Kill to End Killing

By the rushing river.

Li Yingling quickly grasped her master's intention and spoke:

"As the saying goes, 'Seas change into mulberry fields.' I once read in a miscellany that rivers and seas could recede, turning into mountains."

"So why couldn’t it be that rivers and seas now flood in, submerging those mountains?"

Yuan Kong nodded in realization. "Then... the mountain is underwater right now?"

Chu Xingchen expanded a spiritual barrier, enveloping the other two.

"Just a hypothesis. Let’s go in and see for ourselves. For all we know, that Buddhist scripture might’ve been nonsense written to fool gullible people like you."

"Others read it as a story, but only you, Yuan Kong, took it as a treasure map."

Yuan Kong had no real rebuttal.

Li Yingling had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, so the river posed no threat to her—but Yuan Kong couldn’t handle it.

Since the barrier was already up, bringing one more person along made no difference. If anything, it was an extra layer of security.

Chu Xingchen led the two into the turbulent currents.

The rushing waters carried thick sediment, turning the underwater world murky and dark.

The faint glow from their spiritual energy only allowed Yuan Kong to make out the swirling sand and stones around them.

Not that he could see anything clearly anyway.

Chu Xingchen scanned the area with his divine sense once more, comparing it to the hand-drawn map Yuan Kong had provided. Still, nothing matched.

Could it really just be a tall tale, written to deceive people?

Li Yingling observed her master’s expression. "Master, is something wrong?"

Chu Xingchen shook his head slightly, then turned to Yuan Kong. "Were there any other key hints in that scripture?"

"Hints?" Yuan Kong blinked, then frowned in thought. "It only mentioned that the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, to save all beings, transformed himself into an inner realm, severing love and hatred, cutting off emotions and grudges..."

Regardless of the story’s authenticity, one phrase stood out—severance...?

Chu Xingchen pondered for a moment before nodding in understanding. With no other options left, it was worth a try.

A surge of immense spiritual energy erupted from him as two small, translucent hands materialized behind his back.

The right hand swept outward, parting the muddy waters with sheer force.

The other hand spread its fingers, releasing a vast mirror-like expanse of energy that covered the entire riverbed, reflecting everything below.

Chu Xingchen raised his gaze to the luminous screen above.

Mountains and rivers were inverted within it.

Li Yingling and Yuan Kong quickly grasped the idea and followed his lead, staring at the projection.

"Severance divides inside from outside. The scenery within and without is reversed." Chu Xingchen’s eyes locked onto a small hill in the reflection. "There it is."

Withdrawing his energy, the phantom hands dissipated.

Chu Xingchen guided the two toward the submerged hill.

Having recently studied cultivation basics, Li Yingling recognized this technique—something only a Nascent Soul cultivator could achieve.

She couldn’t help but blurt out, "Master, that was a Nascent Soul-level technique, wasn’t it?!"

"What’s the matter? Realizing you underestimated your master?" Chu Xingchen replied coolly. "There’s still much about me you don’t know."

"Of course not! My master is a peerless expert capable of sweeping through the Xuanwu Kingdom!"

"Your expression when we first met said otherwise."

Li Yingling grinned. "That was before I started cultivating. I didn’t know any better!"

As they bantered, Chu Xingchen reached the hill at the riverbed. After confirming with his divine sense, he raised a hand and shattered it with a single strike.

Beneath the rubble lay a massive, weathered head of Guanyin.

The statue’s features were worn, but its eyes were covered by a yellow cloth strip inscribed with black runes that flickered faintly.

Chu Xingchen pulled the statue into the barrier and glanced at Yuan Kong.

"Your turn, Dharma Child."

Finally, Yuan Kong’s moment to shine. Confidence brimming, he strode forward without hesitation and reached for the yellow cloth.

A surge of dark energy blasted him backward, slamming him into the edge of the barrier.

Neither Chu Xingchen nor Li Yingling spoke. Their calm gazes simply rested on the once-confident monk.

No disappointment, no pity—as if they’d expected this all along.

The dark energy had left Yuan Kong’s body numb and tingling. As he clutched his chest, struggling to recover, their silent judgment bore into him.

Those eyes seemed to say—We always knew you were useless. This is no surprise.

"That was just a mistake! I wasn’t prepared!" Yuan Kong scrambled to his feet. "Let me read the runes properly this time!"

Chu Xingchen’s tone was flat. "Go ahead."

Yuan Kong hurried back to the statue and studied the runes intently.

He murmured them aloud:

"Oṃ Ami..."

After a few lines, he paused. This... didn’t sound like Buddhist scripture.

It was more like the incantations his senior brother had once taught him.

Clasping his hands into a mudra, he channeled his spiritual will and shouted:

"Oṃ Śavava...!"

His will surged into the yellow cloth—

BOOM.

A far more violent wave of dark energy erupted. Chu Xingchen swiftly shielded Yuan Kong, but the backlash still sent the monk tumbling head over heels.

Li Yingling sighed. "Master, you should handle this."

"Wait—" Yuan Kong scrambled up, watching as Chu Xingchen prepared to act.

"You want another try?"

"No... Just wait until I’m farther away."

Clutching his chest, Yuan Kong scurried to the edge of the barrier before giving the signal.

Chu Xingchen stared, speechless at the monk’s shamelessness.

Despite his abysmal performance, Chu Xingchen couldn’t help but feel this man had a bright future ahead...

Truly, a product of the Zen Forest Temple’s teachings.

Now, it was his turn. A living Deity Transformation expert might warrant caution, but a dead one? What threat did it pose?

Chu Xingchen’s gaze sharpened as the two phantom hands reappeared behind him, lunging for the yellow cloth.

The moment they grasped it, the runes flared violently, unleashing a torrent of dark energy against the spectral limbs.

Hmph, not bad.

Frowning, Chu Xingchen intensified his efforts. The phantom expanded further, revealing a miniature version of himself seated atop a white lotus, expression serene yet detached. The tiny hands gripped the cloth and pulled—

The black runes leaped from the fabric, attacking the illusion.

But the seated figure simply rose, planting a foot on the assaulting script—

CRACK.

With a sharp tug, the yellow cloth was ripped away.

The statue’s true visage was revealed:

Guanyin’s wrathful glare, eyes burning with boundless fury, as if ready to devour all existence.

"Only through killing can war cease!"

The moment the statue’s eyes were exposed, a thunderous roar erupted from it.

The surroundings twisted violently.

Chu Xingchen sensed the shift but remained unfazed.

This must be what Yuan Kong referred to as the Inner Realm—the very place where all the treasures he mentioned would reside.