Wu Wei Monk

Throughout the Heavenly Realm, Xiang Tian's name had become the talk of the town once more.

Some said he had inherited the legacy of an ancient Buddha and would surely become the strongest prodigy of this age.

Others said Jade Pool had stumbled upon an enormous bargain—its dragon-riding son-in-law was destined to be invincible.

Everyone envied Xiang Tian's fortune, that he had won Jade Pool's favor and been wed to Queen Mother of the West's own granddaughter.

While the discussions outside raged like wildfire, the Xiao Family was desolate and bleak from top to bottom. Their present circumstances truly could not have been much worse.

News spread by the Rogue Cultivators who had luckily survived the secret realm—that the Xiao Family had used the lives of several thousand cultivators to lure out the sarira—immediately placed the entire Xiao Family in an awkward position.

Rumors were both true and false. Some took them to heart, while others paid them no heed.

And they could only dare to be angry without daring to speak. The Vajra Sarira had ended up as another's wedding gown; though it pained them greatly, there was nothing they could do.

Meanwhile, Xiang Tian was still pondering how he ought to deal with this Vajra Sarira.

It contained vast Buddhist power, making internal refinement the most suitable option. Yet Xiang Tian could not bring himself to do it. After all, it was someone else's bone—he did not enjoy refining such heavy-tasting things inside his body.

With no other choice, he could only use it as a magic treasure for the time being.

Xiang Tian was currently traveling along an official road. The broad highway was spacious, but the area was indeed rather remote; he had not encountered a single person along the way.

Xiang Tian intended to take a trip to Cloud Marsh to relax. He had heard that its scenery was uniquely beautiful, and that the clouds in its skies could shape themselves into all things according to one's wishes.

Suddenly, Xiang Tian halted, his gaze filled with vigilance as he stared at an old tree to his front left.

It looked utterly ordinary, its withered branches and fallen leaves swaying alone in the biting cold wind.

Xiang Tian kicked up a pebble by his feet and caught it in his hand. He blew on it, and the pebble instantly transformed into a flying axe. With a flick of his wrist, Xiang Tian sent the axe cleaving toward that tree.

"Clang!"

The flying axe embedded itself in the old tree without the slightest abnormality. Xiang Tian frowned. Had his senses been wrong?

As the saying went, the Great Dao had no form. Once a True Immortal glimpsed the Great Dao, they could transform themselves into all things. Though Xiang Tian was only in the Deity Transformation Realm, his divine sense was absurdly keen. He could sense that what lay within this tree was absolutely not vegetation!

But if it truly was a True Immortal's transformation, it would not be foolish enough to simply withstand that axe. Like a person standing there while someone swung a blade at them—they would certainly dodge.

To be safe, Xiang Tian conjured a wisp of flame in his hand. However, his flames were somewhat strange, purple-black in color.

This was the black flame of the Phoenix lineage of the Divine Beast Clan. It possessed an unending quality; once it touched someone, it clung like a maggot to the bone, neither dying nor being extinguished.

Xiang Tian rarely used this method, for it involved too much. If he accidentally caught the Divine Beast Clan's attention, he would have a terrible headache dealing with that group of fellows whose intelligence was worrying but whose combat strength was terrifying.

The instant the black flame was about to make contact, the old tree transformed into a streak of light and fled more than thirty meters away, revealing a plump monk with his chest and belly exposed.

"Amitabha. Benefactor, your killing intent is too heavy. What a sin that is."

Xiang Tian was rather shocked upon seeing him. Ever since the ascension of the three teachings, those who cultivated their three lineages had become relatively scarce. He had not expected to run into one today—and a genuine True Immortal Realm expert at that.

"What? Has this great monk come for me today because of the Vajra Sarira?"

Xiang Tian looked at him coldly. With something like this, anyone could guess why the man had come knocking just by thinking with their toes.

The man pressed his palms together and lowered his head in a chant. "Benefactor, this humble monk's Buddhist name is Wu Wei. I came here especially today only to retrieve our sect's sacred relic. It is likely improper for you to carry this sacred relic with you, as it may easily draw the attention of evildoers. Better to let this humble monk safeguard it. You may then continue sightseeing and traveling the mountains, freed of one burden."

Monk Wu Wei's eyes were lowered, his bearing utterly detached from the mortal world.

But Xiang Tian understood. This monk was nothing more than a sanctimonious hypocrite. One only had to consider how much the Vajra Sarira could aid the cultivation of their lineage.

As for that claim of it being his sect's sacred relic, Xiang Tian nearly could not stop himself from laughing aloud.

Seeing that Xiang Tian made no move, Monk Wu Wei chanted another "Amitabha" before speaking. "Since Benefactor is unwilling to cooperate, then for your own safety, this humble monk can only offend you."

As he finished speaking, a gigantic phantom of a Buddha began to appear behind him. The great Buddha slowly extended one palm, and a colossal golden hand immediately materialized before Monk Wu Wei, attacking Xiang Tian amid a fierce gale.

Xiang Tian immediately guided the ground with one hand, and walls of earth instantly rose one after another, attempting to block the giant palm. Yet he found they had little effect.

Xiang Tian erected earthen walls as he retreated, but even his speed could not match the speed at which the walls were broken.

Monk Wu Wei smiled and shook his head. "Benefactor, why make such futile struggles? Better to let this humble monk send you to the Land of Ultimate Bliss, where you shall have no more troubles."

As he spoke, Monk Wu Wei's expression abruptly changed. The golden giant palm he had summoned suddenly dispersed and transformed into a massive sword.

Xiang Tian was startled. He had not expected this to be a move within a move.

With no time to think further, Xiang Tian threw a punch. Black radiance from the Companion Bracelet enveloped his fist, and with a bang, it collided with the enormous transformed sword.

Monk Wu Wei's body swayed violently, and Xiang Tian immediately understood.

The reason this divine ability could change forms so freely was most likely because the monk had infused his mind into it.

The advantage was that its attacks were varied and could shift as he pleased, giving him every advantage in an exchange of moves. Yet the drawback was equally obvious: once the technique was broken, it could very likely injure his mind.

Since that was the case, then he could not blame Xiang Tian for being ruthless!

Xiang Tian immediately entangled himself with the golden greatsword, raining punch after punch upon it until Monk Wu Wei spat blood repeatedly. He wanted to withdraw the golden sword, but Xiang Tian gave him no opportunity at all, not even allowing him a moment to catch his breath.

Left with no alternative, he could only abandon that fragment of his mind and directly detonate the golden sword. Seizing the chaos of the smoke and dust, Monk Wu Wei plunged headfirst into the void and began fleeing at full speed.

Damn, this was too outrageous. What the hell was Xiang Tian? The rumors were all true—this fellow had far too many methods. He was utterly terrifying.

He truly had not expected that, as a True Immortal Realm cultivator, he would be unable to defeat a mere Deity Transformation Realm brat.

When the smoke and dust dispersed, Xiang Tian looked at the empty space before him and curled his lip. He knew it was already too late to pursue him. After all, if a True Immortal fled with all his strength, even catching up would take Xiang Tian some effort.

Within the void, Monk Wu Wei was still fleeing, but he suddenly collided with an invisible barrier and fell straight from midair. Terror filled his heart as he assumed it was Xiang Tian's doing.

"Monk Wu Wei, what's this? Couldn't beat our young master, so you're thinking of running?"

The sudden voice made Monk Wu Wei's heart sink. When he saw who had arrived, he seemed to plunge into an icy abyss, his whole body trembling.

Shi Mu looked at him, his expression cold and stern.

"Y-you're Shi Mu of Jade Pool!"

Monk Wu Wei's tongue had already started to stumble. Spitting blood, he kept backing away.

And the people standing behind Shi Mu drove him even deeper into despair—they were all cultivators of the same realm as himself!

"Monk Wu Wei, this old man has a favor to ask. I need to borrow the head on your shoulders!"

Shi Mu gave a cold laugh. The sight terrified Monk Wu Wei so badly that he collapsed to the ground, muttering, "N-no... You can't. You can't!"

But he knew that before a Golden Immortal, he did not even have a chance to flee!