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At Qi Yun Zen Temple, the moonlight flowed like water.

After the Dharma Assembly ended, Qi Yun politely declined invitations from several Arhats to continue their spirited discussions, returning alone to his secluded residence on the mountainside.

The courtyard was still, ancient pines sifting moonlight that looked like broken silver onto the ground.

In the distance, the temples on the higher reaches of Spirit Mountain remained shrouded in a hazy golden glow. The faint sound of Brahma Chanting, unceasing day or night, drifted on the wind.

Instead of entering his chambers, Qi Yun sat cross-legged on the familiar Cyan Jade Platform in the courtyard.

Deep within his Purple Mansion, however, his Daluo Heaven reflected a completely different scene.

Streams of chaotic energy swirled slowly. At the center, the aura of his true Divine Soul, seated in meditation, grew ever more profound and unfathomable. Beside it, the Great Brightness Shizhi Dharma Body was as steady as a star, its brilliance contained within.

He had benefited immensely from the Arhat Dharma Assembly.

He had not only witnessed firsthand the unfathomable depth of the Overseas Buddhist Cultivators, but the organizational power, unity, and even the highly efficient and pure cultivation ecosystem hidden behind them were all deeply unsettling.

Moreover, through a twist of fate, under the extreme pressure of the encroaching Buddhist Skill, he had unlocked the truly heaven-defying power of his Primordial True Body: to split into myriad forms and condense a Daoist Inheritance Dharma Body.

The gains were immense, but the path forward had also become clearer—and far more perilous.

A barely audible sigh escaped him, carrying a weight completely different from his usual languor.

With a flash of golden light, the small golden figure of Cai Shen appeared on Qi Yun’s shoulder. He didn’t dangle his legs as he usually did.

Instead, he stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the bright moon in the Celestial Vault, which was hazed by the Buddha Light of Spirit Mountain. His small face was filled with solemnity.

"Qi the Kid," Cai Shen began, his voice low and uncharacteristically serious.

"Take some advice from this old man. These troubled waters... maybe we should find another way and steer clear for now."

Qi Yun’s eyelashes twitched, but he didn’t open his eyes, remaining in his meditative posture.

Cai Shen continued, his tone brutally realistic:

"From the moment we stepped into Nanyin to our time here in the Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm, from witnessing the Dharma Assembly of five hundred Arhats to feeling the supreme power the True Monarch used to seal my main body... you should have a clear picture of some things by now, even if they haven’t been spelled out."

"These Overseas Buddhist Cultivators are no trivial threat.

They’ve been operating Overseas for who knows how many ages. Their accumulated resources and profound foundation are likely enough to rival the Righteous Alliance or even the Northwest Demon Sect head-on.

This aggressive eastward expansion, using the earth-shattering secret of what lies ’Above the True Monarch’ as bait to take over Nanyin and establish a new Buddha Country... there’s far more than just one or two True Monarchs involved!

This is likely a grand game of chess, one that has the tacit approval, or even the direct participation, of multiple True Monarchs!"

He turned his head, his small golden eyes staring at Qi Yun’s calm profile.

"When True Monarchs play, all living beings are the pawns.

We may have managed to blend in with this disguise and seem safe, but in reality, we’re walking a tightrope over a bottomless abyss.

The karmic entanglements and turbulent stakes involved here far surpass any of our previous adventures.

A single miscalculation, one wrong step, and forget your Foundation Establishment Cultivation—even a Great Master caught up in this could be instantly annihilated, with no hope for even their True Spirit to escape."

Cai Shen’s words were like icicles, each one a sharp, cold jab of reality.

He wasn’t fearmongering; his words were based on the clearest and most ruthless assessment of the situation.

The only sounds in the courtyard were the wind, the sighing of the pines, and the faint Brahma Chanting.

The flowing moonlight stretched Qi Yun’s shadow long and thin.

After a long moment, Qi Yun slowly opened his eyes.

He didn’t immediately respond to Cai Shen’s warning. Instead, he first raised his gaze, looking out the window at the high-hanging moon.

The moonlight shone into his eyes, but they reflected neither Compassion nor clarity.

Instead, they mirrored a bottomless, dark abyss, beneath whose waters a cool, starlike fire seemed to burn.

After a moment, he slowly turned his head to look at the solemn-faced Cai Shen on his shoulder.

Their eyes met.

The gentle peace of "Fa Hai" faded completely from Qi Yun’s eyes. In its place was a refined sharpness, a glint of light that saw the danger yet shone with even greater resolve.

"Everything you’ve said is right, Senior," Qi Yun said. His voice was steady, yet it carried an undeniable Penetration Power.

"The Overseas Buddhist Cultivators have grand ambitions, the shadows of True Monarchs loom, and this situation is indeed as perilous as a dragon’s lair and a tiger’s den."

He paused, then his tone shifted abruptly.

"But for that very reason, Senior, I have a strategy I’d like to discuss with you."

Cai Shen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Let’s hear it."

He wasn’t annoyed by Qi Yun’s "stubbornness." Instead, he felt a flicker of curiosity.

He knew this kid was no reckless fool. If he wasn’t planning to back down in the face of such obvious danger, he must have his reasons and some kind of leverage.

Qi Yun’s gaze once again fell upon the magnificent and mysterious Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm outside the window. He spoke slowly.

"You can only fish in troubled waters, and great opportunities are often hidden in perilous places.

Senior, our previous plan was to secretly find your true body, then use its power to search for clues about the ’Fruit Position.’ We would use that as a bargaining chip to deal with True Monarch Wu Dao, and perhaps even to break through to the Realm of the Great Master.

It was a strategy of ’retrieving the treasure.’"

"But as it stands, the path to ’retrieving the treasure’ has been sealed tight by a True Monarch’s power. Forcing our way through the prohibition would be like throwing an egg against a stone."

Cai Shen nodded slightly. This was his greatest worry.

"So," Qi Yun said, the sharp glint in his eyes intensifying as he spoke each word with emphasis, "why don’t we change our approach? Instead of retrieving the treasure... we join the game."

"Join the game?" Cai Shen was taken aback.

"Exactly." A faint smile touched the corner of Qi Yun’s lips. "The Overseas Buddhist Cultivators are using this earth-shattering secret as bait to gain the tacit approval of True Monarchs and are pouring all their efforts into forging this Nanyin Buddha Country and Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm. Their goal must be monumental.

They need manpower, they need strength, and even more... they need ’one of their own.’"

He pointed to himself. "And now, thanks to this Dharma Assembly and the wonders of my Primordial True Body, I’m no longer just a simple imposter.

I now possess a Great Brightness Shizhi Dharma Body that’s convincing enough to be real and can continue to advance on the Buddhist Dao. On top of that, I was mistaken by Hui Jue Arhat for an ’Ancient Sect Reincarnation’ and have been treated with great courtesy.

This identity is the perfect ’ticket’ to get in."

Cai Shen seemed to understand. His small eyes gradually lit up.

"You mean..."

"Rather than risking it all by spying from the outside, we should use this identity to truly integrate with them and fight for a higher position."

"Fight for a higher position?"

Hearing this, the languor vanished from Cai Shen’s little golden face. His gaze sharpened, and he pressed on with keen interest.

"What outrageous scheme are you plotting now, kid?"

Qi Yun didn’t answer immediately.

He rose slowly from the Cyan Jade Platform, his dark blue robes sweeping over the stone like flowing water without a sound.

With a steady gait, he walked to the half-open, carved wooden window of the Zen Room. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze piercing through the dappled shadows of the ancient pines in the courtyard, looking toward something higher and farther away.

Outside the window, the night sky over the Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm was suffused with immeasurable Buddha Light. The sky wasn’t pure black but a deep, magnificent vault of flowing, pale gold.

Higher up, on the peaks of Spirit Mountain, the faint silhouettes of temples looked like slumbering primeval gods, exuding a vast majesty that compelled all living things to bow.

The Brahma Chanting, the temple bells and drums, the wind chimes, and even the whispered prayers of the countless beings in the sacred realm all merged into an eternal symphony, as if Heaven and Earth itself were breathing, chanting scriptures.

The night wind, carrying the cool essence of the Buddha’s Rhyme, brushed against his face. Qi Yun tilted his head up slightly. His profile was sharply defined in the hazy glow, his eyes as deep as an ancient well, reflecting the Celestial Vault of Infinite Light.

After a long moment, his thin lips parted slightly. He uttered two clear, calm words that seemed to carry the weight of a mountain:

"Seeking Gold."

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