The Eight Sufferings Formation was an array used by Buddhist high monks for enlightenment. Those who passed through it would have their troubles removed and Buddhist thoughts would arise in their hearts.

From then on, they would take refuge in Buddhism and gain a profound understanding of Buddhist dharma.

Conversely, failing meant eternal entrapment in the eight sufferings, with one’s primordial spirit collapsing.

Of course, every monk who entered the Eight Sufferings Formation to temper their Buddhist heart would receive attention from Arhats or Bodhisattvas to ensure their primordial spirit remained stable.

In simple terms, the Eight Sufferings Formation was part of Buddhism’s “all is emptiness.”

If Asura was still Asura, that son of Asura who took refuge in Buddha’s grace, then he would not fear the Eight Sufferings Formation.

Seeing Asura’s hesitation to enter, Due spoke indifferently:

“Amitabha. Asura, what gives you pause?”

His voice transmitted through the dharma instrument into the Buddhist realm within the golden bowl.

Asura replied calmly:

“I merely recalled past events, those matters that have already turned to smoke and clouds.”

With that, he hesitated no more and stepped into the Eight Sufferings Formation.

Due narrowed his eyes slightly, examining Asura within the formation. He watched as this ugly yet extraordinarily martial son of the Asura King moved slowly but with unwavering determination through the Eight Sufferings Formation.

Throughout the process, his expression remained neutral.

After passing through the Eight Sufferings Formation, Asura continued without stopping, climbing the steps until he reached the ancient temple at the mountaintop.

Atop the ancient temple was a great bronze bell.

Asura slowly climbed the tower, pressed his palms together before the bronze bell, and recited Buddha’s name.

“Dong!”

He pushed the striker, ringing the first toll.

The ancient bronze bell produced vast, resonant sounds and rippling golden light.

“Dong dong dong…”

The bell continued to ring, waves of golden light layering upon Asura’s body. First, his brow chakra lit up with golden light, then his entire body was covered in a faint golden radiance, pure and transparent.

After eighty-one tolls, Asura released the striker, pressed his palms together, and lowered his gaze.

Arhat Due smiled while holding a flower:

“Your Buddhist heart is untainted. This seat will report back to Bodhisattva Guangxian. Recently, demonic qi has been surging around the Ten Thousand Mountains. The wildfire of the Southern Demons’ kingdom restoration has been suppressed for five hundred years, and now seeks to spread across the Ten Thousand Mountains.”

“We are tasked with guarding the Southern Borderlands and cannot be careless.”

Asura nodded:

“It shall be so.”

…

In the Southern Borderlands.

Outside the courtyard, Li Na gnawed on a sweet potato, glancing at the small figure beside her and explaining helplessly:

“I didn’t eat the rats.”

The little bean sprout held her sweet potato, silently nibbling on it, showing her tiny back and the back of her head to her master, taking the stance of a complete break in relations.

Li Na pondered for a moment and pushed Xu Ling’yin’s shoulder, but Ling’yin twisted away, refusing her touch.

“Here, here, you can have my sweet potato, alright?”

The pale-skinned Li Na said.

Xu Ling’yin suddenly twisted back around, eyes shining as she stared at her master: “Really?”

Li Na gazed reluctantly at the sweet potato she had just bitten, painfully nodded and handed it over.

Xu Ling’yin happily snatched it and hugged it to her chest.

“Not angry anymore?”

“Nope!”

Master and disciple reconciled.

Li Na smiled broadly, saying:

“Then when you have good things, shouldn’t you share with your master? How about giving one sweet potato back to master?”

The little bean sprout also smiled broadly, lowered her head, and spat “pei pei” twice at the sweet potato.

Li Na: “…”

…

In the room, Xu Qi’an emerged from the Pure Land Pagoda and looked around, but didn’t see Luo Yueheng.

The air retained traces of the Imperial Preceptor’s subtle fragrance, along with the scent of protein.

The bed was in complete disarray.

Though still a cub, the little white fox was quite sensible. Its bright black eyes rolled as it looked at the bed, saying angrily:

“I’m going to tell Sister Ye Ji that you secretly mated with other women.”

Such crude speech, beasts will be beasts… Xu Qi’an glanced at her sideways, saying irritably:

“What proof do you have that I mated with other women?”

The little white fox raised its paw, patted the table, and said in a fierce but childish voice:

“Every time you sleep with Sister Ye Ji, the bed gets this messy. I’ve also seen you bumping against Sister Ye Ji’s bottom…”

Xu Qi’an rewarded it with a head flick, scolding:

“What does a little cub know? Quickly summon the Queen, I have business with her.”

Cowed by Inspector Xu’s tyranny, Bai Ji submitted, curling up on the table with its tail covering its body. Shortly after, a powerful will awakened within her.

The fox cub, no bigger than two palms, stood up, light flowing from its left eye as a charming, melodious voice sighed:

“Has this seat’s dignity fallen so low that you can summon me at any time?”

Skip the nonsense, this is important… Xu Qi’an frowned and said:

“Today I reviewed my battle with Asura and discovered he wasn’t using his full strength that day.”

“Oh, you just noticed?” The Nine-Tailed Fox said with a smile.

This little minx did notice something was wrong back then. Xu Qi’an said expressionlessly:

“Your Majesty, you’ll lose my friendship this way.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox gave a “heh” and sat obediently, her voice soft and magnetic:

“There are two possibilities: First, Asura, for some purpose, deliberately let you take Shen Shu’s remnants without leaving traces. He wants to advance further.”

Xu Qi’an frowned: “What do you mean?”

“Asura reincarnated and cultivated anew, returning after five hundred years, but what returned was still the Asura King’s young son, Asura. Where is his reincarnated body? If his reincarnated body reached the Fourth Realm and made his great vows, then once he fulfills those vows, he can attain Bodhisattva status.”

“Following this logic, his vows likely relate to the beast clan. Or rather, to secure the Southern Borderlands for Buddhism. But the Southern Borderlands are already Buddhist territory.”

Xu Qi’an rubbed his chin: “So they need to lose it again?”

“Second, this is all a Buddhist plot to trap my beast clan. Perhaps when we attack ‘Southern Kingdom City,’ we’ll directly encounter Bodhisattva Guangxian. I can certainly escape, but as for you all… hard to say.”

Xu Qi’an pondered: “You seem to have a countermeasure?”

The Nine-Tailed Fox smiled cunningly:

“If Asura wants to attain Bodhisattva status, then we’ll use his plan against him. If Buddhism is trying to trap my beast clan, we’ll still use their plan against them.”

Xu Qi’an asked directly:

“What do you want to do?”

The little white fox sat obediently, smiling:

“Would you like to strike at Alantuo, see exactly what state the Buddha is in, see if the Confucian Saint’s statue has been destroyed?”

“When helping you deal with Xu Pingfeng that day, this seat requested several transmission dharma instruments from the Supervisor, then had people secretly deliver stone tablets inscribed with corresponding formations to the Western Regions. We only need to crush the transmission instruments to teleport to where the stone tablets are. It’s only thirty li from Alantuo.”

“If Guangxian dares leave Alantuo, we’ll teleport directly there and seize back Shen Shu’s head, allowing him to fully resurrect.”

Xu Qi’an said irritably: “Would Bodhisattva Guangxian let us teleport?”

As for the private dealings between the Supervisor and the Nine-Tailed Fox, he wasn’t surprised. For the former, this was standard operation. For the latter, having schemed for five hundred years, if she didn’t have this level of preparation, she might as well forget about restoring the kingdom and just marry, have children, and be a good wife and mother.

“Don’t worry about that, I have my ways.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox’s tone was very confident.

Xu Qi’an nodded and said:

“If this kingdom restoration goes without incident, then I want your help capturing Arhat Due to remove the last Demon Sealing Nail from my body.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox smiled:

“I’ll also tell you the location of the Netherworld Silkworm Thread.”

Xu Qi’an’s heart pounded twice, his tone urgent:

“You know where the Netherworld Silkworm Thread is?”

The Netherworld Silkworm Thread was one of the main materials for crafting the Soul-Summoning Banner.

The Soul-Summoning Banner was essential for reviving Wei Yuan.

The Nine-Tailed Fox said:

“No rush, let’s discuss these things after the beast clan’s kingdom is restored.”

…

In Eastern Ling City.

Xu Pingfeng sat before the bronze pill furnace, holding a plantain fan, gently fanning the blue flames.

“Should we return to the Southern Borderlands?”

He turned his head to look at Kalpavriksha Bodhisattva sitting diagonally opposite.

“If this seat returns, it would play right into the Supervisor’s hands,” Kalpavriksha Bodhisattva said indifferently.

“Indeed, Master has long been in league with the Nine-Tailed Fox.”

Xu Pingfeng nodded: “Using the Southern beast clan to contain Buddhism was his long-planned strategy, merely executed through my eldest son’s hands. Let’s wait for news in Qing Province.”

Kalpavriksha Bodhisattva closed his eyes in meditation, saying:

“Too clever with all these machinations.”

He didn’t say what came after.

Upon hearing this, Xu Pingfeng’s smile suddenly turned sinister.

…

Jing Mountain City.

Salenagu stood at the mountain peak, gazing southward.

“After the Shanhai Pass battle, all destiny flows to the southwest,” the cloaked elder sighed softly.

“Does the Great Shaman think the Southern Demons can restore their kingdom?” asked Udabota, one of only two Spirit Wisdom Masters in the Shamanic Divine Sect.

“The beast clan alone falls short, but don’t they have Xu Qi’an?” Salenagu smiled.

“Who knows what level his strength has reached? If the Southern Demons win this battle, it will truly shake the Nine Provinces,” Udabota frowned:

“Just like when Buddhism’s Cyclical Demon Purge shocked the world back then.”

After a pause, he muttered: “Why is Yierbu taking so long delivering the Bell-Metal Stone?”

Salenagu said calmly:

“The time isn’t right.”

…

Capital City.

Star-Watching Tower, Eight Trigrams Platform.

Zhao Shou stood at the edge of the cloud-piercing platform, looking down at the capital below.

“The capital remains prosperous, yet to my eyes, it’s covered in darkness and decline. The destiny has become turbid.”

He stroked his beard and sighed.

Then, turning to look at the Supervisor:

“Your power has severely diminished, to the point you can’t even break Kalpavriksha’s two dharma bodies. If this continues, does Da Feng still have a chance of victory?”

The Supervisor said calmly:

“All things decline after reaching their peak – this is heaven’s number. From Jeanne d’Arc to Xu Pingfeng to Xu Qi’an, all are people who rose with destiny, all are great tribulations for the Central Plains and the human race.”

Zhao Shou frowned: “Human race?”

Rather than Da Feng!

The Supervisor smiled: “Heaven’s mechanisms cannot be revealed. My glimpses of heaven’s mechanisms, and knowledge of heaven’s mandate, also make me one who faces tribulation. Zhao Shou, do you know why I suppressed Confucianism for two hundred years?”

Zhao Shou said flatly: “Heaven’s mechanisms cannot be revealed.”

The Supervisor nodded: “You can be taught.”

Zhao Shou gave a “heh heh” and turned to face south:

“Whether we can contain Buddhism depends on this battle. Let’s hope he won’t disappoint us.”

The Supervisor smiled and asked in return:

“When has he ever disappointed us?”

Raising his wine cup and taking a sip, he said:

“Did you come to the capital just to chat with me?”

Zhao Shou gave an “oh” as if just remembering, and said:

“Yang Gong sent me a memorial, saying the Poison tribes are willing to ally with Da Feng to help fight the Cloud Province rebels. He hopes I can pass it to the young emperor. I need your permission to enter the palace.”

Even an eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch wasn’t as fast as transmission using Confucian secret methods.

The Supervisor nodded:

“Go ahead. The Qing Province war situation is pressing, and the young emperors and ministers are worried. It won’t hurt to ease their minds.”