A few days after that, Tathagata along with the high-ranking monks in the monastery finally returned. Tathagata and the rest then heard everything from the monks and his disciple, Monk Wang Yang.

After hearing what happened, he immediately visited Yun Ling inside the Demon Suppression Seal of their monastery which also served as a prison.

As Tathagata slowly walked into the dark hallway which was illuminated only by the faint candle lights in the wall, Tathagata's mind was in a mess. His originally tranquil mind was disturbed. Nothing should've been able to disturb his body, soul, and mind anymore, however, the recent events in the monastery made his originally calm heart turn into chaos.

He kept asking himself just where did he go wrong? To think that after just staying out of the monastery for a few days, a big scandal happened... what was more was that an innocent little girl actually lost her life from the actions of one of his monks...

Tathagata felt despair.

After a few minutes of walking, Tathagata finally arrived in the Demon Suppression Seal where Yun Ling was held.

"Who's there?" came Yun Ling's angry voice from a dark room behind the bars embedded with numerous formations that sapped the prisoner's spiritual energy to make them weak and unable to escape their cell.

"It is I," Tathagata said when he finally got right in front of Yun Ling's cell and saw Yun Ling sitting with his back, facing him.

"Tathagata?" Yun Ling questioned as he looked behind him only to see Tathagata standing in front of his cell. The anger in his voice disappeared and was immediately replaced by a cold one. "It's nice to see that you're finally back, Tathagata."

Tathagata didn't know how to respond to Yun Ling's sarcasm. He was motionless as he stood in silence for a long while as numerous thoughts ran in his head.

It was only after a few hours that Yun Ling spoke once again, breaking the silence between them.

"It's quite funny, Tathagata..."

"..."

"..."

"What is?"

"Everything..."

"..."

"Tathagata, did you know? Did you know that no one lifted a hand when the little girl was being harmed? Isn't it funny that after I killed that monk, I was put into this prison, Tathagata? Tell me, isn't it funny?"

"Tathagata, did you know? Did you know that your monk raped that little girl and then proceeded to harm her right after that? He almost managed to make the little girl slit her throat right in front of us... right in front of your MONKS!"

"Tathagata, did you know? Did you know how distasteful your monks are except for a few? Every time I looked at them, I feel nothing but disgust and contempt for them. Now that I think about it, they did well by putting me into this prison. If not... I would've gouged out their eyes and cripple them for not doing anything in that situation. What use were their eyes and hands if they couldn't stop that monk from committing evil in broad daylight, right in front of them at that? Isn't it funny that these incompetent fools are called monks? Isn't it funny, huh? Tathagata?!"

"Tathagata, did you know?! That little girl originally came into this monastery, hopeful that it would be able to give her a new and better life! But what happened?! Instead of a better life, she suffered the worst fate instead! Don't you think it's funny, Tathagata?!"

"Tathagata, did you know?! That little girl killed herself when no one was around! Isn't it funny that the one that caused her death was your monk who used what he had learned from YOU to convince that little girl to kill herself and leave this shitty world herself?! Isn't it funny, Tathagata?!"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Tathagata, did you know?! All of this mess was caused by you! All of this happened because you failed to discipline your monks! You failed to judge their characters! Or perhaps you already know but you foolishly thought that you could still change that twisted mind of theirs! Either way, it's all your fault! You killed that little girl, Tathagata! Isn't that funny, Tathagata?! You weren't here but you're responsible for her death! For what she had suffered in this damned monastery!"

"Tathagata, did you know?!..."

"Yun Ling..."

"Tathagata, did you...?!"

"Yun Ling..."

"Tathagata, did...!"

"Stop..."

"TathaGATA...!"

"Stop it..."

"TATAHAGATA...!"

"Stop it, Yun Ling..."

"TATHAGATA...!"

"I said stop!"

Yun Ling glared at him as he raised his voice, not fearing Tathagata at all in the slightest at that very moment.

"THERE'S NO WAY I'LL STOP!" Yun Ling screamed out with his shoulders heaving up and down.

He couldn't stand looking at any of the monks in the monastery and that included Tathagata.

"ALL OF THIS HAPPENED INSIDE THE MONASTERY! INSIDE THE MONASTERY OUT OF ALL PLACES! BY ONE OF YOUR MONKS OUT OF ALL PEOPLE! TELL ME TATHAGATA! WHY DID YOUR MONKS NOT DO ANYTHING?! THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARRIVED FAR EARLIER THAN I AND MONK WANG YANG DID YET WHAT DID THEY DO?! THEY JUST WATCHED! THEY JUST WATCHED TATHAGATA! WATCHED THAT MONK HUMILIATE AND HARM THAT LITTLE GIRL! WATCHED THAT MONK TRY TO KILL THAT LITTLE GIRL! WHY?! WHY DIDN'T THEY DO ANYTHING?! Oh..." Yun Ling stopped speaking as a mock realization hit him. "I know why... Tathagata... that monk... was the son of a high-ranking monk under your command before embracing Buddhism. Because of that, the other monks were afraid to touch him in consideration for his father. Fucking pathetic I TELL YOU! USELESS MONKS! IMBECILES! ISN'T THAT FUNNY TATHAGATA?! IF ONLY THEY SET ASIDE THEIR FEAR! IF ONLY THEY ACTED QUICKLY! PERHAPS A LITTLE GIRL WOULDN'T HAVE LOST HER LIFE IN THIS FUCKING CORRUPT OF A MONASTERY! ISN'T THAT FUNNY TATHAGATA?! IT WAS ALSO THAT MONK'S FATHER WHO PUT ME INTO THIS PRISON! IT'S FUNNY RIGHT?! WHY AREN'T YOU LAUGHING?! LAUGH! YOU SHOULD LAUGH BECAUSE OF HOW FUCKING FUNNY ALL OF THIS IS!"

"IT'S NOT FUNNY YUN LING! NOTHING OF THIS IS FUNNY AT ALL!"

Totally out of character, Tathagata screamed out to Yun Ling, trying to make him stop. He finally snapped and rebutted back as he started sobbing while tears rolled down his cheeks.

It was a sight that would make anyone stunned.

The Tathagata of the Great Buddhist Monastery, losing his composure and crying in front of a cultivator who was far below his league stuck inside a prison cell with the fancy name of Demon Suppression Seal. No matter how true it was, very few people would believe it if they heard of it.

Yun Ling went silent as he looked at him coldly. Not at all moved or bothered by his tears.

"This is not funny at all... because of my incompetence, an innocent soul had left this world... that little girl..."

"You're way too optimistic, Tathagata. You of all people should know that this world isn't sunshine and rainbows. You know that not everyone can become good and truly embrace Buddhism but you still kept trying hard to change them, hoping that they will," Yun Ling coldly said. "There are all sorts of scums out there who are beyond saving— yes, including that monk. You should've excommunicated that monk long ago... even better, you should have killed him. This is the reason why you're still Tathagata and have yet to ascend to become a Buddha. Tathagata might be one of the many titles of Buddha but in this monastery, they are not the same. It's a rank below Buddha."

"I was foolish... I still am even now."

Tathagata finally stopped crying as he looked at him. Then, he muttered some chant before Yun Ling's cell opened.

CLANG

"You should leave. They were wrong for imprisoning you in the first place since you have not done anything wrong. You might have broken one of the monastery's rules about killing inside the monastery but you did so within good reason."

"Of course, it is within good reason. I'm not sick in the head to kill someone without any reason or without any provocation whatsoever unlike that monk. At the very least, I'm not that far gone to harm an innocent little girl like that..." Yun Ling spat out. "What are you going to do now?"

With a sigh, Tathagata responded, "I'm going to clean this monastery as much as I can."

"You should've done that a long time ago," Yun Ling said before leaving that place.

Sighing once more, Tathagata looked at his back for a second before looking at Yun Ling's prison cell.

There were cracks all over the wall inside his cell including the bars which weren't there before.

He didn't notice it but those cracks appeared when Yun Ling was screaming at him. The formations inside the cell weren't able to truly suppress Yun Ling. Even with his strength suppressed, Yun Ling was still able to release enough power to make cracks in the sturdy walls and metal bars in his prison cell.

What was more was that Yun Ling was only at the late stage of the Four Transformation Realm. Even demons in the Mortal Lord Realm couldn't do the same feat he did.

He sighed for the third time.

He had messed up big time, not because of Yun Ling but because of what happened to the little girl. He might be Tathagata but someone like him...

He shouldn't have become Tathagata at all.

That title was too heavy for him to bear.