The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Seeing that Ananda had arrived, Lu Xiaosan hurriedly threw his prayer beads against the wall.

A dark shadow flashed, and the eerie eyes vanished. But then Ananda's voice echoed again from inside the room: "Give up, these prayer beads are useless to me."

"You bastard, where have you been hiding?" Lu Xiaosan cursed as he put away his prayer beads, but he couldn't find Anan anywhere.

Just as he was at a loss, the golden retriever suddenly ran up to him, its face fierce, and barked wildly at him.

Lu Xiaosan cursed, "You little brat, you've actually defected to the enemy at the last minute! You've lost all your roots!"

Wen Ying called out from the side, "Ah! Brother Lu, he's below you."

Looking down, I saw that my shadow was indeed cast upon a cold, expressionless face.

A human-shaped shadow suddenly flew out from it, startling Lu Xiaosan so much that he immediately jumped three feet high.

But the shadowy figure rushed straight towards Wen Ying, who was standing to the side. Lu Xiaosan was filled with regret. "Oh no, his target has always been the little golden retriever. How could I have forgotten about that!"

In the midst of the panic, the candle was suddenly extinguished. The room was plunged into complete darkness, and there was no longer any shadow.

Lu Xiaosan hurriedly ran towards Wen Ying in the dark, and bumped into something soft and warm on the way.

"Brother Lu, is that you?" the person in his arms asked.

"It's me!" Lu Xiaosan was overjoyed and picked her up, retreating to a corner.

As soon as he stopped dodging, he heard footsteps all around him. Lu Xiaosan's heart tightened, and he quickly got into a fighting stance.

Immediately afterwards, I felt a sudden itch on my foot. Without thinking, I kicked it, only to hear a dog's pitiful howl.

"Good thing you came!" Lu Xiaosan bent down and hugged the golden retriever to his arms again before letting out a long sigh of relief.

"Clang! Clang!" The sound of flying knives clashing suddenly rang out in the room, and a flash of silver light appeared in the corner.

"Clang!" In the blink of an eye, the silver light reached the corner again, "Clang! Clang! Clang!" Silver light began to flash throughout the room.

"Quickly lie down." Knowing that Tian Gao had arrived, Lu Xiaosan hurriedly pulled the two golden retrievers together and curled them up.

He saw that the golden retriever in his arms was barking at the sound, but he himself was not reacting.

He felt utterly pathetic; the mighty demon king was now troubled by love and had lost all his former prowess!

Gradually, the flashing of swords in the room ceased, replaced by gusts of wind.

With a sound of silk being wound, all the facilities inside the house were knocked down.

Wen Ying, standing to the side, couldn't help but say miserably, "I just... just finished cleaning up..."

This continued for quite some time before the noise finally stopped.

In the darkness, Ananda shouted sharply, "Who are you? Why are you blocking my way?"

"You can kill that bald man, but not the girl!" Sweet Cake said coldly.

Lu Xiaosan was slightly taken aback. "This...this sentence seems familiar...it sounds so familiar."

Ananda then asked in a childish voice, "This Star-Picking Silver Thread is impervious to swords and spears, and unmeltable by water and fire. It must be an unparalleled weapon in the world. How did you manage to break it?"

Sweet Cake snorted coldly and did not answer.

Lu Xiaosan, however, said that Tian Gao had already won, and immediately said excitedly, "Why don't you surrender?" After saying that, he took out a shiny Buddhist bead, which instantly illuminated the center of the room.

Then they saw that Tian Gao and Ananda each held a line and stood on opposite sides of the house. The two lines were tied together in the middle of the house, and the two were locked in a stalemate.

Ananda glanced at the knot in front of her, her delicate brows furrowing instantly. "You're using... Star-Picking Silver Thread too...!"

Ananda looked up again and asked, "What are these silver threads...!!!" His eyes widened instantly as he stared at everything in disbelief.

He quickly calmed down and said calmly, "Long time no see, Senior Sister."

Lu Xiaosan was shocked. Wen Ying, who was standing next to him, patted him on the shoulder with delight, "Not bad, Brother Lu, you really found the right person this time."

Sweetie smiled slightly, just as approachable as she had been back then.

Ananda was puzzled and asked, "First it was Crane who came, and now it's Senior Sister herself. Who exactly is this girl? Why are so many people risking their lives to protect her?"

Sweet Cake said calmly, "Miss Wen is a noble lady of the Three Venerable Palaces. If you touch her, you will be hunted down by all forces in the martial arts world. Minor squabbles are one thing, but you should give up on Miss Wen as soon as possible."

Ananda covered his face upon hearing this, snorted, and said, "The Three Venerable Palace has its own rules, and I have mine. No matter who it is, anyone I want to kill must die, from beggars and refugees to the emperor."

Ananda then pointed at Wen Ying and said with a serious expression, "I've got her in my grasp. Even the Jade Emperor can't save her!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaosan was furious. With a stern face, he said to Tian Gao, "Let go!"

"What?" The remaining three were all shocked.

"I said let go." Lu Xiaosan raised his expressionless face again and looked at Anan coldly, saying, "I'll fight you."

"You're sick." Sweet Cake cursed under her breath and ignored him. Anan also stared at him with a cold face.

"I said... let him go!!!" Lu Xiaosan suddenly roared. The sound echoed throughout the room, and the other three people who heard it couldn't help but shudder.

"Brother Lu!" Wen Ying called out worriedly.

"Little Golden Retriever, keep an eye on Big Golden Retriever. Neither of you are allowed to interfere in this matter. This should be resolved as men do."

Lu Xiaosan shouted at the two of them again, "If you don't let go, I'll beat you up too!"

Seeing Lu Xiaosan's angry yet serious expression, Tian Gao frowned for a long time before finally letting go.

Ananda turned his neck and said, "Very good."

Lu Xiaosan walked to Tian Gao's side and said in an almost commanding tone, "You're not allowed to interfere for a while. You stay and watch over Little Golden Retriever. No matter what happens, don't come out."

Sweet Cake hesitated for a moment, "But..."

"But what? Didn't you say that Little Golden Retriever's life can't be taken, but my bald monk's life can be taken at will? Go and fulfill your promise!" Lu Xiaosan shouted sternly.

Sweet Cake was speechless and had no choice but to obediently do as he said.

Lu Xiaosan took two more steps forward, put the Buddhist beads back into his arms, and the whole room was plunged into darkness again.

Then he tapped his forehead and roared, "Come on!"

"Overestimating yourself," Ananda sneered.

The room was pitch black, so Ananda could only locate it by listening to its breathing.

He gripped a throwing knife and charged forward in an instant.

Upon approaching, he vaguely saw a bald figure in front of him, so he quickly circled around it.

One slash! Two slashes! Three slashes! Each slash landed on the opponent's thigh, lower back, and arm. Then, with lightning speed, they retreated back into the darkness.

The whole process was completed in one go, leaving behind only a gust of wind and three bloodstains.

Ananda was stroking the bloodstains on his knife with satisfaction when he saw that Lu Xiaosan was still standing still, unmoved by the three blows he had just delivered.

Then Lu Xiaosan said coldly in the darkness, "You just finished fighting that sharp-tongued woman, so these three blows should be given to you."

Ananda thought to himself, "It would be as easy for me to take your life right now. If it weren't for breaking the rules, why would you be here spouting such nonsense?"

Ananda smiled and thought, "Although I can't kill you, I can still torture you. I'll start by cutting off your fingers one by one."

Thinking of this, a flash of silver light appeared, and Ananda rushed in front of Lu Xiaosan like a bolt of lightning. But he saw that the other party's hands were still clenched into fists, and he could not cut off Lu Xiaosan's fingers at all.

Ananda was annoyed and ran around him while cutting him.

He slashed the man's abdomen with a single stroke, and the man immediately retaliated.

"Too slow!" He was already behind Lu Xiaosan and slashed at his back again.

When Lu Xiaosan realized what was happening and tried to attack, his arm was exposed and he was immediately stabbed.

All that could be heard was Lu Xiaosan panting heavily in the darkness, which only intensified Anan's sense of mockery.

"Not only stupid! But also clumsy!" Ananda said, completely manipulating Lu Xiaosan once again.

In his moment of triumph, a sudden burst of bright light shone down, blinding Ananda so much that he could not open his eyes.

Only then, through a slit in his eye, did he notice that the other person was rushing towards him, carrying a glowing Buddhist rosary.

Anan, relying on the muscle memory of an assassin, used a combination of upward and downward movements to throw Lu Xiaosan several feet away, smashing him to pieces among a group of tables and chairs in front of him.

Ananda shook his head, gradually getting used to the blinding light, and then thought to himself, "A person who has never practiced martial arts is far inferior to me in speed, strength, and skill. Now he is revealing his position with those bright prayer beads. How utterly foolish."

Thinking of this, he shifted his position according to the shadow cast by the bright light, and before the other party could stand still, he and the shadow slashed him several times.

Seeing Lu Xiaosan roar angrily and about to fight back, he used his fists and feet to beat him up again.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Xiaosan had been stabbed several times and subjected to dozens of punches and kicks. He was once again sent flying to a cabinet in the corner of the room, where he lay motionless.

“Killing you is really easy.” Ananda said coldly, and swaggered toward the light.

When they arrived, they found only a string of glowing Buddhist beads; Lu Xiaosan had vanished without a trace.

"Where is he?" Ananda listened intently, trying to pinpoint his location, when suddenly a plate shattered from the other end of the house.

"Inferior!" Ananda ignored him and continued to try to listen to his breathing.

"Crack, pop, crack, pop." The sound of plates breaking echoed all over the house, perfectly masking the sound of his breathing.

Ananda's eyes sharpened, and he deliberately chose a corner where no sound of breaking plates could be heard as he ran away.

But still, no one was there…

"You can't hide forever."

Just as Ananda was about to search again, he suddenly saw the luminous prayer beads from before move. Ananda was overjoyed, "Found you!"

Without a word, he immediately transformed into a blur and grabbed the prayer beads, exclaiming in surprise, "These prayer beads are moving by themselves! It seems this monk has some skill. But with this readily available light, how could I possibly not find you?"

He was about to use the shadow sent by the Buddha's light to search for it, but suddenly the Buddha's light went out and there was no shadow left in the room.

Ananda was suspicious and suddenly lifted the prayer beads. "Ugh!! This thing smells even worse than him!" Although Ananda was already used to Lu Xiaosan's body odor before entering the room, he was still caught off guard by this thing suddenly appearing in front of his nose.

At this point, Ananda had a sudden inspiration and thought, "That's it! Although the room is filled with his stench, I can find him by following the smelliest direction."

He focused all his energy on inhaling through his nose, no longer caring about the rattling of the bowls and plates.

To avoid revealing his location, he put down his prayer beads and focused intently on following the stench.

Halfway through the search, a gust of wind suddenly came from the side, and then a plate flew by.

Ananda sniffed again, "That's definitely the direction."

After walking a few steps, there were several more crackling sounds, before finally falling into complete silence.

“No matter how many bowls and plates you have, they should all be used up by now,” Ananda said coldly.

Suddenly, a strong stench approached from the front, followed by the sound of staggering footsteps.

"Hmph, finally couldn't hold back anymore?" Ananda rushed forward with his knife and stabbed the most foul-smelling spot!

"How could it be so light? It was just a monk's robe thrown over! But his breathing was right in front of us."

Just as he was about to listen again, "Crack!" The sound of a plate breaking rang out behind Ananda.

He instinctively turned his head, but there was nothing there. Ananda was truly panicked this time.

At the same time, a foul stench suddenly rose from behind. "He's behind me! When?"

Could it be that the sound of the plate breaking at the end masked the sound of footsteps?

These successive changes greatly alarmed Ananda.

But with the skills of a top assassin, he turned to face his enemy. He was only intimidated, yet he still held the upper hand.

The person who emerged from the darkness was covered in blood, with only a pair of wide-open, angry eyes. The figure roared and lunged at him, baring its fangs and claws.

This person, who seemed to have returned from hell, greatly alarmed Ananda, who was already panicked.

His mind went blank of rational thought; driven solely by his killer instincts, he thrust his blade at lightning speed toward the face of the oncoming opponent. Given Lu Xiaosan's speed, he couldn't possibly parry or dodge this attack.

"Guwa..."

"!!!" Lu Xiaosan bit down on the knife that was thrust at him, and the blood that spurted from his mouth instantly splattered all over Anan's face.

The sight of the blood slightly calmed Ananda, who immediately leaped back into the air, but it was too late.

Lu Xiaosan was already charging towards him, and the bald man bumped into his abdomen, using his full weight to press Anan down.

Although Ananda had considerable strength, he could not change the fact that he had the body of a six or seven-year-old child.

When Lu Xiaosan's weight pressed him down, he couldn't move at all.

Seeing Lu Xiaosan covered in blood, looking like a vengeful ghost from the underworld, he grinned maliciously and said, "Finally caught you!"

Lu Xiaosan's arm was bleeding profusely, and he no longer had the strength to raise it to strike. He could only lower his head and stare intently at Ananda beneath him with his terrifying, bloodied face.

This scene seemed to remind Ananda of something; he was greatly shocked and lost his previous calm and composure.

He went berserk and started pounding Lu Xiaosan's face repeatedly, each blow causing blood to splatter everywhere.

Even as blood gushed forth, his laughter grew even more unrestrained and arrogant.

"At the end of its rope!" Lu Xiaosan roared like a wild beast, biting down on Anan's shoulder.

"Ah!" Ananda screamed in agony.

This caused Lu Xiaosan to taste the blood of two people, which reawakened the bloodthirsty beast within him.

He channeled all his savage energy into power and forcefully tore a piece of flesh off Ananda's shoulder.

Ananda's features contorted instantly, the intense pain rendering him unable to utter a sound.

Wen Ying and Tian Gao hid in a corner, only able to hear the sounds of wild beasts gnawing and smell the strong stench of blood permeating the dark room.