That sinister smile left Gu Li’s scalp tingling.
How did they get out?
Why did the Buddha let them go too?
As Gu Li was frantically debating what to do, those four figures appeared before him.
They were indeed none other than the four Zombie Progenitors he’d callously thrown away earlier.
“Brother Gu Li, it seems we all got out on the same day! What a coincidence!”
Jiangchen had bags under his eyes. His deep black pupils shone with resentment. He curled his lips into a smile, then watched Gu Li with cruel fascination.
Whenever Jiangchen closed his eyes, all he could see was that scene of Gu Li throwing them away back at the Nine-tailed Fox Clan.
At the time, he’d vowed that, should he have the chance, he would definitely seek revenge.
Luckily, the Buddha hadn’t simply killed them. Instead, he’d taken them to the Buddhist Realm to chant sutras and live a Buddhist lifestyle.
For a vicious beast like Denglong, living like this was far more torturous than death.
However, whenever he found himself on the verge of giving up, he recalled the image of Gu Li betraying them.
In a way, he really ought to thank him; if it weren’t for Gu Li, he might’ve long since been tortured to death by all those sutras.
Anyone could sense the tension in the air, especially Gu Li. His lips quivered and his eyes darted back and forth as he tried to think of a way to talk himself out of this.
“What, it looks like you’re not happy to see us?” asked Jiangchen.
“Brother Jiangchen, you must be joking. I’m so happy to see you all, I could just burst with joy,” blurted out Gu Li.
Then he smiled and said, “we’re allies in both success and failure. Now that I see you’re unharmed, I feel as if a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”
“Then we really ought to thank you.”
“No need, no need,” Gu Li laughed derisively, his eyes nonetheless constantly examining his surroundings. It would be just perfect if a Bodhisattva showed up right about now.
“Actually, I was quite concerned that you wouldn’t be able to bear reciting all those sutras.”
“It was unbearable, of course,” said Jiangchen, face darkening. “But it was you, Gu Li, who helped us endure that agonizing, inhumane torture.”
“It was me?” Gu Li said in shock, “that’s really….”
He’d sensed some of the sentence’s deeper implications from Jiangchen’s tone of voice, but he feigned dumb regardless, hoping to delay as long as he can. One more second one was one more second. Who knows? A Bodhisattva might already be on their way over.
Gu Li frantically tried to figure out what to say, only to find…..
He already had nothing left to say.
That’s just….” Jiangchen tilted his head to the side, gaze mocking as he laughed, “Brother Gu Li, do you have something to say? If so, can you please just say it? We can’t read your mind. For instance, back when you betrayed us without the slightest hesitation, we were caught totally unaware!”
Rumble.
A terrifying bloodlust burst out of Jiangchen’s body. This Buddhist Domain rejected this sort of killing intent. Even so, a red aura soon enveloped his body.
“Why waste words talking? Just kill him already,” snorted Yinggou. His shoulders were uncovered.
“No one’s arguing with you,” chimed in the cutesy-voiced yet visually hideous Hanba. Her sinister expression made her look even uglier than usual. “He betrayed us at the drop of a hat and even made us come to this cursed place to live like Buddhists and chant sutras. He’s the reason we had to endure all that suffering!”
“I have no objections,” said Houqing, smiling a soft yet sinister smile.
All four shocking killing intents locked onto Gu Li. Sensing their bitter resentment, he….
“The Buddhist Domain is a Sacred place. It’s no place for you to act wildly.”
A thunderous voice cut through the sky and Gu Li and the others knelt to the ground, hearts trembling with terror.
“Amitabha, Bodhisattva, this apprentice is willing to convert to Buddhism,” said Gu Li. This was his only chance to save his life and he seized it, even if it meant clutching at straws. The Zombie Progenitors’ expressions shifted.
If they let Gu Li convert to Buddhism, they’d have no hope of getting revenge in this lifetime.
Jiangchen steeled himself and, ignoring the voice shouting in the sky, raised his right hand and slammed it into Gu Li’s skull.
Still kneeling against the ground, Gu Li didn’t move a muscle. He was confident that he’d already been saved.
“Impudent.”
As expected, just as Jiangchen’s hand was about to collide with Gu Li’s head, a giant hand appeared in the sky and swiped towards him.
Instantly, the Great Strength Bodhisattva appeared before them. He fixed his gaze and roared, “Buddhists do not spill blood, yet you want to commit murder in the Buddhist Domain?”
Jiangchen had just endured the Great Strength Bodhisattva’s attack head-on. He felt a sweetness in the back of his throat, then coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Take it back,” roared the Bodhisattva. Another great hand slammed into Jiangchen, shoving the blood he was about to wipe from his lips back into his mouth.
“You people recited sutras in the Buddhist Domain for so long, yet you still haven’t repented? It looks like I have no choice but to….” started the Great Strength Bodhisattva, readying his spiritual power. The zombies’ expressions shook as they hurriedly prepared to resist the incoming blow.
Just then, Guanyin floated in. “Aryasura, stay your hand.”
“Why are you here?” frowned the Great Strength Bodhisattva.
Guanyin said nothing and instead took a few steps forward. In response, Gu Li knelt low to the ground and crawled closer to him, saying, “Bodhisattva, this apprentice is willing to convert to Buddhism. Please, take me in.”
Guanyin looked down at Gu Li indifferently, then helped him up.
“Earlier, I told you that the instant you left the ancestral hall, you would no longer be our apprentice,” said Guanyin. “And, furthermore, that you would completely sever your destiny with Buddhism.”
Then he turned and glanced at the Zombie Progenitors.
“That goes for you, too,” he said. “However, Buddhist territory is pure. This is no place for you to fight amongst yourselves. If you carry a grudge, go settle it outside.”
He waved his right hand, and Gu Li and the zombies disappeared from the border region of the Western Buddhist Domain.The Great Strength Bodhisattva watched in confusion as this scene played out. “
“Merciful Guanyin,” he said with a frown, “isn’t this tantamount to sending that kid Gu Li off to die? The Buddha is merciful, are you really just going to watch him die? Furthermore, those vicious beasts are thick-headed and ignorant. Isn’t letting them go equivalent to unleashing a calamity upon the world?”
“No need to concern yourself with all that,” said Guanyin. “The Buddha definitely has a plan. Let’s head back!”
Despite some lingering hesitation, Aryasura ultimately decided to follow him back.
As for Gu Li and the others……
“Hah … and they say ‘the Buddha is merciful?’ What bullshit!”
The Zombie Progenitors spat into the sky. Not far from them, Gu Li still knelt on the ground, his eyes brimming over with terror.
“Brother Gu Li, it looks like the Buddha isn’t coming for you either,” said Jiangchen. He squinted and laughed mockingly, then took a few steps forward.
Gu Li’s eyes flashed as his gaze darted between the four of them. Suddenly, he pulled out a crystal and indicated that he was about to snap it.
“Take even just one more step and you can forget about ever getting your hands on this.”
