The cultivation world was still a place where strength matters. One could be as unworldly as one wants, but it would still be hard for one to be free if one did not have domineering strength.

　　Therefore, Daoist master Buddha did not only have profound wisdom, he also had supreme power.

　　Back then, the Heavenly Emperor of the celestial court could restrain the celestial masses was not because of morals, but it was because of its supreme supernatural powers that allowed the Heavenly Emperor to not be bound by the three realms and five elements.

　　Like Lu Jiuyuan who commands the Xuantian Sect, it would undeniably be the cultivation world’s number one celestial sect, no one could shake it.

　　It is all empty talk if one wishes to remain free and unfettered for the rest of his long life without having any power.

　　Shen Lian sighed in silent.

　　He got up and pushed the door open. Ruoxi was outside and she looked at Shen Lian with widened eyes, she asked, “Who is that person?”

　　“An old friend.”

　　Ruoxi seemed a little hesitant and then she displayed a determined gaze as she said, “I don’t like him.”

　　Shen Lian asked in surprise, “Why?”

　　Ruoxi pondered for a while and she answered with all seriousness, “His vital force is very uncomfortable. You also have that vital force on you, uncle. It’s very unclean.”

　　Shen Lian was clear then. Ruoxi was mentioning about the killing aura that represented fresh blood and death.

　　Her Daoist body was clean and flawless so it was natural for her to not like it.

　　Shen Lian’s Daoist robe trembled, as though it was shaking something off. His aura was clean and pure as he stood there, which reminded people of the word ‘sage-like’. He then smiled, “How about now?”

　　Ruoxi pointed her nose upwards and gave a sniff, she then said, “It’s gone.”

　　Shen Lian smiled inside his mind, she was still a child.

　　He converged his aura and hid it well. Even with Ruoxi’s keen spiritual sense, he still easily hid away from her.

　　Now, the catkins flew everywhere and the flowers in front of the courtyard blossomed and wilted. The clouds in the sky first came together and then went apart. Ruoxi thought, “Just how great it would be if time stopped at this moment forever.”

　　In actual fact, she did not require a lot and she also did not have the resolution to blaze a way through all obstacles in her pursuit of Dao. She only wanted to remain by her uncle’s side, always.

　　Shen Lian gazed at the mountains as the sound of the wind brushed past his ears. He thought about it more. It was not only about himself, there were also others. After all, the manners and morals of the time would still change. He needed to do something for others and himself.

　　Afterwards, Shen Lian suddenly felt sensed something. With a move of his figure, he appeared outside of Qing Xuan and he saw a young woman coming towards him on a sword gleam. He stopped her.

　　Once she saw Shen Lian, she immediately recognized him and halted her sword gleam. With a crying voice, she pleaded, “Martial Uncle Shen, hurry and save my Master.”

　　————

　　Baoyue the Venerable of the Jinguang Temple was famous in Xi Huang and he was also one of the few secular Golden Luohan. His mana and supernatural powers were on par with the eight Zen masters of the main eight sects of Buddhism.

　　Ever since he brought the rampaging demon king, Mister Sea, under control, his reputation grew and it was even one of its kind.

　　However, the other monks in Xi Huang dislike him because his Dharma has entered the demon realm. Along with Huike, they propagated controversial doctrines of the study of Zen, which caused the abjectly obedient citizen to not abide by the law anymore.

　　These monks naturally could repress the masses who were bewitched but it was hard for them to repress the monks who were also bewitched because they too had the Dharma.

　　As a matter of fact, many of those who heard Baoyue the Venerable and Huike’s doctrine afterward did not return. They changed their sect.

　　The good thing was that Huike had not appeared for a few years now, or else the influence would be much greater.

　　Even though Baoyue the Venerable was skillful, he was still nowhere close to Huike when it came to bewitching the masses. That was why, ultimately, the monks who changed sect decreased significantly.

　　Because Baoyue the Venerable was powerful and he had even rein Mister Sea as his disciple, even when there were monks who were dissatisfied with him, they did not dare to approach this Golden Luohan and reason things out.

　　Mister Sea was originally a sensational figure but once he became a monk, his life became very austere.

　　His true form was a spiritual snake, all matters aside, the only thing that gave him a very hard time was the matter of abstinence.

　　He did argue with the monk and Baoyue the Venerable just answered him with mirth. If he truly could not resist, he could help him get rid of worldly desires. As for the how naturally he meant by breaking off the root of right and wrong.

　　Mister Sea almost got into a fight with the monk. Unfortunately, he was cursed by the monk so he could not beat him at all.

　　His days passed in the sounds of chanting. Mister Sea did not think that the Dharma would change anything.

　　Also, he kept telling the other idiots about the Dharma with the monk. Sadly, not one of them understood. Even those who understood could not be at the state that was mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures.

　　Therefore, even though Baoyue mentioned about ‘learn, have an epiphany, and become a Buddha’, no one really did so. Also, those who originally believed in the teaching of Zen would later change back to the Sanlun Sect, Huayan Sect, and other sects.

　　Mister Sea was used to being a demon king and he could not tolerate such betrayal. So, he said to the monk that the monk should capture back those monks who defected and use the Dharma to plant the notion of forever believing in the teaching of Zen into their minds.

　　Baoyue the Venerable, on the contrary, stopped him and told him that the Dharma that changes other’s beliefs was not the Dharma, but the way of the Devil.

　　The true Dharma would not cause a person to lose oneself but would have the person understand oneself.

　　Mister Sea was very vexed with this saying but he also felt that it somehow had a point, therefore he did not say much anymore.

　　Even though it was boring and dull by staying in the temple, but once many days have passed, it had also become a rare sort of tranquil. At least for him, who had been a demon for so long, definitely did not have such peace and quiet as these few years.

　　Nonetheless, there was another bad thing about here besides abstinence from worldly desires. That was the fact that Monk Baoyue told him he wanted to return to the karmic cycle and Baoyue wished that once he entered the karmic cycle, Mister Sea would be the host of the Jinguang Temple.

　　No matter how Mister Sea looked, the monk did not seem to be dying. Even there was someone who would return to the karmic cycle, it would definitely be him because his tragedy was approaching and it would arrive with the tragedy of the world. By right, he would definitely not be able to make it through.

　　Until this one day, a golden shimmer sudden came from inside the temple. Mister Sea know that Baoyue the Venerable was displaying the Buddhist technique.

　　Judging from the power of the golden shimmer, Mister Sea could not help but think to himself, “That monk’s supernatural powers have increased again.”

　　The golden shimmer blanketed the entire temple and a solemn nimbus suddenly rose into the sky.

　　A groaning of the sword resounded through the skies and almost in an instant, the entire golden shimmer was annihilated by the sword gleam. That was Baoyue the Venerable’s supreme Buddhist Technique and so easily, someone had dispelled it.

　　The first idea that came to Mister Sea mind was to run away. This was because for this kind of person, even with two of him, he could have beaten the person.

　　To a demon king, it was practically instinct to flee when the opponent could not be defeated.

　　Only a stupid demon would fight to the death. Naturally, stupid demons would not have become the demon king and live until now.

　　The sword gleam annihilated the golden shimmer and shattered the nimbus. Under the moonlight in the sky, a young man in aqua blue Daoist robe appeared. He carried a long sword on his back. It faintly glowed red and the sword was still sheathed.

　　His looks were truly ordinary and his features were not defined. His eyes, however, were very bright and sleek.

　　The young man in the aqua blue Daoist robe quietly stood in the air as he watched Baoyue the Venerable, who was sitting cross-legged on top of the pagoda.

　　There was a smile on his face. Even though his Buddhist technique was shattered, he did not lose his composure as he calmly stared at the young man.

　　Mister Sea still had some conscience and even though he could not break his vows as a monk in the Jinguang temple, but the monk had still poured him with everything he knew and even thought of passing the temple to him. He did not fear him because of his demon origins.

　　To put it in human sayings, it would be, ‘If you treat me like the pillars of the country, I will contribute like the pillars of the country’.

　　This was why Mister Sea hesitated for a while and still decided to become a stupid demon for this one time. He flew to the tip of the tower and reached Baoyue’s side.

　　Both of their cultivation experiences were on par with those of the immortal Zhenren of Daoism. With them collaborating, even though they could not beat this terrifying figure, they could still be free to advance or retreat.

　　“I came to Xi Huang, and only one person had taken the blow of my sword. You are the second one.”

　　“Who was the first?” Mister Sea asked.

　　“That place is called Temple of Killings. It is not far away from here. The one that blocked my sword was their hall establisher. I don’t know whether that person is dead or not. If only he could improve further, then I would not need to search for others to try out my sword.” The young man felt slightly sorry when he said this.