He stood before the group, sword in his right hand, his robes and long hair stirring in the cold wind.

His expression was serene, his eyes like bottomless abysses.

Xu Qian… Pure Heart and Pure Karma wore complex expressions as they pressed their palms together and softly chanted Buddha’s name.

Ji Xuan narrowed his eyes instinctively, carefully examining the man in blue robes.

After her initial gravity and surprise, Liu Hongmian’s beautiful face relaxed. With arhats, vajra warriors, and the Azure Dragon Seven Stars leading the charge, she had reason to be confident.

She began to assess this legendary Xu Qian from a woman’s perspective.

Liu Hongmian had to admit that in terms of bearing and temperament, this man was undoubtedly extraordinary…

Even someone like her who valued appearances had to acknowledge being briefly dazzled.

Unfortunately, his looks were too ordinary.

Not to mention Ji Xuan and Xu Yuanhuai’s exceptional appearances, even Miao Youfang at least had regular features and a hint of handsomeness.

Among them all, Qi Hun Dan Xiang was the most excited. He had been fixated on Xu Qi’an’s multiple uses of insect arts, keeping them firmly in mind, filled with a desire to understand the truth.

“Amitabha, Benefactor Xu, you came after all.”

Pure Heart joined his palms, stepped away from the group, and calmly looked at Xu Qi’an:

“Benefactor Xu, if you convert to Buddhism, with your aptitude and karmic connection to Buddhism, you might one day stand as an equal with Bodhisattva Kalpavriksha.”

Bodhisattva Kalpavriksha was second only to Buddha himself.

Hearing this, Ji Xuan and the others were confused, staring bewilderedly at Pure Heart’s back.

What was he saying…?

It was understandable that Buddhism wanted to recruit Xu Qian—monks often forcibly converted people.

But Pure Heart’s words went beyond mere recruitment; they were practically blasphemous.

“What… what’s going on?” Liu Hongmian muttered, looking toward Ji Xuan.

Ji Xuan’s furrowed brow smoothed as he smiled and asked Pure Karma nearby:

“Great Master Pure Karma, what did Master Pure Heart mean by those words?”

Pure Karma maintained his cold pride and didn’t answer.

Ji Xuan didn’t press further, instead communicating secretly with his small team:

“The Buddhist sect is hiding something from us.”

“Standing equal with Kalpavriksha? Absurd. Even among first-rank experts, Kalpavriksha is nearly invincible.”

“But Pure Heart wouldn’t say such things without reason.”

The seven exchanged mental messages. Liu Hongmian, Qi Hun Dan Xiang, and Xu Yuanhuai were mostly bewildered; Xu Yuanxiang’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as if grasping something.

Daoist Jiao Ye had a similar reaction.

Only Ji Xuan and White Tiger showed inexplicable shock in their eyes as they finally realized a certain truth.

As children of the Hidden Dragon City Lord and one of the Twenty-Eight Constellations, they knew more detailed intelligence than Liu Hongmian and the others.

“Enough talk. Hand over that boy, and I’ll spare your lives.”

Xu Qi’an’s gaze swept past Pure Heart toward Miao Youfang, who was being protected within the group.

He’s after me too… Miao Youfang’s expression changed drastically.

Pure Heart shook his head in disappointment:

“Since Benefactor Xu remains obstinate, we can only let you receive the Buddha’s light baptism… Please come forth, Arhat!”

As he spoke the final four words, his expression grew devout, his voice resonant.

In the azure sky, streams of pure, clear Buddhist light appeared. At the center of the countless light beams sat a gaunt old monk on a lotus platform, his white eyebrows hanging down his cheeks, eyes half-closed, fingers forming a flower seal.

“Buddha’s son, return to Alanda with me.”

The old monk’s eyes suddenly opened, his voice like thunder, containing heaven’s might.

The minds of those below were struck with a “boom,” temporarily deafened, unable to hear anything.

Only the urge to convert to Buddhism remained in their minds.

The Buddhist monks instinctively pressed their palms together, devoutly chanting Buddha’s name.

At this moment, wild laughter broke them from their devout state and their urge to convert.

Following this came Xu Qian’s loud response:

“A martial artist of Great Feng does not enter Buddhism.”

He stood proudly holding his sword, completely unaffected.

Ji Xuan, Xu Yuanhuai, White Tiger, and Liu Hongmian—all martial artists—felt complex emotions rise in their hearts.

Though also martial artists, they had been unable to resist the urge to convert to Buddhism.

Martial artists emphasized temperament, being untamed, challenging prohibitions with force, fighting against others, against heaven, and themselves.

The purer one’s conviction, the more fiercely one could progress on the martial path.

“This Xu Qian, to remain unmoved under a second-rank Arhat’s pressure…”

Liu Hongmian pressed her lips together, giving the blue-robed man a deep look.

Meanwhile, Arhat Du Qing reached out, conjuring a giant Buddhist palm in the sky that descended to grab Xu Qian.

At that moment, a brilliant swordlight streaked across the sky like a meteor.

Under the sword’s energy, the golden giant palm shattered.

Everyone looked in the direction the sword energy had come from, seeing a woman in feather robes wearing a lotus crown riding a sword through the air.

She was as beautiful as a celestial maiden, the vermillion mark between her eyebrows strikingly bright.

Luo Yuheng, Head of the Human Path, peak second-rank—she was truly one of the figures standing at the pyramid’s peak in the Nine Provinces continent.

Among all the major powers, three women were undisputedly peak experts. They were Buddhism’s Vaidurya Bodhisattva, the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox princess of the fallen Monster Nation, and the Human Path’s Head, Luo Yuheng.

Though Liu Hongmian and Xu Yuanxiang were both confident in their beauty, when they saw the celestial-like Female Minister, they couldn’t help feeling inferior.

Facing Luo Yuheng’s sudden appearance, Arhat Du Qing showed no surprise, as if he had been waiting for her.

The Arhat spoke slowly:

“Luo Yuheng, you’re only one step away from the heavenly tribulation. The taste of karmic fire must be unpleasant.

“In the capital, after your battle with Black Lotus, your karmic fire was on the edge of losing control.

“Buddhism doesn’t wish to fight the Dao sect to the death. If you’re wise, you’ll withdraw. Otherwise…”

Below, everyone had different reactions as they heard the Arhat speak of these unknown secrets.

The Human Path’s cultivation method involved karmic fire.

Who was Black Lotus, to be able to fight Luo Yuheng?

Luo Yuheng’s karmic fire was nearly out of control.

Luo Yuheng’s karmic fire was nearly out of control!

The Buddhist monks showed joy, while Ji Xuan and the others grew excited.

Even with complete confidence in the Arhat, even knowing they had two Vajra warriors and the Azure Dragon Seven Stars, Luo Yuheng’s reputation was too formidable.

If the Arhat couldn’t hold her off, such a top expert could change the situation.

So they had remained wary of her. In everyone’s plan, the Arhat would occupy Luo Yuheng while the others fought quickly.

After subduing Xu Qian, the Vajra warriors and Azure Dragon Seven Stars would be free to help Arhat Du Qing deal with Luo Yuheng—only then would it be foolproof.

But now it seemed such caution was unnecessary.

If Luo Yuheng’s condition was as bad as Arhat Du Qing said, the Arhat alone would be enough to suppress her.

“Otherwise what?”

The Female Minister raised her delicate, beautiful eyebrows.

“The Human Path might need to choose a new Head.”

Arhat Du Qing said flatly.

Luo Yuheng gave a cold laugh, grabbing a rusty iron sword from thin air and throwing it at Arhat Du Qing.

The sword light blazed gloriously.

Everyone instinctively closed their eyes, their eyeballs burning hot, tears streaming.

The iron sword pierced through Arhat Du Qing, leaving a large hole in his chest, but no blood flowed.

The next moment, the “wound” in Arhat Du Qing’s chest healed.

Arhat Du Qing smiled, making a flower seal: “This one has cultivated the Position of Non-Birth.”

Luo Yuheng snorted, controlling the flying sword to repeatedly pierce Arhat Du Qing, creating terrifying, hideous sword wounds on his body.

However, as Arhat Du Qing smiled, the “wounds” all vanished.

The Position of Non-Birth—those who cultivated this position neither lived nor died, forever receiving offerings.

“Still obstinate.”

Arhat Du Qing shook his head, ignoring the persistently attacking iron sword and flicking out a beam of golden light.

Under the golden light’s illumination, Luo Yuheng’s body underwent changes that made people’s tongues click. She rapidly aged, her collagen-filled face developing wrinkles, her black hair changing.

In an instant, the peerless beauty transformed into an elderly woman with three thousand spans of white hair.

Then shortly after, vitality burst forth from her body, her height decreased, wrinkles vanished, and she became an infant, then a girl, then a maiden, then a mature and charming woman.

Then once again, she became white-haired and elderly.

In just a few breaths, Luo Yuheng experienced a cycle of reincarnation.

She seemed trapped in this cycle, unable to break free.

“This is Buddhism’s Position of Non-Birth, second only to the Position of Slaying Bandits…” Ji Xuan said softly.

“This poor Daoist has traveled the world for decades, but this is truly eye-opening,” Daoist Jiao Ye sighed.

The others felt both awe and excitement.

At that moment, the iron sword flew back to Luo Yuheng’s hand—she was now an adorable young girl.

The instant she gripped the sword, the endless cycle of reincarnation shattered, and Luo Yuheng returned to her form as a tall, peerless beauty.

“I shall break your Position of Non-Birth.”

She raised the iron sword with her delicate hand, and a lotus petal appeared behind her, followed by two, three, four… exactly nine lotus petals, embracing her at the center.

Each petal contained terrifying sword intent.

The nine lotus petals closed together, transforming into sword energy that converged within the iron sword.

Lotus Flower—the highest-level sword technique in the Human Path’s Qi Sword methods!

The watching crowd felt their hearts nearly burst. Merely witnessing the Lotus Flower sword technique made them feel uncontrollable despair.

“Go!”

Luo Yuheng threw the iron sword.

The sword transformed into streaming light, shooting upward, instantly striking Arhat Du Qing.

Thunder crashed in the sky as terrifying sword energy fell like dense rain.

Below, Ji Xuan’s group and the Buddhist monks fled in terror, unable to escape in time.

Thud! Thud!

Three Chan masters were too slow and met violent deaths, shredded into meat paste by the sword energy.

This burst didn’t last long. Monk Pure Karma relied on his Vajra Divine Skill to withstand several scattered sword energies, eagerly looking up to check the situation in the sky.

Above, the sword energy’s aftermath hadn’t dissipated, making Pure Karma’s eyes stream with tears.

Several seconds later, he finally saw clearly what had happened above.

Pure Karma’s pupils contracted violently, his face pale. Under the azure sky, on the lotus platform, sat a mutilated body.

The head and half the chest were destroyed by the sword. From the mutilated chest, dark golden blood flowed, the internal organs faintly visible.

The Position of Non-Birth was supposed to prevent injury—all attacks should have been an illusion.

Could it be… could Arhat Du Qing’s Position of Non-Birth…

“The Arhat is dead, Arhat Du Qing is dead?”

At this moment, Liu Hongmian, having seen what happened above, cried out in shock.

This exclamation triggered panic among the Buddhist monks.

Xu Yuanhuai’s face darkened as he shouted at Pure Heart:

“Wasn’t Luo Yuheng supposed to be suffering from karmic fire and hidden ailments? What’s going on?”

Pure Heart’s face was grave as he remained silent.

White Tiger quietly moved closer to the Xu siblings. His main task on this mission was to protect them.

At the first sign of danger, he would transform into his true form and carry Xu Yuanhuai and Xu Yuanxiang to safety.

With his innate ability of Wind Following Tiger, he could ensure the siblings’ safe retreat.

As everyone panicked, Buddhist light surrounded Arhat Du Qing’s body. His flesh writhed and regenerated, returning to its original state.

Pure Heart Chan Master quietly sighed in relief, saying calmly:

“No matter. Arhat Du Qing cannot die.”

Everyone else also relaxed, though their mood remained heavy.

It was evident that the Human Path Head Luo Yuheng’s condition was not as weak as Arhat Du Qing had claimed.

That sword strike had been incredibly powerful—even Arhat Du Qing himself had suffered greatly.

After his body regenerated, Arhat Du Qing stared at Luo Yuheng with a grave expression:

“So you’ve already calmed your karmic fire.”

Luo Yuheng’s red lips curved upward. “Whether the Human Path changes its Head, I don’t know. But today, Alanda will have one less Arhat.”

Such arrogance! The Buddhist monks were furious, but when they looked at Arhat Du Qing, they were shocked to find he didn’t refute her words.

This… everyone’s hearts sank as they couldn’t help looking toward Xu Qian in the distance.

Xu Qian had maintained his calm expression throughout, full of confidence as if everything was within his expectations.

Xu Yuanxiang’s expression suddenly grew complex.

Arhat Du Qing brought forth a golden bowl.

The bowl turned upside down, pouring down clear golden light, and several figures appeared within it.

Du Nan Vajra, is eight feet tall, without a beard, eyebrows, or hair, like a brass statue.

Du Fan Vajra, ugly with fierce eyes, the Asura Vajra.

Eight figures in cloaks, their bodies appearing slightly “plump”—the Azure Dragon Seven Stars.

A luxurious lineup.

Miao Youfang stared in astonishment. The appearance of that man blocking the way had already left him confused, and now even more terrifying experts appeared one after another.

Beyond his shock, he felt a strong sense of absurdity.

What exactly had he done?

Why was he caught up in a confrontation of this level?

Who was he? Where was he?

His mind was full of questions.

Luo Yuheng narrowed her eyes, merely glancing at the golden bowl without responding. Her form was covered and submerged by the golden light, then disappeared from everyone’s sight.

Arhat Du Qing extended his palm, holding the golden bowl, looking down at Xu Qi’an indifferently before turning to Du Nan Vajra and Du Fan Vajra, saying gravely:

“At her peak second-rank state, Luo Yuheng is beyond my match. I can only trap her in the Buddhist realm. You must finish quickly, without delay.”

As he spoke, the golden bowl in his palm shook violently.

This artifact alone couldn’t contain Luo Yuheng.

Du Nan Vajra pressed his palms together. “Understood!”

Only then did Arhat Du Qing nod in relief and enter the golden bowl.

With the two second-rank experts entering the bowl, the terrifying pressure dissipated, leaving only the golden bowl suspended in mid-air.

“Hum… hum…”

The golden bowl shook violently, spreading rippling halos of light.

Everyone looked up at the sky, including the two Vajras and the Azure Dragon Seven Stars.

The bowl’s shaking continued briefly before slowly decreasing to a relatively stable state.

Those below immediately relaxed, knowing Arhat Du Qing had entangled the Human Path Head—that terrifying Female Minister was temporarily trapped.

Luo Yuheng was truly frightening…

The fourth-rank and below crowd represented by Ji Xuan and Pure Heart felt relieved. They regained their composure, looking at Xu Qian with mockery, hostility, or confidence.

Without Luo Yuheng, his reinforcement would at most be a third-rank artificer.

The cloaked Azure Dragon raised his head. Under the brim of his hat were golden vertical pupils. He examined Xu Qi’an for a moment before saying in a hoarse voice:

“Two Vajras, as agreed, this person belongs to Buddhism. Everything on him belongs to us.”

Asura Vajra Du Fan spoke in a deep, resonating voice:

“After capturing the Buddha’s son, we will take him to Hidden Dragon City.”

The Azure Dragon slowly nodded:

“We have always trusted Buddhism’s credibility.”

The two Vajras and Azure Dragon Seven Stars formed a triangle, surrounding Xu Qi’an, calmly conversing as if he were already a turtle in a jar.

The Azure Dragon spoke while carefully observing Xu Qi’an, his hoarse voice coming from under the hood:

“Where is Sun Xuanji? Why not let him appear and choose an opponent himself?

“Hopefully he’ll choose the two Vajras.”

He drew a dark red long blade from his cloak, laughing hoarsely:

“Because compared to an artificer, I’d rather experience your skills.”

That day in the capital, this man had caused even their master to retreat—truly a heaven-blessed genius.

Xu Qi’an remained calm, his lips curving upward: “Regrettably, Senior Brother Sun chose you all.”

His gaze turned behind the Azure Dragon Seven Stars.

At some point, a white-robed figure had appeared several zhang behind the Azure Dragon Seven Stars.

He had ordinary features and ordinary height, holding a scroll with characters:

“I am your opponent!”