A Monk Asked Me Why I Came from the West (continued)

Fashan held the divine needles in his hand, his fingers flying as he continuously treated the wounded. He used the Thousand-Handed Compassion Finger to heal internal injuries. His kasaya was already soaked with sweat. Beside him were the equally busy Medicine King Hall, each of them showing signs of True Qi. It was their presence that kept the casualty rate of the Glazed Temple side at an extremely low level.

"There are too many injured people; at this rate, we'll soon fall behind."

Fashan quickly stitched up and fixed Fahong's finger. With the physical regeneration ability of a top expert, even such a simple treatment was enough to allow the wound to heal.

Fahong decisively said, "From now on, you are only responsible for treating those disciples whose lives are in danger. Don't worry about the rest of the injured. Try to conserve your True Qi."

He looked up at the center of the Glazed Temple, where the light barrier of the Thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa Formation had been erected, radiating a brilliant and dazzling light to prevent outsiders from spying on the battle inside.

"We must buy Alliance Leader Sima enough time. As a member of the Western Martial World, he is willing to risk his life to fight the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King in our place. We absolutely cannot turn the tables and hinder him, allowing other Monster Race to obstruct the final battle. Even if it costs us our lives, we must stop the Monster Race's offensive. In today's battle, we only ask to die on the battlefield, we would rather die than retreat!"

"To die on the battlefield? You need at least a body to escape unscathed, huh? Do you think you can escape with your corpse intact?"

With a sinister laugh, Wu Da appeared before the two monks, holding a cane.

Fashan exclaimed in surprise, "How did you end up here? The others..." He looked around and found that all the other disciples had fallen to the ground, their faces pale and their bodies showing signs of decay, clearly indicating that they had been poisoned.

"The path of cultivation is inevitably lonely, so this old man, in his great compassion, will send you both on your journey together."

He slammed his cane down, and a wisp of poisonous smoke shaped like a python rushed along the ground toward the two of them, leaving nothing but decay and rotting flesh in its wake.

"The Tathagata Great Compassion Palm!"

"The Xuanli Divine Needle!"

Fahong gathered Buddhist light in his palm and struck out with a palm, transforming it into a Buddhist seal that struck the seven-inch mark of the poisonous python, attempting to stop it. Fashan, on the other hand, flicked his finger, and a divine needle, condensing hidden force, curved and shot towards Wu Da's throat.

Unexpectedly, the giant python made of poisonous smoke was as if it were alive. It opened its mouth and swallowed the Buddha seal into its belly, making a hissing sound. At the same time, it swept its tail and Xuanli Divine Needle away.

Wu Da chuckled sinisterly, "You two, keep each other company on the road to the Yellow Springs, so you won't be lonely."

In that critical moment, a beam of energy suddenly appeared from the side, as sharp as light and lightning, dispelling evil and penetrating into the body of the poisonous python, exerting its purifying power and causing it to crumble and dissipate like sand.

Who is it?

Wu Da responded with a swastika-shaped Law Seals, which pierced through the air and sent him flying like a sandbag.

"When a monk asked me the Xilai, I said I had lived in the mountains for seven or eight years, wearing straw sandals with only three ears, and a hemp robe with two patches on the shoulders. I often saw snow at the East Hermitage, and the stream below flowed long while the spring above flowed long. After the white clouds dispersed at midnight, a bright moon appeared before my bed."

Holding prayer beads, Xilai slowly approached, bowed to Fahong and Fashan, and said in a gentle and calm tone, "Leave this to your disciple."

Looking at Xilai's expression, Fahong seemed to understand something, and said with deep emotion, "I never imagined you would surpass me... You chose this path, and I don't know whether to be happy or sad."

Xilai laughed and said, "Peach blossoms bloom on the cliff, but where do they come from? Lingzhi only saw them once, and then turned back to dance on the Three Platforms. It is naturally a joyous thing that I, your disciple, have been able to successfully inherit the Mandate of Heaven. Life is like a fleeting moment, and all that one seeks in a lifetime of cultivation is but a brief appearance, fading away without regret."

Fashan understood their meaning, put his hands together, and said, "Excellent, excellent, worthy of respect and awe."

Fahong sighed and said with self-reproach, "I am a bad teacher. I have the title of teacher and student, but I have never taught you anything. I wonder if there is any chance to make up for it now?"

Xilai said, "Glazed Temple cannot live in the hatred of the past forever. From today onwards, I will have a successor. She will be the opportunity to change Glazed Temple. However, she is more controversial than I am. I hope Master will protect her."

"I understand now. Even if this person creates a huge hole, as long as I am alive, I will not let the sky fall."

"This disciple thanks Master and takes his leave."

"May you have a safe journey."

After bidding farewell to his two commanders, Xilai slowly walked to the fiercest part of the battlefield at Ximen. He flicked his prayer beads, raised his hand, and cried out, "May the Blazing Glaze forth, Sattva Enters Nirvana!"

He struck the sky with a palm, which then exploded in mid-air, transforming into hundreds of palm prints that bombarded down like grenades. Each palm print avoided the monks on the battlefield and accurately struck the Monster Race. Blood splattered everywhere, and the fierce battle came to a brief halt. Everyone, including the monsters, turned their gazes toward Xilai.

Henzhen asked in surprise, "How did you end up here? Wait, wasn't your Foundation destroyed?"

Xilai extended his hand and said, "This humble monk has come as promised to guide and convert you, benefactor."

In front of the numerous Monster Race, Henzhen showed no emotion, saying expressionlessly, "Nonsense, when did we ever have such an agreement?"

"If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain. Since you are unwilling to hold my hand, I will take the initiative to do so."

Henzhen, slightly impatient, said, "It's no use. I told you long ago, you're too late!"

Xilai persisted, "It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost."

Henzhen retorted angrily, "What's the point of arguing endlessly? It's too late, it's too late. You can't save me. Just like this war, even if you came now, what could you do? Could you stop the killing on both sides?"

Before Xilai could answer, she said decisively, "No! You can only choose to help one side and then eliminate the other to end the war. This is a matter of stance, and has nothing to do with your personal will! Sometimes what determines your words and actions is not your brain, but your position. Since you have chosen to stand against me, you must draw your sword against me!"

Xilai sighed and said, "This humble monk understands."

"Now that you understand, then..."

"This humble monk is willing to give it a try and stop this war on my own. If I succeed, you should be willing to hold my hand, right?"

"Why are you so stubborn!" Henzhen felt like all her previous words had been wasted.

The humanoid Ghost Chariot rushed over, and the man in the middle said, "Why waste your breath on this little bald monk? His long-winded, rambling, and nagging nonsense is driving me crazy. To deal with flies like this, you should just squeeze their bellies, pull out their intestines, use those intestines to strangle them, and then finish them off with a swift stroke. Why waste your breath on him!"

The old man said, "You've been spouting a lot of nonsense. Can't you just summarize it in four simple words?"

The cold-faced woman said, "Shut up, start the killing!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than he unleashed a "Ferocious Spirit Evil Slash" that cleaved the ground.

Xilai neither dodged nor evaded, nor even took any defensive measures, allowing the evil energy blade to slash at his chest. He was instantly disemboweled, and a large amount of blood gushed out from his chest.

"Bodhi is immeasurable, as vast as Mount Sumeru!"

Xilai clasped his hands together, gathering all the blood into his palms. The Buddhist aura swirling above the Glazed Temple was drawn in and surged into it. Then, he flicked his hand to both sides, and the blood dripped to the ground at fixed intervals. Then, the Buddhist light blazed brightly, and a transparent, majestic mountain wall rose up from the spot, stretching for ten miles, resembling the legendary Great Mount Sumeru, completely separating the people and horses on both sides.