In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 472 The Act of Being a Prostitute While Trying to Maintain a Virtuous Image

As the monk Tonghai fell to the ground, the cries of swords gradually subsided, and the sword energy swirling in the air receded like a tide, dissipating once more into the wind, clouds, grass, trees, mountains, and rivers.

Only the rustling sound of pine needles falling to the ground and the faint dust of light as the fragments of golden light dissipated remained on the back mountain of Shaolin.

The gold in Gu Shaoan's eyes slowly faded.

Looking at the monk Tonghai lying on the ground, barely clinging to life, Gu Shaoan couldn't help but secretly admire the monk's tenacious will to live.

Even though all the meridians in his body had been severed by the sword energy, he was still able to hold on to his last breath.

At this moment, blood was continuously oozing from the corner of the monk Tonghai's mouth.

The monk Tonghai forcibly mobilized his own energy and spirit to sit up from the ground.

After barely managing to control the rate at which his blood was being lost using his own vital energy, Monk Tonghai laboriously raised his hands together and looked up at Gu Shaoan in the distance.

Looking at Gu Shaoan in the distance, who hadn't even drawn his weapon from beginning to end, Monk Tonghai was now certain that Xuanmie and Dushan had indeed perished at Yixiantian, just as Gu Shaoan had said.

In other words, from today onwards, there will be no more masters of the Celestial Realm guarding the vast Shaolin Temple.

The ensuing turmoil at Shaolin Temple was almost inevitable.

Thinking of this, the monk Tonghai's weak voice rang out.

"What you do today will happen tomorrow. Today, I am simply outmatched, but Young Master Gu is so bloodthirsty that he will surely bring about his own demise in the future, and even the Emei Sect will be implicated."

Hearing what the monk Tonghai said, Gu Shaoan smiled nonchalantly.

His smile held a hint of mockery: "Master, do you know what I despise most about Shaolin?"

Before Monk Tonghai could speak, Gu Shaoan continued, "What I despise most is Shaolin's hypocritical behavior of acting like a prostitute while trying to maintain a virtuous image."

“You want to kill me, not for the sake of Buddhist purity, nor for the sake of justice in the martial world, but simply to suppress the Emei Sect by killing me, thereby consolidating the position of Shaolin.”

"Before you joined forces with the imperial court and the Great Yuan Kingdom to attack me, did you ever consider that your intentions were too ruthless? Did you ever think that it would implicate Shaolin?"

"Now that they have failed and things are out of control, they want to use morality to bind me."

"Though physically within the Buddhist order, their hearts remain in the secular world. The purity of Buddhism is nowhere to be found; their very nature is scheming and power-hungry. They are hypocrites who seek to establish themselves before they are truly powerful. Such eminent Buddhist monks are truly laughable."

Upon hearing Gu Shaoan's words, Monk Tonghai trembled slightly.

However, Gu Shaoan had no intention of continuing to waste time talking nonsense with the monk Tonghai.

"Now, my score with Shaolin is settled."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Shaoan slowly turned around.

Just as he turned around, a wisp of sword energy, so fine it was almost invisible, swept across the void, as fast as a silent thread in the wind.

Monk Tonghai stiffened slightly, his clasped hands still in the gesture of worship.

The next instant, the last ounce of his strength finally dissipated, and the head of the monk Tonghai slid off his neck, rolling into the pine needles with a dull thud.

[Defeat a Grand Three-in-One Celestial Realm martial artist to obtain an achievement chest*1.]

As the head fell to the ground, a system notification popped up in front of Gu Shaoan.

The wind rustled through the pines, the dust had all settled, but there was no trace of Gu Shaoan left on the back mountain.

Before long, the sound of wind breaking suddenly arose on the mountain road.

The abbot of the Bodhidharma Academy arrived first, followed closely by Kongwen and other eminent monks and disciples.

As the group arrived at the back of the mountain, they were all struck dumb by the sight of the Tonghai monk's corpse, which lay cross-legged on the devastated ground.

"Grandmaster~"

A moment later, exclamations of surprise echoed through the ancient temple amidst the sound of the pine trees.

End of September

Emei Sect.

The mountains of Sichuan are gradually cooling down, but the sea of ​​clouds at Mount Emei remains as vast as ever.

Looking into the distance, the peaks resemble splashed ink from the sky, layer upon layer pressing down from the horizon. Clouds and mist surge at the mountainside, sometimes spreading out like a white ribbon across the river, and sometimes being torn into fluff by the mountain wind, revealing the winding stone steps and ancient pines and cliffs among them.

At the end of the stone steps leading up the mountain, the mountain wind gradually picked up.

Gu Shaoan emerged from the mist, his robes were not ornate, but his steps were as light as if he were walking on clouds.

He climbed the steps from the foot of the mountain, unhurried and unhurried. He did not deliberately speed up, but with each step he took, his figure covered several feet, like the wind brushing through the pine branches, leaving no trace or sound.

Even after leaving Shaolin, Gu Shaoan no longer exuded a chilling killing intent or a sharp edge. Instead, he seemed to have sheathed his sword—the sharpness remained, but the sound was no longer heard.

He looked up at the familiar mountain road and pine forest, his gaze lingering at the edge of the sea of ​​clouds.

At that moment, the tension that had been building up in my heart for months finally eased.

Gu Shaoan slightly narrowed his gaze, his heartstrings relaxed, and his steps no longer faltered.

With a swift movement, he veered off the main mountain path and onto a side path, following the familiar pine trails and stone ridges of Mount Emei.

The clamor at the mountain gate was left far behind him, leaving only the low whistling of the wind through the treetops and the soft sound of clouds flowing along the cliff face. As Gu Shaoan drifted into the back mountain, he sensed something and looked up at the pavilion.

But Zhang Sanfeng was sitting upright inside, his back straight as a pine tree, his hair and beard all white but without the slightest sign of decline. At first glance, he seemed to be sitting in the pavilion with a sense of peace and tranquility, as if "a person sits in the pavilion with a spirit as high as the mountains".

Not far from the pavilion, Abbess Miejue walked briskly out of the courtyard, her golden-white robe looking brand new.

Upon seeing Abbess Miejue, Gu Shaoan suddenly slowed his pace. Only when her gaze fell upon him did he quickly approach and respectfully bow to her.
"Master, your disciple has returned."

Looking at Gu Shaoan in front of her, Abbess Miejue, having regained her senses, first carefully examined Gu Shaoan, then looked at his expression.

After confirming that Gu Shaoan was not injured, a smile finally appeared on his face, and he said sincerely, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!"

As she spoke, Abbess Miejue's expression softened noticeably.

Clearly, in the months since Gu Shaoan left, Abbess Miejue has never been at ease.

After a moment's thought, Gu Shaoan couldn't help but say, "I've made Master worry."

Upon hearing this, Abbess Miejue was taken aback for a moment. After understanding Gu Shaoan's meaning, she gently patted Gu Shaoan's shoulder and said, "Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Although it was only a few words, it was enough to completely relax both Abbess Miejue and Gu Shaoan.

The two walked together toward the pavilion. After entering the pavilion, Gu Shaoan's gaze turned and landed on the stone table in the pavilion.

There was no charcoal in the small stove on the table, and no tea in the kettle.

Gu Shaoan's heart stirred slightly. He immediately understood that Zhang Sanfeng was not sitting here idly enjoying tea, but had moved here the moment he sensed his presence and was sitting in the pavilion waiting for him to return to the mountain.

"Greetings, Master Zhang. I am grateful for your help these past few months."

Zhang Sanfeng casually waved his hand and said, "This is your home, why are you being so polite with this old Taoist?"

Gu Shaoan smiled, then fetched water, lit a fire, and brewed a pot of hot tea.

Throughout the entire process, neither Zhang Sanfeng nor Miejue spoke, but quietly watched Gu Shaoan brew tea.

Rather than watching Gu Shaoan brew tea, it was more like waiting for Gu Shaoan's mind to completely calm down.

Only after each of the three had a cup of tea placed in front of them did Miejue ask first, "Was the journey smooth?"

Gu Shaoan nodded and said, "It went fairly smoothly."

Afterwards, Gu Shaoan recounted the matter to Abbess Miejue and Zhang Sanfeng.

When Zhang Sanfeng learned that things had turned out as Gu Shaoan had predicted, that the incident at Yixiantian was not a conflict between the Great Yuan Kingdom and the Great Wei Kingdom, but rather a trap set by Zhu Houzhao and Bai Xiaosheng to kill Gu Shaoan, Ba Shiba, and Si Hanfei, he remained calm, while Abbess Miejue's face had turned completely cold.

Although Gu Shaoan spoke of what happened later in a lighthearted manner, the fact that six Celestial Realm martial artists—Zhu Houzhao, Ba Shiba, Si Hanfei, Xuanmie Monk, and Dushan Monk—were involved in the attack made it clear to Abbess Miejue how dangerous the process would be.

Abbess Miejue clenched her fists: "Zhu Houzhao and the people of the Great Yuan Kingdom are one thing, but Shaolin and my Emei have had a decent relationship over the years. Several years ago on Bright Peak, if it weren't for Shao'an and my Emei Sect, Kongwen, Kongzhi and the others would have all died at the hands of the Great Yuan Kingdom. This time, they have repaid kindness with enmity and joined forces with Zhu Houzhao and the Great Yuan Kingdom to plot against you."

Zhang Sanfeng also sighed from the side.

Zhang Sanfeng also had some connection with Shaolin Temple, and was a lay disciple of Shaolin in his youth.

Because he had stayed at Shaolin, Zhang Sanfeng knew exactly what this so-called Buddhist holy land was really like in secret.

Putting aside other factors, the reason why Zhang Sanfeng was trapped in Wudang in previous years was largely due to the unseen support of Shaolin.

They naturally understood Shaolin's tolerance and principles of conduct.

This time, Shaolin's willingness to cooperate with Zhu Houzhao and the people of the Great Yuan Kingdom to ambush and kill Gu Shaoan at Yixiantian was unexpected, but reasonable in Zhang Sanfeng's view.

After a few moments of contemplation, Zhang Sanfeng looked up at Gu Shaoan and asked, "With your strength, how many of these six people escaped?"

In response to Zhang Sanfeng's question, Gu Shaoan smiled gently and said, "Of course, a fallen one."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng's eyes flashed.

Even Abbess Miejue, who had just been seething with anger, was taken aback.

It should be noted that among the people Gu Shaoan is talking about now, there are not only martial artists at the Celestial Realm.

There is another person with an even more special identity.

As if guessing what the two were thinking, Gu Shaoan did not hide anything and told them everything that happened afterward, including Xiang Yutian, Yan Jing'an and Shangguan Jin Hong.

When they learned that Gu Shaoan had killed Zhu Houzhao and was planning to have Shangguan Jin Hong impersonate Zhu Houzhao and take control of the court, not only Abbess Miejue, but even Zhang Sanfeng remained silent for a long time.

After a moment, Zhang Sanfeng sighed.

"Although I had expected it, I didn't expect you to still come to this."

Gu Shaoan spoke up: "To repel external threats, we must first pacify internal strife. With Zhu Houzhao, such a restless element, there is nothing but harm to us. The best solution is to replace him."

Zhang Sanfeng and Abbess Miejue keenly grasped the meaning behind Gu Shaoan's words: "To repel external aggression, one must first pacify internal strife."

Upon seeing this, Gu Shaoan did not hide anything and recounted in detail Xiang Yutian's true identity and the events that unfolded in the Central Plains behind it.

After all, this matter is too big. Gu Shaoan couldn't find a suitable opportunity before, but now that things have come to this point, and Xiang Yutian is already dead, Gu Shaoan naturally can't keep it from Abbess Miejue.

Perhaps not expecting that the incident at Yixiantian would involve such a secret matter, not only Abbess Miejue, but even Zhang Sanfeng's expression showed a hint of surprise for the first time.

　Author, please update as soon as possible for the third update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)