Xiong Chan's mind was made up; he was ready to return to the Great Zen Temple immediately.

Despite his unrivaled authority at the Great Zen Temple, this matter concerned the foundation of the temple and was of utmost importance. He had to convince everyone. This cautious handling was what he had learned from Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's style was decisive, but whenever faced with major matters, he never spared any effort to unify people's thoughts and unite various forces. After all, even the transcendent immortals, when it comes down to it, are still human.

What's more, traveling alone means the road ahead is bound to be full of hardships; with everyone united, they can better resist the many dangers of the world.

If one moves alone, not only are there many enemies, but just dealing with various troubles will consume a lot of energy.

…

…

The Great Zen Temple is located in the Central State, not far from the Capital.

Prince Yu's faction did not make any moves against the Great Zen Temple due to Xiong Chan heading south.

On the contrary, the status of the Great Zen Temple in the north grew increasingly esteemed. Especially after the Snowfield Living Buddha entered the Capital, the prestige of the Buddhist Sect became even more prominent. The former emperor revered Taoism, but now with Prince Yu in power in the north, the situation has completely reversed, favoring Buddhism over Taoism.

As a result, the incense at the Great Zen Temple has reached an unprecedented peak in a thousand years. In addition, Xiong Chan was also highly regarded by the former emperor in the south, which made the monks in the temple exceptionally at ease. They all felt that no matter which side of the north-south struggle emerged victorious, the status of the Great Zen Temple would reach the pinnacle since the founding of the Great Yu.

Before Xiong Chan stepped into the mountain gate of the Great Zen Temple, a sharp-eyed guest monk quickly reported it.

Immediately afterward, the Guest Bell rang repeatedly.

The Bodhi Trees on both sides of the stone steps at the mountain gate moved without wind, with falling leaves slowly assembling mid-air into a Brahma verse: "Three carts set up in vain, how can the burning house be at peace".

Seeing this, Xiong Chan's pupils shrank sharply. He knew this was an admonition from the Sutra of the Lotus of the Dharma, suggesting that someone within the temple was attempting to forcibly alter the foundation of the Buddhist Law.

"Alas." He sighed internally, realizing that cooperating with the former emperor to compile the Daoist Scripture was far more challenging than he imagined.

"Abbot!" The head of the Arhat Hall hurried over, moving swiftly, with dark red bloodstains on his Kasaya, urgently shouting, "Uncle Yan Kong, he..."

Before he could finish, a crimson pillar of light suddenly rose from the direction of Taishi Mountain, a dazzling glow, vaguely revealing the silhouette of a Bodhi Tree swaying in the bloody light.

The head of the Arhat Hall was Xiong Chan's direct disciple, and now the red-haired Yan Kong had entered the Heart Zen Institute, being of the same generation as Xiong Chan, and also received the highest mental method of the Heart Zen Institute—the Bodhi Heart Skill.

Xiong Chan gestured to the head of the Arhat Hall, lightly tapped his toe on the bluestone slab, and his figure moved like lightning, as if using the Shrinking Earth Technique, rushing instantly towards Taishi Mountain.

Arriving at the Heart Zen Institute, the scene before him shocked Xiong Chan greatly.

The "Dharma Cave" used to suppress demons had collapsed, replaced by a ten-zhang-tall Blood Bodhi Tree.

The tree's trunk veins were like human veins, pulsating rhythmically, and on each Bodhi Leaf, the words of the Diamond Sutra were clearly engraved, with a magma-like golden-red liquid flowing within the leaf veins, exuding a mysterious and eerie aura.

"Amitabha." Under the tree, the red-haired Yan Kong, seated cross-legged with eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes. His full head of red hair intertwined with the tree roots, coexisting as he slowly said, "When I comprehended Withering and Flourishing Zen, I realized the truth behind the meditation of past ancestors—"

As his voice fell, countless aerial roots dropped from the crown of the tree, weaving into a light curtain in mid-air.

Within the light curtain appeared the scene of the First Ancestor Dharma in the Shaoshi Mountain cave: instead of meditating facing the wall, Ancestor Dharma was inscribing the Lengjia Scripture on the rock wall with his finger blood, with each drop of blood transformed into Mandala upon falling to the ground.

When the last stroke was completed, Ancestor Dharma's physical body suddenly turned to ashes, and from those ashes, a monk with seven parts resembling Yan Kong's present appearance slowly stood up. Upon closer inspection, he was eerily similar to the Red Moon Zen Master who betrayed the temple over a hundred years ago.

"So it turns out that the so-called wall meditation of the past high monks of the Heart Zen Institute was a facade, when in fact they were sacrificing themselves to feed the tree." Xiong Chan pressed on the continuously trembling Purple Sandalwood Buddha Beads, filled with shock.

He finally understood why the Bodhi Tree of the Dharma Cave in the Heart Zen Institute constantly exuded an ominous aura, yet was never destroyed by the high monks of the Heart Zen Institute.

These spirit trees were indeed the Nirvana form of the past high monks after their passing!

The red-haired Yan Kong's Adam's apple moved, producing a hoarse voice like tree bark rubbing against each other: "Abbot, do you know why the Bodhi falls its leaves?"

As he spoke, he raised his hand to catch a falling Blood Leaf, only to see the script on the leaf suddenly twist and change into small seal script...

Xiong Chan's expression instantly became grave. At this time, the roots of the Blood Bodhi had already spread throughout the entire Taishi Mountain and had formed a strong resonance with the Imperial Mausoleum's Earth Vein several hundred miles away near the Capital.

He suddenly recalled an event where the former emperor once "borrowed" a section of a branch planted by the First Ancestor from the Great Zen Temple.

"His Majesty never intended for the Great Zen Temple to hand over the scriptures." In a flash, Xiong Chan's heart was enlightened.

Red-haired Yan Kong continued slowly.

In the Capital's Imperial Mausoleum, the Dharma Blood Relics left by the temple's ancestors were stored, and through the previously borrowed Bodhi branch, they had established a mysterious connection with the Blood Bodhi Tree of the Great Zen Temple.

This was a meticulously laid plan by the former emperor, aiming to take this opportunity to completely integrate the Great Zen Temple into the national fate of the Great Yu. Prosper together, fall together.

Once this step was completed, the Great Zen Temple would never be able to separate itself from the Immortal Dynasty the former emperor intended to create, and both would become true stakeholders.

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