Sect Recruitment: I Can See Attribute Entries

Chapter 611: Chapter 612: When Did It Come to This That Even Our Conversations Require Indirection?

Runan’s gaze fell upon Ruzhong, whose appearance was extraordinarily aged.

As his senior brother, Ruzhong was naturally older than him, but among great cultivators, an age gap of a few hundred years shouldn’t result in such a drastic difference in appearance.

He himself was still relatively young, yet this Buddha, who knew how long he had stayed in the Western Niu Continent, was already showing the frailty of advanced age.

Karma Buddhas were inherently rare in the Buddhist Sect, and all of them were cultivated together in the Great Thunder Temple, holding Buddhist scriptures in their hands.

At the very least, Ruzhong had once taught him how to cultivate, taught him Buddhist principles, and taught him how to conduct himself.

Time would indeed fade past memories. At least, when he sat in the Great Thunder Temple, he would question whether this former senior brother had betrayed the Buddhist Sect.

But upon stepping onto this land, when truly coming face to face with his senior brother of the past...

Those memories he thought had been forgotten, and those forgotten emotions, surged back into his heart.

Therefore...

What Ruzhong said about giving him time to make his case was true.

But it was also true that Runan hadn’t yet decided exactly how to handle the matter.

Because Runan understood that the Karma Buddhas were the Buddhist Sect’s ultimate backing.

If they couldn’t even completely trust the Karma Buddhas, were they to rely on the Secular Buddhas who came for profit?

However, once certain words were spoken plainly, there was no room left for compromise.

A conversation at their level would set the tone for the entire Buddhist Sect.

Since Ruzhong spoke this way, it meant he was indeed doing it deliberately.

Runan could no longer bring it up lightly and let it go lightly. An imposing aura emanated from him as he spoke in a solemn and stern tone:

”I call you Senior Brother and do not address you by your Buddha title, because I still remember how we cultivated bitterly together in the Great Thunder Temple, and I remember the bond between us.”

”Now that I am the Honored Buddha of the Buddhist Sect, I must naturally bear its heavy burdens, strive for the prosperity of the Buddhist Sect, deliver all living beings from suffering, and ensure the Buddhist Sect continues to exist.”

”As a Buddha of the Buddhist Sect, you were nurtured and grown through the karma of the Buddhist Sect.”

”Let me ask you, if you had grievances in your heart, why didn’t you speak frankly to me?”

”I don’t believe you are unaware of how important this place is. How much suffering the Buddhist Sect has endured and how many grievances it has swallowed to develop to this day—you knew far better than I did back then!”

”Do you refuse to acknowledge our bond as junior and senior brothers, or do you refuse to acknowledge the karma of the Buddhist Sect, forgetting where this cultivation of yours truly came from?”

Runan tried his best to keep his tone calm, his eyes fixed tightly on Ruzhong, making no attempt to hide his disappointment. He slowed his tone again, yet it sounded even heavier as he said:

”Senior Brother! If you truly wanted to go to the ends of the earth and didn’t want to stay here, how could I stop you?”

”After all these hardships, through a thousand years of time.”

”Senior Brother, do you truly wish to make an enemy of us?”

A smile graced Ruzhong’s face. He had been in the Western Niu Continent, a land of scarce spiritual energy, for far too long. Whether in the depth of his cultivation or anything else, he could no longer compare to his former junior brother, now the Honored Buddha of the Buddhist Sect, Runan.

That imposing aura was heavy even to him, and he could feel the anger within it.

Facing a figure who demanded careful treatment from anyone, Ruzhong’s expression remained utterly calm. He opened his mouth and replied:

”You call me Senior Brother, but do you still remember what you should call the person you are relentlessly hunting down now?”

Hearing this, Runan half-closed his eyes and said with unwavering determination:

”Naturally, the Evil Buddha!”

”The Evil Buddha...” Ruzhong’s expression turned pensive. ”Actually, I still haven’t figured out who was right and who was wrong back then. I don’t believe that if you truly searched your own conscience, you would feel the Evil Buddha was thoroughly in the wrong.”