The upcoming battle between Qin Xuantian and the Golden Buddha Temple.
News of this had recently been causing a stir on the martial arts forums, drawing the attention of many martial artists—its popularity even surpassing that of the battle with Hong Tianshu by the Huangpu River!
Regardless of Hong Tianshu's strength, he was, after all, just a Martial Arts Grandmaster from Nanyang. His notoriety wasn't as high in Mainland China, where his influence was mainly among the common folk.
But the Golden Buddha Temple was different.
This was a hidden sect of martial arts, far stronger than any martial artist faction in the secular world. It boasted several Grandmasters, among whom were powerhouses on par with Hong Tianshu!
It was said that the abbot of Golden Buddha Temple might have already stepped into the Innate realm, becoming a Great Grandmaster, no weaker than Master Xu He of Mount Tai!!
Now, Qin Xuantian had actually declared he would flatten Mount QianFo alone and exterminate the entire Golden Buddha Temple!
Naturally, the world was shocked! All under heaven were shaken!!
This drew countless martial artists to Mount QianFo, all eager to witness this unprecedented battle.
Clearly, this man called Wei He was also one of the martial artists attracted here.
Qin Heng could see clearly that this man's martial arts skills were numerous but only at the Open Force level. Even the strongest among his several bodyguards was merely at the peak of Open Force. They were far too weak. Qin Heng wasn't interested and couldn't be bothered with him.
An Yue lacked independent sentience, possessing only instinct. She wouldn't have reacted to Wei He's questioning and completely ignored him.
A brief silence fell.
Wei He frowned. Feeling that An Yue's attention wasn't on him at all, he turned to Qin Heng and said, "Friend, what should I call you? Your female companion is a bit arrogant, isn't she?"
"I advise you to shut up. Otherwise, she might kill you on the spot," Qin Heng said indifferently. "An Yue doesn't react to normal conversation, but if she hears too many provocative or insulting words, she instinctively takes action."
After all, she possessed the strength of the peak Transcendence Realm; killing Wei He would be easier for her than crushing an ant.
Then, Qin Heng paid Wei He no further attention. He took An Yue with him, turned, and headed up Mount QianFo.
"Fine, fine, fine! Such audacity!!" Wei He trembled with anger as he watched Qin Heng and An Yue walk away. Just wait until my sect members arrive, you'll be sorry!
"Brother! Master and Dad said earlier that many important people are coming to Mount QianFo this time. You shouldn't offend people carelessly!" Wei He's sister ran up to him and said, "There are many important figures we can't afford to provoke."
"Important figures? That kid?" Wei He scoffed disdainfully. "He has fair skin and an unsteady gait, and he breathes just like an ordinary person—obviously without any martial arts skills! His female companion does give off a faint oppressive aura; she's probably a decent martial artist. But such a young girl definitely hasn't reached Hidden Force. He's probably just some rich kid out for a stroll with a pretty bodyguard!"
"Brother! What if he's a disciple from some top-tier hidden sect?" the young woman sighed again. "I heard from Master that in hidden sects, it's not uncommon for people in their twenties to have reached Hidden Force!"
"Psh! How could that be? Have you ever seen big shots from hidden sects driving BMWs?" Wei He shook his head. "Don't overthink it. When the elders from our sect arrive, I'll show that kid just how formidable our Heart Intent Sect is!!"
Qin Heng led An Yue up the mountain. Extending his Divine Sense, he realized there were already many martial artists on Mount QianFo.
These included not only martial artists from the Golden Buddha Temple but also many who clearly had not trained in Buddha Gate martial arts.
Spectators? A thought crossed Qin Heng's mind, recalling the scene at the Huangpu River that night.
It wasn't strange for such a major battle to attract spectators.
The Golden Buddha Temple on Mount QianFo was known as a scenic spot, but that was merely its public facade. The real Golden Buddha Temple was hidden deep within Mount QianFo. Without guidance, it would be difficult to find.
As Qin Heng and An Yue approached the gates of the Golden Buddha Temple, a short, frail-looking young man with remarkably bright eyes approached them. He said cheerily, "Hey, you two must be martial artists here to watch the battle.
I'm just a humble member of a small local sect called the Gophers Sect, and I can be your guide. If you could spare a little money to help with my household expenses, I'd appreciate it.
You've just arrived at Mount QianFo and are probably unfamiliar with the terrain. Finding the Golden Buddha Temple might be difficult, but I can lead you there. It'll only cost two hundred yuan."
"Oh?" Qin Heng looked at the young man and asked with a smile, "What should I call you?"
"Just call me Little Zhang," the young man replied with a smile. "Our Gophers Sect might not be powerful, but we're experts in terrain surveying and intelligence gathering. Don't worry, I won't cheat you! Hehe, just follow me."
With that, Little Zhang walked ahead, saying, "Follow me, I'll take you both to the Golden Buddha Temple. I know a spot that's especially good for watching the battle. Whether Qin Xuantian fights inside or outside the Golden Buddha Temple, I guarantee you'll have a clear view of the action."
Qin Heng, noncommittal, narrowed his eyes slightly and followed.
Little Zhang led the way. He guided Qin Heng and An Yue along various secluded mountain paths, eventually arriving at a rather spacious clearing.
Not far ahead stood a majestic Buddhist monastery. Built deep in the mountains, it was shrouded in a hazy mist. Under the sunlight, glimmers of gold, like Buddha's light, could be seen.
From this vantage point, one could see most of the Golden Buddha Temple, as well as the area before its main gates.
It was just as Little Zhang had said: an excellent spot to watch the battle.
Qin Heng took out a thousand yuan and handed it to Little Zhang, smiling. "It can't be easy doing your line of work, bringing people here honestly."
During the journey, this fellow from the Gophers Sect had many opportunities to lead them into secluded places and rob them. But he hadn't. Of course, if he had, it would have been a death wish.
Little Zhang was startled. He accepted the thousand yuan, then returned eight hundred to Qin Heng, smiling. "This is a rule of our Gophers Sect: anyone who dares to scam others will be crippled and thrown into the mountains to feed the wolves.
Money is a good thing. It can buy clothes for my wife and sweets for my daughter. But one shouldn't be greedy. The rules state how much I should take, and that's all I take, hehe."
Then he turned to leave, saying with a laugh, "Well, I'll be taking my leave now. I need to find other customers."
With a few swift movements, he disappeared.
Moral character isn't determined by social status, Qin Heng mused, nodding slightly.
This man from the Gophers Sect, though weak and shabby-looking, had a good heart. He followed the rules and could restrain his greed—a decent person indeed.
Qin Heng had arrived relatively early. Gradually, martial artists began to gather on the surrounding platforms, their numbers growing. By midday, hundreds of people had assembled.
Among them were many Half-step Grandmasters and true Grandmasters. There were even some elders with profound and imposing auras, their power reaching the very limits of the Transcendence Realm—peak Grandmasters!
The battle between Qin Xuantian and the Golden Buddha Temple had alerted nearly every martial artist in Sichuan and Shu, as well as those from the surrounding provinces! Anyone who had the time had rushed over.
However, Qin Heng was in no hurry to act. He sat cross-legged on the stone platform, meditating with his eyes closed.
He had stated at the Nie family's residence that he would act in three days, and he would definitely wait until the appointed time.
Once tonight passed, it would be the day of the Golden Buddha Temple's annihilation.
"AAAHHH!!!"
Suddenly, a horrific, agonized scream pierced the air.
The surrounding martial artists, who were preparing to watch the battle, all turned toward the source of the sound. Qin Heng frowned and opened his eyes as well.
This scream sounded familiar.
Immediately after, a figure was flung through the air from a distance, landing with a THUD in front of Qin Heng.
It was a young man of modest stature, wearing somewhat old clothes. A few hundred yuan had fallen from his pocket, stained with blood. It was Little Zhang, the very same guide from the Gophers Sect who had led Qin Heng here earlier.
He had been beaten to a pulp and was covered in blood. Most of his bones were broken, his limbs twisted at unnatural angles. His martial arts, which had barely reached the Open Force level, had been completely crippled. He was thoroughly broken.
"I was wondering where you could have run off to. Turns out you came to the Golden Buddha Temple as well." A contemptuous voice followed; it was Wei He, the one who had accosted An Yue at the foot of the mountain earlier.
This time, his sister was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was accompanied by two burly young men and an elder.
"You lowly scum from the Gophers Sect, what's all the screaming about? I asked you something, and you dared not answer! Not killing you on the spot was letting you off easy!" Wei He glanced at Little Zhang writhing on the ground, then turned to Qin Heng.
"Kid, you probably don't know this, but I asked this worthless Gophers Sect trash about your whereabouts, and he actually refused to tell me! I had no choice but to break his bones one by one to make him talk, but he still wouldn't speak!
It's really strange. How much did you pay him to keep his mouth shut?"
"It's... the rules of the Gophers Sect!!" Little Zhang gasped from the ground, barely clinging to life, yet still managing to retort.
"HAHAHA!!" Wei He sneered. "Rules? A bunch of gutter rats like the Gophers Sect have rules? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!!"
Then, pointing at Qin Heng, he said to the elder and young men, "Master, Senior Brothers! This is the kid who said our Heart Intent Sect is trash and that even his female companion could beat us!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the elder and the two young men hardened, their eyes blazing with anger as they stared at Qin Heng.
One of the young men stepped forward, sized Qin Heng up, and snarled, "Kid, I don't care who you are. Insulting our Heart Intent Sect is a death wish! Cripple your own legs and get lost!!"
The surrounding martial artists sighed.
"The Heart Intent Sect! They're notoriously tyrannical among the secular sects in the south!"
"Being tyrannical is normal for them. The sect master of the Heart Intent Sect is a Grandmaster; how many people can afford to offend him?"
"Hehe, this kid is finished. He offended the Heart Intent Sect—he's a dead man!!"
Hearing the surrounding murmurs, Wei He grew even more arrogant. He tilted his head back, looking down at Qin Heng with utter contempt, and sneered, "Did you ever imagine this outcome when you were acting so high and mighty earlier? You little whelp! Offending my Heart Intent Sect means you're courting death! Now, cripple your own legs and scram!!"
"The Heart Intent Sect…" Qin Heng glanced at Little Zhang on the ground, then at the swaggering Wei He. He said calmly, "An Yue, kill him."
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