"Vile spawn, how dare you?!"

The middle-aged Confucian Scholar bellowed with rage, his figure sliding forward, descending from the sky, thrusting his sword directly toward Lei Jun in fury. The torrential Sword Qi converged at this moment, forming a long river of Sword Qi that spanned the sky, majestically accompanying the thrust toward Lei Jun.

Lei Jun remained calm.

In addition to his life-bound Heavenly General Talisman, he had also activated a high-grade Spirit Talisman from the Celestial Master Mansion: the Five Ding Open Mountain Talisman.

As the power of the Spirit Talismans interacted, his body flickered with light. His already tall stature seemed to grow even taller, as if he were a guardian deity of the Taoist Sect descending to earth, overwhelmingly majestic and inviolable. The short rod in his hand, bathed in the flowing radiance, seemed to extend automatically, transforming into a long staff.

Facing the vast, river-like torrent of Sword Qi, Lei Jun swung it.

And then, the middle-aged Confucian Scholar who had descended from the sky was sent flying backward even faster than he had arrived.

With Lei Jun's swing, the grand river of Sword Qi was rent asunder in the middle, the turbulent shockwaves tearing apart to either side.

The long sword in the middle-aged Confucian Scholar's hand shattered, inch by inch, and even the hilt was torn from his grasp.

He himself, spewing blood, streaked across the sky and crashed heavily into the forest, sending branches and leaves flying.

Lei Jun, still standing in his original spot, gazed at the forest and raised an eyebrow.

A short while later, a figure emerged from the woods.

It was a middle-aged monk.

The monk wore simple robes, his face etched with suffering, and his expression was solemn. He was carrying another person, severely wounded and on the brink of death—the very same middle-aged Confucian Scholar Lei Jun had just sent flying.

The Confucian Scholar, who had appeared refined and scholarly moments before, was now drenched in blood, his life hanging by a thread. He had only survived thanks to the ascetic-looking monk catching him in time.

"My Buddha is merciful." The ascetic monk gently laid the middle-aged Confucian Scholar down, then turned to Lei Jun, pressing his palms together. "Young Taoist, your strike was perhaps too ruthless. Though our paths diverge, we are both individuals who have renounced worldly affairs; it is only right that we cherish compassion."

Lei Jun's gaze shifted from the half-dead middle-aged Confucian Scholar. He calmly regarded the monk, "And how should I address you, Monk?"

His tone was somewhat impolite, yet the monk showed no anger, his expression remaining solemn. "This humble monk is Dexiang, of Xuantian Temple. Might the Young Taoist be a distinguished disciple of Dragon Tiger Mountain's Celestial Master Mansion?"

Xuantian Temple. One of the Four Sacred Grounds of the Buddhist Sect, located in Jinzhou in the north. They were typically low-key, but in the eyes of the local populace, the eminent monks of the temple were like living Buddhas gracing their homes.

But Lei Jun merely looked at him calmly. "Monk, you already knew who this poor Taoist is. Why feign ignorance?"

Dexiang Monk replied, "This humble monk was merely passing by and could not bear to witness such slaughter. Thus, I attempted to mediate..."

Lei Jun interrupted, "Before you became a monk, was your surname Ye, or was it Gao?"

Dexiang Monk responded, "Those who have taken vows consider the four great elements to be void. Everything before becoming a monk is merely a worldly tie."

Lei Jun's question was abrupt, but Dexiang Monk answered smoothly, his expression unchanged. Lei Jun, however, chuckled. "To pick up is to let go, and to let go is to pick up. Monk, you seem to have thoroughly grasped this principle. Not only have you not let go of your past connections, you're holding onto them even tighter."

As he spoke, he hefted the long staff in his hand, took a single step, and in an instant, he was before Dexiang Monk, bringing the staff down on his head!

The ascetic-looking Dexiang Monk remained motionless, his palms still pressed together. A faint, colored glaze-like sacred light emerged on the surface of his dark skin, coalescing into what seemed like a protective alms bowl, shielding him within.

Lei Jun's ferocious strike landed on the alms bowl.

Cracks appeared on the surface of the colored glaze alms bowl, but it did not shatter. Surprise flickered in the eyes of both men simultaneously.

Dexiang Monk said no more, silently chanting scriptures.

The colored glaze sacred light reconverged, this time transforming into the shape of a Lotus Flower. As the Lotus Flower bloomed, it once again enveloped Dexiang Monk at its center.

Lei Jun, however, did not press the attack. He returned to his original position, as if his feet had never moved.

Then, just as expected, several smaller Lotus Flowers, also formed from the colored glaze sacred light, materialized around the large Lotus Flower protecting Dexiang Monk. The aura of these Lotus Flowers was restrained, appearing unremarkable, yet they seemed to contain a profound mystery.

The Four Sacred Grounds of the Buddhist Sect, while all part of the Buddhist Taoist Heritage, each possessed their own unique traditions. For instance, Master Longjia, who had unexpectedly intervened in the battle for the Celestial Master Seal, was the Great Elder of the Vajra Temple in the Western Marches. The Buddhist heritage he cultivated was known as the Vajra Lineage, which the outside world also commonly called the Hand-Seal Dharma. Xuantian Temple in Jinzhou, however, was the Ancestral Court for the Precept Holder lineage of Buddhist cultivation.

The Disciples of Xuantian Temple cultivated by upholding precepts. Over many years, by instilling these precepts within themselves, they accumulated vast and profound power. Yet, they often practiced restraint, focusing primarily on their own spiritual cultivation. Thus, it was commonly said that the monks of Xuantian Temple were the most low-profile and seldom engaged in disputes.

Indeed, when it came to actual combat spellcasting, they generally lacked potent methods to decisively defeat their enemies. However, while lacking in offense, they excelled in defense. As long as they didn't break their precepts, the continuous empowerment from these precepts, while a form of restriction, also provided the Disciples of Xuantian Temple with wondrous protection, allowing them to remain steadfast against any external storm.

In the cultivation world, it was universally acknowledged that when it came to defensive arts, the Precept Holder lineage of the Buddhist Sect was unequivocally number one. Even the Human Great Elixir of the Taoist Alchemy Cauldron Sect cultivators was considered inferior in comparison. In a battle between Cultivators of comparable overall realm and strength, virtually no sect would dare claim they could breach the defenses of a Precept Holder from the Buddhist Family.

At this moment, Dexiang Monk before Lei Jun was doing just that, manifesting a Lotus Flower to insulate himself from the harsh elements of the outside world.

It wasn't entirely true that the Precept Holder lineage of the Buddhist Sect could only defend and lacked any offensive measures. The few small Lotus Flowers he had manifested around himself were such offensive techniques. However, these techniques lacked killing power and were primarily used to restrict and ensnare opponents.

Precepts were for self-discipline, not to be forcibly imposed on others. However, Disciples of Xuantian Temple who reached the Middle Three Heavens level of cultivation could, to some extent, attempt to 'edify' or 'enlighten' the worldly. If they were Disciples from the Lower Three Heavens, they could genuinely only endure attacks without retaliating. Fortunately, almost no one at the same realm could actually harm them.

Most Disciples of Xuantian Temple were unconcerned with worldly affairs, pursued ascetic cultivation, and handled matters with discretion, so few people sought trouble with them.

But now, things seemed somewhat different… Lei Jun observed Dexiang Monk calmly.

The man before him perfectly fit the image of an ascetic Disciple of Xuantian Temple. His Xuantian Temple cultivation and Buddhist Law were genuine; he was a bona fide Disciple of the Precept Holder lineage at the Fourth Layer of Heaven.

But even among Precept Holders, there could be differences. People studying the same Taoist Laws could turn out to be entirely different individuals. Lei Jun had faintly sensed earlier that another expert was hidden nearby. And as expected, after Dexiang Monk appeared, he was clearly biased. Xuantian Temple was located in Jinzhou. Due to their customary low profile, their relationships with prominent families like the Jinzhou Ye Clan and the Zezhou Gao Family weren't particularly tense. But theoretically, even if not tense, their relationships shouldn't be excessively close either. Unless… The Celestial Master Mansion itself had Disciples like Fang Jian, Chu Andong, and Chu Kun. It was easy for Lei Jun to imagine that the Jinzhou Ye Clan or the Zezhou Gao Family might have also infiltrated Xuantian Temple. Although Fang Jian and Chu Kun, upon joining the Celestial Master Mansion, hadn't completely severed ties with their families, they generally identified more as Celestial Master Mansion Disciples. The Dexiang before him, however, seemed to be a different case…

Lei Jun moved again.

Dexiang, fully focused, continued to chant scriptures.

As Lei Jun swung his long staff, he shattered all the small Lotus Flowers. Before Dexiang could react further, Lei Jun was once again before the giant Lotus Flower, striking it fiercely!

Instantly, the seemingly indestructible giant Lotus Flower had its colored glaze brilliance and petals scattered and shattered by Lei Jun's relentless blows.

Dexiang was forced to retreat involuntarily. The giant Lotus Flower around his body shrank, reforming into a smaller, yet more condensed, Lotus Flower to protect him.

Although the Zezhou Gao Family was a renowned and powerful family, compared to the Celestial Master Mansion and the Jinzhou Ye Clan, their heritage and foundation were somewhat lacking. Both being at the Fourth Layer of Heaven cultivation, the middle-aged Confucian Scholar had been no match for Lei Jun. Dexiang Monk, hailing from the Buddhist Sacred Land of Xuantian Temple, though focused solely on defense, was clearly far more resilient.

However, as Dexiang retreated and the Lotus Flower shrank, the middle-aged Confucian Scholar he had been protecting was left exposed outside its shield.

Lei Jun looked at Dexiang, his movements unhurried. He lifted one foot.

Then, right before Dexiang's eyes, he stomped on the middle-aged Confucian Scholar's forehead.

The middle-aged Confucian Scholar's eyes widened, but he could not withstand his skull being crushed. His life was instantly snuffed out.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.