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Chapter 223 Farewell
The moment those words were spoken, the decay of the entire city of Twin Rivers came to an abrupt halt.

At the city gate, suddenly a gate of darkness opened, and from within, countless souls surged and swept into the city like a river.

They weren't fast, but wherever they went, whether it was the flesh and blood of the Yellow Heaven True Saint Emperor or the foul-smelling offspring of Maitreya Buddha, everything was swept away without leaving a trace.

And in the sky above, stood a black Bodhisattva.

Its body is not large, only slightly taller than an average person. Compared to Maitreya's body, it is like an ant compared to a mountain, and even if one exerts all one's strength, one cannot shake it in the slightest.

however.

The moment the Buddha statue appeared, Maitreya's movements suddenly stopped.

The reason is simple—from some unknown time, countless greedy hungry ghosts have crawled all over His Dharma body. Those insatiable souls crawl into the lump, and when they crawl out, a piece of skin in that area immediately collapses.

Although not fatal, it unexpectedly and forcibly restricted Maitreya's movements.

After struggling for a while and realizing he couldn't escape, Maitreya slowly spoke.

But this time it wasn't a sermon, but rather a casual conversation.

"Zhengde, why have you come to this?"

Zhengde, who was possessing the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, clasped his hands and bowed, as politely as before.

"As I said before, I came here only to kill you, Master."

"Then why are you so persistent?"

"Because you, Master, have fallen into the demonic path."

Upon seeing this, Maitreya—that is, the old monk—sighed softly.

“Zhengde, I thought you were the only one who could understand your master, which is why I made those Tantric practitioners capture you alive in the hope that you could inherit the lineage after saving the world. But now it seems that you are just as ignorant as these mortals.”

Zhengde did not answer, so the old monk continued to persuade him.

"Not to mention that you have already examined me through your own observation and confirmed that I have not fallen into the demonic path, and am even about to attain Buddhahood—this is enough to prove that everything I have done is without error. Yet even so, you still insist."

But before he could finish speaking, Zhengde suddenly spoke up.

"The disciple believes that what can prove right and wrong is not some enlightened Buddha, but the human mind."

"—Even your apprentice thinks that you made a mistake, a very big mistake—that's enough."

"So your disciple came to kill you, but also to save you."

The old monk remained silent for a few breaths, then spoke again.

"Just for this reason, you'd rather destroy your last bit of foundation and risk your soul being scattered, just to stop your master?"

"Yes."

"You remain as stubborn as ever. In that case, I have no choice but to let you go and keep company with those masters for now."

In the end, the old monk could only sigh and return control to Maitreya.

But just as he was leaving, Zhengde suddenly uttered a very faint, almost hallucinatory, word.

“Zhengde has never forgotten that when Lizhou was flooded and the government was levying exorbitant taxes and the people were resorting to cannibalism, it was you, Master, who used the last two pieces of steamed buns to save me from the pot. Although you were just an ascetic monk at that time and had not yet attained any enlightenment, Zhengde still believes that you were the true Buddha back then.”

Maitreya paused for a moment, but quickly resumed chanting Buddhist scriptures.
-
The gods and Buddhas in the heavens started fighting again, but things weren't peaceful on earth either.

Thanks to the torrential rain summoned by the Yellow Heaven True Saint Emperor, which cleared up much of the area, and the cleansing effect of the Yin Gate spirits, the team's progress became much faster.

Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the ruins of the former Bodhi Temple were already in sight.

The sword swept out, tearing apart a wax figure covered in blood and flesh. Then, Zhou You leaped several steps, using the eaves of a wooden house as a foothold, and jumped onto the shoulder of a yaksha.

With a swift turn, Duanxie severed the heavy head. However, just as the massive body fell, more wax figures approached—but with a few whooshing sounds, several of them were pinned to the ground.

As for the remaining few, they also failed to get close to Zhou You.

A chilling dagger emerged silently from the night, slicing through the darkness like the moon, leaving only a few headless corpses in sight.

"Good disciple, well done!"

Zhou You patted Lu Ping on the back of the head, and as the little guy gave a smug smile, he turned his head and glanced around.

Of the original group of over two hundred people, only about twenty made it this far.

Moreover, everyone was injured, even Lupin had a bloody wound on his back.

Zhou You sighed, forcing out the last bit of bloodthirsty energy from Duanxie and dripping it into his mouth.

"Old Cai, have we finally arrived?"

Cai Yuankui took off his wine gourd and, as was his habit, wanted to take a couple of sips, but after shaking it several times, he discovered that it was already completely empty.

He casually tossed the gourd aside before answering.

"Yes, Master, this is the very last thing. The rest is something you will have to face alone."

Hearing this, Zhou You was somewhat stunned.

It's not fear, but...
—Is this long script finally coming to an end?

Zhou You took a deep breath of stale air and then exhaled.

Then he waved and beckoned Lupin over.

"Master, what's the matter?"

The young man still had that innocent and carefree smile, and even the battles along the way had not left many marks on his face.

Zhou You placed his hand on Lu Ping's head and rubbed it vigorously.

"My disciple, before you leave, I have a few words to tell you."

"Firstly, you are the only successor left in our Yun Jing Sect. If you have the opportunity, you must carry it forward. After all, your master worked hard to purify this technique, and we cannot let it be lost."

"Secondly, you must remember that in the future, you must stay true to yourself. Your grandmaster was a man, your uncle was a man, and I, your master, am also a man. I never expected that a coward would emerge in your generation."

Lupin seemed to sense something. He raised his head and looked at Zhou You with a somewhat timid gaze for the first time.

"Master, you're not not coming back, are you? I feel like you're giving your last words."

Zhou You was taken aback, then suddenly burst into laughter.

The laughter grew louder and louder, even drawing frequent glances from the survivors around them.

"Don't worry, I told you before, your master is born with a tough life, no matter what happens, he won't die—he will never die!"

At this moment, Cai Yuankui, who had been waiting on the side, finally spoke.

"Master, it's time."

Zhou You nodded, but just as he took a step, Cai Yuankui suddenly grabbed him and punched him hard in the back.

"Taoist Master, take care!"

Zhou You simply smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of this completely this time."

Then, without hesitation, he turned around and leaped into the air towards the spot where the Bodhi Temple had once stood!
(End of this chapter)