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The Young Monk thrust his Nine Dragons Staff forward with force, his gaze piercing through the furious roars of the Arhats from the Buddhist realm, locking onto the Faceless Great Buddha.

As if sensing his stare, the Faceless Great Buddha tilted its head slightly toward the Young Monk.

Strangely, though the Great Buddha had no face—no expressions, not even eyes—the Young Monk felt an unmistakable mockery and disdain radiating from it.

With a furious roar, the Young Monk drove his Nine Dragons Staff through the Bodhisattva and Arhats formed from devout power, blocking his path.

No matter what, this malevolent Buddha must not escape the Zhengyin Dharma Temple.

He didn’t need to defeat it—only stall for time. Even Bai Xuanling couldn’t stop the Great Thunderclap Monastery’s reinforcements from arriving.

This was the domain of Buddhism, not her Tianyan Sect.

But in the next moment, an overwhelming sword intent surged from behind him.

Heaving a heavy sigh, the Young Monk turned his Buddha’s Eye to look back.

As expected, Xu Jin was charging forward, his azure swordlight illuminating the surroundings.

The Young Monk halted his assault, bracing to block Xu Jin’s strike, but still roared in frustration:

“Xu Jin! And you call yourself a noble disciple—”

Before he could finish, Xu Jin flashed past him, the radiant swordlight streaking toward the malevolent Buddha instead.

The Young Monk saw it clearly—Xu Jin had shot him a glance as he passed, one filled with utter contempt, as if saying: What are you shouting for? Know your place.

Turning back, he watched as Xu Jin’s sword cleaved through the Arhat illusions that had been so resilient against him, shattering them like fragile bubbles.

This wasn’t because Xu Jin was overwhelmingly stronger—it was because the malevolent Buddha itself was a Buddhist cultivator, exerting an innate suppression over the Young Monk, who shared its origins.

The Young Monk exhaled in relief. Though he didn’t know why Xu Jin had suddenly changed his mind, the odds of stopping the malevolent Buddha had now risen to ninety percent.

Xu Jin’s sword split through the illusory Bodhisattvas and Arhats guarding the Grand Hall.

Azure radiance pierced layers of devout power, and in a single stroke, Xu Jin stood before the Faceless Great Buddha.

Devout power was just that—devout power. The Buddhist sects might be bound by it, but the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect pursued only the self. Such power could not sway him.

Seeing Xu Jin enter the Grand Hall, the Young Monk shouted urgently:

“Slay the Buddha’s Child! The malevolent Buddha hasn’t broken free of its chains yet—it’s only controlling devout power through the child. Cut the link, and it’ll be powerless!”

Xu Jin ignored him. The monk’s words weren’t trustworthy.

If that were truly the case, why had they protected Yuan Kong and this temple in the first place?

The contradictions in his words reeked of deceit. Besides, Xu Jin was only here because of Chu Xingchen’s request.

[Brother Xu, I’m on my way. If possible, protect the Buddha’s Child. I’ll treat you to drinks afterward.]

Maybe he wanted to leave a good impression on the Child of Providence. Maybe he just wanted that drink. Or perhaps Chu Xingchen’s straightforward words had simply appealed to him.

After a brief deliberation, Xu Jin decided to try saving Yuan Kong.

The Faceless Great Buddha faced Xu Jin, its lower half shielded by blooming lotuses woven from devout power.

Ignoring it, Xu Jin stepped beside the seated Yuan Kong, frowning at his tense expression before resting his spirit treasure sword against the boy’s shoulder.

Buddhism had many ways to cloud the mind. A spirit treasure sword could protect its wielder—perfect for probing Yuan Kong’s condition.

“I see the donor’s kindness. Surely you wouldn’t abandon this innocent Buddha’s Child.”

The Great Buddha continued summoning Arhats and Bodhisattvas to block the Young Monk outside, but it spoke to Xu Jin.

Xu Jin quickly grasped Yuan Kong’s predicament. This malevolent Buddha had been a true Buddha a millennium ago. Even after centuries of imprisonment, its spiritual mastery remained supreme.

Yuan Kong, though a Buddha’s Child, was no match for a Buddha’s will. His consciousness had been ensnared—only his core remained untouched, while the rest was being used to manipulate devout power.

This was partly Xu Jin and Bai Xuanling’s fault. As non-Buddhists, they’d forgotten the absolute dominance a higher Buddha held over lower practitioners.

That was why Bodhisattvas and Arhats served Buddhas so submissively.

True Daoist cultivators—even at Nascent Soul or Deity Transformation—rarely bowed so low.

“The Buddha outside calls you evil, yet you don’t seem so to me,” Xu Jin met the Faceless Great Buddha’s gaze. “Why not release the child’s consciousness first? Then we can discuss how Buddhism slandered you.”

The Great Buddha tilted its head slightly before responding:

“This child is pure-hearted, devoted to Buddha. I’ve no intention of harming him—I only need him a while longer.”

Its tone was calm, but secretly, it gathered devout power, wary of Xu Jin’s sudden attacks.

Was Xu Jin truly here to save the child, or was this a ruse to lower its guard before striking?

Nearly a thousand years…

It had felt like three thousand. This was its only chance in all that time.

The Buddhist sects had flooded this place with devout power not just to imprison it, but to erode its Buddha Realm, drowning it in mortal attachments, barring transcendence.

Buddhas… feared devout power most of all.

After a tense pause, the Great Buddha saw Xu Jin still standing with his sword against Yuan Kong, as if agreeing to wait—so long as the child was safe.

Its intentions were unclear.

But… this opportunity couldn’t be wasted.

Behind it, the Buddhist Realm continued spawning Arhats and Bodhisattvas—some blocking the Young Monk, others hammering at the trembling golden chains.

Amid the metallic shrieks, the Young Monk’s shouts persisted:

“Xu Jin! If that evil Buddha breaks free, neither of us may escape unscathed! Why take the risk?”

When that failed, he tried another angle:

“Xu Jin! You’d trust its words?! That Buddha’s Child is too weak—his mind will shatter under a Buddha’s will! Soon, he’ll be nothing but a hollow puppet!”

Xu Jin remained deaf to his pleas, his spirit treasure sword still pressed to Yuan Kong’s side, monitoring his state.

Time flowed on.

The golden chains dimmed further. On the horizon, a pale light began to rise.

The Faceless Great Buddha turned toward it. After so long imprisoned, its sense of time was warped—but dawn seemed to come too soon.

Still, it was close. Soon, it would see the sunrise with its own eyes.

Xu Jin’s gaze also flickered to the distant light before he finally withdrew his sword from Yuan Kong’s shoulder.

Outside, the Young Monk still battered against the Arhats and Buddhas blocking him. The golden light in his eyes had darkened to crimson—clearly, invoking divine power came at a cost.

However, the Young Monk was already very close to stepping into the treasure hall.

Suddenly, his gaze also turned toward the white light in the sky, his brows instantly furrowing.

"My apologies for the delay."

A streak of white light streaked across the heavens, its spiritual energy churning violently as it surged forward.

A radiant beam shot through the air, blasting apart the Arhats and Bodhisattvas, shattering the layers of protective devotion shielding the Great Hall.

The Young Monk looked up and saw a handsome youth in white robes standing atop a translucent greatsword, his spiritual energy roiling fiercely—clearly, he had rushed here in haste.

Chu Xingchen’s eyes first settled on Yuan Kong before shifting to the Faceless Great Buddha. His tone was light, almost conversational, as he said:

"I’m not entirely sure what’s happening here, but I’ll give you a suggestion—let this foolish monk go. Otherwise, I’ll send both you and him into Nirvana together, so he can reunite with his senior brother."