Longevity by Grinding Skills

Chapter 480: Chapter 480: It’s All the Righteous Dao

Hearing the voice from behind, Xu Yunfan’s eye twitched slightly. He reined in his Magical Power, his Divine Sense instantly sweeping behind him.

He silently turned to face the source of the sound.

The newcomer was a monk.

He wore a coarse hemp Kasaya, washed so many times it had faded, with clear signs of starching, yet it was spotlessly clean. His features were simple and unadorned, his face not young. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were like carved lines, yet his brow held an ineffable clarity and tranquility, like glass formed from millennia of settled glacial melt.

His brow bone was prominent, forming a naturally compassionate arch. Beneath his lowered eyelids, his gaze was gentle and placid, as if hiding two bottomless pools of water that could reflect a person’s heart and wash away the dust of the world.

Even standing there in silence, he naturally exuded a transcendent Zen-like aura of compassion for all living beings and an insight that saw through the mortal world, causing one to subconsciously quiet their restless thoughts.

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"I’ve seen you before."

A smile appeared on the monk’s face.

"Oh? It seems we are indeed fated to meet, Benefactor."

Xu Yunfan’s brow twitched. "Some time ago, while I was patrolling Cold Crow Pass, I distinctly saw you on a street corner, peddling fake Magical Artifacts and swindling passersby."

The monk’s smile faltered slightly. He pressed his palms together and said, "Amitabha Buddha. Benefactor, you are mistaken. Karma arises and ceases; all is preordained. That someone took an item from this humble monk is merely the result of a cause planted in a past life, a karmic tie being resolved in this one. Those objects may seem ordinary, but they are imbued with Buddha Nature. When they meet a fated person, their miraculous properties will naturally manifest."

’Damn it, that’s exactly the kind of shameless bullshit you’d expect from those bald donkeys of the Puchen Pure Land. To say something like that without even a hint of a blush.’

’A bald donkey from the Puchen Pure Land.’

Xu Yunfan’s heart grew heavy. A monk from the Puchen Pure Land seeking him out could not be a good thing.

A sense of alarm rose in him. His True Martial Magical Power began to circulate silently within him. The True Martial Sword was ready but not yet drawn, and a wisp of intent to Exorcize Demons and Evil gathered at his fingertips, ready to be unleashed.

He had never had any deep dealings with anyone from the Western Continent Puchen Pure Land. His only connection was having "outlasted" that Dragon-Subduing Arhat outside Cold Crow Pass. But that was a matter of coincidence and circumstance; he hadn’t intentionally killed him.

’Logically speaking, I only drove the man away. Whether he lived or died outside Cold Crow Pass had nothing to do with me.’

This monk’s aura was as calm and deep as the sea, making it impossible for him to gauge his depth for a moment. He was certainly no ordinary character.

’Why has he come for me?’

’Could he be seeking revenge for the Dragon-Subduing Arhat?’

’But that Arhat clearly exhausted his own lifespan and passed away through meditation, thereby reincarnating...’

’It couldn’t be because of that.’

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Xu Yunfan’s expression remained impassive. He cupped his hands and said coolly, "Master, you called out to me. What guidance might you have?"

The monk, who called himself Sanzang, pressed his palms together in a gesture of respect. His voice remained mellow and peaceful, yet it carried an irresistible, penetrating quality. "Amitabha Buddha. Excellent, excellent. I would not dare offer guidance. This humble monk is Sanzang. I observe that you, Benefactor, have a divine light contained within, bones and sinews like jade, a sword hidden between your brows, and a heart for Demon Subduing. You have a great karmic connection with our Buddhist Sect. This humble monk cannot bear to see a pearl covered in dust, and have come especially to point out the path forward for you."

"Sanzang?"

Xu Yunfan said, "That’s quite a name. I wonder if you can bear its weight."

Sanzang said with a slight smile, "It was bestowed by a Bodhisattva. So naturally, it is as it should be."

Xu Yunfan chuckled dryly. "A karmic connection? I practice the Daoist Sect’s True Martial Subduing Demon Technique, walk the path of Demon Exorcism, and follow the Righteous Dao of the mortal world. I’m afraid my path and your esteemed sect’s Zen Technique lead to different destinations."

’And he calls his path the Righteous Dao of the mortal world.’

Sanzang almost couldn’t catch his breath.

’This Demon from the Primordial Demon Sect is truly shameless to the extreme. To praise himself so righteously.’

Of course, he didn’t let the curses in his heart show on his face.

Sanzang smiled faintly, a smile that seemed to encompass all things, yet also see through everything. "The Ten Thousand Laws return to a single origin. Even different paths can lead to the same destination.

"Benefactor, you possess great courage, great wisdom, and great opportunity. You are the perfect candidate to be a Dharma Guardian Vajra for our Buddhist Sect. Lay down your butcher’s knife and become a Buddha on the spot. Your Buddha’s Destiny lies with us."

Xu Yunfan’s expression changed at his words, and a fire of rage flared up within him with a WHOOSH.

’This bald donkey is so damn shameless.’

’This wasn’t guidance at all. It was clear he saw my profound foundation and outstanding combat strength and wanted to abduct me to be a Dharma Protector and a thug, a blatant act of enslavement.’

’What "destined for Buddhism"? It’s just an excuse for robbery and plunder.’

He was Cultivating True Martial Demon Suppression Scripture. His True Martial Magical Power was fierce and domineering, the perfect counter to evil beings. At the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment realm, he was already strong enough to look down on his peers. How could he allow someone to abduct him so brazenly?

’This son of a bitch... is he here to shake me down?’

He suppressed his anger, his voice turning cold. "Master, you are mistaken. My Dao Heart is firm, and my ambition lies on the path of the Immortal. I have no intention of serving before the Buddha. Why must you insist on forcing the unwilling?"

The look of compassion on Sanzang’s face deepened, but his words carried an unquestionable certainty. "Now that your destiny has arrived, how can you simply walk away? Benefactor, do you know why, of the four corners of the world, the Southern Continent, Northern Continent, and Western Continent are all called ’Continents,’ yet the East alone is called the Eastern Wilderness?"

Although Xu Yunfan had no idea what this bald donkey was up to, he was quite interested in the topic.

"Oh? Then please, Master, enlighten me."

Sanzang pressed his palms together and proclaimed in a resonant voice: "The East is the land of the rising sun. It should be a place of great light and prosperity, so why is it named with the character for ’wilderness’? Because it is desolate and chaotic, a place where the true law does not shine! This is the will of heaven, and it also foretells that our Buddhist Sect is destined to rise in the Eastern Land, to save all sentient beings, and to cleanse all evil.

"This is the great trend of the Buddhist Dharma spreading to the East, like the rising sun itself—it cannot be reversed! Benefactor, your destiny with the Buddha is profound. You are meant to be a Dharma Protector for our Buddhist Sect’s journey east, to clear away obstacles and bring glory to the Buddha Land.

"This is a great Merit that follows the Celestial Dao. If the eastward spread is successful, you will naturally be able to step into the Bodhisattva Fruit Position. This is also your fated destiny. Meeting this humble monk today is a clear sign of heaven’s will.

"Benefactor, your path lies here. Come with this humble monk.

"Even if you have a thousand objections and struggle with all your might, this destiny is set. You cannot escape."

Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but sneer as he listened. These monks were truly silver-tongued. With just a few words, they had repackaged their selfish desire to abduct him into a grand act of obeying heaven’s will, following a great trend, and accumulating great Merit. It was sanctimonious and shameless to the extreme.

Every word and every sentence was meant to crush him under the weight of the Buddhist Sect’s grand righteousness, as if refusing would be to defy heaven’s will, to not know what was good for him, and to betray the Buddha’s grace.

Xu Yunfan was so furious he began to laugh. This guy was clearly here because he was Cultivating True Martial Demon Suppression Scripture.

"HAHAHA!"

Xu Yunfan’s laughter was filled with derision and cold killing intent. "What a fine ’follow the Celestial Dao’! What a fine ’fated destiny’!

"You bald donkeys are always spouting some sanctimonious bullshit whenever you decide to rob and plunder someone.

"I, Xu Yunfan, recognize only the sword in my hand and the Dao in my heart! Whether something is a demon or evil is for my heart to decide. If I decide you are a demon, I don’t care if you are a Buddha or an Immortal—I will cut you down with a single stroke of my sword.

"My Dao is in my own hands. How could it be bound by your empty, ethereal talk of ’destiny’?"

Before his voice had even faded, Xu Yunfan attacked without hesitation!

Seeing this, Sanzang couldn’t help but sigh and utter a phrase.

"Why must you bring this upon yourself?"

With his right hand, Xu Yunfan grasped at the empty air, and a giant, black sword condensed purely from refined True Martial Magical Power appeared out of nowhere.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!