One Saber Strike

As soon as she finished speaking, Jingyuan moved with ghostly speed, leaving afterimages, and in the blink of an eye, she was in front of Hengyin.

"Turning back is the right path!"

Hengyin clasped his hands together, bowed his head, and said leisurely.

The power of the precepts spread instantly, affecting everyone in the inner hall.

Jingyuan, defying the principles of mechanics and ignoring inertia, twisted and returned to his original position.

For a martial artist skilled in the Transformation Realm, slapping Newton in the face is commonplace.

"You are not him, you are Senior Brother Hengyin."

Jingyuan raised her eyebrows, recognizing his identity.

At the same time, the fourth-rank monk was somewhat angry. Whether it was Chai Xian or Xu Qi'an, they both liked to use puppets to deceive people.

Hengyin raised the corner of his mouth and corrected her:

"No, I am Hengyin from the shore of Daming Lake."

Jingyuan was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting such an answer. Before he could react, one of the martial monks guarding the Zen master suddenly collapsed, his limbs weak and numb.

As soon as I circulated my Qi, I immediately felt a burning, excruciating pain.

The others immediately held their breath.

"Poisonous!"

Jingyuan pushed his hands forward, and his energy surged forth, causing all the windows in the inner hall to open with a series of "bangs".

"Senior Xu has come to our rescue."

Li Lingsu said happily that he had also been poisoned, and his limbs were weak and sore. The reason he could stand up was because he and Chai Xing'er were tied together with the same rope.

Chai Xing'er held her breath in time and was not affected by the poison gas.

"Can he do it?"

Chai Xing'er's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, indicating that she didn't have high expectations for Xu Qian's abilities.

"Didn't I tell you? He's a senior in the extraordinary realm."

Li Lingsu said.

Chai Xing'er said irritably, "Then why hide? Didn't those two stinky monks say that their sect elders weren't in Xiangzhou?"

Li Lingsu was speechless and could not answer for a moment.

I can confirm that Xu Qian is an old monster, but based on what we've seen along the way, I can pretty much guess that something's wrong with him. Thinking of this, Li Lingsu suddenly felt pessimistic.

No, Xu Qian is a cunning and calculating person. He wouldn't make a move if he wasn't confident. He has some trump cards that I don't know about!

Li Lingsu immediately perked up, feeling that perhaps this encounter would allow her to further unveil Xu Qian's mysterious veil.

He wanted to use poison to force us to leave the hall, so he could seize Chai Xian and rescue Li Lingsu. The monk Jingxin glanced at the three people in the circle, then turned, his gaze sweeping over Hengyin's shoulder, looking at the dark night outside the door, and said loudly:

"Benefactor Xu, since you've come, why not show yourself? The Zen techniques of Buddhist School are impervious to deadly poison."

Zen Master is a title for the sixth rank in the Buddhist School system. This rank does not provide any combat power bonus and focuses solely on one thing: meditation.

Sitting still for three days and three nights is the beginner level.

When Zen practice reaches a high level, one can even resonate with heaven and earth, and comprehend the profound and mysterious Principle of nature.

In the Western Regions, it is common for eminent monks to sit in meditation for several years, or even more than a decade.

Once monks from the Western Regions enter a meditative state, they can abstain from food and drink, are not afraid of external evils, and even possess a certain degree of defensive power.

Currently, a dozen or so Zen masters have formed a formation, ostensibly chanting scriptures to save people, but in reality, they are also protecting Li Lingsu and the other two within it.

Xu Qi'an used poison to force them to break the formation.

As Jingxin finished speaking, everyone in the hall kept looking around, searching for Xu Qian who might suddenly appear.

Jingyuan was the first to notice, and turned her gaze to the shadow beneath Hengyin's feet.

The shadow became dark and distorted, and a man dressed in plain clothes with the same appearance emerged, holding a sword in his hand with a black scabbard.

To be precise, it is a knife, but the curvature of the scabbard is not very large, so at first glance, it may be mistaken for a sword.

A knife? This was the first time Li Lingsu had seen Xu Qian use a weapon. It was different from his usual image, so he noticed it immediately.

Jingxin's eyes flickered slightly, and she clasped her hands together. "Put down the butcher's knife."

The power of the precepts enveloped the inner hall and was applied to Xu Qi'an.

Hengyin clasped his hands together. "Invalid!"

The power of the precepts vanished instantly.

As expected, only discipline can counter discipline. Xu Qi'an's gaze was calm. He was certain that the Vajra of Salvation was not lying in ambush nearby, or even in Xiangzhou.

Then there's nothing to worry about.

The precepts failed, but Jingxin remained unperturbed, smiling as she said, "Benefactor Xu, you've fallen for my trap!"

His expression suddenly turned serious, and with a slight tremor of his right hand, he grasped the prayer beads wrapped around his wrist in his palm, and said in a deep voice:

"Seal up!"

A dozen or so Zen masters made the same gesture, shaking their wrists, holding their prayer beads, and chanting in unison:

"Seal up!"

A layer of golden light swept across the hall like ripples, and a swastika suddenly appeared on the floor.

Chai Xing'er's ears twitched slightly as she realized she couldn't hear anything outside. Her expression changed slightly.

"This place is sealed off."

Li Lingsu nodded solemnly:

"Jingxin and Jingyuan already knew I was at the manor and that Senior Xu was coming to seize the dragon's energy. Their previous words, including those about Chai Xian, were all bait."

The Holy Son's heart sank, and anxiety welled up within him. So far, all the times he had seen Xu Qian make a move were through Gu techniques, appearing and disappearing without a trace.

Now that his greatest reliance is gone, and this place is sealed off, the inner hall is not very spacious. Even though he can still leap through shadows, a martial artist is invincible in short-distance sprints.

With hands clasped together, Jingxin said softly:

"As long as we have a firm grasp on the host of the dragon's energy, we're not afraid you won't take the bait."

"We found you hiding under the window a long time ago. We said so much just to lure you out. Compared to Chai Xian, we care more about you. This seal is called 'Minor Formless Realm,' and there are very few people in the fourth rank who can break it."

"In order to capture you, we have prepared many magical Law Artifact. The 'Minor Colorless Realm' is a formation specifically designed to deal with you and is perfect for countering your Gu techniques."

"Amitabha Buddha, Benefactor Xu, please come back to the Buddhist School with us. The Buddhist School is your only refuge."

He lacked the flamboyant air of the martial monk Jingyuan, but his gentle and calm demeanor made him seem even more arrogant than the martial monk.

Everything was under control, hence the tranquility.

Xu Qi'an ignored Jingyuan, who was slowly approaching, and looked at Jingxin, who was sitting cross-legged in the distance. He said, "Did you deliberately say that about the Vajra of Salvation to lure me out?"

Jingxin said gently, "It's just a trivial skill."

Xu Qi'an nodded. "Then how did you capture Chai Xian? Why were you so certain he would attack you?"

Jingxin replied:

"The Corpse Gu Tribe of Southern Frontier has Secret Method of raising corpses using Gu cultivation techniques. Regardless of who the murderer is, since they have repeatedly committed murder and killed people to refine corpses, it is definitely not just a simple frame-up."

"Therefore, I sent my junior brother out to test the waters, and sure enough, he attracted Benefactor Chai Xian."

Chai Xian snorted coldly:

"Everything in this world is fake, only power is real. Whoever controls power controls everything. I understood this principle when I was very young. It's a pity that my flying corpse was just one step away; otherwise, I would have possessed the strength of a fourth-rank expert and become a powerful figure who dominates an entire continent."

In Zhangzhou, a fourth-rank official is absolutely invincible.

The Corpse Gu Clan's secret techniques include a method of raising corpses. This is due to information asymmetry. Xu Qi'an nodded slowly.

Upon hearing this, the martial monk Jingyuan interjected, "Senior brother, there's no need to waste words with him; quickly subdue him."

Jingxin nodded slowly, then twisted her wrist to grasp the prayer beads, saying, "Seal!"

Beneath Xu Qi'an's feet, the swastika symbol spun rapidly, carrying a faint golden vortex that firmly attracted him.

Next, Jingxin took out a bright yellow bronze mirror, ran her palm over its surface, and the mirror immediately shone brightly.

"I would like to trouble Benefactor Xu to keep his Primordial Spirit in the mirror for some time."

This mirror can capture a person's soul and seal it within it.

Below the third rank, no one with ability can escape.

The Buddhist School excels at creating Law Artifact, Law Technique, and formations related to "sealing."

Jingxin was well aware of Xu Qi'an's true rank, and also knew that he was sealed by the Demon-Sealing Nail. Although his primordial Primordial Spirit, it lacked the power of a third-rank spirit.

This bronze mirror is more than enough to seal Xu Qi'an's Primordial Spirit.

Jingxin flipped the bronze mirror over and pointed it at Xu Qi'an; the mirror immediately reflected his image.

Then there was no response.

How could this be? The Heart Gu has such a terrifying amplification effect on the Primordial Spirit? Jingxin frowned deeply and activated the Bronze Mirror Soul Capture again, but there was still no response.

Jingxin revealed a solemn expression, unable to understand the situation before her, guessing that Xu Qi'an had other methods, or that the Heart Gu was enhancing his abilities.

"Ignorance!"

Xu Qi'an said calmly, "The resilience of my Primordial Spirit far exceeds your imagination."

His Primordial Spirit is now a genuine third-grade level, without any seals.

Although she didn't know what had happened, Senior Xu was still Senior Xu, and he didn't disappoint her. Li Lingsu's tense heart relaxed, and she let out a breath.

A glimmer of hope also appeared in Chai Xing'er's eyes.

"Senior brother, let me do it!"

Jingyuan raised her finger and gently tapped her brow. A speck of gold paint lit up from her brow and quickly spread throughout her body.

In an instant, he transformed into a radiant golden statue.

If the Primordial Spirit cannot be captured, then it will be suppressed by force.

Jingxin nodded slowly. "Thank you for your trouble, Junior Brother."

He maintained the formation, binding Xu Qi'an to prevent any accidents. Although he had complete faith in Jing Yuan, there were very few beings below the third rank who could defeat Jing Yuan.

Jingyuan transmitted his voice:

"Xu Qi'an, you rely on the Vajra Divine Skill of my Buddhist School to dominate the Great Feng. When you use this indestructible skill to deal with your enemies, have you ever thought about how you would counter it if you were to face a master who also possesses this skill?"

"I'll only strike once!"

Xu Qi'an replied that it wasn't telepathy, but normal speech.

One cut? What one cut?

With the inner hall sealed off, Li Lingsu was already feeling overwhelmed when she heard Xu Qi'an's words and was momentarily speechless.

Xu Qi'an's lips curled up, and he said, "I'll shatter your golden body with one strike."

A calm voice rang out in the hall, carrying unparalleled confidence.

A single strike shattered his golden body?! Li Lingsu's eyes widened in astonishment.

Even the unruly Chai Xian was drawn to the attention and frowned slightly.

Was he trying to trick him? Jingxin frowned. He thought that this statement was just to cover up the real intention, and that Xu Qi'an had a deeper plan.

Jingyuan's Vajra Divine Skill is stronger than that of a normal peak fourth-rank martial artist. Unless Daoist School or Dream Witch of the same realm directly targets the Primordial Spirit, it is almost impossible to break through the Vajra Divine Skill with brute force.

Xu Qi'an's Heart Gu Technique is far from being able to shake the Primordial Spirit of a fourth-rank expert. Besides, with me by his side to provide support, Bao Jingyuan's primordial Primordial Spirit is unharmed.

The pagoda is Law Treasure of our Grandmaster, Bodhisattva Faji, and it's impossible for it to help Xu Qi'an deal with his fellow disciples.

Various thoughts flashed through Jingxin's mind, but the final judgment was—it was a bluff!

"One cut?"

Since Jingyuan mastered the Vajra Divine Skill, he has never encountered an opponent who could break his golden body.

Among his fellow disciples were many fourth-rank martial monks, but not everyone could master the Vajra Divine Skill. Those martial monks of the same level were helpless against Jingyuan's Vajra Divine Skill.

Xu Qi'an gripped the hilt of the Taiping Blade with his right hand, his aura collapsing, his emotions subsiding, and he unleashed the power of the long-awaited Heaven and Earth One Slash.

At the same moment, Jingyuan lifted his monk's robe, drew his dagger, and slashed angrily at Xu Qi'an.

Clang!

In the brightly lit hall, everyone clearly saw the dark golden glint of the blade flash and disappear.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening roar of a lion rang out, making everyone present feel their Qi and Blood boil.

Inside the hall, Xu Qi'an and Jingyuan stood facing each other. Jingyuan held up her monk's knife, while Xu Qi'an kept his hand on the hilt, maintaining their previous confrontational posture.

It seemed that the flash of swords earlier was just an illusion for everyone; in reality, neither of them had drawn their swords.

Jingxin suddenly opened her eyes wide, her usual gentle calm gone, her face filled with astonishment. The golden light on Jingyuan's body was like porcelain, covered with cracks.

In an instant, it collapsed into golden fragments of light.

The Vajra Divine Skill has been broken.

That wasn't all; a wound appeared on Jingyuan's chest, spreading from her chest to her lower abdomen, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

"You, you"

Jingyuan stared intently at Xu Qi'an, her lips parting as she struggled to utter words.

"Don't speak, just stay out of the way."

Xu Qi'an grabbed his throat and tossed him aside.

Bang! Jingyuan was thrown out, rolling all the way and leaving a trail of blood on the ground. He struggled a few times, but he couldn't get up.

The terrifying blade was intended to destroy his vitality and wear down his spirit.

The inner hall fell into a deathly silence; everyone stared blankly at Xu Qi'an.

While Li Lingsu worried that Xu Qian might stumble unexpectedly, she also maintained her faith in this extraordinary old monster.

He had considered that Xu Qian might have a way to deal with Jingyuan, but it would definitely not be easy. In fact, it was that simple.

The Vajra Divine Skill, hailed as the number one protective divine skill in the Nine Provinces, was actually cleaved in two by his single strike.

"He... he really is a Transcendent Realm expert?" Chai Xing'er murmured.

She subconsciously turned her head to look at Jingxin and found that the calm and composed young monk had beads of sweat on his forehead.

Chai Xing'er suddenly felt a surge of pleasure.

"This is what a strong person is, this is the kind of strong person I want to become." Chai Xian's face was full of longing, his eyes burning with desire.

Jingxin's throat bobbed. "You... have recovered your cultivation?"

His calm mind was now in turmoil, and the scene before him told him that Xu Qi'an had recovered his cultivation.

Xu Qi'an, the once-powerful slayer who killed a second-rank emperor, has broken free of his seal!!

Restored cultivation?! Li Lingsu was like a shark smelling blood; her spirits lifted instantly, and she looked towards Jingxin.

However, he didn't hear anything more; after Jingxin finished speaking, she didn't say anything more.

Xu Qi'an said calmly, "No one in this world can suppress me, not even Buddha."

"Because Buddha was too lazy to suppress me," he added in his mind.

How arrogant! How dare he say that? Who exactly is he? Li Lingsu's mind raced because of those words, and she whispered:

"Senior Xu's identity may be more terrifying than we imagine."

"Isn't this just a carelessly made boast?" Chai Xing'er thought to herself.

Xu Qi'an, leaning on his sword, looked down at the monks and said, "You have two choices: one, remove the formation and hand over the dragon energy host to me; two, I will personally break the formation, regardless of casualties."

After a moment of internal struggle, Jingxin sighed, "Things have come to this point, and this humble monk and my fellow disciples can only leave it to the benefactor's discretion."

He immediately ordered the Zen masters to remove the formation and untied Li Lingsu and Chai Xing'er.

The Zen masters rushed to Jingxin's side, while the martial monks checked Jingyuan's injuries. After examining him, they turned back with a sigh of relief and whispered:

"He's not dead yet."

"Senior!"

Holding her confidante's hand, Li Lingsu happily ran towards Xu Qi'an, feeling wonderful to have someone to rely on.

Xu Qi'an gave a curt "hmm" and then turned to look at Jingxin:

"Little monk, I have something to ask you. Whether these bald monks survive depends on your performance."

Jingxin said in a deep voice, "Benefactor Xu, please ask your question."

Xu Qi'an manipulated Hengyin to step forward and cast the precept. "Do not lie."

The power of discipline filled the hall.

Xu Qi'an asked, "Has any Bodhisattva from Buddhist School emerged from seclusion this time?"

Jingxin shook her head. "No."

"Only the Arhat who delivers sentient beings from suffering, and the two Vajras who deliver ordinary beings from hardship?"

There are still 208 monks.

"You came for me?"

"Yes."

Where are they?

"I don't know, but Uncle Du Nan and I have arranged to meet in Yongzhou."

Why meet in Yongzhou instead of traveling together? Did Du Nan Jingang have other more important matters to attend to along the way?

Xu Qi'an voiced this question, and Jingxin replied, "This humble monk does not know."

After asking a few more questions, Xu Qi'an turned around, looked at Chai Xian, and sighed:

"Did you kill Er Ya's family?"

Chai Xian's face stiffened for a moment, then he recovered and chuckled:

"I didn't want to kill them; I'd never even shown myself in front of them. But that day, he returned to the village and received your note. At that point, I still didn't intend to kill them, but Er Ya told me that she'd told that kind uncle about my six toes."

Chai Xian's face suddenly turned ferocious:

"After leaving the village, I went back to Er Ya's house while he was sleeping and killed them all. She said things she shouldn't have said, so she deserved to die."

Xu Qi'an leaned on his knife, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, but his face remained calm as he softly said:

She never wore a new pair of shoes until she died.

"Chai Xian doesn't know you exist?"

"Of course he doesn't know, because he's a coward who refuses to face his true self," Chai Xian sneered.

"This is a person with schizophrenia," Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Li Lingsu: "Is there any way to cure dissociative identity disorder?"

Li Lingsu said with difficulty, "If my cultivation were restored, I could enter his sea of consciousness and eliminate that personality. But right now..."

At this moment, Jingxin clasped his hands together and said, "The Buddhist School can help him cleanse his karmic obstacles. After Benefactor Xu extracts the dragon energy, he can be handed over to the Buddhist School."

Xu Qi'an ignored the monk and looked down at Chai Xian: "I want to see him."

Chai Xian didn't speak, but lowered his head. After a few seconds of silence, he looked up again, glanced around, and his eyes showed obvious confusion.

I really didn't know. Xu Qi'an's Anxin Gu had already entered the inner sanctum. Just by sensing the other party's emotional changes, he knew that Chai Xian was completely dumbfounded at the moment.

Chai Xian glanced at the Buddhist School monks, then at Xu Qi'an and the others, and at the bloodstains on the ground, guessing that a conflict might have occurred here.

"I'm the orange cat who made a promise with you in the village that night."

Xu Qi'an said.

Chai Xian, whose hands were bound, was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed drastically. He rushed over without regard for anything, seemingly wanting to tear Xu Qi'an apart.

Li Lingsu struck first, slapping Chai Xian to the ground.

Chai Xian roared hoarsely, "Why did you kill them? They were innocent! You beast!"

"You're the beast!" Li Lingsu cursed angrily.

Xu Qi'an said slowly, "Chai Xian, you killed everyone. You are the murderer. Do you know you have dissociative identity disorder?"

Chai Xian was both angry and bewildered. "What did you say?"

Xu Qi'an recounted the whole story to the poor fellow in detail. Although reality was cruel to Chai Xian, the truth was the truth.

"Nonsense!"

Chai Xian suppressed his anger and hatred, his handsome face revealing disdain: He said calmly:

"I am like a fish on a chopping board, now that I'm in your hands, you can beat or kill me as you please. But if you want to slander me, you'd better not bother."

Selective amnesia—no wonder Chai Xian said he was a coward, afraid to face himself. Xu Qi'an pointed at Chai Jianyuan's walking corpse and said:

"Have you forgotten what you saw before you lost consciousness?"

Chai Xian followed his gaze and saw that Chai Jianyuan was still sitting in the chair, his left shoe off and not on, revealing his six toes.

Upon seeing this, Chai Xian's expression suddenly froze, as if petrified, staring blankly at Chai Jianyuan's toes.

Just when everyone thought Xu Qi'an was being aggressive and oppressive towards Chai Xian, he said something that surprised everyone present:

"This case isn't over yet. Don't you agree, Myolie?"

PS: Continuing to write the next chapter, I suddenly realized I'm the old general on the stage. I'm planting flags from beginning to end.