Conflict (two chapters combined)

As the opening of the Floating Pagoda draws near, more and more martial arts practitioners flock to Golden Light Mountain, attempting to break into the Three Flowers Temple.

A considerable friction occurred between the two sides, but they remained relatively restrained overall. The group of martial arts figures did not force their way in, but instead shouted and clamored outside the temple.

The martial monks of Sanhua Temple stood guard outside the temple, confronting an increasing number of martial arts practitioners.

Inside the main hall where the Buddha is enshrined, Abbot Panlong sat on a futon, discussing countermeasures with the head monk and several elders.

"That day, even the Holy Maiden Li Miaozhen of the Heavenly Sect came to stir up trouble; it's truly despicable."

The head of the group, who was to succeed the host, said in a deep voice.

"Now more and more martial arts practitioners are gathering, and we can't drive them away. What should we do?" An elder frowned.

The current situation was unexpected. Originally, the Buddhist School had considered that Sun Xuanji of the Bureau of Astronomy might mobilize troops to suppress the dragon and seize the dragon energy.

In this way, Vajra of Salvation would have a reason to take action, namely to "eliminate the demons" by sending his entire army there, and Buddhist School would also be in the right.

The Buddhist School mountain of Aranya could even use this as a pretext to break the alliance and attack Great Feng.

Of course, this is a situation where relations have completely broken down; the relationship between Buddhist School and Great Feng has not yet deteriorated to that extent. However, Buddhist School can certainly criticize Great Feng and demand apologies, compensation, and so on.

Unexpectedly, Dafeng's army did not come, but a large group of ordinary people came.

The Great Feng Dynasty will not pay for what these people have done.

"Can't drive it away? Amitabha, then we'll exorcise the demon." Another elder said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the chief nodded slowly:

"Indeed, our Buddhist School is a pure land, how can we allow those brutes of the Great Feng to run rampant? Master, why not set up a demon-subduing formation outside the temple and let those scoundrels try to break in? This will both intimidate that rabble and establish rules to keep them in check."

"Although Vajra of Salvation hasn't said anything, he must be extremely dissatisfied. Master, we must handle this matter properly."

Everyone looked at the host.

The host pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Approved!"

On the mountain path, Xu Qi'an mingled with the Leizhou Chamber of Commerce's group, led by Wenren Qianrou, and slowly approached the archway at the foot of Jinguang Mountain.

The archway is built at the foot of the mountain, standing three zhang high, with the inscription: Sanhua Temple!

"Oh, quite a few people."

Li Lingsu, riding on horseback, laughed.

He stopped impersonating Li Miaozhen. The scene of Sanhua Temple being "besieged" by heroes was entirely thanks to the Flying Swallow Heroine Li Miaozhen. At this time, if he were to disguise himself as Li Miaozhen again, wouldn't that be tantamount to courting death?

There is also the risk of their identity being exposed.

Xu Qi'an hummed in agreement, his gaze sweeping around. Under the archway of Sanhua Temple, horses were tethered one after another, and even more horses were tethered in the woods on both sides of the mountain path.

Looking around, one sees martial arts practitioners wielding various weapons, some chatting idly, others leaning against tree trunks with their weapons in hand and eyes closed, and still others sitting cross-legged by the roadside, munching on roasted chicken.

It was as bustling as a market.

There were quite a few people there, and many of them were experts. Xu Qi'an nodded in satisfaction, which proved that his "publicity" had been effective.

Using force to break the law, these chaotic and neutral figures in the martial arts world are truly the best cannon fodder and pawns. Anyone can fleece them and use them as tools.

Among the various systems, Confucian School and Warlock had the fewest "people," while military men had the largest number.

The number of martial artists in Kyushu who follow the Martial Dao is several times greater than all the other major systems combined.

However, based on the murals I saw in the underground palace, combined with the information provided by the ancient corpses, for a long period after the fall of the Gods and Devils, there were only three cultivation systems in Kyushu:

First, martial artists; second, Daoists; third, Demon Race.

Among them, martial artists and Demon Race are different paths but the same goal: to temper their bodies and prove their Dao through strength. However, Demon Race have demon cores and innate supernatural Divine Ability, while martial artists have "intention" and the ability to unite with the Dao.

As for the Dao, it couldn't be called the "Daoist School" at that time because the ancient corpse didn't know about the existence of the "Dao Venerable." This alone proves that the Dao Venerable was not the creator of the "Dao."

However, these three systems later underwent drastically different changes. Martial Dao and demonic arts flourished immensely, while the Daoist School system was reduced to only the three sects of "Heaven, Earth, and Man." Other schools either disappeared or declined and became insignificant.

This is very unreasonable. Although the "Heaven, Earth, and Man" schools have significant aftereffects, other schools of thought shouldn't have such aftereffects.

As a result, the three schools with major problems survived, while the others declined.

At this moment, shouts interrupted Xu Qi'an's thoughts, and someone exclaimed in surprise:

"The Leizhou Chamber of Commerce has arrived. Ha, finally someone's standing up for us."

The speaker was a young man dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, carrying a long spear in his hand. It was a standard military spear, and its appearance was worn. He must have bought it from the black market.

Selling obsolete weapons is a common way for high-ranking military officials to make profits.

Wenren Qianrou turned her head and whispered a few words to a guard beside her. The guard spurred his horse and galloped to the young man with the spear, asking him a few questions.

"Young Miss, the monks at Sanhua Temple are extremely domineering. They've injured many people and aren't letting anyone into the temple."

The guard reported in a low voice.

Wenren Qianrou nodded, looked at Li Lingsu and Xu Qi'an, and said softly:

"Leizhou borders the Western Regions and is backed by powerful sects. The Sanhua Temple has always been domineering. Even the government generally doesn't want to provoke them."

Xu Qi'an looked towards Jin Guang Mountain and said, "Tell me."

"Several years ago, there was a drought near Sanhua Temple, and the people suffered a complete crop failure. The monks in the temple did not engage in production, and their livelihoods became unsustainable. The head monk, Hengyin, went down the mountain to beg for alms and obtained several thousand kilograms of grain and several hundred pilgrims who were willing to give away all their wealth."

Wenren Qianrou curled her lips into a sneer, "Sanhua Temple survived the drought, but who knows how many people starved to death because of it. Buddhist School has always prioritized self-cultivation before helping others."

Xu Qi'an squinted, "This violates both the laws of the Great Feng Dynasty and the original agreement between Buddhist School and the Great Feng."

Wenren Qianrou nodded and said:

"But the governor of Leizhou only symbolically climbed the mountain to enter the temple and gave them a scolding. Firstly, he couldn't afford to offend the Buddhist School, and secondly, as a border prefecture, he had to be very careful in dealing with such matters and tolerate them if possible."

"If things escalate, the imperial court might not be willing to fall out with Buddhist School. In that case, the provincial governor would be the first scapegoat. You must know how powerful Buddhist School is, senior."

Xu Qi'an didn't say anything more.

"The Buddhist School is the most hypocritical. Five hundred years ago, they only started the war because they wanted the territory of the Hundred Thousand Mountains in the Southern Frontier, all under the guise of serving the human race."

The little white fox chattered and criticized.

She nestled in Mu Nanzhi's warm embrace, holding a sweet pastry in her two paws.

Mu Nanzhi won her over with just one piece of pastry.

After finishing the pastries, the little white fox pressed its chubby paws against Mu Nanzhi's chest, giving it a firm squeeze, and said in a sweet voice:

"Auntie, your breasts are even bigger than Sister Ye Ji's."

Xu Qi'an swallowed hard.

The group tied up their horses and began climbing the steps.

As they approached Sanhua Temple, they heard cheers and roars, as well as the sharp clang of clashing weapons.

"Ta-da!"

At the end of the stone steps at Sanhua Temple, in an open space, a man wielding a spiked club was struck repeatedly on acupoints by several martial monks, causing his body to suddenly stiffen.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the middle-aged monk in charge spun around, channeling his energy into his wooden staff. He spun the staff several times before slamming it heavily onto the head of the man with the spiked club.

Snap!

The protective aura of the man with the spiked club shattered, and crimson blood flowed down his cheeks.

The middle-aged monk's eyes flashed, and seeing Wenren Qianrou leading the Leizhou Chamber of Commerce people to arrive, he immediately stretched out his club and gently lifted up the corpse of the man with the spiked club.

They were brought before Xu Qi'an and the others.

The expressions of the surrounding martial arts figures changed slightly, and an uproar ensued.

After a standoff that lasted for half a day, the first death was finally claimed. Sankaji was clearly getting impatient and decided to kill the person in the first place.

"You filthy monk, you dare to kill someone!"

Someone shouted.

This is a direct challenge to the monks of Sanhua Temple, asking if they truly intend to fight to the death.

"Duh!"

The middle-aged monk planted his staff on the ground, looked around with narrowed eyes, and unleashed the Buddhist School Lion's Roar:

"You have forcibly entered this temple, intending to seize the Buddhist treasures; your crime deserves death. However, the abbot, out of compassion, does not wish to commit unnecessary killing. If you wish to enter the temple, you must first pass through the Demon-Subduing Formation; only one person is allowed to break through the formation."

"You bastard!"

The common men in the world yelled, "You nine people beat one person, how shameless you are."

The middle-aged monk coldly said, "You may also retreat."

He acted as if this was Buddhist School territory and that Buddhist School was in charge.

Behind them, the monks roared in unison.

Clang!

The surrounding martial arts practitioners drew their swords and confronted the monks of Sanhua Temple.

This is the proper style of a martial monk! Fierce and domineering. Compared to that, Master Hengyuan has clearly gone astray. Why are all my friends around me having such an odd style? Xu Qi'an stepped forward and asked:

"May I ask, Master, what treasures has been unearthed at Sanhua Temple?"

The middle-aged monk said, "The pagoda's merits are complete; that's all."

"I've never heard of Law Treasure being able to cultivate. Besides, the pagoda has reached the pinnacle of its merits, so why won't the Three Flowers Temple let us in? Could it be that we're going to steal the pagoda?" Xu Qi'an asked again.

The middle-aged monk said, "What's it to you? You're just an ordinary mortal; how could you possibly know the wonders of the Buddha's teachings?"

Shameless! This is clearly the dragon energy of the Great Feng, how did it become a Buddhist School treasure?

Xu Qi'an remained silent, gazing into the distance at the tall, white-walled, black-tiled pagoda deep within the temple.

In his eyes, the pagoda looked completely different, its entire body gleaming gold, with a golden dragon shadow clinging to its surface and slowly moving about.

This dragon shadow was enormous, completely entangling the towering tower. It was the same size as the dragon spirit that Empress Joan of Arc had stood on that day, but its golden light was not as refined and was far less substantial than the dragon spirit's tangible body.

"If the master is unwilling to speak, then I will speak for him. According to the heroine Feiyan, the pagoda contains masters from the demon and barbarian tribes and the Witch God Sect who fought during the Battle of Shanhai Pass. Twenty years have passed, and those peerless masters have transformed into Blood Pills and Soul Pills. This is the opportunity for extraordinary advancement, the boost to reaching the third rank."

"Nonsense!"

The middle-aged monk was furious. He pointed his staff at Xu Qi'an and said, "Stop spreading these heresies! If you're anyone to be proud of, then fight this humble monk!"

"Are you furious? The figures suppressed within the Floating Pagoda also had contributions from my Great Feng back then. For Buddhist School to monopolize the treasures is far too domineering. Do you think that just because the Great Feng god has sacrificed himself, no one can deal with you?"

Xu Qi'an raised his arm and shouted, "Gentlemen, Duke Wei died in battle at Jingshan City. Now, the Buddhist School is taking advantage of his absence to plot to seize the spoils of war from the Great Feng twenty years ago."

"That's right, the Blood Pill and Soul Pill should also be a share for our Great Feng. Why should the Buddhist School monopolize them? Do they think our Great Feng has no one to rely on?"

"Hand over the Blood Pill, or I'll burn down the Three Flowers Temple."

The common folk responded enthusiastically and began to clamor.

Many people looked at Xu Qi'an and nodded repeatedly, agreeing that what this fellow said made sense.

They weren't robbing Buddhist School Law Treasure; rather, the Buddhist School had disregarded humanity first, and they simply wanted to reclaim what belonged to the Great Feng.

My back straightened instantly.

The middle-aged monk flew into a rage, glaring fiercely at Xu Qi'an:

"Nonsense! Sanhua Temple has no Blood Pills or Soul Pills. This is someone deliberately trying to stir up trouble."

Xu Qi'an retorted sarcastically, "Whether we believe you or the Flying Swallow Heroine, we can only judge for ourselves."

The martial arts figures responded once again:

"Bald monk, shameless bastard."

"A monk doesn't lie? He's blatantly lying."

When it comes to cursing, even ten mouths from the monks of Sanhua Temple can't match the mouth of these street urchins.

All sorts of vulgar and offensive remarks were flying around, ranging from insults directed at all the women in the family to claims of being my son.

The monks were not Zen masters; they lacked that composure. The nine monks, wielding staffs, were so angry that the veins on their foreheads throbbed.

"Pah! Shameless!"

The little white fox hated Buddhist School the most. Seeing everyone insulting monks, she also cursed them and excitedly jumped around in Mu Nanzhi's arms.

"A fox demon?"

The middle-aged monk, who wished he could kill Xu Qi'an with a single blow, seized the opportunity and shouted:

"Dare to collude with the Demon Race, die!"

He swung the stick in his hand in an arc, rushed forward, and chopped it down at Mu Nanzhi.

Mu Nanzhi was so frightened that she backed away repeatedly, screaming incessantly.

Xu Qi'an appeared before her like a ghost, raising his arm to block the viciously slashing stick. With a "crack," the stick, infused with powerful energy, snapped in two.

Although its energy and strength were suppressed by the Demon-Sealing Nails, its skin, flesh, and bones were genuine Grade Three, so its only remaining strength was its ability to withstand beatings.

The middle-aged monk's pupils contracted slightly; his martial instincts warned him of danger. Just as he was about to retreat and form a demon-subduing formation with his fellow disciples behind him, a powerful thought suddenly flashed through his mind:

"Fight him!"

The thought was fleeting, but it cost him the initiative. Xu Qi'an gently blew out a breath, the green gas hitting the middle-aged monk's face.

"Heh, heh heh."

The middle-aged monk was having difficulty breathing; his lungs felt like they were on fire, and his breathing sounded like a broken bellows.

He stared at Xu Qi'an in despair, then swayed and collapsed to the ground.

The mental influence of the Heart Gu combined with the Poison Gu is quite effective. Hmm, with the current power of the Seven Absolute Gu, I have almost no rivals below the fourth rank. When I left the capital, my strength was at most a weak fifth rank.

Xu Qi'an was quite satisfied with the progress of cultivating the Seven Deadly Gu.

Just now, the Mind-Body Gu influenced the middle-aged monk, causing him to make the wrong decision.

Those in the surrounding martial arts world were both surprised and delighted to witness this scene. The middle-aged monk had just used a formation to surround and kill a sixth-rank copper-skinned iron-boned martial artist, demonstrating unparalleled strength and inspiring fear.

Then they encountered this man in blue, and upon meeting him, he collapsed?

He used poison.

Someone in the crowd said.

"It's obvious at a glance, but this monk is at least at the Spirit Refining Realm; ordinary ambushes won't work."

Someone immediately objected.

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, frequently glancing at Xu Qi'an, knowing he was a master.

but

"He seems to want to poison the monks. Killing monks at Sanhua Temple will invite retaliation."

"The abbot of Sanhua Temple is a fourth-rank Zen master; he's not someone to be trifled with."

"What's there to be afraid of? He seems to be a member of the Leizhou Chamber of Commerce, and there are fourth-rank officials in the chamber as well."

As they were talking, a young monk with deep-set eyes and a high nose walked out of the temple.

"Brother Jingxin."

The eight monks wielding staffs were overjoyed. Pointing at Xu Qi'an, they said, "This man instigated the trouble and used underhanded tactics to ambush Senior Brother Yin Shun."

"Put down your butcher's knife and turn back to the right path."

The gentle, compassionate voice possessed a cleansing power, washing away all hostility and softening the hearts of everyone present.

With a clang, the weapons in everyone's hands fell to the ground.

A few seconds later, the common men in the world broke away from the influence of Buddhist precepts one after another, with expressions of shock on their faces.

"Is he a Vinaya master? No, he could also be an ascetic."

"He's most likely an ascetic monk; ordinary Herrschers don't adhere to such strict discipline."

The martial arts practitioners in Leizhou have an exceptionally deep understanding of Buddhist School, a level of knowledge unmatched by those in other states.

"Amitabha Buddha, another benefactor."

Monk Jingxin clasped his hands together, ignoring the crowd, and looked at Xu Qi'an with a cold expression:

"You have repeatedly come to our temple to provoke and cause trouble. You should know that Buddhist School is compassionate, it also has its wrathful aspects."

The surrounding monks and martial arts practitioners all looked at Xu Qi'an, wondering how he would respond.

With a flick of his toe, Xu Qi'an sent the middle-aged martial monk flying, just as he had done with the corpse of the sixth-rank martial artist, flying him to the feet of Monk Jingxin.

The monk Jingxin reached out with both hands, and with the help of the middle-aged martial monk, carefully examined the body, his brows furrowing.

"Only I can cure the poison in his body. Let us into the temple, or let him die."

Xu Qi'an maintained his persona as a wise man, speaking in a calm tone.

Each profession has its own expertise. Buddhist School is not good at detoxification. Pharmacology is the domain of poison masters and Warlock, Daoist School has only a rudimentary understanding of it.

The Jianghu people of Leizhou, who had been greatly disappointed that Xu Qi'an had given in, suddenly brightened up upon hearing this.

No wonder they returned it so easily; they were confident they had nothing to fear.

Monk Jingxin gave Xu Qi'an a deep look, stepped aside, and gestured for him to enter, saying:

"You are welcome to enter the temple, benefactor. This humble monk will grant you entry."

All eyes turned to Xu Qi'an.

"You're trying to trap me like this." Xu Qi'an understood what the other person meant.

Seeing his hesitation, Monk Jingxin asked, "What's wrong, benefactor? Are you intimidated?"

"If I were ten years younger, I would have acted rashly in the heat of the moment." Xu Qi'an stood with his hands behind his back and said loudly, "Gentlemen, if you don't step forward now, when will you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a hearty laugh came from below the stone steps, "I, Tang, am willing to accompany you to the temple, brother."

Everyone turned to look and saw a tall man, about eight feet tall, dressed in tight-fitting clothes and carrying two swords on his back, climbing the steps, followed by a group of disciples who also carried two swords on their backs.

"The Twin Blades Sect has arrived."

Someone exclaimed in surprise.

Xu Qi'an's gaze automatically swept past the Twin Blades Sect Master and landed on a spirited woman behind him. She was tall, with full lips, bright eyes, and a delicate face; she was a very cool and beautiful woman.

Yes, yes. It's Liu Yun. I met her when I was in the capital.

Xu Qi'an belatedly remembered the beauty's name, then looked at the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect and found the scumbag smiling and admiringly examining Liu Yun.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the dense forest, accompanied by the clanging of armor. A young general with dark skin and bright eyes stepped out from the bushes.

He carried a long rifle on his back, a standard military knife at his waist, and had a fierce and arrogant look in his eyes, exuding the aura of a soldier. He also had a blade of grass between his teeth.

"Li Shaoyun, the garrison commander of Fangzhou!"

He leaned on his gun, glanced sideways at the crowd, and introduced himself.

"I heard that Sanhua Temple has produced a treasure that can help a fourth-rank cultivator enter the extraordinary realm, so I came to take a look. Bald monk, dare to block my way? I'll stab you all to death with one spear."

Soldiers from Leizhou were arrogant, and fourth-rank generals were even more arrogant.

The crowd of martial arts practitioners all turned to look at him, clearly aware that he was a member of the military, his tone arrogant and making no attempt to conceal his presence.

That wasn't all; soon after, a loud eagle's cry echoed from the sky.

A dozen or so red-tailed eagles, each with a wingspan of 37 feet, flew in from afar, hovering in the sky above Jin Guang Mountain before slowly descending.

Its wings flapped, creating a strong wind that stirred up dust and fallen leaves.

The crowd below dispersed, clearing a space for the Crimson-tailed Fierce Eagle to land.

The leading knight was clad in armor, possessed the dark skin characteristic of people from Leizhou, and was burly with a thick, bushy beard.

Behind him, on the back of the Crimson-tailed Fierce Eagle, were uniformly armored soldiers.

Yuan Yi!

Yuan Yi, Commander-in-Chief of Leizhou.

Most of the common folk had never had the chance to see this prominent martial artist from Leizhou, and didn't recognize him at first, until someone in the crowd exclaimed in surprise:

"Commander-in-Chief Yuan Yi?"

A commotion erupted immediately.

A few days ago, news spread that Yuan Yi, the commander of Leizhou, visited the heroine Feiyan to inquire about the rare treasure of Sanhua Temple.

It really wasn't a lie.

Yuan Yi really came.

This is going to be interesting, which is good for everyone.

The more experts there are, the more chaotic the situation becomes, and the more opportunities there are to fish in troubled waters.

Yuan Yi glanced around, automatically ignoring the martial arts figures. He nodded to the former courtier Wenren Qianrou, then looked at the armored youth, paused for a moment, and frowned, saying:

"Li Shaoyun, what brings you here? As the commander, leaving the military camp without permission is a serious crime."

The young man leaning on the gun grinned:

"Commander-in-Chief, stop trying to intimidate me with your official rank. I'm here to steal the Blood Pills. If I can be promoted to the third rank, I'll have to hand over my position to you."

"If you don't manage to grab it, the worst that can happen is a few hundred lashes, or you might be dismissed or demoted. It's not a big deal."

As a fourth-rank martial artist, one's cultivation level is one's greatest asset. As long as one doesn't commit any major mistakes, the court and government will tolerate a degree of willfulness.

He was fearless and emboldened.

"I think you're asking for trouble again."

Yuan Yi glared at him and cursed, "Get over here now!"

Li Shaoyun chuckled and ran over excitedly.

"Commander Yuan Yi, Tang Yuanwu of the Double Swords Sect, Li Shaoyun, the Governor of Fangzhou, the mysterious expert in blue, and the fourth-rank guest elder of the Leizhou Chamber of Commerce."

"There are five fourth-rank experts present, and more than two fifth-rank masters. Let's see how arrogant the monks of Sanhua Temple can be now."

"We can't be careless. The abbot and head monk of Sanhua Temple are both ascetic monks, and this monk named Jingxin, whose origins are unknown, is also quite powerful. Besides, Sanhua Temple is full of experts."

"Aren't we still here? No matter how many experts the Three Flowers Temple has, can they compare to us? There's still a bunch of thugs at the foot of the mountain who haven't come up yet. Once the Pagoda opens, we'll climb up and give a shout, and they'll all come."

During the conversation, the group saw an old monk with white eyebrows and a white beard leading a group of monks towards them.

"Amitabha Buddha, Commander Yuan, it's been many years."

Abbot Panlong clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect.

"Master Panlong."

Yuan Yi cupped his hands in greeting.

"Commander-in-Chief, are you here representing the Leizhou government and the Great Feng?"

Abbot Panlong rebuked him, "The Great Feng and Buddhist School are allies. What happens to martial arts figures is none of the Great Feng court's business, but you are not. Leave immediately."

Yuan Yi shook his head. "I have been stuck at the fourth rank for many years and have not been able to break through. I heard that the Blood Pill has been produced at the Sanhua Temple, so I came here to ask for it. Back then, my Great Feng great contributions in the Battle of Shanhai Pass. There is no reason for the Buddhist School to keep this Blood Pill all to themselves."

"Furthermore, I have come in a private capacity, accompanied only by my trusted confidants, and without any troops. This has nothing to do with the imperial court."

Abbot Panlong chanted a Buddhist prayer again and said, "I have sincerely advised you, but you will not listen. So be it."

He said no more.

But then everyone saw a group of people come out of the temple carrying a sedan chair without a roof. With curtains drawn, identical twin sisters sat on a soft couch.

One of the charming women giggled:

"Master Abbot, why don't you let my sister and I kill Yuan Yi for you? If the Great Feng court asks about it, it won't concern you. If the Great Feng dares to question the Buddhist School..."

Yuan Yi narrowed his eyes.

Li Lingsu immediately lowered her head and quickly distanced herself from Xu Qian.

This old man has no sense of martial ethics; if he were to kick me again now, I'd be in serious trouble.

Upon seeing the woman in green, the two Dongfang sisters instinctively squinted, examined her closely, and then looked away.

He was wearing the same blue robe, but he wasn't the guy who kidnapped Li Lang in Pingzhou.

"You bitch!"

Wenren Qianrou suddenly flew into a rage, strode out, and pointed at the Dongfang sisters, cursing them angrily.

Dongfang Wanrong's smile faded, and she narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the young lady as she slowly asked, "This young lady, do we know each other?"

Dongfang Wanqing scrutinized the scene for a few seconds, then suddenly realized and sneered:

"Oh, it's that slut that heartless man seduced when he ran away. You found her when you were tracking him down with your divination, sister. If it weren't for the few skilled fighters around her and the fact that you were in such a hurry to catch that heartless man, you would have killed her long ago."

As they were speaking, the curtains suddenly parted, and Dongfang Wanqing transformed into a black shadow, rushing out to kill Wenren Qianrou.

Li Lingsu's expression changed drastically. Just as she was about to rush out to stop him, the fourth-rank guest beside Wenren Qianrou reacted even faster, running a few steps and forcefully pushing out with both palms.

Bang!

The sound of the air colliding was like thunder, dust was instantly raised, and the surrounding trees seemed to be bent over by a strong wind.

The heroes staggered backward, falling to the side.

The fourth-rank guest of the Wen family suddenly turned pale, then flushed red, and forcibly swallowed the blood that rushed to his throat.

In contrast, Dongfang Wanqing landed lightly back in the sedan chair, her expression unchanged.

Even among those ranked fourth, there are differences in strength.

"Another fourth-rank official?"

"He seems even stronger than a fourth-rank retainer of the Leizhou Chamber of Commerce."

"Wow, who are these sisters?"

"He's not a martial arts master from Leizhou."

Upon realizing the strength of the Dongfang sisters, everyone's hearts sank; these sisters were clearly experts from the Sanhua Temple faction.

This evens out the number of fourth-rank experts on both sides.

Yuan Yi, Li Shaoyun, and the leader of the Double Blades Sect, all three fourth-rank experts, had solemn expressions.

"So Sanhua Temple already had allies all along. No wonder they're so domineering and fearless."

Commander Yuan Yi said calmly.

Monk Jingxin turned around, bowed deeply towards the temple, and said:

"Please, Uncle Du Nan, drive away these idlers."

Dongfang Wanrong said with a smile, "Please ask Elder Yierbu to expel all irrelevant people."

The two men's sudden words left the heroes of Leizhou bewildered, and at the same time, their hearts sank instinctively.

At that moment, two terrifying auras soared into the sky, one from the depths of Sanhua Temple and the other from the dense forest on the left.

The moment they sensed the two auras, two words spontaneously arose in everyone's minds: extraordinary!

An aura beyond mortals.

Although most of them had never come into contact with a third-rank cultivator in their entire lives, the pressure emanating from that level of life made them "naturally" know the other party's level.

Those of the fourth rank and above belong to the extraordinary realm, and are no longer the same as ordinary people.

"Get out of the area within fifty li of Sanhua Temple."

A thunderous roar echoed from within the temple.

Hearing this, everyone felt their Qi and Blood surging in their chests and their vision blurring.

The Lion's Roar of Buddhist School, Buddhist School roar performed by a third-rank martial monk.

This was only because the opponent was holding back; if they had roared at full power, anyone below the sixth rank would have died on the spot, and anyone below the fourth rank would have lost their mind.

The other aura remained silent, yet it exerted immense pressure on everyone, both mentally and physically.

The heroes and valiant men of Leizhou were trembling with fear, and even the fourth-rank masters like Yuan Yi were in no better shape. In any prefecture, a fourth-rank master was a mountain king.

However, in the face of a third-grade cultivator who transcends the realm of mortals, there is no difference between them and low- to mid-grade cultivators.

They're just ticklish insects and ticklish mice.

Seeing the Leizhou warriors turn pale and look terrified, the monks of Sanhua Temple smiled and calmly put their hands together in prayer.

"These two, these two are third-rank officials?"

"Alas, it seems we are destined to be without the treasure. Oh well."

"A third-rank official is unmatched, unmatched."

Faced with this situation, the heroes and warriors present began to consider retreating.

Let alone two third-rank officials, even one of them would be enough to sweep them all away.

Fighting for treasure is only possible if there's hope. What's the point of fighting for something that's clearly impossible? Wouldn't it be better to save your life and sleep with women in a brothel?

The leader of the Twin Blades Sect sighed.

Yuan Yi said quietly:

"It seems the blood pills in the pagoda are more numerous and purer than we imagined. The one in the woods, is he a Spirit Master from the Witch God Cult? I can't be mistaken about the unique aura of a witch."

"The Witch God Sect has just started a war with my Great Feng, and the Buddhist School immediately allied with the Witch God Sect. Do they even care about my Great Feng court?"

Du Nan said calmly, "The Great Feng Dynasty? A mere third-rank military officer doesn't even have a court. Compared to twenty years ago, it's far inferior."

This guardian deity spoke coldly and sarcastically, revealing his extremely negative impression of the Great Feng.

Most of the high-ranking members of the Buddhist School disliked Great Feng because he was a notorious Great Feng.

Six hundred years ago, the Great Feng Dynasty played the fool and tricked the Witch God Cult.

Three hundred years ago, Confucian School and the imperial court once again acted like scoundrels, carrying out a large-scale persecution of Buddhism in the Central Plains.

The guardian deity is a martial monk, and martial monks are short-tempered, straightforward, and will simply not stand up for what they don't like.

Yuan Yi's face turned ashen, but he dared not contradict him. Given the current strength of the Great Feng, it was impossible for them to turn against the Buddhist School. Even if that third-rank Vajra inside slapped him into a pulp, the court would at most issue a denunciation and condemnation.

However, being so humiliated by the Third-Rank Vajra and having his chance to compete for the treasure cut off filled him with both anger and resentment.

Behind Tang Yuanwu, the leader of the Double Blades Sect, Liu Yun couldn't help but retort, "Who said that the Great Feng doesn't have third-rank officials? If Xu Yinluo of the Great Feng Dynasty were here, would you dare to speak so arrogantly, senior?"

The Vajra statue deep within the temple remained silent, seemingly disdainful of answering.

A cold laugh echoed from the dense forest, "That Xu fellow is already a piece of trash, what is there to fear?"

Liu Yun's face suddenly flushed red, she stepped forward and shouted:

"Even if you are a spiritual master of the Witch God Sect, I will not allow you to slander Xu Yinluo."

The heroes of Leizhou, whose morale had plummeted to rock bottom, suddenly rallied in protest, as if experiencing a final burst of energy before death.

The spiritual master in the woods laughed, "Do you dare to draw your sword?"

Liu Yun's spirited eyebrows shot up. "What's there to be afraid of?"

She reached behind her back with both hands, grabbed the hilts of the swords, and was about to draw them when she realized that the two swords seemed to be rusted and stuck in their sheaths. No matter how hard she tried, her face turning red, she couldn't pull them out.

"Snort!"

Master Linghui snorted coldly.

Liu Yun was struck dumb, her knees buckled, and she coughed up blood.

The wise spirit master in the dense forest said calmly, "Vajra of Salvation, if you are bound by the alliance and cannot take action, then I will do it for you. Clear out these small fry. They can then be refined into corpse soldiers and brought back to Jingshan City."

With a whoosh, the heroes retreated hastily.

"Kill us all? What arrogance! A mere Spirit Master, does he think he's a sorcerer god?"

Amid the chaos, a sneer suddenly rang out.

Everyone turned their heads in astonishment, looking at the person in green as if they were looking at a fool.

Trying to provoke a sorcerer from a cult is like asking for trouble.

Do you really think he wouldn't dare to make a move?

The Witch God Cult and the Great Feng are now mortal enemies, and they show no mercy when it comes to killing.

If you want to die, don't drag us down with you.

Li Lingsu's eyes lit up, thinking to herself, "Here it comes, this old monster is about to unleash his power."

Others might revere a third-rank master as a god, but Li Lingsu knew that Xu Qian, this old monster, was a reclusive master who had played chess with the supervisor.

P. S.: I recommend a book: "The Ferocious Master of All Heavens".