The Holy Master of Yaochi Erupts

The old monk was like a withered stone, his aura perfectly blending into the surrounding environment.

Within his half-open, half-closed eyes, there was not the slightest ripple—only a cold scrutiny and calculation as his gaze slowly swept across the entire scene.

His eyes passed over Wang Zhan, who was consolidating his newly attained Saint King realm. They lingered for a brief moment, and an imperceptible solemnity flashed deep within them.

“The Heavenly Azure Saint Body has actually become a Saint here first? This boy possesses exceptional fortune and temperament. He will surely become a great enemy of Buddhism in the future.”

Afterward, he paid Wang Zhan no further attention. With a turn of his withered palm, a jade slip appeared in his hand.

It was none other than the soul jade slip of Buddhist Son Fakong.

A stream of pale golden Buddhist essence flowed from Kuxuan’s fingertip as he carefully pressed it against the jade slip. At the same time, the Buddhist Light of Insight circulated deep within his eyes as he employed Buddhism’s supreme secret art, Tracing Karma to Its Source.

He attempted to follow that faint connection, trace the aura Fakong had come into contact with before his death, and catch a glimpse of the killer’s clues.

Yet moments later, Kuxuan’s brows drew tightly together, and for the first time, an expression of disbelief appeared in his eyes.

Empty!

A complete void!

Not only had every trace of aura at the place where Fakong perished been erased, even the faint karmic link that should have formed between the soul jade slip and the killer seemed to have been severed and wiped away by an incomprehensible force.

It was so clean that it sent a chill through the heart.

“How is this possible?!”

A storm raged within Kuxuan’s heart.

“Not even the slightest trace of karma remains? Could it be that the person who killed Fakong isn’t here at all? Or perhaps…”

His expression shifted rapidly as he thought of an even more terrifying possibility.

To annihilate karma so completely that even he could not trace a single thread—this was certainly no ordinary method!

His gaze involuntarily turned toward the battle high in the sky, where several figures were fiercely competing for the Emperor Scripture. It precisely locked onto one of them, a figure surrounded by dense Buddhist light who was currently fighting Ling Canglan and the others.

It was Buddha Liaochen, one of the Western Buddhist Sect’s public leaders in this operation.

Kuxuan gathered an extremely concealed strand of divine sense and quietly transmitted his voice to him.

“Liaochen, do you know anything about Fakong’s death? Who exactly is the killer?”

Buddha Liaochen was exerting all his strength to compete for the Emperor Scripture. His mind suddenly trembled, and his attacks slowed by half a beat, causing him to narrowly evade one of Ling Canglan’s sharp sword fingers.

His heart shook violently.

“Martial Uncle Kuxuan? He actually came here in person!”

Liaochen did not dare delay. While dealing with the surrounding attacks, he quickly replied through voice transmission, “Reporting to Martial Uncle, this disciple does not know the specific details either.

“However, Junior Brother Liaoyin briefly sent me a message earlier. He only mentioned that they had encountered Battle Asura and his group. After that, there was no further news.”

He paused, his tone filled with deep apprehension and speculation.

“Fakong had previously become enemies with Battle Asura. This disciple suspects that the matter is very likely connected to Battle Asura—or to the unfathomable protector behind him!”

“Battle Asura and the person behind him?”

The old monk Kuxuan’s gaze instantly turned as cold as the sharpest blade, abruptly shifting toward Xiao Ruobai, who was meditating below and quietly comprehending the mysteries before him.

His expression changed repeatedly as his thoughts raced.

“So that’s it. If Liaoyin and Fakong encountered Battle Asura’s group and were then killed in an instant, with even their karmic traces erased, there is likely only one person capable of doing it so cleanly and decisively, leaving no consequences behind—the terrifying existence standing behind Battle Asura, the one who could erase the Glazed Sacred Land with a snap of his fingers!”

At the thought of that mysterious figure, whom even Buddhism regarded with deep fear and whose strength was speculated to have reached the Quasi-Emperor realm or higher, Kuxuan’s heart sank.

“If that person truly acted, this matter will be extremely troublesome!”

To go directly to his door and demand an explanation? That would be no different from courting death!

It might even bring a catastrophe upon the Western Buddhist Sect!

Yet the Buddhist Son and a Saint King-realm guardian had perished, and the reincarnation of an Ancient Buddha had been interrupted. How could such a grudge simply be left unresolved?

Kuxuan’s gaze remained fixed on Xiao Ruobai. His withered fingers slowly rolled within his sleeve, while coldness and killing intent intertwined in his eyes.

At that moment, an unforeseen change suddenly occurred!

High in the sky, the battle for the Emperor Scripture—which had remained at an impasse for some time—abruptly shifted!

The master of the Lingxiao Sacred Land, Ling Canglan, who had been maneuvering through the battle with exquisite swordsmanship while keeping his aura at the peak of the Saint King realm, seemed to have completely lost patience.

“Hmph! It’s only a single volume of the Emperor Scripture. Is it really worth wasting so much time over? This sovereign has no time to keep playing with you!”

As his cold shout rang out, Ling Canglan’s previously restrained aura erupted like a volcano dormant for ten thousand years!

Boom!

An overwhelming and boundless pressure, far more terrifying than before and as profound as an abyss, soared into the heavens!

His vital energy roared like a dragon, while profound Daoist Rhyme stirred the clouds and winds in every direction!

“What?! The Great Saint realm! Ling Canglan, you had already entered the Great Saint realm long ago?!”

The South Domain Demon Lord was the first to cry out in shock, disbelief filling his demonic eyes.

“How deeply you concealed it! The Lingxiao Sacred Land’s ambitions are far greater than they appear!”

The Grand Zhou Emperor’s expression changed dramatically, and the imperial dragon aura surrounding him trembled violently under the pressure.

A trace of extreme solemnity also flashed through the eyes of the Jade Lake Sacred Lord, Ji Qingyi.

Every figure at the level of a sacred lord was stunned by this sudden turn of events!

Ling Canglan had actually been concealing his Great Saint cultivation all along!

Ever since Gu Changge took control of him, Ling Canglan had broken through to the Great Saint realm under Gu Changge’s guidance—and he was already a mid-stage Great Saint.

“The Emperor Scripture is mine!”

Ling Canglan’s long hair whipped wildly around him, and his gaze was filled with disdain. He no longer concealed his strength. The overwhelming power of a Great Saint surged forth, transforming into a gigantic hand that blotted out the sky as it reached directly for the dark-gold Emperor Scripture!

He intended to seize the treasure by force, relying on absolute strength!

“Don’t even think about it!”

“Join forces and stop him!”

After their initial shock came overwhelming fury and determination.

The South Domain Demon Lord, the Grand Zhou Emperor, and several other sacred lords, though astonished, did not panic. Amid furious shouts, they unleashed their strongest techniques one after another!

Demonic aura, imperial dragon energy, and astonishing sword light—several attacks powerful enough to destroy heaven and earth rained toward Ling Canglan like a violent storm, attempting to stop him!

At the same time—

“Amitabha!”

An aged Buddhist proclamation exploded like thunder.

The old monk Kuxuan, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, flashed a gleam in his eyes.

Heaven was helping him!

With a single movement, he appeared at the edge of the battle group like a ghost. An equally immense Great Saint pressure erupted from his body.

His attack was incomparably ruthless. A gigantic golden Buddhist palm condensed in the air, skillfully joining with the attacks of the South Domain Demon Lord and the others to form a pincer.

“A Great Saint? And a late-stage Great Saint at that? Where did this bald donkey come from?”

Ling Canglan’s pupils contracted.

Facing a Great Saint and the combined assault of several sacred lords, even with his formidable strength, he did not dare take the attacks head-on.

He had no choice but to withdraw the hand reaching for the Emperor Scripture. His figure retreated explosively as both palms thrust forward, and surging sword qi transformed into a curtain of swords that shielded him from the front.

Rumble!

The full-force attacks of several Great Saints and sacred lords collided violently!

An indescribable storm of destructive energy erupted in an instant!

The entire core region of the Emperor’s Tomb trembled violently, and the void collapsed in vast stretches. Had the Emperor Formation not been protecting it, this entire stretch of heaven and earth would have long since been reduced to nothingness!

At the center of the energy storm, Ling Canglan grunted. His blood and qi churned as he was blasted backward again and again.

The violent collision erupted into a burst of energy. Under Kuxuan’s deliberate guidance, a wildly turbulent stream of energy—condensing the sharp sword aura of Ling Canglan, the savage demonic power of the Demon Lord, the dragon aura of the Emperor, and several other forces—was formed.

By sheer coincidence, a small portion of it was deflected. Its trajectory unexpectedly shot downward at lightning speed, hurtling toward Xiao Ruobai, who was standing before the stone wall and immersed in his comprehension!

Although this energy stream was only a fraction of the explosion’s aftershock, it contained fragments of the Laws wielded by several Great Saints and Saint Lords. Its power was already terrifying beyond measure.

Forget the King Realm—even an ordinary Saint King struck head-on would suffer severe injuries, if not die outright!

“Not good!!”

“Watch out! The energy is out of control!”

Several cultivators cried out in alarm!

“Hm?!”

Ling Canglan, who was resisting the rebound force, was the first to notice the abnormal trajectory of the energy. His gaze suddenly sharpened like a sword as he swept his eyes toward Kuxuan, a trace of suspicion and coldness flashing within them.

He faintly sensed that this accident was far too coincidental!

The moment the energy stream was deflected, the face of Yaochi’s Saint Lord, Ji Qingyi, changed drastically!

Her mind went blank in an instant. Schemes, concealment, the Imperial Scripture—all of it was cast to the back of her mind!

Only one thought exploded forth instinctively:

“The benefactor’s disciple must not come to harm!”

This was what they meant by caring too deeply and losing one’s composure!

She had even forgotten to consider how that mysterious and powerful benefactor could have allowed his disciple to venture into danger so easily—or how he could have failed to prepare a safeguard.

“Buzz—!”

A vast, icy aura, no less formidable than those of Ling Canglan and Kuxuan, erupted from within her like a tide of moonlight!

Another terrifying Great Saint aura swept across the entire battlefield!

I’ll make up for one chapter first. I still owe two more, which I’ll add later.