The rhyming couplets were painted with gold ink and fixed on veined pattern boards. The weather did not and could not damage these golden words, but faced with the might of a Nine-leaf cultivator, they were as fragile as paper.
The red lotus domain wrote with golden ink and their Buddha had Golden Bodies. Did that mean they were red Golden Bodies? How ironic.
The 12 vajras’ eyes burned with anger.
Meanwhile, the 1,000 monks hovering in the air were stunned, at a loss over what to do.
The abbot, Fa Hua, a karmic fire user, was shocked. It was apparent from his slightly widened eyes.
The monks wielding rods in front of the Heavenly King Hall filed in at this moment and formed three rows in front of the Great Strength Hall. Not even a fly could get past them.
However, nobody dared to lift a finger. Who would dare? Although they were brimming with fury, they were frightened and shocked by the flaming Nine-leaf golden lotus under Lu Zhou’s feet.
“The lotus from pure soil carries the weight of the world and Buddha… That’s a nice poem,” Lu Zhou said with his hands on his back as the golden lotus disappeared.
“Abbot!” the monks exclaimed in unison.
As long as the abbot gave the order, the monks of the Blood Sun Temple would fight to their deaths. The temple’s pride had to be defended at all costs. Moreover, the abbot was also one of the few red lotus karmic fire elites in this world. If the abbot fought with all his might against this Nine-leaf foreign tribesman, the monks could cooperate with him. With that, they might have a chance of winning!
The armed monks prepared to chant their Brahmic verses. All they needed was for the abbot to give the order.
The 1,000 disciples looked at Fa Hua.
Fa Hua glanced at Hui Sheng and Hui Jue who broke the stone pillars. He shook his head and said, “Old benefactor… Why must you put me in such a difficult position?”
With the notification of the reward of 5,000 merit points ringing in his head, Lu Zhou’s expression remained as calm as a still lake; there was no fluctuation at all.
“I solved your problem for you. You should be thanking me instead,” Lu Zhou said tonelessly.
“They were only early-stage Eight-leaf cultivators, and they were young. I could still control them. Now that they’re dead, I still have a problem. You might as well kill me, old benefactor,” Fa Hua said with a pained expression.
‘If a Nine-leaf karmic fire elite is this worried, the palace must be a force to be reckoned with… If the Sky Martial Court has a Ten-leaf cultivator, it stands to reason the palace would have one as well… Uh… It seems like I was too reckless…’
Despite his thoughts, Lu Zhou said to Fa Hua, “That’s your problem. Your junior brother, Fa Kong, attacked me, and I have yet to settle that debt with you. Seeing that you answered all my questions truthfully, I’ll spare your life. If I find out that there’s an ounce of untruth in your words, I’ll surely kill you.”
Fa Hua was rendered speechless by Lu Zhou’s words. He was suffering enough as it was, and Lu Zhou’s words were like pouring oil over fire.
The other monks were stunned. The Grand Abbot of the Blood Sun Temple was a rare Nine-leaf karmic fire cultivator, and yet, he was being spoken to like a junior by this old man. How awkward. Moreover, Hui Jue and Hui Sheng’s corpses were still lying on the ground. What was the abbot doing?
“Abbot!” the monks cried out again. At the same time, they straightened their palms in front of their chests.
Lu Zhou turned around and looked at the monks. “Do you have a death wish?”
Without using Primal Qi, the mysterious old man’s voice pressed down on the monks, making them struggle just to breathe. They had urged their abbot, filled with anticipation earlier. The Blood Sun Temple’s monks were unafraid of death! However… faced with this imposing old man, their pride was crushed.
“Stand down! Anyone who causes a scene will be exiled!” Fa Hua said thunderously.
The monks sighed and landed.
At the same time, the armed monks near the Heavenly King Hall parted to form a path.
Lu Zhou looked up at the veins on the decorated archway. He was curious about them. They seemed similar to the ones on the city walls. However, these were even more detailed and delicate.
In the sky above the Blood Sun Temple, he could see a net-like barrier keeping the beasts at bay.
Lu Zhou remembered it now; the veins were similar to the veins on the armor Lin Xin obtained from the Crown Prince. The red lotus cultivators sent by the Sky Martial Court to the golden lotus domain wore armor with these veins as well. Was this some advanced power that protected human settlements?
Lu Zhou turned around with his hands on his back. He looked at Fa Hua and said, “You merely used half of your strength when you fought me, but I only used one-third of mine.”
Fear washed over Fa Hua when he heard these words. When he regained his senses, Lu Zhou had already risen to the air.
Lu Zhou formed an energy shield around himself. Behind him, Little Yuan’er and Conch took flight as well.
The 1,000 monks from the Blood Sun Temple did not dare to stop them.
Lu Zhou’s palm shone with golden radiance.
There was an imposing pressure that could not be resisted, like something heavy bearing down on the monks.
The monks hastily deactivated the Formation veins, and the pressure lifted as Lu Zhou left the Blood Sun Temple and Blood Sun Mountain.
The monks did not understand what happened.
Meanwhile, the 12 vajras stepped forward. “Abbot, we should notify the Sky Martial Court immediately… The foreign tribesmen have invaded and killed our monks. The foreign tribesman has drawn blood, and we must avenge the fallen!”
Fa Hua looked at the monks with a stern expression as he straightened his palm in front of his chest. He said, “Nobody is to act without my orders.”
“Huh?” The monks were confused.
Fa Hua joined his palms together. The red lotus karmic fire on his body burned brightly, and he seemed to be shrouded in flames.
Under the light from the karmic fire, the monks backed away.
“Amitabha…” The karmic fire and the red energy between Fa Hua’s palms fell on Hui Jue’s and Hui Sheng’s corpses.
The corpses were lit with flames and burned to a crisp in no time at all.
Fa Hua thought about Hui Neng, ‘Of the Three Seats, only the Palm Zen Hall’s First Seat is left. Hui Neng knows everything… Do I really have to break my non-killing steak?’
…
Meanwhile, on a precarious peak 100 miles away from the Thousand Willow Monastery.
Yu Shangrong carried his Longevity Sword as he looked at the mountains and the setting sun. He had been on this mountain peak for three days now, stabilizing his Nine-leaf stage.
He summoned his avatar and looked at the nine lotus leaves spinning around it. “My life has only increased by 100 years?”
Compared to the Eight-leaf stage, aside from the additional leaf and the avatar’s height, there were no other obvious changes.
From Ji Fengxing, he learned that cultivators in the red lotus domain were not restricted by the 1,000-year life limit. From the One-leaf to the Eight-leaf stage, the red lotus cultivators would receive 100 years of life. Between the Eight-leaf and Nine-leaf stage, the red lotus cultivators gained 200 years of life.
Yu Shangrong was puzzled. Ever since he began to cultivate, the years he had received had always been fewer compared to others. Indeed, he overcame the great limit of life with the Nine-leaf stage. However, he merely gained 100 years of life. He was rather surprised by this. Nevertheless, due to his experience, the surprise did not show on his face, and he quickly regained his calmness.
“It’s better than nothing.” 100 years were better than none.
He retracted his avatar and looked at the setting sun, the birds of the forests, and the mountains. He smiled faintly. “You’ll be my targets today.”
A good swordsman had to polish his sword skills after his cultivation base had improved to achieve perfect control and affinity.
Yu Shangrong faded out of focus and left afterimages in the air, making the birds of the mountains and forests his victims.
…
At the foot of Thousand Willow Mountain.
In the refurbished gazebo.
Wuwu and Ji Fengxing leaned against the railing and looked ahead in a daze.
“Senior brother, do you think big brother has gone to the Ninth Temple to rescue his senior brother?” Wuwu wondered out loud, worried.
Ji Fengxing shook his head with a sigh and said, “I told them to run away, but they wouldn’t listen. Not only that, but they even fought with him! I don’t think things are looking good for eldest big brother. He must be suffering now. I think he’ll be subjected to the whip and the rod. They might even break his fingers…”
“Hey, don’t scare me like that!” Wuwu said.
Ji Fengxing sighed again and said, “We can’t trust Zhu Xuan. He’s only an elder, what decision can he make? Eldest big brother is a golden lotus cultivator, a foreign tribesman. Maybe… Alright, alright, I’ll stop. I’m just worried that big brother, with his pride in his sword techniques, will really head to the Ninth Temple. That will be really bad.”
Wuwu nodded in agreement and asked, “Should I go to the Ninth Temple and plead for them?”
“No… You’re all taking the Ninth Temple too lightly. That’s a place where they’ll eat you whole. Big brother has always spoken highly of his master, but even if that old man’s here, the Ninth Temple would not back down.”
At this moment, Wuwu who had keen eyes pointed at the sky ahead and said, “Someone’s here!”
An old man with completely white hair and two young girls were flying toward them from the mountains in the distance.
Ji Fengxing frowned as he said, “Wait here. I’ll notify the monastery master.”
