Who's on Your Side?

The Dragon Lizard Demon Venerable cast a wary sidelong glance at the hand resting on its shoulder.

At last, it snuffed out the very last thought of escape.

Its expression darkened. Slowly turning around, it pressed its palms together and respectfully bowed to the man. "This little demon pays respects to Venerable Golden Toad."

"Dispense with the formalities."

The young monk wore a gentle smile. Behind him stood the venerables who had escorted the great demons to Seven Sages Marsh: Formless, Heavenly Net, and Seven Treasures Bodhisattva. All of them stood calmly.

According to the decree previously handed down by the sect, as Bodhisattvas, they were to avoid getting too close to demons and monsters. They only needed to fan the flames from behind the scenes, lest the Three Immortals Sect seize some tangible evidence against them. When the two sides fought over incense offerings, those qi refiners could use such things to make an issue of it in the mortal world.

But looking across the four great Divine Lands, where else among the other three could they encounter a situation as strange as Great Southern Continent's?

They had clearly arranged a demon army far stronger than the imperial court's garrison, yet even now, it had failed to breach a single prefecture. Seven Treasures Bodhisattva had originally intended to return to Southern Sumeru first and seek instructions from Great Freedom Pure World Bodhisattva.

But Golden Toad Bodhisattva had suddenly stepped forward.

This was his first time descending the mountain to handle affairs since entering the third rank. He absolutely would not permit such a grave blunder.

Thus, he had invoked his status as a personally chosen disciple of the Future Buddha, forcibly seized the right to speak, and led the Bodhisattvas here to lie in wait outside the Divine Dynasty.