Inside the ancient temple in the wilderness, Wuya was shaken to his very soul. Never could he have imagined that this was the truth.
Glancing at his senior brother's incredulous expression, Wuhua's eyes reddened further. His handsome face grew more uncanny, possessed of a crazed, obsessive beauty, and his voice rang with greater satisfaction:
"Perhaps he was too pleased with himself, thinking I was already in his grasp, or perhaps he had kept it bottled up too long and wanted someone to confide in. Before harvesting my essence, he told me about many of Karma-Cleansing Temple's filthy deeds. Who could have imagined that this Buddhist sanctuary, with its century-old heritage, had long since become defiled?
Since it was filthy, I might as well kill them all and wash those sins clean with a rain of blood."
Looking at Wuya, Wuhua said, "Senior brother, you always grew vegetables on the back mountain and seldom encountered those filthy affairs. You were one of the few clean souls in Karma-Cleansing Temple, and you saved my life. I had intended to spare you. Who could have known that the monks would try to use you to threaten me, much less that you would take your own life?"
Wuya felt as though the sky were falling. His eyes were bloodshot. "Death is at your doorstep, yet you still wag your silver tongue and concoct such lies?"
Wuhua sneered. "When a man is about to die, his words are sincere. I could deceive anyone in this world, but never you, senior brother."
Looking at the ruined main hall, he smiled. "All fruits arise from causes, all retribution arises from karma. Good causes bear good fruit; evil causes bear evil fruit. Only now is Karma-Cleansing Temple truly clean.
All people are wicked, their karmic burdens thick as