Chapter 304

Chapter 304: A New Crisis

Bai Lian Chan Master angrily pointed at the direction that Bai Mu Chan Master indicated before his death and demanded, "Who is in that direction?"

"That way?" The senior disciple was momentarily stunned, then realized this was a clue left by Bai Mu Chan Master. He quickly bowed his head and thought for a moment, then became furious and said, "Master, that direction is where Fang Lie is on Qingyu Island!"

"What?" Hearing this, Bai Lian Chan Master trembled with rage and said, "Damn it! I understand now, it’s all because of him! He has long taken the treasures from the Secret Vault, which is why he willingly sold this place to us! That damned scoundrel!"

"Ah? How could this be possible?" the senior disciple exclaimed. "Master, are you mistaken? Isn’t this Secret Vault left by a Buddhist master? Only our Buddhist followers should be able to take from it!"

"Yes, Fang Lie is from the Tao Sect, and there seem to be no Buddhist cultivators around him. How could he open the Buddhist Secret Vault?"

"You fools!" Bai Lian Chan Master scolded, frustrated. "Don’t you understand? It’s all because of that damned Benevolence Token! It must have interfered! Therefore, the cause and effect we calculated involve not only the treasures in the vault but also the Benevolence Token, which is a Ninth-Rank Treasure! Your Senior Uncle Bai Mu could have withstood the backlash of a Ninth-Rank Treasure, but because of the Benevolence Token, it led to his death!"

"Ah, so that’s how it is!" The three disciples finally understood the cause and effect.

They had been wondering why Bai Mu Chan Master wouldn’t die, but the backlash was so great that he perished almost instantly, and it turned out it was Fang Lie who had effectively killed him!

Realizing this, not only Bai Lian Chan Master’s three senior disciples but all the high monks around erupted with anger.

Among them, the two Thunder Tribulation Immortals who had long protected Bai Mu Chan Master, Bai Fang and Bai Li Chan Master, were filled with rage, their anger palpable.

"Bai Lian Shixiong!" The tall, strong Bai Fang Chan Master said with a fierce gaze, "I’ll go capture that scoundrel Fang Lie and avenge Junior Brother Bai Mu!"

As he spoke, he turned to leave.

"Come back!" Bai Lian Chan Master shouted angrily. "No!"

"Why not?" Bai Fang Chan Master asked, furious.

"What reason do we have to attack the Mo Sect disciples?" Bai Lian Chan Master said, filled with grief and rage. "If it were an ordinary disciple, that would be fine, but Fang Lie is to become the future Token Lord. His identity is too sensitive. Killing him would mean declaring war on the Mo Sect! Do you want to start a sect war, Junior Brother?"

"This…" Although Bai Fang Chan Master was furious, he understood the gravity of the situation. The Mo Sect’s strength was no less than that of the Great Thunder Sound Temple. If a battle broke out, they would both suffer, and many Buddhist disciples would lose their lives. Such severe consequences were unbearable for him.

"But Fang Lie killed our Junior Brother and stole the Buddhist treasures! Should we just let it go?" Bai Fang Chan Master said angrily.

"Alas…" Bai Lian Chan Master sighed helplessly and said, "Junior Brother Bai Mu died from the Heavenly Dao backlash. It was not intentional. We cannot use this as an excuse to unjustly kill Mo Sect disciples. As for the Buddhist Secret Vault, Chongming Ancient Temple was originally an ownerless place reclaimed by Fang Lie. He has every right to collect the treasures here. We have no qualification to question that!"

"But he clearly took the treasures from the vault and didn’t inform us, instead selling it to us at a high price! That’s malicious intent!" Bai Fang shouted angrily.

"What of it?" Bai Lian Chan Master smiled bitterly. "When we bought Chongming Ancient Temple, he explicitly stated he was only selling the temple, not the Buddhist Secret Vault. Whether or not there is a Buddhist Secret Vault here has nothing to do with him. That kid is too cunning; he used the pressure from the three major Buddhist sects, and I failed to recognize it, and I’ve fallen into his trap!"

"That scoundrel actually dared to scheme against us!" Bai Fang Chan Master said, filled with grief and anger. "Our Great Thunder Sound Temple has always had a good relationship with the Mo Sect. He disregards the history of our cooperation against the demonic sect and secretly plots against us. It’s utterly despicable!"

"How could this scoundrel do this?" Bai Li Chan Master added angrily. "I need to find his master and demand justice!"

"Don’t go!" Bai Lian Chan Master said helplessly. "That would just bring humiliation; this is all cause and effect!"

"What does that mean, Shixiong?" Bai Fang Chan Master asked angrily. "Are you saying he calculated correctly against us?"

"Right or wrong, who can say for sure?" Bai Lian Chan Master replied helplessly. "In these recent years, you have been in closed-door training alongside Junior Brother Bai Mu and aren’t well-informed about external matters. Fang Lie, sigh, indeed harbors some resentment against us, and this time he schemed against us as revenge for his father!"

"Ah?" Bai Fang Chan Master and Bai Li Chan Master were taken aback and said in unison, "Is Fang Lie’s father someone our Great Thunder Sound Temple killed?"

"Although we didn’t kill him ourselves, we are still implicated!" Bai Lian Chan Master explained helplessly. "More than a decade ago, there was a great war between the righteous and the evil, limited to those below the Purple Palace realm. During this battle, the Mo Sect acted as bait, deliberately luring the top ten demonic sects for a fierce clash that lasted ten days and nights, ultimately leading to their total defeat. The exhausted demonic army was then crushed by the well-rested righteous coalition. Fang Lie’s father was the commander of the Mo Sect at that time."

"He’s a hero, but dying at the hands of the demonic sect has nothing to do with our Great Thunder Sound Temple!" Bai Fang Chan Master asked, perplexed.

"The righteous coalition was composed of both Buddhism and Taoism, and each side selected a leader. The Tao Sect was from East Kunlun, while the Buddhist Sect was from the Great Thunder Sound Temple!" Bai Lian Chan Master said with a bitter smile. "They deceived Fang Lie’s father, their reinforcements arrived days and nights late, actually hiding in the distance while watching the Mo Sect disciples die in battle!"

"This…" Bai Li Chan Master frowned tightly and said, "How could this be?"

"The Mo Sect was skilled in defense, and the longer they dragged out the time, the more exhausted the demonic sect became, increasing the chances of the righteous sect winning." Bai Lian Chan Master said, "In this regard, being late isn’t a big deal. However, Fang Lie’s father was upright and would step forward when he saw injustice, offending many people. Unfortunately, he had unparalleled combat power and once heavily injured the Fire Tribulation Immortal with his Purple Palace cultivation. He overshadowed too many people and had few friends, which led to his demise!"

"Heroes always die," Bai Li Chan Master shook his head and said helplessly. "This is quite regrettable!"

"Not regrettable enough!" Bai Lian Chan Master said with a bitter smile. "After the battle, Fang Lie’s father didn’t gain renown; instead, his merits were seized by the major sects, with East Kunlun and Great Thunder Sound Temple getting the most credit. The Mo Sect suffered a great loss without any method to retaliate, and some relatives of the deceased vented their anger onto Fang Lie. That child suffered beyond measure. How much hatred do you think he has for us?"

"This…" After hearing the entire story, they finally understood the depth of Fang Lie’s resentment towards the Great Thunder Sound Temple.

Bai Fang Chan Master’s killing intent diminished slightly as he said helplessly, "Which scoundrel orchestrated this? This is too cruel, he must know how bad the impact is."

"It was a true disciple from the Abbot’s lineage," Bai Lian Chan Master said wearily. "The sins he committed are being borne by Junior Brother Bai Mu. It’s shameful!"

"Even so, we at Great Thunder Sound Temple can’t let Fang Lie bully us, right?" Bai Li Chan Master said angrily. "He must give us an explanation!"

"Emotionally and logically, they have no obligation to give us an explanation," Bai Lian Chan Master said with a bitter smile. "Junior Brother, don’t forget, we don’t even know whether the Secret Vault exists or not; everything is just speculation. Do you intend to take guesses and confront the Mo Sect?"

"This…" Bai Li Chan Master was instantly dumbfounded. The Mo Sect was not a small fry, but rather a huge entity. If he dared to confront them based on speculation, he would most likely get killed on the spot!

"Damn it, how can Fang Lie be so cunning, taking advantage and leaving me with no way to retaliate! Is he still from the Fang Family?" Bai Fang Chan Master said angrily.

"He’s likely influenced by his father’s fate," Bai Lian Chan Master replied helplessly. "This whole situation is my fault; I underestimated Fang Lie. I never thought that a mere Qi Sea level kid could create such a major incident! But he shouldn’t get too cocky, for there is more time ahead. This debt, I will remember. Bai Lian vows, as long as this grudge isn’t settled, I will never ascend to Buddhahood!"

"Junior Brother!"

"Master!"

Bai Lian Chan Master’s three senior disciples and two Thunder Tribulation Immortals were astounded, not expecting him to make such a serious vow. For Buddhist cultivators, not achieving Buddhahood meant their entire life’s cultivation would be in vain. No matter how profound their cultivation, they would eventually fall into reincarnation, forever unable to ascend to the Buddhist realm.

If it were an ordinary Qi Sea cultivator, Bai Lian Chan Master’s vow wouldn’t mean much, and even those of high status could find ways to extinguish it.

However, Fang Lie possessed an undying nature; unless they could break this undying nature, he would never die. This made Bai Lian Chan Master’s vow nearly impossible to fulfill.

Seeing the concern of the others, Bai Lian Chan Master smiled slightly and said, "Is it just a mere undying nature? Do you think he is truly invincible? Hmph, I’ve already investigated; that kid will soon enter the Lost Forest!"

"What? The Lost Forest?" Bai Li Chan Master’s eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "There, strange powers of cause and effect intertwine, even deceased Core Inner Gate Disciples cannot be revived. Fang Lie’s undying nature may likely be broken there. Given his high status and promising future, why would he go there to seek death?"

"Self-inflicted misfortune!" Bai Lian Chan Master sneered. "It’s all internal strife within the Mo Sect. But that’s fine, it will only benefit us! Jie Yan!"

"Disciple is here!" Bai Lian Chan Master’s third disciple immediately replied, "What command does the master have?"

"Are you willing to replace me and infiltrate the Lost Forest to eliminate that scoundrel Fang Lie?" Bai Lian Chan Master said with a fierce expression.