A Private Agreement

Vishnu?

Taking advantage of the favorable wind, Zhang Xuezhou found the Brahma Heaven.

Once the wind subsided, he found Vishnu.

After Zhang Xuezhou stripped Vishnu of his robe and horns, Vishnu was in a very bad state, and the smell of blood filled Zhang Xuezhou's nostrils.

With the stolen goods confiscated by Zhang Xuezhou, Vishnu had no choice but to bite the bullet and try to achieve a good ranking in the main arena of Mount Ling, thereby fulfilling Zhang Xuezhou's request and retrieving his own treasures.

He endured a very difficult twelve days, and he did manage to defeat other cultivators.

Now it has entered the final stage of the competition.

"If you want my help to obtain the Heart Sutra, you must protect me!"

When Vishnu saw that Zhang Xuezhou hadn't run away, a dim golden light appeared behind his head.

This is Vishnu's protective aura of mental energy, which in this case emits light and brightness.

The dim light illuminated the bloodstains on Vishnu's body, and also the pristine, unchanging clothes of Zhang Xuezhou.

There was no way he could win in a fight. He could get through the innermost layer of the wind cave, the Bifeng layer, and the erosion from the wind cave did not pose a threat to Zhang Xuezhou.

Vishnu gave up resisting and, upon hearing Zhang Xuezhou's voice, not only remained where he was but also beckoned Zhang Xuezhou to come over.

"I have already defeated Brahma, and if I defeat you, I will lose two points to the Western Sect. These are not ranking points, but real points that can be used to raise personal standards!"

"I'll definitely steal the complete Heart Sutra for you!"

Zhang Xuezhou hesitated for a moment, but Vishnu was already making repeated assurances in a low voice.

"Your cultivation and strength far surpass mine, so you shouldn't be afraid of me going back on my word," Vishnu gritted his teeth and said, "Moreover, the treasure I rely on for my position in the sect is in your hands. I will absolutely not risk the greater good for a small gain!"

You used that idiom very well!

Zhang Xuezhou looked at Vishnu with great interest.

Compared to the threat posed by Zhang Xuezhou, this paper tiger, these matters are not as serious as the loss of Vishnu's treasure.

Furthermore, Vishnu believed that his treasure was far more important than the complete Heart Sutra, using the terms "big" and "small" as a comparison.

"I have a treasure with an innate wood Spirit Root, and I would like to Zhunti to craft it," Zhang Xuezhou said. "He crafted the Seven Treasures Tree, which gives him a unique advantage in crafting innate wood Spirit Root treasures. What should I do?"

Zhang Xuezhou's pursuit of the Western Sect was not a simple matter.

If defeating Brahma allows one to make a request to the Western Sect, then defeating Vishnu allows one to make a second request.

He also reminded Vishnu of the benefits he would lose by cooperating.

"You... I have something to say, I don't know if you'll believe me!"

After a few seconds of silence, Vishnu spoke in a low voice.

"Brahma once acquired two snake staffs," Vishnu whispered. "They are also formed from innate wood spirits, capable of transforming into venomous snakes that can bite. The probability of being poisoned to death after a bite is very high, but the snake staffs are not very durable and can only be effective through surprise attacks. Brahma also wants to ask the Second Master to forge these treasures!"

"And then?" Zhang Xuezhou asked with interest.

"Brahma is now left with only his serpent staff," Vishnu said through gritted teeth in a low voice, "He doesn't even dare to use it again within the sect!"

"Oh?"

"Brahma said that the serpent staff he gave to the leader was now just a shell, transformed into an ordinary piece of poisonous wood. Its core might have been extracted, or perhaps eaten by something," Vishnu said. "He speculated that the leader might have used the serpent staff to prolong the life of the Seven Treasures Tree!"

"Such a thing is true?"

"I know what I'm saying is absurd, but the truth is, one treasure has devoured the core of another. If you make this request to the cult leader, your treasure might suffer the same fate!"

Vishnu had not seen the relevant situation, and Brahma was only speculating. He could not convince Zhang Xuezhou for the time being, and could only wait and see how Zhang Xuezhou judged it.

"That's interesting!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

The innate spiritual artifact, the wooden staff, that he obtained on Fangzhang Island had an intermittent malfunction; sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't.

Perhaps it was due to incomplete compatibility in his cultivation, or perhaps it was because the wooden staff was killed by Zhang Xuezhou and others, and there was a possible subconscious resistance, Zhang Xuezhou had not been able to use this Law Treasure smoothly.

Although Zhang Xuezhou rarely uses his treasures, it doesn't mean he dislikes them.

This wooden staff can be used to intimidate and suppress, enhancing his ability to exert deterrence. Zhang Xuezhou really wanted to create this treasure.

Zhang Xuezhou had indeed heard of the snake staff. He even exchanged the Poison Avoidance Technique with the Burning Lamp Daoist, thus enabling his senior brother, Tathagata, to cultivate the Poison Avoidance Technique.

"If you want to create a treasure, I recommend you seek out Laojun of the Tushita Palace!"

Seeing that Zhang Xuezhou was hesitant to make a decision, Vishnu quickly offered his recommendation.

"The Laojun of the Immortal Court is also very skilled at crafting treasures," Vishnu said. "His reputation has always been excellent, unlike our leader who likes to hoard treasures!"

For Buddhist followers who know the two leaders well, their own leaders are clearly very unreliable.

"Fine!"

After Vishnu's scathing remarks, Zhang Xuezhou felt that giving away his wooden staff was like throwing a meat bun to a dog.

The creation of such projects inherently involves both success and failure rates. If the other party intends to seize control, causing the project to fail, there's nothing Zhang Xuezhou can do.

Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou had witnessed the battle between the water hyacinth and the innate spiritual artifact wooden staff from Fangzhang Island, and knew that these treasures could indeed devour each other.

He could only shake his head repeatedly, relinquishing most of his demands from the Western Sect.

"I request the Heart Sutra, and I also wish to discuss the Dao with the Master and seek knowledge," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Otherwise, even if I obtain the complete Heart Sutra, it will be of no use to me!"

"We can help you," Vishnu whispered. "Although our abilities are far inferior to those of the Master, we have three disciples who are skilled in their own fields of knowledge, and we are willing to share everything we know, unlike the Master who keeps his knowledge to himself!"

"Um!"

Zhang Xuezhou snorted lightly, instantly making Vishnu uneasy.

Vishnu was skilled at spying and investigation, and knew the character of his own leaders. However, both leaders had very good public images, and he didn't know what choice Zhang Xuezhou would make.

Of course, it's quite remarkable that Vishnu has managed to hold on this long; even a third place would be an excellent result.

However, this ranking only meets the basic requirements. If he wants to please the two leaders, lower their guard, and take good care of him, so as to complete the theft of the Heart Sutra, his ranking would obviously be as high as possible.

"Alright!"

Zhang Xuezhou finally nodded.

His status was ultimately lower, on par with that of a Buddhist disciple.

It's almost impossible to get the Western Sect to share their knowledge with others. The two leaders might even be wary or mislead him, leaving Zhang Xuezhou confused. This kind of treatment is far less cooperative than that of Vishnu and others.

If the theft of the Heart Sutra by Vishnu is established, then the other party is committing one wrong after another, with little chance of repentance, and can only go all the way down the dark path.

"These two leaders may truly be nearing their end, otherwise Vishnu wouldn't have dared to be so audacious!"

Compared to Vishnu, Zhang Xuezhou was not as familiar with the internal affairs of the Western Sect.

He agreed to Vishnu's request, which greatly pleased Vishnu.

The Western Sect's representatives were the strongest contenders, Buddha Son Shigong, and Vishnu didn't seem to have any particular thoughts after losing the election.

Little did he know that the Buddha Son Shigong were too exhausted to fight after the first grand gathering, while Vishnu had been conscripted to participate in the gathering on his home turf, Mount Sumeru.

It's one thing to just participate to make up the numbers, but with Zhang Xuezhou's guarantee, he'll be directly promoted to the top spot at Lingshan's home ground.