Chapter 171: Arrogance Comes at a Price

"Buddhist Son, what has made you so furious?"

The abbot of Xushan Temple was known as Master Kongwen, possessing the cultivation realm of a Mahayana Heavenly Man. Yet, despite this, he remained thoroughly respectful before the Buddhist Son Fayin. What significance did an abbot of Xushan Temple truly hold?

To put it bluntly, this was a case of exile from the center of power. To use a pleasant term, he had been dispatched on an external mission; in harsher words, he had been banished.

In contrast, the person before him was the successor to the abbotship of the Joyful lineage, one of the seven great branches of Buddhism. His status and prestige vastly surpassed Kongwen's by countless margins.

Fayin said in a cold voice, "Xuruo is dead."

Kongwen's expression shifted instantly, and he asked with indignation, "Who committed such an act? They clearly hold no regard for our Buddhism."

"Wait a moment, Buddhist Son. I shall investigate immediately."

"There is no need."

Fayin let out a cold snort. "I likely know who is responsible."

"It must be her."

The visage of Chen Wanwan surfaced in his mind. "Chen Wanwan, the Saintess of the Heavenly Demon."

Kongwen's expression turned unnatural in an instant.

"Buddhist Son, this..."

He was well aware of the temperament of the Buddhist Son before him. Hailing from the Joyful lineage, he naturally practiced the Joyful Zen Scripture, harboring an extreme fondness for women. Without exception, any female targeted by the Joyful lineage failed to escape his grasp, ultimately reduced to vessels for dual cultivation and drained until only white bones remained.

If she were merely an ordinary woman, it might have been manageable.

The crucial issue was that she happened to be the Saintess of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Land.

If you attempt to convert their Saintess, would the Heavenly Demon Sacred Land ever let the matter rest?

Fayin sneered, "What? Are you afraid?"

Kongwen advised cautiously, "Buddhist Son, Chen Wanwan is, after all, the Saintess of the Heavenly Demon. Perhaps we should let this matter go."

Fayin replied with utter disdain, "And what if she is the Heavenly Demon Saintess? A woman caught in the eye of Fayin shall never escape my palm. I am determined to have this woman."

"Moreover, I have a premonition. If I can practice the Joyful Zen Scripture together with her, it will undoubtedly enable me to step into the Unity realm in a very short time."

The Joyful Zen Scripture bore a wondrous similarity to the Evil Dragon Art.

A single thought could lead to Buddhahood, while a single thought could lead to devilry.

The Joyful Zen Scripture was gentle in its approach, much like boiling a frog in warm water.

The Evil Dragon Art, however, was violent and fierce.

In truth, what most people did not know was that the Evil Dragon Art had evolved directly from the Joyful Zen Scripture.

The Evil Dragon Art had become classified as one of the ten great evil arts, with every practitioner hunted by all.

Yet the Joyful Zen Scripture, shielded by the prestige of Buddhism, provoked secret resentment from many who dared not speak their anger aloud. Instead, it was accepted as a legitimate Buddhist technique and managed to be passed down through the generations.

It even became one of the seven core branches of Buddhism.

Although this Buddhist Son Fayin possessed a relatively modest cultivation at the God Transformation realm, the influence of the Joyful lineage was by no means small. They were ruthless to their enemies and entirely deranged among their own.

As a mere disgraced abbot banished to Xushan Temple in the Taixu Holy City, how could he ever dare to defy the will of such a figure?

Persuasion was the best course if possible.

If persuasion failed, he would simply have to devise other alternatives.

Since matters had reached this juncture, Master Kongwen had no choice but to compromise. He asked, "Buddhist Son, how do you intend to handle this situation?"

Fayin scoffed coldly, "Bring your people and march straight to their doorstep."

"Xuruo's death would certainly have left the *Swastika* Buddhist seal upon the murderer. Finding them will be effortless. I want Chen Wanwan, and as for the rest, leave none alive."

This was no Buddhist Son.

He was nothing more than a common bandit.

Master Kongwen nodded and said, "Then I shall accompany you on this trip, Buddhist Son."

Fayin nodded. "If you do not go, who else will?"

"Let us go and drag this Chen Wanwan back to me."

...

Just as Ji Ling'er was enlisting the Ji family to investigate Fayin's whereabouts, Chu Feng had never expected that Fayin would seek him out of his own accord.

And the speed was astonishing.

Before the news from the Ji family had even arrived, the man had already tracked him down.

All of this was accomplished through the tracking of the Buddhist *Swastika* seal.

Over a dozen monks arrived before the inn.

Buddhist Son Fayin wore a bewitching yet cold expression, while Master Kongwen’s face had drained of color, filled with internal terror as he warned, "Buddhist Son, are you certain that the one who murdered Master Xuruo is inside this very inn?"

Buddhist Son Fayin gazed coldly at Master Kongwen without uttering a word.

Master Kongwen instantly realized that this was a sign of Fayin's growing irritation, and he hurriedly explained, "Buddhist Son, you may not know this, but residing within this inn is an existence that even the Ji family holds in awe, even the Ji family's..."

"Enough."

Buddhist Son Fayin sneered, "If Master Kongwen is afraid, you may return. I shall enter by myself."

With those words, he strode boldly toward the inn.

It was already too late for Master Kongwen to stop him.

Watching the Buddhist Son step into the inn, he could only grit his teeth and quickly chase after him.

His lips moved incessantly, chanting Amitabha, terrified that a moment's delay might lead to some unforeseen calamity for the Buddhist Son, leaving him with eternal regret.

Upon stepping across the threshold, Kongwen's heart was flooded with terror. His legs felt as heavy as if they bore the weight of a thousand jun, making even the slightest movement an excruciating ordeal.

Yet, because of this slight hesitation on Kongwen's part, Fayin had already arrived before Chu Feng and the others.

In truth, the moment Fayin arrived, Chu Feng had already sensed him.

He was quite curious to see what tricks this Buddhist Son intended to pull.

As soon as Fayin reached Chu Feng's group, his gaze instantly fell upon Chen Wanwan. Nor was that all—he soon noticed several other women of equal beauty standing alongside her.

"Beauties, peerless beauties, and there are several of them."

"Furthermore, the moment each of these beauties laid eyes on me, they actually stirred a feeling of longing in my heart. No, these beauties shall all be mine."

"Once I convert them and slowly harvest their essence, I will undoubtedly reach the Mahayana realm in a short time, and then I can contend for the position of the First Buddhist Son of Buddhism."

At this moment, Fayin completely failed to notice the presence of Chu Feng; his eyes were entirely consumed by the stunning women.

Bringing his palms together in a salute, he smiled as he walked up to Chen Wanwan and said, "Female Bodhisattva, we meet again. This poor monk is Fayin, the Buddhist Son. I wish to make the acquaintance of the Female Bodhisattva. I wonder if you would grant me this honor?"

"Of course, it would be even better if I could make the acquaintance of the other female Bodhisattvas as well."

"Little bald donkey, you must be daydreaming in broad daylight."

Chen Wanwan did not afford Fayin even the slightest trace of pleasantness, mocking him mercilessly.

"You certainly possess a great deal of nerve. Previously, you coveted my beauty, attempted to hunt me down, and sought to convert me. Now you dare to show your face here again. Truly, you have no idea how to spell the word 'death'."

"To borrow a frequently used phrase from my husband: There is a path to heaven which you refuse to take, yet you insist on crashing through the gates of hell. Since you seek your own demise, I shall grant your wish."

With that, she prepared to strike down the Buddhist Son Fayin.

Just as she moved to attack, however, she was stopped by Chu Feng.

"My dear wife, do not be flustered. This little bald donkey is bullying my woman, so naturally, I should be the one to deal with him."

"Watch how your husband handles this little bald donkey in a moment."

"Buddhist Son, truly laughable to the extreme. Ignorant of life and death, you actually ran right to our doorstep to court destruction. How could we possibly spare you easily?"

Boom!

What manner of cultivation did Chu Feng possess?

Fayin had indeed noticed Chu Feng when he made his move, catching sight of the *Swastika* Buddhist seal upon him. He had instantly recognized that this was the man who had slain Master Xuruo, and he had been about to spew fierce threats. Yet, who could have anticipated that Chu Feng would completely disregard conventional approaches, directly sending a palm strike crashing toward him?