The Mountain Lord's Disciple Cast Out of the Sect

Inside the pagoda, Ye Kong, who had just made a grand vow, looked at the four grotesque, clawing evil spirits and felt that his uncle was being a little too enthusiastic.

He did want a few more opponents, but he wanted a wheel battle, not to solo an entire group.

"Fine then. Golden body, grow bigger."

Feeling that the advantage was still his, Ye Kong moved with a thought and vanished into the void.

The next instant, a ninety-nine-zhang golden Buddha appeared behind the two vampire-like evil spirits. Both hands unleashed thirty-two palm seals, sweeping down like a tsunami with overwhelming force.

The two demons were unable to dodge and were smashed into blood mist, flesh and bones alike, by Ye Kong. He collected them in the Purple Gold Alms Bowl.

The other two evil spirits in the distance saw this and roared furiously, each unleashing their own methods against Ye Kong.

"One is a Blade Demon Tribe member with blades for arms, while the other is a Sword Demon Tribe member with swords for arms. Both are from the Thirty-Two Great Demon Clans. Uncle really thinks highly of me."

"Can't underestimate them. Dodge!"

Ye Kong expressed his full respect for the enemy's race, strength, and offensive capabilities, immediately using his proudest Supernatural Footwork to escape into the void.

"Little bald donkey, get the hell out here! Are the bald donkeys of your Great Spiritual Mountain all cowards who hide their heads and show their tails like you?!"

The Blade Demon Tribe evil spirit had personally watched his companion be shattered by a single palm strike before his eyes. His own slash had missed as well. His eyes were crimson, and baleful energy surged from the edge of his blade.

He had once run rampant through the Lower Planes of the Great Thousand World, slaughtering countless pigs, dogs, and blood food. Yet he had been captured by meddlesome bald donkeys, his cultivation crippled, and locked in a sunless prison. Now, he had even been feinted out by a junior!

"That's right! You little bald donkey are really... Ah!"

The Sword Demon Tribe evil spirit was about to add a few mocking words when a conical vajra pestle silently pierced through his chest from behind. Tyrannical Buddha power raged through his body like violent river waves.

"Benefactor, your sins are grievous. You were bound to enter hell today, so why care about how your life ends? You are still too attached."

Ye Kong gripped the Sword Demon Tribe evil spirit's head with one hand, squeezing and kneading it hard. With his other hand, he stirred the vajra pestle as Buddha energy poured endlessly from his palm into the demon's body, covering its surface in countless cracks from which specks of golden light leaked.

When he saw the Blade Demon Tribe evil spirit raise his blade for another horizontal slash, Ye Kong gave him a sidelong grin. He flung away the now-lifeless Sword Demon and vanished once more before the blade energy could fall.

"Damn little bald thief! If you have the guts, fight me face-to-face! Otherwise, even if I self-destruct, I will never let you benefit from this!"

Seeing all three of his companions die without understanding how, demonic energy surged around the Blade Demon Tribe evil spirit and rushed back into his body. Grief and fury filled his heart.

The blood food of the Great Thousand World called them, the Outer Domain Evil Tribe, evil demons. Then what kind of demon was this little bald thief, who hunted and killed the Outer Domain Evil Tribe as prey?

"Amitabha. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Life and death are but a single thought. Benefactor, you too are attached. Let this little monk end these sins for you."

"Please, treasure, reveal yourself!"

A distant voice rang beside the Blade Demon's ear. Ye Kong raised a Purple Gold Alms Bowl and smashed it down over the demon's head, casting down boundless Buddha light that instantly crushed him into fragments. His Demon Soul let out a mournful cry before falling silent as well.

Not long after, pure Buddha energy condensed into liquid and poured into Ye Kong's body.

This time was far beyond the last. Ye Kong did not open his eyes until four days later.

Spirit Meridians

Nine Spirit Meridians (formed)

Current Cultivation

Late Spiritual Power Sensing Realm

Late Physical Body Heaven-Reaching Realm

The Body Tempering Divine Art, Golden Body 360, has broken through to the major mastery realm due to the strengthening of the physical body. When activated to its limit, it can manifest a three-hundred-zhang Indestructible Golden Body. Its defense is invincible, and its attacks are unstoppable.

"Not bad. First, use the Merit Pure Light to max out Supernatural Footwork, then see if it can advance into a Great Divine Art. I've disliked that half-step perfection for a long time."

"If there's any left over, comprehend the Bodhi Self-Sacrifice Technique a little. Thanks."

Entering that mysterious, ethereal state once again, Ye Kong seemed to experience repeated enlightenment and practice. He cultivated Supernatural Footwork to the perfected realm of a Minor Divine Art, then deduced it to the level of a Great Divine Art.

Once Supernatural Footwork had been deduced to the level of a Great Divine Art, it directly reached major mastery without needing to start from scratch.

He himself was the creator most familiar with this Divine Art. The reason it had not reached perfection was because there was still enormous room for improvement.

Furthermore, comprehending a supreme technique at the level of a Great Divine Art gave Ye Kong a leap in his understanding of Divine Arts and cultivation.

With his thinking ability improved, comprehending other Divine Arts and divine techniques became much easier, like viewing things from a greater height.

The remaining sliver of Merit Pure Light was not enough to perfect Supernatural Footwork, so Ye Kong spent it on the Bodhi Self-Sacrifice Technique and reached the half-step minor mastery realm.

The new information that entered his mind left Ye Kong both amused and annoyed.

"Amitabha my ass. So I first have to nurture a Bodhi Tree within my body, one bound to me in life and death, then burn it at a critical moment and set myself ablaze from the inside out. Why does this resemble Mu Chen's Tree Planting Art?"

Cursing inwardly at how unreliable it was, Ye Kong used his newly advanced Supernatural Footwork and flashed out of the Demon Suppressing Pagoda.

"Amitabha. It seems my little martial nephew's cultivation has improved again. Congratulations."

Vajra King Shi Luo noticed the change in Ye Kong's cultivation, and the smile on his face deepened.

"You praise me too highly, Uncle. Without the resources provided by Spiritual Mountain, how could I be where I am today? If Master had not gone to the Lower Plane to slay evil demons back then, I would have died at the hands of the Evil Tribe long ago."

Ye Kong spoke sincerely. Although he had the Merit Bowl, he did not believe his current strength came solely from his own efforts and the alms bowl.

In his previous life, he had died suddenly from staying up late to grind away at his thesis. He had transmigrated with the Purple Gold Alms Bowl he had bought to pray for success in the civil service exam, arriving in a Lower Plane invaded by the Outer Domain Evil Tribe.

He had started out as an orphan. His entire family had died at the hands of the Evil Tribe.

The Buddha light emitted by the Purple Gold Alms Bowl attracted the Mountain Lord of Great Spiritual Mountain, who had been slaying evil demons in the Lower Plane. Seeing a swaddled infant clutching an alms bowl, the Mountain Lord believed Ye Kong had a deep affinity with Buddhism and brought him back to Great Spiritual Mountain. Fifteen years had passed since then.

According to the records he had read, the Flame Emperor and Martial Ancestor, the two former protagonists, had ascended hundreds of years ago and each dominated their own region. Mu Chen, meanwhile, had yet to make a name for himself; there was not even any tale of him within the Five Great Academies.

Clearly, he had probably transmigrated into an era of great change unseen in fifty thousand years.

"That is also because your affinity with Buddhism was profound enough for Senior Brother Mountain Lord to accept you as his disciple. It is a pity you refuse to take the tonsure. Otherwise, you might have had a chance of becoming this mountain's next Mountain Lord."

Shi Luo shook his head with a smile, his words carrying no small amount of regret.

If I were a Saint grade Heavenly Sovereign, that old man might even beg me to become his heir.

Besides, if he handed it over willingly, how would I stage Xuanwu Gate? This damn place cannot be inherited by seniority.

Ye Kong smiled indifferently and refuted his uncle's somewhat misguided words.

"Uncle, how can we Buddhists be swayed by power and status? We must have Buddha in our hearts."

"So that is why you drink wine and eat meat on Spiritual Mountain, dislike your lessons and love fooling around, spend all day messing about with your monkey senior brother, and always say, 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart'?"

Shi Luo shot him a disdainful look. Other than when subduing demons, this brat was never serious.

"Cough, cough. Uncle, when the two of us went to Master and threw a tantrum to demand the royalties from the Journey to the West Draft, we agreed you would get seventy percent and I would get thirty percent.

"I heard you pestered Master for a long time before obtaining a Mountain-Securing Divine Ability. So, about that..."

"Amitabha. We Buddhists should possess the determination to endure hardship and labor. You must not be overly eager for quick results on the path of cultivation. Martial nephew, you must guard against arrogance and impatience."

Shi Luo's face did not redden in the slightest as he solemnly chanted the Buddha's name. Then he suddenly said, "Senior Brother Mountain Lord entrusted me, before leaving the mountain to visit friends half a month ago, to take greater care of you. I heard that you have long wished to train outside Spiritual Mountain. Our mountain has always had a tradition of sending disciples into the world to cultivate. Where would you like to go, Martial Nephew?"

Well then. The old man has barely been gone, and you already want to send me, your martial nephew, away in a perfectly legitimate manner. You really have ulterior motives. Are you afraid I'll find a chance to secretly run off?

Ye Kong inwardly called him a black-hearted monk and answered honestly, "When this disciple studied maps and records, I felt that the Five Great Academies were fated with me. I wish to go there, and to see the Spiritual Road as well."

"Good, good, good. That is excellent.

"With your current cultivation, it is indeed suitable for you to gain experience there. I suppose you have deliberately refrained from breaking through to the Spiritual Movement Realm until now."

Shi Luo was widely learned and quickly recalled the relevant information. His eyes lit up as he stood and waved a hand, using his formidable cultivation to tear open a spatial gate. "Martial Nephew, pass through this gate, and you will enter the Spiritual Road. Your uncle wishes you success in your training."

Ye Kong opened his mouth as he watched this, wanting to say something, but Shi Luo waved a hand and tossed him a Mustard Seed Bracelet. The big monk's thick-browed, large-eyed face was filled with anticipation.

"Inside are supplies I prepared for your training, enough to ensure your safety.

"Besides a mount I carefully selected and a Divine Art, there are also Blood Pills Medicine King Uncle specially refined for you using those evil demons. How you take them is up to you; there is no need for you to trouble yourself asking for them."

"When you wrote the Journey to the West Draft, you said that choosing a time was inferior to acting now. Your uncle deeply agrees.

"Today is clear and pleasant. Hurry and set off. Remember to keep a low profile. If you can call yourself a disciple of Lesser Spirit Temple, do not say you came from Great Spiritual Mountain.

"You know our mountain's reputation has already been badly ruined by your senior brother. Restrain yourself a little."

Ye Kong: "..." (⊙_⊙)

Just wait, big monk. Sooner or later, I'll fleece you clean. If anyone asks for my name afterward, I'll tell them I'm Shi Luo!

New book—please add it to your collections and keep reading, dear readers.