Chapter 62

"Child, all the faults are Mother's fault. It is Mother who is sinful. You hurting yourself like this is not as good as letting Mother die." Ye Erniang, knocked back by the force, had tears streaming down her face.

"Master, this servant is willing to suffer for you; please, Master, do not self-mutilate." The four sisters had just finished speaking when they were bound by four blunt, thornless vines.

"Having created the cause of karma, there is the fruit of karma. For the past twenty-plus years, I have thought of you mother and son day and night, but knowing I committed a great precept, I dared not confess to the monks."

Xuanci Fangzhang's face was full of grief:

"Child, it is I who committed the crime and tarnished the reputation of Shaolin; there is no need for you to suffer and atone for it."

At the same time, Shaolin Temple and the heroes knew who the young monk's biological father was, and their faces were full of shock.

If Xiao Yuanshan hadn't said it was a high-ranking monk earlier, everyone's eyes would have turned to the Prince of Zhennan of the Dali Duan Clan.

On the field, in the center.

The young monk, having cut off one hand and one foot, had a calm expression, as if he were unaware of the injuries on his body. Even with only one foot left, he stood steadily in place.

"All things in the world are impermanent, and the cycle of life and death never stops. The 'Sutra of Impermanence' says: The earth, the sun, and the moon, when their time comes, will all return to an end; there has never been a single thing not swallowed by impermanence."

Zhuang Buran lowered his eyes, his clear voice spreading in all directions:

"Everything in the world—people, events, and things—is in a state of constant change, arising and ceasing in every instant."

"The monk's false body is the same; it is merely a matter of sooner or later."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sword blade turned in mid-air, and another arm fell to the ground, with a stream of blood gushing out.

"Child, don't!"

Ye Erniang screamed heart-rendingly, wanting to rush forward again, but when she got within a zhang of the young monk, she was knocked back by a force that could be retracted at will.

"Donor Ye, the monk's skin was born because of you; now, I return it all to you." The young monk raised his eyes.

"Mother was wrong, truly wrong." Ye Erniang stumbled and fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face:

"Don't self-mutilate anymore. It's all Mother's fault. Those sins were all committed by Mother; Mother will pay with her life."

"Donor Ye, you should now be able to better understand the kind of torture families whose children were kidnapped are suffering."

The young monk's tone was flat:

"It is said that if a needle doesn't prick the flesh, one doesn't feel the pain, and the suffering of others is hard to empathize with. Donor Ye was clearly able to empathize, yet you went from bad to worse, inflicting pain on others."

"Just as this evil cause of the past bears today's evil fruit, the sins should rightfully include a share from the monk's false body."

Xuanci Fangzhang's eyes were filled with grief:

"Xu Zhu, these are all the sins of your mother and me; it has nothing to do with you. Why have you come to this?"

"Abbot, you have been a monk for many years; how can you be oblivious to what even this little monk understands?" The young monk's tone was light:

"The so-called 'all phenomena are empty' means that all things arise from the combination of causes and conditions; there is no separate, fixed, or permanent existence."

"The so-called 'cause and effect are not false' means that the law of cause and effect, though without substance, exists like a dream or an illusion."

"Therefore, the arising and ceasing of conditions is cause and effect. Because of the cause, there is the fruit; how can there be any talk of it having nothing to do with me?"

"Fine, since you are like this... the country has its laws, and the family has its rules."

"Xu Zhu left the temple without permission and repeatedly broke the precepts. Now, having cut off his own limbs, he has punished his own faults. From today on, you are expelled and returned to secular life; you are no longer a Shaolin monk."

Xuanci Fangzhang looked at the high monks of Shaolin:

"Xuanci has committed a great precept; as Abbot, the punishment is doubled."

Having said this, he knelt on the ground, facing the Buddha statue in the Daxiong Treasure Hall of Shaolin Temple from afar.

Xuanji, seeing this, hurriedly said: "Brother..."

"How can the reputation of my Shaolin Temple, built over many years, be ruined by my hands?" After stopping Xuanji from speaking further, Xuanci recited a verse:

"Living in the world, there is desire and love; troubles bring much suffering, liberation is joy!"

Having said this, just as he was about to end his own heart pulse, a long sword emerged from his heart; it was a long sword that had broken through the air, entering from his back and reaching his chest.

In an instant, everyone looked at the young monk with inexplicable eyes.

"The reputation of Shaolin is something the monk does not care about; whether this false body lives or dies, the monk also does not care."

"The resentment of hundreds of infants has long since blackened Shaolin's so-called reputation. On what grounds does the Abbot think that self-destruction can wipe the slate clean?"

Zhuang Buran's expression was calm:

"How can someone with such heavy sins be worthy of ending their own life?"

"The monk might as well use this remnant false body to send the Abbot into the netherworld; only then can it be considered karmic retribution."

"It is truly said that if Heaven makes a mistake, it can still be violated; if one makes one's own mistake, one cannot live." Xuanci Fangzhang smiled bitterly, then collapsed to the ground, breathless.

"Ah!"

Ye Erniang, witnessing this scene, became completely insane, screaming hysterically.

"From love comes fear, from fear comes worry; if one is free from love, there is no worry and no fear."

The young monk chanted softly, and another long sword in front of him was struck by a powerful force, instantly piercing Ye Erniang's body.

The field immediately fell into an eerie silence, with everyone looking at the monk with extremely complex eyes.

Some had initially thought that this young monk still had a conscience and was willing to atone for his biological parents, which had lessened their ill will toward him.

But seeing this scene, which completely shattered their moral values, they couldn't help but curse:

"What a vicious and ruthless beast, actually killing his own father and mother!"

Once this person spoke, it was like poking a hornet's nest; countless people cursed the young monk.

"Exactly, exactly! A human face with a beast's heart, unforgivable!"

"Simply a monster not even as good as a pig or dog!"

"A heartless, ungrateful thing that doesn't recognize its own kin; it should be struck by lightning!"

"Evil cause, evil fruit; that is all."

Zhuang Buran gave a light shout, which actually forcibly suppressed the overwhelming curses.

"If you all truly cannot stand the monk, my life is here; feel free to come and take it!"

Instantly, the heroes on the field looked at each other, the atmosphere slightly awkward.

They discovered that even though the young monk had suffered such heavy injuries, just by saying a few words, the internal energy contained within could make their heads buzz.

Thus, they knew the depth of this boy's internal energy was simply inhuman.

If they rushed forward recklessly, they couldn't help but think of Xiao Feng's massacre at Juxian Zhuang. As the saying goes, the previous car's overturning is a lesson for the next; they suddenly dared not act rashly.

"Hehe, you are all just rats; how can you be considered heroes?"

Zhuang Buran sneered:

"The monk is in a heavily injured state, yet not a single person dares to come and take my life. How ridiculous!"

"I dare!"

The new Beggar Sect Leader, the man in the bamboo hat named Zhuang Juxian, seemed to have endured for a long time and shouted loudly.

He leaped into the air and pounced directly toward the young monk.

He saw his left hand strike out in the air, followed by his right palm striking out with extreme speed. The left palm force arrived later but was launched first, while the right palm force arrived first but was launched later. The two forces crossed as they moved forward, extremely bizarre, and both palms contained incredibly strong, cold, and icy energy.

"Ah!"

When the man in the bamboo hat's palms hit the young monk, he let out an inexplicable scream, his arms hanging down limply, and he was even repelled by the counter-shock.

Zhuang Buran took the opportunity to flip up, a sound of dragon roaring suddenly appearing around him, and he kicked downward at the man in the bamboo hat's chest.

With a "bang," a human-shaped crater appeared on the ground.

The man in the bamboo hat's hat had fallen off, revealing a face that was uneven, one part red, one part black, full of scars and wounds.

He vomited a large mouthful of blood and died.

The young monk landed and said something that left everyone confused:

"Simps don't have a good end!"

(End of chapter)