Translator: 549690339

“Hmm, who are you, to be able to withstand this old monk’s Buddhist divine skill? You do have some ability,”

the voice in the void expressed with some astonishment.

“I am Liu Jinshui, a prodigy bestowed by heaven. Merely Buddhist divine skills, I can vanquish them with a flick of my wrist,”

said Li Xiaobai with a chuckle.

“Arrogant brat, you have no idea how high the sky is or how deep the earth is. How can Buddhist divine skills be something a mere junior can withstand? Today, both you and that demon monk shall die!”

The Abbot of Thousand Buddha Temple was furious, and in the void, thunder rolled tumultuously as if he were brewing a supreme divine skill.

“Master Abbot, your disciples are still here, and so are the righteous folks. Please restrain yourself a bit!”

Monk Yuanjue was greatly alarmed, knowing that if high monks of the Mahayana Realm were to unleash their full power, all the cultivators under this patch of sky would suffer, himself included.

“Exorcising demons is our bounden duty, and dying in the process is nothing to lament. It is a blessing, and this old monk will recite your merits before the Buddha.”

The Abbot seemed to have no intention of stopping. He did not care about the life and death of the cultivators below at all. The thunder in the void roared even louder, and golden light burst forth, clearly preparing a powerful magical divine skill.

At this moment, the expressions of the cultivators in the area changed; the high-ranking monks from the Buddhist Sect were planning to exterminate them all.

“Master Abbot, I am Song Zhong from the Cangtian Sect. This time, the elders of my Cangtian Sect are also present. Please, Master Abbot, have mercy!”

“Yes, Master, you are a high monk of the Buddhist Sect, you must not kill the innocent indiscriminately!”

“My family is from Spirit Sword Mountain, Master, please reconsider!”

The deep voice was rather cold: “Where are the elder experts of the Cangtian Sect? This old monk hasn’t seen them. Exorcising demons is the lifelong wish of our order. As the saying goes, if I do not enter Hell, who will? To contribute to the human race is indeed a fortunate matter!”

“Indeed, exorcising demons is the responsibility of us junior cultivators, yet some people use this as a front all day long, shielding their unspeakable personal ambitions—surely, this cannot be the way of the Buddhist Sect!”

Another aged voice drifted into everyone’s ears. From the direction of Thousand Buddha Kingdom, an elder in white robes approached through the air, forming sword fingers and flicking towards the void with his hand, causing the thunder to dissipate in an instant.

“Uncle-Master!”

Song Zhong’s face was filled with surprise, as the newcomer was none other than the Great Crossing Realm expert of the Cangtian Sect, Wu Hou.

This was indeed a true big shot, on the same level as the high-ranking monks in the Thousand Buddha Temple.

“Benefactor Wu, what is the meaning of this?”

the voice inside Thousand Buddha Temple asked, somewhat bewildered.

“Stop the act, Thousand Buddha’s Child, your plan is as clear as day. Isn’t it that you just want an excuse to kill all the cultivators here so that you can enjoy their Space Rings alone?”

“I might as well tell you, I have been watching all along!”

Wu Hou said with a grim expression. Originally, he wanted to save some energy and let the Thousand Buddha’s Child kill the demon monk, then they could swoop in for the spoils afterwards.

He didn’t expect this old monk to be so audacious as to think about killing all the cultivators who came, an unbelievable level of greed. With no other choice, he had to step in to intervene.

Li Xiaobai was speechless, feeling that this bunch were all a group of sly old foxes. All the anger and fury were just pretense, while their real purpose was the resources in his hands and Su Mei’er.

Luckily, he was using the name of Senior Brother Liu; if his true identity were exposed, he’d probably really be played to death by these big shots.

“Amitabha, Wu Benefactor may have misjudged this old monk. Resources belong to everyone under heaven, how could this old monk hog them all to himself? However, I was indeed a bit hasty earlier. Here, I offer Wu Benefactor an apology.”

“Amitabha, that the Abbot admits his mistake is indeed a fortunate event for our Buddhist Sect.”

A distant flash of escaping light revealed another figure, also a White-browed Elder Monk, but this one was clad in the grey robes of the most humble attire within the Buddhist Sect.

Accompanying his emergence were Liaowang, Su Mei’er, and Yu Sanbian.

Li Xiaobai’s eyes widened in surprise. Today, these heavy hitters were popping up one after another, making things rather difficult. It seemed that when Yu Sanbian spoke of seeking help, he must have been referring to this old monk.

“Master Li, we meet again.”

Liaowang nodded in greeting while Li Xiaobai’s face turned a terrifying shade of black. Ever since emerging from the Illusionary Realm, something about him had been off. Not only had he lost his previous demeanor of advising the common folk, but he had also become incredibly treacherous.

And there was Su Mei’er, looking utterly subservient. We’re openly trying to save you here, can’t you show a little sincerity?

“So it’s Master Bai Mei. It’s been a long time. What brings you to my Thousand Buddha Temple today? Why not come in for a catch-up?”

The Thousand Buddha Disciple said with a gentle smile, but his words carried an underlying chill.

“Amitabha, this old monk has come to take these young talents away, as they are geniuses from the Mainland and not to be lightly extinguished.”

The White-browed Monk said cheerfully.

“Since ancient times, good and evil have never stood side by side. Consort with a Demon Sect woman, and one must face severe punishment!” said the Thousand Buddha Disciple, his tone casual yet cold.

“But he has already passed the test of heart set by Master Abbot himself, hasn’t he? According to what was said before, he should indeed be spared,” said Master Bai Mei.

“Spare me your words. A mere Illusionary Realm proves nothing. It only shows that this Demon Monk is very cunning, not easily revealing his inner world to others. You’d do well to stand down quickly, lest you let the tiger return to the mountain,” the Thousand Buddha Disciple spoke.

“Indeed, Master Bai Mei, you are revered and respected. It might be best not to get involved in this murky affair. Otherwise, in your old age, to be labelled a fisher of fame and glory would be unfortunate,” chimed in Wu Hou, nodding. Though he was displeased with the actions of the Thousand Buddha Disciple, with Master Bai Mei apparently opposing them and facing such a formidable Great Crossing Realm Expert, presenting a united front was necessary.

“Liaowang, tell me, are you a demon or a monk?” Master Bai Mei asked.

“Amitabha, under the Bodhi tree, the Bodhi Fruit. Only now do I know that I am myself. Having spent over a decade in the Illusionary Realm, this young monk does not know who he is. I only know that I still have a long way to go,”

Liaowang said, palms pressed together in prayer.

“Hehe, under the amusing tree, the amusing fruit, under the amusing tree, you and I. I do not know who I am, I only know that I am an invincible, ordinary being in this world,”

Ji Wuqing lit a Huazi and said, his voice detached.

Li Xiaobai’s brows twitched, as he fought back the urge to slaughter this bird and pull it aside. In such a tense situation, this bird was still in the mood for jokes, completely oblivious to the mood.

The White-browed Monk’s eyebrows also twitched. Liaowang’s words carried a sense of Zen, but this ridiculous bird just made a mockery of the atmosphere, completely deflating it.

“Abbot, you have heard it too. These are not the sayings you’d expect from a demon,” Master Bai Mei pointed out.

“He is a Demon Monk, not a mere demon. A demon well-versed in the profound Buddhist Law is far more terrifying than a common member of the Demon Sect. This man must not remain; he must be executed in the presence of the Buddha!” said the Thousand Buddha Disciple, his voice remaining unemotional.

Sighing, Master Bai Mei said, “Abbot, you’ve been bewitched, unable to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, far surpassing your past self!”