Chapter 1373: Black Buddhist Scripture

The next moment, Buddhist chants echoed, and brilliant Buddha light soared into the sky. The vast sea seemed to transform into a golden inferno.

A colossal golden Buddha, reaching the heavens, slowly ascended from the seabed. It gazed at Jiang Fan with a gentle smile, speaking in a slow, magnetic voice:“You came from where you came, and you will go to where you are destined. Master Jiang Fan, White Horse Temple is your destination.”

As his voice faded, the colossal golden Buddha dispersed into a sky full of Buddha light, reforming into the outline of a massive temple that enveloped Jiang Fan and all the monks. Jiang Fan realized there was no escape.

He wondered if his disguise had failed. Even if it had, how did the Bodhisattva appear on his path beforehand? He had gone a long way around.

It was only when he saw the jade box held by the Bodhisattva of Heavenly Hearing, containing a wisp of ash that floated and pointed towards him, that he understood. It was the ashes of the wish paper from Sinister Venerable back then! Truthful Venerable must have given it to the Bodhisattva to dispose of, but the Bodhisattva kept it to track Jiang Fan.

“Truthful, oh Truthful! Just you wait for some family discipline! I’m going to hit you hard a few times and make you yelp!” Jiang Fan fumed inwardly.

Outwardly, he remained composed, saying, “Bodhisattva, you’ve mistaken me. This humble monk is Lingli.”

The Bodhisattva of Heavenly Hearing smiled without speaking. He had indeed been deceived at first, but quickly realized something was amiss. When Jiang Fan performed his final bow, he used only one hand. Normally, it should be with both hands clasped together, unless, of course, the person was missing a hand. And Jiang Fan had just had an arm bitten off by the Two-Star Giant King! Secondly, he finally recalled where he had heard the dharma name Lingli. It was the name Jiang Fan had used to disguise himself as his younger brother! Finally, a test with the ashes confirmed that it indeed pointed towards the so-called Master Lingli.

The Bodhisattva of Heavenly Hearing chuckled, saying:“Benefactor Jiang truly possesses profound wisdom. This venerable one was even deceived by your true Buddhist words. I mistakenly thought you were an enlightened monk. It would be a great loss to Buddhism if you do not join the monastic order.”

Seeing his identity exposed, Jiang Fan stopped pretending and said helplessly:“Bodhisattva of Heavenly Hearing, why are you forcing me to join the Buddhist order?”

The Bodhisattva smiled calmly: “During the calamity of the ancient giants, this venerable one will perish in response to the tribulation. However, White Horse Temple cannot be without a master for a single day. If Benefactor Jiang is willing to come to my White Horse Temple, this venerable one will help you attain the Bodhisattva fruit position before the great tribulation arrives.”

What? The surrounding monks were astonished. The great tribulation was less than a month away. Why was the Bodhisattva so certain he could help Jiang Fan break through to the Bodhisattva realm? How could this be possible?

Even Jiang Fan was shocked, a ripple stirring in his heart. For someone who hadn't even fully grasped the Way, achieving the Bodhisattva fruit position within a month would be tempting for anyone. However, when he thought of the beautiful faces waiting for his return, his heart immediately calmed.

He clasped his hands together and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Bodhisattva, but I have countless worldly attachments and many unfulfilled wishes. It is truly difficult to abandon everything and enter the monastic life. Please do not make things difficult for me, Bodhisattva.”

The Bodhisattva of Heavenly Hearing's expression shifted on his face, showing neither joy nor sorrow. It was as if Jiang Fan’s answer was entirely within his expectations.“Picking up and letting go is a lifelong lesson. Those who comprehend this great path can achieve Buddhahood. Benefactor Jiang cannot let go because the delusion in your heart is too deep. This venerable one will use Buddhist dharma to dispel the obstacles and help you release the past.”

Jiang Fan’s expression changed! The Bodhisattva was going to forcibly convert him!

He decisively flicked his sleeve, and a wish paper, already lit, dropped into his palm. As soon as the Bodhisattva appeared, he had secretly activated the wish paper, in case of an emergency. Now was the time to use it; he only needed to wish to return to the mainland to escape the Bodhisattva’s entanglement.

However, just as he was about to open his mouth to make a wish, the Bodhisattva’s soothing voice spoke: “The clear breeze is still; all sounds are silent.”

As his voice faded, the cheerful sound of ocean waves, the wind blowing in his ears, and the chanting reverberating around him—it was as if they had been abruptly cut off by a knife, ceasing instantly. The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet, devoid of any sound. Jiang Fan’s mouth opened and closed, but he couldn't make a single sound!

The premise of the wish paper was to be able to verbally express the wish. The Bodhisattva had directly blocked Jiang Fan’s ability to speak, making it difficult for his most reliable wish paper to function. Jiang Fan’s expression changed. The Bodhisattva’s Buddhist dharma was simply cheating; first, it sealed space, then it froze people, and now it could even silence the sounds of heaven and earth. Plus, it could erase people’s memories. He couldn’t imagine anything the Bodhisattva couldn’t do!

With no time to be surprised, he decisively flew towards the Buddha light temple and furiously struck it with his purple sword. However, the Buddha light remained condensed and showed no signs of breaking.

The more troublesome issue was that a golden sun appeared above the Bodhisattva’s head, emitting an incomparably sacred light. Under its radiance, Jiang Fan immediately felt all his greed, anger, ignorance, hatred, love, aversion, and desire dissipate from his body. Memories of Xu Youran, Chen Siling, Fairy Yunshang, Truthful Venerable, and other beautiful women receded from his mind like a tide. His many experiences in this life also rapidly faded, like distant images. This was purifying his soul and severing his six senses. The next step would be to instill Buddhist dharma, making his heart contain only Buddhism. Thus, the conversion would be successful, just like the Sky Demon Emperor and Bai Chu from the North Sea before him.

How could Jiang Fan let him succeed? He decisively activated his spatial ability, intending to teleport away from the spot. But as soon as he activated it, under the illumination of that Buddha light, he was forcefully pulled out of the spatial teleportation. Jiang Fan was alarmed. What was this golden sun? The Buddha light it emitted was so terrifying?

Unwilling to give up, he immediately recited the contents of the Jade Paper Heavenly Scroll silently, trying to resist the Buddha light invading his mind. But it was useless! That Buddha light possessed an irresistible mighty power, constantly eroding his mind. It even made his will to resist weaker and weaker. No! This couldn't go on!

Jiang Fan was burning with anxiety; he tried to cast many divine abilities, but they were all useless! At this moment, the Bodhisattva’s slow and magnetic voice came:“This venerable one is enacting the second great vow, borrowing power from the Central Land. It is not something individual will can contend against. Release your struggle and enter my Buddhist order.”

Is the power of the great vow so strong? Jiang Fan’s resistance grew weaker and weaker, and his eyes began to glaze over. He was about to have his soul completely purified! But he was unwilling. Was he really going to forget his past like this?

In despair, an item suddenly appeared in his mind. It was something White Horse Temple had painstakingly searched for for hundreds of years without success! It was the black Buddhist scripture! A scroll that was completely opposite to ordinary scriptures, filled with sinister, eerie, and ghostly energy! It had been found in a cave in the underground world of the Old Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, a place with many tombstones inscribed with hellish characters. Only later did he learn that White Horse Temple sent people into the underground world every year to search for this black Buddhist scripture. At that time, Jiang Fan was only at the Core Formation realm, and fearing the power of White Horse Temple, he had never dared to take it out. Now, out of desperation, he had no choice but to use it!