Chapter 1426: Righteous Buddhist Branch Temple

Chapter 1426: Righteous Buddhist Branch Temple

After leaving the Immortal Road Chamber, Xiang Shaoyun headed toward the Righteous Buddhist Sect. Now that he had recovered his astral cultivation and had even reached the second-stage Heaven Battling Realm, his astral cultivation's combat strength was even stronger than his devil cultivation. However, his devil cultivation also contained his Imperial Nether Clan abilities. Therefore, both cultivations had their respective advantages, granting him enough strength to strike fear in the hearts of those below the God Realm.
Unfortunately, Xiang Shaoyun's performance was too eye-catching. As the saying goes, the tallest tree was the first to fall. His path of growth wouldn't be easy.
While on his way to the Righteous Buddhist Sect, four terrifying auras locked onto him. The four auras had not attacked, but they remained locked on him, awaiting the perfect chance to kill him.
The four auras were hidden extremely well. Even a Great Saint would have a hard time detecting them. However, Xiang Shaoyun was able to clearly detect all four of them. One could imagine just how sharp his senses were. He ignored the four auras and continued heading toward the Righteous Buddhist Sect.
The Righteous Buddhist Sect was located on the southern side of the imperial city. It occupied a large area. The bright golden temple could be seen from far away. In the middle of the temple was an ancient Buddhist statue. The statue radiated a majestic and pure aura that evoked faith in the hearts of all believers. Nobody dared to perform any act of blasphemy in the presence of this statue.
Even before reaching the temple, Xiang Shaoyun could smell the thick scent of burning incense. Sounds of mokugyo being knocked and Buddhist scriptures being chanted reverberated in the air. The entire temple seemed to be surrounded by an indescribable power that could cleanse one's heart.
"Truly worthy of being a top-tier Buddhist sect. The amount of power gathered here is truly astonishing," muttered Xiang Shaoyun.
While walking on the path leading to the temple, the ancient gate of the temple slowly opened. Immediately, a vast Buddhist aura leaked out of the temple.
Next, a group of Buddhist disciples walked out in an orderly manner. They lined up on two sides, with nine people on each side. In a solemn manner, they chanted, "Amitabha Buddha."
Xiang Shaoyun did not know what they were doing, but he could sense an extraordinary aura from the 18 people before him. He thought to himself, Is this the so-called 18 arhats of Buddhism?
In truth, few Buddhist disciples could reach a level where one could become an arhat. The 18 before Xiang Shaoyun were merely martial monks that had the chance of becoming arhats in the future.
Next, a young monk stepped out of the gate. He looked to be about 20 years old with a delicate face and a Buddhist brand on his forehead. He walked with both his palms placed together as his serene gaze landed on Xiang Shaoyun. After a slight bow, he said, "Welcome to the temple, respected guest."
Xiang Shaoyun was stunned. He had not expected that they were actually here to welcome him. After a slight shock, Xiang Shaoyun returned the bow and said, "Greetings, master."
He could see that the young monk before him had reached the Heaven Battling Realm. Evidently, this temple was also a place where numerous talents were hidden. They wouldn't have been able to nurture such a young expert otherwise.
"Please come in, respected guest. The abbot is waiting for you," said the young monk with an inviting gesture.
Xiang Shaoyun became even more confused. But with his current strength, few people could cause him to feel fear. In any case, this was the Righteous Buddhist Sect. It was unlikely that villains would appear here. Xiang Shaoyun thus followed the young monk into the temple. After they entered, the 18 monks also followed them in, and the ancient gate closed behind them.
The moment Xiang Shaoyun entered the temple, he could feel that this was a temple where the Buddha had been worshipped for countless years. He also felt the thick righteous aura in the air and saw the countless Buddhist statues with burning incense being worshipped. It was as though this temple was the origin of justice.
At the same time, all his negative emotions shrank, and his devil pearl emitted an uneasy sensation as though it couldn't stand the serene environment in the temple. Fortunately, Xiang Shaoyun was able to protect himself with his primal inception energy, shrouding his body in a nine-colored aura that made him look like a righteous son of the heavens.
The young monk led Xiang Shaoyun into a certain hall. In the hall was a statue of the Righteous Buddha that was 99 meters in height. It looked imposing and solemn, giving all who saw the statue an urge to kneel and bow before it.
Xiang Shaoyun had the strength to reign at the very peak of all Saints. But even someone like him bowed slightly toward the Buddhist statue to show his respect for the founder of the Righteous Buddhist Sect.
Before the massive Buddhist statue was an old monk. The old monk was reciting Buddhist scripture without stopping. Only when Xiang Shaoyun finished bowing toward the statue did the monk turn around with his palms closed together and say, "Amitabha Buddha. Respected guest, you're finally here. It is our honor to have you as our guest."
Xiang Shaoyun returned the greeting and said, "Greetings, abbot. I wonder if you have mistaken me for someone else? It's my first time here. I'm no respected guest."
A kind smile appeared on the abbot's face as he said, "Ranked first on the Saintly Forest Ranking. If even someone like you isn't our respected guest, who else is worthy of being our respected guest? Besides, as of late, my intuition has been telling me that a respected guest is about to visit. And here you are. You're definitely the respected guest we're waiting for."
"Abbot, you're basically a prophet," said Xiang Shaoyun with admiration.
When the abbot's gaze landed on Xiang Shaoyun, his eyes lit up with an indescribable luster. It was as though he was going to see through all of Xiang Shaoyun's secrets, causing Xiang Shaoyun to feel slightly uneasy.
"Benefactor Xiang, it is truly rare to see someone who cultivates the ways of both humans and devils. Are you a human or a devil?" asked the abbot.
Xiang Shaoyun raised his brow and replied calmly, "What do you think?"
"All lives are equal. If one wills for it, one can be a human. And if one wills for it, one can also be a devil. Since that lord has personally proved that you're a human, you're definitely not a devil. However, you still carry the qualities of a devil on you. It is advisable to have our temple help remove the devilish qualities with the Devil Subduing Formation. Only then would you be able to fully purify your body. What do you think, Benefactor Xiang?" asked the abbot.
The Devil Subduing Formation was a terrifying formation. Xiang Shaoyun was no fool. He knew very well that the abbot was still suspicious of the devilish energy in his body. In fact, the abbot was also suspicious of his master's words.
"You might not know this, abbot, but I once received the purification of the angels. Eventually, I even became their Envoy of Light. Do you think I'm a devil if I'm the Envoy of Light?" asked Xiang Shaoyun.
The Light of Wisdom lit up on his forehead as a boundless pure radiance spread out, making him look incomparably pure. The serene aura from his Light of Wisdom even fused with the righteous aura in the temple, as though they were meant to be together. As of this moment, Xiang Shaoyun was the Envoy of Light, someone completely unrelated to the devils.