Chapter 35

In the Great Hall of the Shaolin Temple.

"Abbot, how are your injuries?" After Meng Qi and the others left, the white-browed old monk asked with concern.

Xin Ji's withered face suddenly turned red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his chest with the crimson liquid.

"Abbot!"

"Master!"

... The monks cried out in shock, instantly realizing that the abbot had only been suppressing his injuries and had not revealed his weakness in front of the unknown group.

Xin Ji waved his hand and took a deep breath, saying, "It's fine, I'm temporarily unharmed, but I can only use half of my full strength."

The monks were all silent. The abbot was already old and frail, and was likely no match for General Dorje. Now, with only half of his strength, the prospects were even more bleak. As for other innate experts, there were only two in the entire temple, and they were just at the initial stage of innate, not to mention that they couldn't even compare to Dorje's subordinates, the "White-Browed Wolf" and the "Palm of the Universe."

The white-browed old monk sighed deeply, "Abbot, given the situation, we should prioritize preserving the temple's incense."

"Xin Chan, I understand your meaning." Xin Ji nodded slightly, looking back at the golden Buddha statue with a weathered expression, "The barbarians have the advantage of the heavens, and it's a time of prosperity for them. Without mentioning the so-called national master and wolf lord, General Dorje alone is one of the top experts in the world, undefeated throughout his life. He has three hundred iron wolves under his command, invincible in every direction."

"If our Shaolin Temple is to be destroyed, we might still be able to hold off Dorje, but only for a short time. And from the current situation, it seems we can't even hold off for that short time."

"My previous words were not out of a lack of desire to preserve the temple's incense, but rather a willingness to use this old and weak body to delay Dorje, creating an opportunity for the monks to escape. If I don't die, Dorje will surely pursue and kill without giving up, dragging you all down and hindering the transfer of the scriptures, secret texts, and relics."

Dorje has three hundred iron wolves, said to be trained with secret methods, each one incredibly strong, without pain, and fearless in the face of death.

The white-browed old monk and the others fell silent again, knowing that Dorje viewed the abbot as a thorn in his side. This time, the purpose of the encirclement was to eliminate the top experts. If the goal was not achieved, the temple would face relentless pursuit, even if they abandoned their ancestral property. If the abbot passed away, the pursuit would be much less intense, and at least General Dorje would not personally lead the hunt. At that time, they could disperse and hide, and the incense would continue.

"Master, I will stay with you to guard Shaolin." A middle-aged monk with a sad expression knelt before Xin Ji.

Xin Ji sighed, "Why be so stubborn?"

He did not agree to his disciple's request but looked around and said, "There is a secret passage in the temple, known only to the abbot. Please arrange for the disciples to pack the secret texts and wait until midnight. The other ordinary disciples, leave a note when you leave, and let them go down the mountain on their own."

"What about the laypeople at the foot of the mountain? Should we inform them?" Another monk, who looked like Maitreya Buddha, asked.

The white-browed old monk Xin Chan said with a stern face, "Inform them? There are many barbarian spies among them, like the Scholar of a Hundred Changes. If Dorje hears the news, our Shaolin Temple will be in grave danger!"

"Once the ordinary disciples leave, they will naturally disperse." Xin Ji did not want to risk the information leaking.

"Master, since Dorje arranged for the Scholar of a Hundred Changes to attack, I think he must be nearby. We shouldn't delay until midnight." The kneeling middle-aged monk stood up, "The laypeople at the foot of the mountain, if they see the iron wolves coming and the mountain gate doesn't open, will not fight to the death but will leave on their own."

Xin Ji nodded solemnly, "That makes sense."

...

At the foot of the mountain, in a guesthouse.

"Xiao Sang, Xiao Sang is coming..." Xiao Zi's dream-like muttering made Wei Wujie and the other onlookers shiver, their hair standing on end.

Who is Xiao Sang? Sounds terrifying!

Jiang Zhewei and Zhang Yuanshan looked up in surprise, saying in unison, "Xiao Sang? Gu Xiao Sang?"

Who is she... Meng Qi had heard Xiao Zi mention Gu Xiao Sang before, but he didn't expect the name to be so famous, even Jiang Zhewei and Zhang Yuanshan looked as if they had heard of her for a long time.

"Um, Gu Xiao Sang, she's here, she wants to kill me, wailing..." Xiao Zi cried, feeling on the verge of collapse.

Meng Qi saw Jiang Zhewei and Zhang Yuanshan's expressions become serious and guessed, Gu Xiao Sang is a famous figure in the main world? Otherwise, they wouldn't have heard of her?

But aren't the participants in this cycle just us few?

Could it be an enemy faction's participant?

But that doesn't seem right, the Six Realms' Master didn't give any warning!

The group exchanged glances. Just as Jiang Zhewei was about to whisper to Meng Qi who Gu Xiao Sang was, a horn sounded outside, startling everyone.

Woo!

The long, mournful horn sound was followed by the sound of hooves, like waves crashing, quickly approaching.

"Iron Wolves! Iron Wolves!" Wei Wujie's expression changed drastically, his hands trembling involuntarily, as the arrival of the Iron Wolves meant General Dorje was nearby!

He shouted, "Heroes and martial artists, the Iron Wolves are coming! We must retreat to Shaolin and defend the mountain pass."

The terrain at the foot of the mountain was open, and he knew he couldn't hold off so many Iron Wolves.

"Wei Wujie is right!"

"Let's go to the mountain gate!"

The martial artists and heroes saw the dust rising in the distance, a vast expanse, and remembered the Iron Wolves' ferocity, feeling a sense of fear. They rushed towards the mountain gate.

Meng Qi and the others looked out the guesthouse window, seeing the iron cavalry approaching, their riders in deep black full armor, only their eyes visible.

"Kneel and you will not be killed!" A stern, cold voice rang out from the cavalry, clear even from a distance.

"Dorje, General Dorje!" Wei Wujie's face turned pale, shouting to De Guang, who was guarding the mountain gate, "Open the gate quickly, General Dorje is here!"

De Guang's face was equally pale, "Wei Wujie, without the abbot's command, I cannot open the gate."

"Ungrateful, ungrateful! We risk our lives to help, and you ignore our fate!" Wei Wujie's face turned red with anger.

The surrounding martial artists immediately became agitated, the scene chaotic.

"Hmph, brave in internal strife, cowardly in external battles, the people of the Central Plains are inherently lowly." Dorje's voice was like thunder.

His figure appeared at the front of the cavalry, towering and mighty, holding a single-legged bronze man. Though not on horseback, he was taller than the other Iron Wolves.

He took a few steps, covering the distance in a few breaths.

As he approached, the sky suddenly darkened, the wind howled, and dark clouds gathered, with distant thunder.

Meng Qi smelled the scent of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, feeling an overwhelming sense of fear.

"Half-step to the Outer Realm, half-step to the Outer Realm." Zhang Yuanshan drew his sword, plucking it, the sound like a dragon's roar, snapping Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan out of their trance. The mountain of corpses and sea of blood before their eyes disappeared.

Jiang Zhewei, with a hint of eagerness, said, "Dorje is indeed stronger than Master Xin Ji, not only has he opened all nine orifices, but he has also touched the outer realm, only one step away from the inner and outer realms merging. Even if I use 'Sword Without Self,' I doubt I can do anything to him."

"Half-step to the Outer Realm?" Meng Qi, who was ignorant, asked instinctively.

Jiang Zhewei raised her head slightly, "The merging of the inner and outer realms, where every movement can trigger changes in the world, is called the Outer Realm. In the Outer Realm, every move is immensely powerful, containing profound mysteries, capable of destroying mountains and cities. Dorje can change the weather, indicating he is only half a step away."

"This enemy is so strong..." Just from Jiang Zhewei's description, Meng Qi knew Dorje was far stronger than the previous Hidden Emperor's castle lord, let alone the current storm and thunder. "He is completely beyond our capabilities!"

Meng Qi guessed that Jiang Zhewei, who had opened four orifices (eyes and ears each being two orifices), could kill a seven-orifice expert with 'Sword Without Self' and had a chance to injure a nine-orifice expert, but this kind of strong person who had touched the mysteries of the world was not just a matter of using a special move. Clearly, this mission's difficulty was beyond imagination!

"Not necessarily, if Master Xin Ji is well, and Jiang Zhewei cooperates with him, there is a chance to kill Dorje." Zhang Yuanshan said helplessly.

He had only opened the eye orifice, and against Dorje, he could only block a few moves, with no chance of fighting side by side—though he had special moves, the gap in realms was too large.

Meng Qi thought for a moment, "Our mission is to defend Shaolin until the last moment, we don't necessarily need to face Dorje directly."

Boom!

A thunderclap echoed in everyone's ears, the mountain of corpses and sea of ghosts becoming even clearer.

These martial artists, influenced by Dorje's changes to the world and the mental pressure, broke down, some fleeing to the sides, others shouting, "These bald monks are evil, let's kill in!"

Boom!

De Guang and the others guarding the mountain gate were stunned by the thunder, unable to resist the crazed crowd, watching helplessly as they broke through the gate and rushed in, becoming the vanguard of the demons.

"Wei... Wei Wujie..." De Guang saw Wei Wujie's face twisted, a palm striking his head.

Rushing rain finally fell, the ground turning red with blood.

Dorje stopped at the mountain gate, turning his head, coldly looking at the nearby guesthouse, calmly ordering the Iron Wolves, "Fifty men here, leave no one alive. The rest, follow me up the mountain."

His face was covered with intersecting scars, making it impossible to see his original appearance.

Fifty Iron Wolves split off, running to the sides. They were covered in iron armor, with only their blood-red eyes exposed.

"Enter the mountain gate within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, or the main mission will fail." The muddy ground displayed these words.

"Follow them into the temple, or the main mission will fail." Meng Qi saw the Six Realms' Master's prompt and gritted his teeth.

At such a time, they had to follow the enemy into the temple, truly a model of "righteousness and loyalty."