Chapter 144: Hidden Corruption Among the Buddhist Sects

Wang Sheng put on his cuff and epaulette, lifted his longsword, and made a round of inspections. When he reached the area where the Buddhist sect members were gathered, he acted as if he had just noticed that his senior sister was in the food truck.

Smiling, he called out, "Senior Sister!"

The monks lining up at the food truck turned to Wang Sheng. A few greeted him with a Buddhist salute, and Wang Sheng cupped his hands in return.

Mu Wanxuan blinked and beckoned for Wang Sheng to come inside the food truck, indicating there was still room to stand.

Wang Sheng put on an apron and took over for one of the Special Investigation Unit members. He began serving rice to the Buddhist monks. It was well known that the job of a referee was to be fair and just... especially in evenly portioning every serving of food.

After a while, Wang Sheng noticed something. The style and color of the two to three hundred monks varied slightly. A rough estimate suggested that they had come from at least a dozen different temples.

Naturally, none of the monks were from the Ziyan Temple. After all, they were still busy working with the research institute, chanting sutras day and night beside the Devil-Sealing Well.

The monk whom Wang Sheng had previously flagged as suspicious had finished eating and gathered up the empty lunch boxes of several fellow disciples. He walked to the food truck and threw them into the trash bin beside it.

Sensing Wang Sheng's gaze, the monk looked up, met his eyes, smiled faintly, and gave a Buddhist salute. His expression showed not even the slightest anomaly.

Appearing to be in his early thirties, he had a slender build, a bald head marked with discipline scars, and a string of prayer beads in his hand. His cultivation realm in Buddhist arts was roughly equivalent to the Daoist sects' late-stage Spirit Convergence Realm, and his aura was calm and peaceful.

Wang Sheng's phone vibrated. He apologized to the monk waiting in line and glanced at the screen, finding information about the suspect. There really was something off about him.

His identity information matched, and his travel route to the conference checked out. However, one detail stood out: in the notes of his file, his personality had been marked as "reserved" and "taciturn." The meticulousness of the Special Investigation Unit had unexpectedly paid off.

Wang Sheng did not react. He simply put away his phone, smiled apologetically at the monk in front of him, and efficiently served the next portion of rice.

The Yin-Yang Cult had been mass-producing human-skin masks for years. Now, it seemed that their product line had finally gotten an upgrade.

Five minutes later, eight members of the Special Warfare Unit arrived near the food truck. Two young women from the Special Investigation Unit also hurried over, holding folders, and headed straight toward the Buddhist cultivator whom Wang Sheng had identified.

The surrounding monks turned to look. Several Daoist elders and masters who had been drinking tea and chatting near the podium also directed concerned glances toward the scene.

"Buddhist Master Shi An, would you please come with us?" one of the women requested in a gentle tone. "There are some inconsistencies in your identity information. We hope you can help us correct and complete the records."

"Of course," the fake monk replied with a smile. He then turned to the nearby monks, who looked worried. "I'll be right back. It shouldn't be anything serious."

The "monk" did not resist at all; he followed the two investigators toward a side exit of the venue. Eight fully armed Special Warfare Unit members subtly surrounded him, ready to subdue him at any moment.

Wang Sheng took off his apron and picked up his longsword. After giving his senior sister a wink, he followed from behind. Mu Wanxuan looked momentarily puzzled.

Nearby righteous Golden Core Realm cultivators were watching. Even if the monk had been deliberately concealing his cultivation realm, he wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble. Still, just to be safe, Wang Sheng joined the entourage as they exited through the side gate.

The monk was led into a perimeter guarded by dozens of Special Warfare Unit soldiers. By the time Wang Sheng reached them, the interrogation had already begun. He heard the monk talking inside.

"

Amitabha.

I was an abandoned child found by my master in the mountains and raised in the temple since infancy. If you do not believe me, please ask my senior and junior brothers. They can vouch for me."

One investigator asked, "Buddhist Master Shi An, what was your purpose in attending this event?"

"I was simply following the orders of my temple's abbot. I came here to—"

Whoosh—!

Air sharply tore behind the fake monk as a piercing sword intent locked onto his throat and vital points. Wang Sheng had launched an attack, stunning the surrounding Special Warfare Unit members!

A large hand shot backward with explosive force, as if accompanied by thunder. The palm glowed with a layer of purple-golden light and firmly caught the scabbard that had shot toward him from behind.

A scabbard?

The monk's expression froze as his left hand swept behind to catch the scabbard, and the sharp sound of a sword filled the air.

Shake the Seven Stars! Stir the winds and clouds!!

With a solemn expression, Wang Sheng's longsword flared with starlight. The moment the fake monk caught his scabbard, he had already acted decisively.

The monk didn't even turn his head. He lunged forward, golden light flickering all over him as he launched palm strikes at the two investigators before him. However, Wang Sheng was already prepared for such a scenario. Otherwise, he wouldn't have launched an attack.

Just as the fake monk leaped, the grassy ground before him burst. A flying sword shot up from the soil, aiming straight at his chest and abdomen. Five-colored light shimmered faintly on the blade, its edges sharp enough to cut through metal and stone.

The fake monk's expression changed drastically. Golden light surged around him as he twisted in midair, slicing half a meter sideways. The flying sword shot into the sky, tearing only through the hem of his robe. However, his forward momentum had been stopped.

He raised a clawed hand, and a suction force burst from his palm, attempting to drag the two pale-faced female investigators toward him. To his dismay, before he could grab the two young women, a barrage of sword phantasms exploded behind him and engulfed him, instantly forcing him to change tactics. Golden light surged around him as he quickly formed hand seals with both hands.

Clang clang clang...

He appeared to be using a Vajra seal from the Buddhist sects. The incoming sword phantasms struck the seal, causing nothing but a rapid succession of metallic clangs.

Wang Sheng shifted his stance and attacked with the Seven-Star Sword Technique. With a twist of his body, he rammed into the two female investigators with his back, knocking them aside. Then, he unleashed the Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation. The golden light around the monk flickered violently under the barrage.

The fake monk roared twice and used his golden light to defend against Wang Sheng's sword techniques. He then darted to the left, where the road led down the mountain.

The nearby Special Warfare Unit cultivators, all at late-stage Spirit Convergence Realm, had already made their move. Chains flew from their waists and swiftly wove into a net, descending on the fake monk.

Wang Sheng did not give chase. Instead, he stepped back and quickly formed a sword finger with his left hand. A celestial-grade flying sword descended from the sky.

At that moment, a palm phantasm dropped from above, stirring the primal qi within a hundred-meter radius into turmoil. No one knew when Qing Yanzi had appeared, but he was now floating dozens of meters in the air.

The fake monk broke through the chain net with his golden body, but Wang Sheng's celestial-grade flying sword pierced right through him, drawing a flash of blood.

Immediately after, a massive palm phantasm crashed down from the sky. With immense force, it slammed the fake monk into the ground. The earth caved in three feet deep, leaving behind a giant palm print. The monk was embedded into the soil, his golden light shattered entirely.

The fake monk clearly only possessed the strength of an Illusory Core Realm cultivator, yet after taking a casual palm strike from Qing Yanzi, he was still somehow able to yell, "The Daoist sects are oppressing the Buddhist sects like this?! This is intolerable! Absolutely intolerable!"

Chains flew in from all sides, binding the severely injured monk tightly.

Wang Sheng stepped forward and struck the monk's chin with the hilt of his sword, dislocating it to prevent him from shouting further.

"Even now, you're trying to sow discord between the Daoist and Buddhist sects?" Qing Yanzi remarked from above. "You must really think poorly of the Buddhist masters if you believe such tactics would work."

A Buddhist chant echoed from the venue.

"

Namo Amitabha.

If that man is a corrupt cultivator hiding within our Buddhist sects, then he must be punished severely. We will bear the responsibility for failing to detect him."

The fake monk's eyes were filled with hatred, making him as though he wanted to devour Wang Sheng. Nevertheless, Wang Sheng was completely unfazed. He opened his left hand, and his celestial-grade flying sword returned to him, slowly circling in his palm.

"Fei Yu, stay on top of this matter," Qing Yanzi instructed. "I will explain things to the attending Daoist masters."

Wang Sheng nodded in response. "Yes, Master."

He watched his master fly back into the venue using two daggers as footrests. The disturbances caused by the fluctuations of primal qi outside quickly subsided.

The daggers were small enough to remain completely hidden under Qing Yanzi's feet, making it appear as if he was gliding through the air effortlessly. The technique had no real practical value beyond looking stylish, though.

The Special Warfare Unit acted with astonishing speed. When Wang Sheng looked down again, they had already bound the fake monk tightly. Qi-sealing nails had been driven into his meridians, and seven or eight talismans that suppressed spiritual consciousness had been pasted all over him.

Two soldiers with serious expressions were also kneeling beside him, cleaning out his ears. Soon, they extracted two green bean-sized

Gu

bugs from his ears. Strangely, however, they still couldn't find any trace of disguise on his face.

Mou Yue and several core members of the Special Investigation Unit rushed over and immediately began interrogating the fake monk. A dozen or so Daoist masters gathered around to observe. The monks from the fake monk's temple were also brought over.

Acting on his master's orders, Wang Sheng stayed nearby to monitor the developments and await the outcome of the interrogation.

Just as the monk's dislocated jaw was reset, he immediately began crying loudly, "The Daoist sects are oppressing our Buddhist sects! The Buddha will never forgive you!"

The elderly monk who had led the temple delegation frowned. After a brief pause, he remarked, "I watched Shi An grow up. Could there be some sort of misunderstanding?"

Wang Sheng asked, "What is the Daoist cultivation realm equivalent of Buddhist Master Shi An's Buddhist cultivation realm?"

"Roughly late-stage Spirit Convergence Realm, perhaps early-stage Seed Formation Realm."

Wang Sheng pointed to the captive. "This high monk effortlessly blocked my flying sword attack from behind. Even after I used eighty percent of my power to activate my sword formation, I still couldn't break through his golden defenses. It took a palm strike from my master to injure him severely."

The faces of the dozen monks instantly darkened. The elderly monk recited a Buddhist chant, and another monk asked anxiously, "Then where is the real Shi An?"

"I am Shi An!" the fake monk wailed. "I am Shi An, Martial Uncle! Don't listen to him! The Daoist sects are trying to harm our Buddhist sects!"

"Check his face. See if he's wearing a human-skin mask," Mou Yue instructed coldly.

Two Special Warfare Unit soldiers wearing white gloves stepped forward and began rubbing his face. Even after a while, it yielded no result.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Sheng turned to the female investigator who was slumped on the ground nearby. "Do you have any makeup remover? Try using that instead."

Trembling, the girl responded, "Yes, I do, Daoist Master Wang. Please give me a moment; my legs are a little weak..."

Mou Yue turned around. "Bring a bottle of good makeup remover!"

Wang Sheng's suspicion was spot-on; the girls' makeup remover worked wonders. The two Special Warfare Unit soldiers wiped the monk's face thoroughly, and soon they began peeling off pieces of finely crafted prosthetic material.

His face had changed drastically!

The fake monk now glared at Wang Sheng with eyes burning with fury, as if ready to spit fire.

Beside him, Mou Yue ordered, "Strip him. Check if he has

that

mark."