As the opening day of the Floating Pagoda drew near, an increasing number of martial artists flocked to Mount Jinguang, attempting to enter Sanhua Temple. This led to considerable friction between the two sides, though it remained relatively restrained. The martial artists refrained from forcibly entering, instead shouting their demands from outside the temple.

The warrior monks of Sanhua Temple stood guard outside, facing off against the growing crowd of martial artists.

Inside the main hall housing the Buddha statue, Abbot Panlong sat on a meditation cushion, discussing countermeasures with the Head Monk and several elders.

“It’s outrageous that the Holy Maiden of Tianzong, Li Miaozhen, has come to stir up trouble,” the Head Monk, who was next in line to become Abbot, said gravely.

“The number of martial artists gathering is increasing, and we can’t drive them away. What should we do?” An elder furrowed his brow…

The situation before them was unexpected. Originally, the Buddhist sect had anticipated that Sun Xuanji of the Celestial Department might deploy troops to suppress them and seize the dragon essence. In such a case, Dunai Jingang would have had reason to intervene, “eliminating demons” among the troops. The Buddhist sect would have been justified in doing so.

The Buddhist holy mountain of Alanda could even use this as grounds to break the treaty and attack Great Feng. Of course, this would be a last resort, as relations between the Buddhist sect and Great Feng hadn’t deteriorated to that extent yet. However, the Buddhist sect could still criticize Great Feng and demand apologies and compensation.

Unexpectedly, instead of Great Feng’s troops, a large group of martial artists had arrived.

The Great Feng court wouldn’t take responsibility for their actions.

“Can’t drive them away? Amitabha. Then let’s eliminate the demons,” another elder said sternly.

The Head Monk nodded slowly upon hearing this:

“Indeed. How dare these Great Feng brutes cause trouble in our sacred Buddhist grounds? Master, why don’t we set up a Demon-Subduing Formation outside the temple for those ruffians to try? This will both intimidate the rabble and establish rules to keep them in check.”

“Although Dunai Jingang hasn’t said anything, he must be extremely displeased. Master, we must handle this matter carefully.”

Everyone looked to the Abbot.

The Abbot pondered for a moment before nodding: “Very well!”

…

On the mountain path, Xu Qi’an blended in with the Leizhou Merchant Association’s group, led by Wenren Qianrou, slowly approaching the archway at the foot of Mount Jinguang.

The archway stood three zhang tall at the base of the mountain, with the words “Sanhua Temple” inscribed on its plaque.

“Hmph, quite a crowd,” Li Lingsu remarked from atop his horse, smiling.

He was no longer disguised as Li Miaozhen. The scene of Sanhua Temple facing a “siege” by the martial artists was entirely due to Flying Swallow Heroine Li Miaozhen’s actions. If he were to maintain his disguise as Li Miaozhen now, it would be tantamount to seeking death. Moreover, there was a risk of his true identity being exposed.

Xu Qi’an grunted in agreement, his gaze sweeping across the scene. Beneath the Sanhua Temple archway, horses were tethered one after another. Even more horses were tied up in the forests on both sides of the mountain path.

As far as the eye could see, martial artists wielding various weapons gathered in groups, chatting idly, leaning against tree trunks with weapons in hand while resting their eyes, or sitting cross-legged by the roadside, gnawing on roasted chickens.

The bustling atmosphere rivaled that of a marketplace.

There were many people, and many experts among them… Xu Qi’an nodded with satisfaction. This proved that his “promotion” had been effective.

Using brute force to break the law, these chaotic neutral martial artists truly were the best cannon fodder and vanguard. Anyone could exploit them as tools.

Among all the major systems, Confucians and Practitioners had the smallest “population,” while martial artists were the most numerous.

The number of martial artists following the path of martial arts in the Nine Provinces exceeded the total of all other major systems combined by several times.

But according to the murals I saw in the underground palace, combined with the information provided by the ancient corpse, for a long time after the fall of gods and demons, there were only three cultivation systems in the Nine Provinces:

First, martial artists; second, the Way; and third, demon clans.

Among these, martial artists and demon clans followed the same path, both refining their physical bodies and pursuing the way of proving themselves through strength. The only difference was that demon clans had demon cores and innate divine abilities, while martial artists had “intent” and unity with the Dao.

As for the Way, it couldn’t be called the “Daoist Sect” at that time, as the ancient corpse knew nothing of the “Dao Venerable’s” existence. This alone proves that the Dao Venerable was not the creator of the “Way.”

However, these three systems underwent drastically different changes later on. The martial arts and demon paths flourished immensely, while the Daoist system was left with only the “Heaven, Earth, and Human” three sects. Other schools either vanished or declined into insignificance.

This was very unreasonable. Although the “Heaven, Earth, and Human” three sects had major side effects, surely the other schools didn’t have such issues.

As a result, the three sects with major problems were passed down, while other schools declined…

At this moment, shouts interrupted Xu Qi’an’s train of thought. Someone exclaimed excitedly:

“The Leizhou Merchant Association has arrived! Finally, someone’s taking charge!”

The speaker was a young man in a tight-fitting outfit, holding a long spear. It was a standard military spear, though it looked worn. It must have been bought from the black market.

Selling discarded weapons was a common profit-making scheme among high-ranking military officials.

Wenren Qianrou turned her head and whispered a few words to a guard beside her. The guard spurred his horse and galloped to the young man with the spear, asking him a few questions.

“Young Miss, the monks of Sanhua Temple are extremely overbearing. They’ve already injured many people and won’t let anyone enter the temple,” the guard reported in a low voice.

Wenren Qianrou nodded and turned to Li Lingsu and Xu Qi’an, saying softly:

“Leizhou borders the Western Regions and is backed by sects. Sanhua Temple has always been tyrannical. Even the government is generally unwilling to provoke them.”

Xu Qi’an looked toward Mount Jinguang and said, “Tell me more.”

“A few years ago, there was a drought near Sanhua Temple, and the common people had no harvest. The monks in the temple don’t engage in production, so they struggle to survive. Head Monk Hengyin went down the mountain to beg for alms and returned with several thousand jin of grain and hundreds of devotees willing to give away all their wealth.”

Wenren Qianrou raised the corner of her mouth in a sneer and continued, “Sanhua Temple survived the drought, but who knows how many people starved to death as a result? The Buddhist sect has always prioritized self-cultivation over saving others.”

Xu Qi’an narrowed his eyes. “This not only violates Great Feng’s laws but also breaches the agreement the Buddhist sect made with Great Feng originally.”

Wenren Qianrou nodded and said:

“But the Leizhou Provincial Administrator only made a symbolic visit to the temple and reprimanded them. Firstly, he couldn’t afford to offend the Buddhist sect. Secondly, in a border province, such matters must be handled with extreme caution, enduring when possible.”

“If the matter were to escalate, the imperial court might not be willing to fall out with the Buddhist sect. In that case, the Provincial Administrator would be the first scapegoat. I’m sure you’re aware of how powerful the Buddhist sect is, sir.”

Xu Qi’an said nothing more.

“The Buddhist sect is the most hypocritical. Five hundred years ago, they only went to war because they coveted the territory of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains in the Southern Border, yet they fought under the banner of helping humanity,” the little white fox chirped, criticizing.

She was curled up in Mu Nanjiao’s warm embrace, holding a sweet pastry with both paws.

Mu Nanjiao had successfully won her over with just one pastry.

The little white fox finished the pastry and pressed her plump paws against Mu Nanjiao’s chest, pushing gently as she said in a coquettish voice:

“Auntie, your chest is even bigger than Sister Ye Ji’s.”

…Xu Qi’an swallowed.

The group tethered their horses and began ascending the stone steps.

As they approached Sanhua Temple, they heard cheers, roars of anger, and the sharp clang of weapons clashing.

“Clang! Clang!”

At Sanhua Temple, at the end of the stone steps on the open ground, a man wielding a spiked mace was repeatedly struck at various major acupoints by several warrior monks using staffs. His body suddenly stiffened.

The middle-aged warrior monk leading the formation seized the opportunity. He spun around, channeling his energy into his wooden staff. His entire body rotated with the staff several times, heavily striking the spiked mace wielder on the head.

Crack!

The protective spiritual light around the spiked mace wielder shattered, and crimson blood flowed down his face.

The middle-aged warrior monk’s eyes flashed. Seeing Wenren Qianrou leading the Leizhou Merchant Association’s group up the mountain, he immediately extended his staff and lightly lifted the spiked mace wielder’s corpse.

He brought it before Xu Qi’an and the others.

The surrounding martial artists’ expressions changed slightly, and a commotion broke out.

After half a day of confrontation, the first death had finally occurred. Sanhua Temple had lost patience and decided to use lethal force.

“Stinking monks, you dare to kill!” someone shouted.

This was a challenge to the monks of Sanhua Temple, asking if they truly wanted to fight to the death.

“Hmph!” The middle-aged warrior monk planted his staff on the ground, glaring around as he used the Buddhist Lion’s Roar technique:

“You lot forcefully intrude upon our temple, intending to covet our Buddhist treasures. Such a crime deserves death. However, the Abbot, in his compassion, is unwilling to cause needless bloodshed. If you wish to enter the temple, you must first pass through the Demon-Subduing Formation. Only one person is allowed to attempt breaking the formation.”

“Outrageous!” The martial artists cursed loudly. “Nine of you against one person, how shameless!”

The middle-aged warrior monk coldly replied, “You can also leave.”

He maintained an attitude of “Buddhist territory, Buddhist rules.”

Behind him, the warrior monks roared in unison.

Clang!

The surrounding martial artists drew their sabers, facing off against the Sanhua Temple warrior monks.

This is the correct image of warrior monks, fierce and tyrannical. In comparison, Master Hengyuan took the wrong path. Why are all my friends so out of character… Xu Qi’an stepped forward and asked:

“May I ask, Master, what treasure has appeared in Sanhua Temple?”

The middle-aged warrior monk replied, “The Floating Pagoda has completed its merit, nothing more.”

“I’ve never heard of treasures being able to cultivate. Moreover, if the pagoda has completed its merit, why won’t Sanhua Temple let us enter? Could we possibly steal the pagoda?” Xu Qi’an asked again.

The middle-aged warrior monk said, “What does it matter to you? A mere mortal, how could you understand the mysteries of Buddhist treasures?”

Shameless, this is Great Feng’s dragon essence. How has it become a Buddhist treasure?

Xu Qi’an said nothing more, his gaze looking into the distance, towards the tall, white-walled, black-tiled pagoda deep within the temple grounds.

In his eyes, the pagoda took on a different appearance. It was entirely golden, with a golden dragon clinging to its body, slowly circling.

This dragon was enormous, coiling around the towering pagoda. It was of the same scale as the dragon vein spirit that Emperor Zhende had stood upon, but its golden light was not as condensed, far from the nearly substantial body of the dragon vein spirit.

“Since the Master is unwilling to speak, let me say it for you. According to Flying Swallow Heroine, the pagoda contains the experts from the Demon Race, Barbarian Tribes, and Witch-God Cult who were captured during the Battle of Shanhai Pass years ago. Twenty years have passed, and those peerless experts have transformed into blood pills and soul pills. This is the opportunity for transcendence, the key to stepping into the third rank.”

“Nonsense!” The middle-aged warrior monk flew into a rage, pointing his staff at Xu Qi’an. “Stop spreading lies! If you’re someone of substance, then fight me!”

“Losing your temper? The figures imprisoned in the Floating Pagoda were captured partly due to Great Feng’s efforts. For the Buddhist sect to hoard the treasures is far too tyrannical. Do you think that because the Military God of Great Feng sacrificed himself, no one can control you anymore?”

Xu Qi’an raised his arm and shouted, “Everyone! General Wei died in Jingshan City, and now the Buddhist sect is taking advantage of his absence to attempt to seize the fruits of Great Feng’s victory from twenty years ago.”

“That’s right! We should have a share of the blood pills and soul pills too. What right does the Buddhist sect have to keep them all? Are they looking down on Great Feng?”

“Hand over the blood pills, or we’ll burn down Sanhua Temple!”

The martial artists responded in chorus, shouting their demands.

Many people looked at Xu Qi’an, nodding in agreement. This fellow made sense.

They weren’t trying to rob Buddhist treasures; the Buddhist sect was unreasonable at first. They were just reclaiming Great Feng’s rightful share.

Their backs immediately straightened.

The middle-aged warrior monk flew into a rage, glaring fiercely at Xu Qi’an:

“Nonsense! Sanhua Temple has no blood pills or soul pills. Someone is deliberately stirring up trouble.”

Xu Qi’an retorted, “Should we believe you or Flying Swallow Heroine? We’ll make our judgment.”

The martial artists responded again:

“Baldy, you shameless monk!”

“Monks don’t lie? You’re blatantly lying!”

When it came to cursing, ten mouths of Sanhua Temple’s monks couldn’t match one mouth of these roaming martial artists.

All sorts of vulgar insults filled the air, from questioning the female members of their families to claiming familial relations.

The warrior monks were not Zen masters and lacked that level of composure. The nine staff-wielding warrior monks’ temples throbbed with anger.

“Ptui! Shameless!”

The little white fox hated the Buddhist sect the most. Seeing everyone cursing the monks, she joined in with an insult, excitedly jumping up and down in Mu Nanjiao’s arms.

“A fox demon?” The middle-aged warrior monk, who wanted nothing more than to strike Xu Qi’an dead with his staff, seized the opportunity and shouted:

“You dare collude with demon clans? Die!”

His staff swept out in an arc, rushing towards Mu Nanjiao to strike her.

Mu Nanjiao screamed in fright, retreating continuously.

Xu Qi’an appeared in front of her like a ghost, raising his arm to block the fiercely striking staff. With a “crack,” the staff imbued with powerful energy broke on impact.

Although his energy and strength were restrained by the demon-sealing nails, his flesh, bones, and tendons were genuinely at the third-rank level. His only remaining ability was his toughness.

The middle-aged warrior monk’s pupils contracted slightly. A warrior’s instinct warned him of danger, and he was about to retreat to form the Demon-Subduing Formation with his fellow monks. Suddenly, a strong thought flashed through his mind:

“Fight him!”

This thought vanished in an instant, but it caused him to lose the initiative. Xu Qi’an gently blew out a breath, and green gas enveloped the middle-aged warrior monk’s face.

“Hah, hah hah…”

The middle-aged warrior monk struggled to breathe, his lungs burning. His breathing sounded like an old, broken bellows.

He stared at Xu Qi’an in despair, swaying before collapsing to the ground.

The mental influence of the heart worm combined with the poison worm worked quite well. Hmm, with the Seven Deadly Worms’ current power, I have almost no rivals below the fourth-rank. When I left the capital, my strength was at most a weak fifth-rank…

Xu Qi’an was quite satisfied with the progress of cultivating the Seven Deadly Worms.

He had just used the heart worm to influence the middle-aged warrior monk, causing him to make the wrong decision.

The surrounding martial artists who witnessed this scene were both shocked and delighted. Earlier, the middle-aged warrior monk had used a formation to kill a sixth-rank Iron Skin martial artist, displaying overwhelming strength that made people wary.

But when he encountered this man in blue robes, he fell at first contact?

“He used poison…” someone in the crowd said.

“That’s obvious at a glance, but this monk was at least at the Spirit Refinement realm. Ordinary sneak attacks wouldn’t work on him.”

Someone immediately refuted.

The crowd discussed among themselves, frequently glancing at Xu Qi’an, knowing he was an expert.

However…

“He seems to want to poison the warrior monk to death. Killing a monk at Sanhua Temple will lead to retaliation.”

“The Abbot of Sanhua Temple is a fourth-rank Zen Master, not someone to be trifled with.”

“What’s there to fear? He seems to be with the Leizhou Merchant Association, and they have a fourth-rank expert too.”

As they were speaking, a young monk with deep-set eyes and a high bridge nose walked out from the temple.

“Senior Brother Jingxin.” The eight staff-wielding warrior monks were overjoyed, pointing at Xu Qi’an and saying, “This person led the troublemaking and used underhanded methods to ambush Senior Brother Yinshun.”

“Put down the butcher’s knife and become a Buddha on the shore.”

The gentle voice, full of compassion, contained a power that cleansed the mind, causing everyone present to lose their hostility and feel their hearts soften towards kindness.

With a series of “clangs,” weapons fell from people’s hands to the ground.

A few seconds later, the martial artists broke free from the influence of the Buddhist precepts one after another, their faces showing shock.

“Is he a Vinaya Master? No, he could also be an ascetic monk.”

“Most likely an ascetic monk. Ordinary Vinaya Masters’ precepts aren’t this strong…”

The martial artists from Leizhou were extremely knowledgeable about the Buddhist sect, a level of understanding that martial artists from other provinces couldn’t match.

“Amitabha, it’s you again, benefactor.” Monk Jingxin put his palms together, ignoring everyone else and looking sternly at Xu Qi’an:

“Benefactor, you’ve repeatedly come to our temple to provoke trouble. You should know that while the Buddhist sect is compassionate, we also have wrathful deities.”

The surrounding warrior monks and martial artists all looked at Xu Qi’an, waiting to see how he would respond.

Xu Qi’an flicked his toe, kicking the middle-aged warrior monk’s body to Monk Jingxin’s feet, just as the monk had done earlier with the sixth-rank martial artist’s corpse.

Monk Jingxin caught the middle-aged warrior monk with both hands and examined him carefully, his brow furrowing.

“Only I can cure the poison in his body. Let us enter the temple, or he dies,” Xu Qi’an said calmly, maintaining his persona of a high-level expert.

Different professions have different specialties. The Buddhist sect wasn’t skilled in detoxification; pharmacology was the domain of poison masters and practitioners, while Daoists had some knowledge.

The Leizhou martial artists, who had thought Xu Qi’an was backing down and were disappointed, immediately brightened up when they heard this.

No wonder he easily returned the monk; he was confident.

Monk Jingxin looked deeply at Xu Qi’an, then stepped aside, making a “please” gesture with his hand, saying:

“Benefactor is welcome to enter the temple. I’ll take responsibility and let you in.”

All eyes turned to Xu Qi’an.

You’re planning to trap and beat me… Xu Qi’an understood the other’s intention.

Seeing his hesitation, Monk Jingxin asked, “What’s the matter? Is the benefactor afraid?”

If I were ten years younger, I might have rushed in impulsively… Xu Qi’an stood with his hands behind his back and said loudly, “Everyone, if we don’t act now, when will we?”

As his words fell, hearty laughter came from the bottom of the stone steps: “I, Tang, am willing to accompany you into the temple, brother.”

Everyone turned to look and saw a man in tight-fitting clothes, eight chi tall, carrying dual sabers on his back, ascending the steps. Behind him followed a group of disciples also carrying dual sabers.

“The Dual Saber Sect has arrived,” someone exclaimed happily.

Xu Qi’an’s gaze automatically passed over the Dual Saber Sect leader and focused on a spirited young woman behind him. She was tall and slender, with full lips, bright eyes, and a delicate face shape—a very valiant beauty.

Her name was… Liu Yun, if I remember correctly. I met her in the capital.

Xu Qi’an belatedly recalled the beauty’s name, then looked towards the Holy Son of Tianzong, finding the scoundrel smiling appreciatively as he examined Liu Yun.

At this moment, there was a commotion in the dense forest, accompanied by the clanking of armor. A young general with dark skin and bright eyes stepped out from the undergrowth.

He carried a long spear on his back and a standard military saber at his waist. His gaze was fierce and arrogant, exuding a soldier’s killing intent. He had a blade of grass between his teeth.

“Li Xiaoyun, Pacification Commissioner of Fang Province!” He leaned on his spear, looking at everyone sideways as he introduced himself.

“I heard Sanhua Temple has a treasure that can help fourth-rank experts enter the transcendent realm, so I came to check it out. Baldy, if you dare stop me, I’ll run you through with my spear.”

The arrogance of Leizhou soldiers was well-known, and a fourth-rank general was even more arrogant.

How arrogant… The martial artists all turned to look. This man was clearly from the military, his tone overbearing, not bothering to conceal his aura at all.

This wasn’t the end. Soon after, a clear eagle cry rang out in the sky.

More than ten Red-tailed Fierce Eagles, each with a wingspan of three zhang and seven chi, flew in from the distance, circling in the sky above Mount Jinguang before slowly descending.

Their wing beats created strong winds, stirring up dust and fallen leaves.

The crowd below dispersed, clearing an area for the Red-tailed Fierce Eagles to land.

The lead rider wore armor and had the characteristic dark skin of Leizhou people. He was burly, with coarse stubble.

Behind him, the Red-tailed Fierce Eagles all carried armored soldiers on their backs.

Yuan Yi!

Yuan Yi, the Commander-in-Chief of Leizhou.

Most of the martial artists had never had the chance to see this prominent martial artist of Leizhou, so they didn’t recognize him at first. It wasn’t until someone in the crowd exclaimed in surprise:

“Commander-in-Chief Yuan Yi?”

A commotion immediately broke out.

A few days ago, news had spread that Yuan Yi, the Commander-in-Chief of Leizhou, had visited Flying Swallow Heroine to inquire about the unusual treasure at Sanhua Temple.

It turned out not to be a lie.

Yuan Yi had really come.

This made things lively, which was good news for everyone.

The more experts there were, the more chaotic the situation would become, and the more opportunities there would be to fish in troubled waters.

Yuan Yi looked around, automatically ignoring the martial artists. He first nodded to Wenren Qianrou, then looked at the armored youth and was taken aback. He frowned and said:

“Li Xiaoyun, why are you here? As a Pacification Commissioner, leaving your military camp without permission is a serious offense.”

The young man leaning on his spear grinned:

“Commander-in-Chief, don’t try to pull rank on me. I’m just here to snatch some blood pills. If I can advance to the third rank, you’ll have to hand over your position to me.”

“If I don’t get them, the worst that can happen is a few hundred lashes or demotion. No big deal.”

As a fourth-rank martial artist, his cultivation was his greatest asset. As long as he hadn’t committed a major offense, the imperial court and officials would tolerate a certain degree of willfulness.

He had nothing to fear.

“I see you’re itching for a beating again.”

Yuan Yi glared at him and scolded, “Get over here now.”

Li Xiaoyun chuckled and scurried over.

“Commander-in-Chief Yuan Yi, Tang Yuanwu of the Dual Saber Sect, Pacification Commissioner Li Xiaoyun of Fang Province, along with that mysterious expert in blue robes, and the fourth-rank guest cultivator of the Leizhou Merchant Association…”

“There are already five fourth-rank experts here, and the number of fifth-rank experts exceeds ten. Let’s see how the monks of Sanhua Temple can be arrogant now.”

“We can’t be careless. The Abbot and Head Monk of Sanhua Temple are both ascetic monks, and with this Jingxin monk who appeared out of nowhere and seems quite strong, plus the fact that Sanhua Temple is full of experts.”

“That’s why we’re here, right? No matter how many experts Sanhua Temple has, can they outnumber us? There’s still a bunch of ruffians at the foot of the mountain who haven’t come up yet. When the Floating Pagoda opens, we’ll call them all up.”

As they were talking, they saw an old monk with white eyebrows and beard leading a group of monks approaching.

“Amitabha, Commander-in-Chief Yuan Yi, it’s been many years,” Abbot Panlong greeted with palms together.

“Venerable Panlong,” Yuan Yi cupped his hands in return.

“Commander-in-Chief, are you here representing the Leizhou government and Great Feng?” Abbot Panlong questioned. “Great Feng and the Buddhist sect are allies. Whatever the martial artists do is not related to the Great Feng court, but you are different. Please leave immediately.”

Yuan Yi shook his head: “I’ve been stuck at the fourth rank for many years, unable to break through. I heard Sanhua Temple has blood pills, so I came specifically to seek them. During the Battle of Shanhai Pass years ago, our Great Feng contributed greatly. There’s no reason for the Buddhist sect to keep these blood pills to themselves.”

“Moreover, I’m here in a personal capacity, bringing only my trusted aides, not the army. This has nothing to do with the imperial court.”

Abbot Panlong chanted another Buddha’s name and said, “This old monk has sincerely tried to persuade you, but you won’t listen. So be it.”

He said no more.

But then the crowd saw another group of people walking out from the temple, carrying a palanquin without a top. The curtains were drawn, and on the soft couch sat identical twin sisters.

One of the coquettish women giggled and said:

“Venerable Abbot, why don’t you let us sisters deal with this Yuan Yi for you? If the Great Feng court asks, it won’t be related to you. That is, if Great Feng has the guts to question the Buddhist sect.”

Yuan Yi narrowed his eyes.

Li Lingsu immediately lowered his head and quickly distanced himself from Xu Qian.

This old man fights dirty. If he were to kick him again now, it would be very unpleasant.

Upon seeing the blue robe, the Dongfang sisters instinctively narrowed their eyes, scrutinizing carefully before looking away, no longer paying attention.

It was just someone wearing the same blue robe, not the one who had kidnapped Young Master Li in Ping Province.

“Slut!” Wenren Qianrou suddenly exploded in anger, stepping forward and pointing at the Dongfang sisters, cursing.

Dongfang Wanrong’s smile faded as she narrowed her eyes, examining Wenren Qianrou. She slowly said, “Miss, do we know each other?”

Dongfang Wanqing observed for a few seconds, then suddenly realized and sneered:

“Oh, it’s that slut who that heartless bastard hooked up with when he ran away. Sister, when you were scrying and tracking him, you once found her. If it weren’t for the few experts around this slut, and the urgency to track down that heartless bastard at the time, we would have killed her long ago.”

As she spoke, the curtains suddenly parted, and Dongfang Wanqing transformed into a black shadow, darting towards Wenren Qianrou.

Li Lingsu’s face changed drastically. He was about to rush out to intervene, but the fourth-rank guest cultivator beside Wenren Qianrou reacted even faster, dashing forward a few steps and forcefully pushing out with both palms.

Boom!

The collision of energy sounded like a thunderclap. Dust instantly rose, and the surrounding trees bent as if pressed by strong winds.

The heroes and martial artists staggered and retreated.

The fourth-rank guest cultivator of the Wenren family suddenly turned pale, then flushed red, forcibly swallowing the blood that surged to his throat.

In contrast, Dongfang Wanqing lightly landed back in the palanquin, her expression unchanged.

Even among fourth-rank experts, there were differences in strength.

“An-another fourth-rank?”

“She seems even stronger than the fourth-rank guest cultivator of the Leizhou Merchant Association.”

“Hiss… What background do these sisters have?”

“They’re not martial arts experts from Leizhou.”

Realizing the strength of the Dongfang sisters, the crowd’s hearts sank. These sisters were clearly powerful allies of Sanhua Temple.

This evened out the number of fourth-rank experts on both sides.

Yuan Yi, Li Xiaoyun, and the Dual Saber Sect leader—the three fourth-rank experts—had solemn expressions.

“So Sanhua Temple had allies all along. No wonder they’re so domineering and confident,” Commander-in-Chief Yuan Yi said calmly.

Monk Jingxin turned and bowed with palms together towards the temple, saying:

“Please, Uncle Master Dunan, drive away these idlers.”

Dongfang Wanrong smiled and said, “Please, Elder Yierbu, expel these miscellaneous people.”

The sudden words from these two made the Leizhou heroes and martial artists confused, while also instinctively causing their hearts to sink.

At that moment, two terrifying auras soared into the sky. One aura came from deep within Sanhua Temple, while the other came from the dense forest to the left.

The instant they felt these two auras, two words spontaneously arose in everyone’s minds: Transcendent!

An aura that transcended mortal limits.

Although most of them had never encountered a third-rank expert in their lives, the pressure emanating from this higher level of existence naturally made them aware of the other party’s level.

Fourth-rank and above was the transcendent realm, no longer comparable to mortals.

“Get out of Sanhua Temple’s vicinity, within fifty li!”

A thunderous roar came from inside the temple.

Hearing this, everyone felt their blood and qi churning in their chests, their vision darkening.

It was the Buddhist Lion’s Roar, performed by a third-rank warrior monk.

This was still the other party holding back. If they had roared with full force, those below sixth-rank would have died on the spot. Those below fourth-rank would have lost their minds.

The other aura didn’t speak, but it likewise brought enormous pressure to everyone, both mental and physical.

The heroes and martial artists of Leizhou trembled in fear. Even fourth-rank experts like Yuan Yi weren’t much better off. In any province, fourth-rank experts were considered top-tier figures.

But before third-rank experts who had transcended the mortal realm, they were no different from low to mid-rank cultivators.

Just insects and mice in comparison.

Seeing the Leizhou martial artists turn pale and look terrified one by one, the monks of Sanhua Temple smiled and calmly put their palms together.

“This, this… two third-rank experts?”

“Sigh, it seems we have no chance at the treasure. Let’s give up.”

“Third-rank is invincible, truly invincible.”

In this situation, the assembled heroes felt the urge to retreat.

Let alone two third-rank experts, even one would be enough to sweep through all of them.

Fighting for treasures only made sense if there was hope. When it was clearly impossible, why bother? Wouldn’t it be better to keep their lives and enjoy themselves in brothels?

The Dual Saber Sect leader sighed.

Yuan Yi said quietly:

“It seems the blood pills in the pagoda are more numerous and pure than we imagined. The one in the forest must be a Spirit Wisdom Master from the Witch-God Cult. I can’t mistake that unique aura of a witch.”

“The Witch-God Cult just went to war with our Great Feng, and the Buddhist sect immediately allied with them. Do they have any regard for our Great Feng court?”

Dunan calmly replied: “The Great Feng court? A court without a single third-rank martial artist is far inferior to what it was twenty years ago.”

This Dharma Protector Vajra spoke coldly, expressing an extremely poor opinion of Great Feng.

Most high-ranking Buddhist sect members looked down on Great Feng because Great Feng was known for being shameless.

Six hundred years ago, the founding emperor of Great Feng had been shameless, tricking the Witch-God Cult.

Three hundred years ago, the Confucians and the court had been shameless again, suppressing Buddhism on a large scale in the Central Plains.

The Dharma Protector Vajra was a warrior monk, and warrior monks were hot-tempered and straightforward. If they disliked something, they showed it.

Yuan Yi’s face turned ashen, but he didn’t dare to retort. With Great Feng’s current national power, they couldn’t afford to fall out with the Buddhist sect. Even if that third-rank Vajra inside slapped him into a pulp, the court could at most protest and condemn.

But being humiliated like this by a third-rank Vajra and losing the chance to compete for the treasure made him both angry and unwilling to give up.

Behind the Dual Saber Sect leader Tang Yuanwu, Liu Yun couldn’t help but retort: “Who says Great Feng doesn’t have third-rank experts? If our Great Feng’s Xu Yinluo were here, would you dare speak so arrogantly, elder?”

The Vajra deep in the temple remained silent, seemingly disdaining to answer.

From the dense forest came a cold laugh: “That Xu is already useless. What is there to fear?”

Liu Yun’s face suddenly flushed red. She stepped forward and said loudly:

“Even if you’re a Spirit Wisdom Master from the Witch-God Cult, this young woman won’t allow you to slander Xu Yinluo.”

The Leizhou heroes, whose morale had hit rock bottom, suddenly raised a chorus of protests, as if experiencing a final burst of energy before death.

The Spirit Wisdom Master in the forest laughed: “Do you dare draw your blade?”

Liu Yun’s spirited eyebrows stood on end: “Why wouldn’t I dare?”

She reached behind her back, grasping the hilts of her sabers. Just as she was about to draw them, to her surprise, the dual sabers seemed rusted in their sheaths. No matter how hard she tried, her face turning red with effort, she couldn’t draw the sabers.

“Hmph!”

The Spirit Wisdom Master snorted coldly.

Liu Yun, as if struck by lightning, fell to her knees and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The Spirit Wisdom Master in the dense forest said indifferently: “Dunan Vajra, if you’re concerned about the alliance and find it inconvenient to act, let me do it for you. I’ll clear out these small fry. They can be refined into corpse soldiers and taken back to Jingshan City.”

There was a commotion as the crowd of heroes retreated continuously.

“Kill us all? Such big talk! A mere Spirit Wisdom Master thinks he’s a Witch God?”

Amidst the chaos, a mocking laugh suddenly rang out.

Everyone turned their heads in astonishment, looking at the man in blue robes as if looking at an idiot.

Using provocation against a Spirit Wisdom Master of the Witch-God Cult? Did he think his life was too long?

Did he really think the Spirit Wisdom Master wouldn’t dare to act?

The Witch-God Cult and Great Feng were now mortal enemies. They wouldn’t hesitate to kill.

If you want to die, don’t drag us down with you.

Li Lingsu’s eyes lit up. He thought to himself, here it comes, here it comes, this old monster is about to explode.

Others might revere third-rank experts like gods, but Li Lingsu knew that Xu Qian, this old monster, was a hidden expert who had played chess with the Imperial Mentor.