"Amitabha, Pill King Lu, if the Buddhist Sect and the Chaotic Demon Realm go to war, the conflict will inevitably spread far and wide, leaving countless dead and wounded. It will surely bring untold suffering to all living beings. I implore you, Pill King Lu, in the name of Heaven's virtue of cherishing life, to stop this great war."
Kongming let out a long sigh, his voice heavy with sorrow. He pressed his palms together and intoned the name of the Buddha.
"If I stop this great war, will you let me leave?" Lu Xiaotian asked with a faint, sardonic smile. If he hadn't learned from Xiang Hua what had happened at the Netherdemon Corpse Grounds, he might really have thought the Buddhist Sect merely intended to keep him imprisoned here.
He never imagined their true aim was to hand him over to the person behind the sword embryo, or perhaps refine him directly within the Five Absolutes Monks' Tiger-Subduing Formation. Su Qing and Luo Qian would never lie to him. And he had seen through the hypocritical Kongming for himself. His earlier opinion of this eminent Buddhist monk had been far too charitable, but better late than never.
"If Pill King Lu is willing to intervene and avert this calamity, I will discuss your fate with my fellow disciples. We can reconsider what to do with you then," Kongming said gravely.
"Come find me after you've discussed it." Lu Xiaotian smiled blandly. Did they take him for a three-year-old? Now that he had seen the true face of these eminent Buddhist monks, how could he fall for their tricks again? There was no question of right or wrong between them; they were simply doing everything for the sake of their sect, and sacrificing outsiders' interests was hardly surprising. But