Chapter 345: Chapter 257: I’m the Buddha’s Son, Not a Fool

"Then what does Great Virtue Temple do? Have we never taken the initiative to strike?"

Yang An asked.

"Reporting to His Highness the Buddha Prince, Great Virtue Temple has always upheld the principles of peace. We rarely strike first and have consistently remained on the defensive, ever vigilant against the various schemes of the Golden Thread Pavilion."

"..."

Yang An couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

’The way he talks... do I look like I believe him?’

’I’m the Buddha’s Son, not a fool.’

Yang An had experienced Great Virtue Temple’s methods firsthand long before he even arrived from the Outer Continent.

’These bald donkeys can’t speak a single word of truth. Monks are supposed to abstain from lying, but these guys are full of it, just one lie after another.’

"Then tell me, why is the Golden Thread Pavilion trying so hard to conquer Great Virtue Temple’s State Territories and wipe us out?"

"This..."

Guang’an was merely a Gami; how could he possibly know the deeper meaning behind such matters?

Yang An knew he wouldn’t get any answers out of him, so he simply dismissed him.

However, the question did pique his curiosity.

’Great Virtue Temple and the Golden Thread Pavilion both want to annihilate each other. Can it really be just to become the sole overlord of the Treasure Temple Domain?’

’From what he understood, the Golden Thread Pavilion controlled over forty State Territories, while Great Virtue Temple held more than sixty.’

’The greatest benefit of becoming the sole overlord would be controlling all the resources in the Treasure Temple Domain and ruling over it completely.’

’But based on the current situation, they each controlled a significant portion. The resources they possessed were more than enough for their continued development, so there was no fundamental need to fight.’

’This definitely wasn’t as simple as the higher-ups having strong ambitions. Perhaps there was a great secret at a deeper level—a secret concerning the entire Treasure Temple Domain, or even the whole Outer Continent.’

’Only something like that would be worth them fighting to the death, to be as incompatible as fire and water.’

After mulling it over, he found he had no clues to base any guesses on, so he decided to stop dwelling on it.

Such matters had nothing to do with him for the time being. What he needed to do now was focus on his undercover mission, raise his Cultivation Level, and break free from the Seal as soon as possible.

’As long as I become strong enough, even the greatest secrets will eventually come to light.’

He set aside these matters that were currently irrelevant to him and returned to the immediate priority.

Thanks to the recent Dharma Assembly, Yang An’s Cultivation Level had reached the Late Stage of Visceral Stone. The next most important thing was to pass the Workshop Master’s test.

As for the matter of his double, Guang’an, Yang An had no intention of informing Elder Zhuan Yu about it just yet.

He would wait for Elder Zhuan Yu to contact him before saying anything, or he would just keep delaying until a more suitable opportunity arose.

The longer he delayed, the more advantageous it would be for concealing his true identity.

There was another pressing matter: the materials and Dust required for the second physical transformation of the Jade Kala Vajra Body.

After being tempered by the Golden Dust, Yang An had fully mastered the first physical transformation and had even developed the Red Wheel Infinite Body from it.

It was time to pay another visit to Elder Monk Hai Shu.

His Cultivation Level had now "reached" the Visceral Stone stage. This level should correspond to a protector rank within the temple, and his dharma name would be elevated from Yuan Ji to Pu Ji.

But that wasn’t important.

What mattered was that if he completed the corresponding contributions, he could exchange them at the Buddha’s Hall of Destiny for the materials needed to practice his Body Refining Technique, allowing him to advance both his Jade Kala Vajra Body and his Red Wheel Infinite Body.

Moreover, he could use the opportunity of leaving Great Virtue Temple to pass the Workshop Master’s test.

That way, he wouldn’t reveal the fact that he was currently inside Great Virtue Temple.

If he still only had his previous, feeble Cultivation Level at the Early Stage of Primordial Feeding, as the Buddha’s Son, it likely wouldn’t have been so easy for him to leave Great Virtue Temple.

But things were different now. His Cultivation Level had reached the Late Stage of Visceral Stone, and he possessed a top-tier Body Refining Method like the Jade Kala Vajra Body.

Having mastered the first physical transformation of the Jade Kala Vajra Body, he now fully possessed the "Power of Self-Preservation." The temple’s upper echelons should now be able to feel at ease about him.

「Early the next morning」

Yang An went to the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall to state his purpose to Hai Shu Bodhisattva.

The only way to earn contribution was to accept assignments from the higher-ups, and the only one who could give assignments to Yang An was Hai Shu Bodhisattva.

Yang An was a little puzzled by this. Rumor had it that there were many experts at the Insect Dao Realm within Great Virtue Temple, but so far, he had only seen Hai Shu. He had not seen any other Bodhisattvas, for some unknown reason.

"As it happens, there is something I need you to do."

Hai Shu Bodhisattva said with a smile. It seemed Yang An had come at just the right time.

Yang An had been a little apprehensive. He had personally killed a Holy Child the day before yesterday, so he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

But seeing Elder Monk Hai Shu’s attitude, he didn’t seem to care about the matter, which put Yang An’s mind at ease.

"You will go with Zen Master Qing Xin to the Four Buddha States and assist him in suppressing a Demon Fiend riot."

Hai Shu Bodhisattva said slowly.

’Another Demon Fiend riot?’

Yang An thought, unconsciously connecting the incident to the Golden Thread Pavilion. ’Could this be their doing?’

’Great Virtue Temple has over sixty State Territories, and he hadn’t memorized all of them yet. He didn’t know if the Four Buddha States bordered the State Territories governed by the Golden Thread Pavilion.’

’If they did, then it was highly likely the work of the Golden Thread Pavilion.’

However, listening to Elder Monk Hai Shu’s words, Yang An also grasped another, deeper meaning.

’Having him accompany Zen Master Qing Xin was basically just sending him along for the ride. He probably wouldn’t have to do anything and could just collect the contribution for free.’

’So this was the privilege of being the Buddha’s Son.’

’But this also meant that his every move would be under the watchful eye of Zen Master Qing Xin.’