Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

The heavy curtain of the main hall was slowly lifted by a withered hand.

Pudu Cihang stepped out barefoot, and with each step, a golden lotus phantom bloomed on the bluestone bricks beneath his feet, which vanished in an instant, but left a lingering fragrance.

He was draped in a brocade robe, embroidered with countless images of Buddhas, which swirled with his steps, as if countless eminent monks were chanting sutras and worshipping Buddha within it.

The monks kneeling outside the hall kowtowed one after another, chanting Buddhist mantras. Even the limp officials and nobles subconsciously put their hands together, their eyes revealing piety and awe.

"Amitabha."

Pudu Cihang clasped his hands together, nodded slightly, and spoke in a gentle, warm voice.

"This benefactor has come from afar, filled with anger. What troubles you cannot resolve?" He walked slowly to the palace gate, his gaze falling on Shen Jue, his kind face and tone full of concern.

"Monks are compassionate. If you have any questions, please sit down and discuss them with us."

"Though I am unworthy, I am willing to resolve your doubts and confusions, and discuss the profound meaning of Buddhism with you."

He raised his hand and waved it, and a sandalwood wooden table, two futons, and a pot of tea appeared out of thin air from the ruins in front of the hall.

The aroma of tea wafted through the air, mingling with the scent of incense ash that filled the courtyard, creating an indescribable sense of Zen.

"Although this is not a meditation hall, the heavens and earth are our dwelling, and all things can be discussed." Pudu Cihang sat cross-legged, picked up a teacup, and gently blew away the foam.

"If you would be so kind as to grace us with your presence, this old monk is willing to engage in a three-day, three-night debate with you, regardless of who is superior, solely for the sake of seeking the truth. All those outside the hall are welcome to listen in and share in the joy of the Dharma."

He spoke calmly and with an air of composure, as if the place whose gates had just been blasted open and whose four guardian deities had been defeated was not his temple, but the residence of some complete stranger.

The high-ranking officials and nobles who were watching nodded in agreement, thinking that the Imperial Advisor was indeed magnanimous, able to remain so calm even after his door was smashed.

Some even muttered under their breath, "This red-robed master is far too reckless..."

After listening to Pudu Cihang's words, Shen Jue suddenly smiled.

"What a silver tongue."

Shen Jue stopped laughing, reached out and took off his red cassock and white inner shirt, tossing them aside to reveal a well-defined body that contained boundless power.

He took a step forward barefoot, and the golden lotus phantom beneath Pudu Cihang's feet shattered, turning into specks of golden light and dissipating.

Pudu Cihang's smile finally froze slightly.

"Debate on scriptures?" Shen Jue tilted his head, his gaze sharp as a knife, and said, enunciating each word clearly, "You centipede demon, do you think you're worthy to debate scriptures with this humble monk?"

These words shocked everyone present.

Pudu Cihang's expression remained unchanged, still smiling: "You jest, benefactor. This old monk is a disciple of Buddhism."

"It's a thousand-year-old centipede spirit!" Shen Jue roared.

"You think that by donning a monk's robe and chanting a few 'Amitabha's mantras, you can conceal your demonic aura?"

Pudu Cihang slowly stood up, his smile fading slightly: "Benefactor, lying is a grave taboo in Buddhism. This old monk has spent his life in pure cultivation; how could I possibly speak of demons or evil spirits?"

"Seclusion?" Shen Jue sneered. "Just look at your own feet."

Pudu Cihang looked down and saw that where the golden lotus phantom he had stepped out of was scattered, the golden light was slowly turning black, turning into wisps of black smoke, with a faint stench spreading out.

"This..." Pudu Cihang's expression changed slightly. He had disguised himself so well that no cultivator in the world had noticed anything unusual about him.

Unexpectedly, they fell into the trap of an unknown monk without anyone noticing.

Up to this point, he had not figured out Shen Jue's methods, and only felt that this person was like a monkey that had sprung out of a stone.

And they started causing him trouble for no reason.

"Can't keep up the act anymore?" Shen Jue took a step forward, his aura as imposing as a mountain pressing down.

"Demon! I'll expose your true form!"

At this moment, dragon-shaped golden patterns began to crawl all over Shen Jue's upper body!

An endless and terrifying internal force was boiling within Shen Jue's body!

He shouted sternly, "Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon!"

A golden dragon formed from internal energy crawled out from the dragon-shaped patterns on Shen Jue's upper body!

"World Honored One, Ksitigarbha!"

"Prajna Buddhas! Prajna Parama Emptiness!"

As he uttered the incantation, nine golden dragon-shaped energies leaped out from his upper body, swirling around him, and the roar of the dragons resounded throughout the entire imperial city.

"This...this is a dragon!" exclaimed a worshipper at Cihang Temple!

One of them, an old man resembling a Confucian scholar, dressed in a scholar's robe and wearing a crown, sighed and said, "The dragon is a symbol of emperors!"

"You audacious monster!"

"I'll expose your true colors!"

Shen Jue didn't utter the word "cassock"; at that moment, he was cosplaying as Zhao Wenzhuo's version of Fahai from the old Hong Kong film "Green Snake".

Having been a monk for so many years since his transmigration, Shen Jue suddenly developed a slightly wicked sense of humor. At this moment, he only used the internal energy within his body, while leaving the Great Yuan Magnetic Power untouched.

"go!"

With a loud shout, one of the nine golden dragons broke free from his body and rushed straight towards Pudu Cihang, who was about to utter the death-dealing chant.

Pudu Cihang retreated in fright, but could not escape the golden dragon that had bound him!

With a loud bang, Pudu Cihang's flesh and blood exploded!

But the thousand-year-old centipede spirit did not die!

Flesh and blood exploded, but it was not the end.

In that instant, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of a hundred feet around Cihang Temple suddenly stagnated, as if an invisible giant hand had gripped its throat.

The scattered blood mist did not fall to the ground; instead, it hovered in mid-air, spinning wildly, each drop of blood radiating a dazzling golden light.

The golden light grew brighter and brighter.

The officials, monks, and pilgrims who were kneeling on the ground all looked up, their eyes filled with ecstasy and awe.

In their eyes, it seemed as if a real Buddha was descending.

"Amitabha!"

A Buddhist chant came from the sky, but it was no longer the gentle and warm voice of Pudu Cihang just now.

This Buddhist chant was so grand and boundless, it was as if three thousand Buddhas were chanting in my ears at the same time, and every syllable made my heart and mind tremble.

The golden light suddenly expanded to a height of six zhang (approximately 33 meters), and the light gradually subsided, revealing a giant Buddha image sitting cross-legged.

With her hair styled in a bun, her ears reaching her shoulders, and her face solemn and compassionate, she was none other than the supreme Mahavairocana Buddha in the hearts of the people.

His golden body was six zhang tall, and his entire body was as clear and transparent as glass, with every inch of his skin flowing with glass-colored Buddhist light.

This golden statue of Vairocana Buddha sits serenely in the void, with nine-tiered golden lotuses of merit naturally arising beneath it. The lotus petals unfold layer upon layer, and on each petal sits a tiny Buddha, chanting in unison.

Flowers rained down from the sky, golden springs gushed from the ground, and the entire imperial city was enveloped in this vast and boundless Buddhist atmosphere.

"May Buddha have mercy!"

"It's the Buddha himself manifesting!"

"The Imperial Preceptor is indeed the reincarnation of Buddha!"

People outside the hall kowtowed one after another, their foreheads hitting the bluestone slabs with a loud thud, blood streaming down their faces, yet they were completely unaware.

Even those high-ranking officials and nobles who were usually aloof and powerful were now weeping and prostrating themselves in submission.

Shen Jue looked up at the six-zhang-tall golden statue, his smile remaining unchanged.

"Second form? Interesting."

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."