Chapter 406

After painstakingly explaining to Xuanhai, Fei Meng completely lost patience with this rambling monk.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and go! Don't be an eyesore here!"

Fei Meng waved his hand, directly grabbed the still muttering Xuanhai, and with a "whoosh" tossed him out of the shrine's bounds.

The force was controlled just right, letting him land steadily on a distant mountain path, unscathed.

He clapped his hands as if what he just threw away were household trash.

It was only because, when the monk encountered "danger" earlier, his instinctive act of shielding Yu Lin behind him was still tolerable.

Fei Meng thought he should at least beat him up first, to make him deeply understand that the Prince of Devils' authority cannot be desecrated, before letting him go.

Watching Xuanhai disappear into the night, he finally let out a long sigh, feeling his ears finally cleared.

He turned his head toward Yu Lin, his tone tinged with curiosity and complaint: "Uncle, how do you know this annoying monk? He spouts Buddha and Dao all the time, his mind seems a bit fuzzy."

Yu Lin slipped the controversial Mahayana Dao Method book from the table back into his arms and shrugged indifferently:

"I was wandering the streets at night, and he approached me on his own, saying I was destined with his Buddha and wanted to draw me into the Buddhist Sect."

He paused, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, "But setting aside all that mystic babble, he's actually decent, his mind is clear, not attached to sectarian views, and shows some responsibility at crucial moments."

"I actually quite appreciate that about him."

He looked at Fei Meng and added, "If he ever truly runs into trouble he can't solve himself, you help him once."

Hearing that, Fei Meng, though he couldn't bring himself to like Xuanhai, saw Yu Lin speak up, so he wouldn't refuse; he immediately nodded in agreement, only emphasizing the number of times:

"Alright, since Uncle you appreciate him, then help him once. It's agreed—just once!"

"Mm." Yu Lin gave a slight nod, indicating agreement.

Then he stood, casually drew a jade‑hued, faintly fragrant pill from his sleeve, flicked it with a finger, and the pill arced precisely into Fei Meng's hand.

"Here, take this." Yu Lin said, gave no further explanation, turned toward the guest room, and left only this line:

"I'm going to rest; unless it's something important, don't disturb me."

"Got it! Thanks, Uncle!" Fei Meng gratefully caught the pill, feeling it slightly warm, its fragrance soothing his senses.

He watched Yu Lin's figure vanish at the end of the corridor, then eagerly focused his gaze on the pill in his palm.

Though he didn't know exactly what kind of pill it was or its name, he was 100% certain that anything Yu Lin handed out was far from ordinary!

It must be the best of the good stuff!

Without any hesitation, Feimeng tossed the pill straight into his mouth, his throat moving as he swallowed it.

The instant the pill entered his stomach—

"Boom!"

An indescribable, supremely pure warm torrent erupted from his stomach like a volcanic blast, then surged like a breached river, vast yet unusually gentle, flooding his limbs and marrow.

Fei Meng felt as if he were instantly immersed in a perfectly warm, energy‑rich hot spring, his entire body exuding an indescribable comfort and satisfaction.

This sense of ease lasted about an hour before gradually fading.

Fei Meng snapped back from that ultimate comfort, instinctively lowered his head, stared at his hands, and clenched his fists tightly.

His knuckles clicked crisply; he could clearly feel the internal flow of power surging more vigorously and purely than before, and his control seemed greatly enhanced.

"This..." he reflected carefully, his face showing shock:

"My strength... at least increased by ten percent?! And it even solidified my foundation, removing slight impurities?"

One pill, in such a short time, producing such remarkable effects?!

"If I could take one like this every day..." an enticing thought involuntarily surfaced:

"Wouldn't my power then skyrocket?"

"No wonder those humans who take pills for fitness feel this way... it really does get you high!"

He shook his head, casting that unrealistic fantasy out of his mind.

The one who possesses such a miraculous pill is Yu Lin, not him.

Such blessings are rare and cannot be sought.

"Hmm... but it's not necessarily all fantasy."

Fei Meng stroked his chin, a spark flashing in his eyes, "If I keep performing well in front of Uncle, building enough favor... maybe there'll still be a chance..."

Thinking that, his mood brightened again.

He suppressed the excitement from the pill, stretched a big yawn, and his bones emitted a faint crackle.

"I'll go out for some fresh air and see if my loyal followers are working properly."

He muttered to himself, stepping lightly toward the outside of the shrine.

The city streets at midnight were much quieter than at dusk, with only scattered streetlights and occasional passing cars.

As Fei Meng stepped out of the shrine onto the slightly desolate street, his steps halted and his brows furrowed slightly.

Because in his line of sight was the annoying Xuanhai he had just tossed away not long ago.

At this moment, he hadn't left; instead, he stood under a streetlamp not far away!

The dim yellow light poured from above, stretching Xuanhai's silhouette thin; the interplay of light and shadow fell on his profile, oddly giving his face a hint of... eerie and uncanny feeling?

A faint, subtle discomfort flickered through Fei Meng's mind, but it was quickly replaced by irritation.

He strode forward, his tone clearly impatient: "Hey! What's up with you, monk? I told you to leave, you didn't—do you really think I'm lenient and won't beat you up?"

Yet, faced with Fei Meng's questioning, Xuanhai's expression under the streetlamp remained unchanged—neither the prior terrified bewilderment nor the angry grievance of being driven away, but a calmness that was oddly abnormal.

He didn't answer Fei Meng; instead, he slowly stepped forward from the brightest circle directly beneath the streetlamp.

At the moment his foot touched down, a second‑floor window of a nearby building, somehow opened a slit, and a beam of golden light, like a spotlight, precisely illuminated Xuanhai's face at that instant!

That light was not ordinary; it contained a grand, righteous, compassionate aura that seemed able to cleanse all filth and gloom.

Bathed in this sudden holy Golden Light, the faint eerie vibe on Xuanhai's face instantly melted away, completely gone.

In its place was a majestic, supremely compassionate aura of profound benevolence.

This shift in bearing is so abrupt and thorough that the present Xuanhai seems like a completely different person from before!

That is a sense of existence that is higher and more fundamental.

Such a huge change left Fei Meng, who was about to erupt, stunned, and the words on the tip of his tongue got stuck in his throat.

He widened his eyes, somewhat incredulously, looking at Xuanhai before him, as if he had been enlightened.

"You... you are..." Fei Meng stammered, the strange feeling in his heart growing stronger.

"Xuanhai", standing in the Golden Light, slowly lifted his eyelids, his gaze calmly fixed on Fei Meng; his eyes were deep as the Starry Sky, embracing all things, yet bearing a tranquil awareness of everything.

His lips moved slightly, answering Fei Meng's unspoken question:

"Fei Meng, you don't recognize me?"

"You are the Tathagata Buddha?!"