Too Much Joy

Feeling as though he had been reborn, Yuan Kong silently raised his head and looked at Chu Xingchen.

So much time had passed, yet Chu Xingchen's appearance remained unchanged—his warm smile was just as it had been years ago.

However, for Yuan Kong, it had been a long time since he last saw Chu Xingchen, and for a moment, he felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

"Isn't this Lord Yuan Kong?"

Chu Xingchen spoke with a smile, initially reaching out as he used to, intending to ruffle Yuan Kong's head. But now, Yuan Kong's head was covered in hair—and it looked like it hadn't been washed in quite a while. So, halfway through the motion, his hand paused and smoothly redirected to stroke his own chin instead.

"Why abandon being a Buddha's disciple to become a little shadow?"

Hearing the familiar teasing tone, Yuan Kong's sense of unfamiliarity instantly faded. With a slightly aggrieved tone, he replied,

"What do you mean 'little shadow'? This is just a tan! I'm not some supreme powerhouse like you."

Chu Xingchen nodded. "True, reaching my level is something an ordinary mortal like you can hardly hope to achieve."

"You always know how to mock me," Yuan Kong said, his expression still aggrieved. "I only did all this because of you."

Chu Xingchen seemed surprised for a moment before quickly piecing things together. He sighed lightly.

"Alright, alright, I owe you one. How about I deduct five spirit stones from your debt?"

"My life was almost on the line, and it's only worth five stones? Didn’t you say you’d waive it all?"

"Waive it all? Do I look like some great philanthropist to you?"

Xu Jin waited briefly, noticing that the two were merely chatting, and quickly interjected,

"The matter isn’t over yet. Let’s focus on the task at hand. Senior Bai is still leading people to block the river crossing, and we still have to deal with the divine Buddha standing before us."

Chu Xingchen gave a slight nod, his gaze calm as he turned to the young monk still standing by the threshold.

"Aren’t you going back to report? Or do you need me to send you?"

The young monk replied with equal calm, "You were the one who personally released the Malevolent Buddha. This concerns the Buddha Sect’s most classified affairs. Do you understand the gravity of this?"

Chu Xingchen scoffed. "Why are you telling me this? Go complain to the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect or the Tianyan Sect. So what if we released your so-called Malevolent Buddha? This world belongs to the Daoist sects, not your Buddha Sect. We’ve allowed you to occupy a corner in peace, and now you’re getting bold?"

"If you’re unhappy about the Malevolent Buddha being freed, go recapture him yourselves. Or what… are you thinking of causing trouble for us?"

"You should be grateful we’re not causing trouble for you. Let me speak plainly on behalf of the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect and the Tianyan Sect—from now on, whenever you see our people, you’d better tuck your tails between your legs."

"We accept this matter. Feel free to spread the word. Let’s see if the remaining fifteen immortal sects will side with your Buddha Sect or with us."

Before the young monk could respond, Chu Xingchen turned to Xu Jin.

"Notify Senior Bai that things are settled here and have her withdraw. If the Buddha Sect wants an explanation, give them the only one they’ll get—we did it!"

"If they dare to retaliate, we’ll dare to eradicate them! Any allied immortal sect will cleanse their territories of all traces of Buddhism—every temple, every shrine, razed to the ground!"

Xu Jin nodded without hesitation, retrieving a talisman and channeling spiritual energy into it.

Chu Xingchen looked back at the young monk, his voice indifferent. "Anything else to say?"

"I hope your words truly represent the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect and the Tianyan Sect," the young monk replied, a trace of anger in his tone.

Chu Xingchen raised his voice. "Brother Xu, tell him! Do I have the authority?"

"Of course," Xu Jin answered immediately, without pause.

The young monk’s gaze swept over them, but he said nothing. Instead, he suddenly closed his eyes. Moments later, his body collapsed backward, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Tch." Chu Xingchen cast a disdainful glance at the fallen monk before turning back to Xu Jin. "What’s the situation with Senior Bai? Do we need to reinforce her?"

Xu Jin shook his head slightly. "She’s not alone there. Breaking away won’t be an issue—it’s just a blockade. The Buddha Sect wouldn’t dare truly engage us. We’ve arranged a rendezvous point. If you wish to see Senior Bai, Brother Chu, you can come with me."

Chu Xingchen nodded in agreement. Just as he was about to reach out to take Yuan Kong along, he noticed Yuan Kong staring curiously at the western side of the hall.

"What are you looking at?" Chu Xingchen asked.

Yuan Kong hesitated before answering, "That great Buddha who fled earlier… seems to have left something behind."

"Left something?" Chu Xingchen frowned slightly. "Why would he leave something for you and not me?"

"It’s not like he told me directly… I just had a dream about it. Wait a moment."

With that, Yuan Kong cautiously took small steps forward.

Chu Xingchen shook his head and strode after him, patting Yuan Kong’s shoulder.

"What are you afraid of when I’m here? Even a Buddha had to flee before me."

Yuan Kong smiled faintly at that and quickened his pace. He lifted a meditation cushion placed on the western side and then began hammering the ground with his fists.

Bang! Bang!

One punch after another, and soon the ground gave way. Yuan Kong dug through the debris and picked up what looked like an ordinary foundation stone, treating it like discarded trash.

After wiping it clean, he confirmed something and softly began reciting Buddhist scriptures.

As he chanted, the outer layer of the stone slowly crumbled away. By the time he finished, the stone had completely shed its shell, revealing its true form—a golden relic.

Yuan Kong’s face lit up with excitement as he turned to Chu Xingchen. "See? I told you."

Chu Xingchen nodded. "Anything else?"

"Nothing."

The moment Yuan Kong spoke, the vast hall was suddenly empty.

Only two streaks of light shot southward at incredible speed.

Time passed, and as the sun finally rose, its gentle rays bathed the ravaged land.

The abbot of Zhengyin Temple slowly stepped into what remained of the temple—now reduced to only the Great Buddha Hall.

His eyes swept over the shattered fragments of the faceless Buddha, and for a moment, a knowing smile touched his lips. But his gaze soon shifted to the western side of the hall.

The abbot walked over and saw that the meditation cushion he once sat upon had been moved aside, and the ground beneath it dug up.

"Finally, the destined one has come," the abbot murmured to himself.

After a pause, he sighed softly.

With measured steps, he walked out of the Great Buddha Hall and surveyed the desolate ruins before him.

Clasping his hands together, the abbot lowered his head and began reciting the mantra for the dead.

In the end… all was left in ruins.

The rendezvous point was not in the Western Oxen Continent but within the Central Continent.

Following Xu Jin, Chu Xingchen stepped into a hidden secret realm.

Xu Jin strode forward. "Though everything inside has long been taken, it’s still a decent place for a discreet gathering."

Chu Xingchen sighed dramatically, "Tsk tsk... Whose idea was this? Never thought after dancing on graves, we'd end up holding a meeting on one."

"...Just keep your mouth shut when it's only our own people around," Xu Jin replied weakly.

Chu Xingchen shrugged lightly in response.

Before they could even step into the inner hall, Bai Xuanling's calm voice rang out, "Why are you here, kid? Did Xu Jin mess things up?"

As Chu Xingchen strode into the grand hall, his eyes landed on Bai Xuanling seated at the head. The teasing remark on his tongue died instantly, replaced by urgent concern, "What happened to you?"

Bai Xuanling's eyes burned crimson, brimming with killing intent. Dark red spiritual energy seethed around him, restless and uncontrolled. Two elders from the Tianyan Sect flanked him, combining their efforts to suppress the raging energy.

Bai Xuanling bared his teeth in something between a grin and a snarl, "Just a bit too... overjoyed."