Chapter 1015

Now that Shangguan Haitang had put it that way, even though Liaofan's self-restraint was thorough, he could not help but speak up,

"Shangguan Master, what do you mean by those words?

Could it be that everything my Yunzhou Shaolin has done is unjust?

Your family's Benefactor Guihai Yidao first killed Sword Jingfeng and Fire Qilin, and later killed my Shaolin's Liaokong and Liaojie.

Are all these considered righteous acts?"

"Uh…"

Only then did Shangguan Haitang realize that she had, without thinking, spoken out of turn.

Her eyes darted about at once, as she tried to think how to gloss over this point.

She did not expect Guihai Yidao, seeing Shangguan Haitang embarrassed, to be unable to hold back and retort directly,

"Master Liaofan, a man must answer for his own deeds.

The people were killed by me; what has Haitang to do with it?

Whatever you mean to do, just come at me!"

"Good! Good! Do you truly think that with Zhuge Shenhou here, this old monk has no way to deal with you?"

Liaofan, choked by Guihai Yidao like this, was so angry that the Three Corpse Gods leapt in fury.

He immediately commanded,

"Shaolin Wu Seng, set up the Luo Han Staff Formation.

Today we must avenge Liaokong and Liaojie."

"Yes!"

The Shaolin Wu Seng, hearing this, hurried over from all directions at once.

This Shaolin Luo Han Staff Formation is the temple-guarding grand formation of Yunzhou Shaolin.

It is not deployed lightly; once set up, even Zhu Wushi would not dare underestimate it.

Hearing that they meant to set up the Shaolin Luo Han Staff Formation, Zhu Tie Dan's expression finally shifted a little, and he glared at Shangguan Haitang.

Then he said to Liaofan,

"Master Liaofan, grant Zhu a small favor.

I pledge on the title of Zhu Tie Dan Shenhou!

Once I have finished my investigation, if truly everything was Yidao's doing, I shall certainly come to Yunzhou Shaolin and give your honored temple an accounting.

If not, I will surely seize the true culprit. How does that sound?"

"What true culprit? It's just—"

Huikong, hearing this and feeling indignant, was about to speak out in rebuttal.

"Enough, enough! Since Shenhou has spoken thus, Liaofan will of course comply.

I only hope Shenhou will clarify the facts soon and restore justice to my Yunzhou Shaolin."

Before Huikong could finish, Liaofan immediately waved his sleeve and cut off his words.

Then, turning to the three of them, Zhu Tie Dan Shenhou, he spoke as follows.

803 Hand over the Heaven-Tilting Sword!

"Many thanks to Master Liaofan for this! Farewell!"

Zhu Tie Dan Shenhou cupped his fists at once, in token of thanks.

Then he turned and left, heading down the mountain.

After a few steps, he noticed Shangguan Haitang and Guihai Yidao were still standing where they were, so he turned back and said,

"What? Aren't you coming?"

"Hehe! I knew Godfather doted on Haitang the most."

Shangguan Haitang immediately grinned, took hold of the dumbfounded Guihai Yidao, and the two of them caught up with Zhu Tie Dan Shenhou's pace.

Once the three had vanished along the mountain path, Huikong hurriedly asked Liaofan,

"Abbot, why?"

"He is Zhu Tie Dan Shenhou, the present Emperor's uncle, and moreover the foremost master under heaven."

Liaofan said with a bitter smile,

"Even if we forcibly detained them and preserved our Yunzhou Shaolin's reputation, could we still cultivate the Buddha's way here in peace afterwards?"

"This…"

Huikong faltered at the words, and the nearby Wu Seng were even more dumbstruck.

Though Liaofan's words held some reason, the monks still felt something was off.

"But our Yunzhou Shaolin's thousand-year reputation—must it bow today to Zhu Wushi's brute authority?"

At this moment, another monk of the 'Liao' generation came out from within the temple and questioned Liaofan.

"Junior brother Liaoming!"

Liaofan pressed his palms together in greeting to him, then explained,

"Since Zhu Wushi has pledged on his own title, even if he goes back on his word, we can still go through other channels and lodge a complaint before His Majesty the Emperor.

Besides, I have always felt that the deaths of Liaojie and Liaokong are somewhat suspicious."

"Mm? What is suspicious?"

Quite a few monks had already gathered nearby; hearing the Abbot's words, they all craned their necks to listen in.

"Junior brother Liaokong's cultivation, though slightly weaker than mine, was itself no mean feat.

Senior brother Liaojie need not even be mentioned—his cultivation far surpassed my own."

Liaofan frowned and explained slowly,

"But the two of them both died at the hands of Guihai Yidao, one after the other.

Yet I know Guihai Yidao's cultivation level all too well.

In a one-on-one fight, he couldn't possibly defeat me!

Therefore, it may look like Guihai Yidao did the killing, but what about the truth?

The jianghu is full of unorthodox arts, after all!"

"Eh?"

The monks, hearing this, could not help but be startled.

Here, the monks of Yunzhou Shaolin were discussing the matter of Guihai Yidao's killings.

Meanwhile, in the direction Zhou Zhiruo had fled, another matter was unfolding.

It turned out General Chilaowen, forced by Duan Tianya, had fled in panic.

Zhou Zhiruo, seizing this opening, had hurriedly taken Abbess Extinguisher and tried to leave.

This time she had eaten the Heavenly Fragrant Cardamom — it was admittedly beneficial to herself, but she had not completed the mission.

Yet the price was that her martial uncle, Gu Hongzi, had died an unnatural death.

This attempt to sneak into Yunzhou Shaolin could truly be called a total loss.

Moreover, Zhou Zhiruo found it very strange — why did everyone else demand the Heavenly Fragrant Cardamom from her?

The old man, also a martial artist from the Great Ming of the Nine Provinces, only wanted her Heaven's Reliance Sword?

Logically speaking, this old man should have entered this Otherworldly Great Ming first.

Only afterward did the Heavenly Dao Hundred Flowers List announce her.

So how did this old man come to know about the immortal-grade Heaven's Reliance Sword, and the secret of Heaven's Reliance Slaying the Dragon?

Just as doubts piled up in Zhou Zhiruo's heart, she suddenly sensed an invisible wall of Qi rising ahead, blocking her path.

Although this Qi wall was formless and intangible, Zhou Zhiruo was, after all, a master of the Heavenly Being Realm.

While traveling, she had long since projected her martial intent outward, and so she managed to detect it.

Her heart stirred, and she immediately understood that someone had still caught up with her.

At once her feet moved, and she flipped into a graceful backflip, clutching Abbess Extinguisher as she ran off in another direction.

"You little wench, you actually noticed! Don't even think about running!"

With a sharp howl, a formless, intangible strange force suddenly spread toward Zhou Zhiruo from all directions, like an octopus.

When Zhou Zhiruo first sensed this peculiar strange force, it was still a hundred paces away.

In the very instant she was wondering what it was, and how she should deal with and evade it—

She saw this peculiar strange force suddenly surge forward with force, and in a flash it had already reached within a few feet of Zhou Zhiruo's body.