Fairy, please don't do this!

"puff--"

Ning Muchi's eyes bulged out, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the rock wall dozens of feet away.

Suddenly, a nearly transparent purple light, taking advantage of his serious injury and distraction, darted out from the shadows and silently entered his body.

This is the [Soul Burial Curse] cast by An Wanxi.

This spell will merge with Ning Muchi's soul.

Once a person is possessed, the process will be triggered immediately, and the person's soul will be used as a coffin to bury the possessor's soul directly inside.

In short, it was a lose-lose situation.

This was a surprise that Gu Jinzhao had prepared for Zhenbei Wang Na Laodeng.

They only need to wait until the Prince of Zhenbei is killed in the future, and then the prince will be reborn in the body of his own son.

At that time, he will be able to reunite with Ning Muchi in the underworld and be father and son again in the next life.

At this moment, the smoke and dust dissipated.

Pale-faced Ning Muchi clutched his chest and struggled to his feet: "You're not injured?"

Gu Jinchao said calmly, "A mere fifty-odd corpse demons, won't they be wiped out in an instant?"

He paused here, then said with great interest, "What, Commander Ning, are you hoping I'll get injured so you can keep this thorn in your side here forever?"

Ning Muchi instantly realized what was happening, his expression changing slightly: "You knew this place was a trap all along?"

"I just felt something was off, so I kept a close eye on it."

Gu Jinzhao twirled his sword and said calmly.

At this moment, the battle in the arena has temporarily ceased, and the group is locked in a standoff.

Upon seeing Gu Jinzhao appear, the three of them were taken aback. They had personally witnessed Gu Jinzhao enter the valley and had calculated the exact time before arriving at the outer edge of the valley to ambush him, intending to attack from both inside and outside.

Who would have thought that the other party not only escaped unscathed, but also silently left the valley and circled around to their back.

Zhao Wuji, in particular, stared at Gu Jinzhao, who had suddenly appeared, with a gloomy look in his eyes, his heart filled with turmoil.

When did this child leave the valley and lurk nearby?

Even he didn't notice it at all?

It should be noted that the illusion outside this valley was formed from a spiritual artifact in his possession called [Mist Veil].

Anyone who enters will be trapped in the mist and unable to escape.

Logically speaking, even if Gu Jinzhao were to fight the Corpse Demon, he should have no way to escape.

Unbeknownst to Zhao Wuji, Gu Jinzhao had already discovered the existence of the [Mist Veil], and therefore did not allow the two women to enter the valley.

As for how he escaped, it was quite simple.

It was merely with the help of [Shadow Luo] that it transformed into an invisible shadow and quietly emerged from the mist.

Everything with a physical form will inevitably have a shadow.

When Yu Fengzhi and Mu Yiren saw that tall and straight figure, a faint smile appeared on their faces. Then, with light steps, they gracefully landed beside him.

The two women simultaneously transmitted their voices: "Is it done?"

Gu Jinzhao nodded slightly, then looked at Chanzi and the others: "I wonder why Chanzi suddenly attacked us?"

"If you don't give me an explanation today, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The monk clasped his hands together and stepped forward: "Amitabha. The Empress Dowager's birthday banquet was lost to Benefactor Gu. I am not satisfied and have come to ask for your guidance."

From the moment Ning Muchi realized that they were about to ambush Gu Jinzhao, the two sides had completely broken off all pretense of civility.

At this point, no amount of talk can prevent a war!

"So you're here to ask for advice?" Gu Jinchao said with a half-smile, "If you didn't know better, you'd think Zen Master was going to take my life!"

The Zen master did not respond directly, but gazed at him and slowly said, "Would Benefactor Gu be willing to fight this humble monk again?"

After his defeat last time, he secluded himself for a period of time to cultivate diligently. Not only did he make progress in the Vajra Floating Pagoda Sutra and the Prajnaparamita Sutra, but his cultivation also reached the fifth grade of perfection.

"Then so be it!"

Gu Jinzhao narrowed his eyes slightly, stomped his feet, and rushed towards Chanzi.

The latter simultaneously activated two Buddhist scriptures, causing the two Dharma images to reappear.

Boom—

A fierce battle suddenly broke out, and the two fought fiercely in the dense forest outside the valley. Wherever they passed, the earth trembled and vegetation flew everywhere.

"Give me the Zhao family's offerings!"

Upon seeing this, Yu Fengzhi also leaped towards Zhao Wuji.

Previously in the valley, she had only defended and not attacked, and had long been holding back her anger.

Now that there are no more constraints, we can fight without restraint.

Only Mu Yiren and Miao Tan remained in the arena. The two women did not say much and went straight to fight.

……

Outside the Corpse Demon Cave, on the open ground in front of the bronze giant gate, various forces were still observing and waiting.

Suddenly, the Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva, who had been standing still with his eyes closed, twitched slightly between his brows.

He opened his palm, and a white jade tablet appeared in his hand, which then shattered instantly.

This jade pendant is called the "Double Spirit Jade," a rare type of magical artifact with a mother and child element, and there are two of them.

One was in his hands, and the other was in the hands of Zhao Qingcang, the patriarch of the Zhao family, in the Corpse Demon Cave Heaven.

Two jade pieces, of one heart; if one is lost, both are lost.

The one in his hand is now broken, which means that Zhao Qingcang deliberately crushed his own one!

This means that an unforeseen event has occurred within the cave that Zhao Qingcang cannot handle, and the plan to refine the sacred-grade [Blood Essence Pill] will have to be terminated.

What he had to do was to forcibly break through the [Eight Directions Profound Array], enter it, and resolve the unexpected situation.

The Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva expressionlessly crushed the broken jade into powder and muttered under his breath, "Useless."

The next moment, he took a step forward and arrived in front of the giant bronze gate.

Then, he formed a mudra with his hands, and a great golden light shone forth, heading towards the celestial canopy.

Almost simultaneously, a snow-white sword beam, as bright as moonlight, descended from the sky and instantly annihilated the Buddhist seal.

With a chilling sword intent, it carved a bottomless trench in the ground, blocking the path of the Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva.

Everyone looked up in astonishment.

A woman dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe, with a cool and stunning appearance, was standing silently in mid-air.

The Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva paused, looked up at Gong Lingyun, and clasped his hands together, saying, "Amitabha! May I ask why Master Gong is obstructing me?"

Gong Lingyun remained indifferent, and instead of answering, asked, "Does the Bodhisattva intend to forcibly break through this secret realm?"

The Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva's tone carried a hint of pity: "A change has occurred in this secret realm. If it is not forcibly broken open, the people inside may perish here."

"May Buddha have mercy. My intervention this time is solely to save lives."

These words were spoken in a grand and dignified manner, and coupled with his solemn and dignified appearance, they did indeed seem to carry a sense of being a savior from suffering.

However, Gong Lingyun remained unmoved: "If we forcibly break through the great formation, causing the secret realm to collapse and the people inside to suffer as a result, will the Zen Realm bear the responsibility?"

Before the Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva could answer, she continued, "Besides, this secret realm is isolated by a great formation, making it impossible to see what is happening inside. How do you know that something has changed?"

The compassion on the face of the Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva faded slightly, and he couldn't help but snort coldly: "The Zen Master just sent me a message, informing me that he deduced that a disaster would befall this secret realm, and specifically ordered me to forcibly break it open to prevent everything from happening."

"This is the decree of the Zen Master. Does the Palace Master intend to obstruct it?"

He invoked the name of the Zen master, clearly intending to use his power to intimidate others.

After all, at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, the Zen Master fought two opponents single-handedly, displaying terrifying strength at the half-step super grade level, making him arguably the best in the world!

Gong Lingyun didn't even lift her eyelids: "When the Daoist Master sent me here, he also told me that this secret realm is extremely special. If it is forcibly broken open, the people inside will be buried in the void turbulence."

Her gaze shifted from the Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva, slowly sweeping over the representatives of various forces present, and she said calmly:

"In the past, during the Yong'an era, the demonic path was rampant within the Cangyue Dynasty, and foreign enemies repeatedly invaded, causing turmoil in the five states."

"The imperial court has summoned Buddhist monks to the Central Plains on several occasions to join forces with Taoist monks in quelling the chaos."

"The Buddhist community, however, always makes excuses, saying that the time is not yet right!"

"At that time, it was the Taoist sect that joined forces with the imperial court and fought a bloody battle on all sides to quell the chaos and restore a bright and clear world to Cangyue!"

"Today I would like to ask the Bodhisattva, when the world was in chaos and the people were suffering, why was the Buddhist sect unwilling to save them?"

"And now you still dare to speak so shamelessly, saying 'Buddha is merciful'?"

The moment those words were spoken, a storm was brewing!

Representatives from all sides present, whether they were sect elders, aristocratic elders, or powerful rogue cultivators, all turned their gazes toward the Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva, their eyes filled with suspicion and hostility!

Many of the older generation present had heard of or even personally experienced the events that occurred during the Yong'an era.

The fact that the Buddhist community did indeed stand idly by back then has always been a thorn in the side of many people.

Now that Gong Lingyun has exposed it in public, coupled with the Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva's eagerness to break the formation and his evasive words, it's clear that...

Immediately, a sect leader couldn't help but speak up: "Master Gongwu is right! The Buddhist sect disappeared back then, but now they're in such a hurry to break the formation. Who knows what their intentions are?"

"Exactly! What if forcibly breaking the formation really causes the secret realm to collapse? Wouldn't we disciples perish in the void?"

"Is the Buddhist sect going to disregard the safety of the cultivators within the secret realm?"

With one faction taking the lead, the others, who already harbored doubts or dissatisfaction, echoed it, and for a time, accusations and questions arose one after another.

"This matter is of great importance and cannot be explained in a few words. Please, Lord Gongwu, step aside!"

The Dragon Elephant Bodhisattva's face finally darkened completely, with golden light faintly flowing around him and his monk's robes fluttering in the wind, clearly indicating his extreme anger.

He suspected that Dao Jing and the Empress Dowager's faction already knew about the Zhao family's scheme and had already sent people to infiltrate the Corpse Demon Cave.

Otherwise, with Zhao Qingcang's strength, he wouldn't have needed to crush the Twin Spirit Jade to call for help.

"If the Bodhisattva wishes to forcibly break into the secret realm, he must first pass this test of mine!"

Gong Lingyun, standing in mid-air, showed no fear whatsoever, only uttering a few words.

Her master once told her that if she had a dispute with someone and her cultivation was stronger than the other person's, she should use martial arts to subdue them.

If one's cultivation level is insufficient, or even equal, then one must occupy the moral high ground and persuade others with virtue...

Chapter 284, The Buddhist Maiden: Please, Senior Brother, Die! (3K)

Inside the valley!

A crimson sword intent tore through the sky, like a blood-red thunderbolt slashing upwards from the depths of hell, striking fiercely at the compassionate Guanyin statue with its brows lowered!

boom--

Golden and crimson light intertwined and burst forth, and the enormous Dharma image that had been compassionate towards all living beings shattered in response, transforming into a rain of golden light that fell like fireflies.

However, just as the sword intent was not yet exhausted and its residual power still remained, another Vajra Dharma image with wide-open eyes and holding a vajra pestle clasped its hands together, forcefully blocking this fierce and unparalleled sword intent in front of it!

The image trembled violently, and although its golden light dimmed by three-tenths, it ultimately did not shatter.

Wu Nian kept his hands clasped together, his face as calm as an ancient well: "This humble monk will accept Benefactor Gu's sword strike."

In their previous two encounters, he was defeated by Gu Jinzhao's supremely powerful and deadly sword strike.

Although this came at the cost of the shattering of the image of the Compassionate Avalokiteshvara, it was ultimately a narrow escape.

This also means that Gu Jinzhao has lost his greatest support.

He should win this battle.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinzhao grinned, revealing two rows of neat white teeth: "You've taken this sword strike, but what about this punch?"

Before he finished speaking, he stomped his feet on the ground!

The earth trembled violently, and spiderweb-like cracks spread several meters away from his feet in an instant!

A violent, ferocious, and destructive dark demonic energy erupted from his body.