One incense stick's time later.

  The incense Xia Li had offered had just finished burning. Xia Li came back to his senses from reminiscing about the past, discovering that ash had already covered his hands.

  "I just..."

  Xia Li reached out to touch his own face, only then realizing he'd been crying.

  And in his memories, which version of him had his grandmother seen before she died?

  "The self will extinguish, but the True Self exists eternally. Dissolution is also a return..."

  "The True Self is Alaya, infinite consciousness..."

  "It can traverse time and space..."

  Having experienced that dimensional ascension, Xia Li understood self and True Self more clearly than others, thus comprehending what had happened.

  In the instant when the self dies and returns to the True Self, even mortals can instinctively wield "divine powers."

  That final thought of his grandmother before death—that was surely the "Buddha" just now.

  In this moment, Xia Li suddenly achieved enlightenment.

  "The Faceless Buddha—the aspect of all beings."

  "Amitabha..."

  Xia Li willingly prostrated.

  Earlier, Xia Li had only knelt to offer incense without prostrating. Now he was truly, willingly prostrating to Buddha. Among all beings were also his departed loved ones.

  Some lingering thoughts among them might sometimes transform into wind, into rain, into Buddha—to see him, embrace him, comfort him.

  And his enemies might perhaps curse him, hate him, wish him ill.

  Thus this prostration was both gratitude to departed loved ones and apology to past enemies.

  No matter what, may you all have attained Buddhahood.

  "Excellent!"

  A voice of praise rang out behind Xia Li. He rose and looked back—an elderly monk of ancient appearance.

  "Greetings, Master."

  "Young friend, you have deep affinity with Buddha. Would you be willing to enter our Buddhist sect?"

  The other party immediately invited Xia Li to join Buddhism. After all, everything Xia Li had experienced in this Buddha hall spoke to his profound Buddhist affinity.

  "But I still can't let go. Not yet."

  Xia Li shook his head.

  The old monk merely smiled slightly at this, offering no further persuasion. When the affinity wasn't there, forcing it would only ruin it.

  But just at this moment...

  Several discordant footsteps sounded as several cultivators in ornate robes appeared at the Buddha hall's entrance.

  "You just knelt? You prostrated?"

  The leader among them glared angrily at Xia Li.

  "Just a small gesture of respect."

  "We cultivators kneel to none but our parents—not heaven, not earth. We must be self-reliant! Yet you come here to kneel to this Buddha statue?"

  "Secular Buddhism produces nothing, only hoards land and wealth. Buddhist sects contribute little, just a bunch of twisted doctrines that confuse people's minds. If you don't want to cultivate the Dao, then don't cultivate! I see you're close to forming a Golden Core—what Golden Core are you forming? Why not form a ?arīra instead?"

  The newcomers' tone was extremely hostile. They seized upon Xia Li and Buddhism to deliver a barrage of criticism. Xia Li only nodded perfunctorily, having no intention to argue.

  He'd worshipped Buddha, yet also not Buddha.

  That prostration was to all beings.

  He also knew there were false Buddhas in the world. If he'd encountered the kind of fake Buddhists who forced people to kneel, he'd have already acted. But Vajra Temple in the depths of the Desolate Continent clearly wasn't that.

  "You're right. I was wrong. Won't happen again."

  Xia Li simply and directly admitted fault. His eyes looked at that person, but his gaze seemed to pass through him to the sky beyond.

  Seeing Xia Li's expression, that person couldn't help but feel a surge of anger—because Xia Li's gaze was the same as those old monks!

  Eyes that simply didn't regard him as a person at all!

  "We are Daoist Sect Inspectors with authority to oversee Buddhist sects. You violated regulations by kneeling to Buddha without being Buddhist. Now you have two choices."

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  "Either die, or abolish your Dao cultivation and join the Buddhist sect immediately."

  The other party's attitude was extremely vile. Xia Li didn't respond immediately, instead taking out a transmission jade slip to consult the Third Elder.

  For matters he didn't understand well, better to ask an elder.

  【Third Elder, I'm being harassed by some so-called Daoist Sect Inspectors because I knelt to Buddha. In my homeland, kneeling to Buddha isn't a big deal.】

  Soon...

  The Third Elder replied.

  【It really isn't a big deal. Vajra Temple is orthodox Buddhism. As long as it's not false Buddhism, kneeling sincerely brings only benefits—at worst it dispels bad luck.】

  【Those Daoist Sect Inspectors have no real power anymore. It's just that Buddhism lacks the strength to contest them, so they let them make a fuss.】

  【May I ask about the origin of the Daoist Sect Inspectors?】

  【This stems from...】

  The Third Elder explained to Xia Li. Buddhism had once been extremely powerful, with Demon Buddhas, Devil Buddhas, and Ghost Buddhas appearing frequently. This was because Buddhism excelled at using the Way of Incense—they had unique understanding and application of faith power.

  This led to many who'd entered Buddhism but lacked firm resolve to learn it incorrectly, then leave Buddhism to establish various crooked paths. Yet these people all called themselves Buddha.

  The secular world was the same.

  Bandits and thugs put on monk robes and kasayas, outwardly beginning to eat vegetarian and chant sutras, while their evil deeds behind the scenes only intensified.

  These false Buddhas who exploited human weaknesses spread hundreds or thousands of times faster than orthodox Buddhism. Orthodox Buddhism couldn't keep up, until the great purge of Buddhism across the realm.

  After that war, many innocent true Buddhist cultivators and orthodox Buddhist sects were implicated. Buddhism's power plummeted. In the end, they could only barely protect themselves by reaching an agreement with the then-Daoist Alliance.

  【If you ask me, the fact that those Buddhist defectors could escape Buddhist pursuit might have had some powers' shadows behind it. In short, it's complicated to explain, but the core is simple.】

  【Incense offerings are limited. Great demons, great devils, great ghosts are all watching. First let lesser demons, devils, and ghosts sow chaos in the world, then seize the opportunity to frame others—and all the incense ends up in their pockets.】

  【As for Buddhism—whether it's good or evil doesn't matter. They don't care either. But not having Buddhism compete for incense—that matters greatly.】

  【Today Buddhism has declined, retreating to the Desolate Continent. The so-called Daoist Alliance exists in name only. It's just sects near the Desolate Continent using that tiger's skin, occasionally coming to Buddhist temples to extort.】

  【Those who come seeking opportunities at Buddhist temples—aren't you also their opportunity?】

  After the Third Elder finished transmitting, Xia Li understood the cause and effect. He raised his head to look at the so-called Daoist Sect Inspectors.

  "How about coming down the mountain with me?"

  Xia Li's right prosthetic eye contracted, directly unlocking.

  "What, you want to fight?"

  That person's attitude was extremely arrogant. At this point, the old monk also sighed.

  "Would both benefactors please not start conflict before Buddha!"

  "Master, can I act within the temple?"

  "Absolutely not. I will protect them."

  The old monk indicated that if Xia Li dared act, he would instead help those people. Seeing this, Xia Li understood. Buddhism was now weak and no longer wished to have disputes with any faction.

  So even when other factions sent people to disgust them, they could only endure it, even having to protect the other party.

  "Buddha has two faces—wrathful Vajra toward demons and ghosts. It seems Vajra Temple no longer has any Vajras."

  Xia Li sighed and walked up to the so-called Daoist Sect Inspector.

  "I'm going down the mountain now. If you want to punish me, feel free to follow."