At this point, Chen Kuang had barely managed to form a rough understanding of the situation within the Wugou Pure Land.
First and foremost: the three Grand Chan Masters, whom he had once regarded as his greatest support, had already become "Demons."
Though it was still unclear how exactly this came to be, whether they had been completely replaced or merely had their minds taken over, regardless, they could no longer be trusted. Worse yet, they might even be enemies.
And since the three Grand Chan Masters had already fallen to demonic control, what about the rest of the inhabitants of the Pure Land?
From above, while flying earlier, Chen Kuang had seen several monks who showed no signs of abnormality, but that wasn't enough. He would still need to observe them... yet even if he did, he didn't know what he could do about it.
After all, this so-called Pure Land was still guarded by three real Saints.
It already took all of Chen Kuang's cunning and effort to go up against just one Martial Saint... much less three at once.
Moreover, he had no idea what kind of methods these "Demons" possessed.
Secondly, there was the man standing before him, Xiuzhu, who claimed to be Xiuzhu himself.
Judging from his actions so far, it seemed he was opposed to those "Demons" and hoped to cooperate with Chen Kuang to confront the three of them.
However, Chen Kuang still did not fully trust him.
Neither "Piercing Insight" nor any other passive could see through Xiuzhu, but from the fact that he knew so much, and that the Sarira had an unknown origin, there was clearly more going on behind the scenes.
Chen Kuang did not dare to bet on where his true allegiance lay.
If he was one of the Demons too, was he just luring Chen Kuang into a trap?
Chen Kuang stared at him and asked,
"You want to work with me... and in turn, destroy this Māra?"
Xiuzhu pressed his palms together in a solemn gesture and smiled faintly.
"Precisely."
Chen Kuang said coldly, "If I escape now, I still have a sliver of hope for survival. But if I choose to stand against three Saints... I'm absolutely doomed."
Xiuzhu replied, "You think you can still leave?"
"The moment I reveal your identity to those three Demons, the only exit from the Pure Land will be sealed by a single thought of the Saints. This vast Pure Land would become a prison from which no one could escape."
Chen Kuang chuckled:
"There's no place in this world I cannot leave."
The moment he saw how the Pure Land was entered, he had realized it was, in truth, a Paradise Realm, likely maintained by the three Grand Chan Masters, and completely under their control.
It would be child's play for them to trap anyone within.
And yet, he had still managed to enter.
Why? The answer lay in one of his countless passive abilities:
[Bound by Nothing: You can act freely in all circumstances and return to any place you've once been. No one can restrain you.]
Time and again, this had proven true, so long as he waited long enough, even while standing in place, he would eventually gain something useful.
Even if out of 182,500 passives, 182,400 of them were things like "You'll never get a mushroom stuck in your teeth again"...
At least a hundred were actually useful.
Xiuzhu studied him for a moment. Seemingly convinced that Chen Kuang wasn't bluffing, he sighed and said:
"Mount Xunmi has already collapsed."
Chen Kuang's pupils contracted.
Mount Xunmi?!
That was the greatest natural barrier defending against the Night Barbarian invasions! If not for Mount Xunmi, the entire Northern Plains would have long been overrun.
With the Night Barbarians' war-driven ways, the cultivators of the Central Domain would never have lasted this long without it!
And now, it had collapsed?
In other words, the Northern Plains were now wide open.
As long as the Night Barbarians had any sense, they would seize this opportunity to launch a full-scale invasion.
But that wasn't even the scariest part.
If it were only a war against the Night Barbarians, not a single cultivator of the Central Domain would flinch.
Ten thousand years ago, during the ancient era, Human Emperor Shuo had once suppressed the Night Barbarians and drove them far beyond the frontier.
Ten thousand years later, even though the Canliao Path had been severed, the human race was far from weak.
And if you counted the hidden old monsters who had gone into seclusion, ten Saints could still be named. With ten Saints standing guard, even if the entire Night Barbarian race poured in, they'd still be driven back.
Chen Kuang took a deep breath and looked up at the lush canopy of the Bodhi tree.
But...
What if, among those ten Saints, three turned traitor at the critical moment?
Or perhaps...
More than three?
If that were the case, the outcome of the battle would no longer be certain.
Not to mention, the three Grand Chan Masters were among the elite even within the Saint realm.
Chen Kuang had already experienced it firsthand: not all Saints were created equal.
If it were Xi Mengquan who had acted, even a Martial Saint would not last more than three exchanges.
There would be no need for any trickery like Chen Kuang had used.
Right now, across the entire world of Cangyuan, it was likely that only he, and this ambiguous Xiuzhu before him, knew the truth.
Did Xi Mengquan know?
Had he left behind a contingency?
Chen Kuang lowered his gaze to his palm. A few flickering runes lit up and dimmed again, offering no clear answer.
Other than that one time Xi Mengquan had disguised himself as Jiang Wuya to trick him, Chen Kuang had never directly met the "Sage of Music."
The only one he could trust, was himself.
"Seems you've already made your decision."
Xiuzhu smiled.
Chen Kuang exhaled deeply and looked silently at the Bodhi tree again. A sudden thought crossed his mind:
"By the way, just now... did you hear a woman's voice? Right here."
Xiuzhu scratched his head and replied, puzzled:
"No... Garan Temple has no nuns. We've never hosted female visitors either."
Chen Kuang turned to look at him. His eyes were clear once more, it was the gentle little monk Xiuzhu again.
What exactly... was the relationship between these two personas?
Chen Kuang shook his head. "Nevermind."
Xiuzhu said:
"Were you asking because you're searching for the woman General Huo mentioned? Honestly, I think... maybe he just wanted you to become a monk."
Chen Kuang said:
"He's a precept-breaking monk himself. Why would he try to convince me to take vows?"
Xiuzhu replied with complete sincerity:
"Even if one breaks the precepts, one can still turn toward the Buddha."
Chen Kuang chuckled:
"So you're saying he was evangelizing me?"
Xiuzhu nodded seriously.
Chen Kuang said faintly:
"Buddhism teaches: 'Lay down the butcher's knife, become a Buddha on the spot.'"
"But I've taken far too many lives. These are my unresolved karmic ties. If I let go, can those I've killed do the same?"
He was just making idle conversation, expecting the ever-gentle Xiuzhu to stammer or fall silent.
Instead, Xiuzhu thought deeply and answered seriously:
"Yes. They can."
Chen Kuang's mouth twitched. "Monks do not speak falsehoods."
Xiuzhu pressed his palms together, met his gaze, and said solemnly:
"The Buddha possesses six Divine Abilities: Heavenly Eye, Heavenly Ear, Divine Eye of Mind Perception, Supernatural Travel, Knowledge of Past Lives, and the final one, Exhaustion of Defilements."
"The sixth, Exhaustion of Defilements, is possessed only by true Saints. It allows one to break free of attachments and afflictions, escape samsara and destiny, and sever all cause and effect."
His voice firmed:
"Once freed from the cycle of karma, everything born of you, everything extinguished by you, will have nothing to do with you any longer."
"Those you killed will still live. Those you saved may still die. Before and after your life, nothing shall weigh you down."
"From then on, all afflictions are erased. All attachments become void."
At first, Chen Kuang hadn't cared much.
But as he heard the end, his expression subtly changed.
He asked slowly:
"Then... if it's something already bound together, like..."
"Destiny, or shall we say, Heaven's Mandate, can that be severed too?"