One day prior.
The monks of the Divine Evolution Temple hurried through their journey, finally stepping into the territory of the Star-Moon Forest, where the legendary Star-Moon Tree stood.
As the most perilous and elite region within the secret realm, the Star-Moon Forest was teeming with high-level demonic beasts that lurked unpredictably, making it exceptionally dangerous.
Not long after entering, the monks of the Divine Evolution Temple were ambushed by a pack of Netherghost Wolves.
After painstakingly subduing the wolves with their compassionate hearts—while also collecting their demonic cores—the severely injured monks were then ambushed by the disciples of the Sky Net Witch Sect.
The Divine Evolution Temple fled immediately, and the Sky Net Witch Sect gave chase.
Thus began a relentless pursuit between the two factions. After an entire day of deadlock, the monks were forced to the edge of a bottomless cliff.
Below the cliff stretched a vast field of man-eating flowers.
Their petals swayed like surging tides, crimson mouths gaping wide, eager for prey.
A torrential downpour raged across the secret realm, turning day into night.
Heavy raindrops pelted against the monks’ shaved heads, washing away the blood from their wounds as it trickled down the cliffside rocks and into the waiting maws of the carnivorous blossoms below.
The man-eating flowers writhed in excitement, their stems and leaves stretching higher as they drank in the blood, their gaze ravenous as they stared up at the monks.
Under the relentless assault of the Sky Net Witch Sect, the monks of the Divine Evolution Temple fell one by one.
The portly monk, his lips stained with blood, maintained a serene expression. "Amitabha, you must leave the sacred tower at once."
"Senior Brother—" The younger monks refused, stubbornly insisting on standing—or falling—with their senior brother, the temple’s chosen Buddha’s Son.
"Go when you must. Staying will only hinder me."
"No, Senior Brother..."
Despite the sorrow in his eyes, the portly monk acted decisively—kicking his disobedient juniors off the cliff, one after another.
Amitabha, surely they weren’t foolish enough to become fertilizer for the flowers?
"Senior Brother!" The young monks were stunned, but they weren’t entirely witless. At the last possible moment, they crushed their Sacred Summoning Tokens and vanished from the battlefield.
In the blink of an eye, only the two highest-ranking monks remained—the portly Huaiming and his lanky companion.
Wu Shao, the young master of the Sky Net Witch Sect, stood shrouded in a black hood, his face obscured.
Manipulating his lifebound Witch Puppet to attack Huaiming, the Buddha’s Son, his lips curled into a wild smirk, naturally crimson without a trace of rouge. "Huaiming, don’t say the Sky Net Witch Sect never gave the Divine Evolution Temple a chance to live. You still have time to crush your Sacred Summoning Token and leave."
Huaiming chuckled warmly but said nothing.
He closed his eyes, one hand pressed before his lips in silent prayer, the other flicking through bloodstained prayer beads—faster and faster, faster and faster.
Even if it cost him his life today, he would ensure the Sky Net Witch Sect was sent to the afterlife first.
"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!" Wu Shao flung his black cloak aside, pouring all his remaining cultivation into his Witch Puppet. Its attacks grew increasingly vicious, interrupting Huaiming’s forbidden techniques multiple times.
Facing the Buddha’s Son, none of the Sky Net Witch disciples dared let their guard down.
Both factions were so engrossed in their battle that none noticed the five figures creeping closer through the undergrowth, their heads concealed beneath woven vine hats.
—
On the only path leading to the cliff, a Sky Net Witch disciple stood watch from the branches of a tree.
The young master had ordered him to watch for ambushes—both from demonic beasts lurking in the forest and any fleeing stragglers from the Divine Evolution Temple who might ruin their plans.
Diligently following his orders, the disciple kept his eyes and ears sharp.
The rain grew heavier, each drop falling like needles.
Then—amid the downpour—a slender silver needle shot upward, piercing straight toward his forehead!
Before he could even raise an alarm, the Thousand Leaf Blade embedded itself in his skull, its venom instantly corroding his brain. He plummeted from the tree.
Wen Shuangbai, already waiting below, caught the falling disciple midair. With practiced efficiency, she stripped him of his storage ring, snatched his sword, took the Mystic Heaven Mirror from his waist, pried the valuable gemstones from his belt, and then crushed his Sacred Summoning Token, sending him back to where he came from.
The entire sequence was executed with seamless precision, leaving the spectators on the Mystic Heaven Mirror utterly dumbfounded.
"Who’s there?!" Wu Shao, locked in combat with Huaiming, sensed the disturbance instantly.
At the same moment, a fiery sword—bright as the rising sun—sliced through the rain, aiming straight for Wu Shao!
Li Zhuohua lunged forward like lightning, her furious shout accompanying her strike: "Pay for Santtu’s life!"
Yin Xuan followed with her own blade, engaging the other Sky Net Witch disciples while gently correcting her companion, "Santtu isn’t dead yet..."
"Qingling Mountain?!" Wu Shao recognized the newcomers, his heart sinking. How had they arrived so quickly from such a distance?
Without hesitation, he dodged the sword strike, sending his Witch Puppet to intercept Li Zhuohua while subtly retreating toward the dense thicket behind him.
Hidden within that thicket, Xie Ziyin and Shen Hefeng crouched, each armed with a bow Wen Shuangbai had crafted during their journey.
The arrowheads were tipped with small, snake-skin pouches filled with liquid.
Xie Ziyin waited patiently.
He watched as Wu Shao summoned additional Witch Puppets, using them as shields to break free from Li Zhuohua and Wen Shuangbai’s combined assault.
With a glance toward Shen Hefeng, he signaled his readiness.
Wu Shao moved swiftly, weaving through the trees, believing escape was within reach.
Then—an arrow streaked toward him.
Wu Shao sneered, splitting his form in two. The decoy puppet took the arrow’s hit, disintegrating instantly as the Bone-Erosion venom within the snake-skin pouch melted it away. His true body twisted aside, ready to flee.
Now.
Xie Ziyin released his bowstring.
A bamboo arrow, verdant as spring, shot true—Wu Shao dodged, but not fast enough. The snake-skin pouch grazed his left arm.
The moment it burst, the venom ate through flesh and bone, consuming his entire limb in seconds.
"Ah—!" Choking back a scream, Wu Shao severed his own arm to stop the poison’s spread.
But before he could recover, Shen Hefeng’s second arrow was already upon him: "Eat this, you wretched grandson!"
"My grandfather’s long dead!" Fear for his life overrode all else—Wu Shao crushed his Sacred Summoning Token without a second thought.
Xie Ziyin and Shen Hefeng emerged from the bushes, watching the teleportation array swallow Wu Shao whole.
Shen Hefeng clicked his tongue. "Ran so fast, the brat. Didn’t even let his grandpa teach him a proper lesson."
With their task for Wen Shuangbai complete, Xie Ziyin stowed his bow and strode through the rain toward the cliff where she stood.
Li Zhuohua, Yin Xuan, and Wen Shuangbai had already dispatched the remaining four Sky Net Witch disciples, sending them "home" in similar fashion.
Huaiming and his fellow monk sat slumped on the ground, breathing raggedly from their wounds.
As Wen Shuangbai approached, Huaiming mustered a weak smile. "Amitabha. Many thanks for your timely rescue, noble benefactors. Should the Divine Evolution Temple ever be of service in the future, we..."
"Let's not talk about 'another day'." Wen Shuangbai crouched down, wiping rainwater from her face as she cut him off bluntly. "We need your help right now."
No sooner had she spoken than Li Zhuohua returned from moving the fallen tree. He hurled a massive trunk in front of the two monks, then dragged Lu Jiayao—barely conscious—from behind his back and thrust him toward the portly monk. "Quick, save my junior brother!" he urged.
Wen Shuangbai added hastily, "Santtu’s been hit by Wu Shao’s puppet curse. We’d appreciate it if the Huaiming Buddha could act swiftly."
She couldn’t shake the feeling that Lu Santu’s condition had worsened.
Huaiming Buddha: "……"
Was this really just the puppet curse? The poor man looked like he’d taken quite a beating too.
Amitabha.
