The Villain Has Something to Say

In a blink, Mo Qiu’s scarlet scourge was unsheathed with a bloody glow – the man was clearly ready for a fight. Seeing Mo Qiu’s irritation, Fo Zi stood aside with a mild smile, waiting to see how Luo Jianqing would handle his friend in rage. Mouth opening widely, Yun Xiang was totally in shock, and to be honest, one could probably stuff an egg inside her mouth. Failing to convince herself this was truly happening, the girl stared at the Fiend Cultivator who was chasing Luo Jianqing around.

Frolicking for about fifteen minutes, Luo Jianiqng stopped dodging and grasped the tip of Mo Qiu’s whip, “I have to go back.”

Mo Qiu sneered, “So, this is my friend-of-life-and-death, huh? You don’t even care how I am or where I am!”

Luo Jianqing coughed awkwardly.

The air suddenly froze again, until the elegant monk sighed and broke the silence. He stepped up and said, “Since Cultivator Mo wants to chew the rag with Cultivator Luo, how about you guys follow me to my sect? Gui Yuan Sect is not far away from here. In two weeks, there will be a Grand Zen Debate held at my sect. If you guys are interested, I can lead the way.”

Yun Xiang nodded immediately and asked, “I’m coming with you! However, I have one question: what is a Zen Debate?”

Luo Jianqing frowned in hesitation, “I want to go back to Tai Hua Mountain as soon as…”, he paused because he felt the bleakness in Mo Qiu’s gaze which forced him to change the words at the tip of his tongue. Luo Jianqing sighed, “Then, Fo Zi, please lead the way.”

Fo Zi nodded with a gentle smile.

From his Interspatial Ring, Fo Zi took out a Buddha Bead which, surprisingly, wasn’t made by sandalwood. Instead, the creator chose jade as its material which endowed the bead splendid glow when lit by the sunlight. Fo Zi murmured the mantra and as he did so, the bead enlarged into a giant sphere as big as a house.

Fo Zi turned to his newly made friends, “Gui Yuan Sect is thousands of miles away. Riding my Jade Like Bead could save all of us some energy. What do you think?”

They got on the bead at once.

Though it was a bead made by jade, Luo Jianqing didn’t feel slippery on it as expected but felt quite refreshing. When they managed to keep their feet, a wisp of golden light shimmered in Fo Zi’s amber eyes. In just a blink, the Buddha Bead raised hundreds of meters up to the sky and dashed towards their destination.

The bead was flying steadily. At a low altitude like this, Luo Jianqing was even able to enjoy the impressive view.

Not long after, the peaceful silence was broken by Yun Xiang who asked, “Monk, you haven’t told us what indeed is that so-called Grand Zen Debate.”

Not irritated by Yun Xiang’s disrespectful address, Fo Zi smiled and explained to her patiently, “The Buddhism consists of Eight Sects which are San Lun Sect, Fa Xiang Sect, Tian Tai Sect, Hua Yan Sect, Zen Sect, Jing Tu Sect, Lv Sect and Zhen Yan Sect. I’m from Gui Yuan Sect which belongs to the category of Zen Sect which comprises most of the Buddhism Cultivators. Every five years, Gui Yuan Sect would hold a Grand Zen Debate in which all the Buddhism Cultivators will attend. The eight sects would all send their representatives to debate on their interpretations of Buddhism.”

Yun Xiang asked, “Will every single Buddhism Cultivator participate in the debate?”

Fo Zi shook his head, “If so, then the Zen Debate won’t end for hundreds of years. You can never preach the Buddhism if what you say doesn’t hold water. For the Grand Zen Debate, each one of the eight sect will send one cultivator to represent the whole sect to attend the debate, the one who hold his ground at last will be the winner and will bring honor and pride which can last five years to his sect.”

Yun Xiang nodded slightly, “Wait, does it mean that there will be a different winner for each five years so that different Buddhism Sects could be happy?”

Before Fo Zi could answer her question, Mo Qiu couldn’t withstand Yun Xiang’s ignorance, so he said, “How come you have literally no idea what’s going on with the cultivation world? Oh wow, I know, it must be that you’ve spent all of your time in cultivating. I’m so impressed. Our Fiend Palace is located right next to Cen State. Even I know the winner of Zen Debate has been the Zen Sect for twenty consecutive years. How come you don’t even know what the Eight Sects are?”

Yun Xiang mumbled in chagrin, “Surely I’m not as knowledgeable as you are…”

Mo Qiu squinted at her. The latter went back to silence at once.

Smiling, Luo Jianqing tried to make Yun Xiang feel less awkward, “Please don’t blame Cultivator Yun. After all, she is not a Buddhism Cultivator. Twenty years ago, Fo Zi started to attend the debate representing the Zen Sect and won every debate. He never loses. Otherwise, why people address him as ‘Fo Zi’?”

Eyes suddenly glittering, Yun Xiang peeped at Fo Zi and murmured, “I have no idea that you are this brilliant…”

The Bead was flying in a lightning speed. Fo Zi was explaining Buddhism-related stuffs to them and got a very concentrated little audience – Yun Xiang, and little by little, Luo Jianqing’s curiosity was triggered as well, so he sat closer to Fo Zi and focused on the interpretation.

Mo Qiu was the only one who was still standing at the front and fiddling with his scourge, as if he had no interest in Fo Zi’s fun adventures and experiences.

Like this, the four of them left Yun State and arrived at Cen State.

The further they left the border behind, the more streams they saw. Cen State was famous of its rippling water and magnificent mountain range. The streams of Cen State were well-known among the whole Xuan Tian Continent. A lot of cultivators who cultivated in water-related maneuvers came to Cen State for indoor training, because there are abundant lakes, rivers, and even the ocean – given that it was located at the edge of the Xuan Tian Continent.

Fo Zi smiled, “Ten Years ago on the Grand Zen Debate, I had debated with a cultivator from Zhen Yan Sect who asked me a question: ‘people were saying that Zen Sect’s Fo Zi owns great wisdom, then, can you tell me, all things return to the one — to where does the one return?’”

Yun Xiang was completely confused, but she tried her best pondering the question, while Luo Jianqing was stunned.

Glancing over at Lou Jianqing with a complicated gaze, Fo Zi explained, “I replied him that all things are one from the beginning. Without one there is none, and without all things there is empty. All phenomena are nothing but mind. From the mind it thrives, and from the mind it dissipates. Since all things are one in the first place, there’s no need to wonder where it would return.”

Drowning into the otherworldly zone, Luo Jianqing closed his eyes. Mo Qiu glanced over Fo Zi with a less aggressive gaze. Nonetheless, as the only one who still didn’t figure it out, Yun Xiang frowned and asked, “What are you talking about? I still don’t understand.”

Mouth twitched, Mo Qiu was about to reprimand her but at the same moment…

Boom!

Aiming at the sky, a stream of fierce coercion rose from below. As if it was condensing the air into solid, the power was diabolic and constrained the four cultivator who were standing on the Buddha Bead. Luo Jianqing looked at Mo Qiu at once while the latter was doing the same.

They exchanged a glance from which they understood what the other one was thinking.

At time like this, Mo Qiu was the first one who popped into Luo Jianqing’s mind. Having experienced several life-threatening dangers with Mo Qiu together, Luo Jianqing trusted Mo Qiu. In this life, the one he trusted the most was Xuan Lingzi, and then he himself; Mo Qiu was ranked at the third on Luo Jianqing’s little “trustworthy” list. Besides, the Fiend Cultivator dressed in scarlet was indeed the one who had the highest cultivation base among them.

Enduring the ocean-like coercion, Mo Qiu and Luo Jianqing tried their best to find their ways towards each other. Figuring out what they were facing, Fo Zi became tensed up. Putting aside the etiquette, he held Yun Xiang’s hand in case she was in any danger.

However, the coercion didn’t give them any chance to be prepared.

Within a breath… Boom!

This time, along with tremendous Spiritual Power, the coercion attacked them like a ferocious whirlwind.

Luo Jianiqng reacted to it quickly. He grabbed Mo Qiu by the left hand and saved Yun Xiang who was standing close, but Fo Zi who was out of his reach fell off from the jade bead.

Jolted, Luo Jianqing shouted, “Fo Zi!”

Before he could do anything, Yun Xiang released her hand and took a leap – she made it, Fo Zi’s hand was then gripped tightly by the girl. Pupils shrinking immediately, Luo Jianqing jumped off the bead as well and grasped Yun Xiang’s hand. Mo Qiu didn’t let go his friend-of-life-and-death, so the four young cultivators fell off from the Buddha Bead all together.

Mo Qiu took out a delicate dagger from his Interspatial Ring. The weapon was decorated with magnificent colorful beads. The dazzling appearance concealed its perilous nature.

Wrist moving slightly, Mo Qiu easily pierced through Fo Zi’s Jade Like Bead using his dagger, trying to prevent everyone from falling down.

Though they still slid down along the surface for quite a distance, Mo Qiu finally managed to put the motion to a stop. They were hanging on the bead like a streamer. Mo Qiu was the one who was holding the dagger, and then came Luo Jianqing, Yun Xiang, and Fo Zi.

Surrounded by the intimidating coercion, even Mo Qiu who already achieved late-stage Nascent Soul Period could not operate his Spiritual Power, and his physical strength was pushed to a limit. Usually, three people, no, even thousands of people wouldn’t be an issue, but now, the hand which was gripping the dagger was already shivering. Blue vines stood out on his hand, Mo Qiu’s strength was clearly draining out.

Seeing this, Luo Jianqing was so worried, “Mo Qiu, you cannot operate your Spiritual Power as well?”

Mo Qiu gritted his teeth, “This coercion was generated by a cultivator who at least achieved Body Fusion Period. Who the hell is this Fiend Cultivator who dares to mess around on Gui Yuan Sect’s state!?”

At time like this, even talking was a waste of strength.

They stayed quiet since then. Mo Qiu put all his efforts on gripping the dagger. Holding Luo Jianqing on his other hand, he had no spare hand to help climbing up to the top of the sphere. Yun Xiang and Luo Jianqing were thwarted by the same reason – both of their hands were occupied.

Just like this, they put through for half an hour, but the coercion was still hovering around.

Blood was seeping from Mo Qiu’s arm. Thousands of small blood beads oozed out of his pore, making him looked so miserable. A coercion like this not only restrained their Spiritual Power but was also attacking them restlessly.

For now, Mo Qiu and Yun Xiang were the ones who were suffering the most. The former needed to hold four people’s weight on his right hand, while the latter had the weakest cultivation base.

Nonetheless, Fo Zi was enduring the unbearable torture on his heart.

He watched Yun Xiang dragging him exhaustedly with only one hand but could do nothing to help her ease the pain.

Mo Qiu’s arm was covered by blood already, and Yun Xiang’s mouth was oozing blood. Nevertheless, no one dared to let go, because each one of them knew that, down there, a cultivator with extremely high-level cultivation base was out of control. If they got down right now, nobody knew what the heck would happen. The best option was to take actions after they figured out what indeed was going on. Getting to the ground right now was no different with committing suicide.

If they let go, they were not a hundred percent sure that they could survive from the coercion. Besides, there was a very high risk of exposing themselves to that powerful cultivator.