Supreme Sword Exalt

Gu Han felt it was necessary to clarify this issue, “Master, I really am not destined with your Buddha. Look, this is my first time seeing this little bald—ahem, Young Master, and also my first time seeing you. Where does this fate come from?”

To be honest, he felt he had a strong fate with demons. The golden seal, Qian Ye, Gu Tian, the demoness, and Yu Miao were all deeply connected to him.

The old monk smiled benevolently and pointed at the bodhi seed. “This is fate.”

Gu Han was speechless. He felt that this master’s skill in promotion surpassed even his cultivation realm.

He felt a bit unconvinced. “Master, if I return this item to you, will that fate be severed?”

The old monk shook his head. “Not really. From the moment this item reached your hand, it has been tainted by your vital qi. Such is the arising of fate. Whether you return it or not, you have already formed a karmic connection with our Buddha.”

That’s the explanation? Why couldn’t I control my greed?! Gu Han was dumbfounded. He looked at the bodhi seed and regretted it deeply.

He was full of emotion. “Master, I admire you!”

He realized he had still underestimated the old monk. His skill with words was ten times greater than his promotion ability.

After mulling it over, Gu Han decided to take the bodhi seed. Since our Buddha is so enthusiastic and eager to be fated with me, shouldn’t I give our Buddha some face?

Either way, Gu Han really didn’t dare stay any longer. “Master, can I take my leave?”

He was afraid that if he listened to the old monk’s silver tongue any longer, he would be persuaded to shave his head on the spot.

The old monk put his palms together, showing no intention of stopping him. “Benefactor, go as you wish.”

“Thank you for the treasure, Master. May we have fate again—” Gu Han quickly stopped himself, then cupped his hands and vanished into the distance. “Ahem, farewell, farewell!”

Wu Xin was a bit confused. “Master, why give away such a supreme treasure so casually? Besides, he doesn’t seem like a person who believes in Buddha...”

The old monk sighed softly. “He has killing intent toward you, but no killing heart. His hands are stained with blood, yet he harbors no malevolence in his heart. That is enough.”

Wu Xin felt a little unconvinced. If I let it out, he definitely wouldn’t be able to beat me.

The old monk sighed. “Enough. Come with me.”

With a gentle brush of his robe, the two of them vanished.

When they reappeared, they stood before a solemn and ancient monastery. Layers of light shrouded the sky above the monastery, with faint projections of heavenly dragons flashing past. Within the monastery were two rows of bodhi trees. As the green bodhi seeds swayed in the wind, faint sutra chants echoed from within.

In the center of the great hall, a golden Buddha sat in solemn and majestic splendor. Over a hundred monks silently recited sutras here. Without paying them any heed, the old monk brought Wu Xin to the back mountain.

Standing silently before the thatched cottage were two monks. One was middle-aged and solemn, while the other was a young man clad in white, exuding an ethereal air. Not far away lay three bodies. Their faces were no different from ordinary people, except for slight bulges at their brows and backs, which seemed a bit strange.

Upon seeing the old monk, the two monks quickly put their palms together and bowed. “Senior.”

The old monk had a mysterious origin and an extremely high stature, so they dared not show the slightest disrespect.

Wu Xin greeted the young monk, “Hui Ren, fancy seeing you again.”

His innocent smile seemed wholly at odds with his bloodied robe. Hui Ren nodded slightly, caution flashing in his eyes.

The middle-aged monk was a bit at a loss. “Senior, this was already the third group in the past six months. Just like before, I couldn’t get a single word out of them before they killed themselves using that divine power. There was nothing I could do to stop them.

“They are all at the Transcendent realm. The divine essence is of little use to them. So why do they keep coming to die, group after group?”

The old monk sighed softly as he glanced toward the depths of the back mountain. “Great chaos is approaching. From today onward, I shall guard this place myself.”

“Thank you for your trouble, Senior.”

The old monk then added, “Wu Xin, come with me. From now on, you must not leave my side for even a second.”

Wu Xin was reluctant, but still followed, occasionally glancing at the three corpses. Curiosity and deeply concealed bloodlust flickered in his eyes.

After the two had left, Hui Ren asked softly, “Master, you’ve never let me enter that God-Slaying Formation. What exactly is sealed inside?”

The middle-aged monk hesitated for a moment before revealing the truth. “A head.”

***

Inside a dilapidated room in the Southern Border, Yun Tu devoutly knelt before the divine statue. Strands after strands of red mist flowed into his seven orifices.

After a long while, he slowly stood up and sighed.

Yun Ao stood outside the door, even more transparent than before. Upon seeing Yun Tu’s expression, he raised an eyebrow. “What? Failed again?”

Yun Tu lazily tucked his hands into his sleeves and trudged outside. “Not exactly a failure. The head of a god is the most important part. Their deaths at least bought us some useful information. That gray-robed monk seems to place great importance on this matter. The Ascension realm... We’re still a bit weak.”

Yun Ao shook his head. “Don’t look at me. I’ve exhausted the last of the Dragon Seal’s power to defeat that Feather Transformation cultivator for you. I need a long time to recover.”

Yun Tu smiled. “It doesn’t matter. One is enough. We’ve caused too much commotion lately, so we need to lie low for a while. But before that, there is still one major event!”

As his voice fell, four figures landed before him. Three Saints and one Feather Transformation. If anyone from the Southern Border were here, they would easily recognize that these individuals were either great sect masters or holy land masters.

The Feather Transformation realm cultivator, in particular, had an astonishingly significant background and origin. Yet before Yun Tu, they all appeared extremely respectful, with fanatical gleams in their eyes.

“We pay homage to the Divine Emissary!”

Yun Tu turned solemn. “The divine one’s resurrection is imminent. Today, I shall establish a cult so that the divine one’s glory may spread throughout the world!”

They knelt on the ground, chanting incessantly, “Glory to our God!”

From the divine statue in the side room, threads of red mist drifted and fell upon them. Expressions of utter rapture covered their faces as their backs writhed and four thick arms extended outward. The skin on their brows split open, revealing a single crimson, giant eye.

Disgust flitted across Yun Ao’s eyes.

Despite being tainted by divine power, they did not seem to have lost their sanity.

The Feather Transformation realm cultivator was full of fervor. “Divine Emissary, since we are establishing a cult, what is its name?”

Yun Tu walked back into the side room, propped himself before the divine statue a few times, and said fervently, “To resurrect the divine one, the cult’s name will be The Resurrect! From today onward, I am the cult leader of The Resurrect!”

They were full of fanaticism as they kowtowed incessantly. “We pay homage to the cult leader!”

Yun Ao’s tone carried a hint of mockery. “You couldn’t make it any more obvious. Aren’t you afraid of that old blind man?”

Yun Tu had a devout expression. “When the divine one resurrects, he will be the first to die!”

***

Inside the forbidden zone, Luo Wushuang walked slowly forward, shrouded in a faint yet indistinct immortal light. Neither the bleached bones nor the faint wails and howls of ghosts and demons alike bothered him.

Just then, the endless strange mist twisted and coiled, transforming into layers of ghostly shadows. They lunged at him, threatening to tear him apart. However, the moment they touched his immortal light, they melted away like ice under the blazing sun. ℯℯ𝑙.

After an unknown amount of time, he slowly came to a stop. Amid the churning strange mist, a faint, three-chi-long ancient path appeared. It was seemingly real yet illusory, winding and stretching to an unknown destination.

The immortal light in his eyes intensified once more, as if vaguely sensing something. “The path is broken? Never mind. I’ll just reconnect it!”