"Amitabha..." Monk Tongde intoned as he approached Xu Xing, who was admiring the snowscape. With his palms pressed together, he said, "Benefactor, you must be the Heavenly Kun King, Chang Kun. Before the Demon Slaying Conference, you often spent lavishly in the Capital. It’s a pity that though the Purple Sea Pavilion extended an invitation, you chose not to attend..."
Unlike what Xiong Luotai of the Desert North knew, Xu Xing had indeed received an invitation letter from the Purple Sea Pavilion. Although he was not seated among those in the high seats, he was nevertheless arranged a seat among the lower ones.
The Purple Sea Pavilion was filled with heroes.
Had Xu Xing attended, Monk Tongde might not have known who the Heavenly Kun King was.
But as it happened, Xu Xing and a few other invited guests did not come. Such an independent act immediately made them stand out, allowing Monk Tongde to remember the name Heavenly Kun King Chang Kun.
Of course, he only remembered the name and made some slight inquiries.
A mere junior in the martial arts world was not worth the Imperial Court and Guanyin Temple investigating further.
As for Xu Xing staying at the Yunlai Inn without leaving, this was hardly surprising. The Capital was the Land of Supreme Goodness, a bustling place where young masters from aristocratic families often lingered... wasn’t that to be expected?
"Master is correct," Xu Xing replied, his expression unchanged as he returned Monk Tongde’s salute. "I am indeed the Heavenly Kun King, Chang Kun."
Next, Monk Tongde assumed the role of a reception monk, leading Xu Xing around the Guanyin Temple to admire the snowscape. The Guanyin Temple, already a famous sight in the Capital, became even more outstanding in the snowfall. Many high-ranking officials and nobles would take advantage of the snowy weather to visit the Guanyin Temple.
However, not many people came to the Guanyin Temple as early in the morning as Xu Xing.
Before long, under Xu Xing’s intentional guidance, they arrived at the Zen courtyard where National Teacher Master Fa Hui resided.
"The main gate here is tightly locked, and soldiers are guarding it," Xu Xing observed, looking at Monk Tongde with a puzzled expression. "I wonder..."
"This..." Monk Tongde looked back and explained, "is the residence of the National Teacher. The National Teacher’s position is comparable to that of dukes and marquises. Although he is a monk, he still requires some guards to add to his prestige. Benefactor, please don’t find it strange."
As they spoke, the two moved away from the Zen courtyard where Master Fa Hui resided and headed elsewhere.
"This old monk has other matters to attend to, so I must take my leave of Benefactor Chang for now."
After a while, a Little Sami found Monk Tongde and whispered a few words to him. Monk Tongde then apologized to Xu Xing and instructed the Little Sami to accompany him. With that said, he hurriedly departed.
"I will look around by myself. There’s no need for company," Xu Xing told the Little Sami to leave.
"Yes, Benefactor." The Little Sami did not mind. After performing a Buddhist salute to Xu Xing, he left directly.
It was not uncommon for those who admired the snow to prefer solitude.
A High Monk accompanying guests could discourse on Buddhist principles and engage in refined conversation, but a Little Sami like him lacked such profound knowledge. Speaking out of turn would only annoy people.
Stepping once more into the Zen courtyard where Master Fa Hui resided, Xu Xing moved in an instant, killing all the dozens of guards posted outside the door. He pushed open the door, walked in, and looked at Master Fa Hui, who was sitting on the bed with his eyes closed, cultivating. "Master, your rebellious disciple has cultivated for fourteen years and already achieved success. Today, I have come to send you, Master, to an early ascent to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."
He didn’t rush to attack directly but first provoked Master Fa Hui with words.
After cultivating the Demonic Incarnation Technique, although it seemed the Foreign Demon had been slain and his mind was clear, in reality, the heart demon had already lurked deep within. The demonic corruption affected not only the Sky Dragon Outer Demons but also his own being.
And those who succumbed to demonic influence were easily angered.
Thus, this verbal provocation was intended to seize the initiative in battle.
The next moment, the outcome astonished Xu Xing.
Master Fa Hui didn’t utter a word. Instead, he first vomited several mouthfuls of blood, his aura becoming unbelievably weak.
"Zhi Xing..." Master Fa Hui began, clutching his chest and sighing after a moment or two of silence. "As your master, I regret it. When you came in, I understood why I have been suffering a backlash from the Dragon Luck these past days. It turns out it’s because I harmed you, secretly plotted against you. If I, as your master, had come to my senses earlier, perhaps we, master and disciple..."
He sighed repeatedly, his words filled with remorse.
A trick? Xu Xing frowned deeply at this scene. Or is he deliberately feigning weakness, truly enfeebled?
In terms of scheming and cunning, he wasn’t much stronger than Fa Zheng or Master Fa Hui. Fa Zheng had been successfully assassinated because he was unaware of Xu Xing’s true depths and had been caught by surprise by Xu Xing’s meticulous planning—a scheme within a scheme—ultimately being beheaded by a single sword strike.
Now, facing Master Fa Hui, he also had to be extremely careful.
In any case, a fight is still inevitable... Xu Xing resolved. Even if I’m no match for him, I still have the ability to retreat unscathed...
He flicked his sleeves, and two yellow snakes shot out.
These two yellow snakes transformed into over a dozen rays of bright yellow Sword Qi, directly aiming to shred Master Fa Hui’s physical body. Although Master Fa Hui attempted to resist, under Xu Xing’s full-force attack at the Immortal Foundation Realm, any resistance seemed somewhat futile.
A breath passed, then another.
Master Fa Hui was decapitated, his physical body mangled beyond recognition by the Great Imperial Court Sword Qi.
He was as dead as could be!
But just as Xu Xing was about to let down his guard, he saw a small vermilion centipede, about two to three inches long, crawl out from Master Fa Hui’s corpse.
Without the slightest hesitation, the vermilion centipede flew straight toward Xu Xing’s face.
"Great Imperial Court Sword Qi!" Xu Xing instantly shot out three or four streams of Sword Qi.
But something unexpected happened. The vermilion centipede showed no fear of the Great Imperial Court Sword Qi, not even bothering to dodge. As soon as the bright yellow Sword Qi touched the vermilion centipede, it passed straight through its body, causing no harm whatsoever.