Chapter 37

For the demon people, including Yun Qingshan, some of the righteous path did not deliberately become enemies. Demon beasts are inherently cruel, but demon people need to be carefully distinguished, just as humans have good and evil. Demon people, due to their beast nature, rarely leave the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. During the great war of the evil path, they remained quiet within the mountains and did not join the evil sect or attack it.

However, some of the righteous path take it upon themselves to subdue demons and eliminate evil. Here, the term "evil" does not refer to the Evil Sect, but to those who have lost their minds due to spiritual deviation. In addition, the Buddhist sects practicing Hinayana Buddhism show no mercy to demons and evil beings.

At the edge of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains lies a beautiful place. Even though it is autumn now, the valley is full of peach blossoms, green fields, and a small lake, with a waterfall cascading down the mountain. In the center of the Peach Blossom Valley is a lake, on which several tile-roofed houses are built. A corridor connects all the houses, making it a naturally blessed and picturesque place to live.

By the lake, horses graze leisurely, rabbits dart about, fish leap in the water, and birds rest, creating a scene of natural beauty.

A long-haired woman sat on the stone steps outside the corridor, her feet in the lake water, quietly watching the water.

Lin Fan and Ximen Shuai slowly descended. After landing, Ximen Shuai bowed and said, "Evil Sect leader Ximen Shuai pays respects to True Person Qing Shui."

Lin Fan asked, "When did you become the leader?"

"Our Evil Sect is the orthodox one. After my master passed away, I naturally became the Demon Lord," Ximen Shuai replied in a low voice.

The woman did not turn her head and said, "So many guests, it's烦 (annoying)!"

"Here!" Lin Fan replied.

"..." Ximen Shuai was taken aback.

Lin Fan felt ashamed, "Not calling me!"

"Who are you, demon people, to disturb True Person Qing Shui's cultivation?" A bald man in a white monk's robe walked out of the tile-roofed house and shouted at the two.

"..." Lin Fan was speechless. Looking at this place and the woman's back, he couldn't believe it was a monk. Looking at the monk... what poor taste? His most prominent feature was a pair of large ears, his face was round and smooth, his eyes were sharp and bright, clearly not a good person.

"Strange, why is this bald monk here?" Ximen Shuai whispered, introducing, "Shengyin Temple, ranked seventh among the eight young masters. When he first entered Shengyin Temple, he was called Yuan Wu. Later, he was called Jie Se, and then Jue Se. He was punished with five years of hard labor for violating the temple rules and peeping at women bathing. He was only thirteen years old at the time."

Shengyin Temple is a traditional Hinayana Buddhist temple. In simple terms, Hinayana Buddhism believes that the Tathagata is the leader and guide, while Mahayana Buddhism believes that the Tathagata has boundless power and is the supreme ruler of all things, an omniscient and omnipotent Buddha. The biggest difference is that Mahayana Buddhism allows practitioners to practice at home, while Hinayana Buddhism requires them to leave home. Because this requirement does not suit the needs of the common people, Hinayana temples have no followers in the secular world.

Shengyin Temple means surpassing the first great temple of the Twelve Continents: Tianyin Temple. Shengyin Temple does not believe that Mahayana Buddhism is correct, but rather that it is a form of Buddhism reformed by the rulers of the Twelve Continents. Shengyin Temple is located in the cold and harsh North Continent, and has no contact with Mahayana Buddhist temples or the righteous path and the Evil Sect.

Ximen Shuai said, "This Jue Se is a ruffian. During his hard labor, he sneaked into Tianyin Temple, defecated in front of the Buddha statue in the main hall, and left a message. It roughly said, 'You were once a noble person, but you were hyped up by some people into an omnipotent supreme god. Temples across the land use your name to enrich themselves, while believers remain ignorant. I pity you; you are not even as good as a pile of feces, thus avoiding the pain of being a false god.'"

"Then what?" The Twelve Continents indeed have such a situation. Many temples' monks bear no resemblance to monks. However, this is a misjudgment of Tianyin Temple, which has a good reputation.

"Tianyin Temple, of course, did not tolerate it. The martial monks caught Jue Se, but the abbot of Tianyin Temple said, 'All laws return to the origin, let him be.' This incident spread, and he became famous. I think ranking him seventh among the eight young masters is an underestimation; this guy is more powerful than Zhang Tongyuan."

"Master, what are you asking? Which cave are you from?" Jue Se slowly walked over and asked.

"Shut up," True Person Qing Shui said.

"..." Jue Se ignored him but ultimately did not speak again.

True Person Qing Shui said, "The Heartless Vine takes twenty years to grow, and the Peach Blossom Valley has only two."

Jue Se laughed, "Brother across the way, we have two, one for each."

Lin Fan asked in a low voice, "What is the Heartless Vine?"

Ximen Shuai replied, "The Heartless Vine can bind demon beasts, infiltrating their blood, preventing them from self-destructing their inner dan. It is a top-tier treasure."

"Can it only be used once?"

"Yes, it can only be used once. In the Twelve Continents, only the Peach Blossom Valley has the Heartless Vine." Ximen Shuai didn't say that he originally planned to obtain two, one to catch a thousand-year-old fox and the other to give to Lin Fan, fulfilling his promise to help find the skin of a thousand-year-old demon beast. However, seeing True Person Qing Shui, who was a friend of his late master, did not seem to welcome him.

True Person Qing Shui said, "I have a use for one Heartless Vine. Your master and I have some connection. Since you have come to request it, I cannot let you leave empty-handed. Last month, a demon person sneaked into my Peach Blossom Valley while I was away and took my Ling'er."

"Ling'er?" The three asked.

"A rabbit with red fur, its bones are excellent materials for refining pills and cultivating qi," True Person Qing Shui said. "I have vowed not to enter the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. Whoever avenges Ling'er for me will receive the remaining Heartless Vine."

Jue Se laughed, "True Person Qing Shui, endless revenge, why not just let it go..."

"Get lost!"

Jue Se immediately asked, "Who is this demon person? I will eliminate it."

"He is named Sun Hu, the master of Zizai Valley, about a hundred miles to the south. The monkeys revere him as their king and have learned some techniques for cultivating inner dan."

"Oh, Amitabha, this poor monk will go and liberate it." He threw out a Zen staff, stepped on it, and quickly left.

True Person Qing Shui asked, "Why haven't you left?"

Ximen Shuai smiled, "True Person Qing Shui is a great master. If you leave, you will certainly set up powerful restrictions. If Sun Hu can break through them, it's better to go later than earlier."

True Person Qing Shui said, "The monk thinks the same. He is currently sleeping nearby. Three monks without water, sometimes smart people are not so smart."

Spicy chicken threads... Lin Fan and Ximen Shuai looked at each other, what to do? Lin Fan and Ximen Shuai had the same idea. Since Sun Hu has the ability to enter the Peach Blossom Valley without permission, it shows he has considerable cultivation. Let Jue Se the monk take the lead to see the situation. If he can fight, he will fight; if not, they will retreat. If Jue Se and Sun Hu both suffer, they can take advantage of the situation.

True Person Qing Shui said, "Great wisdom is like foolishness. Demon Lord, with a disciple like you, I am somewhat disappointed. How is your Heavenly Demon Bloodshed Array coming along?"

"Trivial sect matters, I dare not trouble True Person Qing Shui with them," Ximen Shuai avoided the question.