Blocking the Way, Human-Head Prayer Beads
Above the capital of the Yuan Kingdom, Guangzhi's Divine Sense swept across the entire city, only to find the streets and alleys deathly silent, with occasional scattered corpses; the entire capital was devoid of a single living person.
Even the once majestic imperial palace has become an empty palace, with many halls but not a single person in sight.
Seeing this, he could no longer contain his anger and roared:
"Damn it! What kind of evil thing is that Fairness System that it can bewitch all the A Mortal in the Yuan Kingdom to flee?"
This is an irreconcilable feud! Once I capture this evil spirit, I will make it suffer the most terrible punishments imaginable!
As soon as he finished shouting, he immediately changed direction and transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the distance.
The purpose of this trip is to reach the territory of the Vajra Temple, firstly to investigate whether their territory has also suffered the same fate.
Secondly, they would capture all the A Mortal who had defected, in order to rebuild the foundation of Wutian Temple.
Three hours later, just as Guangzhi was about to step into the territory of the Vajra Temple, a figure suddenly appeared and blocked his way.
Upon seeing the person's face, he couldn't help but feel a chill, wondering why the other person would appear here. Judging from their appearance, it seemed they had come here specifically to wait for him.
Guangzhi stopped and asked, "Fellow Daoist Xuanbei monk has come with no ill intentions. May I ask why you have blocked my path?"
Xuanbei's expression was calm, yet carried an unyielding resolve:
Amitabha Buddha, fellow practitioner Guangzhi.
It is not that this humble monk is being rude, but it is inconvenient to receive guests today within the territory of my Vajra Temple. Please return the way you came.
Guangzhi narrowed his eyes and glanced at Xuanbei. In an instant, he realized that the other party was not there by chance, but was clearly there for him and Wutian Temple.
His face darkened, and he coldly questioned, "The A Mortal under the command of my Wutian Temple have collectively defected. Could it be that your Vajra Temple is secretly instigating this?"
You must give Wutian Temple an explanation today, or Wutian Temple will not let this go!
Xuanbei glanced at the other person, his expression remaining calm.
He was stationed here because he learned of the mass exodus of A Mortal from the Yuan Kingdom through the system's social platform.
After discussions among the temple's higher-ups, they were ordered to guard the border specifically to block the people from Wutian Temple.
This measure serves two purposes: firstly, to prevent the other side from entering the territory of the Vajra Temple and abducting people.
Secondly, it was to prevent them from capturing and bringing back the Yuan Kingdom's fleeing citizens.
Without A Mortal, Wutian Temple lost its Power of Faith and disciples, and its decline was inevitable.
With the influx of A Mortal at the Vajra Temple, the number of believers has increased significantly, making it much easier to gather Power of Faith.
In a flash, Xuanbei's lips curled slightly, and he retorted coldly:
"Our Vajra Temple acts with integrity and has never done anything to mislead the people of the Yuan Kingdom."
Fellow Daoist Guangzhi, please refrain from making baseless accusations and tarnishing the reputation of my temple!
Guangzhi didn't believe his story at all, and let out a cold snort:
Do you think I'd believe your nonsense?
If it weren't for your underhanded machinations, how could the A Mortal under the rule of my Wutian Temple have collectively rebelled?
Why would you come all the way here to wait for me?
Do you really think this humble monk is a fool who can be easily deceived?
Xuanbei clasped his hands together and nodded, his tone still calm and unwavering. "Amitabha, monks do not lie."
The flight of the Yuan Kingdom people had nothing to do with my Vajra Temple.
We are stationed here solely to prevent you from crossing over and plundering the people under our temple's jurisdiction.
As Guangzhi gazed at Xuanbei's open and honest expression, the slight doubt in his heart began to waver.
He also felt that the Vajra Temple did not have the ability to bewitch all the A Mortal of the Yuan Kingdom to flee.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he pressed on in a deep voice, "Then do you know what kind of evil Fairness System is? How can it incite the people of the Yuan Kingdom to defect?"
Xuanbei's lips curled into a faint smile, his eyes carrying a hint of mockery:
"What exactly is Fairness System? I cannot say."
But I do have some knowledge of why the people of the Yuan Kingdom fled.
Based on the harsh methods your Wutian Temple usually uses to treat A Mortal, treating them like straw dogs and forcibly demanding their Power of Faith,
Once they have the ability to resist, how could they be willing to stay put and serve you like slaves?
Guangzhi's expression suddenly changed, and his brows furrowed tightly.
He suddenly realized that the Fairness System was probably far more bizarre and troublesome than he had imagined.
It could keep a person like Xuanbei silent and also cause all the A Mortal of the Yuan Kingdom to defect, making it no ordinary demon.
But now that the clues have run out, he has no way of finding out what's going on.
After a moment's hesitation, he said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist, please make way. This humble monk's purpose on this journey is solely to retrieve the fleeing people of the Yuan Kingdom. I will absolutely not harm a single person or item under the jurisdiction of your Vajra Temple."
Xuanbei slowly shook his head, his tone calm yet carrying an unyielding resolve:
"There are no people under the jurisdiction of your Wutian Temple within the territory of my Vajra Temple. Fellow Daoist, you should return the way you came."
"You really won't allow it?"
Seeing that the other party was unmoved by reason, Guangzhi's last bit of forbearance vanished.
Xuanbei's insistence on preventing him from bringing back the people clearly indicates his intention to destroy the foundation of Wutian Temple.
Before the thought even finished, murderous intent surged from the depths of his eyes.
He reached out and took out a string of human head Buddhist beads, which were made from the heads of women born in the yin year, yin month, and yin hour. Each bead was surrounded by a chilling yin Yin Qi.
Guangzhi's hands moved swiftly, forming hand Method Formula and unleashing streaks of black Buddhist light. He uttered a low shout, "Kill!"
The string of human-headed prayer beads instantly transformed into streaks of black shadow, carrying with it a bone-chilling cold and mournful howls, rushing straight towards Xuanbei.
"Amitabha."
Xuanbei's expression hardened, but he showed no fear. He slammed his palms down, and a rich Buddhist light suddenly emanated from them, unleashing a series of golden palm prints.
It collided violently with the incoming human head Buddhist beads, blasting all the sinister beads away. Where the Buddhist light and the Yin Qi clashed, waves of energy surged.
The two instantly became entangled in combat, the clang of metal on metal and the explosions of energy shaking the heavens and earth.
The violent spiritual energy swept in all directions, destroying the surrounding vegetation, cracking rocks, and leaving a scene of utter devastation.
Fifteen minutes later, after a deafening clash, the two were sent flying backwards, and as soon as they regained their footing, they simultaneously withdrew their attacks.
They exchanged a glance, both looking at each other with a hint of apprehension.
After a fierce battle, neither side could gain the upper hand, and continuing the fight would only be a waste of their cultivation.
Guangzhi's eyes were icy, and he said in a cold voice, "Wutian Temple will remember what happened today."
Your Vajra Temple's insistence on preventing me from bringing back the A Mortal has severed the foundation of my temple; this enmity will never be resolved amicably.
"I will report back to the abbot and demand an explanation from your Vajra Temple."
After speaking, he said no more, turned around and transformed into a streak of light, flying swiftly towards Wutian Temple.
He needed to return to the temple as soon as possible to report the day's events and what he had seen and heard to the abbot.
Xuanbei watched Guangzhi's departing figure without stopping him.
His mission was to guard the border and prevent anyone from Wutian Temple from setting foot on the territory of Vajra Temple.
He didn't take the threats the other party made before leaving to heart.
The Vajra Temple and the Wutian Temple had a long-standing feud, and were sworn enemies who could not be tolerated. A few harsh words were nothing more than fleeting smoke.
Moreover, with the aid of the Fairness System, the gap in strength between the Vajra Temple and the Wutian Temple will only widen further.
Given time, we will surely be able to completely eradicate this group of scoundrels who wear the cloak of Buddhism but do evil deeds, and restore peace to Buddhism.
With this in mind, Xuanbei reported the recent exchange and the situation at the border to the abbot via Microchat.
Meanwhile, on TikTok), a video claiming that "Merit Points can not only improve cultivation level, but also upgrade the grade of Law Treasure" suddenly went viral.
It quickly topped the trending searches and sparked heated discussions among countless system hosts.