Chapter 1910: 【Withered Tree Meets Spring】 (Part 1)

Yet a desolate voice came from the corner of the wall: "What difference does life or death make for you like this?" Yuanmu's figure appeared in the southeastern corner; both sides, focused on the life-and-death struggle, failed to notice when he arrived.

Living Buddha Jialuo let out a long sigh and said, "Master Uncle Grandfather, it's you." Although he belonged to the Ming generation at Tianlong Temple, in fact Yuanmu liked his cleverness and had kept him by his side since childhood; most of his skills came from Yuanmu's teaching. Though they had no formal master-disciple title, they truly were master and disciple. One could say the disciple Yuanmu loved most in his life was Minghuai, and over the years the one who caused him the most sorrow was also Minghuai. He had always thought Minghuai was troubled by emotion, killed by Ling Jiazi, and thus resented Ling Jiazi. For such an enlightened monk as himself, if he had not been pushed to the extreme, how could such emotional turbulence arise? Seeing today his prized disciple, a rare genius of Tianlong Temple in a hundred years, still alive and living freely as the Living Buddha of Fan Yin Si, his heart flooded with mixed feelings, not knowing whether to feel joy or anger.

Yuanmu stood still there, not moving forward. Although he could not see their moves, he already felt the immense power coming from Ji Feihua and Minghuai. Ji Feihua's power covered the heavens and earth, possessing the momentum to embrace all things, while Minghuai had the wonder of shifting stars and reversing the cosmos. Both could be called peerless geniuses, and each exerted full strength in this life-and-death battle.

Ji Feihua said, "If you had honestly stayed here and done your job as a Living Buddha, no one would have discovered you were still alive. Unfortunately, you are too greedy; even after all these years, you still refuse to give up."

Living Buddha Jialuo said, "So you intend to capture by letting go."

Ji Feihua said calmly, "If not for that, how could they have so easily stolen the Skull from the Seven Apertures Exquisite Tower? If not for that, how could they have followed the clues to find who was pulling the strings behind the scenes? If not for that, how could they know you are still alive in this world?" As she spoke these words, Ji Feihua also felt secretly ashamed; in fact, all of this had been orchestrated by Liu Yuzhang behind the scenes. Had she not joined forces with Liu Yuzhang this time, she could not have easily found Jialuo.

Although Living Buddha Jialuo and Ji Feihua kept talking, their endless internal force showed not the slightest weakening. In their clash of internal force, judging by true internal force, Jialuo's internal force surpassed Ji Feihua's by quite a margin, yet in the actual standoff there was no clear sign of superiority; indeed, Ji Feihua's internal force seemed even stronger, for whenever it waned slightly it was immediately replenished, endless and ceaseless.

Living Buddha Jialuo said, "You have indeed grasped the power of the Heavenly Dao; the Spirit Rhinoceros Buddha Bone beneath the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda has actually ended up in your hands."

Ji Feihua snorted coldly, her internal force suddenly surging; an invisible pressure pressed upon Living Buddha Jialuo from all directions, actually doubling compared to before.

Living Buddha Jialuo's body spun faster and faster until it formed a white pillar of light, which continually expanded left, right, up, and down; from afar it resembled a huge spindle, its lower tip touching the ground while its upper end reached the ceiling of the hall.

Yuanmu stood aside watching the fierce battle, his deep, ancient-pool eyes showing a hint of reluctance. He had come to Fan Yin Si at Ji Feihua's invitation to lend a hand, and Master Elephant Seal was also someone he had summoned for help, yet he had not expected that Living Buddha Jialuo was actually Minghuai. Although monastics are supposed to have their six senses purified and sever familial ties, no matter how profound one's cultivation, one remains a person; how can a person truly be heartless?

Although Minghuai was formidable, if Ji Feihua and Yuanmu joined forces, he would have no chance of victory.

With a boom, the white light formed by Minghuai's rotation shot straight toward the Golden Summit, actually blasting a large hole in it. The outward-expanding force from Minghuai's body vanished instantly, while Ji Feihua's power controlled the entire space; the butter lamp that had been rotating counter‑clockwise drifted through the void to the spot where Minghuai had just been, and that white light disappeared beyond the Golden Summit.

Ji Feihua secretly regretted that she could have easily eliminated Minghuai just moments before, but Yuanmu's hesitation made her miss the best opportunity.

At this moment Hu Xiaotian rushed in from outside, wielding a black‑iron sword; seeing only Ji Feihua in the vast rear hall, he blinked in surprise: "Where is everyone?"

Ji Feihua pointed to the large hole in the roof and said softly, "If we chase after them now, I don't know whether we'll catch up."

Living Buddha Jialuo understood the situation clearly: if Ji Feihua and Yuanmu joined forces, he would have no chance to escape, so he dared not linger; while contending with Ji Feihua, he used his internal force to break open the Golden Summit and chose to flee at the first opportunity. Their martial arts were comparable; Ji Feihua's internal force squeezed inward from the periphery, whereas Living Buddha Jialuo directed all his internal force toward escape. During his flight he also made use of Ji Feihua's external force, and by seizing the initiative, by the time Ji Feihua reacted he had already fled the rear hall. Given their skill level, even if Ji Feihua's pursuit would most likely fail to catch him.

However, Ji Feihua and Hu Xiaotian noticed that, along with Living Buddha Jialuo's disappearance, Yuanmu had also vanished.

Living Buddha Jialuo dared not stop, fleeing desperately toward the summit of Fan Yin Shan. His lightness skill was superb—running up walls and across roofs as if on level ground—he ignored the slaughter behind him, unmoved by however miserable the disciples' cries. In an instant he had left Fan Yin Si, sprinting along the rear path; he lifted his head sharply and saw, beneath the five‑colored sutra banners ahead, a figure standing silently in the middle of the road—none other than Master Yuanmu.

Living Buddha Jialuo stood a zhang's distance before Yuanmu, expression respectful, palms together in a deep bow, saying, "Master Uncle Grandfather!"

Yuanmu sighed and said, "Minghuai is dead; you and I have no further connection whatsoever."

Living Buddha Jialuo pressed his lips, then slowly knelt in the snow: "Whether you acknowledge me or not, Minghuai will never forget the kindness you showed me, Master Uncle Grandfather."

Yuanmu said, "You finally admit that you are Minghuai."

Minghuai bowed three times to Yuanmu and said, "Disciple asks not for mercy from Master Uncle Grandfather, only to die not at others' hands; Master Uncle Grandfather, please grant me death." He remained kneeling on the ground, torso upright, eyes tightly shut, the picture of one awaiting death.

Yuanmu slowly nodded, gazing at this disciple he regarded as flesh and blood, his heart filled with mixed emotions; he suddenly raised his hand to strike Minghuai's celestial crown. At the very moment he struck, Minghuai suddenly opened his eyes, which were already brimming with hot tears. Seeing this, Yuanmu's heart shuddered—describing it as a knife to the heart would be an understatement. He hesitated a moment, preparing to strike again, when Minghuai's eyes flashed with scarlet light, blazing and searing like two arrows shooting into Yuanmu's eyes. Yuanmu then realized something was wrong; trying to close his eyes was already too late. He roared, "Wretched spawn!" and struck with a palm, but his vision had already plunged into darkness.

Yuanmu's profound strength, combined with his furious strike, reached its utmost power, yet Minghuai's body instantly shifted to behind him; at this moment Minghuai glowed red all over, his skin seeming about to burst into flame. Yuanmu's punch missed, and he sensed where Minghuai had moved. Normally, after losing one's sight one should retreat from the opponent, for Minghuai only sought escape and would not necessarily slaughter his former benefactor Yuanmu to the last. Yet Yuanmu did not flee; instead he likewise used an instantaneous movement technique to rush toward Minghuai.

This movement technique was precisely the one he had taught Minghuai; unexpectedly, Minghuai today used the very technique Yuanmu had taught him to attack his own teacher. Minghuai also did not expect Yuanmu to charge at him heedless of his own life, and with his defenses wide open, two silhouettes had already flown from Fan Yin Si toward them at great speed. Knowing that even a trace of mercy would trap him in a siege with no escape, Minghuai raised his fist and struck Yuanmu's chest with a hollow thud—as if hitting rotten wood—whereupon Yuanmu spread his arms and clung tightly to Minghuai.

Only then did Minghuai realize that Yuanmu's exposed opening was meant to lure him into attacking; though his body was held by Yuanmu, his hands remained free, and he hammered Yuanmu's back with heavy blows that thundered like booms, yet no matter how much force he exerted, Yuanmu held him fast and would not let go.

Minghuai roared, "Let go!" Red light spread over his whole body, his ferocious aspect fully revealed, like a blood‑demon descended into the world.

Yuanmu's eyes could see nothing; he could not make out Minghuai's current appearance, yet his face showed an unprecedented peace and calm. He said calmly, "Minghuai, Minghuai, I misjudged you—you have secretly cultivated the Blood Shura."

Minghuai exerted all his strength yet still could not shake Yuanmu off; his fists rained down like raindrops on Yuanmu's body, but from the echoes he could infer that the harm he had inflicted was not great—Yuanmu was near to achieving the Vajra Indestructible Body; had it not been for that sneak attack just now, it would still be uncertain who would prevail.

What vexed Minghuai was that Yuanmu clung to him like a bone‑deep maggot, causing him to miss the perfect chance to flee; at this moment Ji Feihua and Hu Xiaotian blocked his escape route from front and rear.

Hu Xiaotian bellowed, "Minghuai, you dog‑thief, how dare you betray master and destroy the ancestors!" He and Ji Feihua prepared to strike Minghuai from front and rear, but then they heard Yuanmu say, "You two benefactors need not intervene; this is our own affair within Heavenly Dragon Temple." As they spoke, Minghuai continued to pound his back with a series of punches.

Yuanmu let out a long sigh: "Wretched spawn, even now do you still refuse to repent?"

Minghuai shouted loudly, "You are not me—what right do you have to control everything about me?" Having said that, he opened his mouth wide and suddenly bit into Yuanmu's neck.

Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua watched, their hearts tightening; this Minghuai was hardly a monastic—he was practically a demon in the world.

Compared to them, Minghuai's shock was even greater; his bite felt like sinking into tough cowhide—full of elasticity and tenacity—no matter how sharp his teeth, he could not tear even a shred of Yuanmu's withered flesh.

After resting for two days, thanks to everyone's patience and care, Zhangyu will resume updates today; if his condition recovers, there is still hope to finish this month. (To be continued~^~)