Qin Mu's eyes widened in utter astonishment, a feeling of bizarre absurdity washing over him. The sword light had just bypassed him entirely, striking straight for Foxin's forehead and piercing clean through his skull, leaving him no chance to block.
This sword light had arrived without warning, its intended target being him, the Heavenly Demon Cult Master. But in his clash with Foxin, he had been using the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra, its Buddhist light piercing the heavens, while Foxin wielded the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, steeped in demonic energy.
The flying sword's owner was still over a li away. Under the hazy moonlight, seeing only the brilliant radiance emanating from the two figures, they had launched the sword, taking Foxin's life in an instant.
As attendants of the Crown Prince, their skills were naturally exceptional. They practiced orthodox sword arts, and with Foxin already severely wounded by Qin Mu, he was caught off guard and met his end in confusion.
Beside the boundary monument, the Dragon Qilin was staring down the Sibuxiang. The two exotic beasts had not yet begun their battle when it was already over.
The Sibuxiang, seeing that Qin Mu had not killed Foxin, had just let out a sigh of relief when this sudden sword light caught it off guard as well. Before it could react, Foxin was impaled and killed.
From behind, several figures were rapidly approaching. Without a second thought, Qin Mu immediately retreated toward the Dragon Qilin. The Sibuxiang, witnessing Foxin's death, was thrown into mental chaos, its imposing aura completely suppressed by the Dragon Qilin.
Qin Mu leaped onto the Dragon Qilin's back, and the creature immediately pulled back, turning to race away on clouds of fire.
"This head is mine!" one of the Crown Prince's attendants declared loudly. "No one else dare steal my merit!"
He arrived at the base of the boundary monument and withdrew his flying sword from Foxin's forehead. Just as he was about to sever the head, he paused in confusion: "Why is there no hair?"
Meanwhile, the other attendants arrived and saw that the "Dharma Disciple" had actually ridden away on the Dragon Qilin, while the Sibuxiang that guarded the Great Thunderclap Monastery's gate stood motionless there. All were struck with astonishment.
Qin Mu looked back. Under the moonlight, the Heavenly Demon Cult Master offered a faint smile to the Crown Prince's attendants, making them feel as if plunged into an ice cave.
"The Heavenly Demon Cult Master..."
A chill spread through the attendants' bodies, leaving them at a loss. If the one who had fled on the Dragon Qilin was the Heavenly Demon Cult Master, then who could the person lying dead by the boundary monument be?
With great difficulty, they turned their heads to see one of the Crown Prince's attendants standing there, helplessly reaching out to plug the sword wound in Foxin's forehead, attempting to seal the injury, only to find it useless. He stood up, wanting to drag the corpse away, but turned to see them staring.
This attendant, his mind in complete disarray, looked again at the Dharma Disciple's corpse by the boundary monument, then back at them, then at the corpse again, repeating this several times.
"What do we do?" he asked, his voice choked with a sob. "We came out together. Don't even think about leaving me to take the fall alone. If you report me, you won't escape death either! Killing the Dharma Disciple is a grave sin. The Crown Prince will execute you all as well!"
The other attendants were also at a loss. One spoke in a hoarse voice: "Then we might as well go all the way. Destroy the body and frame the Heavenly Demon Cult Master! He's already piled high with enough crimes; what's one more?"
Another cautioned, "But that Sibuxiang saw everything..."
All of them turned simultaneously to look at the Sibuxiang.
"Kill this deer, and no one will ever know!" they shouted.
The attendants suddenly sprang into action. Countless flying swords shrieked from their sword boxes, forming a rain of blades that descended upon the Sibuxiang. The creature shook its body, revealing its true form, its size growing dozens of times larger. It charged headfirst into the storm of swords. The blades pierced its hide but could not reach its vital organs.
With a thunderous boom, the enormous antlers pinned two of the men against the boundary monument, leaving two bloody stains upon its surface.
The other two hastily fled into the air. This Sibuxiang was a rare species among exotic beasts—its face like a horse, its hooves like an ox's, its tail like a donkey's, and its head like a deer's. Having listened to teachings at the Great Thunderclap Monastery for over a hundred years, it had cultivated immense and formidable powers.
The Sibuxiang shook its head, and the antlers flew from its crown, piercing one through the chest and pinning him to the ground. The other was caught and trampled under its hooves, crushed into dust.
The Sibuxiang shook its head once more. The antlers flew back and settled upon its crown. It glanced at the Dharma Disciple's corpse by the boundary monument, then turned and headed back toward the Great Thunderclap Monastery. Its body was bristling with flying swords, but they were mere flesh wounds, and its speed did not diminish in the slightest.
Not long after, as dawn broke, several elderly monks, led by the Sibuxiang, arrived at the boundary monument. The old monks examined the wounds, their expressions grave.
"The Dharma Disciple has actually died like this..." one of them murmured.
A yellow-robed elder furrowed his brow deeply. "The sword wounds were indeed inflicted by someone from the Crown Prince's entourage. It is not the sword technique of the Heavenly Demon Cult. The weapons also match. However, the Tathagata is currently in conference with the Crown Prince, settling the great plan for the future of the world—to change the dynasty and correct Emperor Yanfeng's reforms, returning to the source. This is a plan for all ages. If it were to be derailed because of this..."
"The Dharma Disciple's passing is indeed sorrowful," another elder said, "but it is merely a stinking skin-bag. Having shed it, he is now free and need not struggle in this great sea of suffering."
"We must not let the Dharma Disciple's death ruin the Great Thunderclap Monastery's plan for all ages. The Tathagata need not know of this. It suffices that we of the Arhat Court are aware."
"But the Dharma Disciple is dead, and several of the Crown Prince's attendants are also dead. This matter cannot be concealed."
"Then tell both the Tathagata and the Crown Prince that the Heavenly Demon Cult Master did it. The Dharma Disciple, in his kindness, went to see the Heavenly Demon Cult Master out of the monastery. At the boundary monument, the Cult Master ambushed and killed him. The Crown Prince's attendants went to his aid but all fell to his treachery."
The yellow-robed elders' faces changed dramatically. One of the Arhats rebuked, "A monk does not speak untruth!"
The elder with the long eyebrows floated upward. "You need not say it. I will say it myself. Afterward, I will return to secular life and leave the monastery. The future of the Great Thunderclap Monastery is at stake. What is my reputation compared to that?"
"Well said, well said! Brother's righteousness is great." The monks pressed their palms together and bowed to him.
...
When the monks of the Arhat Court returned to the Great Thunderclap Monastery, the aged Tathagata had already reached an agreement with the Crown Prince of Yankang and was seeing him off.
"Your Highness should return to the capital immediately. If the Emperor passes and the realm is left without a ruler, and Your Highness is not in the capital, I fear another prince might ascend the throne," he said.
The Crown Prince of Yankang replied solemnly, "What the World-Honored One says is quite right."
Elder Changmei of the Arhat Court stepped forward. "World-Honored One, the Heavenly Demon Cult Master is guilty of countless evils. The Dharma Disciple went to see him off, but the Cult Master ended his life. Several of the Crown Prince's attendants went to rescue the Dharma Disciple and also perished, their souls returning to paradise."
The Crown Prince of Yankang flew into a rage. "How dare this demon! I have not yet troubled him, and he dares to kill my men! World-Honored One, this demon killed even the Dharma Disciple. He is utterly audacious and must not be allowed to go free!"
The aged Tathagata looked at the Arhats of the Arhat Court. The Arhats kept their eyes fixed on the tip of their noses and said nothing.
"Your Highness need not trouble yourself with this matter. Return to the capital swiftly. The Heavenly Demon Cult Master will be dealt with by the Great Thunderclap Monastery."
The aged Tathagata's expression was gentle as he turned to the long-browed monk. "Changmei, how long have you been in the Arhat Court?"
"Replying to the World-Honored One: two hundred and nine years," he answered.
The aged Tathagata smiled kindly. "Go and handle the matter of the Heavenly Demon Cult Master. I grant you permission to return to secular life."
Elder Changmei's heart shook violently. He looked up at the aged Tathagata, but the master had already turned to the Crown Prince of Yankang. "Your Highness, do not delay on your return to the capital."
The Crown Prince agreed and hurried down the mountain, thinking to himself, "This Buddha is truly unfathomable."
Elder Changmei also prepared his things and descended the mountain, thinking, "The aged Tathagata saw through my lie. Thus, before I could even speak, he expelled me from the Great Thunderclap Monastery. He is indeed greatly wise and enlightened. I could never reach such a state in my lifetime. I might as well use this still-useful body to do more for the Great Thunderclap Monastery!"
After descending the mountain, he had not gone far when a voice suddenly came from the sky: "Elder Changmei, why not come aboard and sit for a while?"
Elder Changmei looked up and saw a magnificent towered boat floating in the air, with the Crown Prince standing at its prow, inviting him.
His heart stirred. He immediately leaped into the air and landed on the boat. Bowing in greeting, he said, "Your Highness, I am no longer a monk. In secular life, my surname is Su, and my given name is..."
He paused, then laughed at himself. "I have not used my secular name for over two hundred years. It has been so long that I have forgotten it. Your Highness, please forgive me."
The Crown Prince of Yankang replied, "Even having returned to secular life, you are still half-monk and half-lay. I shall call you Su Changmei."
Su Changmei thanked him. "Then that shall be my name. Why has Your Highness detained me?"
"The Heavenly Demon Cult Master," the Crown Prince said. "This demon cult's villain is full of cunning. He even secretly killed Sun Nantuo, and no clues could be found! Moreover, during the Imperial Academy's winter break, he returned alone to the Great Ruins. I ordered rumors to spread, drawing powerful fighters from all quarters to pursue and intercept him, yet he still lives. And I have learned that the powers who hunted him—Lu Wenshu of the Qiongli Sect, the Blue Fish Wanderer, the Pusa Arhat, the Withered Leaf Daoist, even the Green Mountain Daoist—are all dead! The strength of the Heavenly Demon Cult is no less than that of the Great Thunderclap Monastery! I fear that if you go to hunt him alone, you will only fall victim to his schemes."
Su Changmei was shaken. Lu Wenshu, the Blue Fish Wanderer—these were all formidable figures. The Green Mountain Daoist, in particular, was a righteous cultivator of the Life-and-Death realm, his strength no less than Su Changmei's own!
Even the Green Mountain Daoist had died?
The Crown Prince of Yankang continued, "I have waited here to remind you to plan carefully. The one you will be hunting is not an ordinary person, but the master of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the foremost sanctum of the demonic path. Why not return with me to the capital and plan at a leisurely pace?"
Su Changmei nodded. "Your Highness, the Dharma Disciple's vengeance cannot go unavenged."
The Crown Prince smiled. "What I intend is not merely the head of the Heavenly Demon Cult Master, but to uproot the entire Heavenly Demon Cult and completely eliminate this demonic sect. This aligns with the Great Thunderclap Monastery's goals. Rest assured—even though you are no longer an Arhat of the Great Thunderclap Monastery, after I ascend the throne, I will grant you permission to establish your own sect and become its master, achieving Buddhahood!"
Kunlun Yuxu Mountain, the Dao Sect.
A Daoist boy ran up in panic. "Dao Master, the Tathagata has come!"
The old Dao Master quickly asked, "How many?"
"Just one."
The Dao Master relaxed. "Then it's not a fight. Please invite him in... No, I will go to greet him myself!"
After a moment, the aged Tathagata and the old Dao Master sat down, and all attendants were dismissed. Without pleasantries, the aged Tathagata said directly, "I have met with the Crown Prince of Yankang."
The old Dao Master's heart stirred. With deep implication, he said, "The Crown Prince is far from the Emperor. He is not a ruler suited to govern."
The aged Tathagata replied, "The Emperor is too capable of ruling, which is why this calamity has come. Dao Brother, seeing the suffering of the people under this snow disaster, would you wish for an even greater disaster to descend? The Dao Sect should have records of the Aihuang and Void Era, correct?"
The old Dao Master pondered. "Your Buddhist sect calls it the Aihuang, Void Era, Void Calamity. Our Dao Sect calls it the Kaihuang, Kaihuang Era, Kaihuang Calamity. I have read the records of the Kaihuang Calamity. In those days, a divine kingdom at its peak was destroyed, countless beings suffered, and all turned to ash. I too have been worrying about this matter."
He continued slowly, "A small state with few people, rejecting sages and abandoning wisdom—this is the lesson our Dao Sect learned from that Kaihuang Calamity. A small nation, a sparse population, trusting in no experience, talent, or sage—one can live very well. Everyone can be happy and carefree. Is that not wonderful? The past was better: small states, few people, following the guidance of sects."
The aged Tathagata said, "The Emperor must be changed. The death of one Emperor is far better than the death of the multitudes."
The Dao Master glanced at him. "What benefits has the Crown Prince offered you?"
The aged Tathagata shook his head. "I did not ask him for any benefits."
The Dao Master smiled. "I believe you." He then rose and said, "My Dao Sword has not been wielded for a very long time. I wonder if it has grown dull, or if it can still slay the Dragon Son of Heaven?"