I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

Zhichen didn't die, but he could only crawl out of the hole in the ruined building with difficulty. Blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth, and he was covered in dust and his monk's robe was torn. Where was the demeanor of a high monk?

His eyes were filled with undisguised horror.

"You weren't invited by the Mysterious Sect at all! Who are you?!"

This person's strength far exceeded his expectations, which suddenly made him realize that he could not possibly be an outsider from the Xuanmiao Sect.

How much must the Xuanmiao Sect have to pay to get such a powerful expert to help them?

Just because of a grudge between juniors?

That's not worth it at all!

"I never said I had anything to do with the Mysterious Sect."

Zhong Jiu pointed at Zhi Chen, his tone calm yet laced with murderous intent, and continued, "I've come today to find you, Honglun Temple Zhi Chen!"

"Looking for me?"

Zhi Chen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his body floating in the air, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"This humble monk and you seem to be complete strangers."

Just like the Dragon Lord before him, he was filled with doubt. Why would a stranger specifically ask for him by name?

"Why bother getting acquainted? I've heard that Master Zhichen of Honglun Temple is incredibly skilled and possesses profound Buddhist knowledge. I'm itching to test my skills, so I've come to seek out the master for a friendly exchange."

Zhong Jiu looked at him with a half-smile, but his words were chilling.

"Today, we are determined to determine who is superior and who is inferior, and to decide our fate!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present froze instantly!

Even the four disciples of the Mysterious Sect dared not stay by Zhong Jiu's side any longer. They quickly bowed and hurriedly made their escape.

This person actually dared to name and demand that Zhichen be killed!

This is a huge deal!

Although the Xuanmiao Sect was at odds with the Honglun Temple, and they were secretly delighted to see the Honglun Temple suffer, they had no intention of getting involved in such a deadly situation.

Once involved, both sides will inevitably suffer heavy losses, so they will naturally try to stay as far away as possible, fearing that they will be implicated and their sect will be harmed.

On the other hand, all the disciples of Honglun Temple suddenly looked up at Zhichen, their faces full of shock.

This person is actually Uncle-Master Chong?

"What a perfect match, one that determines both superiority and inferiority, and life and death!"

Zhi Chen gritted his teeth, his anger rising to the top of his head. He had always been the one to coerce others, and had never suffered such humiliation.

He stared intently at Zhong Jiu, his eyes blazing with murderous intent: "Since you dare to say such a thing, there will be no peaceful resolution to this matter today!"

"But your argument is utterly absurd!"

"We have no grudge against each other, why do you insist on killing me? Did someone hire someone to do this, or did I unintentionally offend you?"

Zhong Jiu shook his head and said calmly, "Why so many reasons? You just need to know that if I want to kill you, I'll come."

Murder can be very simple.

No matter how many reasons you give, they are all superfluous. It's better to just say that you don't like me.

Zhi Chen secretly plotted and used Meng Jianglongjun as a pawn to kill hundreds of thousands of people. He did it cleanly and secretly, leaving no evidence whatsoever.

But what if there's no evidence?

Does the lack of evidence preclude him from being killed?

This headless case was left unsolved in the human world, but it just so happened that it encountered the judge of the underworld, who had already investigated the whole story.

This bald monk in front of you is the mastermind who indirectly caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people!

Zhi Chen's scheming that day was to vent his anger; Zhong Jiu's visit to Kyoto today is also to seek justice and vent his anger!

"What a madman!"

Zhi Chen was so angry that he trembled all over, his heart burning with rage.

I've never seen this person's face before. I guess he doesn't have any major sect backing him up. How dare someone without any sect or faction be so arrogant?

How can this be tolerated!

Suddenly, golden light burst forth in Zhichen's eyes, and a phantom image of a Buddha appeared behind him. His hands moved swiftly, forming hand seals, and he chanted a magnificent Buddhist mantra.

"Die! Five Elements Suppressing Magic!"

Amidst the chanting of sutras, a phantom image of a mountain, embodying the power of the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth), suddenly appeared and floated in mid-air.

The mountain was tens of feet high, and the power of the five elements flowed endlessly. Golden knives, wooden blades, ice shards, flames, and earth spikes rose and fell one after another, creating a terrifying aura.

The Buddha's phantom eyes shot out golden light, and with a swift press of his giant hand, the Five Elements Mountain crashed down with earth-shattering force!

The power of the five elements is inexhaustible, and when it operates, it bursts forth with terrifying power, enough to crush everything!

"What impressive Buddhist supernatural powers! Unfortunately, they're no match for me!"

Zhong Jiu came in his true human form this time and did not intend to use magical artifacts such as the Fallen Bell or the Blazing Flame Banner. Instead, he leaped into the air and punched the Five Elements Mountain with both fists!

Compared to the towering Five Elements Mountain, which was dozens of feet high, he was as small as an ant. This attempt to overcome the superior from below gave the illusion of an ant trying to shake a tree.

"Heavenly Dragon Strike!"

A cold glint flashed in Zhong Jiu's eyes, and although he was in human form, a powerful dragon aura suddenly enveloped his body.

This dragon's might is completely different from that of Mengjiang Dragon Lord; it is purer, more ancient, and carries an aura of ancient desolation.

He threw a punch, his move as swift and subtle as a gazelle's horns, yet it resembled the full-force strike of an ancient celestial dragon, its power overwhelming!

This is the ultimate killing technique!

boom!

Zhong Jiu's punch shook the mountain, tearing the Five Elements Mountain apart!

"H-How is this possible?!"

Zhi Chen suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his Five Elements power instantly went out of control, his aura instantly weakened, and his eyes revealed extreme disbelief.

His Five Elements Suppressing Magic, which he had painstakingly cultivated for many years, was broken by the opponent with a single punch.

Such power is clearly beyond comprehension!

Is there such a terrifying art of warfare in this world?!

"Zhichen, you deserve to die!"

Zhong Jiu flashed forward and struck, flicking his finger to aim straight for his brow!

The instant the finger was pointed out, a dragon's roar seemed to resound throughout the heavens and earth, and the entire capital city trembled!

A golden light shot into the sky and transformed into a giant dragon in mid-air. The dragon opened its mouth and roared, making Zhi Chen sweat profusely and his mind tremble violently!

"Senior! There must be some misunderstanding. Please allow me to explain!"

At that moment, the chill of death enveloped his entire body, and Zhi Chen's face turned ashen; he was completely panicked.

While pleading for mercy, he quickly reinforced his own defenses, not daring to delay for even a moment.

First, he formed a hand seal, and the golden bell phantom from before enveloped his body again, protecting him tightly.

But that wasn't enough. He suddenly threw out a string of prayer beads, his natal prayer beads that he had refined for a hundred years. They were connected by heart and mind, but they suddenly shattered and turned into nine burning fireballs that surrounded him for defense.

Finally, he spat out a mouthful of blood essence, and the void suddenly cracked open, revealing a pitch-black kasaya.

This kasaya was a relic of the evil monk who betrayed Honglun Temple and created the "Blood Tempering Tribulation Transcending Difficulty Sutra". After the evil monk was surrounded and killed by Honglun Temple, the kasaya fell into Zhichen's hands.

Such an evil object should have been destroyed, but Zhichen couldn't bear to part with it. This cassock was a rare treasure with extremely strong defensive capabilities.

This item could save lives in critical moments, but it was sealed away because it easily clouded the mind. Now that he was in dire straits, he didn't care about anything else and immediately took out the cassock and put it on.

But no sooner had he finished doing all this than the dragon-shaped golden light had already arrived before him!

The seemingly impenetrable golden bell light shield shattered instantly upon being touched by the golden light, melting snow as easily as under the blazing sun, without the slightest obstruction!

Immediately afterwards, the nine flaming prayer beads defended with all their might, exhausting all their power, and could only barely hold out for three breaths!

Bang, bang, bang... After nine crisp sounds, all the prayer beads shattered!

Zhi Chen spat out another mouthful of blood. He was mentally connected to the prayer beads, and the destruction of the treasure naturally caused him to suffer internal injuries.

At this moment, he had no time to feel sorry for himself and immediately activated the black kasaya, which suddenly unleashed a dense evil power!

Behind Zhichen, a blood-red phantom of an evil monk appeared, its eyes blood-red, and its giant palm pressed down hard, trying to shatter the dragon-shaped golden light!

However, when the two collided, the dragon-shaped golden light remained unstoppable, directly crushing the evil monk's phantom!

The Heavenly Dragon Strike was originally the most powerful offensive technique, and now it was showing its full sharpness. It charged relentlessly and instantly shattered the evil monk's phantom!

At this moment, a furious roar suddenly rang out: "Stop! Don't hurt my junior brother Zhichen!"

The person who arrived was none other than Abbot Zhihong of Honglun Temple. He was leading seven elderly monks and was hurrying over.

The group had gone out to meet with other sects, but upon hearing of the incident at their base, they immediately rushed back.

But now it seems it's too late!

Why would Zhong Jiu listen to his nonsense?!

A golden light pierced through the air, and a bloody hole was instantly blasted into Zhi Chen's chest. He died before he could even scream.

Finally, his eyes widened as if about to burst, and his body crashed down like a kite with a broken string, dying with his eyes wide open!

A blur flashed by, and the tall, thin old monk hurriedly caught him. Looking down and seeing Zhichen's dead state, his eyes widened in horror, and he roared, "Abbot! Junior Brother Zhichen has been killed!"

Zhihong's face was ashen. Without saying a word, eight monks instantly rushed out and surrounded Zhong Jiu in a Bagua formation, locking onto him with their auras and exuding murderous intent!

"Honglun Temple has always been known for its virtuous deeds and strict adherence to Buddhist precepts. Junior Brother Zhichen is especially virtuous... How dare you kill him in the street? You are clearly deeply entrenched in demonic tendencies and beyond redemption!"

Zhihong's heart surged with murderous intent; today he was determined to grind Zhongjiu to dust and avenge his junior brother.

"What a deeply ingrained demonic nature!"

Zhong Jiu scoffed, his tone icy, "Before you Honglun Temple make a move, you always like to throw around some dirty accusation first? Learn from me, killing is killing, why all the nonsense!"

The tall, thin old monk trembled with rage, pointing directly at Zhong Jiu and roaring, "You audacious demon! You used despicable means to kill Junior Brother Zhichen, and yet you dare to spout such arrogant words here!"

Another old monk, his face grim, sneered, "While our Buddhist sect is compassionate, it can also be wrathful and subdue demons with thunder! Today, we will rid you, you evil spirit!"

The eight people stepped forward in unison, their energy intertwining to form a net that tightly locked the space around Zhong Jiu.

They clearly wanted to use their superior numbers to surround and kill Chung Kau!