Chapter 1075: Sin Arises in Shakyamuni

**Chapter 1076: The Sin of Sakyamuni**

Ye Fan navigated through numerous Buddhist courtyards, penetrating deep into Lan Tuo Temple's heart. He arrived before a stone pagoda, each of its levels only about ten feet high, making it far from grand.

The pagoda's nine stories were intricately carved with Buddhist parables, featuring various ancient Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It emanated ripples and golden Buddhist light, appearing as if it had stood there since eternity.

Though it did not pierce the clouds, it exuded a profoundly unique aura, as if it had endured since time immemorial.

The sacred Buddhist grounds trembled. The old monk who arrived subsequently, though lean and withered, brimmed with spirit and vitality. His eyes gleamed like a pair of golden lamps as he attacked once more.

Ye Fan turned, two blazing beams of light shooting from his eyes. He swept his hand back, meeting the monk's attack with a powerful palm strike.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

The old monk reeled back over ten steps, his arm numb, blood trickling from the web of his thumb and forefinger. His entire body nearly convulsed. He was naturally stunned, questioning what immense physical strength could have possibly repelled him.

"Who are you, desecrating the sacred grounds of Lan Tuo Temple?" a monk demanded. A group of monks rushed forward, and more experts flew in, completely sealing off the area and surrounding it tightly.

In the sky, pure spiritual energy surged like a vast sea, emanating a sacred radiance that enveloped the entire area, as if it could descend at any moment.

A hundred old monks roared in unison, unleashing a demon-subduing divine ability. Any ordinary great demon or demon king would have long since collapsed, their souls shattered.

As the Human Race Saint Body, Ye Fan possessed an impenetrable divine shell, resilient to blades and weapons. His flesh and blood were like divine metal, safeguarding his inner essence and spirit, rendering him unshakable.

Amidst the booming Buddhist chants, he stood still as a rock, unyielding, his black hair loose. Facing numerous divine monks alone, he calmly inquired, "I want to know, what wrong has Miaoyi committed, and why is she suppressed here?"

The nine-story pagoda was extraordinary; even Ye Fan dared not act rashly. It was clearly a stone pagoda constructed by ancient sages, exceedingly difficult to breach.

"This is an internal matter of our Buddhist sect; it has nothing to do with you!" a young Tou Tuo monk shouted, his voice like a roar.

"She is my friend. Her affairs are my affairs. No matter what has happened, I will inquire and take responsibility," Ye Fan declared, his eyes flashing with brilliant light as they opened and closed.

Furthermore, he unleashed a Daoist roar that resonated with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, suppressing all the various Buddhist chants.

"She is a disciple of the devil. Now that her true nature has been exposed, she must be suppressed. No matter who you are, you have no right to interfere in our Buddhist sect's internal affairs," stated the lean, withered old monk, who had attained the Half-Saint realm.

"She devoutly worships the Buddha; why has she become a disciple of the devil?" Ye Fan asked, puzzled.

"She possesses Sakyamuni's Heart Lamp and has received a portion of his legacy. Sakyamuni stands as the antithesis of the Buddha, the greatest devil in the world!" a young monk stated.

Ye Fan was startled. "The Heart Lamp of Buddha..." He wondered if they were referring to the ancient green lamp he had brought from the ancient star of Yinghuo (Mars) fourteen years ago and given to An Miaoyi.

"Considering her reverence for Amitabha Buddha, even though she possesses the Devil's Heart Lamp, she is merely suppressed within the nine-story pagoda and can be released after a hundred years," the Half-Saint level old monk explained.

"A single Sakyamuni has kept the Western Desert on edge for two millennia. He truly seems unfathomable..." Ye Fan murmured to himself.

As this matter originated with him, Ye Fan naturally felt compelled to take responsibility. He swept his gaze over the assembled monks and declared, "If we trace this back, then I, too, am a devil, for it was I who gave her that green lamp."

"What? Are you... one of Sakyamuni's ten great disciples?" an old monk demanded.

In those days, Sakyamuni alone confronted the monks of the Western Desert, ascended Mount Sumeru single-handedly, and then departed unhindered, a feat that made every Buddhist devotee immensely nervous.

"No," Ye Fan replied, "I am merely an ordinary cultivator who coincidentally acquired the green lamp. How can a mere lamp define one's identity? You yourselves stated that An Miaoyi reveres Amitabha Buddha; therefore, I implore you, masters, to release her."

"Her reverence for Amitabha Buddha is one matter, but cultivating demonic arts is entirely another. Given her actions, her suppression here is already a lenient punishment," the monks of Lan Tuo Temple asserted.

"You are truly unyielding," Ye Fan stated. "It seems there's nothing more for me to say. I can only offend you holy monks!" He strode forward, advancing towards the nine-story pagoda.

"Amitabha Buddha!" A Buddhist chant resonated as the Half-Saint level divine monk, his face stern and majestic, declared, "This Buddhist pure land will not tolerate your wild behavior."

With a resounding 'bang', Ye Fan said nothing, but unleashed a punch towards the stone pagoda. This strike, which embodied the true essence of the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist, was powerful enough to shake heaven and earth and make ghosts weep.

The entire stone pagoda trembled, yet its stone door remained shut. Instead, wisps of holy light emanated from it, sealing the place with incredible strength.

The stone pagoda was a holy artifact!

"Dong..." The great bell tolled slowly, its deafening sound reverberating throughout the entire monastery, as if capable of guiding a lost devil back to the righteous path.

"The Hundred and Eight Arhat Great Demon Subduing Array!" a monk exclaimed. One hundred and eight old monks stepped forward, all sitting cross-legged in the air, reciting true scriptures. A dense array of runes appeared, pressing down on Ye Fan.

Though these were verbally recited scriptures, they manifested like characters cast from bright gold, translucent and radiant. Each character was as tall as a person, engulfing Ye Fan.

"Bang!" Ye Fan swung his fists, each strike landing on an ancient character, producing clanging sounds and shattering them one by one.

The Hundred and Eight Arhats' demon subduing array was a unique event, unseen in a millennium. They invoked the ancient array patterns carved within the temple, leveraging the grand momentum of heaven and earth, and unleashed their cultivation to its utmost, their aura seemingly swallowing the sun and moon.

In this serene Buddhist sanctuary, thunder rumbled today, vital energy billowed, countless rays of light shimmered, and lightning intertwined.

"You are comparable to an ancient demon king; even the Hundred and Eight Arhat Great Array cannot subdue you!"

"Break!" Ye Fan lightly exclaimed, unleashing nine successive slashes. These were the rudimentary forms of the Demonic Emperor's Nine Slashes; though he had only a general understanding and hadn't mastered all their intricacies, when propelled by the Dou Zhan Saint Method, they conjured powerful winds, rent the sky, shattered the sun, and were supremely devastating.

"Bang, bang..." The hundred and eight old monks all recoiled, many with blood trickling from the corners of their mouths. Buddhist chants rose and fell incessantly.

"So powerful..." people thought, their hearts trembling.

In the center of the area, Ye Fan stood alone, his expression serene and showing no signs of distress, having successfully breached the Demon Subduing Array.

"Please, Martial Uncle, make your move!" the Half-Saint transmitted telepathically, letting out a long cry towards the monastery's back mountain.

Ye Fan frowned, wondering if the Half-Saint's Martial Uncle could be an ancient Buddha. That would indeed be troublesome.

An ancient and resonant Buddhist chant rang out. From the back mountain, an old monk with wrinkled skin, whose age was unknown, walked forth, treading through the void.

"Thankfully... it's a Half-Saint," Ye Fan murmured, letting out a sigh of relief.

Evidently, this was no ordinary old monk; despite his wrinkled skin, his form seemed cast from gold, emitting a golden radiance.

This was a divine monk who had attained the Arhat fruit status, merely half a step away from becoming a Saint. He was a Golden-Bodied Arhat named Ku Ci.

"Benefactor," stated Golden-Bodied Arhat Ku Ci, "the Buddhist sect has its own rules; you cannot force your way in. Moreover, her suppression within the pagoda may not necessarily be a bad thing for her."

"In this world, everything is relative," Ye Fan countered without backing down. "As you've said, this is an internal affair for the Buddhist sect, but for me, it concerns the life and death of a friend, making it a matter of great importance. Regardless, I must rescue her."

"Boom!" Ku Ci took a step forward, causing the entire ancient monastery to tremble. Though his form was withered, he advanced like an approaching giant.

He slowly extended his hand forward, pressing down gradually. His entire being glowed with golden radiance, the full power of his Arhat fruit status manifesting.

"Bang!" Ye Fan met the attack, his right fist colliding with the old monk's palm and fingers. A thunderous roar erupted in the sky, bursting forth with dazzling light.

"Bang!" The old monk recoiled several yards, his arm trembling slightly. Suddenly, two divine lights shot from his dim eyes as he intently scrutinized Ye Fan.

Ye Fan's heart stirred; truly, few in this era could withstand his physical attacks in such a manner. The old monk was extraordinary, his physique far more solid and powerful than it appeared.

The other monks, however, were utterly aghast! They were immensely surprised.

Ku Ci was an enlightened divine monk who had attained the Arhat fruit status and cultivated the Indestructible Vajra divine ability. The solidity of his physical body was virtually unparalleled in the world.

Yet now, his physical might was actually surpassed by this young, black-haired man—a truly inconceivable feat.

In this era, Lan Tuo Temple had no Saints, but it did possess two Half-Saints. Ku Ci, in particular, had cultivated the Indestructible Vajra divine ability, which would allow him to achieve Buddhahood in the future. Yet, to be slightly inferior today—how could this not astonish people?

"I believe I know your identity," Ku Ci stated. "Aside from your specific physique, no non-Saint could possibly force me back like this."

"It's him," his martial nephew, also a Half-Saint, muttered to himself. "Recently, the Eastern Wasteland has been in an uproar, with everyone saying that person has returned. It seems the rumors are true!"

The great war in the Eastern Wasteland—where the Heavenly Sovereign's Son was slain, all eight divine generals were annihilated, and Great Saint Kun Zhou fell—had shaken the entire world.

The mysterious human expert who slew the Saint Imperial Son, the Victorious Fighting Buddha descending Mount Sumeru, and other such events, were undoubtedly the focal points of widespread discussion.

Currently, many were speculating that this mysterious figure might be the Human Race Saint Body. The rumors were widespread, with many seeking confirmation, and even ancient kings had emerged from seclusion to search for him.

Now, through their engagement, the divine monks of Lan Tuo Temple instantly realized he was undeniably the Human Race Saint Body. Otherwise, how could he possibly contend against Ku Ci's Indestructible Vajra body?

Several other old monks also made the connection, their expressions changing instantly. This was the one who dared to slay even the Heavenly Sovereign's Son of the ancient race, the very person everyone was discussing and who had stirred up the world—a veritable harbinger of doom. Now he had trespassed into the Western Lands; did he intend to overthrow Lan Tuo Temple itself?

"Benefactor," Ku Ci roared, his expression solemn and majestic as he blocked the nine-story stone pagoda, "no matter who you are, if you insist on forcing your way in, we will have no choice but to suppress you!"

"My apologies for the offense!" Ye Fan declared, striding forward. Dao patterns intertwined beneath his feet, and as his "Movement" secret art activated, the entire world seemed to solidify.

"Om!" Ku Ci roared, a Buddhist chant that seemed to echo from the dawn of the universe, causing everyone to tremble. Ye Fan, standing at the very center, felt its impact even more profoundly.

It was none other than the "Om" character Buddhist art, the highest of the Six-Word True Mantras in Buddhism!

The Six-Word True Mantras had been scattered for many years, with no single ancient temple possessing them all; at most, one or two could be found.

Currently, only a few ancient sacred temples held them. Lan Tuo Temple, Great Thunder Sound Temple, Hanging Temple, and Divine Radiance Temple served as the very foundations of Buddhism, naturally possessing such true mantras.

And this "Om" sound had been transmitted from Mount Sumeru in recent years. With this, Lan Tuo Temple now commanded two true mantras, making its foundation and strength truly formidable.