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Chapter 303 Master, Release Yourself, Stop Pretending! (4k views, requesting monthly votes)
In a corner of the square, the Soul-Slaying Dharma King leaned against the dilapidated temple wall, blood still gushing from the hole in his chest, barely clinging to life.

"The Profound Realm...it really is the Profound Realm!"

"Master Fang Sheng, who lived a hundred years ago, has actually broken through to the legendary realm!"

"But his condition just now... and that black aura mixed in, something just doesn't seem right?"

A low murmur arose among the crowd, and everyone looked at Fang Sheng with awe, but also with a hint of doubt.

Although Fang Sheng's expression had returned to calm, a hint of ferocity remained between his brows. Faint black marks seeped from the corners of his tightly closed eyes, sliding down his cheeks, creating a glaring contrast with the yellow robes of his monk.

But no one dared to ask the question in public.

A master of the Profound Realm was enough to instill fear in everyone present. Even though his condition was strange, no one was willing to provoke him.

After a while.

The violent energy around Fang Sheng gradually subsided, and the golden true energy gathered on the surface of his body, no longer intertwining and churning with the black energy.

He raised his hand to wipe the blood from his palm, and the blood-red relic vanished instantly with a flick of his sleeve, as if it had never existed.

The injuries of Xuan Kong and the other two have stabilized. Although they have not died, from today onwards, their positions as abbots are likely to be unstable, and they must step down and give way to more capable people.

With such injuries, including severed limbs, he is naturally no longer fit to be an abbot.

“There’s still a remnant of the Demonic Cult here; he was still in the hall just now,” Xuan Kong sighed.

“One of the demon cubs escaped, but it’s alright. Once I’m out of seclusion, I’ll personally go to the Demonic Sect’s headquarters,” Fang Sheng replied, shaking his head.

Fang Sheng straightened his monk's robe and turned to walk towards the ruins of the Great Buddha Hall, clearly not taking the people present seriously.

"Master Fang Sheng, please wait!"

A sinister voice suddenly rang out.

Wei Chao, the head of the Eastern Depot, pushed through the crowd and walked out slowly.

He was dressed in a black official robe embroidered with python patterns, with a long sword specially made by the Eastern Depot at his waist. Behind him were four Eastern Depot agents, each with a deep and imposing aura, clearly all experts at the Innate Realm.

Wei Chao stood a dozen feet in front of Fang Sheng, a forced smile on his face: "Master, you are incredibly powerful. You have slain the demonic sect members and protected the peace of this region. I sincerely admire you. However, the Buddha Relic is a treasure of the world and a key item that the court is investigating. My supervisor has already instructed that this treasure must be taken back to the capital by the Eastern Depot and handed over to His Majesty for disposal."

He paused, then his tone suddenly became more serious: "Please, Master, hand over the relics to avoid damaging our harmony."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

How dare the Eastern Depot demand treasures from a master of the Profound Realm?
Shen Tong raised an eyebrow and subconsciously took half a step back, signaling the Embroidered Uniform Guards to hold their positions and observe the situation.

Fang Sheng stopped in his tracks, his eyes still closed, but his aura suddenly turned cold.

He slowly turned around, his voice aged yet carrying an undeniable air of authority:
"The imperial court? The Grand Eunuch?"

"I have waited a hundred years in vain. How dare you mortals point fingers at me?"

Wei Chao secretly stepped back, saying at the same time, "Master, are you going against the imperial court?"

Fang Sheng's aura suddenly changed.

Wei Chao waved his hand: "Attack! Lock the Sky Arrow Formation!"

Before Wei Chao finished speaking, dozens of black figures suddenly appeared on all four walls of Guangyuan Temple.

These agents of the Eastern Depot were dressed in tight-fitting black clothes, unlike the python-patterned official robes of Wei Chao and others. Each of them had a ferocious black flag embroidered on their shoulders and carried a heavy quiver of arrows on their backs.

The longbow in his hand was drawn back to its fullest extent, the arrowheads gleaming with a cold, silvery-white luster.

The arrows were actually made of pure silver.

"The Heaven-Locking Arrow Formation of the Black-Clad Arrow Team of the Eastern Depot?" Shen Tong's pupils constricted slightly.

Pei Qianning nodded: "What does the Eastern Depot want to do?"

The same question arose in both of their minds: the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot both seemed to be law enforcement agencies of the imperial court, but they were secretly competing with each other and knew each other very well.

If the Eastern Depot initially harbored the intention of seizing the relics, that would be understandable.

But now Fang Sheng has appeared, and with his profound cultivation, he has unparalleled power to suppress the Demonic Cult's Dharma King.

Having finally obtained the relics, how could I possibly hand them over?

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

Dozens of arrows shot out into the air, their sharp whistling sound tearing through the air as they flew towards Fang Sheng like a swarm of locusts.

Fang Sheng snorted coldly, and his golden true energy suddenly surged out, like an invisible wall of energy opening up instantly.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The first wave of arrows struck the wall of true energy, producing a dense clang of metal against metal. The silver arrows were violently thrown back, their fletchings still buzzing.

But this Sky-Locking Arrow Formation was indeed strange. The arrows flying backwards made a sharp turn in the air, as if they had eyes, and changed direction again, rushing towards Fang Sheng with a whistling sound, still locking onto his aura, determined to kill him.

"A mere trick." Fang Sheng's tone was icy, his eyes still tightly closed, as he simply raised his hand and pressed it into the air.

The second wave of golden true energy erupted with a roar, even more swift and powerful than before.

This time, the true energy was no longer simply for defense, but transformed into countless subtle bursts of energy that precisely struck each of the returning silver arrows.

"Crack! Click!"

A series of crisp cracking sounds rang out. Under the impact of true energy, the pure silver arrows broke apart like rotten wood, turning into countless fragments that fell to the ground and could never be reformed.

Upon seeing this, the Eastern Depot agents on the wall all changed their expressions, but dared not hesitate for a moment. They drew their bows again, ready to unleash another barrage of arrows.

Wei Chao stood there, his face ashen.

Fang Sheng slowly withdrew his true energy, turned to Wei Chao, and spoke calmly, yet with a chilling killing intent:
"You don't want to live anymore?"

Wei Chao was sweating profusely and his heart was pounding wildly, but soon he felt a hand on his shoulder from behind, and his wildly beating heart immediately calmed down.

He turned around and knelt down, saying, "Master, you've arrived."

Upon hearing Wei Chao's words, the Eastern Depot agents present turned around and knelt down, saying, "Greetings, Supervisor."

Behind Wei Chao, a figure slowly walked out.

He wore a bright yellow python robe with intricate cloud patterns embroidered on the hem, and a jade belt around his waist. Although he did not wear a crown, he exuded an air of elegance and nobility far surpassing that of court officials.

He appeared to be over seventy years old, with white hair and beard and wrinkles around his eyes, yet his posture was as upright as a pine tree and his eyes were like deep pools, making it impossible to guess his age.

It was none other than Wang An, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the Chief Supervisor of the Eastern Depot, and known as the "Nine Thousand Years Old".

"Everyone, get up."

Wang An's voice was not loud, but everyone present could hear it clearly. All the Dongchang agents were startled and stood up with their heads bowed.

His gaze swept across the square, finally settling on the dying Soul-Slaying Dharma King in the corner. He calmly ordered, "Take that demonic cult scoundrel away. Don't let him die."

"Yes!" Wei Chao quickly replied, waving his hand to signal two agents from the Eastern Depot to come forward.

The two quickly walked to the Soul-Slaying Dharma King's side, took out a porcelain bottle from their robes, poured out two dark red pills, and forcibly pried open his mouth to feed them to him.

The pill dissolved instantly upon entering his throat, and the Soul-Slaying Dharma King's originally weak breath stabilized somewhat, no longer appearing as if he might die at any moment.

After dealing with the Soul-Slaying Dharma King, Wang An turned to the remaining martial arts figures in the square, his tone calm yet authoritative: "Everyone else, disperse. You've had enough of the show."

Actually, there aren't many people left in the square now; most of them have already left.

Only three types of people remained: the men from the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a few dozen injured martial arts practitioners who were unable to move easily, and Chen Zhan and Han Tiange standing in the corner.

Chen Zhan and his companion were indeed too abrupt.

While others were either panicked or slightly injured, they remained calm and composed.

Han Tiange was still somewhat flustered, while Chen Zhan seemed completely detached, as if the commotion had nothing to do with him.

More importantly, the two of them walked out as if they knew in advance before the main hall collapsed.

He strolled leisurely, without a speck of dust on his clothes. Wang An's gaze quickly locked onto Chen Zhan.

He merely nodded slightly to Shen Tong and Pei Qiangong.

Wang An's gaze remained fixed on Chen Zhan, who was wearing the Impermanence Ghost Mask and meeting Wang An's eyes.

The shrewdness of this Ninth Prince before him was indeed well-deserved. Shen Tong had mentioned many times before that this man, though seemingly old, was actually meticulous and ruthless, with both the imperial court and the martial arts world under his control.

More importantly, Ding Baiying said that the other Buddha relic was most likely on this Ninth Prince.

Their eyes met, and though no words were exchanged, there seemed to be an invisible clash of energy.

Wang An's gaze lingered on Chen Zhan's mask for a moment, then swept over Han Tiange, who stood calmly to the side, before he slowly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of probing:
"The Huanhua Sect of Nanling? That's an unfamiliar sect. You two are quite skilled; why not join the Eastern Depot and serve the imperial court?"

Before Han Tiange could speak, Chen Zhan interrupted, "You flatter me, Supervisor. Our sect is insignificant and not worth mentioning. We dare not presume to be worthy of your esteemed position."

Wang An chuckled: "Hiding your heads and showing your tails, do you really think your Demonic Cult's plan is flawless?"

This time he spoke.

Shen Tong and Pei Qian, who were not far from Chen Zhan and Han Tiange, were taken aback and turned to look at Chen Zhan.

Shen Lian and the other two behind him instantly became alert, drawing their swords halfway out.

Given Wang An's status, there's absolutely no reason for him to deliberately frame a disciple of such a minor sect, nor would he have any benefit to gain from it.

So, it's probably true!
Han Tiange's expression suddenly changed, while Chen Zhan's expression was hidden by his mask.

No sooner had Wang An finished speaking than another group of Eastern Depot agents surged into Guangyuan Temple. Leading them was Qin Feiying, the second-in-command, who quickly approached Wang An and said:

"Master, we've captured two people, one dead and one wounded, and two others escaped."

"And that so-called Dharma King has also been captured."

"Clap clap~" Qin Feiying clapped his hands, and the Eastern Depot agents brought in two people.

Han Tiange's face turned ashen, because the two people he brought up were bound with iron chains and had their collarbones pierced; one of them was Yan Tieshi.

"Hmph, Your Excellency is truly a master strategist. The demonic sect has been split in two. Neither the Southern Yang Demonic Sect nor the Persian Demonic Sect can escape Your Excellency's grasp!" Qin Feiying said respectfully to Wang An, but in reality, he was speaking to everyone else.

Wang An nodded slowly, quite satisfied with Qin Feiying's report: "Well done."

His gaze returned to Han Tiange's face, his tone calm yet every word piercing, "The Demonic Sect has been divided for a long time. It's fine if you don't show up in the Central Plains, but once you come, don't leave."

Seeing the miserable state of Yan Tieshi, Han Tiange immediately channeled his inner energy, intending to take action.

His inner energy surged wildly, but Chen Zhan pressed down on his shoulder, dispersing the condensed energy: "It's not time yet."

He had already figured out the whole scheme.

Wang An knew about the plans of the two branches of the Demonic Sect from beginning to end, and even the appearance of the relic in Guangyuan Temple was inseparable from his instigation.

He doesn't need the relics themselves, since ordinary methods can't activate them. What he really wants is the special mental technique to activate the relics, so he must capture the members of the Demonic Sect alive.

Seeing that the two of them were still calm, Wang An was somewhat surprised. He then turned his gaze to Chen Zhan, his deep eyes sweeping over the mask.

"You're quite composed..."

"There is no record of you in the Eastern Depot's files. Nameless, without a surname, without a sect, yet you can travel with Left Envoy Han and remain as steady as Mount Tai in the chaos. You are quite an interesting character."

"But it doesn't matter."

His tone suddenly turned cold, and his usual elegance was instantly replaced by a murderous aura: "Today, this Guangyuan Temple will be the burial ground for your demonic sect."

Chen Zhan finally spoke, his voice coming through the mask:

"The Grand Supervisor has laid a trap, all for the sake of finding a way to activate the relic and the power of the relic once activated."

"The relics at Guangyuan Temple were probably bait you threw out from the very beginning, weren't they?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Wang An's eyes, then he clapped his hands and chuckled: "You're quite clever, but not enough. A truly clever person wouldn't put themselves in danger."

He raised his hand and waved it, and the Eastern Depot agents around him immediately stepped forward, forming an encirclement, their long swords drawn, gleaming coldly.

Chen Zhan laughed and said, "It might not be a dangerous situation, and besides, does the Chief Supervisor really think victory is assured?"

Chen Zhan's gaze passed over the surrounding Eastern Depot agents and landed directly on Fang Sheng.

Since Wang An appeared, this high-ranking monk of the Tongxuan Realm has concealed his aura and stood quietly beside the dilapidated temple. He neither left nor said anything, but his brows were furrowed.

Wang An, being so insightful, saw through Chen Zhan's thoughts at a glance and immediately laughed loudly: "A Transcendent Realm cultivator who has gone mad? That's true, Transcendent Realm cultivators are no longer ordinary people, even if they try to enter Transcendent Realm by trickery, it's still the same."

His laughter ceased, his eyes suddenly turned sharp as knives, and he ignored Chen Zhan and Han Tiange, taking a step towards Fang Sheng.

As he took his first step, the bluish-white bricks shattered, and a wisp of dark red true energy oozed from the soles of his feet.

With the second step, the air around him began to churn violently, and his dark red true energy surged three feet, carrying a scorching aura that distorted the surrounding air.

Upon landing with the third step, the entire plaza seemed to be thrown into a furnace, and Wang An was completely enveloped by dense red true energy.

The true energy on his body was even more powerful and profound than Fang Sheng's previous golden true energy, faintly exuding a destructive power that could burn everything, like a moving lava hell. Wherever it passed, the ground was scorched black.

The Profound Realm!
Shen Tong, Pei Qian and the others' expressions changed drastically. They had no idea that this Ninth Prince was actually a hidden master of the Profound Realm!
Wang An slowly walked to within three zhang of Fang Sheng. His red true energy surged like a wave, colliding with the remaining golden true energy around Fang Sheng and producing a sizzling sound.

"Master Fang Sheng,"

Wang An's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"Hand over the relics, and I will pretend that today's events never happened. The three Buddhist sects will remain the prestigious and orthodox sects officially recognized by the imperial court, and no one will dare to touch them."

"If you refuse..."

"You will die today, and the three Buddhist sects behind you will be exterminated, leaving no one alive!"

Wang An's red true energy suddenly surged, forcefully suppressing Fang Sheng's golden true energy and forcing it to retreat.

Fang Sheng frowned even more deeply, unsure of what to do. If he weren't bound by the three Buddhist sects, Wang An might not be able to stop him if he wanted to leave.

But in his current physical condition...
It would be difficult to directly confront a master of the same level as you.

At the moment of choice.

Neither Fang Sheng nor Wang An noticed that a figure suddenly appeared behind Fang Sheng, a blue dragon extending its claws, its violent aura tearing apart the golden true energy around Fang Sheng.

Grab Fang Sheng's tightly closed eyes!
Chen Zhan sneered, "Master, release yourself, stop pretending!"

A storm of claw strikes abruptly landed on Fang Sheng's eyes!
"Pfft pfft~!"

Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, Chen Zhan directly blew out Fang Sheng's eyes, but what burst out from under his eyelids was not blood and eyeballs, but a mass of thick black liquid.

The black liquid is extremely corrosive; it sizzles as it hits the ground, corroding the blue bricks, and its stench instantly fills the entire area.

Chen Zhan kicked out again, and before Fang Sheng could react, he was sent flying a hundred meters into the air and landed among the Eastern Depot agents.

Everyone was stunned.

The change was too fast and too astonishing.

What was expected to be a clash between two top-tier experts turned out to be a surprise attack by Chen Zhan, an unknown nobody, who suddenly burst in with a single move.
With a single move, he shattered the profound inner energy and blew up Fang Sheng's tightly closed eyes.

They even kicked him into the Eastern Depot's spy ring.

Even more bewildered than the others were the agents of the Eastern Depot; Qin Feiying and Wei Chao were also at a loss.
Should we go up and capture Fang Sheng?

But how could they possibly capture and kill a master of the Transcendent Realm?

Fortunately, they didn't have to hesitate for too long.

"Roar!"

A cry, more piercing than that of an ancient beast, rang out from among the agents of the Eastern Depot.

(End of this chapter)