Sitting and forgetting longevity

Chapter 2003 Buddha's Light
Chapter 2004
"If any demons manage to escape during this time, they shall be killed without exception!"

Huiming's words were firm and resounding. Upon hearing this, Liu Qinghuan merely raised an eyebrow and said nothing more.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

At noon, when the yang energy is at its peak, the mountain peaks of Qianfo Temple are bathed in a golden light, like auspicious clouds spreading down from the mountaintop, even dyeing the clouds and mist in the mountains a warm gold.

Amidst the chanting of Buddhist hymns, all arrangements were in place, awaiting only the appointed time to formally begin reinforcing the magic array and replacing the Buddha statue.

High in the air, the long-unseen Master Yuanming appeared in a moon-white monk's robe, his posture upright like a pine tree.

In this life, he looks about eighteen or nineteen years old, with the immaturity of youth gone and replaced by a more mature demeanor.

Huiming and several other white-haired old monks stood in different directions, each surrounded by a faint golden light.

Below, countless Buddhist disciples were scattered throughout the Thousand Buddha Temple, their expressions tense and ready for battle.

Liu Qinghuan, like an outsider, stood with his arms crossed, quietly waiting in the southwest.

It is said that this is the place where the evil demon escaped before, and it is also the weakest and most vulnerable point in the entire barrier.

Youxuan and the others stood behind him, appearing serious on the surface, but in reality they were communicating with each other through divine sense, excitedly chattering and pointing.

At noon, the entire Thousand Buddha Temple was suddenly filled with the sound of chanting!
Inside the Ksitigarbha Hall, three hundred highly accomplished monks sat cross-legged, hands clasped together, chanting the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra in unison.

The resounding chanting, like rolling thunder in spring, echoed through the sky. Golden Buddhist light rose slowly from the monks, converging into a golden torrent that flowed like a tide into the magic array that suppressed the demon.

The already intense Buddhist power surged to its peak at this moment.

The entire Thousand Buddha Temple was firmly protected by a thick, almost solid golden light shield. Countless tiny Sanskrit characters flowed endlessly on the shield, exuding a solemn and dignified aura.

Gradually, an enormous magic array appeared on the surface of the mountain.

Golden patterns crisscrossed, like a giant golden spider web, completely covering the entire mountain from its foot to its summit.

As the Buddha's light continuously flowed in, the array patterns became increasingly clear and bright, flowing slowly as if they had come to life.

At the same time, the array patterns that had been eroded by millions of years and were already broken and incomplete, as well as the array eyes that had become blurred, were also exposed under the light of the Buddha, like holes in a golden net.

Suddenly, a young monk rushed out of the underground palace and hurriedly flew to Yuanming and the others, saying something urgently.

Yuanming's previously relaxed brows instantly furrowed into a deep frown, and his face darkened.

He raised his hand to signal the young monk to step back, and then gathered the other senior monks around him. The group formed a circle and began to discuss the matter in hushed tones.

Is there something wrong?
Liu Qinghuan straightened up, her gaze sweeping over the direction of the underground palace, but she did not rush over.

Only when Yuanming waved to him from afar did he sway and drift over like a falling leaf.

"What happened?"

"Fellow Daoist Taiwei, the situation has changed." Yuanming spoke very quickly, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible anxiety.

“Our original plan to ‘repair the magic array first and then replace the Buddha statue’ is no longer feasible.”

News just came from the underground palace that many Buddha statues were damaged far more severely than we had anticipated. Their interiors were already cracked and could not withstand the enormous fluctuations when the magic array was operating at full power.

If we force the repair of the magic array first, these Buddha statues will likely crumble before the array patterns are fully restored.

Liu Qinghuan turned her head and looked over, her gaze landing on the eighteen exceptionally tall Arhat statues not far away.

These Buddha statues have stood here for countless years, enduring wind and rain. Despite the meticulous maintenance by monks throughout the ages, they still bear the marks of time and vicissitude.

Dark green moss climbed up the Buddha's body, and the stone surface was covered with fine cracks, like the wrinkles on an old man's face.

Three of them looked the most damaged; one had a large piece of its nose smashed off, another had its left foot broken off at the ankle, and its body was already somewhat crooked.

Another statue had a deep, bone-revealing gash in its chest, as if it had been cleaved by a sharp weapon. Beside them, several Buddhist monks and three identical, intact Buddha statues waited for an order to be replaced.

"Then, shall we replace the Buddha statue first?" Liu Qinghuan suggested.

Yuanming thought for a moment: "If we replace them one by one slowly, it will take too long and make it easier for things to go wrong."

The two exchanged a glance, and Liu Qinghuan had already guessed the answer: "So, we have to do both things at the same time, right?"

Yuanming nodded solemnly, raised his hand and solemnly performed a Buddhist salute to Liu Qinghuan, his tone earnest.

"This move is extremely risky. With the magic array and the Buddha statue changing at the same time, the Buddha's power will inevitably be interrupted."

If any demons attempt to attack the magic array at that time, we will be overwhelmed and can only ask Fellow Daoist Taiwei to keep an eye on things!

Liu Qinghuan stepped aside to avoid his deep bow and smiled, "I'm not troubling you; you're the ones who are. Since you've made up your minds, let's do it this way."

After saying that, he turned around and returned to his position. The Xuanyuan Sword was already in his hand, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Shortly afterward, everything was ready and adjusted.

Yuanming took a deep breath and let out a soft shout that echoed throughout the entire mountain: "Begin!"

The next moment, all the high monks formed a mudra together, and several of them had a golden ring appear behind their heads. A powerful Buddhist force flowed from their bodies and surged into the magic array that suppressed the demon.

At the same time, all the Bodhisattva statues that needed to be replaced slowly rose from the lotus pedestal, were steadily held up by several hands, and were slowly moved out.

Hundreds of old Buddhas rose from their seats one after another, and the connection between their Buddhist power and the magic array was suddenly severed, causing the originally stable array to immediately be thrown into violent turmoil.

The golden light shield shook violently, and several array patterns instantly dimmed.

Fortunately, the eminent monks of Yuanming had made preparations in advance, and their powerful Buddhist energy was able to help stabilize the operation of the formation.

Meanwhile, the reinforcement of the magic array is also underway.

Hundreds of monks dressed in crimson robes, holding gilded staffs, hurried along the emerging golden array patterns.

At each broken array pattern they reached, they would slam their staffs heavily on the ground and chant special reinforcing scriptures.

Golden Buddhist power flowed into the ground along the staff, and the originally dull and cracked array patterns lit up again like ignited gold threads, and the broken parts slowly healed under the nourishment of Buddhist power.

Liu Qinghuan gripped the Xuanyuan Sword, surveying the entire mountain, remaining vigilant for any unusual activity.

Fortunately, after the initial chaos, everything gradually got back on track. The fluctuations of Buddhist power diminished, more and more array patterns were repaired, and new Buddha statues were steadily placed one after another.

The weather is calm and everything is going smoothly.

They only needed to safely get through a quarter of an hour—Huiming and his team had repeatedly estimated beforehand that repairing the magic array and replacing the Buddha statue would take at least a quarter of an hour to complete the most crucial part.

As long as we can get through this 15 minutes, we will have enough resources to deal with any mishaps that may occur during the process.

Liu Qinghuan's gaze fell on a large Buddha statue that was being replaced not far below him.

The old Buddha statue had been moved aside, and the new Buddha statue had been placed on a lotus pedestal. Several monks were carefully adjusting the position of the Buddha statue. With just a little more adjustment, it would be perfectly erected.

Liu Qinghuan felt a slight sense of relief: This trip actually went so smoothly? He could hardly believe it.

However, at this very moment—

"Boom!"

A deep, muffled roar came from the deepest part of the earth.

(End of this chapter)