Ancient Buddha Clan

The vast hall was deathly silent. Shadows all around concealed the figures who should have been present.

Everyone was watching the woman in the white dress standing at the center of the hall. The atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Without exception, everyone present was an absolute powerhouse.

Especially the old man at the very top of the hall—across the entire Great Thousand World, he stood at the absolute pinnacle in both cultivation and strength.

Yet this group of people had fallen into deep thought as they looked at the calm-faced woman below.

"Qing Yanjing, you still have the nerve to come back?"

An aged voice rang out in the hall, neither joyful nor sorrowful, sending ripples through the air.

"I never wanted to come back either."

Qing Yanjing's gaze did not waver as she answered calmly.

"You..."

Whoosh!

At that moment, a peculiar pressure descended directly from the highest point of the hall, silencing everyone present as it bore down on Qing Yanjing below.

Qing Yanjing raised her head. White marks appeared out of thin air, forming an array in an instant and blocking the pressure before her.

The pressure and the array repeatedly collided within the hall. Their clashes created hurricanes that tore through the stone walls and pillars, forcing the other onlookers to circulate their spiritual energy to resist the impact.

When he saw that the pressure could not advance even a single step, the figure at the top let out a slightly surprised sound.

The pressure intensified further. Qing Yanjing's gaze remained fixed as she stood where she was, looking up at the old man in the hall.

One Spiritual Seal after another floated through the air, as though they possessed their own consciousness, forming strange patterns.

"A Grand Spiritual Array Master? How is that possible?"

The others nearby rose directly from their seats. Looking at the woman constructing the array, their voices were filled with astonishment.

"Interesting."

The aged voice came again from above.

"But it is not enough."

The instant the words fell, Black and White Spiritual Energy flooded the space above the hall. Only now did the old man, a peak powerhouse, finally become serious.

"Leave this place!"

The figures around them could no longer remain calm within the shadows. At someone's shout, figure after figure rose into the air and shot toward the sky.

Qing Yanjing looked at the spiritual energy that seemed to belong to an entirely different level, yet there was not the slightest trace of panic in her eyes.

Ever since she had been very young, she had known that this old man was immensely powerful.

But...

"If I don't try, I'll never be willing to accept it."

A fierce fighting spirit erupted in Qing Yanjing's eyes. She had her own reasons for refusing to yield.

Spiritual Seals surged forth as if they cost nothing, floating around her body. She did not deliberately arrange them, yet they seemed to possess intelligence, charging toward the old man.

Black-and-white spiritual energy filled the air and pressed down on her.

In an instant, the sky seemed to darken. Brilliant stars hung in the air, giving off a faint glow.

At last, the old man on the platform rose from his seat. As he looked at the stars, a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes.

"It seems I still underestimated you."

"I've always wanted to try."

Qing Yanjing spoke calmly to the old man.

"To see whether I could one day knock you down from your current position."

The moment her words fell, they seemed like a decree from heaven.

Dazzling divine light burst from the stars. Then, under the old man's gaze, the first star slowly descended.

"Then try!"

The old man's steady voice rang out. In the next instant, his figure turned into a streak of black light and crashed directly toward the star.

The black light collided with the star, instantly reducing it to scattered motes of spiritual light.

But then, as though the first star had led the charge, every star descended in an instant.

The magnificent scene blanketed the entire sky as it hurtled toward the black light.

Faced with such an attack, the black light showed no intention of slowing. In the next moment, Black and White Spiritual Energy directly enveloped all the stars.

The stars exploded in an instant, the sound resounding throughout the Ancient Buddha Clan.

Only several seconds later, after the explosions ceased, a somewhat disheveled figure appeared in midair.

It was an old man. He stared intently at the woman below and slowly spoke. "Saint Grade?"

"I prepared this for you for a long time."

Qing Yanjing's eyes blazed.

The old man took a deep breath, as though pondering something.

"But you understand. Rules are rules."

Qing Yanjing nodded. She knew that the moment she returned to this place, she had no second choice.

But...

"These are my conditions."

Only those with strength could negotiate conditions. Those were words he had once taught her.

A trace of struggle flashed through the old man's eyes.

He said nothing. He merely flicked his sleeve, and at the highest point above the entire clan, a light phantom appeared and pressed straight down toward Qing Yanjing.

Qing Yanjing knew what it was. It was the foundation of the Ancient Buddha Clan. Against it, she could not possibly win.

She did not resist any further. Instead, she stood where she was, staring fiercely at the old man in the air.

She was waiting for an answer.

Then, beneath her gaze, the old man gently nodded.

The next second, the light phantom descended, completely blocking her vision.

At that moment, the turbulent Ancient Buddha Realm finally returned to its usual tranquility.

"Grand Elder, the two children following Qing Yanjing are not of our clan's bloodline."

At that moment, a figure appeared behind the old man and reported respectfully.

"Erase their memories and send them away."

The old man shook his head and looked down at the ruined hall.

Though he was issuing orders to his subordinate behind him, the one he was truly informing was the woman who had already been trapped.

"Stay here peacefully."

The next second, his figure vanished from midair, along with that mysterious light phantom.

In the air where he had stood, the clansman who had received the order lowered his head to see the old man off. Yet from an angle no one noticed, the man gave a faint, somewhat eerie smile.

"It's over."

Hearing the deafening explosions fade away in the distance, Bai Ye spoke softly to Ling Xi beside him.

"So that means Aunt Jing..."

Ling Xi pressed her lips together and did not continue.

Before coming here, Qing Yanjing had already told them what the final outcome would be.

She had left the two children outside the Ancient Buddha Clan, intending for them to wait in a small city far away. If she did not leave the Ancient Buddha Clan within three days, they were to depart on their own according to the arrangements she had made beforehand.

But the two children were clearly worried about Qing Yanjing's safety and could not help coming here to wait for the outcome.

As the battle in the distance came to an end, Qing Yanjing still did not appear.

"Let's go."

Bai Ye said calmly.

Ling Xi silently lowered her head. Although Aunt Jing had already discussed this outcome with them, when it truly happened, Ling Xi still found it hard to accept.

"There's nothing we can do."

Seeing Ling Xi like this, Bai Ye hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Even someone as powerful as Aunt Jing had failed. What could he and Ling Xi possibly do?

One was in the Perception Realm, the other in the Spiritual Movement Realm.

They were nothing but burdens.

Ling Xi nodded. She understood what Bai Ye meant, but she could not be as rational as he was.

Ever since that illness three years ago, Bai Ye's personality had been changing little by little. Over the past three years, Qing Yanjing had taken them everywhere in search of famous physicians, but none could do anything about that mysterious, sinister cold energy.

She and Qing Yanjing could only watch helplessly as Bai Ye suffered through the cold energy time and again.

And with each brush with death, Bai Ye's personality changed bit by bit. The Bai Ye of today was truly very different from who he had been three years ago.

Bai Ye stood quietly where he was, watching her remain silent without saying a word.

Ling Xi was a very smart girl. She would quickly adjust herself.

As for him...

His fingernails dug hard into his palms, suppressing the emotions in his heart.

This was what it felt like to have no freedom. It was different from usual, and he was very unhappy.

But faced with the current situation, helplessness was the best description.

"Xiao Ye, someone's coming."

Just then, a cold voice suddenly echoed within his heart.

Bai Ye raised his head and looked toward the obscured sun.

His fists slowly loosened, but his body gradually tensed.

He forced the corners of his mouth upward in a slight smile.

"Ling Xi Sister, it's time to run..."