Immediately, the colourful lights were firmly suppressed, now only enveloping several meters around the Seven Treasures Monk King. The figure of the Prabhūtaratna swayed as well as if it could collapse at any moment.
“This…” The Dauntless monk and the Unraging monk exchanged glances. Their eyes were filled with shock, unable to describe how they felt inside. They both looked at Xiao An again.
Xiao An’s eyes were calm like before. There was not the slightest hint of complacency on her face. She remained modest and polite. “Master Seven Treasures, these are my buddhist treasures. Please provide me with guidance.”
The Seven Treasures Monk King was already in no shape to reply to her. He powered the seven buddhist treasures as hard as he could as they darted about.
The thirty-three golden prayer beads spun in the air and did not press any further. Instead, she allowed the Seven Treasures Monk King to try and break free.
In order to hide her cultivation of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, she had not unleashed the full might of the Skeleton Demon Formation, but it still managed to suppress Seven Treasures with ease. No matter what he tried, he could not even shake it.
The red sun in the east rose slowly as time trickled by. Sweat oozed out from the Seven Treasures Monk King’s forehead, no longer in the same high spirits as before. He was filled with anxiety. Everything that occurred before his eyes had surpassed his imaginations by so much that he struggled to accept it even now.
Suddenly, Xiao An took a step forward, and her right hand landed on the hilt of the blade on her waist. With her footsteps, the Skull Prayer Beads slowly pressed in like they bore the weight of mountains. They were unstoppable!
“Hmm? Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. Was she trying to use the Affliction Severing blade?
If she showed the Affliction Severing blade, the Dauntless monk would definitely recognise it. How was she supposed to explain herself then?
Xiao An arrived before the Seven Treasures Monk King. The Skull Prayer Beads had already arrived within a meter of him, and Prabhūtaratna’s figure collapsed violently. Under his shocked gaze, the blade shone like snow.
“You must not, One Will!”
The Dauntless monk called out to stop her. No matter how much he loathed the Seven Treasures Monk King, he could not actually let his blood splatter on Great Buddha mountain. Otherwise, how was he supposed to face all the buddhists in the world? The Spirit K?etra temple would never just let this matter be either. However, everything had happened far too quickly such that he could not stop her in time.
In the blink of an eye, the colourful lights, the buddhist glow, and the flash of the blade all vanished.
The Seven Treasures Monk King fell back on his bottom. His expression changed several times, sometimes in thought with his brows furrowed, sometimes filled with regret and annoyance, and sometimes smiling happily.
Xiao An returned the blade to its sheath and stood there quietly.
“Don’t tell me the blade is…”
The Dauntless monk was very surprised. From the moment the Affliction Severing blade had left the sheath, he had made out its appearance. The Affliction Severing blade had been lost for many years now, but every single curve it possessed was firmly engraved in the minds of past and present abbots. He dared not forget it, nor could he forget it. This led to an even greater impact on him than the thirty-three buddhist treasure prayer beads.
“It’s the Affliction Severing blade. How do you feel, master?” Xiao An flicked her wrist gently, and the Skull Prayer Beads returned.
“So this is the Affliction Severing blade. It truly is filled with endless wonder. You have my thanks.”
The Seven Treasures Monk King stood up and brought his palms together, bowing towards Xiao An deeply.
“You’re too polite, master.” Xiao An avoided the bow.
“So much for my several centuries of cultivation. I developed thoughts of greed, yet I was unaware, even becoming too proud and arrogant, breaking the precept of falsehoods. It’s all thanks to that swing of your blade that I could return to my senses,” the Seven Treasures Monk King said with guilt.
If it were not for the fact that he knew the wondrous powers of the Affliction Severing blade, Li Qingshan basically would have suspected that Xiao An had broken the Seven Treasures Monk King’s head somehow. This effect sure was impressive.
If he fought instead, killing the Seven Treasures Monk King would be easy, but he would definitely make a great enemy out of the Spirit K?etra temple. Even if he defeated him without killing him, the Seven Treasures Monk King would definitely return with resentment, which would still net him another enemy.
Li Qingshan had never been afraid of falling out with people, but he did find trouble to be annoying. The swing of Xiao An’s blade really did bear the meaning of severing afflictions and annoyances to a certain degree.
“I’m returning to the Spirit K?etra temple for self-reflection. Farewell.” The Seven Treasures Monk King sighed.
“Take care, senior brother Seven Treasures,” the Dauntless monk was in a hurry to ask about the Affliction Severing blade, so he did not try to persuade the Seven Treasures Monk King to stay.
Before he left, the Seven Treasures Monk King said to Li Qingshan, “Even if you’re not a Demon King, you’re not a person of buddhism. Crown prince Si Qing seems to hold a great grudge with you, so you should be careful!”
“Don’t worry, master. All men will seek their revenge. A fool like him will fall to my blade sooner or later!” Li Qingshan answered.
The Seven Treasures Monk King glanced at Li Qingshan deeply before telling Xiao An, “Your conferment as Monk King will arrive very soon. The gates of the Spirit K?etra temple are open to you at all times!” Only then did he fly off. Compared to when he came, he seemed much more modest and discreet.
“One Will, where did you obtain the Affliction Severing blade?” the Dauntless monk asked in a hurry as soon as the Seven Treasures Monk King had left.
“This is not a place to talk, Dauntless abbot,” Xiao An said.
As a result, they entered the grand hall, and Xiao An drew the Affliction Severing blade again, passing it to the Dauntless monk.
The Dauntless monk accepted the blade with both hands. He was extremely excited, and he was completely entranced by the buddhist blade in his hand. He murmured, “Sure enough, sure enough, it’s the Affliction Severing blade!”
It was not his fault for being so emotional. The significance of the Affliction Severing blade to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga was far too great. Even ten buddhist treasures could not compare to it.
“The Golden Cicada Spirit King gave me this blade,” said Xiao An.
“The Golden Cicada Spirit King!” Only now did the Dauntless monk look away from the Affliction Severing blade. That was a name that the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga could not forget.
“Why did he give it to you?”
“He gave it to me in exchange for the Chant of Deva-Nāga,” said Xiao An.
“You!”
The Dauntless monk pointed at Xiao An. If any ordinary disciple was bold enough to pass the ultimate technique of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga to the Golden Cicada Spirit King, he would have taken direct action himself and captured them. Even if they brought back the Affliction Severing blade, they would still be heavily punished.
“I’ve broken the monastery’s rules. Please punish me, abbot,” said Xiao An.
“So be it. You managed to bring the blade back, which is a great contribution to the monastery. Let’s just say it offsets your crimes!”
The Dauntless monk hesitated a little before still waving his hand helplessly in the end. The rules of the monastery were important, but they had to be flexible as well. As the abbot, what he had to consider first was still the future of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga that had stood for over ten thousand years. He definitely could not shoot the monastery in the foot.
And when he thought a little more about it, he would have also given it some consideration if the Golden Cicada Spirit King had offered him a condition like that. With Xiao An’s cultivation and identity, she already possessed the right to make a decision like that for the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, so with that, he was convinced.
“I didn’t just exchange for this blade,” Xiao An added.
“What else then?” the Dauntless monk asked.
“The Soaring Locust King’s life as well,” said Xiao An.
“What!”
“The Golden Cicada Spirit King will be ascending soon. I’ve already told the Soaring Locust King about this.”
What Xiao An said was simple, but no one present was a fool. They immediately thought of a rough plan.
The Soaring Locust King held a deep grudge towards the Golden Cicada Spirit King. When the Golden Cicada Spirit King would ascend, the Soaring Locust King would definitely do everything within his ability to stop him. As long as they set up a trap then and there, they would definitely be able to kill him, and the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga might be able to settle their grievance of several thousand years with the Golden Cicada Spirit King too.
Li Qingshan looked at Xiao An in surprise. This was completely different from their original plan. If everything really unfolded as expected, they could completely isolate themselves from this affair and just watch as the great cultivators of the Green province encircled and killed the Soaring Locust King. They would not be in any danger at all.
The Dauntless monk’s face lit up. He passed the Affliction Severing blade back to Xiao An and said, “You’ve done very well!”
ps: 算了算，这个月还要写七万多字，任重而道远啊!
