For some unknown reason, Fo Lian, seated on the lotus platform, dared not meet Qin Ye Xuan's gaze.
She had controlled Dong Ling Temple for years, held sway over a hundred thousand devotees, and traveled to the Goryeo continent three times, subjugating the largest temple, Qing Long Temple, among the Baekje monks. What storms had she not weathered?
During the upheaval in Chao Ge, she had manipulated the decadent Buddhist and Taoist masters of Da Xia.
She was also the one who negotiated with the demon race of Ling Meng Mountain.
Fo Lian had never imagined that she would one day be flustered.
At this moment, the Qin Ye Xuan standing proudly opposite her reminded her of someone else.
That was the Demon Cult Leader, the one pulling all the strings from behind the scenes!
Fo Lian admired the Cult Leader's talent and strength so much that she had sworn allegiance. If nothing else, Qin Ye Xuan's only lover, Shen Bing Mei, had her soul snatched and was now serving as a maid by the Cult Leader's side.
Hmph, no matter how powerful or cunning you are, Qin Ye Xuan, you'll have to get past me first.
The lotus platform descended. The carefully selected virgin boys and girls separated to the sides. Fo Lian rose, and real lotus flowers suddenly bloomed beneath her feet.
This was not magic or illusion, but seeds she had prepared long ago, nurtured by demonic arts.
Tens of thousands of devotees cried out the name of the Buddha Mother, kneeling with tears streaming down their faces.
The entire mountainside was a sea of prostrate figures.
Fo Lian, her eyes veiled by jade cicada gauze, looked at Qin Ye Xuan, "Donor Qin, I am a person of Buddhism. I neither wish to nor intend to debate with you. Hehe, I heard a woman calling herself Lian Hua has been taken in by you?"
Qin Ye Xuan's eyes flashed, "Yes, she's over at Wan Fo Tai. Do you want to see her? I can go now..."
Fo Lian's heart trembled, and she almost cried out. She forced herself to calm down and sneered, "If she were to appear here, she would surely die, for she is the true demon. My Buddha has compassion for all life, and I do not wish to kill. The demon Lian Hua will face retribution. I will not see her!"
Qin Ye Xuan smiled, "When I rescued Lian Hua, she said she was the Peacock Ming King Buddha Mother of Dong Ling Temple, and Abbot Fa Wu himself acknowledged it! So, who are you to impersonate the Buddha Mother?"
Fo Lian gritted her teeth, "Nonsense! The truth is that demon Lian Hua impersonated me and swindled people everywhere. After being discovered, she killed Abbot Fa Wu. I, in my compassion, did not wish to pursue her to the end, but you and that demon are in league!"
Qin Ye Xuan knew she was unraveling.
From beginning to end, this Fo Lian and Lian Hua were the same person.
She certainly hadn't intended to show her face this time, thinking that a few monks and tens of thousands of brainwashed followers could stop him.
However, her subordinates proved useless, forcing Fo Lian to appear in person. This disrupted her plan and made it impossible for her to explain the entire situation.
Qin Ye Xuan was now deliberately toying with her. He suddenly turned, "I'll go invite the true Buddha Mother here right now!"
"You... Stop right there!" Fo Lian was truly desperate. She stepped on lotuses, waved her jade hands, and shouted, "Devotees, do not let him summon the demon! Today, block this demon, and after death, you shall enter reincarnation and the Pure Land!"
The devotees charged forward, baring their teeth and brandishing weapons.
This time, they didn't throw stones. They wielded all sorts of things: wooden clubs, branches, iron bars, steel rods. Among them were many Dong Ling Temple monks, fanning the flames and deliberately provoking the devotees.
Qin Ye Xuan took a deep breath, clasped his hands together, and a spiritual light shot towards the heavens.
The spiritual light carried the sound of Buddhist chants.
The next moment, the airborne combat drones hidden in the sky began to deploy. As planned by Qin Ye Xuan, they scattered bags of specially made petals.
Suddenly, in the area illuminated by Qin Ye Xuan's spiritual light, a scene of heavenly blossoms falling appeared.
The devotees were stunned and stopped in their tracks.
Qin Ye Xuan's voice echoed throughout the isolated island, shaking the mountains, "The true Buddha Mother is on this island. I am the Chief Venerable Master under the Buddha Mother, sent to eliminate demons and uphold righteousness. This Dong Ling Temple has long been occupied by demons!"
As he finished speaking, the spiritual light above his head transformed again, forming a dragon and an elephant!
This was the most sacred "Dragon Elephant Power" in Buddhism!
The devotees were filled with doubt, unsure of whom to believe.
Fo Lian, hidden beneath her black veil, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, this is Qin Ye Xuan's plan. To use airborne drones and powerful spiritual energy to disguise himself as a Buddha Mother's Venerable Master and thus bewitch my followers. Heh heh, truly cunning. It's a pity he doesn't know that the identity of Dong Ling Temple's Buddha Mother is supported by a magical artifact!"
The Holy Mother Peacock Ming King chanted Buddhist scriptures and smiled faintly, "Evil spirits are no more than this. Since you say I am fake, then please, show me what this is!"
As soon as she spoke, Fo Lian unleashed her demonic arts and softly chanted towards the direction of the coral cave in the sea.
"Invoke the Ming King Buddha Mother's Lotus Platform!"
"Invoke the Ming King Buddha Mother's Lotus Platform!"
...
All the monks in Dong Ling Temple emerged, passing the message from one to another.
Before long, from beneath the sea, a lotus platform shot out, emitting brilliant light while still in mid-air.
This was the lotus platform on which Qian Nan Hai had scattered talismans!
Fo Lian pointed at the lotus platform in the sky, "Demon! Do you know the origin of this lotus platform? This is a treasure passed down from the founder of Dong Ling, a supreme venerable master of Buddhism. Only those who are recognized by the lotus platform are the true ones under the Ming King."
Qin Ye Xuan seemed stunned, remaining silent.
A stone dropped from Fo Lian's heart. She had narrowly won this time!
She skillfully circulated her cultivation technique, summoning the lotus platform.
Years ago, in the coral cave, she had consumed the sarira of Dong Ling's founder, cultivated demonic and Buddhist arts, and obtained this lotus platform.
The lotus platform was her ultimate treasure, so she rarely revealed it.
She didn't even trust Dong Ling Temple with it, keeping it in the most secret coral cave.
Thinking triumphantly, she sent a surge of spiritual power from her palm.
Huh?
The lotus platform in the sky, instead of flying towards her as usual, slowly, leisurely began to move in Qin Ye Xuan's direction!
Fo Lian was so shocked that goosebumps erupted all over her body.
She poured all her effort into performing the incantations, using every ounce of her strength.
Yet, the familiar lotus platform still flew towards Qin Ye Xuan.
Fo Lian was drenched in sweat, feeling more despair than ever before.
Qin Ye Xuan stood there with a smile. The talismans within the lotus platform were made by his own hands, so controlling it was naturally effortless.
The surrounding devotees grew restless, their gazes shifting between Fo Lian and Qin Ye Xuan.
Meanwhile, the combat unit members arranged by Li Tian Xing, hidden among the devotees, received the signal and began to shout in unison, "The lotus platform flies to whoever is real!"
"Yes, we only believe the lotus platform!"
"Let's see where the lotus platform truly belongs..."
The brainwashed devotees were now undergoing a new round of indoctrination.
When the lotus platform landed at Qin Ye Xuan's feet and golden light erupted, the tens of thousands of devotees were already dumbfounded.
The dust settled...