Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Zhou Qingfeng's expression was solemn. Holding the magic lamp, he looked at the monks inside the temple and then tentatively moved the lamp in a different direction. Sure enough, the lamp's light was the most brilliant and eerie green when it was pointed at the monks. With the magic lamp guiding his words, it seemed that the demonic spirit was on the monks.

"Sword cultivator Tianxingyi, may I ask who you are, fellow Daoist?" Zhou Qingfeng put away the Demon-Slaying Lamp and clasped his hands in a salute.

The monk flicked his robe and strode to the door with imposing steps. Holding a golden cicada staff, he raised one hand and pointed at the two people outside, saying solemnly, "This humble monk's Dharma name is Boundless, and the Great Compassion Temple is the representative of the world. You demons should know better than to leave, or don't blame this humble monk for killing you mercilessly!"

In this defiled world, many monks do not uniformly appear bald. Buddhist temples in various places do not require monks to shave their heads, nor do they require monks to sever worldly ties and purify their six senses. Many precepts and customs are quite different from the stereotypical image of a monk.

Buddhist practitioners who have truly severed worldly ties and purified their six senses may, on the contrary, have their minds rapidly polluted and degenerate into demons due to the loss of emotional bonds.

There are roughly four types of Buddhist practice today.

One type is the imposter who pretends to be a Buddhist practitioner. Because they lack the monastic rules and the distinctive feature of being bald, they only need to carry a Zen staff, wear a kasaya, and chant Amitabha Buddha to impersonate a monk and swindle people. Most of these people have some connection to the Jiang Xiang faction.

One type of Buddhist practice involves cultivating merit. These individuals are wholeheartedly devoted to doing good, helping all people, traveling thousands of miles to spread Buddhism, liberate sentient beings, and pray for them. They hope to alleviate some of the suffering of sentient beings with their meager strength. This type of Buddhist practice is the rarest and most tragic, and is almost extinct.

One type is the Buddhist heart that purifies impurities, using an impure body to perform great good deeds. They hate evil as if it were their enemy, are chivalrous and upright, and believe in killing one person to save ten thousand, slaying demons and eliminating evil. They are ruthless when killing evil people. This type of Buddhist practitioner is the most numerous, belongs to the mainstream Buddhist practice, and is the most common.

One type is the heretical Buddhist practice, where people pursue power by any means necessary, turning into evil Buddhas who truly walk in this evil world.

Zhou Qingfeng has now encountered the Great Compassion Temple's contemporary wandering monk, Wuliang!

The Great Compassion Temple enjoys a great reputation among the people.

If the Renxin Sect is the number one evil sect, then the Great Compassion Temple is the number one Buddhist sect. They are extremely popular among the people, and everyone respects them because the Great Compassion Temple is truly dedicated to saving people from suffering. They take it upon themselves to save the people of the world, slay demons and monsters, and each of them is righteous yet evil.

In this defiled and evil world, tormented by the eight sufferings, people's hearts are wicked, they do not cultivate the path of goodness, their views are incorrect, and wrong views increase, so all sentient beings are harmed.

Even in such a wicked world, there are still a very small number of people who fight. They use their own flesh and blood as fuel to ignite the flame of hope, passing it down from generation to generation, just to save the suffering people. Even if they are covered in filth and can barely save themselves, they still do good deeds within their power.

This is the Great Compassion Temple, truly the foremost gate of Buddhism and Taoism.

"Wuliang Monk, please hold your hand. We have come from afar and are passing through this place. I am the sword cultivator Tian Xingyi, and he is my companion Jiang Yunjian. Have you misunderstood?" Zhou Qingfeng's expression was somewhat solemn. As he thought about it, he had already prepared his words and did not want to start a fight with Wuliang Monk directly.

It is not impossible to forcibly seize the Demon Spirit of Words. If you kill the Boundless Monk, the Demon Spirit of Words will naturally break away from its host. At that time, you can use the Demon-Capturing Lamp to imprison the Demon Spirit of Words.

At this moment, the monk Wuliang was surrounded by azure light and his magical power was radiating outwards, making him a true cultivator of the Devouring Fiend Realm.

Our two Devouring Fiend cultivators seem to have the upper hand.

If a real fight breaks out, he will simply deafen himself and join forces with Jin Wei to kill the monk Wuliang. It seems that they can successfully kill the monk Wuliang.

But there's absolutely no need for that. The monks at the Great Compassion Temple are all very kind and easy-going monks. They are very willing to help people and rescue them from suffering. There's nothing wrong with talking to them and taking the evil spirit in a gentler way. If you really can't reach an agreement, then it's not too late to kill and steal the treasure.

Whether the monk Wuliang was good or bad was not within Zhou Qingfeng's consideration. Such a benevolent monk was indeed worthy of respect, provided that he did not stand in Zhou Qingfeng's way. Otherwise, regardless of whether he was a benevolent monk or not, he would kill him without hesitation, and at most give him a proper burial after killing him.

Upon hearing this, the monk Wuliang paused for a moment, then looked closely at the feet of the two men. His solemn expression softened slightly: "There are shadows. Hmm, it seems there was indeed a misunderstanding. You are not those demons. Please come in. This humble monk is here to oversee things, so it is safe for now."

Zhou Qingfeng stepped back into the temple, clasped his hands in a salute, and asked, "Venerable Monk Wuliang, what has happened here?"

Jin Wei followed Zhou Qingfeng in.

This time, when the two entered the temple, the trembling mortals no longer looked at them with such fear, and they stopped praying. Instead, they cast curious glances at them, wondering why the two had entered Spiral Town. However, for safety's sake, some mortals quickly closed the temple gate.

The monk Wuliang bowed with one hand and said, "It's a long story. Please come inside and we'll talk."

"Please." Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly, giving Jin Wei a look that signaled him to be alert and wait at the door.

Jin Wei understood immediately and winked subtly.

Zhou Qingfeng wasn't so easily trusting. The other party claimed to be the contemporary wandering monk of the Great Compassion Temple. If it was true, that would be fine, but if it was false, that would be terrible. After all, no one could verify the identity of the monk Wuliang. So, it was always better to be cautious.

The monk Wuliang stepped into the Buddhist hall, took out a tinderbox, and lit the oil lamps one by one: "Fellow Daoist, I, like you, passed through this place a few months ago and found that the demonic energy here was soaring into the sky. I was worried that the people of Spiral Town were in danger, so I came in to find the source of the demonic energy and wanted to nip the danger in the bud."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "And then?"

The monk Wuliang sighed, lit an oil lamp, and said, "Then I searched everywhere but found nothing. Until one day, a great demonic wind suddenly rose in the town and destroyed it. The walls collapsed and the houses were destroyed. When you came, you should have already seen those little whirlwinds."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly: "I did see him."

The monk Wuliang continued, “That is not an ordinary wind, but a very terrible cursed wind. It is not very powerful now, but as time goes by, it will gradually merge into one, and the whirlwind will continue to grow until it sweeps up all the people and things around it and tears them to shreds.”

"They are unpredictable, sometimes merging into a large whirlwind, sometimes scattering into countless small whirlwinds. Once you are caught in one of the whirlwinds, your shadow will be taken away. And without your shadow, your mind will gradually become insane due to the curse. You may appear normal on the surface, but secretly you will be determined to steal other people's shadows."

"Although these people's physical bodies are still alive, they are almost no different from living vengeful ghosts."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "No wonder you thought we were monsters just now."

Upon hearing this, the monk Wuliang looked apologetic: "Fellow Daoist, I am very sorry. I was too eager to protect the people and was a little too sensitive. However, I acted with restraint. Although I mistook you two for demons, I did not kill you. I only hope that one day I can find the shadows for the people and help them return to normal."