeared, the previously noisy surroundings instantly calmed down. After all, he was one of the Four Great Bodhisattvas. Although he held the Bodhisattva Fruit Position, both his power and status were among the very pinnacle of the Buddhist Sect, being one of those truly capable of influencing the direction in which the Buddhist Sect moved.

"The affairs of Chechi Kingdom already have arrangements in place. You need not worry about them. Do not fall into petty arguments and land ourselves in someone else’s trap," Manjushri Bodhisattva’s voice seemed to carry a power that stabilized people’s hearts, calming the restlessness that had arisen in Mount Ling.

"Bodhisattva, it is clear that the Daoist Sect provoked us first, should we not demand an explanation?" an Arhat cautiously proposed.

Manjushri gave him a glance before slowly saying, "There is more to this than meets the eye. I fear it may not be the work of the Daoist Sect. Do not create unnecessary complications."