Supreme Sword Exalt

Gu Han remained unaware of the various changes. Instead of joy, he was filled with panic. “I can’t die! Absolutely can’t die!”

Strand after strand of Profound Qi flowed relentlessly into him, transforming into Transcendent Substance that raised his cultivation. At the same time, the tear began to dissipate, along with the figure within it.

After all, said qi was the foundation for a Profound Yin Heavenly Demon like her. It contained consciousness, soul, memories... Without it, she would cease to exist, just like Liu Ying.

Gu Han lost it. The Golden Seal! The Golden Seal could definitely save her!

He didn't want her to die. Even if saving her meant turning her into a heartless and unfeeling Heavenly Demon, it didn't matter.

Ling Ya’s face was expressionless. “Forget it. If I can’t have it, no one else can—hmm?”

As if affected by the boundless profound yin qi, the hair-thin crack on the bodhi seed expanded. A vast, distant, and ancient aura of immortality spread out, landing on that tear.

The tear stopped dissipating, and the increasingly dim figure within also stabilized.

***

The old man traversed within the void, about to reach Cold Mountain.

Just then, Zhong Yu descended, blocking his path. He looked at the old monk coldly. “Old bald donkey, stop right there and get lost! If you disturb Master’s important matter, I’ll make you regret it!”

The old monk chanted softly, “Buddha be merciful. That benefactor has fate with my Buddha.”

Zhong Yu laughed coldly. “Bullshit! Spare me that useless talk! If you dare go over, I’ll kill you!”

Green and red lights flashed, condensing above his head into a green-red talisman covering thousands of zhang. The green light was thick and hazy, while the red light was mixed with a bloody intent.

Zhong Yu scoffed. “You are dead, bald donkey! I’ve hated you hypocrites the most my whole life!”

The talisman spun for a moment, and streams of green-red qi descended, transforming into countless figures that fell upon the old monk.

Frowning slightly, the old monk chanted the Buddha’s name again. He then pressed his palm together, conjuring a veil of white light. “Amitabha.”

The light expanded rapidly, soon covering a range of ten thousand zhang. As the endless light condensed, the void transformed into a Buddhist kingdom, where the faint projections of three thousand Buddhas appeared.

One of the projections was noticeably more solid than the other, bearing a striking resemblance to the old monk. Seeing the green-red figures approaching, it stepped forward and stood behind the old monk, chanting softly.

In an instant, a ray of light enveloped the figures. As the light spread, the sutra chanting rose again. A trace of relief appeared in the eyes of the countless green-red figures. They gazed at the old monk gratefully before quickly dissipating.

Zhong Yu was furious. “Old bald donkey! How dare you ruin my divine ability?!”

The old monk sighed. “Benefactor, you carry too much killing intent, stained with boundless karmic obstacles, and now you cultivate this extremely vicious divine ability. The sea of suffering is boundless, turn back to shore!”

“Go to your—”

Before he finished speaking, that Buddha said another word, and a large hand formed purely of concentrated Buddhist intent descended. The hand and the green-red talisman collided incessantly, and the countless figures hidden within were led to salvation. With a loud crash, the green-red talisman exploded.

With his divine ability broken, Zhong Yu’s face turned pale. He rapidly retreated, seemingly somewhat affected. Even though his cultivation was a notch higher than the old monk’s, the latter’s Buddhist intent was too pure, subtly surpassing him. Thus, Zhong Yu ultimately ended up at a disadvantage.

In the next moment, the two faintly perceived a hint of ancient, immortal aura coming from Cold Mountain.

Zhong Yu’s expression changed slightly. “What is this?!”

He had never perceived such a mysterious aura in his whole life! Not even Ling Ya at his peak could rival this aura in the slightest.

A trace of surprise flashed in the old monk’s eyes flickered in surprise. “Indeed. That benefactor truly has fate with my Buddha.”

He knew better than anyone what lay within that ordinary bodhi seed. Activating it required not just cultivation and strength, but also the recognition of the wisp of aura within the seed. This was why he had abandoned guarding the God-Slaying Formation and rushed over.

Recognition meant a connection. He would do his utmost to help those with connection. Thinking this, he ignored Zhong Yu and prepared to head to Cold Mountain again.

Zhong Yu turned cold. “Stop! If you dare go over, I’ll slaughter all the mortals here! Aren’t you all about compassion? Will Buddha forgive you if these people die because of you?!”

His words were not an empty threat. As long as he could delay the old monk and prevent him from ruining Ling Ya’s important matter, he wouldn’t care even if all the mortals on this continent died.

The old monk was silent for a moment before saying, “Benefactor, why are you so vicious?”

“The number of mortals who have died at my hands is countless. I won’t miss these few!”

After a brief silence, the old monk’s light intensified. The compassionate will vanished, replaced by solemnity and subtle fury. As the Buddhist kingdom dissipated, the Buddha concealed its form. A wrathful vajra, thousands of zhang tall, manifested in its place.

Zhong Yu’s tone was mocking. “What? You can get angry too—”

With eyes wide in fury, the vajra lunged forward, viciously bringing its staff crashing down. Unlike the Buddha, each blow was fiercer and heavier than the last, as if intending to crush him to death right there.

The old monk sighed softly. I’ve sinned.

After so many years, he had actually stirred up a thought of anger again. His cultivation was truly insufficient, but it didn’t matter. The priority was to eliminate the demon.

His gray robe fluttered gently, merging with that vajra. With a single step, he appeared before Zhong Yu again, bringing down the six radiant vajra staffs upon him like judgment.

***

At the peak of Cold Mountain, the ancient aura shocked Ling Ya and left him reeling. For the first time since arriving here, he lost his composure.

He stared intently at Gu Han. “This is the aura of immortality! How could you have something like this—no, how could immortality possibly exist in this world...?”

The aura gently contracted. It rolled up that tear, transferring it inside the bodhi seed, and the crack that had opened subsequently closed. Through the crack, Gu Han saw that both the tear and the figure within it faintly took on a meaning of eternal permanence, showing no sign of dissipating any further.

Uncontrollable wild joy surged in his heart. Alive! She’s alive!

Whether it was profound yin qi, a remnant soul or whatever, as long as it hadn’t completely dissipated, there was a chance to save her!

His gaze was gentle, and his voice was ten times gentler than his gaze, as if afraid of waking the sleeping person within the tear. “Rest well. When you wake up, we’ll admire the moon together.”

Before the seed fully closed, Gu Han seemed to faintly see the tear tremble for a moment, as if responding to his promise.