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

It was an emotion that mixed boundless anger, extreme pain, deep self-blame, and overwhelming hatred for Bai Suzhen's cruel actions!

He never imagined, or rather, he refused to believe, that Bai Suzhen would actually dare to commit such a heinous and monstrous act, disregarding divine retribution, flooding Jinshan Temple, and causing the deaths of countless innocent lives both inside and outside the temple! This had gone beyond the realm of demons! This was the behavior of a devil!
"Enough! Enough!" A mad, resolute glint flashed in Fahai's eyes! He bit his tongue sharply, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence onto the equally broken string of prayer beads in his hand! At the same time, he hurriedly chanted an ancient and obscure mantra!

"Om... Ma... Ha... Ga... La... Hum... Command! Golden-haired Hou! Appear at once! Help me subdue the demon!!!"

With his final, urgent command filled with boundless rage, the string of prayer beads, which had absorbed his life essence and were originally dull and lifeless, suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light! One of the largest beads, engraved with strange runes, shattered with a "crack"!
"Roar--!!!!!"

A terrifying roar, neither a dragon's cry nor a tiger's howl, but a roar of boundless majesty and wild power, powerful enough to intimidate demons and monsters of the three realms, suddenly burst forth from the broken Buddhist beads!
Amidst a burst of golden light, a colossal divine beast, as large as a small mountain, covered in brilliant golden fur, with a single horn on its head, a lion's face and fangs, four hooked claws, and surrounded by auspicious clouds and Buddhist light, appeared out of thin air before Fahai!

It was the Golden-haired Hou that resided within the Buddhist beads, had some kind of pact with Fahai, possessed unfathomable strength, and was said to have once been the mount of a powerful being!

As soon as the Golden-haired Hou appeared, it sensed the raging flood, the rampant demonic energy, and Fahai's weak yet furious aura! Its giant eyes, like copper bells, instantly locked onto Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing in the sky. In particular, it sensed the pure and powerful aura of the thousand-year-old snake demon on Bai Suzhen's body, as well as the terrifying power that stirred up the boundless river. A trace of solemnity flashed in its eyes, but more so, it was the ferocity and fighting spirit that came from the bloodline of the divine beast!

"Roar!!" The golden-haired beast roared again, its roar so powerful that it shook the surrounding floodwaters and caused them to recoil! Its four hooves pounded the air, its body radiating golden light, and auspicious clouds swirled around it, making it look like a moving golden fortress as it charged directly toward Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing!

It is an ancient and exotic species, born with an extremely strong ability to restrain demons and evil spirits! Its physical body is so strong that it can withstand magical treasures! Its innate supernatural power can even breathe Buddhist fire to burn away demonic energy! At the most critical moment, Fahai finally used his last and strongest trump card!

"It's a Golden-haired Hou?! Fahai actually had such a trump card hidden in his hands?!" Xiaoqing's expression changed upon seeing this! She had previously spoken with Shen Bailian and vaguely knew that this terrifying divine beast accompanied Fahai, but she never expected it to be hidden in the Buddhist beads!

Bai Suzhen's expression also became extremely solemn! She could clearly feel that the aura emanating from this golden-haired beast was probably no weaker than Fahai's at his peak! In particular, the natural suppressive force originating from its bloodline against their snake demon race made her feel a sense of unease!

"Sister, be careful! This beast is not easy to deal with!" Xiaoqing hurriedly reminded her, while activating the Water-Repelling Pearl to condense several huge water walls in an attempt to block the Golden-haired Hou's attack.

however!
"Roar!!!"

Facing the mountain-like wall of water, the golden-haired beast showed no fear whatsoever! It suddenly opened its blood-red maw and spewed out an incomparably blazing golden Buddhist fire that seemed capable of incinerating everything!
The Buddhist fire collided with the water wall, producing a violent hissing sound of evaporation! The enormous water wall, powerful enough to shatter mountain rocks, melted and vaporized rapidly like ice and snow under the scorching heat of the golden Buddhist fire! It couldn't stop the Golden-haired Hou in the slightest!
The golden-haired beast darted through the steam-filled area, its massive golden claws gleaming with a chilling light, carrying the power to tear through space as it viciously clawed at Bai Suzhen! It wanted to deal with the culprit who had caused the flood first!
"Well done!"

At this moment, Bai Suzhen's heart was filled with boundless hatred and fury! Seeing the golden-haired beast coming fiercely, she not only did not back down, but instead her ferocity was aroused!
She slightly reduced the water-drawing power of the Jade Wave Hairpin and instead concentrated more demonic power into herself!

"A thousand years of cultivation! How dare you, you beast, act so presumptuously!"

Bai Suzhen let out a sharp cry! Behind her, a gigantic, thousand-foot-long, pure white phantom, its scales gleaming with a cold light, suddenly appeared! This phantom roared to the sky, radiating a cold and powerful demonic aura!

At the same time! Bai Suzhen flipped her jade hand! A gleaming, menacing sword, the female sword of the twin swords that she had exchanged for her natal treasure scale from Baoqing Workshop, appeared in her hand!

"cut!!!"

Bai Suzhen infused her thousand years of demonic power into the sword! The female sword emitted a clear, resonant dragon's roar! A white sword aura, a hundred feet long and imbued with her life's cultivation, carrying endless coldness and sharpness, tore through the void as easily as cutting through tofu, and slashed fiercely towards the giant claws of the golden-haired beast!
On one side is the savage power of ancient divine beasts and the might of Buddhist fire!

On one side lies the lifelong cultivation of a thousand-year-old serpent demon and the advantage of divine weapons!

"clang--!!!!!"

A deafening roar erupted, a sound powerful enough to shatter metal and stone and momentarily halt the floodwaters below!
The white sword energy and the golden giant claw collided fiercely!
The terrifying energy shockwave spread wildly in all directions like tangible ripples, tearing the surrounding clouds, water vapor, and even space itself to shreds!
"Pfft!"

The giant snake phantom behind Bai Suzhen trembled violently, letting out a painful hiss. Her sword-wielding arm shook violently, and her tiger's mouth instantly split open, bleeding profusely! She was thrown backward dozens of feet by the unparalleled force before she could barely regain her balance, her face even paler!
Clearly, in a pure contest of strength, she was slightly inferior to the golden-haired beast, which was known for its physical prowess, due to her hasty response to the battle!

however!
The golden retriever didn't fare well either!

On its massive golden claws, powerful enough to shatter mountains, a deep, white sword mark—revealing the bone—was left by the unparalleled sword energy! Golden blood, like lava, gushed from the wound!

More importantly, an extremely cold and sharp sword aura invaded its heart meridian through the wound, frantically destroying its meridians and life force! It couldn't help but let out a painful roar!

"Roar!!!"

It was no longer able to fight and was directly taken back by Fahai.

Fahai glared angrily.

"Today! If I do not completely suppress you, this monstrous scourge that plagues the world, I swear I am not human! I swear I will not become a Buddha!!!"

Fahai let out a furious roar like a wounded and trapped beast! He frantically pushed all the remaining Buddhist power in his body to its limit, as if burning his life force!

The purple-gold alms bowl in his hand, which had already developed cracks and dimmed its light, erupted once again with its final and most dazzling golden light! The bowl spun violently, attempting to forcefully suppress the towering waves below that were still rising and raging, preventing them from continuing to spread down the mountain and to the villages and towns further away!

However, faced with Bai Suzhen, who had already harnessed the power of the Yangtze River, this final resistance seemed so pale and powerless.

"Hmph! Even facing death, you're still making this futile struggle! Fahai, look at all that you've protected! This is the price you've paid for forcing me to do this!"

Above the flood, Bai Suzhen, dressed in flowing white robes, stood with a frosty expression and a voice devoid of emotion. The jade hairpin in her hand, its emerald light still dazzling, continuously drew boundless water from the surging Yangtze River, making the raging waves that were submerging Jinshan Temple even more violent, turbulent, and uncontrollable!
Meanwhile, Xiaoqing was not idle either. Holding the water-repelling pearl, her pretty face was also filled with the pleasure and coldness of revenge. She skillfully manipulated the surrounding water elemental power, sometimes transforming it into a huge water tornado that tore apart the remaining buildings; sometimes condensing it into sharp ice spikes that shot at the monks trying to escape; and sometimes injecting power into the main current, amplifying the monstrous wave that was engulfing everything, making Fahai's suppression even more difficult!
With the combined efforts of Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing, two thousand-year-old snake demons who had harbored deep grudges for a long time, the raging floodwaters completely spiraled out of control! Like primordial beasts breaking free of their shackles, they not only submerged the entire Jinshan Temple, but also began to cross the mountain peaks and spread towards the farmland and villages below!

Although the golden light of the Purple Gold Bowl was still putting up a stubborn resistance, trying to limit the range of the flood, it was like a candle in the wind, teetering on the brink of collapse in the face of the endless Yangtze River water brought by the Azure Wave Hairpin. Its suppression range was gradually compressed, and it was already too weak to hold on by itself!
"Amitabha!!!"

Fahai suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his robe red! He knew that with his remaining strength and the damaged Buddhist treasure, he absolutely, positively could not stop this catastrophe! If things continued like this, not only would Jinshan Temple be lost, but even the people of Zhenjiang Prefecture and even further afield would likely face annihilation!

He can't hesitate any longer!
Fahai took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging blood and boundless pain, a resolute glint flashing in his eyes! He concentrated the last and purest Buddhist power in his body at the center of his brow!

There, the skin that was originally closed suddenly split open, revealing an upright, shining golden light that was sacred and majestic—the Buddhist Heavenly Eye!
"The Dharma realm is permeated with light! The three worlds are illuminated! The Heavenly Eye—opens!!!"

With a shout from Fahai, filled with boundless grief and urgency, his third eye suddenly erupted with an unprecedented, almost tangible, and dazzling golden light capable of piercing through the heavens and the earth!
A thick, extremely condensed golden beam of light, like a spear of divine punishment or a beacon of distress, suddenly shot out from his third eye, ignoring the distance of space and the barriers of heaven and earth. It instantly tore through the clouds, soared straight into the sky, and shot towards the unknowable Buddhist Sensing Domain that pervades the three thousand worlds!
This golden pillar of light is not just light; it also carries Fahai's entire will at this moment, the scene of the impending annihilation of Jinshan Temple, and the most urgent and poignant cry for help he sends as a protector of Buddhism!
"Jinshan is in grave danger! The evil white and green snakes are causing havoc! They are diverting the boundless river to destroy our temple and bring untold suffering to all beings! This is no longer a threat that I, a humble monk, can withstand alone! I earnestly request all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions and three times, elders of all sects, and Dharma protectors to descend swiftly! Subdue these demons and save all sentient beings! Namo Amitabha Buddha!!!"

Fahai's voice was not uttered through his tongue, but rather contained within the supreme Buddhist Dharma, the golden light of the Heavenly Eye that pierced through heaven and earth, instantly spreading throughout the entire Buddhist realm's range of perception! It resounded in the ears and hearts of countless Buddhist masters, eminent monks, and Dharma protectors who were in seclusion, preaching, practicing, or even traveling!
……

In the distant Western sacred mountain, on a lotus throne, an ancient Buddha who was preaching paused slightly, calculated with his fingers, and showed surprise.

In a secluded ancient temple deep in the mountains, an old Zen master who had been in seclusion for hundreds of years suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes gleaming with Buddhist light, and sighed.

The ascetic monk, who traveled the world to subdue demons and monsters, was about to step into the next town when he suddenly stopped, looked southeast, and frowned.

Abbots and abbots of various sects, whether they were presiding over a Dharma assembly or handling temple affairs, almost simultaneously felt the urgent Buddhist signal from the direction of Jinshan, filled with anxiety and danger!
"What?! Jinshan Temple has been flooded by a thousand-year-old snake demon?! And Master Fahai has actually issued the highest-level distress call?!"

"Outrageous! What kind of demon dares to be so arrogant and offend our sacred Buddhist land! He is simply courting his own destruction!"

"Amitabha! What a sin! The floodwaters have inundated Jinshan Temple, affecting the innocent. This is a great calamity! How can we stand idly by and do nothing!"

"Immediately issue the order! Summon all available forces within the temple! Depart immediately and rush to the aid of Jinshan! Subduing demons and monsters is of utmost urgency!"

In an instant, the entire Buddhist community, from the most reclusive masters at the highest levels to the backbone of the major famous mountains and ancient temples, was shaken by this sudden and earth-shattering change! Countless powerful Buddhist lights, and auras that were either subtle or overt, began to rise from all directions, then transformed into streams of light, rainbow bridges, lotus platforms, flying boats... converging towards Jinshan Temple at top speed!

……

Meanwhile, above Jinshan Temple, towering waves continued to rage, turning the entire temple into a bottomless, turbulent ocean! Only a few of the highest and most sturdy rooftops or rock formations, like isolated islands, were faintly visible in the floodwaters, crowded with monks who had managed to escape and were now trembling with fear.

Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing, like two deities in charge of destruction, proudly floated above this apocalyptic scene they themselves created.

They gazed down at the Jinshan Temple, which had been completely submerged and had once subjected them to humiliation and persecution, and at the figures struggling and wailing in the floodwaters. Their faces showed no pity or emotion, but rather a cold and cruel sneer of revenge.
"Fahai! Do you see this?! This is the consequence of your relentless pursuit, driving us sisters to our doom!" Bai Suzhen's voice, like icicles in the dead of winter, echoed clearly amidst the roaring water. "From this day forward, Jinshan Temple will cease to exist! You, this so-called high monk, will become a sinner despised by all!"

She wanted Fahai to pay the most painful and thorough price for his self-righteous "acting on behalf of Heaven" and for his ruthless destruction of her and Xu Xian's ordinary love!
"Sister! Look! That old bald monk seems to be calling for reinforcements!" Xiao Qing, with sharp eyes, pointed to the golden pillar of light that had just disappeared across the sky and pierced the heavens and earth, and said with a hint of disdain.

Bai Suzhen glanced in the direction Xiaoqing was pointing and naturally knew that Fahai had just sent out the highest level of Buddhist distress signal using his Heavenly Eye. The cold smile on her beautiful face deepened, even taking on a hint of almost insane resolve.

"Ask for help? Ha... So what?" Bai Suzhen gently stroked the jade hairpin in her hair, feeling the immense water elemental power emanating from it, enough to destroy the world, as well as the demonic power within her body that was beginning to surge and churn due to the forced activation of the magic weapon. She said coldly, "Now that we've come this far, there's no turning back for us sisters!"

"Today! Let alone a few mere Buddhist monks! Even if the Buddha himself came from the Western Paradise! I will first behead you, you bald monk Fahai! For my husband! For my child who is not yet a month old! I will seek justice!!!"

Bai Suzhen took a deep breath, suppressing the weakness caused by overexertion. Her anger and fighting spirit burned even brighter! She would defeat Fahai completely before the Buddhist reinforcements arrived! For Xu Xian, for herself, and for this love that had been ruthlessly trampled upon, she would vent the anger that had been building up for a thousand years!
at this time!

"Crack-!"

Amidst the raging floodwaters below, a golden figure burst forth like an arrow, creating a spray of water everywhere!
It was Fahai!

At this moment, he was utterly disheveled! His golden cassock was soaked through by the murky river water, becoming incredibly heavy, and even torn in several places by sharp rocks in the flood, revealing the monk's robes underneath. His hair was disheveled, his face was covered in mud and blood, and the blood at the corner of his mouth had not yet dried. But his eyes burned with a fury and fighting spirit more intense than ever before, almost insane!
He hovered above the flood, one hand tightly gripping the cracked and dimmed purple-gold alms bowl. Although he knew the treasure was no longer usable, he still instinctively held it tight. In the other hand, he held prayer beads, several of which were broken. He glared at Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing in the sky, emanating a powerful and extremely dangerous Buddhist aura, as if he were determined to fight to the death.

"Fahai! You bald monk! You're still alive!" Xiaoqing blurted out upon seeing this, then spat, "You're really tough!"

"Bai Suzhen! Xiaoqing!" Fahai's voice was hoarse, yet filled with boundless hatred and determination. "You two vile beasts! You have acted perversely! You have caused floods! You have slaughtered living beings! Your sins are heinous! They are too numerous to count! Today, even if I have to give up my hundred years of cultivation! Even if I fall into the deepest hell! I will definitely suppress you completely! To comfort your souls! To set an example!"

Before he could finish speaking, Fahai had already made his move!
He no longer attempted ranged attacks with the golden alms bowl, for he knew it was futile! He chose the most direct and brutal method—close combat!

He roared, unleashing all the remaining Buddhist power within his body, along with the power gained from burning his own essence and blood! Instantly, his body was enveloped in a thick, condensed, and dazzlingly golden flame, almost tangible! Within this flame, the indistinct image of Buddha faintly appeared, filled with majesty and power!
"Demon! Take the Vajra power of Buddhism!"

Fahai transformed into a golden meteor, charging towards Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing high in the sky with unwavering determination!

"Perfect timing! I'll take care of you all at once!"

Faced with Fahai's desperate attack, a hint of seriousness flashed in Bai Suzhen's cold eyes, but even more so, an increasingly intense killing intent! She could naturally see that Fahai was burning his life force with unparalleled power, but how could she back down?!

"Xiaoqing! Help me!" Bai Suzhen shouted.
"Don't worry, sister!" Xiaoqing was already on high alert, and upon hearing this, she immediately activated the water-repelling pearl to its maximum potential!
This time, she no longer conjured a water sphere, but instead controlled the boundless flood beneath her feet! From the churning waves, dozens of enormous and incredibly agile water dragons, formed from high-pressure water currents, suddenly burst forth! These water dragons were jet black, radiating a chilling aura, baring their fangs and claws, emitting silent roars, like loyal guardians, intercepting, entangling, and tearing at the golden meteor from all directions!

"Get away!!!"

Fahai roared! The golden flames suddenly expanded outwards! The water dragons that rushed towards him, upon contact with the blazing Buddha light, hissed and dissipated instantly, like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun! But the water dragons were endless, one after another, and although they could not stop Fahai's advance, they did manage to slow him down slightly and continuously consume his already limited burning power!
In that brief moment of hesitation, Bai Suzhen made her move!

Instead of confronting him head-on, she moved with ghostly speed, narrowly avoiding Fahai's powerful, earth-shattering attack! At the same time, the jade hairpin in her hair shone brightly once more!

But this time, it no longer shot out a grand beam of light that stirred the river, but instead condensed into a thin, hair-like, yet extremely sharp beam of light that seemed capable of cutting through the void—a beam of emerald green light!
The beam of light was not aimed at Fahai himself, but rather at the cracked golden alms bowl that Fahai was holding tightly in his hand, at an incredibly tricky and extremely fast angle!
Bai Suzhen knew very well that Fahai's cultivation was largely dependent on this alms bowl! Although the bowl was severely damaged, as long as it retained a trace of spirituality, it remained a huge threat! It had to be completely destroyed!

"not good!"

Alarm bells rang in Fahai's mind! Though he was in a rage, his fighting instincts remained! He instantly sensed the deadly threat of that emerald light! He considered retrieving his alms bowl or using his Buddhist light to block it!

But - it's too late!
The Jade Wave Hairpin is an innate spiritual treasure; how swift is its attack? Especially when it is fully activated by a thousand-year-old demon like Bai Suzhen at all costs.
There was a soft "plop" sound, as if the cloth was being torn!
The slender yet terrifyingly powerful emerald ray of light pierced through the densest crack on the purple-gold alms bowl with unparalleled precision!
The next moment!

"Snap—!!!!!"

A sound, even crisper and more heartbreaking than when the protective mountain formation shattered, rang out!

In the reflection of Fahai's suddenly contracting pupils, filled with disbelief and boundless pain!
That Buddhist treasure that had accompanied him for hundreds of years, helped him subdue demons and monsters, suppressed countless powerful enemies, and was already connected to his mind and body—the Purple Gold Bowl!
Like a camel broken by the last straw! Like glass that has reached its limit!
—With a deafening roar, completely and utterly—it shattered!!!

Countless fragments of the alms bowl, varying in size and shimmering with a dim golden light, scattered in all directions like lifeless butterflies! The Buddhist power contained within them, not yet completely dissipated, exploded like fireworks, emitting a final, unwilling cry, before utterly vanishing into nothingness!
"puff--!!!"

His natal magic weapon was destroyed! Fahai felt as if his soul had been pierced by thousands of steel needles! An indescribable pain instantly swept through his body! He could no longer suppress the surging blood and qi within him, and suddenly opened his mouth, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with golden light—his heart's essence!

The golden flames burning on his body flickered and swayed violently like a candle being blown by a gale, their light dimming by more than half in an instant! The indomitable and ferocious aura emanating from him also rapidly dissipated like a punctured balloon!
The magical artifact was destroyed! My mind and spirit were severely damaged! My vital essence and blood were depleted!

At this moment, Fahai was truly at his last gasp!
"Now! Sister!" Xiaoqing was overjoyed at the sight and let out a sharp cry!
"die!!!"

A cold glint flashed in Bai Suzhen's eyes as she seized this golden opportunity! She gave Fahai no chance to catch his breath!

With a swift movement, she appeared before Fahai, who was already teetering on the brink of collapse and whose aura had greatly diminished! Her jade fingers came together, and at the tip of her fingertips condensed a point of extremely cold, yet terrifyingly penetrating white demonic light! Within this demonic light, one could even faintly see the phantom of a phantom white giant snake coiling and hissing!
This attack combined most of her remaining demonic power with all her hatred for Fahai!

—A direct stab to Fahai's heart!
Fahai's pupils contracted to their maximum! He wanted to dodge! He wanted to block! He wanted to retaliate!
However, he had just suffered the backlash from the shattering of the magic weapon, his mind and spirit were shattered, and his magic power stagnated for a mere fraction of a second!
In this level of combat, that one ten-thousandth of a second is the difference between life and death!
Just as Bai Suzhen's deadly white demonic light, imbued with a thousand years of hatred and lingering demonic power, was about to pierce Fahai's heart, just as this guardian of the ancient Jinshan Temple was about to die and his soul vanish into nothingness—in a fraction of a second!

An unexpected change occurred!
"Om—!!!"

A magnificent Buddhist sound, not from the mortal realm, not from any single being, but seemingly originating from the primordial universe, resounding throughout the three realms and six paths, filled with supreme majesty and compassion, descended suddenly from the heavens like the first ray of light at the beginning of creation!

This Buddhist chant was no ordinary sound; it contained incredible power! Like a warm tide, it instantly cleansed this filthy space filled with floodwaters, demonic energy, and murderous intent! The raging, all-consuming torrent of turbid waters seemed to be bound by an invisible force under this chant, its surging momentum abruptly halting! The icy demonic energy permeating the air, as if encountering its nemesis, hissed and melted away rapidly, becoming thinner and thinner! Even Bai Suzhen's white demonic light, imbued with extreme killing intent, about to strike, trembled slightly under the vibration of this magnificent Buddhist chant, its forward speed abruptly slowing down by the slightest bit!
Next!

A boundless Buddha light, not from the sun or the stars, but purely formed from faith, compassion, and wisdom, warm and vast, illuminating all things, poured down from the depths of the torn clouds like molten gold!

Wherever the Buddha's light passed, darkness receded and gloom dissipated! The sky, originally stained dark blue by demonic energy, was instantly transformed into a solemn, sacred, and awe-inspiring gold! The Buddha's light fell like spring rain upon the monks below, who were on the verge of death and despair in the flood. They felt a warm current flow into their bodies, the excruciating pain of their wounds lessened, their cold bodies warmed, their scattered minds gathered, and the hope for survival was rekindled in their hearts!
"Is it...is it Buddha manifesting?!"

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!!"

"Namo Amitabha! Jinshan Temple is saved! We are saved!"

Countless monks who survived the calamity gazed at the miraculous Buddha light and sound descending from the sky, their eyes brimming with tears of joy. They bowed and shouted towards the sky, their voices choked with emotion, filled with the ecstasy of surviving the calamity and their boundless devotion to the Dharma!

And it was amidst this all-encompassing Buddha light and the resounding Buddhist chants!
One after another, figures, each with a different aura yet equally powerful, radiating pure Buddhist energy, began to appear from all directions of the sky like shooting stars chasing the moon!
On the eastern horizon, a colossal twelve-petaled golden lotus platform, like the rising sun, pierced through the clouds and slowly descended! Seated upon the lotus platform sat an old monk with white beard and eyebrows, a withered face, and a patchwork robe adorned with countless patches! His eyes were slightly closed, as if he had entered a state of nirvana, yet his body emanated a terrifying aura as deep as the sea, a aura of returning to simplicity! In his hand he held a seemingly ordinary string of Bodhi seed prayer beads, each bead as warm and smooth as jade, within which faint shadowy images of Buddhas rose and fell!
"Amitabha..." The old monk chanted the Buddha's name, his voice not loud, yet it seemed to resonate directly in the depths of everyone's soul. "This is Elder Kurong of Lingyin Temple, who has been in seclusion for three hundred years! The elder has spent his life cultivating the 'Kurong Zen Skill,' and it is said that he has reached the state of 'a flower blooms in one thought, a leaf falls in one thought, one severs the cycle of birth and death, and is not affected by reincarnation'! He never leaves seclusion except during major calamities in Buddhism! Yet today he has been disturbed!" A knowledgeable old monk recognized the person and exclaimed in surprise, his tone filled with awe!
In the southern sky, a colossal Prajna dragon boat, hundreds of feet long and entirely crafted from gold, adorned with countless depictions of flying apsaras and Buddhas, sailed through the waves! At the bow of the dragon boat stood a burly, resolute-faced middle-aged monk, clad in a crimson robe and wielding a nine-ringed staff taller than himself! His eyes were wide open, glaring angrily at the demonic aura below; his muscles bulged, radiating explosive power! The nine rings on his staff vibrated, emitting a clear, melodious Zen sound that automatically dispelled the approaching demonic energy!

"This humble monk is Fuhu, the head of the martial monks' academy at Jingci Temple! What kind of demon dares to act so presumptuously here!" Zen Master Fuhu's voice boomed like thunder, and he slammed his staff into the air!
A loud "clang!" rang out.

The shockwave even caused the floodwaters below to ripple slightly! Jingci Temple is famous for its Arhat Fist and Tiger-Taming Staff Technique, and its warrior monks are among the best in close combat within Buddhism! The Tiger-Taming Zen Master's external martial arts skills are said to have reached a state of perfection, capable of splitting mountains with his strength and subduing dragons with his staff!

A sea of ​​clouds in the west, auspicious clouds rolling, and the ethereal sound of Buddhist music!

A group of beautiful, ethereal nuns, dressed in pristine white robes, arrived gracefully, stepping on seven-colored lotus flowers! The leader held a white jade vase containing a vibrant green willow branch; her face was compassionate, yet her eyes held a hint of sorrow and resolve. (End of Chapter)