74: Chapter 74 The Causal Monument

Gu Sheng smiled. The Wan Jian Holy Land wanted to steal their base, and the Buddhist Sect wanted to keep all the benefits for themselves. In the end, his meddling had turned them into bitter rivals.

"System, what is the reaction of the Wan Jian Holy Land right now?"

Inside his mind, [Host, the life tablets of those three Disciples from the Wan Jian Holy Land have shattered, and the images of their final moments were sent back to the Holy Land. Although you obscured the truth, they only saw Buddhist light and Arhats. Now, the main force of the Wan Jian Holy Land is rushing toward the Western Barrens, presumably to demand an explanation from the Buddhist Sect.]

"Now that's interesting." Gu Sheng set down his cup.

The flying boat passed through a thick layer of clouds, and the endless pagodas of Brahma City came into view. Golden Buddhist light converged above the city, forming a massive screen of light. The rhythmic chanting of Sanskrit echoed, shaking the soul.

The Ten Thousand Buddha Dharma Assembly had arrived.

Gu Sheng stood up and beckoned to Luo Qingxue. "Put on your veil. We're here to observe the ceremony, so let's not be too flashy."

Luo Qingxue didn't say a word, taking out a white veil to cover her face. As for Su Qianxue and her father, Gu Sheng had arranged for them to rest temporarily in a hidden cabin of the flying boat.

At the gates of Brahma City, Cultivators were as numerous as threads in a fabric.

Just as Gu Sheng stepped off the flying boat, the System's notification sounds began to flood his mind.

[Detected Taichu Holy Land Grand Elder Qi Zhen.]

[Detected Wuji Holy Land Saint Mo Wen.]

[Detected the Great Xia Dynasty's Secret Guard Commander.]

"They're all here." Gu Sheng snapped open his folding fan and strolled leisurely into the city.

As he passed the city gate, two gatekeeping warrior monks reached out to stop him, eyeing Gu Sheng with unfriendly gazes.

"Invitation," the monk said in a stiff voice.

Gu Sheng casually tossed out the gold-leafed invitation. The monk took it, and his expression changed instantly.

"Master of Tianji Pavilion?"

Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow. "What, I don't look the part?"

"We wouldn't dare." The monk bowed and stepped back. "The Abbot requests your presence; please, Pavilion Master, proceed to the main hall of the Great Leiyin Temple for a discussion."

"No need, I will find my own place to stay." Leading Luo Qingxue, Gu Sheng plunged into the bustling market without looking back.

Notably, at the moment Gu Sheng entered the city, an ancient bronze bell in the deepest part of the Great Leiyin Temple rang out on its own, without any wind.

Dong—

The sound of the bell was distant and deep, echoing throughout the entire city.

Countless old monks opened their eyes and looked toward the city gates.

Eastern Region, Tianshui City.

The horizon was dyed pitch black.

It was the tide raised by an army of a hundred thousand Sea Race members. Giant whales carried war drums, and the thunderous drumming made the walls of Tianshui City tremble.

Chu Kuangren stood on the city wall, his palms drenched in cold sweat. In his several hundred years of life, this was the first time he had seen the Dragon Clan come out in full force.

Inside the city, at the Haiyue Inn.

Ye Yuan sat on the second floor, a plate of freshly peeled grapes before him. Nie Xiao still stood at the door, his single arm hanging down and his broken saber sheathed.

"Young Lord, the Fifth Ancestor of the Dragon Clan has arrived." Chu Kuangren's voice transmission entered the room, his voice trembling.

Ye Yuan picked up a grape and tossed it into his mouth. "If he's here, he's here. What's the rush?"

In the sky, the clouds suddenly exploded.

A golden dragon, a thousand feet long, burst through the clouds, its scales reflecting a blinding light under the sun. As the golden dragon appeared, a saintly pressure as heavy as a mountain descended. Countless Cultivators with weaker cultivation within the city were forced to their knees, and some even exploded on the spot.

The Fifth Ancestor of the Dragon Clan, Ao Kun.

"Junior of the Ye Family, get out here and meet your death!"

The dragon's roar, mixed with the pressure of a Half-Saint, shattered the buildings surrounding the Haiyue Inn. Only the inn itself, under the protection of Nie Xiao's Saber Intent, didn't lose so much as a roof tile.

"Uncle Nie, he's making too much noise while I'm trying to eat fruit." Ye Yuan clapped his hands, stood up, and walked to the window.

Nie Xiao said nothing.

He took a single step and was already in mid-air.

His lone arm gripped the rusty hilt. There was no flashy opening move; he simply delivered a plain, upward slash.

A pitch-black saber beam sliced through the sky without warning.

The golden dragon Ao Kun had been confident of victory, but the moment that saber beam appeared, his scales stood on end. He tried to dodge, only to find that the surrounding space had been completely sealed by that domineering Saber Intent.

"Impossible! How can such a saber technique exist in the Eastern Region!"

Ao Kun roared, thrusting out a dragon claw in an attempt to crush the saber beam.

Pfft.

A torrential rain of blood poured down.

A massive dragon claw was severed cleanly from the root. Accompanied by Ao Kun's agonized roar, it crashed heavily into the sea, kicking up waves a hundred feet high.

Tianshui City fell into a deathly silence.

Those hidden old monsters who had intended to watch the Ye Family be humiliated now all retracted their Divine Sense, fearing they would be targeted by the one-armed man.

With one strike, he had crippled the claw of a Half-Saint.

Ao Kun transformed into a golden-robed old man, his face pale, with golden dragon blood flowing uncontrollably from his severed arm. He stared at Nie Xiao, his eyes filled with terror.

"Just who are you?"

Nie Xiao looked at him, his voice raspy. "If you keep shouting, the next strike will take your dragon head."

Ao Kun was speechless. He could feel that the other party hadn't even used their full strength in that strike. If he truly wanted to kill him, he would be a dragon corpse by now.

Notably, in a wine shop in the south of the city, the woman holding the red umbrella stopped her movements. She looked at Nie Xiao in the sky, her fingers tightening slightly around the umbrella handle.

"Is this the foundation of the Hidden Ye Family?"

"This strike is more than just a Half-Saint's level. Interesting."

Inside the Haiyue Inn, Ye Yuan sat back down in his seat.

"System, how is the harvest?"

[Host, the emotional value from the Eastern Region has reached its peak. The Fifth Ancestor of the Dragon Clan's breakdown contributed 15,000 destiny points. Those old fogies hiding nearby were terrified, contributing a total of 20,000.]

Gu Sheng, receiving the System's feedback in the Western Barrens, was delighted.

The harder they fought in the Eastern Region, the more chips he had on his side.

"The auction in Tianshui City will proceed as planned." Ye Yuan's voice pierced through the void and echoed across the city. "Three days from now, right here in the Haiyue Inn. Besides the True Dragon Essence Blood, the Ye Family will also present several ancient divine weapons. If the Dragon Clan wants their essence blood back, bring enough Spirit Stones."

Ao Kun gritted his teeth, but he didn't dare utter another harsh word. He rolled up the clouds and retreated with the Sea Race army in a pathetic state.

The sky of the Eastern Region had completely changed.

Meanwhile, in Brahma City of the Western Barrens.

Gu Sheng led Luo Qingxue into a teahouse called "Guiyun."

Interestingly, the manager of this teahouse was a hairless monk who had returned to secular life. He was fiddling with Buddhist beads, but his eyes betrayed a sharp shrewdness.

"Pavilion Master, please take the seat of honor." The manager personally led the way.

Gu Sheng sat down and looked out the window at the towering pagoda of the Great Leiyin Temple.

"The Ten Thousand Buddha Dharma Assembly is in three days."

"What exactly is that so-called 'great treasure' of the Buddhist Sect?" Gu Sheng asked.

The manager leaned in and whispered, "I heard it's a stele that fell from the Upper Realm, engraved with the Karma of all living beings. The Buddhist Sect wants to use it to reshape the Laws of the Western Barrens and turn this territory completely into a Buddhist Kingdom."

"The karma monument?" Gu Sheng snapped his fan shut.

"That sounds like it's worth a lot of money."

"System, can I draw that thing?"

[Host, that is a product of the Heavenly Dao; it cannot be drawn. However, if you can damage it or steal it, your destiny points will at least double.]

Gu Sheng took a sip of tea, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"However, have those monks considered the Demon Race while they play like this?"