Karma Settled (Continued)

Another female swordsman asked with concern, "Master, what about Second Senior Brother's hand?"

He was, after all, a prized student; otherwise, he wouldn't have kept him by his side. Wan Yebai sighed and said, "Only Grandmaster can regenerate severed limbs. Until you reach that level, focus on practicing left-handed swordsmanship."

Then, he looked up and gazed eastward, saying resolutely, "The chaos in the Southern Martial World is over. Next, it's the Eastern Martial World's turn."

West gate of Glazed Temple.

"How could this be? The Spirit King is actually... dead?"

The monsters muttered to themselves, utterly distraught, unable to accept this reality.

Xilai removed the Sumeru Qi Wall and said, "Gentlemen, turn back now. In the battle, life and death are determined by fate. After the battle, no one can blame anyone else; the only one to blame is their own lack of skill. But from now on, the Southern Martial World will change. Now that the Spirit King is dead, you can no longer shift the blame to him. You must be responsible for your own actions. I urge you all to respect the law and abide by the rules, and not to harm anyone again. Buddha is merciful; we can forgive our past sins. But what will you do next? I urge you all to think carefully. Do not say you were not warned."

The man with the Ghost Chariot face said, "You brat, you're barely breathing and you're still acting like this! What 'don't say we didn't warn you'? That's laughable. Believe me, I'll slap you right now..."

Snap!

Before he could finish speaking, the man was slapped across the face. The one who struck him was the female leader of the same sect. She scolded, "Are you stupid or blind? Can't you even see the situation clearly? Let's go! Are you staying to attend their victory celebration instead of leaving now?"

It immediately transformed into its three-headed monstrous bird form, flapped its wings, and swept up its henchmen, fleeing swiftly eastward.

The remaining Monster Race, as if waking from a dream, abandoned their armor and fled in panic, howling as they went.

Seeing an opportunity to strike a victim, a group of monks grabbed their weapons and prepared to give chase. Xilai stopped them, saying, "Enough. Let bygones be bygones. The nightmare is over. We should look to the future, not live in past hatred. The sea of suffering is Bujie, neither increasing nor decreasing, all phenomena are but emptiness."

A young monk, his face still covered in congealed blood, roared, "You make it sound so easy! My two senior brothers, Jueyong Jueheng, were killed by those beasts in the battle just now! Their bodies are barely cold! I'm an orphan; my two senior brothers raised me, treating me like a brother and a father. Now you want me to put aside my hatred and not seek revenge? On what grounds?!"

His words resonated with many monks, who shouted to kill the enemy quickly. Just as they were about to rush past Xilai, the Sumeru Qi Wall, stretching for miles, reappeared and blocked the monks' path.

"I have stopped the killing just now and reduced many casualties. I beg you all to spare your anger in consideration of my hard work."

"You're blaming others for your own benefit!"

"Consider this my humble opinion. I think even fellow practitioners Jueyong and Jueheng wouldn't want you to continue shedding blood for revenge. They sacrificed themselves for peace, not to perpetuate hatred. I hope everyone will not let the sacrifices of our comrades be in vain."

Most of the monks, though somewhat unwilling, gave up the urge to continue the pursuit after Xilai pleaded for their lives in gratitude. Only the young monk from the beginning remained relentless.

"You think you can just spout a few empty words and make me give up on revenge? I don't need your help! I never begged you! You're the one who insisted on interfering and stopping the fight. What kind of favor is that? Get out of my way, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

Xilai said, "Then let's do it. It was wrong of me to forcibly stop you from venting your resentment. It's only natural that you resent me. I'm willing to bear your anger."

"You!"

The young monk slammed his fist into the Sumeru Qi Wall, but it remained unmoved and did not even cause a ripple.

Xilai he would bear the wrath, but not to the point of abandoning his defenses and taking the attack with his bare body. His current physical condition was extremely poor, and he might not be able to withstand a punch from someone else.

"You can stop me for a while, but you can't stop me forever. Even if I let them go today, I will still hunt them down to the bitter end, until they are dead!"

Xilai said, "I only need to stop you for one day. I have no right to make you give up your revenge. I just hope you can calm down and think carefully before making a decision. If you are still determined to take revenge after thinking it over, I will not stop you, nor do I have the ability to stop you."

The young monk withdrew his fist, gritting his teeth, and said, "This is an irreconcilable feud, and I will never give up!"

But he stopped pursuing them, turned around and went back to the rear. He squatted down beside the bodies of his two fellow disciples and wept bitterly. The other monks felt sorry for him, but they stopped making things difficult for Xilai. Some began to clean up the bodies of their fellow practitioners, while others began to recite the Rebirth Sutra.

Xilai removed the Sumeru Qi Wall again. Due to severe depletion of his Qi and Blood, he swayed and almost fainted, but Abbot Fahong caught him in time. "Disciple, you have done your best. Go back and rest."

Xilai shook his head and said, "Once I lie down to rest, I will never be able to get up again. Please, Master, let me finish this last leg of my journey."

Fahong sighed, and though reluctant, he chose to let go, repeating, "Have a safe journey..."

Xilai, barely managing to steady himself, said to the only remaining Monster Race, Henzhen, "This humble monk has fulfilled his promise and stopped this conflict. Now it is your turn to fulfill your agreement."

Henzhen retorted, "I didn't promise you anything; you acted on your own."

Xilai smiled and said, "Then please accompany me for a while. Is that too much to ask?"

Henzhen, then turned around and said to everyone, "Hurry up and go, what are you standing there for? Do you want me to help you up?"

"Ha, if you are willing to lend a helping hand, this humble monk has no objection."

He walked slowly forward from the Xilai. Even though his monk's robes were stained with blood and he was no longer innocent, he was still elegant and dignified, living up to his name as a virtuous monk.

The monk's shoes were already soaked in blood, leaving a bloody mark with every step, but where the bloodstains were left, new grass quickly grew, flowers bloomed, and fragrance spread.

The past seems like yesterday, and all that he sees are unforgettable memories. The final journey is coming to an end, and at this moment, Xilai only peace in his heart.

Henzhen couldn't help but say, "Say what you want to say quickly, I'm afraid if we keep going, you'll collapse before you can even speak."

Xilai smiled, walked to a withered Bodhi tree, stroked the trunk, and said, "In the past, in order to complete the Thousand Buddha Blood Sacrifice, I personally killed many of my fellow disciples. Not to mention those who willingly sacrificed themselves and knew the truth, there were still many innocent people who died tragically at my hands. Their vengeful spirits were suppressed by me with Asura Sha Qi and could not be released. Now, it is time to set them free."

He sat cross-legged, flicked his prayer beads, clasped his hands together, and said, "I have committed my sins and I am willing to bear the consequences. Fellow practitioners, this humble monk has come to repay the karmic debt."

In an instant, intense resentment emanated from his body, and countless vengeful spirits and ghosts, unable to escape their fate, appeared, staring intently at Xilai with fierce glints in their eyes.

"Namo Glazed Medicine Buddha, we have witnessed the execution of Spirit King. Since everything was for the greater good, we are willing to sacrifice ourselves. Please, fellow Buddhists, do not blame yourselves. Now that the cause and effect are settled, we depart."

Eighty percent of the ghosts automatically dispelled their resentment, regained their peaceful appearance, clasped their hands together, bowed to the Xilai, and their figures dissipated and disappeared.

"Heh heh heh, why should I be sacrificed? What right do you have to make decisions for me? What kind of sacrifice is this for the greater good? I'm not willing to do it!"

The remaining 20% of the vengeful spirits let out mournful howls, entangled themselves around Xilai's body, and devoured his flesh. Henzhen wanted to step forward to stop them, but Xilai refused.

"Sentient beings sow seeds, and from the soil comes the fruit. Insentient beings have neither seeds nor nature, and thus no life."

"Why? I don't understand. You were clearly in great pain, making such a huge sacrifice to save the world. The Buddha spoke of cause and effect, so why did you reap bad results despite planting good seeds? Where is the retribution?"

"You can't take anything with you when you die, only your karma follows you. If merit can offset the evil karma of killing, where is justice? It's very easy to sacrifice the happiness of others to achieve a great cause, because the person being sacrificed is not yourself. So such people can always be righteous and awe-inspiring. But I, a humble monk, do not wish to become such a person."