After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Despite hearing these hurtful words, Xie Jinchen did not display the fury that Shi Qinglian had anticipated.

He simply looked at Shi Qinglian quietly, a hint of pity even flashing in his eyes.

Then, he chuckled softly, a laugh devoid of warmth, filled only with endless mockery:

"Shi Qinglian, you are wrong."

Xie Jinchen's voice was calm, yet every word was clear, piercing through the howling mountain wind and reaching everyone's ears:

"I have never regarded that high and mighty emperor as my father. What he gave me was never any sense of guilt or compensation, but only scheming, suspicion, and murderous intent."

"So, what you call 'should have possessed,' I never truly possessed, so how can you say I couldn't grasp it?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Shi Qinglian, whose expression had suddenly changed, and his tone became even more indifferent, "And your claims that I took everything that should have belonged to you are nothing but your own delusion."

"Even without me, you would still be just a son of a concubine, and the position of heir apparent would never be yours."

Xie Jinchen stepped forward, meeting Shi Qinglian's icy gaze without backing down:

"You resent Xie Dai for ignoring you, but ask yourself honestly, did you rise to your position as Imperial Preceptor because of his charity?"

"You are perfectly capable of living well on your own, yet you insist on coveting things that don't belong to you."

"You blame all your misfortunes on Xie Dai and on me, just to find a seemingly reasonable excuse for your inner distortion and resentment."

Jiang Dusheng heard everything clearly from the side. Looking at Shi Qinglian's face, which was twisted with resentment, she felt that he was both pathetic and pitiful.

His inner demons originated from Xie Dai.

He resented Xie Dai's favoritism and indifference, and was jealous of Xie Jinchen's fatherly love and status.

He blamed all his misfortunes on Xie Jinchen for taking away what was rightfully his, but selectively ignored Xie Dai's cruelty towards Xie Jinchen.

His hostility towards Xie Jinchen largely stemmed from the fatherly love that Xie Dai had once given to Xie Jinchen.

Even though this fatherly love was once intertwined with murderous intent, in Shi Qinglian's eyes, it was something Xie Jinchen possessed that she herself had never received.

At this moment, Xie Jinchen's calmness clearly stung Shi Qinglian.

He gave a cold laugh and was about to speak.

However, before he could speak, the eldest monk, who had been silently and warily standing behind him, stepped forward, raised one palm to his chest, and interrupted their conversation:

"Amitabha. Grand Preceptor, so you have this connection with Duke Xie. Now that you know the inside story, why waste your breath on these rebellious people?"

His gaze swept over Xie Jinchen and Jiang Dusheng, finally settling on Xie Dai, and his tone suddenly turned stern:

"His Majesty's decree clearly states that Prince Xie should be brought back. As for the others, if they are willing to surrender, they may also be brought back to be dealt with by His Majesty. If they remain obstinate and resist stubbornly..."

A glint flashed in the old monk's eyes, and his chilling killing intent was no longer concealed. "To uphold the dignity of the imperial edict, it is perfectly acceptable for us to kill him on the spot as a warning to others!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng chuckled softly.

She pointed at the old monk, her cold voice echoing through the valley, carrying undisguised sarcasm:

"Have the monks of Huguo Temple been reciting scriptures for nothing? Or have they only recited the angry, wrathful ones, completely forgetting the gentle, compassionate ones?!"

"Buddhism teaches compassion, universal salvation, and laying down the butcher's knife, yet you speak of killing as easily as crushing ants..."

She paused, a provocative smile playing on her lips: "I think you're not monks at all, but butchers in monk's robes, vicious dogs that will attack wherever you point."

She recalled that although her master could be unreliable at times, he had never used morality as a pretext for violence, and couldn't help but add, her tone laced with disdain:

"With your attitude, those true-hearted monks who eat meat, drink alcohol, laugh and curse are a hundred times better than you."

She hurled insults with unrestrained fervor, showing no mercy whatsoever, leaving the old monk and the other monks with ashen faces and eyes blazing with fury.

"presumptuous!"

The old monk roared, causing the leaves to tremble slightly, "You ignorant brat, how dare you tarnish the reputation of my Huguo Temple! Since you are so stubborn, then don't blame this old monk for performing a ritual to deliver you from the gloom of this arrogant demoness!"

His eyes held no trace of the compassion expected of a Buddhist monk, only a chilling killing intent. "Disciples, form the Demon-Subduing Formation! Capture Xie Jinchen..."

"The rest, those who disobey orders, utter arrogant words..." The old monk's gaze swept over Jiang Dusheng and the Xie family's guards, emphasizing each word, "Kill them without mercy!"

At his command, the seven monks behind him responded in unison, their figures flashing.

With their feet planted in the Vajra Step, they took positions in the eight directions—east, south, west, north, southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest—encircling Xie Jinchen, Jiang Dusheng, and the others.

After setting up the formation, the old monk did not activate it immediately. Instead, he turned his head and fixed his gaze on the silent Shi Qinglian, his tone filled with undisguised skepticism:

"Grand Preceptor, is His Majesty aware of your relationship with the Duke of Zhenguo?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "relationship" and continued in a cold voice:

"With the rebels at the moment and His Majesty's decree of authority at stake, if the Grand Preceptor hesitates further, or even harbors any intention to protect them... this old monk is afraid I must question whether you, Grand Preceptor, are truly loyal to His Majesty, or if you have ulterior motives?"

Shi Qinglian's face was expressionless. He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze lingering on Xie Dai's face for a moment.

Immediately, the train passed the monks who were waiting in a tight formation and landed on Jiang Dusheng, who was surrounded in the formation and whose fingertips were flashing with lightning.

That look in his eyes was extremely complex, and it eventually turned into a barely audible sigh that dissipated in the mountain wind.

"Nephew," he spoke, his voice regaining its clear, indifferent tone, "you are ultimately... on his side."

As soon as she finished speaking, Shi Qinglian's abundant Buddhist power rippled out like waves, subtly echoing the monks' subduing Buddhist light, further enhancing the power of the formation.

"Capture Xie Jinchen." Shi Qinglian's voice rang out clearly, without the slightest hesitation, cold and resolute, "The rest... those who are stubborn and obstruct the holy mandate, need not be spared."

"Subdue the demon!"

Upon receiving the instruction, the old monk no longer hesitated. With a roar, the prayer beads in his hand flew out and transformed into a dark golden gust of wind, heading straight for Xie Jinchen, who was surrounded in the center.

At the same time, the monks occupying the eight positions shouted in unison, and various Buddhist martial arts, such as the monk's knife, the monk's staff, the Buddha's palm, and the finger wind, poured down into the formation like a storm, carrying brilliant Buddhist light.

Their objective was clear: to target Xie Jinchen, but their scope also included Jiang Dusheng and all of Xie's secret guards.

"Protect the Duke and the Heir Apparent!" Xie Dai's secret guard leader roared almost simultaneously.

Several fearless guards immediately brandished their swords to meet the attack, attempting to intercept the fatal blow aimed at Xie Jinchen. The sword light and the Buddhist light collided instantly, producing a deafening explosion.

However, the eight monks were connected by their energy, combining offense and defense, with their strength layered upon each other.

When the guards' blades struck the Buddha's light, it was as if they had struck rotten leather; the recoil made their arms go numb.

The monks' counterattack was extremely fierce; their Buddhist qi, imbued with the power to ward off evil, had a clear restraining effect on the guards' internal energy, which tended to be more yin and unpredictable.

As soon as they clashed, one of the guards was struck by the Zen staff, coughing up blood and flying backward.

Just as Xie Jinchen's attack drew near, a flash of crimson light appeared in his eyes, and the dormant murderous aura within him seemed poised to boil.

He suppressed his agitation, drew his longsword, and launched a counterattack instead of a defensive one, aiming at the weakest point in a monk's staff.

At the same time, he slid to the side to avoid the two crisscrossing gusts of wind from the ring-shaped blades.

Jiang Dusheng was already on high alert the moment the old monk shouted "Subdue the demons".

The pressure of the formation was overwhelming. Without hesitation, she flicked her hands, sending several talismans flying towards the ground and the surrounding mist.

"Wind, rise!"

"Mist, gather!"

"Spiked ground, attack!"