The Villain's Counterattack

Sichuan, Dashi Temple outside Chang'an City.

Under the bright moonlight, a slender figure walked slowly among the statues of the Five Hundred Arhats. Not far away, an old man in a gray monk's robe was waving a broom intermittently. There was no dust on the ground, but it still did not affect his slow and steady cleaning.

The Five Hundred Arhats do have a connection with Xu Ziling. In the original novel, he was able to gain some insights from them. Xu Ziling, who is at a higher level of strength in this world, naturally also gained something. His talent has not changed much, but his martial arts cultivation is completely different. This is the difference between having a master and not having a master.

He obtained the Yi Jin Duan Gu Chapter of the Nine Yin Scriptures from his master Xiaoyaozi (Yang Xuyan). His physical fitness was not inferior to that of ordinary third-rate warriors before he practiced the Changsheng Jue. Later, he learned a lot of martial arts knowledge from Sanfeng Taoist (Yang Xuyan) and Miaoying Zhenren, especially Miaoying Zhenren, who passed on the first three levels of "Huangtian Dafa" to them imperceptibly.

Afterwards, outside Luoyang City, Xiaoyaozi (Yang Xuyan) taught them advanced martial arts, instructed them in martial arts, and taught them how to practice. One day was equivalent to ten years of hard training for an ordinary martial artist.

On the way, Lu Miaozi taught him everything he knew, and this time it was Xiaoyaozi (Yang Xuyan) who instructed him to come and look for opportunities. However, at this moment, Xu Ziling was no longer the fledgling gangster in Yangzhou City, but one of the world-famous Yangzhou Twin Dragons, a dignified master-level powerhouse.

As soon as he entered Chengdu, he was intercepted by Hou Xibai and taken to Dashi Temple. As the place where Yang Xuyan created the traces of Xiaoyao, people often lingered in Dashi Temple all year round. This time, Tianjun Xiying returned with Ziqi Tianluo, and also went to Dashi Temple to provoke trouble, but was stopped by Anlong, who said that although Dashi Temple was called a Buddhist temple, its internal strength was inherited from Taoism. It was best not to destroy it if possible, otherwise it would be embarrassing for Grand Master Xiaoyao.

Xi Ying's title of "Heavenly Monarch" reveals his lofty ambitions, but he was initially defeated by Yue Shan and then pursued a thousand miles by Heavenly Blade Song Que, forcing him to flee to the Western Regions. Even in the Western Regions, he couldn't truly act lawless, especially after Tyrant Blade Yue Shan, after recovering and even achieving breakthroughs through the "Purple Qi from the East Divine Art," murdered Xi Ying, who hadn't yet mastered the "Purple Qi Heavenly Net," forcing him to retreat.

It was not until he had perfected the "Purple Qi Heavenly Net" that he came out of the mountain and took the initiative to find Yue Shan. He never expected that Yue Shan was no longer the same person at this time. Although he was old, he was still as domineering as before. He even resolved all the knots in his heart and attacked with all his strength. His heart was as fiery as fire and he beat Yue Shan so hard that he fled in embarrassment.

Fortunately, Xi Ying, the fourth most powerful master of the Demon Sect, was not in vain. Especially after he perfected the "Purple Qi Heavenly Net", his martial arts skills were infinitely close to the peak of the Grandmaster. Even if Yue Shan tried his best and even burned his life, he was unable to kill him.

After this battle, Xi Ying knew that he was still far away from being a grandmaster. Not to mention a grandmaster, he could not even defeat a true top-level master. Even when he just returned to Sichuan, he was shocked by An Long's top-level master strength.

It was no secret in the Demon Sect that An Long, the leader of the Tianlian Sect, was a loyal younger brother of the Evil King Shi Zhixuan. It was also a rumor in the Demon Sect that the Evil King and the Queen of Yin had successively been promoted to Grand Masters. Neither the Butian Dao, the Huajian Sect, nor the Yingui Sect had ever stepped forward to deny it, making Xi Ying even more afraid to act recklessly.

Xi Ying had not returned to Middle-earth for a long time. When he came back this time, he felt that the world seemed to have changed and become so strange.

The Grand Master Xiaoyao who regains his youth every thirty years, the sloppy old Taoist named Sanfeng whose whereabouts are elusive, the elusive Drunken Monk, the Sword Demon who openly challenged Fu Cailin on the Yalu River, the Gentleman Sword who revealed the method of promotion from Grand Master to Grand Master by Grand Master Wuque, at least three of the five hermits are Grand Masters, and the remaining two are also Half-Step Grand Masters who have found their own way.

Xi Ying's shock was palpable upon hearing this, and the evidence An Long produced only terrified him. Grandmaster Xiaoyao's only previous defeat was against the newly promoted Evil King Shi Zhixuan. At that time, Grandmaster Xiaoyao had only recently regained his youth and was barely at the level of a novice Grandmaster. He defeated An Long, Yue Shan, and even forced one of the Four Great Saints to retreat before ultimately falling to Grandmaster Shi Zhixuan.

Hearing that Tyrant Blade Yue Shan was forced away by Shi Zhixuan, Xi Ying felt hatred and shame in his heart. How could he not know that Yue Shan took refuge with Bi Xiuxin in Cihang Jingzhai after being defeated by Song Que? At that time, Bi Xiuxin had not yet married Shi Zhixuan, so he naturally could not blame Shi Zhixuan.

It is a common practice for Buddhism to take in down-and-out gangsters. Bi Xiuxin is not the only one doing this. Most capable temples often do this, and they call it "laying down the butcher knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot." In reality, there is no need to delve into how this happens, as it is very offensive.

Xi Ying had personally explored Dashi Temple and witnessed the Xiaoyao Seal, but gained little. An Long once again played him in the face (with Yang Xuyan's gift of a booklet, he could feign enlightenment and scare people), causing Xi Ying to seriously doubt his own understanding. Ultimately, he had to console himself with the differences between the approaches of the Saint Sect and the Taoist school, but inwardly he cursed An Long profusely. If he hadn't been truly defeated, he wouldn't have minded beating him into a pig's head.

He was already quite unhappy, and was even more depressed when he was overtaken by An Long, the fifth best master of the Holy Gate. Fortunately, at this time, another unlucky guy, You Niaojuan, whose junior brothers and sisters were captured and whose inheritance was stolen, arrived, which made his mood better.

It is true that he may not be Anlong's match if he fights alone, but with the help of the eighth master of the Holy Gate, there is a high probability that he can win.

Don’t look at the original novel where You Niaojuan was first teased by Shi Qingxuan and Xu Ziling, and then chased by Kankan, and his advantage was scared off by Shi Feixuan. His strength is that of a real master, even a senior-level master, and he is by no means an easy opponent.

Tianjun Xi Ying is definitely not a gentleman. Although he is afraid of Grandmaster Xiaoyao, he is very narrow-minded. He thinks that if he only kills the monks without destroying the Xiaoyao relics, he may not be targeted. However, he just wanted to kill when he heard a cough behind him. An old monk with white eyebrows and beard was sweeping the floor under the moon, which scared him and made him break out in a cold sweat.

This old monk cannot see everything. He is elusive and only appears at night. He targets two types of people. One is those who have bad intentions towards Dashi Temple, and the other is geniuses who have some insights into the Five Hundred Arhats. Xi Ying is the first type, and Xu Ziling is undoubtedly the second type.

I don’t know if it’s because the pressure is not enough, but Xu Ziling felt something in his heart, and his mind entered a mysterious state of perception, but it seemed like something was missing, and he couldn’t break through that thin barrier and become his own.

At this moment, Hou Xibai, who had returned, suddenly appeared in front of him, smiling and holding a glass of wine in one hand and meat in the other.

"Buddhism is a quiet place with wine and meat..." Since practicing the art of longevity, Xu Ziling began to transform. His path was very different from Kou Zhong's. He liked quietness more and more, and he was not as eager for wine and meat as before. He even liked the original flavor of fruits and vegetables more.

Hou Xibai pointed at a monk sweeping the floor not far away and said with a smile, "Even the master has no objection, Ziling, why are you being so pretentious? Since we're in Chengdu, it would be unreasonable for me not to show my hospitality. Forget about the simple tea and meals, the fine wine and food are definitely among the best in the area."

"In that case, I won't be polite." Although Xu Ziling practiced the art of immortality, he was by no means a pedantic and rigid monk. He sat down with a smile, but for some reason, his movements always gave Hou Xibai a feeling of inexplicable harmony with the arhats around him, and this was true for every move he made, whether he stood, sat, stood up, or lay down.

The old monk sweeping the floor not far away raised his eyebrows slightly, a faint arc appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he murmured softly: "Not bad, not bad, but a good seedling, worthy of being Xiaoyao's disciple, it is a blessing."

As for the wine-drinking genius Hou Xibai, he shook his head slightly and spat out two words: "Rotten wood."