We made you practice martial arts, and you've mastered the Great Golden Body?

"May I ask what brings you here, Benefactor Shen?"

Fahai's expression was solemn and wary, his gaze fixed on the man emerging from the thick fog, with the unfathomable waters of West Lake beneath his feet.

Apart from the ripples that spread out, it was just like flat ground.

It's gotten stronger, even stronger!

Although this was merely walking on water, revealing only the tip of the iceberg, Fahai could clearly deduce from Shen Lian's calm and composed expression with a faint smile that Shen Lian's martial arts realm had achieved a new breakthrough.

Walking on water seems simple, but because of the nature of water, which is so soft, it requires a great deal of control over one's own strength.

Furthermore, one's martial arts realm must reach a certain level, plus...

In general, only martial artists who have devoted themselves to the Grandmaster realm for decades have the opportunity and ability to master the special skill of walking on water.

Fahai still remembered the last sparring session perfectly.

At that time, although Shen Lian's martial arts realm had reached the Grandmaster level, his control over his own power was far from what it is now, and he relied more on his incredibly strong physical strength.

It must be said that Fahai still vividly remembers that terrifying power, and the impression it left on him was truly profound.

Even those great demons with thousands of years of cultivation are probably no match for it.

It's only been a short time since the two last sparred, and Shen Lian has already made such a breakthrough. His martial arts talent is simply too terrifying.

'Could this person be the reincarnation of the Martial Star?' Suddenly, a more reasonable explanation flashed through Fahai's mind.

Because in this world, if someone's or a demon's talent surpasses the imagination of ordinary people, then there is a very high possibility that they are the reincarnation of a god or Buddha, coming to experience mortal tribulations.

For example, the Jade Emperor, according to legend, descended to the mortal realm hundreds of thousands of times, which is why he was able to sit on the throne of the Jade Emperor in the Heavenly Court.

Of course, this is just a legend. After all, how many tens of thousands of years is the known history of this world?
Fahai didn't know how many times the Jade Emperor of Heaven had descended to the mortal realm for tribulations. As a monk, he was more concerned with Buddhism and exorcising demons.

Like now.

"What is it? It's very simple." Shen Bailian looked at Fahai, who was so close to him, and at the little movements in the other's hands. He smiled slightly and said, "Do the same thing as last time."

Since Guanyin was already present, there was no need to continue acting, especially since he wasn't exactly a skilled actor.

When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave will prevail; when it's time to draw your sword, you must draw it.

"Are you absolutely determined to associate with monsters?"

Now that things had come to this, Fahai was completely enraged, his eyes burning with furious flames. Even the title "Benefactor Shen" had become the more distant "you".

He simply couldn't understand why this was the case. He clearly possessed such extraordinary martial arts talent; given time, he would surely be able to reach the realm of a terrestrial immortal.

If one's heart is sincere enough, there is a great chance that one of the countless gods and Buddhas will see him, take him as a disciple, grant him a place among the immortals, and allow him to enjoy the same lifespan as this world.

But now, they insist on stubbornly associating with evil beings, and there is only one outcome: destruction by the Heavenly Dao.

This is simply self-destructive!
"It was not my intention to associate with monsters."

Upon hearing this, Fahai's expression softened slightly for a moment, but Shen Bailian's next words caused him to instantly become furious, and a chill ran through him.

"Besides, do you think these monsters are even worthy of my attention?"

Upon hearing this, Fahai froze on the spot, staring blankly at Shen Bailian, who had a cold and arrogant expression in front of him. What did the latter mean by those words?
He originally thought that Shen Bailian and the two snake demons were in cahoots, but now, judging from what Shen Bailian said, the truth seems to be different.

He didn't believe Shen Bailian was just spouting nonsense.

"Alright, let's leave our idle chatter here." Shen Bailian took a deep breath, his gaze falling on Fahai's hand reaching for his waist, and the golden bowl gleaming in the other's hand. A playful smile appeared on his face.
"What, you're still not going to reveal your trump card?"

Shen Bailian was quite curious about the purple-gold bowl in Fahai's hand. After all, even his [Eye of God] could not see through it directly. In the Zhenyuan Universe, this purple-gold bowl should also belong to the category of divine artifacts.

At the same time, he speculated that the Purple Gold Bowl was not something a person of Fahai's caliber could obtain; it must have been provided by the gods or Buddhas behind Fahai.

Or rather, it's like a treasure that comes with you.

Of course, the most important thing is that Shen Bailian had seen the Purple Gold Bowl in previous versions of the Legend of the White Snake, but had never seen it described in this way before.

An object, surprisingly, was moving with self-awareness.

There are only two explanations: either the purple-gold bowl has already given birth to a spirit, or the purple-gold bowl is just a "cage," similar to a Poké Ball in Pokémon, inhabited by a powerful creature.

Shen Bailiang, however, leans more towards the second possibility.

The reason Fahai hesitated to use this trump card must be because the golden alms bowl, or the creature within it, was far too powerful.

Frequent use can lead to psychological dependence.

If it were a typical protagonist with such a trump card, they would recklessly use it, constantly testing the limits of life and death, squeezing out every last bit of value from it to strengthen themselves.

For example: Shen Bailian.

But Fahai was not like that. He appeared to be a refined and easy-going monk, but only those who truly knew him knew that Fahai was arrogant by nature and had an unyielding pride.

Once a decision is made, nothing can change it.

Especially when facing demons, he doesn't hesitate to use even some underhanded tactics or righteous gang fights.

"Alright." Fahai looked at Shen Bailian, who was completely devoid of any aura and appeared just like an ordinary person, pondered for a moment, and finally sighed.

Despite his anger, he could still distinguish between reality and fantasy.

He couldn't defeat Shen Bailian in their last sparring match, let alone now. If he wants to capture that snake demon today, he'll have to use his trump card.

“Benefactor Shen.”

"I'll give you one last piece of advice: the sea of ​​suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore." Fahai gave Shen Bailian one last look, as if warning him, or perhaps reminding him. After saying this, he ignored everything else, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and slightly moved his lips.

Subsequently.

On the dimly lit West Lake, a solemn and deep chanting sound suddenly appeared, and faint golden light appeared, flashing by so quickly that ordinary innate martial artists could hardly detect it.

Shen Bailian's expression turned solemn, his playful expression vanishing as he stared intently at Fahai's waist. To be precise, he was looking at the wildly trembling, dazzling golden bowl, which, as the surrounding chanting intensified, shone even brighter, and the frequency of its tremors increased accordingly.

Sudden.

The shimmering golden bowl, as if driven by an invisible force, suddenly rose high into the sky and then fell upside down.

It was dazzling and eye-catching with its golden light.

"Here they come, come on!" The solemnity on Shen Bailian's face slowly disappeared, replaced by excitement and the joy of battle. His warlike genes were completely activated.

He could already feel the powerful physical strength.

How long has it been? Shen Bailian has forgotten how long it has been since his last satisfying head-on clash. This is his first battle after breaking through to the Embracing Moon Realm, a battle to test his strength, and also a battle to intimidate all sides.

"Hopefully, this time the opponent will be stronger, unlike last time," Shen Bailian murmured softly, the question of who he was referring to already obvious.

Rumble!
The dazzling golden light, like a lotus flower, bloomed amidst the solemn and profound chanting.

In an instant.

The winds and clouds changed color, the universe was turned upside down, and the entire energy of heaven and earth seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand, plunging into endless chaos and fear.

Even Shen Bailian felt a chill for no apparent reason.

As for Bai Suzhen, who was crawling further away, her enormous body seemed to freeze in place, her eyes flashing with fear.

This is a suppression stemming from the very essence of life; aside from increasing one's strength, there is virtually no way to resist it.

"What on earth happened there?" Xiaoqing looked in panic toward the direction of the golden light. She had been speeding through the sky, heading toward Lin'an City.

But as the golden light burst forth, she suddenly felt an invisible pressure, as if she were sinking into a quagmire, with greatly increased resistance and a sharp decrease in speed.

What used to be a journey of less than a minute would now probably take more than ten minutes.

Sudden.

"What...what is that?!" Out of the corner of Xiaoqing's eye, she suddenly caught a glimpse of an unusual color within the golden light. Her entire body trembled violently, as if ice and snow had encountered the blazing sun, and she screamed in agony:

"what!!!"

Above West Lake.

Rumble——!
Accompanied by thunderous roars, the thick, lead-like clouds were brutally torn apart by a mysterious force from the ancient past, and a dazzling, almost holy golden light, like a surging, roaring celestial river, poured down.

It was more like a torrent of imperial dew falling from the sky, enveloping the entire West Lake. White mist filled the air and rose, creating an extremely terrifying spectacle.

Amidst the blinding light, a colossal beast, its body towering like a mountain, gradually emerged from the golden light.

Every inch of the beast's skin was taut, and every hair radiated golden light, like burning golden flames dancing wildly in the gale.

Its golden fur stood on end, each hair a meter long, like a sharp arrow that could pierce through time and space, shimmering with a chilling light and containing the power to shatter stars.

Its enormous head resembled a majestic palace, and its eyes, as large as copper bells, blazed with a blood-red, malevolent light that seemed to materialize into flames, coldly surveying everything before it.

It was as if everything in the world was nothing more than an ant in his eyes.

The mere sweep of that gaze caused ripples to spread through the surrounding space, as if even the air itself was groaning in pain under this oppressive force, desperately trying to escape this desolate place shrouded in golden light.

Its thick limbs were like pillars supporting the sky. Each time it fell, it was like Mount Tai pressing down, causing the gentle surface of West Lake to tremble violently and form towering waves, which was terrifying!
When it slightly opened its blood-red maw, its cold fangs, like intersecting sharp blades, gleamed with a chilling light amidst the eerie golden glow.

Followed by.

"Roar!"

A deep, powerful, and deafening roar erupted from the depths of its throat, which seemed to connect to the deepest abyss.

This roar was even more explosive than the rolling thunder in the leaden clouds. The powerful sound waves spread outwards with overwhelming force, causing the void to tremble violently, rivers to flow backwards, and monstrous waves to surge into the sky.

Even the sun, high in the sky, seemed to dim its light in fright at the roar.

The entire world seemed to be dragged into an endless abyss of darkness in that instant, falling into a state of utter despair, with only deafening roars echoing throughout the land.

And in the distance.

"Wow~"

A faint, almost imperceptible splash suddenly rang out. Even with Guanyin's intervention, the enormous sound wave caused by the beast's roar still caused Xu Xian, who was already at his limit, to fall into the icy lake water.

"Mother, wife... wait..."

Even at the very last moment of his life, Xu Xian felt no fear, but rather regret. He knew that his previous step back, though only a small one, had been like a sharp blade piercing Bai Suzhen's heart.

However, it's too late for regrets now.

At this moment, Xu Xian's breathing was almost stopped. Although his eyelids were as heavy as Mount Tai, they were still not closed tightly, leaving a slit. How much he hoped that he could see that face again, even if only for a moment.

"Wow..."

Another splash of water rang out.

"My wife, you've come." When Xu Xian saw that vaguely familiar figure, a faint light flashed in his eyes. His lips turned pale, and he remained motionless. His weary heart finally relaxed.

At the same time, his heavy eyelids closed completely.

"No, no, please, please don't!" Bai Suzhen, who was already nearly exhausted under the pressure of the giant beast, squeezed out a trace of magic power with all her might, even at the cost of her own life force, and transformed into human form to rush towards Xu Xian, who was gradually sinking.

When she saw those eyes were tightly closed, she let out a hoarse roar, as if she were pleading with someone.

"That's... a golden-haired beast!!!" After seeing the face of the giant beast through the layers of golden clouds, Xiao Qing's whole body began to tremble violently.

A chilling fear rose from the depths of her heart, freezing her body. (End of Chapter)