Red Dragon seeks his position in both realms.

Winters frowned, looking at the monk with his eyes closed, quite puzzled.

Why does he call me elder?

This is the biggest question, and also the reason why the monk stopped.

Winters must figure this out in order to predict the other party's next move and take appropriate countermeasures.

He could sense that the monk's cultivation level was significantly higher than his own, at least at the fourth level of the embryonic breathing stage.

But Winters was not afraid; on the contrary, he was eager to try, feeling that it could be a good warm-up after the dormant period.

It should be noted that Winters not only possesses the cultivation level of the Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao, but is also a dragon with a life level of nine!

According to Winters's perception, the monk in front of him was not a high threat level, and could even be described as very low.

Although the opponent's cultivation level was higher than his, the threat level to him was only equivalent to twelve beast-like leopards that he had killed.

After his dormant period, Winters' combat strength was roughly equivalent to forty beast-like leopards.

Forty against twelve, the advantage is in my hands!

Strength is the greatest confidence. It was precisely because Winters trusted his own strength that he was able to watch the show so calmly.

Of course, Winters also knew that he couldn't be careless when facing his enemy, as the enemy had a bell that could make people's bodies stiff, so he needed to be wary.

If a fight breaks out and he finds himself outmatched, Winters will naturally make a hasty retreat, using his teleportation ability to escape.

The thought raced through Winters' mind.

A mountain breeze swept across the mountainside, rustling the leaves, while ordinary people on the plains knelt devoutly on the ground, their hands clasped together in prayer.

The two cultivators who collected blood energy stood frozen in place, like statues.

The monk with his eyes closed remained in a bowing posture, motionless, like a quiet stone Buddha, waiting for the elder in front to speak.

Winters's mind shifted instantly.

Since the other party addressed him as an elder, it meant that they assumed he was a member of the Buddhist community, and one of them, with a relatively high status.

But he was clearly a red dragon, with no connection to Buddhism. If there was any connection, it was only...

The answer is obvious—the Mahavairocana Sutra.

He himself was the golden earth refined from the "Mahavairocana Sutra," and there was no other possibility but the golden earth he had refined.

The blindfolded monk may have sensed his aura of the Golden Land or something else through some means, and mistook him for a Buddhist elder who possessed the Golden Land.

After figuring out the cause and effect, Winters felt a little relieved, knowing he was safe now, but his heart immediately jumped again.

The monk named Wuchen had been bowing for a long time, and if he continued to remain silent, the other party might become suspicious.

"We can try disguising ourselves first. If that doesn't work, then I'll take direct action."

If the disguise succeeds, wouldn't I be able to act as a Buddhist elder in this world? That would be for the best.

  

Winters' heart stirred slightly, and the next moment, his crimson dragon wings suddenly spread open.

With a wingspan of twelve meters covering the surroundings, the massive dragon body soared into the air, bringing with it a powerful wind pressure, and slowly descended towards the high ground of the plain.

The gusts of air from the dragon wing fan blew dust up from the ground.

Although the monk with his eyes closed has his eyes tightly shut, he has some means to "see" everything around him.

As Winters' massive body landed, the monk's shoulders stiffened imperceptibly.

"Why is this elder a winged giant lizard?"

The monk with his eyes closed was taken aback. He clearly felt a familiar golden aura on the other person. Could it be that this elder had some strange quirk?

Searching his mind through all the Buddhist sects and lineages, he could only think of the Yogacara school. The elder's capricious changes seemed somewhat similar to the descriptions of the Yogacara school's lineage.

He sensed the aura again and clearly did not detect the aura of a mage or higher-level expert, which made him realize the situation.

The elder in front of me is probably a recent reincarnation and his cultivation level is not high.

Otherwise, according to the unspoken rules of Buddhism, they would definitely flaunt their cultivation level, as if afraid that others wouldn't know.

In the blink of an eye, the astonishment on the monk's face faded, replaced by a humble and respectful smile.

He bowed again, performing a standard Buddhist salute:

"My Buddhist name is Wuchen. I am a disciple of Master Daliang of the Six Desires School, and I cultivate the [Stomach Earth] lineage."

"I was sent by my master to the Sichuan region, and while passing through this area, I witnessed evil cultivators causing trouble. I intervened and disturbed the elder's peaceful cultivation. Please forgive me, elder."

He immediately stated his Dharma name, sect, lineage, and purpose, adopting an extremely humble posture.

Winters landed on the ground and was not used to the seven-meter-long dragon body at first, but it took him a while to get used to it.

The crimson-gold dragon eyes scrutinized Wuchen, and after listening to his words, it slowly nodded.

"Less talk, fewer mistakes; more talk, more mistakes. I'll just stay silent."

Winters decided to remain silent to avoid arousing suspicion due to his accent and wording being different from those of Buddhist monks.

Seeing Winters nod in acknowledgment, Wuchen spoke, his tone enthusiastic:

"I wonder if the Elder has any instructions for your secluded cultivation here? Wuchen is willing to serve as the Elder's vanguard and offer his services."

After saying this, he performed a Buddhist salute and waited respectfully for a reply.

Wuchen waited for a while, but there was only steady breathing ahead, and no response.

Wuchen's doubts deepened. After waiting for a while, he quietly activated the wondrous [Brahma Sound Six Senses Multi-Ear Perception] to carefully perceive it.

But the enormous figure maintained a stable aura, showing no sign of emotional fluctuation.

"This elder is very strange; why doesn't he speak? Could it be that he has cultivated some kind of supernatural power called silent meditation?"

Wuchen made a guess in his heart, and silently sensed Winters' cultivation aura, but could not detect which lineage it belonged to.

"As expected, he is an elder who has been reincarnated and is cultivating again."

Seeing the elder's silence, Wuchen had a bold idea.

His master, Master Daliang, was a mean-spirited man. Following him would likely lead to no advancement, and he might even become food for him in the future, his life in danger.

But the reincarnated elder who is in charge of the Golden Land is different.

He is clearly a reincarnation of a high-ranking monk, but his cultivation level is currently low, and he needs help to assist him. If one can get close to him as soon as possible, the benefits in the future will be unimaginable, far better than suffering under the tutelage of Master Daliang.

This is an opportunity, a chance to break free from the status quo and achieve instant success.

Having made up his mind, Wuchen's attitude became eager, and without waiting for Winters' reply, he continued speaking to himself:

"Elder, you may not know this, but the reason I am going to Sichuan is actually for a secret Buddhist shrine that is about to open."

That secret realm was left behind by my Buddhist ancestors, and it contains all kinds of elixirs, magical artifacts, and cultivation techniques. It's quite an opportunity.

Judging from the elder's movements, could he also be heading towards that secret realm?

As he spoke, he discreetly observed Winters' reaction. Winters nodded slowly upon hearing this, without saying anything more.

Wuchen became increasingly certain that the other party was an elder who had been reincarnated and was cultivating again, but whose soul was not yet awake and who was not good at speaking.

A moment later, Wuchen pointed to the mortals on the plain and the two evil cultivators frozen in place, and tentatively asked:

"Elder, what do you think we should do with these mortals and two evil cultivators on the plains?"

If an elder needs to replenish their soul and stabilize their cultivation, this humble monk can immediately refine their blood essence and cultivation for the elder to absorb.

Cultivators possess abundant vital essence, while mortals have long and abundant blood and energy; neither is more nourishing than the other.

Upon hearing this, Winters' dragon eyes narrowed slightly.

He originally thought that Wuchen was a righteous monk who stopped the evil cultivator out of compassion, but he did not expect that his methods would be so ruthless and that he would treat human life as worthless.

What Buddhist cultivators? In their bones, they are not much different from those two evil cultivators who harvest blood essence.

Refining living people to nourish one's cultivation? He doesn't have that ability.

If we accept it, it will definitely be exposed.

This was the first time he had spoken since appearing, a deep voice rumbling from his dragon throat, uttering only three words:

"unnecessary."

"I will obey the elder's decree."

Wuchen responded swiftly, without the slightest hesitation, and immediately lifted his hand to undo the guiding method used by the mortals on the plain.

He was quick-witted and instantly grasped the meaning from those three simple words.

This elder dislikes the path of refining blood and qi, and has a bottom line in his actions; he truly lives up to the style of an ancient high monk.

He was preparing to lift the restrictions on the two blood cultivators at the same time when Winters' voice came:

"Kill these two."

"Yes."

Wuchen offered no objection and shook his bronze bell again.

Clang! Clang!

The two men didn't even have time to scream before their bodies went limp and they died.

Having done all this, Wuchen put away the bronze bell, and had no more doubts about his judgment that he was "the reincarnation of an ancient high monk".

Disliking the indiscriminate killing of mortals, yet showing no mercy to evil cultivators, this behavior is clearly characteristic of ancient cultivators.

He stepped forward and invited again in a sincere tone:

"Elder, the journey to that Buddhist shrine is not short, and there are many evil cultivators and rogue cultivators causing trouble along the way."

"It would be better if this humble monk could serve by your side and accompany you on your journey, so that I can handle miscellaneous tasks and gather information for you, Elder."

Winters responded with silence.

.........

Meanwhile, in the Buddhist Kingdom of the Northern Region, in a dark hall hidden within the Thirty-Three Golden Lands.

Thousands of enormous Buddha statues lined both sides, all with their eyes closed and knees crossed, chanting scriptures. The deep, resonant chants echoed and rippled throughout the hall, condensing into a tangible golden halo.

The Buddha statue on the main seat remained motionless, and the entire hall seemed to remain eternally silent.

Suddenly, a Buddha statue on the left slowly opened its eyes.

His pupils shimmered with pure gold, and two beams of golden light shot out, instantly illuminating the dark hall.

Almost at the same moment he opened his eyes, all the Buddhas in the hall stopped chanting, and their golden eyes opened at the same time, shimmering with golden light, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day.

Each Buddha has a different appearance, some are wrathful, some are compassionate, some are emaciated, and some are prosperous, but the golden light in their eyes is the same, containing the vast and boundless Buddhist meaning.

The Buddha, who was the first to open his eyes, spoke, his voice calm:

"Another junior brother has been reincarnated and awakened. Let us choose one of our people to go and guide him back to the Land of Bliss."

As soon as he finished speaking, a plump Buddha statue beside him, with a rounded figure, began to strum his prayer beads, which clinked together with a clear sound. He squinted and slowly said:

"This fellow disciple probably has his own plans."

"Oh?"

"His appearance in Sichuan, with his aura pointing directly towards the Bashu region, suggests that he was heading towards that secret Buddhist shrine."

The fat Buddha laughed and said, "Since this fellow disciple has his own arrangements, we don't need to go out of our way to guide him."

The Buddha, who was at the head of the group, pondered for a moment and then nodded slightly.

"good."

As soon as the words were spoken, all the Buddhas in the hall closed their eyes simultaneously.

In the next instant, the continuous chanting of Buddhist sutras rang out again, and the Buddhas in the hall joined their palms together, and the sound of chanting resumed, echoing endlessly.