Volcanic Age

The power of the Absolute Masters, the Eight Empyrean Overlords, was truly amazing. They surpassed the limits of humanity and were called Divine Might.

The Abbot of the Shaolin Temple, Divine Monk Hui Mian, was one of those Eight Empyrean Overlords. While he was impressive in his youth, he had become untouchable in his elder years.

No matter how strong the Western Domination Guardian or the Wind Demon Squadron were, they couldn't properly display their power in front of the Divine Monk.

This became even more apparent due to their poor compatibility. Normally, the match should have ended long ago.

However…

"What are you doing…" Hui Mian groaned.

"Hong Gao."

His pupils, usually steady and unaffected by anything, now trembled as if shaken by an earthquake.

"Master," Hong Gao responded shakily, his voice heavy with emotion as if his heart was being torn apart.

"Please forgive this worthless disciple for going against your decision. However, there's nothing that can be done."

Hong Gao’s fist was stopped mid-air by Hui Mian’s hand. That fist had been aimed at Shaolin Temple’s sworn enemy, Fang Fotong.

An hour earlier, the Shaolin Temple and the Wind Demon Squadron had clashed in front of the Righteous Faction alliance in Shanxi.

It was a battlefield where one couldn't see even an inch ahead or tell which way was up or down.

While the Righteous Faction usually looked down on the Demon Cult, the cult's strength was actually similar to the Righteous Faction's forces, not inferior.

Although the Eighteen Arhats were among the monks of the Shaolin Temple, they still couldn't easily win, and the two forces exchanged endless attacks.

In terms of skill alone, the Shaolin Temple was superior to the Demon Cult's forces. However, the Wind Demon Squadron was able to hold on because they brought over their elite troops.

In fact, in addition to the Western Domination Guardian, Golden Saber Demon, there were quite a few of the Wind Demon Squadron members whose names were famous.

It made sense, considering the Southern Yang Guardian, who was deeply involved with the Demon Cult, had surrendered to the Righteous Faction and cooperated. They couldn't just send out any old pursuers.

Judging from the fact that they had withdrawn this many members before the Great War of Good and Demonic, they were definitely determined.

As soon as the fierce battle began, the Golden Saber Demon did everything he could to kill Fang Fotong.

However, Hui Mian kept blocking his attacks, making it difficult for the demon to kill him.

Fortunately, since Hui Mian had to focus on protecting Fang Fotong, even if the monk counterattacked, it wouldn't be fatal.

Still, the Golden Saber Demon grew anxious, realizing that at this rate, he wouldn't be able to take Fang Fotong's life.

But then, how could this be?!

Hong Gao suddenly intervened, throwing a fist at Fang Fotong.

"I asked you what you were doing!" Hui Mian shouted in anger.

"I am acting for the sake of Shaolin, Master."

Hong Gao’s eyes burned with unwavering determination.

"Master, you may have forgiven him, but didn't you say that Shaolin had not?"

Hong Gao swung his left fist this time, but it was still blocked by Hui Mian.

Even though Hui Mian was blocking him from getting close to Fang Fotong, the distance wasn't an obstacle for the Hundred Paces Divine Fist.

While Hong Gao didn’t release a blast of fist qi or fist wind, his fist, now enveloped in a glowing fist aura, flew through the air and aimed for his enemy.

Woosh!

But before it could land, Hui Mian’s hand moved like a flash of lightning, stopping the attack mid-air.

His hand flashed golden like the Golden Saber Demon's saber, and his movements were like a flying dragon. Even though he stretched out his arm, the rosary beads on his wrist miraculously didn't shake.

The old monk's calloused hands wrapped around his disciple's outstretched fist and grabbed his wrist.

It was the Twelve Resolutions of the Golden Dragon , one of the Shaolin Temple's few ascendent-ranked grappling techniques.

"As you said, Shaolin may not forgive the Iron Fist Demon from forty years ago. I won't either."

Hong Gao didn't back down when it came to matters related to the Shaolin Temple.

It had been the same in Zhou Xuchuan's past life, the same in this life, and it would be the same in the future.

He was particularly stubborn when it came to holding grudges.

"Even if the Iron Fist Demon repents, that does not mean that his evil deeds can be forgiven!"

Hong Gao hadn’t been a part of the massacre forty years ago.

The only one directly involved had been his Junior Master Uncle, Hui Xiao.

However, that didn't mean that he wasn't angry. As someone who loved Shaolin more than anything else, that stain was unbearable. Since this was the Shaolin Temple, it didn't falter even after taking that sort of damage. However, that incident had left a stain on the Shaolin Temple's reputation.

The Shaolin monks lost to the Iron Fist Demon?

Then, could the Strongest Peak Shaolin be a thing of the past now? Tsk, tsk.

I heard that the Iron Fist Demon mocked the monks afterward for helping him successfully complete his demonic art training.

Shh! Quiet! The Shaolin Temple is already on edge because of that.

It was true that the Shaolin Temple's authority had fallen because of this incident.

It was another reason why Hong Gao couldn't forgive the Iron Fist Demon.

"You need to calm down. You're so angry right now that you can't tell right from wrong."

I thought that your temper had been squashed because of your confrontation with Benefactor Zhou, but…

His disciple's few shortcomings were all big problems.

With Zhou Xuchuan's help, Hui Mian was, fortunately, able to show Hong Gao how to abandon his arrogance of looking down on martial training done outside of the Shaolin Temple.

While being proud of one's sect was good, Hong Gao’s excessive pride often worried Hui Mian, who feared he might eventually cross a line.

How the monk felt might have been fine individually, but as the next abbot who would lead Shaolin, that sort of attitude could be fatal. As a result, Hui Mian had been incredibly worried.

Fortunately, with Zhou Xuchuan's help, they were able to resolve such excessive pride.

However, Hong Gao was still sensitive to matters related to the Shaolin Temple.

He was especially hostile to things that would cause the temple harm, as was evident by how he reacted this time.

However, this problem wasn't unique to Hong Gao, as many from the younger generation, still brimming with energy, shared a similar attitude. Thus, Hui Mian couldn't openly condemn such feelings, either.

Moreover, wasn't the way he felt born from his love for Shaolin? It wasn't wrong for him to feel that way.

"You have a point. However, you yourself can't decide on his punishment alone, right? If you really want the Shaolin Temple to have a consensus, we need to take him to the temple," Hui Mian coaxed.

"How can we believe that he's truly repenting for his mistakes? If this is just a ploy to escape his current situation, it will only invite more tragedy. Moreover, isn't he a demon? They will do whatever it takes to survive!" Hong Gao retorted.

He wasn't wrong.

Having demonic nature as a side effect of cultivating demonic arts was a given.

Even if one reached the Extreme Demon Stage, while such mentalities could be controlled, they couldn't be eliminated completely.

History was proof of that, and there had been countless cases where people gave in too easily and forgave, only to be deceived and suffer as a result.

"Neither you nor I are Buddhas. Only the person in question can know whether his intentions are true or false. So let's take him to Shaolin and brainstorm together to find a peaceful way…"

Woosh!

A golden saber shadow suddenly tore through the air. Unlike the dark, ominous aura typical of demons, this saber shone brilliantly, almost blindingly.

While Hui Mian and Hong Gao argued, the Golden Saber Demon seized the opportunity to attack. His saber carved a vertical line through the air, aiming to split Fang Fotong’s head in two.

"You dare!"

Hui Mian spun around, his expression hardening as if the Golden Saber Demon’s actions were the height of insolence.

Before the demon could even catch sight of it, a hand shot out and gently struck the Golden Saber Demon's blade.

Boom!

However, the force behind the strike was anything but gentle. The intense shockwave was transmitted through his body, causing his veins and meridians to shrink and tremble.

As spit left the Golden Saber Demon's mouth, he looked over at Hui Mian, who suddenly looked very different.

Although Hui Mian’s hands were clasped together in front of his chest, it looked as though he had many more arms.

With these arms, he was blocking both Hong Gao and the Golden Saber Demon.

"The Thousand Hands Salvation Art!" The Golden Saber Demon roared.

It was said that the Buddhist Bodhisattva, Guanshiyin Avalokitesvara, had a thousand hands and eyes to hear, see, and care for all living beings.[1] That was why she was also called the Thousand Hands Thousand Eyes Guanshiyin Avalokitesvara. The Thousand Hands Salvation Art got its inspiration from her Thousand Hands.

Even among all the hand techniques of the Shaolin Temple, it was one of the greatest, on par with the Eighteen Hands of the Innate Arhat, the Eighteen Hands of the Arhat, and the Eighteen Hands of Bodhidharma.

As one's mastery increased, multiple movements could be performed simultaneously with a single move. While it didn't actually give one a thousand hands, it provided the same, as if multiple pairs of arms were being used at once.

"I have no intention of interfering in a conversation between a master and disciple! I won't interfere, so hand over that bastard and fuck off!"

The air seemed to boil as the Golden Saber Demon unleashed his qi. The heat could be felt directly on the skin.

As expected of the Golden Yang Destroying Crimson Saber!

Hui Mian was amazed.

As its name suggested, the Golden Yang Destroying Crimson Saber was classified as a Yang Art. However, rather than simply focusing on heat, it focused entirely on destruction.

Wherever it landed would turn red hot and get destroyed, regardless of whether it was iron or flesh. Its power was incredible, but it also contained immense heat, making it extremely difficult to fight.

Shing!

However, even the formidable Golden Yang Destroying Crimson Saber couldn't work on Hui Mian.

Not even its prized heat could spread into the surroundings.

It was as if Hui Mian had an invisible hand or barrier that blocked the heat from expanding so that not even a single wisp could leak out.

The saber he swung went without saying, too.

"This is so ridiculous, even a ghost would complain!” the Golden Saber Demon shouted, clicking his tongue in frustration.

He hadn’t just swung his saber. Normally, when the saber aura collided with its target, its intense heat would explode outward, scorching everything nearby.

It was an attack method that not even the Thousand Hand Salvation Art should have been able to do anything about—an attack of formless heat.

But, just what was going on? Even that small amount of heat was completely wiped out by an invisible force.

Nothing he did could reach Hui Mian, Hong Gao, or even Fang Fotong.

"The Buddha's hand is everywhere and nowhere."

Manifestation of One's Path, Intangible Hand.

This was the Path that Hui Mian had manifested as he built up his compassion, caring for people like the Guanshiyin Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and trying to help them just a little more at every turn.

The moment he transcended past the wall of the Harmony Realm and entered the Coruscant Realm, that caring mentality became a reality and even surpassed the laws of nature.

The ability to create invisible hands with will alone.

While he was only able to manifest them for an instant and he couldn't use multiple hands at once, this Path was still powerful.

"Divine Monk, you old geezer…!" The Golden Saber Demon muttered angrily, his frustration growing as his repeated attacks failed.

"I'm sorry I can't be of any help."

Fang Fotong, who was caught in the middle, apologized.

His body was a mess after being chased for so long. His qi reserves were nearly depleted, leaving him defenseless if any of the experts around him were to attack.

"It's oka—Hong Gao!"

Hui Mian twisted his body sharply, just in time to block another fist from Hong Gao. Had he been even slightly slower, the Hundred Paces Divine Fist would have pierced Fang Fotong’s chest.

"If you let the Iron Fist Demon go now, have you ever thought about how the world will view us Shaolin?!" Hong Gao shouted.

"You left the shame of the Blood Monk, which was a disgrace and a long-desired revenge of the Shaolin Temple, to someone else, and now, you're even planning on letting an enemy who committed a massacre forty years ago go?!"

The gangho ruled on the rule of reciprocation. The Righteous Faction, Evil Faction, Demonic Path, and even the rogue cultivators who didn't belong to a faction all valued that principle.

This ideology and mentality had been passed down since ancient times.

Future generations would judge this moment the same way.

"The Shaolin Temple lacks strength, that's why it can't do anything! It's not as strong as it used to be!"

Hong Gao wasn't wrong.

The murim was ultimately a world of strength.

If the Shaolin Temple wasn't able to resolve its grudges, others might laugh at it, saying that it was because they lacked the strength to do so.

Of course, there was a chance that the temple would be respected if the monks showed mercy and forgiveness, but Hong Gao didn’t care.

He didn't like the fact that the Shaolin Temple was being made fun of. He was enraged that they were being judged as weak. He was angry that their honor was being tarnished.

Fang Fotong was a Great Demon Head anyway. No one would blame him even if he were to kill him.

No, on the contrary, they were likely to say things like, "Cultists are untrustworthy and lie as easily as eating rice. What you did was natural."

"Is it really that wrong?!"

He felt a storm of emotions.

"To not believe the Great Demon Head who caused the massacre forty years ago! To avenge the Senior Brothers! To hate being laughed at for lacking strength!"

It was as if a wounded beast was roaring.

"Is it really that wrong?!"

1. Guanshiyin is the full title for Guanyin, the Goddess of Compassion. ☜