A Change of Actors (Continued)

In the Spirit King Hall, the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King frowned slightly as he looked at the Buddha-Slaying Monk who had returned empty-handed.

The Buddha-Slaying Monk had a sour face, like a child throwing a tantrum because his toy had been taken away. He looked around the scene and said coldly, "There is no doubt that there is a traitor among your people who leaked the information to Heavenly Sound Temple in advance. Those foolish monks then fled overnight, causing me to make a wasted trip. If the Spirit King is interested, he might as well investigate how many people know about this matter."

His words were tantamount to shifting the blame onto all those in the know, implying that they had leaked the information, and the four divine generals in the palace at this moment were undoubtedly the prime suspects.

The man in the Ghost Chariot said angrily, "We are loyal to the Spirit King and have never had the thought of betraying him. If anyone is a suspect, it is you. Why didn't this happen before you came? Why did the news leak out as soon as you arrived?"

The monk Buddha-Slaying Monk scoffed, "Has there really never been any leaks of information before? Think about it carefully. Your side has had several failed operations in the past. Weren't there any traces of information being leaked in those cases? When the Spirit King encountered the Ten Buddhas Nirvana Formation, wasn't there really someone working in cahoots with him from the inside?"

It would be strange if no news had leaked out after so many years of fighting between the Monster Race and the Buddhist School. Xilai himself admitted that they had an inside agent among the Monster Race, and the Monster Race had also planted spies in the Glazed Temple.

Moreover, many things cannot withstand scrutiny. Sometimes it is just a tactical mistake or the strategy being seen through by the other side, leading to the failure of the operation and being outmaneuvered. However, when reviewing the situation afterward, the person involved will unconsciously attribute the cause to the leak of information, because if they do not admit that it was the fault of the mole, then they have to admit that they are stupider than the other side - and no one is willing to admit that.

As expected, upon hearing the question posed by the Buddha-Slaying Monk, all the monsters present showed thoughtful expressions, and Wu Da, the divine general who served as the strategist, chuckled coldly.

"As for why this happened after I arrived, the reason is quite obvious. As an enemy of Buddhism, the Buddhist School naturally does not want to see me join forces with your side. Their spies want to sabotage this cooperation, and even want to use your side to get rid of me. Isn't that a matter of course?"

Wu Da chuckled sinisterly, "Perhaps it's a case of the thief crying 'Stop thief!'"

The Buddha-Slaying Monk snorted and declared, "If I were a spy, everyone in Heavenly Sound Temple would surely die, not even a fly would escape!"

Wu Da chuckled twice, offering no rebuttal and tacitly agreeing with this viewpoint.

If the Buddha-Slaying Monk was a spy, his first priority would be to gain the trust of the Monster Race. Therefore, the first task must be completed no matter what. As for slaughtering his fellow disciples... the number of monks who died at the hands of the monk who killed the Buddha-Slaying Monk has already exceeded a thousand, and there are also a lot of temples that he wiped out. There is no reason to let Heavenly Sound Temple go, after all, there are no important figures in Heavenly Sound Temple.

Henzhen said slowly, "Perhaps, it's the opposite." There was a hint of revenge in her tone.

However, the Buddha-Slaying Monk didn't care at all, and said nonchalantly, "Intrigues, tests, schemes, are you saying that the Monster Race are a bunch of little devils who only know how to play such boring tricks? Since you have suspicions, wouldn't it be better to just take action? I'm a straightforward person, and I have no interest in playing mind games with you. Come on, use all your strength to force me to reveal my background. If you can't do it, then all of you shut up. Trash has no right to speak!"

The sudden mockery caught all the monsters off guard, and they couldn't help but wonder, did this guy even know whose territory he was on?

Wang Dashe, who had remained silent and stared at the floor as if he were an outsider, couldn't help but turn his head and cast an interested glance at the Buddha-Slaying Monk.

The Purple-Pupiled Spirit King was extremely shrewd and composed, his expression unchanged, as if he had everything under control and nothing could surprise him no matter what happened.

Henzhen frowned, sensing something was amiss, yet unable to pinpoint what it was. He stared intently at the Buddha-Slaying Monk had killed the Buddha, as if trying to see right through him.

The man with the Ghost Chariot laughed heartily, "That's right, schemes and tests are nothing but petty tricks. A true strongman proves everything with force!"

The cold, beautiful woman sneered, "You talk so arrogantly, but you were beaten like a dog by Glazed Temple. If I hadn't taken a blow for you, you would have been a dead dog that day. Those with strength shout confidence, and those without strength shout arrogance. You don't even have a shred of self-awareness. You're just a reckless brute."

The old man sighed helplessly, "Alas, it was clearly me who got slapped that day."

The Buddha-Slaying Monk drew his Glazed Precept-Breaking Saber, pointed it at the crowd, and said, "Let me reveal a secret to you. I have a very special bloodline. If I am saved from near death, my Cultivation Body will surge and my strength will increase dramatically. This is the reason why I have grown so rapidly in just a few years."

Wu Da didn't believe it at all. "A madman spouting nonsense!"

He slammed his cane into the ground, and a surge of black evil energy rushed out. At the same time, Ghost Chariot roared and threw out his fists, which crackled with lightning, increasing his power even further.

The Buddha-Slaying Monk chuckled, raised his hand and slashed away the black evil current with a single stroke, then transformed his left hand into a palm, steadily blocking the Ghost Chariot's two fists.

"Give me my refund!"

With a deep shout, Ghost Chariot intensified his power, and instantly blood-red light danced and purple electricity surged, increasing its power by another thirty percent.

However, the Buddha-Slaying Monk simply sank his foot, cracking the ground, and still steadily caught the attack without taking a single step back. In fact, he launched a powerful counterattack, revealing the appearance of an Asura, and knocked the Ghost Chariot back.

After the defense came a swift counterattack. The Buddha-Slaying Monk unleashed his full Asura Divine Power, filling half the palace with Blood Sha Qi, and swiftly slashed at Wu Da with his blade.

Wu Da neither dodged nor defended, but watched the blade slash toward him with a strange smile. Just as it was about to touch him, the Glazed Precept Saber suddenly stopped in mid-air.

"This is a fake body; the real one is here!"

The Buddha-Slaying Monk nimbly reversed his blade, slashing at a place shrouded in black smoke. The black smoke in this location could easily be mistaken for the residual force of Wu Da's evil move, but it was actually the location of Wu Da's true body. The creature that looked like his true body was actually a poisonous insect in disguise. Once this insect was injured, it would self-destruct on the spot, poisoning the attacker.

With a deafening roar, Wu Da's true form was forced to manifest. He vomited blood and flew backward. The difference in strength was too great to overcome due to his Foundation. He felt as if he had been hit by a moving mountain. His old bones were almost shattered, his Qi and Blood and qi churned, and he didn't know how many bones had broken.

What pained him even more was that after the Gu God Staff in his hand was struck head-on by the Glazed Precept-Breaking Saber, a spiderweb-like crack appeared, clearly indicating that the divine artifact had been damaged.

Meanwhile, Ghost Chariot once again entangled with the Buddha-Slaying Monk. Knowing that his opponent possessed the Asura Divine Power, and that he was no match for him in a contest of strength, he switched to utilizing his speed advantage. His fists made contact and then retreated instantly, giving his opponent no chance to unleash their power. At the same time, he split into three clones: a cold and beautiful woman and an old man. These three clones surrounded and attacked the Buddha-Slaying Monk. In an instant, layers upon layers of fist shadows appeared, like waves and tides.

However, this time the Buddha-Slaying Monk changed his style of fighting, which was usually all-out and aggressive. He drew circles with his left hand as if sealing off a battle, and spun his sword with his right hand as if using a shield to block all attacks. He actually used softness to overcome hardness and slowness to defeat speed.

The Purple-Pupiled Spirit King asked curiously, "Does Buddhist School have such martial arts techniques that use softness to overcome hardness?"

Henzhen said, "I have never heard of this. Buddhist School martial arts have always emphasized the methods of yang (masculine) strength, righteousness, and accumulation. Although there are also yin (feminine) martial arts such as the Flower-Picking Finger's technique, their style is completely different from what the Buddha-Slaying Monk is using now."

"So, he really isn't a spy for the Glazed Temple?"

"That's... hard to say. Perhaps it was a fortuitous encounter, or perhaps he deliberately learned this martial art to confuse people and conceal his true identity."

In the center of the main hall, the battle between the four intensified. Ghost Chariot's three avatars circled around the Buddha-Slaying Monk, constantly increasing the frequency of their punches. Their energy surged like waves, and their Power of Anomalies formed a bizarre domain. The afterimages they left behind almost swallowed up the Buddha-Slaying Monk, yet they still couldn't break through his defenses.

On the surface, it appeared that Ghost Chariot was suppressing Buddha-Slaying Monk, but to discerning observers, it was clear that Buddha-Slaying Monk had taken the initiative, using defense to draw away Ghost Chariot's offensive, turning the tables and firmly controlling the rhythm of the battle.

Suddenly, the Buddha-Slaying Monk pushed out with his palm, disrupting the attacks of the three incarnations. Their fists flew out of control and struck each other, causing chaos and creating a gap in their encirclement.

Seizing the opportunity, the Buddha-Slaying Monk spun around, his Glazed Precept-Breaking Saber slicing through the air in an arc, its sharp blade flashing and blood splattering, leaving wounds on the three avatars. At the same time, he struck out with a palm, hitting the cold and beautiful woman squarely in the abdomen, severely injuring her and forcing her back.

The three avatars merged into one, and even with their injuries evenly distributed, they still couldn't withstand the strain, bending over and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Is that all? This level of strength is far from enough to push me to my limits. You've all disappointed me greatly."

The Buddha-Slaying Monk carried the Glazed Precept-Breaking Saber on his shoulder, extended his left index finger, and contemptuously pointed at the monsters present. His arrogant attitude immediately aroused the anger of the crowd.

"The Ferocious Spirit Three Extremes Annihilation!"

The three faces of the Ghost Chariot roared simultaneously, and endless evil currents surged back. The six palms respectively gathered the power of fire, thunder, and wind, and the powerful Primal Qi was released, causing the entire palace to shake continuously. If the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King had not released the Power of Anomalies in time to protect the building, the residual force generated when he was charging up the move would have shaken the palace to pieces.