Xu Kuang was currently trapped within the light shield. Due to his grievous injuries, his eyes rolled back, and he was slipping into unconsciousness. Atop the shield, a small yellow fox scurried back and forth, brimming with spiritual vitality. For a protective Dao art to possess an innate spirit of its own revealed an exceedingly exalted status.
Not even Wei Yuan's thunderball had managed to shatter the barrier—not for lack of destructive power, but because its inherent status fell short. Most of the heavenly tribulation's force had been effortlessly blown away in a single breath by that little fox upon the shield.
With such an immortal art guarding him, anyone intending to harm Xu Kuang would immediately understand that an immortal was watching over him. To touch him was to make an enemy of a true immortal.
Thoughts raced through Wei Yuan’s mind as countless records regarding the State of Ji were collated within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. "Xu Kuang... Xu... So this is the handiwork of Immortal Monarch Zhongmiao."
Immortal Monarch Zhongmiao, Xu Xuanzhen, had resided in the State of Ji for years. He had not yet established his own cultivation clan, living instead as a rogue immortal wandering free between heaven and earth.
He had maintained deep entanglements with the royal house of Ji. The King of Ji had repeatedly offered to honor him as State Preceptor, yet the Immortal Monarch had politely declined each time. He seemed disinclined to bind his clan to the royal house. Even so, the two sides engaged in extensive, intimate cooperation; for instance, the current Crown Prince of Ji was a disciple under Immortal Monarch Zhongmiao.
Though Wei Yuan had no idea what Immortal Monarch Zhongmiao was scheming, he felt that Xu Kuang’s systematic slaughter of several counties was an atrocity that even a born madman and butcher could hardly conceive on his own. This matter almost certainly had ties to the Immortal Monarch.
Hearing Wei Yuan utter Immortal Monarch Zhongmiao's title, the elder was taken aback at first, but his arrogance soon rekindled. He sneered, "To think you actually recognize the Immortal Venerable’s exalted title. You possess some worldly knowledge after all, junior! Since you know how formidable the Immortal Venerable is, why haven’t you returned this seat’s Holy Infant and spiritual child at once?! Kneel, kowtow, and beg for forgiveness, and compensate me for my precious parasol! Delay by half a step, and once the Immortal Venerable’s Dao art strikes down, your soul will be utterly obliterated!"
Looking at Xu Kuang beneath the protection of the immortal art, Wei Yuan raised his hand once more. Yet he hesitated for a long while, caught in deep indecision.
The elder had initially felt an inexplicable jolt of terror, retreating a step the moment Wei Yuan lifted his hand. But seeing that Wei Yuan refrained from striking, he immediately concluded that the young man was putting on a brave front—that deep down he was terrified and dared not truly offend an immortal.
Recalling his own unsightly display of fright a moment earlier, shame and fury surged within the elder's chest. Unable to hold back any longer, he brought forth a golden brick and hurled it head-on at Wei Yuan’s face, shouting, "Take this brick as a lesson! Junior, if you dare dodge, I will have the Immortal Venerable extract your soul!"
Lost in thought, Wei Yuan had somehow drifted into a daze, actually making no move to evade the incoming golden brick.
Seeing this, the elder burst into uproarious laughter, thoroughly delighted as he waited for Wei Yuan's face to be smashed to a bloody pulp.
Yet at that very instant, a slender, fair hand reached out through empty air, catching the golden brick just three feet before Wei Yuan's face before tossing it casually to the ground.
The elder was shocked. He channeled his Dao power to retrieve the brick, but no matter how hard he pulled, the artifact showed no reaction whatsoever. This treasure, refined with his own heart’s blood, had severed its connection with him completely. With a dull thud, it fell into the dust.
Staring at the green-robed female cultivator who had appeared beside Wei Yuan, the elder’s expression shifted between shock and suspicion. For a moment, he did not know whether to flee or stay.
Zhang Sheng did not spare the elder a single glance. She looked only at Wei Yuan and asked, "What are you hesitating for?"
Wei Yuan looked down at Xu Kuang below and sighed. "If I kill him, the karmic consequences will be far too immense. I'm afraid... I might regret it in the future."
Zhang Sheng said, "He is merely an inferior immortal. What is there to fear? So, what is this karma you speak of...?"
Wei Yuan’s divine consciousness drifted into the Pure Land Grotto-Heaven, entering the small temple, where he stared blankly at the empty lotus pedestal. Liandeng and Honglian were each occupied with their own affairs, paying him no mind.
Yet there was a difference between the two: Honglian genuinely cared nothing for worldly concerns, while Liandeng simply dared not speak at a moment like this.
After lingering for a brief instant, Wei Yuan withdrew his consciousness. Having finally resolved to confess, he said to Zhang Sheng, "Actually, what I'm hesitating over is..."
Zhang Sheng cut him off, saying, "There is no need to speak it aloud. On the path of immortal cultivation, one is bound to face countless difficult choices, and everything carries a price. However..."
She lightly pressed a finger to the center of Wei Yuan's brow. In an instant, Wei Yuan felt his entire body lighten. The vast karmic debts weighing upon him surged like a tide into Zhang Sheng’s body, reaching a perfect equilibrium between the two of them. Everything was now shared equally.
"This..." Wei Yuan was astonished, unable to comprehend her intentions.
Zhang Sheng said softly, "Along the road to immortality, through thousands of autumns and tens of thousands of years, I will walk by your side. Whatever price there is to pay, I will shoulder half of it. So whatever you wish to do, do it without reservation. Life is short; if you look forward and backward in fear at every step, what could you ever accomplish? Take this trash before you, for instance—if you want him dead, then kill him. Why overthink it?"
Deeply moved, Wei Yuan could find no words. He simply nodded vigorously, waved his hand, and summoned three bolts of lightning. This time, a faint golden Buddhist radiance shone within the thunder, carrying a magnificent, evil-vanquishing might!
These three golden bolts already possessed the true intent of the Buddhist sect's Divine Filth-Cleansing Lightning.
The first two lightning bolts crashed down, shattering the golden immortal shield covering Xu Kuang. When the third bolt struck, Xu Kuang’s flesh and bones melted away, completely evaporating from the mortal realm—soul included!
At the moment of his annihilation, two shrill screams rang out simultaneously. One was Xu Kuang’s, while the other was a shrill, piercing voice drenched in dread and malice. Two phantoms, one large and one small, dissolved into wisps of green smoke amid the thunderous brilliance.
The elder stood frozen in terror, stammering, "Y-Y-You... you actually killed the Immortal Venerable’s direct great-grandson?! What... what audacious gall! I..."
Wei Yuan said coldly, "What Immortal Venerable? Committing such inhuman atrocities makes him nothing more than a demonic cultivator!"
The elder possessed a hot-tempered nature that could not bear provocation. He instantly roared in fury, "Nonsense! The Immortal Venerable commits minor evils for the sake of the greater good, for the sake of the future and the grand design! What do juniors like you understand?!
"Demonic cultivators? Tens of thousands of demonic cultivators walk the world, and more than half hail from the Palace of Grand Beginning! Have you ever heard that saying?! We do not belong to the Palace of Grand Beginning, so how could we possibly be demonic cultivators?!"
Wei Yuan was taken aback, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
Zhang Sheng said indifferently, "You slaughter mortals city by city, town by town. That wickedness alone is reason enough for your death! Save your breath and forfeit your life!"
Even as she spoke, the figure of a middle-aged Daoist manifested above her head.
The moment he saw this Daoist, the elder cried out in alarm and turned to flee! But the Daoist had already brought out a dharma artifact. It was exceedingly indistinct, though it faintly resembled a pennant.
The middle-aged Daoist gave the pennant a gentle wave toward the elder. With a miserable shriek, every single one of the elder's protective treasures shattered. His aura plummeted precipitously, to the point where he could barely sustain his mindscape world. Burning his vital essence and trading his lifespan and bone structure, he fled into the distance in an instant.
Wei Yuan was looking at his own hand. A faint golden luster rippled beneath his skin, gliding like swimming fish. This was a sign that his Indestructible Dharma of Emptiness and Form had progressed once again. For him, cultivating this supreme secret art was as effortless as eating or drinking.
Holding his hand out before Zhang Sheng, he gave a wry smile. "This is the price. The karma involved is simply too immense. That is why I was hesitating earlier. I was just afraid..."
Zhang Sheng smiled breezily. "Afraid of parting with me? It won't happen. You are someone destined for great things, destined to draw the eyes of the entire world. When that day comes, the masses will wag their tongues, saying whatever they please, and the so-called champions of propriety will be as numerous as cattle hairs, surely doing their utmost to criticize and defame you. Therefore, as we walk together in the days to come, we may share the reality of husband and wife, but not the title. I considered this long ago. Incurring karma with the Buddhist sect leads to roughly the same outcome anyway."
A thousand emotions swelled in Wei Yuan’s chest, leaving him only with the feeling that he was letting her down far too deeply. Yet he knew not where to begin, and in the end, only a sigh remained.
Wei Yuan reached out and drew her into his arms.
A moment later, they parted. Zhang Sheng pointed toward the rebel forces fleeing in all directions below and said, "Though the ringleader has been eliminated, these lackeys cannot be let off lightly either."
Jolted back to his senses, Wei Yuan ordered his troops to pursue and cut them down. As for himself, it was improper for him to act against mortals at this juncture, nor was there any need to. Any who managed to escape the slaughter before his eyes simply had not yet reached their destined end.
Standing side by side, their shadows cast upon the earth merged into one.
Zhang Sheng suddenly glanced at the top of Wei Yuan’s head, reaching out to tug at his hair a few times. Seeing how thick and luxuriant it remained, she could not help but chuckle aloud.
Just as Wei Yuan felt a touch of chagrin, about to declare that he would never shave his hair, Zhang Sheng spoke: "These rules and karmic bonds today were set by those who came before us. But from now on, we will be the ones setting the rules. When the day comes that you and I reach the pinnacle, we shall overturn all these wretched rules!"
Hearing this, Wei Yuan felt a surge of heroic ambition! Yet the moment he recalled the three Daoists—old, middle-aged, and young—his ambition dampened by a fraction.
At this thought, Wei Yuan remarked, "Perhaps you will reach the pinnacle before I do."
Zhang Sheng smiled faintly and said, "Then every single rule will be mine to set! Rest assured, when the time comes, at least eight out of ten rules will be tailored specifically for you. Believe me, you won't look forward to that outcome."
Wei Yuan's face instantly took on a greenish hue, and he resolved then and there to redouble his diligence.
Only then did Zhang Sheng recall something. Smiling sweetly, she asked, "By the way, just which mighty figure of the Buddhist sect did you tie your karmic knot with?"
Wei Yuan was struck dumb with shock, utterly at a loss for an answer!
Chapter 964