Things had been smooth sailing for Daluo Temple for the past hundred years. Not only had their expansion reached its peak, no one dared to challenge them head-on nor would they condemn their actions.
Even premium countries were courteous and respectful of them and this was what led to the hubris of the monks at Daluo Temple.
They couldn’t take criticism from anyone.
Forget criticism, they would even get angry at the slightest sense of disrespect.
However, since their abbot was here, no one dared to lash out against their uninvited guest. The abbot smiled. “Good sir, if I am not mistaken, what you’re holding in your arms is a fox monster!”
“Keen eye, Master Abbot,” Lin Jin snarled. “I was wondering who’s the rector of your temple’s Exorcist Hall?”
Lin Jin’s question caught many of them off guard. However, those who understood what was going on frowned immediately. They knew this man was here for trouble.
“Master Abbot, this person’s no friend of ours! I don’t think we should show him mer-…”
One of the monks seethed. Even so, the abbot held his hand up to silence him.
“The rector of our Exorcist Hall is my junior, Jue Zhen. He just returned the day before yesterday and is currently resting. I understand that you’re a man of caliber so please tell us the reason for your visit. Let’s not beat around the bush.” It was clear that the abbot did not want to waste his time either.
Lin Jin stayed silent.
However, the invisible pressure that he exuded only added to his mystique.
After a long while, Lin Jin finally broke the silence.
“Living in Reed City of the United Continent’s Jade Dragon Kingdom is the Qiao family. They are known to possess an ancestral heirloom. However, these law-abiding folks ended up as the target of a band of thieves…”
Lin Jin went on to describe the incident.
He managed to capture the entire situation with just a handful of main points.
“You can call me Curator. This fox monster here is my grand disciple, and so too is the white ape. They may be monsters but I can assure you that they follow the path of justice and have never harmed innocent human beings. They were at Qiao Manor to protect them from the thieves I mentioned. To my dismay, I came back to find out that they had been harmed by the dignified monks of your temple. If I hadn’t rushed over in time, this grand disciple of mine would have already perished from the Thunder Seal Curse. As you can see here, so too is my disciple badly hurt from the battle that unfolded. Now that I’ve told you everything, Master Abbot, what do you think I’m here for?”
Lin Jin spoke slowly. When he arrived at his final line, he made sure to accentuate his question.
Standing here was not only Lin Jin and the monks, but there were also many pilgrims who watched their interaction from the sidelines. Lin Jin’s voice was loud and it was filled with emotion; it fazed many of Daluo Temple’s monks.
If the truth was as this ‘Curator’ had described, then it was true that their Daluo Temple had taken the side of the evildoers.
What’s more, they heard the words ‘Thunder Seal Curse’ loud and clear. Although this ‘Curator’ never explained how he removed it, the fact that he was able to do so shed light on his power. Even in Daluo Temple, the curse was a rare skill that could never be broken.
The abbot’s brows were furrowed. Having lived this long, he understood the implications behind Curator’s words, when the rest of his disciples could not.
The man was trying to put a label on them.
“Curator, from what you’re saying, amidst the indiscriminate extermination of monsters and demons, the cultivators from Daluo Temple have assisted evildoers in their task. If this is true, then indeed, our Daluo Temple is at fault. However, this is only your side of the story. For you to personally show up here, surely you have some factual basis for your claims. Understand that Daluo Temple does not tolerate defamation. Curator, even if you’re a world-class elite, the truth must be revealed, or we cannot accept such allegations.”
The abbot’s aura grew heavier.
The monks behind him were already annoyed enough. Upon noticing the hostility in Curator’s words and his attempt to defame the millennium-old temple, they couldn’t hold back any longer.
“You demon! We know how good-natured Master Abbot is, and he’ll never stoop to your level! That is not the same for me, and I won’t tolerate your nonsense here! For you to be carrying a fox monster around, that only means that you’re no good person. I shall apprehend you first and slay that monster later to regain peace for our Daluo Temple.”
Having said that, the hot-tempered monk rushed straight into battle. On his bare arm, shoulder, and chest, was the tattoo of a liger.
As he charged at Lin Jin, the liger let out a faint roar.
“Zhi Zhang, no!”
Although the abbot verbally stopped him, he only spoke out for the sake of it. No action was taken to stop him. He was clearly just playing along and doing this for show.
Since this ‘Curator’ was here for trouble, why not gauge his capabilities first? Although that intimidation from earlier was powerful, it may have just been the might of an artifact.
The monk whom the abbot addressed as “Zhi Zhang” had a muscular build, and a pair of menacing eyes. He looked just like the angry guardian, Guhyapada as depicted in Buddhist paintings. Brandishing a sun and moon staff, he charged forward.
Lin Jin had already expected the enemy to test his skill, and sure enough, they did that.
In an instant, Lin Jin appraised the liger tattoo on his body and deduced that his pet beast was indeed a liger. Ligers were found in South Continent and were massive and ferocious creatures. This monk had cultivated Beastmaster Second Scroll and it was the reason why he possessed such explosive energy.
Lin Jin could defeat him effortlessly but how he would do it required mastery of a different branch of knowledge.
It was best to destroy his ambitiousness and the will to fight in one fell swoop. This would serve as an example to the rest so that they would refrain from making rash decisions.
This was what Lin Jin desired, a one-on-one battle. If they decided to attack him all at once, that would have been troublesome.
Lin Jin knew a great deal about the Beastmaster Scroll. After all, what he practiced was the best among them, the fourth scroll. Hence, his understanding of the second scroll was thorough and could probably negate the opponent’s Beastmaster Scroll in an instant.
Such thoughts flickered in Lin Jin’s mind and by that point, the opponent’s staff was already coming down on him.
Lin Jin lifted a finger.
He launched a silver needle that swiftly pierced into the monk’s shoulder.
“Break!”
He muttered under his breath. It was just a gentle flick of his fingers but Zhi Zhang felt as if he had been hit by a tremendous force. With a loud “bang!” Zhi Zhang’s Beastmaster Second Scroll was broken.
It was akin to being stripped naked onstage.
Simultaneously, a large liger emerged from his body and Zhi Zhang felt as if ninety percent of his strength has been sapped away. Unable to support the weighty sun and moon staff anymore, it fell away from his grip. Meanwhile, the silver needle which made Zhi Zhang’s body go numb and fell stiffly to the ground.
The escaped liger crouched down before Lin Jin in submission.
It had been a simple attack, effortless even. Before Zhi Zhang could even show his might, he lost the battle. To add insult to injury, the defeat was utter and humiliating.
The monks of Daluo Temple gasped at this sight.
Seeing how the other monks were about to charge him, Lin Jin summoned Goldy. The chicken immediately rushed over, flapping his wings as he grew into a massive fire bird to block off the monks
