Li Xuanxiao moved through the air at high speed, his robes snapping loudly in the wind.
The piercing whistle of the wind rang in his ears, while the scenery rushed backward before his eyes.
"Ride the Wind."
Though it was merely at the entry level, it benefited from the abundant True Qi of his Profound Realm.
Its effects were still impressive.
With a single leap from the ground, he could glide for several miles!
If there was wind, he could ride it and soar still higher, flying both high and far.
It let Li Xuanxiao indulge his craving for flight.
As he looked upon the myriad forms of lofty mountains and the sea of clouds,
his originally suppressed mood eased somewhat.
What an excellent Ride the Wind!
The great roc rode the wind one day, spiraling ninety thousand miles into the heavens!
Hm?
Was it "rode," perhaps?
Li Xuanxiao shook his head, too lazy to dwell on it.
Within his sight, a city several times larger than Ning'an City had appeared upon the earth.
Li Xuanxiao adjusted the output of his True Qi and landed steadily within the city.
After landing, he swept his gaze around, and his brows immediately furrowed slightly.
There were far too many monks in Faxuan City.
Along a single street, from one end to the other, there were dozens of people dressed as monks.
Perhaps it was merely an illusion, but monks would occasionally glance at him as if casually.
Yet faint hostility lurked in their eyes.
Li Xuanxiao did not understand why, but he could not be bothered to care.
According to the description in the mission handbook, the magistrate of this city had repeatedly sent letters to the Demon Slayer Division.
That showed the situation truly was extremely urgent.
But looking at things now, there did not seem to be any problem?
Other than there being a few too many monks.
Li Xuanxiao shook his head. Why was he wasting effort imagining things here?
Find the magistrate, and one question would reveal everything!
He headed straight for the city yamen, only to be told that the magistrate was absent.
When he asked where he had gone,
the answer was that he had gone to Pure Land Temple outside the city.
Monks again?
Monks were everywhere in the city, and the magistrate had even gone directly to the temple where the monks were.
Pure Land Temple...
The name seemed familiar to him. The mission handbook had included a brief introduction to it.
It was a jianghu faction near Faxuan City.
There were also quite a few martial artists in the temple.
Of course, they were not called martial artists within a temple.
They were called monk soldiers.
Most of the time, the monks only moved about near the temple.
Occasionally, they would descend the mountain to Faxuan City to seek alms, while also guiding those who wished to turn toward Buddha up the mountain.
Li Xuanxiao immediately changed course and headed straight for Pure Land Temple.
With Ride the Wind driven at full force, he soon arrived at the mountain where Pure Land Temple stood.
After walking a little farther, he finally reached its gates.
Just as he was about to step inside,
a monk before the gate stopped him. "Benefactor, please halt."
Li Xuanxiao stopped and looked at him. "Master, what guidance do you have?"
"I dare not accept that title. This humble monk sees that Benefactor carries a weapon."
"This temple is pure ground, a sacred site of the Buddhist Sect. Please remove your weapon before entering!"
Li Xuanxiao raised a brow. There was such a rule?
But surrendering his weapon was impossible.
A weapon was a martial artist's life!
If he put down his blade and something unexpected happened, he would immediately be placed in an extremely passive position.
"My apologies, Master, but I cannot agree."
The monk pressed his palms together and said, "Amitabha. Benefactor, then please return!"
"Pure Land Temple does not admit those carrying weapons."
Li Xuanxiao frowned, but still restrained himself from acting.
"I need not enter. I ask Master to announce me for me."
"Say that someone from the Demon Slayer Division has arrived and requests an audience with the magistrate of Faxuan City."
"The Demon Slayer Division!?"
The two monks exchanged a glance and traded an unreadable look.
"The magistrate has already decided to leave the secular world and enter the Buddhist path. He will no longer concern himself with mortal affairs."
"Benefactor, please return!"
Li Xuanxiao narrowed his eyes. "As an official of the dynasty, even if he has seen through the red dust, he must first hand over the matters in his charge."
"How can he hold an important post, yet become a monk without a word, utterly disregarding the responsibilities upon his shoulders?"
"Master, please go announce me. Today, I must see the magistrate!"
By the end, Li Xuanxiao's tone had turned stern.
The two monks' expressions also darkened. "Benefactor, do not make trouble without reason. This humble monk has already made it very clear..."
Clear your mother's ass!
Bald bastard, do you really think I don't dare make a move?
He instantly drew his blade. "I am going in right now. Try stopping me!"
He had not been certain at first, so he had upheld the principle of courtesy before force.
Yet these two had made things difficult for him at every turn.
Li Xuanxiao was certain that something was wrong within this temple!
"The court is conducting an investigation. Those who obstruct it will be slain!"
First, he draped himself in the tiger's hide; first, he seized the moral high ground.
Li Xuanxiao strode directly into Pure Land Temple.
The two monks exchanged a look, and the khakkharas in their hands trembled.
As inner force surged, they attacked Li Xuanxiao from behind!
They were merely gatekeeping monks, yet both were at the peak of the Profound Realm!
Li Xuanxiao did not even turn his head, directly circulating True Qi to protect his body.
When the two monks struck him, they were instead blasted away themselves.
The monks were even more horrified than Li Xuanxiao!
Though the two of them were only at the peak of the Profound Realm, their combined attack technique could reach the strength of the early Extreme Realm!
Yet not only had they failed to injure their opponent, they had been jolted until their entire bodies ached.
This man was at least at the middle stage of the Extreme Realm!
The two exchanged another glance, grave expressions surfacing in their eyes.
They immediately struck the great bell before the temple gates.
Booooong—
A deep, distant toll of the bell rang out.
Within Pure Land Temple, monk soldiers stopped what they were doing one after another.
Some held long-handled sabers, some carried spears, and some brandished wooden staves.
They all rushed toward the temple gates.
After knocking the two men away, Li Xuanxiao had not gone far before encountering a squad of monk soldiers.
Seeing the various weapons in their hands, he immediately laughed.
Weapons were forbidden in sacred Buddhist ground?
So they were forbidden only for me, was that it?
He shouted again, "The court is conducting an investigation. Those who obstruct it will be slain!"
Yet rather than retreat, the monk soldiers advanced.
Li Xuanxiao remained utterly fearless, and the two sides soon clashed!
After several exchanges, Li Xuanxiao's brows gradually knit together.
Whenever he wounded a monk soldier, an unknown blackish-purple substance would gush from the wound.
That substance writhed frantically as though it were alive!
Then the monk soldier's wounds visibly healed and recovered!
Li Xuanxiao's gaze turned solemn. As expected, there was something sinister here!
At a glance, this eerie substance was clearly not something that should exist in a normal temple.
Although most of these monk soldiers were only at the late stage of the Profound Realm,
combined with this bizarre restorative ability,
they instantly became ten times more troublesome!
If even a group of monk soldiers at the Profound Realm could do this,
then higher up, the temple's leaders—the abbots and head monks—
how terrifying must they be?
With a backhand slash, he cut toward the head of an oncoming monk soldier.
The man could not evade in time and was beheaded on the spot.
Li Xuanxiao no longer held back, directly striking to kill.
He cut down every one who came at him, as though slicing melons and chopping vegetables.
Very soon, all of the monk soldiers had been slain.
Li Xuanxiao stared at the blackish-purple blood on his blade, his brows tightly locked.
This was clearly not the color human blood should have!
These people, this temple, this eerie substance...
What exactly had happened here?
Before you continue