Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 936 Secret attack
Xu Xuan recited words of benevolence and righteousness, and sang lofty tunes of Buddhist salvation.

All of this was, of course, an act for the other people present.

Especially for old-fashioned characters like Fu Tianchou, who have a very clear sense of right and wrong and like to believe in "righteousness," this kind of drama is the most appealing.

In reality, on a level unseen by others, a subtle yet pure holy white light was quietly flowing in the deepest part of Longtan Monk's eyes.

He had silently become one of the devout followers of the glorious White Lotus Father.

Who could blame him when that demonic monk planted the seeds of the White Lotus Secret Technique deep within Longtan's mind in order to gain complete control over his disciples?

Since his mind had already left a backdoor and a flaw, things became much easier for Xu Xuan.

After all, when it comes to the highest authority and control over the White Lotus Secret Technique, who in the world can compare to this Holy Father himself?

Just as he could instantly control all the officials in Jianye back then, the power of life and death was no longer in his own hands.

This is the only correct answer to this situation.

Xu Xuan's decisiveness and ruthlessness in taking action far exceeded everyone's expectations.

After all, as a pitiful person who was manipulated and controlled by the demonic monk throughout his life, no one could guarantee how many terrible tricks were still buried deep in Meng Longtan's soul.

Perhaps what seems like a conscious choice at this moment is still under the control of some deeper illusion, and we cannot afford to be careless in the slightest.

In fact, in order to completely free the old monk from the pitiful life of having his fate written by others, Xu Xuan did not hesitate to offer the ultimate solution.

The soldiers disbanded.

Burn away this physical body and soul, sever all entanglements of cause and effect, and send the true spirit to the afterlife.

Is this not a complete act of compassion and benevolence?
The reason why Xu Xuan was considered by his Pure Land sect senior brother to have "Buddhist affinity" was not only because of the complicated cause and effect of the white lotus, but also largely because he had the courage to transcend ordinary concepts of life and death and dare to do "great good deeds".

The reason why the others, whether they were the "Three Wonders" or the members of Baoan Hall, were able to unite closely around this seemingly unreliable Hall Master Xu was because...

It is precisely because he always demonstrates a level of "benevolence" that is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, bordering on cruelty, at crucial moments.

Besides, we're not without people down there.

For Meng Longtan, being reborn might not be such a bad thing.

At least, next time, he might truly be in his own hands.

Thus, the people in the desolate mountains and wilderness witnessed an extremely tragic scene.

From the pores of Meng Longtan's body, a large amount of dense, almost tangible golden mist emanated. This was the Pure Land magic power that had been honed over countless years in the bitter cold and solitude of the North, and cultivated in close connection with his life.

At this moment, these powers, which contain the essence of Tao, and even the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit, are resolutely leaving the body and returning to the world as the purest energy.

Reaching this level means dissipating one's life force.

The soul and cultivation have long been intertwined and inseparable; it is by no means as simple as simply abolishing martial arts.

This process is extremely painful and there is absolutely no possibility of recovery.

Not everyone is like Xu Xuan, possessing almost superhuman methods of survival and rebuilding.

Upon seeing this, the demonic monk flew into a rage!
How could he allow the "fruits of his cultivation," painstakingly built over decades, to simply vanish?!
The demonic shadow possessing the young novice's body flickered suddenly, appearing like a ghost in front of Meng Longtan, who was dissipating his internal energy. Its withered fingers almost poked the other's brow.

"Your life is mine, your laws are mine, everything you have is mine."

"Since you don't want them, then give them all back to me!"

Before he finished speaking, countless fine, hair-like, illusory gray threads emerged from his body. Like living things, they ignored spatial distance and directly invaded Meng Longtan's dissipating golden light of the Pure Land, precisely piercing his vital points!

That old devil really did have countless backup plans!
The Pure Land, which should have been impervious to all laws, was now vulnerable at this moment of weakened power, and was riddled with holes by these strange threads that originated from the same source.

Even the pure essence of the Holy Embryo, which was dissipating, was rapidly entangled and corrupted by the gray threads, and was about to be forcibly plundered and extracted!
This is clearly a last-ditch effort to seize power and take over the body after the plan has been exposed!
How could the "Three Wonders" not be furious upon seeing this?!

You want to pull this body-stealing trick right in front of us?!

They have truly found a way to die!
Early on, the Zhanlu sword hummed as it was drawn from its sheath; Ning Caichen's fingertips vibrated as if about to release a zither string; and Ji Rui's "Self-Discipline" dagger also gleamed with a cold light.

The three of them unleashed their power instantly, ready to strike simultaneously and skin the old demon alive on the spot!

"and many more!"

Just then, Xu Xuan suddenly stepped forward and raised his hand to stop the three who were about to attack.

His gaze fell on Meng Longtan, who was struggling in pain but with a resolute look in his eyes. His voice was deep and resonant, yet carried a strange power:

"This is Meng Longtan's own resistance."

"His entire life had been manipulated by others. How tragic, how magnificent, that he now chooses to use his life as his final weapon to launch a desperate attack against the enemy who had controlled his life!"

"Believe him!"

Xu Xuan's gaze swept over the three disciples, finally settling on the demonic monk who was frantically plundering, his tone resolute:
"If he can't do it... I can!"

Upon hearing this, the "Three Wonders" were unwilling, but their trust in Master Xu ultimately prevailed.

They slowly lowered the sharpness of their weapons, their nerves taut, staring intently at the extremely dangerous battle of souls in the arena, hoping that things would develop as Master Xu had predicted.

It turned out that... Master Xu's insight was still as sharp and accurate as ever!
Under the tense gazes of the crowd, the demonic monk unleashed a variety of bizarre and unpredictable supernatural techniques aimed directly at the heart's weaknesses. Gray-black threads almost completely enveloped Meng Longtan, attempting to disrupt his will, interrupt his dissipation of internal energy, and even steal it from him. However, the monk Longtan, with an immense and unimaginable willpower, stubbornly withstood it!
It was as if I had transformed into an unchanging rock, remaining steadfast despite the raging storms and evil spells.

Her eyes, which were originally filled with sorrow, now held only a pure, resolute determination to sever all ties.

Ignoring all the mental interference from supernatural powers and spells, he resolutely continued the process of dispersing his energy. The golden primordial power surged out like a burst dam, returning to heaven and earth.

The demonic monk tried for a long time, using all sorts of tricks he had up his sleeve, but found that he really couldn't shake the other party's will in the slightest.

Ultimately, they had to stop their futile efforts.

He abruptly raised his head, his gaze fixed on Xu Xuan like a venomous snake, his voice trembling with extreme confusion and anger:
"You did this?!"

As the demonic monk himself said, he knew everything about Menglongtan.

The monk Longtan was by no means a genius with an extraordinary will, nor did he have much deep affinity with Buddhism. It was precisely because of this that he was chosen to be his most perfect "container" and backup plan.

Given this person's original nature, it would have been impossible for him to achieve such a result even with his full effort.

The only explanation is that a powerful external force intervened, obscuring his senses and secretly strengthening the will of the Dragon Pool.

But... how is that possible?

Who could possibly plant a spell without anyone noticing, right under the nose of this master of illusion, bypassing all the layers of restrictions he had laid out beforehand?
This bewilderment, completely beyond his comprehension and control, could only be met with questioning.

Unfortunately, our Holy Father was never the kind of practitioner who liked to explain the principles of his skills and the process of casting spells in detail in front of his enemies.

Faced with the demonic monk's questioning, he simply clasped his hands together, his expression solemn, and said:
“Great monk, you are attached to appearances.”

His voice was calm, yet carried a condescending, guiding tone.

"When you died in the Pure Land School's Meditation Pool, your body and soul were completely destroyed, yet you were still able to maintain your last bit of dignity, without losing your composure in the slightest, without uttering a word, and calmly faced death."

"Today you've only encountered a few variables that were beyond your expectations, so why are you so agitated and have lost your usual composure?"

These words were like an invisible slap in the face, striking the dignity and respect of the demonic monk as a senior monk.

Demonic Monk: "..."

I really wanted to curse him out, but after so many years of spiritual practice, I'd long forgotten how to vent my emotions with the most obscene language!
Besides, his original body was instantly locked and erased by the Pure Land Sect's treasured Purple Gold Bowl, without even a chance to react, let alone utter any threats!

Otherwise, see if he doesn't complain!

Menglongtan was the most important contingency plan for his resurrection, which he had cultivated after decades of painstaking planning, investing a lot of resources, and carefully designing countless "coincidences" and "life-or-death tests"!

This is so that it can perfectly bear its own power and memories, and have enough strength to deal with changes at critical moments.

Do you really think that the miraculous and mind-bending magic of painting walls can be created naturally through arduous and methodical cultivation?
That was a miracle built up with countless resources and covert methods!

The results of it?
Just because he accepted a small task from an "old friend," he imprisoned a retired official who was passing by, and by sheer bad luck, he ran into your disciple, Fahai!
Then decades of hard work were uprooted and were about to be completely destroyed!

Is this reasonable?! Isn't this unfair?!
There have been so many traitors in the history of the Pure Land School, and he is not the only hidden demon. Why is this damned karmic retribution targeting him?!

The most important thing is... this time, I might really die!
Even this last illusory body, manifested through the karma of the painted wall and the secret technique of the White Lotus, cannot be preserved. All traces of his "goodness" in this world will be completely erased, as if it had never existed.

How terrible, how...unwilling!

So he wanted to try one more time.

Although the Holy Mother always proclaimed the infinite beauty of her Vacuum Homeland, he, who had once helped "build" it, didn't have much expectation for that ethereal destination.

He still longed for this chaotic yet real world...

However, at this point, there is truly no capital or value left to struggle.

Because the monk Longtan had already reached the final step of dissipating his spiritual power.

Click! Click! Click!

A series of crisp, teeth-grinding cracking sounds emanated continuously from the body of the monk Longtan.

That was the despairing sound of the body's key acupoints being completely shattered, meridians breaking inch by inch, and the inner palace being utterly destroyed.

The Pure Land enters Nirvana, and the illusory mind shatters!

The gateway to enlightenment, which had been painstakingly cultivated and finally opened, shattered like fragile glass.

All cultivation vanished like a receding tide, returning them completely to the mortal realm, making them even more wretched than ordinary people.

By this time, his physical body had been riddled with holes by the violently dissipated magical power, and blood had almost soaked the ground beneath him, staining it a shocking dark red.

The last vestiges of life force, like a candle flickering in the wind, are quickly fading, irreversibly heading towards the final boundary of death.

The figure of the demonic monk, with whom he shared a life-and-death bond, became increasingly ethereal and faint, almost to the point of being imperceptible to the naked eye.

He used all the little energy he had left to maintain this last illusory form; it was a primal instinct for survival that transcended reason.

Perhaps the original body had already been annihilated, causing this wisp of spirit to lose its original support; or perhaps this illusory body manifested by obsession was incomplete to begin with.

(End of this chapter)