“It’s over!”

At this moment, the heart of Vimalakirti Venerable sank more than half, only feeling his whole body turning icy cold, as if he had just wandered through an ice cave.

He did not recognize Hong Ju.

This was also normal, after all, even within the Primordial Saint Sect, apart from the True Lords and the few involved with 【Overturning Lamp Fire】, no one knew about Hong Ju.

After all, back then, when Daoist Hong Yun enlightened Hong Ju into becoming a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator at the Great Perfection stage, it was precisely to make him his trump card for regaining his position in the future.

Since it was a trump card, what would be the point if it was publicly announced?

Naturally, it had to be hidden in the dark in order to be effective.

Moreover, True Lord Qingchen Feixue had intentionally concealed him.

Therefore, no one had accounted for him.

During the time when Chong Guang was seeking the golden opportunity, the entire Jiangbei region was under the watchful eyes of various True Lords.

All cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment Realm, even those at the Great Perfection stage, were being monitored.

Any movement from anyone would draw a corresponding response from various factions.

Only Hong Ju stood alone.

Thus, his sudden appearance was utterly horrifying to Vimalakirti Venerable, and those eyes shining like lamps pierced straight into his heart.

‘Who exactly is this person!?’

‘In this world, which Great Perfection Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, fully equipped with divine abilities, is not famous and well-known among the True Lords of all factions?’

‘Why would such a person suddenly appear out of nowhere!?’

Vimalakirti Venerable’s mind raced with countless thoughts, yet in his vision, a sea of raging flames suddenly erupted, and only then did he realize that his eyes had been ignited.

Flames surged out from within his body without any warning, burning through his internal organs, spraying out from his seven orifices, and setting his monk robes ablaze.

Throughout the process, Hong Ju did not even form any hand seals or cast any spells.

He merely exchanged one glance with him, and that alone turned him into a human torch!

“Ah!!!”

Vimalakirti Venerable, now a man of flames, suddenly let out a thunderous roar.

Buddhist chants echoed like thunder as he opened his mouth wide, unleashing an extremely profound Daoist art.

“【Mind Light Escape Technique】!”

Where the mind reaches, thought follows!

He had studied this Mind Light Escape Technique for hundreds of years.

Among the Venerables of the Pure Land, only he had mastered this technique to such an extent, making his escape speed the fastest.

That was why the Pure Land had sent him to Jiangbei.

With this 【Mind Light Escape Technique】, even when facing a Great Perfection Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, he still had a fifty percent chance of escaping, not entirely doomed!

In the next moment, Vimalakirti Venerable soared into the sky.

This sudden change rekindled a glimmer of hope in his heart, yet just as hope arose, his spiritual platform seemed to be shrouded by a layer of dust.

Countless distracting thoughts erupted all at once.

‘This person humiliated me so much, why not teach him a lesson before I leave?’

‘No rush, let’s toy with him a bit more!’

‘I, Vimalakirti, have never lost to anyone in my life! Even if my cultivation is slightly weaker and my divine abilities slightly inferior, what is there to fear in death? At most, it’s just a desperate fight to the end.’

By the time Vimalakirti Venerable finally broke free from these distracting thoughts, he realized that Hong Ju’s large hand had already gently landed on the top of his head.

Crack!

One palm strike, shattering the heavenly spirit!

At this moment, Vimalakirti Venerable’s eyes widened in disbelief.

His indestructible golden body, which he had always taken pride in, shattered like glass with a mere touch.

From the shattered flesh and blood, his soul emerged.

It was only then that a ray of white light finally emerged from the void, enveloping Vimalakirti Venerable’s soul, preventing it from falling into reincarnation.

Under the blessing of this white light, Vimalakirti Venerable finally understood why he had been so muddle-headed and utterly powerless against Hong Ju.

Above his head, at some unknown point, a slowly flipping book had appeared.

On it was clearly written a short line of words.

【Vimalakirti dies by my hand】

“So that’s how it is…” Vimalakirti Venerable’s soul trembled with rage.

“A Great Perfection Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator actually used a position-bearing treasure to ambush me… Such despicable behavior.”

A Great Perfection Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, capable of crushing him in direct combat!

And yet, he still resorted to using a position-bearing treasure to scheme against him, tricking him into sending over his divine sense like a fool.

This was nothing short of mockery, even a deliberate humiliation!

However, Hong Ju paid no attention to Vimalakirti Venerable’s anger.

“The Pure Land’s Guiding Light.”

He withdrew his hand and took a step back, looking up to the sky.

There, the clouds piled up layer upon layer, faintly revealing the image of a Buddha’s head.

Boom!

Thunder flashed within the clouds, exploding in the eyes of the Buddha’s head.

“…Bodhisattva, please forgive me.”

Seeing this, Hong Ju let out a bitter laugh.

“I, a lowly one, only seek survival. I beg the great Bodhisattva to be magnanimous and not take offense at a lowly one like me.”

Before his words had even faded, a cold snort suddenly echoed.

“Bald donkey, get back!”

In an instant, snow flew in the summer sky.

A fierce wind scattered the clouded Buddha’s head image in the sky, cutting off the angry gaze from the Pure Land beyond Jiangbei.

In the next second, all visions vanished.

Vimalakirti’s soul, under the Pure Land’s Guiding Light, returned to the Pure Land.

This was one of the benefits of becoming a Great Perfection cultivator in the Pure Land.

There was no need for reincarnation.

Even in death, one would simply reform within the Pure Land, free from the suffering of the cycle of rebirth.

Seeing this, Hong Ju finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he first glanced in the direction of Zha Long Pass.

After that, he turned back to look toward the Primordial Saint Sect.

Soon, a faint voice drifted through the air.

“Since the Pure Land has made a move, you may make a move as well.”

As the voice fell, no one from any faction responded.

It seemed they tacitly agreed to this decision.

Seeing this, Hong Ju no longer hesitated and immediately stepped toward Zha Long Pass.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in a secret chamber.

Inside the chamber, Lü Yang was still operating the formation, collecting all of Vimalakirti Venerable’s divine senses.

Almost immediately, Lü Yang raised his head and looked over.

“…Greetings, Senior.”

Lü Yang reacted quickly, immediately bowing and saying,

“May I ask if that monk has been dealt with? Is there anything this junior can do to assist?”

“…Quite the quick reaction.”

Looking at Lü Yang, Hong Ju’s expression turned somewhat complicated.

After all, not long ago, he had racked his brain trying to take this person’s life.

But now, he had to save him instead.

“The one who made the move was named Vimalakirti.”

Hong Ju got straight to the point and said directly,

“I clouded his spiritual platform, making him send several strands of divine sense to you. Can we consider our past grievances settled?”

As soon as these words came out, Lü Yang was slightly stunned.

But he quickly reacted.

The Saint Sect’s Great Perfection cultivator who held a grudge against him… was this person the very one who had initiated the heavenly killing intent against him?

Realizing this, Lü Yang hurriedly bowed.

“Senior flatters me.”

“In the past, it was nothing more than trivial matters. This junior has never dared to hold a grudge, so what is there to settle? I beg Senior not to take it to heart.”

“…”

Hong Ju let out a sigh.

We are both True Persons of the Saint Sect, do you really take me for a fool?

Saying you never held a grudge means you actually do hold a grudge.

Talking about settling things means you are unwilling to settle things!

This person really held a petty mind!

“…This time, with True Lord’s permission, I can lend you a hand.”

Hong Ju extended his hand, and in his palm floated a strand of golden mist.

“This is a portion of Vimalakirti’s merit and fortune, which I extracted.”

Immediately after, he took out a book.

“This item is called 【Shared Fate Fortune Changing Talisman Book】.”

“It requires the consumption of merit and fortune to leave inscriptions on it. Whatever is written will be pushed by Heaven and Earth to happen.”

After finishing his explanation, he handed both items to Lü Yang.

“I am lending these to you for now. You may write on it, but you are limited to one sentence.”

“From now on, let us call our karma settled. We may still be colleagues in the future, so let’s not pursue this further.”

Although in terms of cultivation, he could outpace Lü Yang by ten leagues.

Unfortunately, Lü Yang had strong backing.

If Chong Guang successfully ascended to the throne in the future, Hong Ju would have to rely on Chong Guang for survival.

In such a situation, offending someone like Lü Yang, who was a favored figure at Chong Guang’s side—what if Lü Yang made things difficult for him later?

The only choice was to spend wealth to ward off disaster.

On the other side, Lü Yang stared directly at the 【Shared Fate Fortune Changing Talisman Book】, his eyes shining slightly.

This was the miraculous treasure that could trigger heavenly killing intent?

‘Truly foolproof, truly foolproof!’

‘I just wonder if this is Chong Guang’s hidden move or True Lord Feixue’s arrangement…’

‘With this in hand, assassinating that Prince Qing of the 【Kingdom of Qing】 will no longer be a problem!’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep