Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

My mother, who was very good at comforting me, smiled and said, "It's okay if you don't study."

But there will never be another chance. I can never go back to that little courtyard, never see the jumping puppy, never see my majestic father, and never see my beautiful dancing mother.

There wasn't even time to say "I'm sorry" to her.

The dance stopped at some point.

Before anyone knew it, two lines of clear tears appeared on her cold and aloof face.

"Amitabha Buddha, I apologize, this humble monk was presumptuous!"

Xiaoqian vaguely thought it came from her own mouth, but when she came to her senses from the past, she looked up and saw Li Xiuyuan looking at her with an apologetic gaze.

The sole spectator had been completely captivated by her dance, with only the words from "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" echoing in his mind: "She moves like a startled swan, graceful as a swimming dragon... She seems like a light cloud veiling the moon, drifting like swirling snow in the wind... Her steps are light as water, her silk stockings stir up dust."

The moonlight and the darkness created a magical dividing line in the room. Nie Xiaoqian stood in the moonlight, like a fairy descended to earth, and asked, "Master, do you think Xiaoqian's dance is beautiful?"

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Absolutely gorgeous!"

As he spoke, his eyes seemed somewhat unfocused. At this moment, he could only resort to some means, otherwise the Tree Demon Granny would not show herself.

According to the rules of the thousand-year-old tree spirit, anyone who harbors lustful thoughts can be killed, which is completely different from forcibly killing someone.

The causes and effects of committing crimes are extremely complex, but one thing is certain: killing someone for no reason can easily bring about unbearable calamities.

Nie Xiaoqian's lips curved into a smile, her tone becoming even more charming. She chuckled softly and beckoned with her finger, saying, "Then why aren't you coming over here!"

The moonlight was bright and clear, the Milky Way was dazzling, reflecting the sky and the earth. Such a beautiful night was mesmerizing and should have been a delightful scene.

However, inside this Lanruo Temple, the moonlight falling from the sky appeared exceptionally pale on the ground.

Suddenly, a cold wind swept in from outside the window. The low, mournful sound of the wind swirled inside and outside the temple, like the cries of people, creating an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

The night was so dark, and the desolate temple scenery all around was particularly eerie, making one feel uneasy and terrified.

After hearing Xiaoqian's words, Li Xiuyuan stepped forward and gently embraced her. At this moment, Nie Xiaoqian thought to herself, "Indeed, all men in the world are lustful!"

Nie Xiaoqian felt a chill in her heart. She glanced at the demon-summoning bell on her body and prepared to shake it the moment he approached.

However, before she could act, the sound of bells came from next door, and a cold wind suddenly picked up. Feeling the shadows outside rapidly approaching, Nie Xiaoqian hardened her resolve and was about to take the initiative to rush forward.

boom!

Li Xiuyuan shoved Nie Xiaoqian to the ground with his right hand and shouted, "You beast!"

A gust of wind blew through the shadows of the trees, and a person dressed in loose robes, neither male nor female, appeared in the room. This was none other than the shadow behind Lanruo Temple, the Tree Demon Granny with a thousand years of cultivation.

The Tree Demon Granny raised her pinky finger and shouted, "Where did this little monk come from, daring to deliberately make fun of Granny?"

Upon seeing this scene again, the Tree Demon Granny naturally understood that Li Xiuyuan had long seen through Xiaoqian's true colors and that he had lured her here to get her hooked.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan sighed slightly and said, "Amitabha! Xiaoqian is a beautiful woman, but she became a thief. Little did she know that this humble monk gave her two chances."

As he spoke, his eyes turned cold as he looked at Nie Xiaoqian on the ground.

Upon hearing this, Nie Xiaoqian was filled with shame. It turned out that Li Xiuyuan had been putting on an act, trying to say that she had been forced, but with the tree demon in front of her, she was intimidated by its power and dared not speak, so she could only cover her face and lower her head.

When the Tree Demon Granny saw this, she was immediately enraged.

Chapter 104 The Tree Demon Granny

Grandma cried out in her eerie, sometimes male, sometimes female voice: "I said you shameless woman, why are you so absent-minded all day long? It turns out you've hooked up with a man and betrayed me!"

"This is outrageous! I will grind your bones to ashes and condemn you to eternal damnation!"

Having said that, he flicked his wrist and pulled out a long whip from somewhere, then lashed it out at Nie Xiaoqian.

Upon seeing this, Nie Xiaoqian quickly cried out, "No! Grandma, I'm innocent! I didn't betray you, I really didn't..."

Snapped!

With a sharp crack, the whip was about to strike Nie Xiaoqian, and the force of the wind from the tip of the whip already made her feel a sharp pain.

However, unable to resist, Nie Xiaoqian could only close her eyes and wait, but she did not feel the pain of the whip. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a person standing in front of her.

Li Xiuyuan stood between Nie Xiaoqian and the Tree Demon Granny, gripping the long whip tightly and straightening it with force. Instantly, tears streamed down Nie Xiaoqian's face as she sobbed, "Master..."

The tree demon's anger intensified, and she glared at her with chilling eyes, shouting, "Damn it, you still claim you're innocent!"

As it spoke, it glared angrily. The tree demon already had no goodwill towards monks, and now that Li Xiuyuan had made a move, it seemed even angrier!

Then, it turned its gaze to Li Xiuyuan and scolded, "Where exactly did you come from, you wild monk? What kind of lard has blinded you to come and interfere with my cultivation? Hurry up and state your name!"

Li Xiuyuan laughed heartily, shook his head, and replied, "Amitabha! You demon have harmed countless people, and this humble monk will rid the people of this scourge today."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly flicked the long whip in his hand, and with a skillful force, he launched a powerful attack along the whip towards the tree demon.

Meanwhile, the Tree Demon Granny was startled by Li Xiuyuan's sudden outburst of profanity. In that brief moment of confusion, she was caught off guard and immediately felt a sharp pain in her hand, causing her to loosen her grip on the whip.

It raised its right hand and looked down, only to find its palm a bloody mess, cut open by Han Lixiu's spiraling, skillful force.

After the initial shock came a surge of rage. The tree demon, who had reigned supreme in Lanruo Temple for so many years, had never suffered such a loss. She was already furious that she hadn't managed to get a man recently.

This time, seeing the radiant light surrounding Li Xiuyuan and his righteous aura, it seemed he was no ordinary cultivator, so it wanted to have a proper discussion and communicate with him, hoping to avoid fighting if possible.

The tree demon, who had acted with good intentions, was unexpectedly betrayed by Nie Xiaoqian, and then attacked by Li Xiuyuan without saying a word. How could she not be furious? This was simply blatant disregard for her!

After unleashing a spiraling, shaking force that knocked away the long whip, he immediately darted towards the Tree Demon Granny, moving with incredible speed and leaving a trail of afterimages in his wake.

However, while Li Xiuyuan was fast, the Tree Demon Granny was not slow either; her thousand years of cultivation was not just empty talk.

A torrent of magical power poured out, and Grandma opened her mouth and exhaled a cloud of black smoke, which met Li Xiuyuan's gaze.

Nie Xiaoqian quickly shouted, "Master, be careful! This is the energy of the Netherworld, containing all the filth and evil in the world. Do not let it touch you in the slightest!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan turned to dodge, but suddenly a projectile shot out from the black smoke at lightning speed, aiming straight for his heart.

He bent down to try to avoid it, but the gun seemed to be able to sense his movements and immediately followed.

At this moment, the smoke and clouds gradually dissipated. It seemed that Li Xiuyuan was about to be forced into the black smoke by the long tongue, but his figure swayed and suddenly disappeared into thin air.

The sudden change caught the Tree Demon Granny off guard. In the next instant, Li Xiuyuan appeared behind her, and a righteous Gengjin sword aura slashed fiercely at her.

The tree demon grandmother reacted incredibly quickly, but could only dodge slightly. Then, with a soft thud, one of her arms was chopped off.

"Damn it!"

The tree demon roared angrily, and before it could finish speaking, it made a hand seal, instantly shrank into the ground, and fled quickly away.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiuyuan could not let it escape. He immediately stomped his feet and activated the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra within his body.

The earth trembled instantly, as if a magnitude 12 earthquake had struck, the sky and earth shook and spun, but the tremor was limited to a fan-shaped area in front of Li Xiuyuan's feet.

Rumble!

The temple buildings in the area collapsed instantly, and the ground beneath them suddenly exploded. A dark figure leaped out from a distance of more than ten meters. It was the Tree Demon Granny, who suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood essence.

"The sky and the earth are boundless, the universe borrows the law!"

With a loud shout, Yan Chixia finally appeared. He had fought the tree demon many times and knew its power. He used all his strength as soon as he made his move.

Yan Chixia's aura surged, and a blood-red Tai Chi symbol seemed to solidify as it directly blasted towards the tree demon.

call!

The blood-red phantom of the Tai Chi symbol caused the weather to change color and thunder to roar.

boom!

A heavy blow struck the tree demon, sending its already wounded and bleeding body flying once more.

At this moment, Li Xiuyuan walked out and saw the tree demon's true form revealed. It was a tall poplar tree with intertwined branches that covered the entire Lanruo Temple.

"Death to the evildoer!"

Seeing that the tree demon's true form had been revealed, Li Xiuyuan immediately used his full power to avoid being robbed of the monster by Yan Chixia, which would mean losing all his merit points.

"Om Mani Padme Hum!"

Li Xiuyuan recited the six-syllable mantra, which is exceptionally rich in meaning, infinitely profound, and supreme, containing the great power, wisdom, and compassion of the universe.

Golden light shimmered, and the image of the Great Sun on Li Xiuyuan's back appeared, illuminating the entire Lanruo Temple.

His immense magical power poured out in an instant, and the golden curse seal struck the tree demon grandmother.

Rumble!

A sound like thunder came, and the tree demon, who was already badly injured, was now severely injured again. She angrily cursed, "Monks and Taoists, I have never harmed any good people, why are you bothering me?"

Chapter 105 Millennium Heartwood

"Amitabha!"

Li Xiuyuan and Yan Chixia stood on either side to prevent the thousand-year-old tree demon from escaping. He said righteously, "Demon! This place was once a thriving temple, and you dare say it has nothing to do with you that it has fallen into such a state of disrepair?"

As he spoke, his fierce eyes glared at him.

"Cough cough!"

The Tree Demon Granny coughed twice and said, "Three hundred years ago, there was no Lanruo Temple here, but a grove of poplar trees. I was just one of them. Later, a group of people came and cut down trees day and night, using our bodies to build this Lanruo Temple."

The old woman was lucky; she happened to live right next to the temple, so she wasn't cut down and turned into beams or pillars, and she survived.

Some monks started burying dead people under this tree. No one knew how they died, but some of them had very grotesque faces.

At that time, I obtained the essence and blood from some dead people, and began to grow up rapidly, even developing my own ideas without realizing it.

Decades later, this place has become a mass grave, where many people who died but were unwilling to leave, or who were unable to leave, remain.