"Amitabha!"
An old monk clad in a patchwork robe stepped forward, his hand tightly clutching prayer beads as he blocked Master Bai Yue. The old monk shook his head slightly. "Master, do not be angered. Benefactor Li is blessed by Heaven; believing a demon's words will only throw you into disarray."
The old monk's face was lean and refined. Though he lacked an imposing physique, his bearing was extraordinary. Standing there, he was like a lone mountain rising skyward, impossible to overlook.
Liao Yuan, chief of Shaolin Temple's Dharma Hall.
Generally speaking, although Shaolin Temple had spread throughout countless heavens and worlds, and differed somewhat from world to world, the medicine might change but not the prescription—the basic framework remained largely the same.
The monks of the Dharma Hall specialized in their sect's martial arts. Every one of them was an expert proficient in several ultimate techniques, and the chief of the Dharma Hall was the finest among them—Shaolin's number-one twin-red-pole enforcer.
Barring surprises, Liao Yuan was the strongest expert among the Eight Great Sects participating in the siege of Slaughter Mountain.
At least among these hundred-odd people, he was the strongest: at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, comparable to the Heavenly Demon Sect's left and right envoys.
The Eight Great Sects had other experts, and their numbers far exceeded a mere hundred. But Master Bai Yue's intelligence had come too suddenly and made too little sense, like meat pies falling from the sky. The others were unwilling to believe it, unwilling to gamble their lives and fortunes on accompanying her.
Only after she cast aside all dignity and swore every kind of oath did she manage to bring in these three experts: Shaolin's Liao Yuan, Wudang's Cloud Crane, and Bamboo Goose.
Yet they had entered the Heavenly