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

Chapter 376 The True and False Monkey King

"boom!"

"Crackling sound—!!!"

In the black sky, a blue-purple gap suddenly opened, and billions of tons of clouds collided and crushed each other like black jade mountains.

When a bolt of lightning struck down from the chasm in the sky, the magnetic poles of the entire ruins were instantly disrupted—the needles of the hemlock trees stood upright, glowing with a bluish light, the magnetite deep in the rock strata emitted a sharp shriek, and even the red-tailed lizards lurking in the rock crevices burst out with sparks of blood.

"boom--!"

Like a resounding bell, this heavenly drumbeat shook the earth, causing three inches of dust to rise from the ground.

Before the thunder had even subsided, the second bolt of lightning transformed into a hundred-foot-long silver python and crashed into the canyon, followed by a third, a fourth... The blinding white lightning shattered into liquid crystals on the rugged rock walls, flowing down the ravines and melting the weathered rock layers into crimson magma.

Lightning refracted and bounced through the canyon, each fork carrying a sulfurous hurricane that uprooted the poplar forest ten feet away, the tree crowns instantly carbonized in the electric arcs, raising a sky full of black snow.

Deep within the clouds, it seemed as if an ancient behemoth was churning, and within the swirling blue-purple thunderstorm, lightning had condensed into a thick, purple pillar of light.

The moment it tore through the sky, the air within a ten-mile radius was ionized into a dark blue plasma, and the smell of scorched earth mixed with the pungent odor of ozone filled the lungs.

The rocky ground in the center of the pillar of light was melted through by ten feet, and the exposed earth veins throbbed like scalded blood vessels. Dark red magma snaked along the fissures, making a teeth-grinding sizzling sound in the rain.

All of this can be described as a natural disaster.

Beneath the heavy, dark clouds.

Once a place of great religious activity, with its sprawling halls and magnificent buildings, Jinshan Temple, whose splendor defies description, is now reduced to a few lonely, dilapidated foundations, teetering on the brink of collapse after being submerged in floodwaters.

Even the golden Buddha that once sat in the central hall has disappeared without a trace.

Washed away by the torrential rain, the ground was littered with mud, broken wood, shattered tiles, and... countless monks' corpses! The iconic Golden Pagoda had also completely collapsed, leaning precariously in the mud, like a broken giant, silently recounting the devastation that had occurred not long ago.

Cries, wails, coughs... all disappear with the passing of human life.

Amidst the continuous rain, a tall, thin figure moved through the downpour, like a skeleton, silently gathering the monk's body, digging through the mud with his bare hands, his bleeding fingers exuding the scent of blood.

He buried the bodies of those monks, and sometimes he would hold a small, thin body, wiping away the dirt and blood with his withered hands, staring at that familiar face for a long time before helping it slowly close its eyes.

Then, like a living, breathing corpse, it ignored the torrential rain and continued to gather the remains from the ruins, piecing together a complete body before burying it.

And so on, the cycle repeats.

Time seemed to have lost its meaning for him; only a burning belief sustained him. Once that belief was extinguished, he too would...
However, in a strange space hundreds of thousands of miles away, there is a scene completely different from this place.

Before the morning mist dissipated, a seven-layered net of fog descended from the summit of Luojia Mountain.

The purple bamboo hangs upside down in the air like an emerald necklace. Each section of the bamboo is naturally engraved with the six-syllable mantra. Golden veins seem to flow within the bamboo. If an ordinary cultivator were to see it, he would feel that his magical power and state of mind would be greatly enhanced.

But here, ordinary plants are everywhere, which is enough to show the noble status of the owner of this temple.

As the first rays of dawn pierce through the sea of ​​clouds, tens of thousands of leaves simultaneously shimmer with a glassy luster. Dewdrops condense into relics at the tips of the leaves, and where they fall, Udumbara flowers bloom, creating an exceptionally beautiful, dreamlike scene.

Deep within the bamboo forest lies a crescent-shaped pool imbued with the power of profound merit. If Shen Bailian were to witness this scene, he would surely exclaim that it was a terrible waste!

Floating on the water are thousands of lotus petals, each petal reflecting the past, present, and future.

Meanwhile, on the water's surface, there were various strange sights, including but not limited to a standing boy holding a willow branch, a woman carrying a fish basket, and a dragon girl holding a white jade...

In the southeast corner, seven thick purple bamboos form a mandala array, with crystal wind chimes hanging between them. Inside the chimes, seven green snakes coil, their tongues flicking out verses from the Great Compassion Mantra.

At noon, suddenly a heavenly drum was heard coming from beyond the clouds. Forty-nine white elephants followed the fragrance and arrived, carrying sandalwood scripture boxes on their backs. The palm leaves inside the boxes were blank, but they radiated five-colored rainbow light.

"You've come." In the center of Crescent Lake, a perfect, neutral person, shrouded in a hazy light, opened their previously closed eyes. In their arms, they held a gilded and silver-carved willow-shaped vase. A bamboo branch inserted diagonally into the vase moved without wind, sprinkling verdant dew.

This person is none other than the true form of Guanyin.

"The mortal realm is in such a mess, yet you still have the leisure to sit here meditating." On the back of the white giant elephant in the very center, a monk sat cross-legged, surrounded by five-colored rainbow light, making it impossible to see his true appearance.

It exists in a hazy, aesthetically pleasing state.

"What do you mean?"

"Jinshan Temple was destroyed, the golden Buddha was stolen, the people were displaced, and there were thousands of starving people... The root of all these disasters was caused by those two wicked beasts, and you even dared to dream of bringing those two wicked beasts under your command. This calamity of mortals has not only exhausted the reputation that my Buddhist sect has cultivated for so many years, but also failed to gain a single bit of merit from the Heavenly Dao. You have made a fool of yourself in the eyes of those hypocrites in the Heavenly Court for no reason."

Do you still think you're right?

"What mistake has been made?"

"Stubborn!" the monk sneered, speaking coldly.
"Now that things have come to this, this calamity has developed into this state, and it's all your fault. I want to see how Fahai, the most important person to be afflicted by this calamity, has fallen to such a state. How will you continue this game? When you stand before the Buddha, let's see how you explain yourself."

"Leave? Why should I be the one to leave? There are countless talents in this world, like fish crossing a river. There are also those who want to be pawns. Besides, isn't the one destined to face this calamity already here?"

As she spoke, Guanyin's eyes lit up slightly as she looked into the distance. Her gaze pierced through the layers of mist on Mount Putuo, traversed tens of millions of miles, and reached the distant Jinshan Temple from the South China Sea, where she saw the scene of broken walls and ruins.

And a figure high in the sky.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" the monk roared. What he disliked most were the hypocrites in the Heavenly Court, and riddle-solving people like Guanyin and Laozi.

"Let's wait and see."

……

A moment ago~
Shen Bailian stood tall in the void, high above the heavens. In the void, invisible to others, a watercolor panel was clearly visible amidst the rain.

[Character Level: LV12 (6703/7500)] 4700
Physical Strength: 35.5; Spirit: 35.1

【Eight-in-One Great Sun Visualization Method LV4 (347/2200)】500
Divine Skill: Shadow Follows LV6 (70/160) (Energy Storage: 3 times)
Divine Senses LV1 (89/1000) 174
咫尺天涯LV5（150/3000）（剩余固定锚点：4/5）】

Active Skill: Gale LV3 (1231/1500) 560
Hunyuan Qi LV2 (591/700) 190
Active Skill: All Things Under Heaven LV2 (566/700) 244
Five Elements Breathing Method LV5 (123/3600) 123
Fishing - Tier 1 LV5 (1533/3200) (Trait: Guaranteed) 2900
[Passive Skill: Steel Body LV5 (33/3200)] 33
Skill Points: 1

【Cure point: 1】

[Divine Matter: 1008]

While Bai Suzhen was busy flooding Jinshan Temple, Shen Bailian's affairs also came to an end. After handing Xu Shilin over to his wet nurse, he did not rest but instead went to cultivate.

After the story of the flooding of Jinshan Temple ends, the first key moment will arrive: the first settlement of Heavenly Merit.

Because of his high level of participation, he naturally gained a considerable amount of Heavenly Merit, which took a full day and night to transform into divine matter.

In the end, I accumulated approximately 25,000 points of divine matter, which can be described as a sudden windfall.

however.

According to the original version of the Legend of the White Snake, Bai Suzhen's attempt to flood Jinshan Temple was a failure. She was then suppressed by Fahai and imprisoned under Leifeng Pagoda, where she underwent Buddhist persecution and suffered unbearable pain.

Only after Xu Shilin passed the imperial examination with top honors did he use his power to rescue his mother, Bai Suzhen.

Shen Bailian was naturally not going to be foolish enough to wait here for more than ten years until Xu Shilin became the top scholar in the imperial examination. By then, it would be too late to return to the Earthly Yuan Star Universe.

So logically speaking, he should have run away as soon as possible.

However, this flooding of Jinshan Temple completely exceeded Shen Bailian's expectations. With the instigation of various parties and the almost undisguised actions of the Baoqingfang owner, a small conflict escalated into an earth-shattering battle.

Even the hidden depths of Jinshan Temple, a centuries-old temple, were forced to be revealed. Moreover, in this earth-shattering battle, the demon race, for reasons unknown, exerted considerable effort, seemingly wishing for chaos to engulf the world.

In the end, Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing fled with serious injuries, while Fahai's Jinshan Temple suffered a crushing defeat. Even the once magnificent mountain gate and tens of thousands of Buddhist disciples were reduced to ruins.

Miserable.

In this earth-shattering battle, Fahai not only lost his golden alms bowl but also suffered severe injuries. His strength was like a river bursting its banks, flowing uncontrollably.

As a result, the original storyline could no longer continue.

After Xu Shilin became the top scholar in the imperial examination, how could he go to Leifeng Pagoda to save his mother? If Xu Shilin could not save his mother, it would mean that this was a failed mortal tribulation.

However, Shen Bailian saw an opportunity in this, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Those who work in engineering know that taking advantage of calamities to gain merit is similar to civil engineers doing engineering work; there are various kinds of bonuses involved in this process.

As the rules of Heaven become more complete and the spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth diminishes, the bonuses during the process become smaller and smaller. Only the final settlement is the real prize and can be considered a bonus!

Shen Bailian had just acquired 25,000 points of divine matter, which was indeed a lot and the highest single income he had ever received.

But it's rare, even if you say it's few.

He would never forget that his ultimate enemy was not the warriors, but the high and mighty gods who would always be wary of humanity.

Therefore, even though Shen Bailian had reached the level of a Moon-Embracing Realm martial artist capable of easily overturning thousands of miles with a single strike, it was still not time for him to relax.

Only a large amount of divine matter could give him enough security.

Therefore, a daring plan naturally came to Shen Bailian's mind. The plan was quite simple.

Simply put, it's about the real and fake Monkey Kings.

Since Fahai is no longer able to suppress the two snake demons, Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing, someone else can take their place; any monk from the Buddhist order will suffice.

Shen Bailian is powerful enough to persuade Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing to cooperate with his actions without resorting to violence.

All he lacked was an identity—a Buddhist identity.

This plan is very dangerous. One wrong move and the whole thing will be lost. Shen Bailian was not sure if the plan could succeed, so he immediately converted all the divine matter into skill points.

He then directly added four skill points to the skill "Close at Hand, Far Away", and successfully sensed the coordinates located on the Earth Star.

This means that he can teleport back to Earth Star anytime he wants.

In fact, if Shen Bailian wanted to obtain divine matter in this world, he could have left another coordinate in this world before teleporting back to Earth Star.

When the time is right, I can return to this world.

However, after a thorough brainstorming session, Shen Bailian ultimately abandoned the idea, because after the battle of flooding Jinshan Temple, he realized that the waters of this world were too deep.

Perhaps, hidden deep within, lies a powerful being who has attained enlightenment through his own body.

Where coordinates are left, so too will his aura be left. If the powerful beings of this world discover the coordinates and use the art of cause and effect to investigate, then there is a very high probability that the coordinates of the Earth Origin Star universe will be exposed.

This is tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house.

The Earth Origin Star Universe is already chaotic enough. If these guys go there too, good heavens, will there still be a place for the Earth Origin Star human race to survive?

The Heavenly Court and the Buddhist Sect are locked in a fierce battle for supremacy, their minds practically clashing. If the Earthly Star Human Race wants to survive, they will have no choice but to align themselves with one of them and become followers of either the Heavenly Court or the Buddhist Sect.

They are no different from the retinue of the gods.

Meanwhile, just in case, Shen Bailian allocated two of his remaining skill points to the skill "Iron Body" and three to the skill "Five Elements Breathing Technique," raising both to the maximum level for that stage.

He successfully raised his physical attribute to 35.5 points and entered the mid-stage of the Embracing Moon Realm. At the same time, due to the upgrade of the "Close to the World" skill, his mental attribute was also raised to 35.1 points.

Physical and mental attributes have once again reached a state of balance.

Furthermore, due to prolonged use, the experience points of the Eye of God have been fully replenished, and it has been upgraded to the Divine Sense. The specific effects are currently unknown.

The good news is that the original five senses did not disappear with the advancement of the Eye of God skill; instead, they were slightly enhanced once again.

Shen Bailian's overall strength has increased more than tenfold compared to before.

If he were to fight the Golden-haired Hou again, relying solely on the passive defense provided by his level 5 [Iron Body], even if he stood still and took hits, the Golden-haired Hou would find it difficult to inflict any substantial damage on him.

Even the weak point above the eyes is covered by an invisible barrier, making it a truly 360-degree defense with no blind spots.

One hand is enough to knock the golden-haired beast back into the purple-gold bowl.

Although this increase in strength is insignificant compared to the countless immortals and gods, it was enough for Shen Bailian to survive for one ten-thousandth of a second under Guanyin's attack, achieving a historic breakthrough from zero to one.

The data comes from the portable smart hub.

Of course, this is just a pseudo-combat data obtained based on the energy level emitted by Guanyin in her normal state. It has a certain degree of authenticity, but it is not high.

Of course, for Shen Bailian to realize this plan, he also needs the consent of the "director" of this calamity, just as the Six-Eared Macaque needed the Buddha's consent to replace the Monkey King.

He didn't believe that Guanyin couldn't see through his intentions.

Shen Bailian silently looked down at the Buddha, who was like a walking corpse, his face expressionless and his muscles tense. Whether the plan would work or not depended on this day.

If that doesn't work, they will die instantly, and then, using the "invincible frames" of the Shadow Follower skill, they can activate the [Close at Hand, Far Away] skill to teleport back to the Earth Element Star universe.

Suddenly.

"when!"

Like a resounding bell, or a sudden, sharp rebuke, Shen Bailian felt a distant gaze upon him, but that was all.

"I bet right!" Shen Bailian waited for a while, and when Guanyin made no further moves, he was overjoyed. Looking down at the lifeless Fahai, he smiled smugly.

Then its body swooped down, breaking through the thick black clouds, and sped towards Fahai.

boom!
Thunder roared between heaven and earth, and blinding lightning streaked across the black rain curtain, illuminating the dim sky and making the entire Jinshan Temple ruins luminous.

The thick, black clouds brought extremely high humidity. Heavy rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, poured down like a deluge, stinging even the faces of ordinary people.

What's more, Fahai was now almost exhausted. His body was as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer, each step leaving a deep crater. Holding the remains in his arms, his thin body staggered through the rain. His pale face was devoid of color, like a drowned dog.

This is in stark contrast to his heroic image from some time ago.

suddenly.

After working mechanically for more than ten days and nights, Fahai's numb body suddenly stopped in place, because he suddenly felt that the violently falling raindrops had suddenly disappeared.

And there was also a very comforting warmth and a fragrant aroma of food wafting from the side.

Fahai's mind, which had lost the ability to think, mechanically began to work for a moment, and his previously developed combat instincts made him turn his head.

He saw a man whose eyes were gleaming with an eerie light, standing in the rain, holding a huge black umbrella over him, creating a haven for him.

(End of this chapter)