NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37:
Chapter 37: Disciples of Buddha:
Yue Hongling had left.
Originally, she intended to explore with Feng Wuxie, but after he regained consciousness, Yue Hongling found their interactions awkward. So, she decided to part ways temporarily.
However, it wasn’t a complete departure.
She cast a secret technique to suppress her presence until it became almost undetectable. Unless someone saw her with their own eyes, no one except her senior brother would notice her existence within the Prodigy Ancient Battlefield.
From a distance, she watched Feng Wuxie.
“Phew… It’s a relief she’s gone,” Feng Wuxie muttered, staring at the dark night sky, now devoid of Yue Hongling’s figure.
Scared to death.
“Calling someone ‘senior brother’—obviously a man. Letting such a beautiful girl follow me around, doesn’t her senior brother worry about what could happen? If anything did, he’d definitely kill me.”
Yue Hongling chuckled softly.
Feng Wuxie wasn’t wrong. In her past life, her senior brother had been furious when he learned of her feelings for Feng Wuxie.
So much so that, when Feng Wuxie was in danger, her senior brother refused to let her rescue him and even tied her up.
That decision led to Feng Wuxie’s death.
Back then, her senior brother claimed it was a trap targeting him.
Ridiculous. Feng Wuxie and her senior brother had never met. How could it be a trap? Clearly, it was just her senior brother’s jealousy exploding.
This incident had caused her to resent her senior brother for a long time until time gradually wore down her anger.
In this life, her senior brother probably wouldn’t interfere anymore.
At last, she could pursue her true love.
…
Yue Hongling’s trivial matters didn’t concern Lu Ye.
If nothing unexpected happened, Yue Hongling would die in the Prodigy Ancient Battlefield.
She was destined to die.
Why was Lu Ye so sure?
Because in his past life, he had died there too.
His first life had been wasted saving Yue Hongling. That wouldn’t happen again in this life.
At Heavenly Spirit Pool, Lu Ye immersed himself in cultivation.
Although the Prodigy Ancient Battlefield was filled with countless natural treasures and spiritual sanctuaries, Lu Ye lacked nothing.
All he needed was cultivation.
The benefits of the Heavenly Spirit Pool exceeded his expectations.
In just over three days, his cultivation broke through another level.
He had reached the 6th stage Nascent Soul Realm.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he now had the highest cultivation in the Prodigy Ancient Battlefield.
And as for combat strength? That was beyond question.
While he wasn’t interested in provoking others, that didn’t mean others wouldn’t come looking for trouble.
The Heavenly Spirit Pool was a highly sought-after treasure, drawing many eyes.
“Amitabha!”
Hearing the chant of Buddha, Lu Ye raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Buddhism?
Of all the factions that might trouble him, Buddhism was the last he expected.
Without opening his eyes, he replied calmly, “I’ve been cultivating here without offending Buddhism. You are no match for me. I advise you not to provoke me.”
“Benefactor,” a gentle voice responded, “this place is blessed by Buddha. From afar, we observed divine light radiating from this pool. It is likely formed by a sacred relic. Please, consider relocating.”
Lu Ye opened his eyes.
One bald head, two bald heads, three bald heads…
A total of seven Buddhist disciples stood before him.
“If you want to drive someone away, just say so. Spare me the nonsense about Buddha’s blessings. Buddhism has always been adept at twisting logic into righteousness—a truly shameless art.”
“Benefactor, your words are misguided. Buddhism preaches compassion. Were it not for us, other demons would have already killed you. Do not cling to ignorance.”
“Enough chatter.”
“How dare you!”
Lu Ye unsheathed the Stone Sword.
With a single swing, a blue sword light erupted and expanded over the Heavenly Spirit Pool.
The seven Buddhist disciples radiated golden light, but the sword’s glow easily shattered it, slicing through them like a blade through tofu.
Blood splattered into the pool.
The disciples’ severed bodies fell into the water.
Lu Ye closed his eyes again.
The world returned to silence.
…
Elsewhere, a group of monks had just finished clearing a battlefield.
“Amitabha. As monks, we practice compassion. Slaying demons to prevent calamities aligns with the Dao,” one declared.
“Indeed!”
“Has Brother Duwu gone to the Heavenly Spirit Pool?”
The leading monk, his lips rosy and brow marked with a golden dot, exuded a serene and holy presence. However, the blood dripping from his staff betrayed a more violent side.
In Buddhism, wielding a staff was a privilege granted to only a select few.
While common monks used simple rods, higher-ranked monks carried more advanced weapons. To wield a monk’s staff at his age indicated this monk’s status as a Buddha’s chosen disciple.
“Yes, Brother Dusheng,” another monk confirmed. “Brother Duwu headed to the Heavenly Spirit Pool.”
“The Heavenly Spirit Pool is ideal for reciting sutras—a good place indeed. Disciples may go, but Du Neng, you lead those below the 9th stage Core Formation Realm.”
“This bell is called the Causal Bell. Should anything unusual happen, crush it, and I will come to your aid.”
“Understood!”
“Everyone else, follow me to seek Buddhist relics elsewhere.”
“Yes!”
Du Neng watched as the group of monks departed, then turned toward the Heavenly Spirit Pool.
“Follow me!”
Leading dozens of monks, he approached the Heavenly Spirit Pool.
…
Lu Ye continued his cultivation.
Soon, Du Neng and his followers arrived. They immediately noticed Lu Ye hovering above the pool, absorbing the misty spiritual energy into his body.
The pool’s surface was littered with severed corpses—Buddhist disciples, beasts, and humans alike. What had once been a picturesque sanctuary now resembled a macabre hellscape.
“Brother Duwu!”
Du Neng cried out in anguish, his eyes widening in fury. He looked like a wrathful deity, exuding a terrifying aura.
“Did you kill Brother Duwu and the others?” Du Neng demanded.
Interrupted yet again, Lu Ye sighed as he sensed dozens of Buddhist auras.
So, the Buddhist disciples—including their Buddha’s chosen—were determined to die today.
“Disturb my peace, and death is the only outcome,” Lu Ye replied coldly.
Du Neng’s face turned red with anger.
“How dare you equate disruption with murder? Are you no better than a demon?”
“Today, I shall purge this evil. Disciples, heed my command!”
“At your command!”
“Form the Eighteen Arhats Demon-Slaying Array!”
“Yes!”
Eighteen monks leaped onto the pool’s surface, their auras merging seamlessly. Fighting one of them meant fighting all eighteen—a formation revered as one of Buddhism’s most formidable techniques.
Lu Ye opened his eyes, his gaze cold and unyielding.
“Why insist on courting death?”
The Eighteen Arhats radiated golden light, their bodies glowing as if coated in divine lacquer.
“Perish!”