Killing Hengyin

Aside from specific items and methods, very few people in the world can manipulate dragon energy; even the Imperial Supervisor is powerless against it. How much less so a tower spirit?

Therefore, Xu Qi'an, who possesses fragments of the Earth Book, the Mnemonic passed down by the Imperial Observer, and the fortune of half a nation, is the only being in the world capable of manipulating dragon energy.

Under these circumstances, all Xu Qi'an needed to do was be present when the Buddhist School seized the dragon energy.

No one would have imagined that among the warriors of Leizhou, there was someone capable of manipulating dragon energy. Jingxin was also caught off guard, so when he learned that the tower spirit could guide dragon energy, he was confident that he could succeed.

After the dragon energy entered the fragment of the Earth Book, it immediately swallowed the small dragon inside the mirror, and then coiled around in the Earth Book space, turning into a solidified sculpture that no longer moved.

In an instant, all eyes following the dragon's aura focused on Xu Qi'an.

The people of Leizhou looked on with envy and jealousy, while the Buddhist School monks were furious.

"You"

The chief, Hengyin, had a ferocious expression on his face. Pointing at Xu Qi'an, he roared, "Outer Dao Outer Dao! You will surely die today!"

This man first injured the monks in the temple, then incited the warriors of Leizhou with clever words and flattery, and then summoned Sun Xuanji, Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy.

He lays an ambush in the dream world, and after escaping the dream, he bombards himself with criticism.

After all these accumulated factors, Zen Master Hengyin's mental state collapsed.

Zen Master Jingxin's face twisted slightly, as if his heart was being torn apart. The fortuitous opportunity and good fortune that should have belonged to him had been forcibly taken away.

The martial monk Jingyuan shouted, "Hand over the Buddhist School treasure, and I'll spare your life!"

Xu Qi'an sneered, "Treasures belong to the virtuous; it chose me. Does the Buddhist School intend to seize them by force? Brothers, let's fight our way out and divide the treasure equally."

Li Shaoyun's eyes lit up. "Is this really true?"

The envious and jealous Leizhou warriors also looked over.

"If I'm lying, then you can just kill me then," Xu Qi'an said with a smile.

Liu Yun's eyes flashed, and she shouted, "That makes sense! Let's kill these bald monks first, leave the Pagoda, and then we'll divide the treasure equally. Without leaving the pagoda, everything is just empty talk."

She is now unconditionally on Xu Qian's side, repaying his life-saving grace.

The Leizhou warriors thought it made sense, so they immediately stood guard beside the cannons, holding a weapon in one hand and raising a musket or crossbow in the other, confronting the Buddhist School monks.

Hengyin was furious. "Who is committing this act of plunder? It is you! That dragon energy is a treasure of our Buddhist School, how dare you, a crude martial artist, lay a finger on it? If you do not hand over the dragon energy today, do not even think about leaving the Floating Pagoda. Fellow disciples, follow this humble monk to vanquish this demon!"

He sat cross-legged on the spot, clasped his hands together, and chanted scriptures.

The Zen masters then sat cross-legged, clasped their hands together, and chanted scriptures.

Leizhou Wufu's mind went blank for a moment. Those mosquito-like sounds lingered in his ears and echoed in his mind, washing away the anger in his heart and making him feel the urge to "convert to Buddhist School".

In the Buddhist School system, Zen masters are not known for their combat prowess; their main attack methods come from the "precepts" of fifth-rank monks. Ninth-rank novices do not have any combat power bonuses, and eighth-rank monks are martial monks who do not belong to the Zen master system.

The seventh-rank monk is well-versed in Buddhism and can perform rituals to liberate the souls of the dead and brainwash the living.

The sixth-rank Zen master practiced Zen meditation and was not afraid of external demonic invasions when meditating.

Like the ninth-rank novice monk, the fourth-rank ascetic monk is a prerequisite rank and does not have any combat power bonus.

In other words, before reaching the second rank of Arhat, the combat power of the Zen Master system is extremely limited.

This reveals why Buddhist School has two systems: martial monks are more like bodyguards for Zen masters, protecting them before they attain enlightenment.

Therefore, the other name for the Three-Rank Vajra is: Dharma Protector Vajra.

The head monk, Hengyin, led the other Zen masters in chanting scriptures, displaying the abilities of a seventh-rank Dharma Master—brainwashing living people.

The chanting of Buddhist scriptures resounded throughout the second level of space, converting the Leizhou warriors. Apart from Li Shaoyun and other fourth-rank warriors, and a few fifth-rank warriors, the other heroes all had ferocious expressions and showed resistance.

Although he did not become a monk, he lost his fighting ability and could only struggle against his increasingly strong desire to become a monk.

Fortunately, the disciples of the East Sea Dragon Palace were also affected and lost their fighting ability.

With a clang, Xu Qi'an calmly took out a cannon, aimed it at the Buddhist School monk, and ignited it by touching the fuse with his fingertips.

With a muffled "boom," the cannon suddenly retreated, and the shell flew towards the chief, Hengyin.

The martial monk Jingyuan stood in front of the assembled Zen masters, throwing a punch at the cannon. The shockwave, accompanied by flames, swept across a third of the space.

In confined spaces, artillery can exert tremendous destructive power.

The crowd was thrown backward by the blast wave, their eyebrows and hair singed by the flames. The seated Zen master swayed from side to side, but immediately sat down again and continued chanting scriptures.

Dongfang Wanqing snatched a monk's dagger from him, ran a few steps, suddenly spun around, and unleashed a blade of light that distorted the air.

The blade sliced through the bodies of two martial arts practitioners, grazed the cannon barrel, and exploded on the hard ground.

The cannon barrel was split in two, with clean cuts.

Yuan Yi snorted coldly, and the commander moved like a rabbit, closing in on Dongfang Wanrong in two steps. During the process, he pressed down on the sword at his waist.

Dongfang Wanrong is a sorceress; if he seizes the opportunity to get close, he can kill her within ten moves.

Zen Master Jingxin, with his hands clasped together, fixed his gaze on Yuan Yi and said:

"Lay down."

Bang!

Gunshots rang out, Xu Qi'an pulled the trigger, attempting to blow Jingxin Zen Master's dog head off and prevent him from enforcing the precepts.

Dongfang Wanqing turned around and threw the monk's knife. With a "clang", the spinning knife hit Yuan Yi's sword and deflected the blade.

Seizing this opportunity, Dongfang Wanrong summoned a phantom image that descended upon her, granting her a physique and defense comparable to that of a martial artist.

Ta-da!

Yuan Yi's attacks, imbued with the intent of a sword, rained down on Dongfang Wanrong, forcing her to retreat repeatedly, unable to parry and forced to endure the blows.

Despite possessing the physique and defense of a warrior, close combat is the domain of a warrior.

On the other side, Li Shaoyun wielded his spear, entangled with Dongfang Wanqing. His spear intent was like a dragon, and each strike was accompanied by a piercing air explosion.

"Laugh!"

Dongfang Wanrong tore off Yuan Yi's clothes and activated her curse technique.

One moment Yuan Yi was full of vigor and vitality, the next he suddenly froze, his face turning pale, as if he had suffered unimaginable damage, damage from within his body.

Unfortunately, Dongfang Wanrong was unable to tear off Yuan Yi's hair; otherwise, the power of the curse technique would have been even greater.

Before she could retaliate, a figure flashed out from her side, wielding two swords that slashed across her neck, sparks flying and a piercing sound echoing throughout the space.

The phantom above Dongfang Wanrong's head shook violently, on the verge of dissipating. A deep knife wound appeared on her snow-white neck, dripping with blood.

"You stinking monk, aren't you going to help?"

Dongfang Wanrong rebuked angrily.

There was no way she could possibly hold off two fourth-rank martial artists skilled in close combat on her own.

Jingyuan had no choice but to join the battle, keeping an eye on the Twin Blades Sect Master while also keeping an eye on the other Zen masters.

Inside the tower, Li Lingsu stood on the cannon platform, peering with a hint of trepidation at the beads in Du Nan Jingang's hand, worried about his two young lovers.

As for Xu Qian, what Xu Qian wanted to steal was irrelevant to Li Lingsu. Success or failure didn't matter to him, as long as this senior could get out of the tower smoothly.

"Senior Sun..."

Li Lingsu asked, "What was the origin of that dragon aura just now?"

Sun Xuanji replied, "Yes."

After a long while, Li Lingsu still hadn't received a follow-up reply.

Just as he was engrossed in watching the battle and had forgotten his own question, he heard Sun Xuanji slowly say, "Dragon."

What are you talking about? Li Lingsu was filled with question marks.

"That's amazing! That's amazing!"

The little white fox curled up in Mu Nanzhi's arms, watching with great interest.

"You can see beads that far away?"

Mu Nanzhi rubbed its head.

"Don't rub my head, it hurts," the little white fox said sweetly.

"Yes, I can see it. I can see it very clearly."

Mu Nanzhi felt a little envious; the distance was too great, and she couldn't see anything.

She gently rubbed the little white fox's head again. Its fur was soft and warm to the touch; if it were made into a fox fur coat, it would be perfect for this increasingly cold season.

Wait, what am I thinking? It's still a child. Mu Nanzhi restrained her womanly instinctive desire for mink and fox fur coats.

"By the way, you little vixen, what brings you here?" Mu Nanzhi asked curiously.

The little fox appeared beside him out of nowhere, without any warning.

"The Empress sent me!"

The little white fox answers every question; it's honest and obedient.

"Your Majesty?" Mu Nanzhi looked at it.

"I can't tell you, or I'll be locked in the dark room," the little white fox said earnestly.

Xu Qi'an appeared silently in the shadow of the First Seat Hengyin. He blew out a puff of green smoke, which contained not only poison but also the aphrodisiac gas of the Love Gu and the mind-affecting ability of the Heart Gu.

But all of these failed; when a Zen master meditates, he can resist the invasion of external demons.

Xu Qi'an was not surprised by this, because he knew the wonders of Zen Kung Fu, which the monk Shenshu had already demonstrated. The reason he was making these seemingly futile attempts was that he was really trying to deal with the martial monks guarding the surrounding area.

Taking advantage of the fact that the monks were distracted and controlled by the love curse, poison curse, and heart curse, Xu Qi'an struck the Baihui acupoint of the chief monk Hengyin with a palm.

"Do not kill!"

Zen Master Jingxin clasped his hands together and said in a deep voice.

A look of struggle flashed in Xu Qi'an's eyes, but he ultimately did not take the shot.

This delay caused the martial monk Jingyuan to return with a livid face and rush to Hengyin's rescue.

Seeing this, Xu Qi'an immediately stopped hesitating and used the shadows to leap away.

Just as Jingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly heard a scream. Turning her head, she saw her eyes widen in horror.

A monk plunged his dagger into Hengyin's chest, and blood instantly stained his robe. The turn of events was too swift; Jingxin and Jingyuan's attention was focused on Xu Qi'an, and they had no idea that a traitor had emerged from among the monks.

The monk drew his dagger and sneered, "Anyone who dares to oppose him will suffer a terrible death."

With a grim expression, Jingyuan struck out with his palm, knocking the martial monk, who was under the influence of the love potion, unconscious.

"This is a love curse, the love curse of the Gu clan of Southern Frontier. A person afflicted by the love curse will fall in love with the host who controls the mother Gu, regardless of everything," Jingxin sighed.

The Buddhist School monks were both shocked and furious, looking at Xu Qi'an as if he were a demon.

Xu Qi'an hissed, "Get up!"

As soon as the words fell, Hengyin, who should have been dead, suddenly sat up, clasped her hands together, and looked at Dongfang Wanrong with empty eyes, saying:

"Put down your butcher's knife!"

Dongfang Wanrong's delicate body suddenly stiffened, and a look of confusion flashed in her eyes.

Corpse Gu!

When Xu Qi'an emerged from Hengyin's shadow, he did two things while interfering with the martial monk using poison, love, and heart gu. The first thing he did was implant the offspring of the love gu into the body of the nearest martial monk.

The second thing was that the Corpse Gu's offspring were sprinkled on Hengyin's cassock. After Hengyin died, the Corpse Gu took over his body and turned him into a puppet.

Because the Corpse Gu's abilities are limited, it can only retain a portion of Hengyin's cultivation, which is approximately at the fifth rank.

Ta-da!

For a skilled warrior, Dongfang Wanrong's weakness was utterly fatal.

Three knives slashed at her like a storm, causing her illusory figure to tremble violently, on the verge of disintegrating.

Without the blessing of the illusory spirits, Dongfang Wanrong, as a sorceress, would be instantly beheaded by two fourth-rank martial artists; there is no other possibility.

Despair flickered in Zen Master Jingxin's eyes as he looked at the pagoda spirit, who remained smiling and clasped in prayer, seemingly uninvolved. He said in a deep voice:

"Senior, I have only two requests: please release Nalan Tianlu, and please send us out of the Floating Pagoda."

Since we can't win inside the tower, let's send everyone out of the tower.

The old monk looked at Xu Qi'an and the others with a peaceful expression. "Are you willing?"

"I don't want to!"

Xu Qi'an immediately said, and then he muttered to himself: This tower spirit has a really strange temper.

The old monk shook his head and said, "This humble monk will not force anyone."

Zen Master Jingxin's expression changed slightly, and he quickly said, "Then they are not included."

The old monk nodded and smiled, "Alright."

He immediately waved his hand, and fine golden light swept over them, attaching itself to the disciples of the East Sea Dragon Palace and the monks of the Three Flowers Temple.

The next moment, they disappeared inside the tower and appeared in the plaza outside.

They escaped successfully.

Whew! Jingxin looked around for a moment, confirming that he had arrived outside the tower, and breathed a sigh of relief.

The monks of Sanhua Temple looked delighted, as if they had survived a calamity.

"Rong'er."

Dongfang Wanrong heard a gentle voice beside her and turned her head sharply. She saw a semi-illusory old man standing next to her, wrapped in a wizard's robe, with white hair and beard, a weathered face, and a gentle smile as he gazed at her.

Her vision blurred instantly, tears welled in her eyes, and Dongfang Wanrong choked out, "Teacher."

"Lord Nalan!"

Ilbu, also clad in a wizard's robe, appeared, flicking a black bead from his fingertip, and said:

"You will remain inside the Soul-Nourishing Pearl until we return to Jingshan City, where the Grand Wizard will reshape your physical body."

For sorcerers and Daoist School who primarily cultivate their Primordial Spirit, as long as the Primordial Spirit remains, the physical body can be replaced. However, due to the "mismatch" between the spirit and the body, subsequent advancement may be affected, requiring decades or even centuries of adjustment.

Nalan Tianlu was already a second-rank Rain Master, which was practically the ceiling of his rank. Advancing to the first rank would require fortuitous opportunity, and it might take hundreds of years to achieve that.

"Uncle-Master Du Nan, I have failed in my mission and have no other choice but to resort to this drastic measure."

Jingxin walked up to Dunan Vajra, put his hands together, bowed his head and said.

Du Nan didn't speak, but just stared at the entrance of the Pagoda.

Irbu chuckled and said, "You're just a turtle in a jar, Sun Xuanji. Did you foresee this situation?"

On the airborne artillery platform, Mu Nanzhi frowned slightly. "Damn it, they can't get out."

P. S.: Thank you all for your suggestions in the chapter. I read them very carefully, thank you! This is the most meaningful chapter I've ever written because your suggestions were very effective and inspiring. Thank you all so much.

Yes, you can continue to submit suggestions in the separate chapter; I read that chapter every day.

Reminder: Please don't come here just to spread negative comments; I need sincere advice. Mwah!