"It seems your Monster Clan still refuses to repent."
A voice, cold as iron, resonated through the valley.
Despite being a monk, there was not a shred of compassion in his tone.
For Venerable Buddha, there was no such thing as mercy.
His name was synonymous with slaughter.
"The Buddha is kind," he continued, his voice carrying a chilling conviction. "Centuries ago, we merely sealed the Great Sage of your clan. Yet after all these years, you remain unrepentant."
A pause.
"Very well."
His tone grew sharper, like a blade unsheathed.
"Today, I shall cleanse these remnants in the name of Lord Buddha!"
Each word was laced with violence, yet his voice carried a strange, almost hypnotic persuasion—
A force that made one question whether he was truly wrong.
Then, his hands came together in a solemn gesture.
"Today, this poor monk walks the path of Heaven—"
"—To slay demons and eradicate evil."
His words had barely fallen when his staff descended.
A blinding golden light erupted from its surface, surging with boundless destructive energy.
As the staff fell, its size expanded exponentially, filling the sky—
Within mere moments, the entire valley was consumed beneath its shadow.
HUMMMM!
A deafening resonance filled the canyon.
The scattered bones littering the valley trembled violently, as though awakening from a slumber of countless years.
It was as if the lingering will of the fallen had been stirred.
Venerable Buddha's gaze turned icy.
"A mere remnant of the past dares to resist?"
He snorted coldly.
In an instant, a surge of Buddha's Light erupted from his body, cascading across the valley.
Behind him, the illusory form of an ancient Buddha materialized, its silhouette towering like a celestial deity.
The moment the golden light collided with the aura of the dead, a thunderous explosion rang out.
BOOM!
The Buddha's phantom shattered.
Venerable Buddha's body shuddered, and his expression flickered pale for a brief moment—
But he had succeeded.
The wrath of the forgotten dead had been sealed away.
Even after countless ages, the fallen warriors of the Monster Royal Clan still possessed a trace of their former might.
Yet in the end, they had been suppressed.
And that alone spoke volumes of Venerable Buddha's power.
Faced with the devastating strike, the High Priest could not remain idle.
A brilliant glow flickered from the third eye upon his forehead.
In that instant—
Space itself distorted.
Though to the naked eye, nothing seemed to change—
The battlefield had been folded upon itself countless times.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
The sound of shattering glass filled the air as reality fractured.
Yet despite the High Priest's efforts—
The monk's staff did not descend any further.
For a few fleeting breaths, the battlefield stood in frozen tension.
Then—
The golden staff withdrew.
The warped space slowly unraveled, returning to its original form.
The High Priest's expression darkened.
He knew.
Even though their clash had seemed evenly matched—
It wasn't.
Because in that moment, he had been forced to use his full strength.
And that strike from Venerable Buddha?
It had been nothing more than a casual blow.
"Hm?"
Venerable Buddha's eyes flickered with realization.
His gaze slowly swept across the gathered members of the Monster Royal Clan.
Initially, they had been nothing more than insignificant insects in his eyes—mere obstacles on his path.
An annoyance he could crush at will.
But now—
He sensed something.
A familiar presence.
The weight of his gaze alone made every beast shudder, their very souls suppressed beneath his overwhelming might.
This was the gap in power.
Finally, his golden eyes settled upon Yao Ziyan.
"You..."
His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable chill.
"You bear the aura of my disciple."
A dangerous glint flashed deep within his gaze.
Yao Ziyan blinked.
Then, realization dawned.
Wuxiang.
The Phaseless Demon Monk had been slain—
By the boss.
Her lips curled into a mocking smirk.
"Phaseless Demon Monk?" Her tone was indifferent. "What a pity. He's already found his way to your Buddha's promised land."
There was no fear in her eyes.
She didn't bother to explain.
Because there was no need.
Venerable Buddha was not a man who listened to explanations.
He had come here with a single conviction—
To exterminate the Monster Royal Clan.
A man like him didn't need justifications.
He needed only a reason to kill.
Non-humans must be eradicated.
That was his belief.
And that was why she found his so-called Buddhist compassion so utterly laughable.
Venerable Buddha fell silent for a moment.
Then—
He chuckled.
A low, bone-chilling laugh.
"It seems," he murmured, amusement flickering in his golden eyes, "that in my years of absence—"
"—Azure Continent has forgotten the name of Buddha."