Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chen Zhan asked three questions in a row, his voice very soft, so that only the sweeping monk in front of him could hear him.

"If not, then how are the standards for a master set?"

He took a step forward, his aura and power erupting once more, directly confronting the old monk. "Is it that the strong are respected? If so, then I am stronger than your Shaolin Temple now, and I have the right to condemn your sins and destroy your Buddhism!"

"If there is an imperial decree or His Majesty's edict proving that everything you have done is permitted by the court, then I will apologize to you, stop immediately, turn around and leave, and will not linger."

Chen Zhan stared intently at the old monk: "Well? Does the master have it?"

"This"

The old monk was stunned. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

His expression was full of embarrassment and helplessness, and he was speechless after being asked by Chen Zhan.

He knew in his heart that everything Chen Zhan said was true. Shaolin had never consulted with the court, nor had it received any imperial decree. It was all Shaolin's own decision.

They act recklessly and arbitrarily, relying on their own power.

In a secluded corner outside the courtyard, a figure, enduring the excruciating pain of a severed arm, secretly observed the scene.

When Qiao Feng heard Chen Zhan's question, his eyes were filled with disbelief, followed by a complex mix of emotions.

For more than a year, he stepped out of his identity as the leader of the Beggars' Sect, conducted extensive investigations, and learned more about the truth: Shaolin was not the Shaolin he had known since childhood.

The Buddha is not the Buddha described in Buddhist scriptures.

Everything is hypocritical; they say one thing and do another.

But unlike Chen Zhan, he couldn't speak eloquently; he just felt something was off.

Upon hearing this, I calmed down and thought about it carefully, and suddenly everything became clear to me.

Shaolin has never changed; it has always been hypocritical.

Those whom Shaolin wants to exterminate are evil demons and heretics, those who are utterly wicked and deserving of death by everyone. Even if they harm the innocent, they can still grandly claim it is "for the greater good of the nation and its people".

But when others want to kill Shaolin people or attack Shaolin, it is considered illegitimate, an indiscriminate killing of innocent people, and an increase in bloodshed. Shaolin will then criticize them and demand that they be "handed over to the imperial court for trial."

What's the logic behind this?
The murderous intent in Qiao Feng's eyes grew even stronger.

However, due to the severity of his injuries, he was unable to make a move.

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear the dust settling on the ground.

The old monk stood with his eyes lowered, his hands clasped together, the prayer beads silently turning between his fingertips, and he silently chanted the Rebirth Mantra, his expression complex and difficult to discern.

His eyes reflected not only guilt for the tragic deaths of his disciples and followers, but also helplessness at the evil deeds committed by Shaolin, and powerlessness in the face of the current situation.

He certainly couldn't produce an imperial edict.
However, the Tongxuan Heavenly Domain surrounding them did not relax in the slightest, and the invisible barrier still enveloped the small courtyard.

He couldn't just stand by and watch Chen Zhan continue the slaughter. Even if he was in the wrong and couldn't win, he had to protect the remaining Shaolin disciples and safeguard the foundation of Shaolin.

"Hehe, it's alright, it's good that you've come out."

Chen Zhan's purpose was not to force the old monk to produce any decree.

Even if all those high-ranking monks of the Xuan generation were combined, their vital energy and essence would not be as abundant as that of the Sweeper Monk alone.

Unlike the Sweeping Monk, who was bound by the Mother Insect's Nest and reluctant to leave, the Sweeping Monk, if he were to keep fleeing, would indeed find it difficult to completely eliminate the insects in the Mysterious Heavenly Domain.

Now that the old monk has shown himself, it suits his wishes perfectly.

Sensing the killing intent and intention in Chen Zhan's eyes, the Sweeping Monk's brows furrowed and his gaze suddenly sharpened.

The Tongxuan Heavenly Domain around him instantly contracted, and all the pressure from the field was concentrated on Chen Zhan.

The remaining monks, who had been imprisoned, immediately felt a great sense of relief. Their bodies went limp, and they regained their ability to move. Their faces were filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.

An endless pressure from the field swept over Chen Zhan like a mountain pressing down, compressing the air around him and even causing subtle ripples in the void.

An ordinary expert would have been crushed to dust by this pressure, but Chen Zhan remained calm and instead slowly increased his blood output.

The dragon-shaped qi and blood that were wrapped around his body instantly fixed itself, no longer churning, and instead slowly emerged from within.

Its form has undergone a complete transformation.

His hands grew jet-black, sharp tiger claws, his body was covered in thick dog fur, his back was hunched like a bear's, and his face was still human, but with a more ferocious beast-like appearance.

A thick, long tail sprouted from its back, and its entire body was covered with a layer of red and black blood-red scales that gleamed with a cold luster.

This was the first time he had revealed the ultimate form of this "Dragon and Tiger in Harmony" move to the world, and also the first time he had completely released the ferocious beast's blood energy within his body.

Unlike its previous prototype, its current form is more exquisite and detailed, with lifelike features such as fur, claws, long tail, and scales. Even though it is all formed from the condensation of blood and qi, it is no different from a real ferocious beast.

The most noticeable change was in his eyes.

The original human eyes have been transformed into vertical pupils, with a cold and bloodthirsty light flashing in the pitch-black pupils, exuding a pressure originating from an ancient ferocious beast, making people tremble.

This bizarre turn of events terrified all the surviving monks present, their faces turning deathly pale.

Even the sweeping monk's eyes widened in astonishment, his face showing shock for the first time. In his more than 100 years of life experience, he had seen countless martial arts masters and extraordinary people, but he had never seen such a terrifying beast in its form.

"A ferocious beast! A Taotie!"

Xuan Du hid in the corner, trembling all over, but still couldn't help but gasp.

Before becoming a monk, he was a wealthy young man who was well-read and extremely interested in all kinds of strange tales, ancient legends and stories.

Seeing Chen Zhan's appearance at this moment, I was immediately reminded of one of the four ferocious beasts recorded in ancient books.

Taotie!

It is ferocious and bloodthirsty, and is the most vicious creature in the world.

"As expected... as expected, you're not human! You're a demon, a ferocious beast! A demon sent to wreak havoc on humanity!"

The monks of the Hui generation were already terrified. When they saw Chen Zhan transformed into a Taotie, they could no longer control their fear and cried out for help. Their voices were shrill and filled with despair.

Chen Zhan, who was completely covered by the field, was completely unaffected.

He slowly raised his arm, and with a gentle swipe of his jet-black tiger claw, the movement, though seemingly slow, carried a power that could tear everything apart, as if slicing through a mirror, forcefully creating a gap in the Tongxuan Heaven Domain set up by the Sweeper Monk.

"Bam—!"

With a muffled thud, an invisible figure suddenly appeared from nowhere in the void, throwing a punch at Chen Zhan's head. The punch was fierce and the true energy was surging. It was the true energy phantom that the Sweeper Monk had secretly set up.

The punch had just landed in front of Chen Zhan when it was caught by an even larger tiger claw.

Chen Zhan transformed into a Taotie, a ferocious smile curling at the corner of his mouth. His voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of a beast's roar, unlike that of a human: "I've seen this move before!" As soon as he finished speaking, his demonic claw suddenly yanked hard.

The void shattered instantly, and a transparent phantom fell out of it.

The phantom was actually an old monk formed entirely from true qi, exactly like the Sweeping Monk.

Before the illusory image of true energy could react, the tiger tail behind Chen Zhan swept out like a steel whip, lashing the illusory image with a whooshing sound.

"Snapped--!"

With a crisp sound, the illusory image of true energy shattered instantly, turning into specks of light that dissipated into the air without leaving a trace.

“Master, you know perfectly well what Shaolin is doing, yet you hide in the Sutra Pavilion like a coward, condoning your disciples’ evil deeds, exploiting the people, and harming the innocent.”

Chen Zhan's voice grew increasingly ferocious, influenced by the blood and qi of a savage beast, his tone tinged with a bloodthirsty madness, "You deserve to die for your inaction..."

As soon as he finished speaking, his body surged violently, and his violent blood energy broke through the restraints of the surrounding field, forcefully withstanding the pressure of the Tongxuan Heavenly Domain, and shattering the void in front of him inch by inch.

The once empty void began to ripple, and then a sense of shattering appeared, like glass covered with cracks.

The next moment, Chen Zhan appeared in front of the Sweeper Monk, his speed far exceeding the Sweeper Monk's reaction limit.

Fist against palm, or rather, claw against palm.

"boom--!"

With a deafening roar, the boundless true energy surging around the Sweeping Monk was torn apart like paper in the face of Chen Zhan's violent blood and qi power.

His body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and his expression instantly became listless.

However, Chen Zhan was faster than him.

Before the sweeping monk could land, Chen Zhan shot out from his spot, caught up with the old monk who was flying backward, and stomped down hard with a powerful force, like a meteor falling to the ground, carrying the momentum of destroying the world.

The sweeping monk was stepped on and slammed heavily onto the bluestone slab.

The stone slab shattered instantly, sending fragments flying. He spat out another mouthful of blood, his breath growing weaker and weaker.

Chen Zhan did not stop. He followed closely behind and caught up again, slapping with his claws, punching with his fists, and sweeping with his tail. He fought and chased at the same time. No matter where the Sweeper Monk flew, he was faster and gave his opponent no chance to breathe.

The two men moved with great force, and each collision unleashed a tremendous power that affected the entire courtyard.

Except for Gu Yu, who was agile enough to avoid the attack in time, everyone else was affected.

The remaining surviving monks all perished. Wherever the aftershocks of the power swept, monks were either killed or wounded, their screams echoing everywhere. In a short time, dozens more monks died tragically in the aftershocks of the two men's clash.

After exchanging more than a dozen blows, the remaining monks finally realized what was happening.

With only endless fear in their hearts, they had no more thoughts of resistance. They turned around and fled, running frantically towards the front hall and down the mountain, hoping to save their lives.

Seeing this, Gu Yu, wielding her long sword, flashed and chased after several monks who were running slower. However, the monks scattered and fled in all directions, and she was ultimately unable to stop them all. She could only watch as most of the monks fled into the distance.

Meanwhile, Chen Zhan had completely torn apart the Tongxuan Heavenly Domain on the Sweeper Monk's body.

His beastly claws grabbed the sweeping monk by the neck and lifted him high into the air.

With his other hand, he pressed it against his chest, and a surge of violent blood energy flowed from his claws, colliding fiercely with the true energy within the Sweeper Monk's body.

After a brief stalemate, the Sweeper Monk's true energy gradually became no match for Chen Zhan's blood and qi, and he began to retreat step by step, his meridians breaking inch by inch.

"puff--!"

Chen Zhan suddenly exerted force with his five fingers, and the jet-black tiger claws pierced straight into the Sweeper Monk's chest, crushing his heart in his hand.

The sweeping monk's body stiffened abruptly, and the light in his eyes dimmed instantly.

Chen Zhan twitched his fingertips slightly, and a surge of violent blood energy flowed continuously from the Sweeper Monk's body, flowing along his fingertips into the crimson relic in mid-air.

The relic absorbed the sweeping monk's life essence and cultivation, its color becoming increasingly crimson. The Buddhist light and bloody aura around it intertwined, making it even more eerie and powerful.

After dealing with the Sweeper Monk, Chen Zhan moved swiftly, transforming into a red and black afterimage, and began a thorough massacre in the back mountain of Shaolin.

Shaolin Temple has a strict hierarchy, and the status of monks can be distinguished by their robes.

The more elaborate and exquisite the embroidery on a monk's robe, the higher his status. He was either a high-ranking monk or a core disciple, both of whom were the backbone of Shaolin.

In this way, the massacre becomes extremely simple.

Chen Zhan specifically targeted those dressed in elaborate monk robes, his attacks ruthless and deadly, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Whether they were monks in meditation rooms, martial monks in Bodhidharma monasteries, or disciples guarding the library near the sutra repository, anyone of high status was doomed to die.

One hour, a full hour.

Behind Shaolin Temple, blood flowed like a river, and corpses littered the ground. Every hall and every path was covered with bodies and bloodstains. The stench of blood was so strong it was pungent, and even the mountain wind carried a bloodthirsty aura.

There are many monks in the back mountain of Shaolin Temple, and Chen Zhan cannot kill them all.

He did not pursue or kill the young monks who ran around and fled to the front hall, nor the outer disciples who were not yet of age.

Even if he wanted to destroy Buddhism, it was impossible for him to slaughter everyone associated with Buddhism.

His target has always been the core members of the three major Buddhist sects, high-ranking monks. As long as the three major Buddhist sects cease to exist, and as long as no one can use the power of Buddhism to exploit the people and do evil, that will be enough.

Inside the front hall, worshippers were offering incense and paying homage to the Buddha.

They also heard the shrill screams coming from the back mountain. Their hearts were filled with horror, and they no longer had any intention of worshipping Buddha. They rushed down the mountain, fearing that they would be caught in the calamity and lose their lives.

Several more hours passed, and the sun began to set.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on Mount Song, illuminating the entire Shaolin Temple in a crimson hue, as if it were stained with blood.

The entire Shaolin Temple on Mount Song fell into complete silence. Gone were the days of lingering sandalwood incense and the chanting of monks. Only the cries of birds and beasts and the howling of the wind through the forest remained, creating an eerie and desolate atmosphere.

Some daring martial arts practitioners and local villagers secretly went up the mountain to investigate, only to witness an extremely horrifying scene.
Behind Shaolin Temple, corpses lay strewn everywhere, and blood flowed like a river. None of the renowned Xuan-generation monks were spared.

Most of them were never found, with only some tattered monks' robes and bloodstains remaining as evidence of their existence.

Such earth-shattering news could not be kept secret.

The monks who escaped down the mountain, still in shock, spread the news of Shaolin's destruction and the deaths of all its eminent monks to the public.

July 10th.

Xuan Yang Demon Lord, Mount Song, Destroying Buddhism (End of Chapter)