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

As Jiang Dusheng's soft shout fell, a sudden gust of wind arose, howling and sweeping towards the formation of the monks of Huguo Temple.

Although it could not break through their thick protective Buddhist light, it successfully disrupted their breathing and coordination.

At the same time, the already dense fog was amplified by her talisman, instantly becoming even thicker, obscuring vision and interfering with spiritual senses.

Without warning, several sharp stone spikes shot out from the ground. Although they were unlikely to seriously injure the monks, they were enough to disrupt their footwork coordination.

The power of the formation suddenly showed slight stagnation and gaps.

"How dare you, you witch!" The old monk in the lead was so enraged by the endless stream of strange and unpredictable methods that he failed to capture Xie Jinchen in one fell swoop.

He realized that Jiang Dusheng was the key to disrupting things, so he immediately changed his strategy and shouted in a deep voice:

"Eastern and Southern Guards, capture that vixen!"

Upon receiving the order, the two monks occupying the eastern and southern positions immediately left their main positions.

One person holds a monk's knife, and the other holds a monk's staff.

The two, one on the left and one on the right, transformed into two menacing golden whirlwinds, ignoring the entangled guards and rushing straight towards Jiang Dusheng.

The blade's energy was sharp and the staff's wind was heavy, instantly sealing off her space to dodge.

Jiang Dusheng was not afraid at all, and a bone flute slid out from his sleeve.

While dodging attacks with nimble movements, she threw out thunder talismans, fire talismans, and even illusion talismans with confusing effects as if they were free.

In an instant, lightning and fire intertwined, and light and shadow flashed wildly, temporarily entangled the two monks.

She even took a moment to blow her bone flute, emitting a rapid and piercing sound wave that directly attacked the two monks' spiritual senses, causing them to become distracted and greatly reducing the power of their attacks.

Outside the battle, Xie Dai stood with his hands behind his back, his expression solemn.

He seemed unmoved by the deaths and injuries of his guards, as if they were merely pawns to be used.

Only when the fierce attack reached Xie Jinchen did his eyes flicker slightly, and his fingers, which were behind his back, curled up almost imperceptibly.

Shi Qinglian walked slowly through the chaotic battlefield, her moon-white robe spotless, as if she were stepping not on blood-stained rocks, but on a pure land of lotus thrones.

He walked straight up to Xie Dai, who had been standing quietly watching the battle.

The two were only a few steps apart.

Shi Qinglian stopped and calmly looked at Xie Dai's face. "Make your move."

He spoke, his voice not loud, yet it clearly pierced through the surrounding sounds of battle, "Between you and me, there must be an end."

Xie Dai's gaze fell on Shi Qinglian, whose features, which bore some resemblance to his own, now exuded only a chilling aura.

After a moment of silence, Xie Dai suddenly spoke, "Actually, regardless of whether I fight you today and decide the winner or loser... from the very beginning, you never intended for anyone present to leave this mountain alive, did you?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Qinglian's fingers, which were twirling the prayer beads, paused almost imperceptibly.

A tiny crack finally appeared on the cold mask on his face.

He stared at Xie Dai for a couple of breaths, then chuckled softly.

The laughter carried the satisfaction of having met a worthy opponent.

"Xie Dai..." He murmured the name, as if savoring it, "I must say, bloodlines are truly amazing."

Even though I hate you to the core, even though I have been a Buddhist for over twenty years... you can still see right through me.

"You see right through me; I'm just like you at heart, relentless in achieving my goals. To eliminate all future troubles and prevent any possibility of secrets being leaked, what does sacrificing some pawns, or even... those in the know, matter?"

That's right, he not only wanted to take down Xie Jinchen and get revenge on Xie Dai, but also wanted to silence everyone who knew the secret of his background.

Xie Dai's voice rang out again, even deliberately using his internal force to project it further, ensuring that the monks of Huguo Temple, who were engaged in fierce combat, could hear it clearly:

"I see, what a brilliant scheme, truly a brilliant scheme."

"You brought the elite troops of the Protectorate Temple here not just to capture Chen'er, but actually to use His Majesty's hand to eliminate dissidents, and finally... to eliminate them as well, to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Afterwards, you will still be the Imperial Preceptor, second only to the Emperor."

The monks of Huguo Temple were not foolish; they were simply following orders. The pressure from Shi Qinglian's status as the National Preceptor made them suspicious of Shi Qinglian's public revelation of his background, but they chose to obey for the time being and complete the main task of capturing Xie Jinchen.

At this moment, after Xie Dai pointed it out, they felt a chill instantly rise from their spines to the top of their heads.

"Shi Qinglian! How dare you?! We are here on the Emperor's orders, how dare you commit this heinous act of silencing us?!"

The old monk's beard and hair stood on end, his eyes wide with anger, and his attack slowed down. He suddenly turned his head to look at Shi Qinglian not far away.

The remaining monks, who had formed a defensive formation to attack Xie Jinchen and the others, involuntarily relaxed their efforts somewhat.

This sudden infighting gave Xie Jinchen, Jiang Dusheng, and the remaining guards a brief respite from the encirclement.

Jiang Dusheng was naturally adept at seizing opportunities.

Seeing that the monks' attention had shifted, she immediately held the bone flute to her lips and blew out a higher and sharper, broken note than before.

At the same time, she threw out the last few Thunderfire Talismans from her sleeve, blasting them towards the ground and the surrounding rock walls.

"Boom! Rumble!"

Thunder and fire exploded, earth and rocks flew, and smoke and dust filled the air.

The already foggy mountain road saw a sudden drop in visibility, completely disrupting the vision and energy lock that the Demon-Subduing Formation relied on to maintain.

Upon seeing this, Xie Dai's eyes flashed with a sharp light; this was the moment he had been waiting for.

Xie Dai's figure flashed out, heading straight for the old monk at the head of the group.

To catch a thief, first catch his leader. Once he is subdued, the monks will be leaderless and the threat will be reduced.

A cold glint flashed in Shi Qinglian's eyes, and the Buddhist beads he was twirling in his hand suddenly scattered. Each bead seemed to come alive, weaving into a net of light to block Xie Dai's advance.

At the same time, he loudly proclaimed to the old monk, "Master, do not believe Xie Dai's divisive words. He is cunning and adept at confusing people's minds."

"This is their strategy to divide us and defeat us one by one. Quickly calm yourselves, maintain your composure, and do not give the traitors any opportunity! His Majesty's decree is of utmost importance!"

The old monk was already in a state of turmoil due to the backlash from the formation, and was also shocked and angered by Xie Dai's hurtful words, leaving his mind in complete chaos.

Hearing Shi Qinglian's shout, especially the words "His Majesty's decree," his chaotic mind suddenly jolted.

Yes, regardless of Shi Qinglian's ulterior motives, their primary mission on this trip is to capture Xie Jinchen!

If the mission fails or even the entire army is wiped out due to internal strife, how can we explain this to His Majesty?

He bit his tongue hard, the sharp pain and the taste of blood clearing his mind. His anger intensified, but it was directed at Jiang Dusheng, who was still causing chaos beside him.

"Cunning people are all untrustworthy!" he roared hoarsely, his voice booming like a bell, suppressing his surging blood. "Disciples, listen to my command! Form the Vajra Lion's Roar Seal! Slay this fiend first, then we'll deal with the rest!"

At his command, the remaining monks suppressed the pain of the backlash, cut their palms, and activated their Buddhist power to move closer together.

With hands forming the same mudra, palms facing outward, they simultaneously open their eyes wide in anger and recite the mantra:

"Om! Ah! Hum! Vajra! Ge! Re! Be!"

As the last syllable fell, a blinding golden light suddenly erupted from the monks' bodies, and the light faintly condensed above their heads into a majestic and furious lion-shaped Vajra phantom.

"roar!!"

A surge of immense spiritual energy erupted from the monks, spreading outwards in all directions, with Jiang Dusheng and Xie Jinchen bearing the brunt of it.