79: Chapter 79 Who goes out without bodyguards?

The old monk flicked a bead on his prayer necklace.

"Karma is a cycle. Since you have taken something from the Buddhist Sect, you must leave something behind."

As he spoke, Saint-level might descended.

There were no flashy light effects. The bluestone slabs under Gu Sheng's feet simply shattered silently, turning into extremely fine powder. The bamboo in the purple bamboo forest began to wither from the roots, their life force forcibly stripped away.

The Golden Great Era had not fully commenced, and the suppression of the Heavenly Dao remained. The old monk dared not unleash his full strength for fear of attracting a Heavenly Tribulation to strike him down. But even if he only used ten percent of his Saint-level might, it was enough to crush a Cultivator at the Dao Integration Stage.

Luo Qingxue stepped forward, blocking Gu Sheng.

The nine nether soul-suppressing zither lay across her front as the Lunar Origin burned wildly. Her black hair stirred without wind, and the temperature around her dropped to a terrifying extreme. Even the Saint-level might emitted by the old monk experienced a brief lag under this intense cold.

"You go first." Luo Qingxue's voice was devoid of any fluctuation.

She intended to sacrifice her Origin to forcibly activate the Ultimate Path Spiritual Tool and stall this old monster. She had died once three hundred years ago; now, it would just be dying once more. It was only the debt she owed Gu Sheng that she feared she would never be able to repay in this lifetime.

A hand pressed onto the zither strings, suppressing the rampaging Lunar Qi.

Gu Sheng pulled Luo Qingxue behind him and tapped her forehead casually.

"Is this how Xuanming Hall taught you, to risk your life at every turn?" Gu Sheng said in a casual tone. "This body of yours was reshaped by this Lord at a great cost. Can you afford to pay if you break it?"

Luo Qingxue looked at him. The man in front of her was only at the Golden Core Stage and could barely stand under the Saint-level might. Yet, he stood straight, not even the frequency of his folding fan's swaying had changed. That sense of relaxation was definitely not faked.

The old monk looked at Gu Sheng: "Does Your Excellency still have a trump card?"

"I wouldn't call it a trump card." Gu Sheng closed his folding fan and tapped his palm. "It's just that when traveling, one must bring a few bodyguards. Otherwise, if I run into a Great Master like you who enjoys blocking the road to beg for alms, wouldn't I be at a great disadvantage?"

He looked at the old monk, smiling innocently.

"You actually believed I came alone?"

The old monk frowned. His Divine Sense swept the surroundings; apart from them, there wasn't even an ant in the purple bamboo forest. Bluffing?

Gu Sheng snapped his fingers.

"Chen Yi, Ye Guyun. Come out to receive our guests."

The space behind the old monk split open without warning.

Two figures stepped out from it, one on the left and one on the right.

The person on the left was in a green robe, holding a wine gourd, reeking of alcohol. It was the Sword Saint who had severely wounded the Human Emperor of Great Xia in the Great Xia Secret Realm, Ye Guyun.

The person on the right wore coarse linen clothes, his hands tucked into his sleeves like an old farmer who had just returned from the fields. It was the Great Grandmaster of Formations, Chen Yi.

The moment the two appeared, the prayer beads in the old monk's hand snapped with a "pop."

The wooden beads scattered across the ground, rolling into the dirt.

Two Saints.

And these were two Saints who had not restrained their aura at all, forcing their arrival while bearing the suppression of the Heavenly Dao!

Thunder rumbled faintly in the sky; the Heavenly Tribulation was brewing. The clouds above Great Leiyin Temple quickly turned black, and purple lightning darted through the cloud layer.

Chen Yi looked up and pulled a few Formation Flags that were neither gold nor jade from his sleeves, tossing them casually into the sky.

"Sky-Covering." Chen Yi spat out the two words lightly.

The Formation Flags vanished into the Void Realm, turning into an invisible net that completely isolated this part of the purple bamboo forest from the outside world. The brewing Heavenly Tribulation lost its target, and the thunderous rumbling miraculously subsided. Deceiving the heavens—this was the method of a Great Grandmaster of Formations.

On the old monk's withered face, other emotions finally appeared. It was dread of the unknown.

No matter how deep the foundation of Great Leiyin Temple was, they could not just pull out two Saints to fight to the death. Not to mention that there was a karma monument on the front mountain absorbing blood. If a war really started here, this back mountain along with the ley lines would be reduced to ruins.

"Who exactly are you?" The old monk's voice was no longer dry, carrying heavy caution.

"Master of Tianji Pavilion." Gu Sheng reopened his folding fan. "Didn't I introduce myself just now? The Great Master is old, and your memory isn't very good."

Ye Guyun took a sip of wine and drew the long sword at his waist. The tip of the sword pointed at the old monk's nose, the smell of alcohol mixed with sharp Sword Intent forcing the old monk's Saint-level might back by ten zhang.

"My Lord, where should I chop?" Ye Guyun asked very seriously.

Chen Yi, on the other hand, smiled as he looked at the Dao Integration Stage head: "This little monk has delicate skin and tender flesh; he's perfect for filling the eye of the Formation. My killing Formation is just lacking a living sacrifice."

The Dao Integration Stage head's legs went weak, and he knelt directly on the ground. He had studied Buddhism for hundreds of years, but this was the first time he had seen a Righteous Path Cultivator more arrogant than a demonic Cultivator.

The old monk pressed his palms together and closed his eyes. He knew very well that it was two against one, and the other party had also blocked the perception of the Heavenly Dao. If they really fought, he would have to enter Nirvana here today.

"Amitabha." The old monk sighed. "It is this old monk who was blinded by appearances. Since Your Excellency has taken the item, please feel free to do as you wish."

He conceded.

Gu Sheng looked at the old monk: "The speed at which the Great Master changes his face is faster than turning a page. However, I was a bit frightened just now. How should the mental damages be calculated? The rules of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion have never allowed for empty-handed returns."

The old monk's eyelids twitched.

He reached into his robe and took out a golden Bodhi seed, tossing it to Gu Sheng.

"This is a sarira left behind when the first abbot of Great Leiyin Temple passed away. It can avoid the Heart Demon and extend one's Lifespan. Consider it an apology to Your Excellency."

Gu Sheng caught the Bodhi seed and weighed it.

[Detected a Saint-Grade Heaven And Earth Treasure, can be exchanged for 30,000 destiny points.]

"The Great Master is generous." Gu Sheng put the Bodhi seed into his storage ring. "Chen Yi, Ye Guyun, withdraw the Formation."

The two put away their weapons and Formation Flags, retreating back into the Void Realm. They came without a shadow and left without a trace, not even leaving behind any spatial fluctuations.

The wind in the purple bamboo forest began to blow again.

Gu Sheng took Luo Qingxue and swaggered back along the original path. When passing by the old monk, Gu Sheng paused for a moment.

"The karma monument on the front mountain has quite a large crack. Instead of blocking the road here, Great Master, you might as well go to the front mountain and help. If you are too late, there really will be no Buddha left in the Western Wasteland."

The old monk kept his head down, saying nothing.

It was not until their backs completely disappeared outside the bamboo forest that the Dao Integration Stage head dared to crawl up from the ground.

"Junior Martial Uncle... we just let them leave like that?"

The old monk looked at the wooden beads on the ground, his voice exhausted.

"Everlasting Gu Family, Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. The sky of the Central Plains is about to change. Send down the order: Great Leiyin Temple is closing its mountain, no guests allowed."

Leaving the area of Great Leiyin Temple, the chaos in Brahma City continued. The demonic Cultivators had grabbed enough resources and were retreating in batches under the cover of the Nether Ancestor. Zhao Tiangang of the Wan Jian Holy Land had also led his people out of the battle circle; they did not intend to wade into this muddy water again.

The flying boat was parked in a hidden valley outside the city.

Luo Qingxue held her zither, walking beside Gu Sheng.

"Who were those two people?" she asked.

"They are retainers of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion," Gu Sheng said casually. "They usually take on some private jobs outside, and I only call them when there is something to do. I provide room and board, and occasionally give them some Spirit Stones."

Luo Qingxue did not pursue the question further. She found that she was increasingly unable to see through this man. At the Golden Core Stage of cultivation, he could casually summon an old servant of the Creation Realm, a black-robed person at the Half-step Creation Realm, and now even Saints had become his hired hands. Even in its prime, the Xuanming Hall did not have this kind of foundation.

In her mind, a System pop-up lit up.

[Ding! Host successfully acted cool in front of a Saint and extorted the foundation of Great Leiyin Temple. Obtained 80,000 destiny points.]

[Host, you are really sly. You clearly brought two max-level characters, but you insisted on waiting until they were about to make a move before letting them out.]

Gu Sheng replied in his heart: This is called a trump card. If you play your trump cards at the start, how can you play the rest of the game?

The flying boat ascended into the sky, heading towards the Central Plains.

The Ten Thousand Buddha Dharma Assembly in the Western Wasteland had become a complete farce. The Buddhist Sect was severely injured, the Demonic Sect had gained enough benefits, and the Wan Jian Holy Land had suffered a loss in silence. And the biggest winner was lying on the sofa of the flying boat, calculating the next deal.

"Those old guys in the Central Plains should be unable to sit still now," Gu Sheng said, looking at the sea of clouds outside the window.