Volcanic Age

What drove you to do this? Hong Gao chewed on those words slowly. The Absolute Master, who would later be called the Divine Fist, answered in a voice as cold as the northern blizzards, "No one drove me to do this, Master."

"I am simply doing what I must."

It was revenge for a grudge from forty years ago and a step forward for the future.

"In order to protect the Dharma and Shaolin, I will use whatever is necessary, even excessive force. I will accept any punishment you deem necessary for your unworthy disciple, so please step aside now. Please."

"No, I cannot." Hui Mian clasped his hands together, dissipating all of his formless hands. The old monk's body was full of openings.

"Hadn't the Buddha said, 'Do not be angry. If someone is angry with you, do not repay them with more anger.' He also said, 'If someone comes and cuts your arm, do not resent them. If someone heals you, do not be happy.'"

Those were the teachings of the Za Ahanjing.

"Don't you know that reconciliation cannot be achieved with revenge and hatred?"

"I understand. However, it can only be true for those who are truthful. How can we believe someone who will lie whenever it is necessary?"

A master was teaching his disciple to accept the enemy's reflection and show mercy, while the disciple doubted the sincerity of the enemy's reflection. Thus, the master advised them to take the enemy to the Shaolin Temple for judgement, but the disciple refused, saying that it could be a trap as well.

What should I do… The Divine Monk was anxious. He couldn't yield here. If this were just a quarrel born from a difference in opinion, he would back down, but Fang Fotong's case was different.

Hong Gao would be taking the life of someone who had repented for their sins. In addition, if he were to accept Hong Gao's stance, the Shaolin Temple would walk the path of an Asura in the future.

"If… If…" Hong Gao muttered, clenching his fist. "If we let the Iron Fist Demon go and someone else claims his life, what would the people of the murim think of us? They know that the Shaolin Temple has decided to take revenge."

"Isn't that in itself a desire for honor? Give up your greed. Greed brings about troubles such as dvesha and moha," the Divine Monk replied.

"This is frustrating!" Hong Gao pounded his chest and grew angry. "Then what? Do you want me just to sit back and watch as the Temple receives a torrent of curses and sneers? Do you want me just to watch it decline?!"

Hong Gao didn't want everyone to look down on the Shaolin Temple. He didn't want to see it get belittled. The world was already saying that the Shaolin Temple was declining. Every time he heard that statement, he would always get furious.

"Don't you already know about all of this as the abbot, Master? The people are saying that Mount Hua should be the Highest Peak instead of Shaolin."

The de facto strongest force of the murim was the Mount Hua Sect. Although they had lost their sect master not too long ago and were in a pinch, the Sword Immortal's foresight and wisdom had allowed them to break through.

They had also produced the greatest hero of the Righteous Faction along with Empyrean Overlords, so there was a long line of people wanting to become their disciples.

All of these hopefuls even brought a lot of money and treasures as offerings, which meant that Mount Hua Sect's coffers were about to burst.

They had spent quite a bit of money to entertain such guests, but they still had more than enough money left to provide relief to others.

The Mount Hua Sect was a Daoist Sect, so despite its surplus of money, it couldn't afford to be extravagant. Thus, after spending what was necessary to repair halls, build residences, buy medicines, and train disciples, the sect used its remaining funds to help the common people.

The Mount Hua Sect's reputation soon spread throughout the Central Plains, and they were praised by not just martial artists but the common people as well.

The sect had produced incredible experts, such as the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, and they were helping the weak as well, so it was impossible for them not to receive any praise.

Meanwhile, the Shaolin Temple was declining without any notable achievements so far, and it was slowly fading away into obscurity.

"I-If we don't do anything about this, Shaolin will be pushed out by the Mount Hua Sect. We'll fade into the background like some kind of old refuse."

The events of the Great War of Good and Blood came to Hong Gao's mind.

"You stupid brat!" Hui Mian shouted at Hong Gao. "If Mount Hua's sword becomes stronger, they will be able to help and save more people! It would be the murim's fortune; it's not a bad thing! It isn't good to be jealous of others." ṞἈ₦ꝋʙΕS̩

Jealousy—this word was sharper and more painful than any sword. Hong Gao gritted his teeth as he recalled the back of the hero of the Mount Hua Sect; he was reminded of the latter's performance in the Gobi Desert.

Yes. This might be jealousy.

However, this wasn't his own jealousy.

Hong Gao loved Shaolin. He cherished and loved the Shaolin Temple, which was called the Highest Peak and Mount Tai, more than anyone else.[1]

When Zhou Xuchuan came to the Shaolin Temple to return the Prajna Divine Art, the two of them sparred, and had Hong Gao abandoned his belief that the Shaolin Temple was the best at the time?

No. He accepted his defeat but didn't abandon his belief. He simply pretended that he was humbled in front of his master.

"I was simply lacking in skill."

After that, Hong Gao punished himself. He practiced and practiced to create an even more perfect Shaolin Temple.

Perhaps it was because of such efforts that he achieved great things. He could now see the steps to the next realm beyond the Harmony Realm. He had lost as an individual, but he thought that if he learned from his defeat and worked hard, the Shaolin Temple would have the last laugh in the end.

About half a year ago, however, Hong Gao's thoughts changed. To be more exact, it was during the Great War of Good and Blood.

There are monsters in the Mount Hua Sect.

That man wasn't a genius—he was a monster that was beyond common sense. He couldn't forget the moment he saw the plum blossom of the Twenty-Four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom.

The fragrance of the plum blossoms still lingered in his nose. The thick scent almost made him drunk, but a chilling sense of alarm engulfed Hong Gao's heart at the time, sobering him up.

"At this rate… the Shaolin Temple will be eliminated."

The history of the Thousand-Year Highest Peak Shaolin Temple would end. The anxiety reached its peak during the decisive battle between Zhou Xuchuan and the Blood Demon.

Hong Gao was one of the few people in the Central Plains who was aware of the truth about Zhou Xuchuan's cultivation, and he was not happy about the revelation. Yes, he was impressed, but he wasn't happy.

He was anxious and afraid.

"..."

Zhou Xuchuan hadn't talked to Hong Gao, but Hong Gao's words gave him enough information to make his own deduction.

He was shocked. Wait, it's because of me?

He knew that history was changing, but he had never thought that things would become so distorted. During his previous timeline, the Divine Monk and the Divine Fist were said to often argue over their differences in methods, but their arguments had only ever been through conversations.

Things had never become this serious. Perhaps this issue would prevent him from becoming a leader, or the monk's Path would become wracked with issues, preventing him from ascending to the Coruscant Realm.

The worst-case scenario had just become a reality.

I have to fix this! Zhou Xuchuan knew that he had made a mistake, and he had to fix it somehow. While it was shocking, Zhou Xuchuan didn't give in to the frustration. It was better to think of another way rather than focus on his feelings.

"If you must do this, then I guess it can't be helped." Hui Mian raised his right hand to form half of a mudra.

"Are you going to subdue me with force?"

"No." Hui Mian closed his eyes instead. With his right hand, he held the prayer beads wrapped around his wrist and chanted softly. "If you must achieve your goal, then go ahead… kill me.

"Benefactor Fang, please don't move from behind me."

"There's nowhere to retreat anyway."

There was a cliff behind them, and a glance was enough for anyone to tell that falling down the cliff would be extremely dangerous. A torrential stream of water sliced through the rocks down below, generating an incessant roar reminiscent of a ferocious beast's roar.

The cliff was so high that its depth seemed to be like a pitch-black abyss, even though it was daylight.

"Master…" Hong Gao bit his lips. He clenched his fist so hard that his fingernails dug into it, drawing blood.

"Everyone, calm down," Zhou Xuchuan chimed in and turned to Hong Gao. "You're getting too agitated."

"Don't get involved, Benefactor Zhou!" Hong Gao shouted.

"How can I not be in a situation like this?!" Zhou Xuchuan shouted back. "Don't you know that at this very moment, countless people are dying on the battlefield?!"

Hong Gao turned around and looked at Zhou Xuchuan.

"Is revenge really that important? Is it so important that you'd let dozens of monks die?"

Zhou Xuchuan stared straight into Hong Gao's eyes.

"Figure out how to handle your enemies on your own! But save those who are dying first! They're your fellow disciples! They are your family!"

"…!"

Hui Mian and Hong Gao trembled.

A moment of silence later, Hong Gao said, "You're right, Hero of Mount Hua."

The light in Hong Gao's eyes changed. The Hundred Paces Fist Monk—too radical and emotional for a monk—turned toward Hui Mian and started walking toward the latter.

The master simply stood still in the face of his disciple's approach.

"For Shaolin, I think we should end things."

Swoosh!

As soon as the words left Hong Gao's mouth, he swung his fist.

Hui Mian stood between his fist and Fang Fotong.

The Divine Monk stood like a stone statue and didn't even blink as a fierce gust of wind blew across his face.

Tap.

The fist that would later be called the Divine Fist stopped right in front of Hui Mian's nose.

"Why did you not stop it?" Hong Gao asked.

Hui Mian slowly opened his closed eyes and answered, "Because I couldn't feel any hostility."

"Don't be so sad, Hong Gao," said Hui Mian with his lips curling up slowly. His eyes, which seemed to be looking into the future, reflected the tears flowing down next to his disciple's tightly shut mouth.

"I have always loved you."

"I know."

"Remember that I have never resented you."

"I… I know…"

"How worri… some…"

"Please rest peacefully, Master."

Squelch.

"No!" Zhou Xuchuan let out a roar containing a multitude of emotions.

"Argh!"

Hui Mian spat a mouthful of blood and staggered backward. A hole had appeared in his abdomen near his navel, and the light in his eyes faded away slowly.

Fang Fotong, who had been following him like a cicada, was standing right beyond him.

The Shaolin Temple's Abbot Hui Mian. The monk known as the Living Buddha and was respected by countless warriors slowly, ever so slowly, fell backward. The prayer beads on his wrist snapped as if he had exerted too much force into them, and they scattered onto the ground.

Hui Mian's face reflected deep worry before he disappeared into the cliff.

Splash.

A faint splashing could be heard, but unlike the cacophonous rushing of water down below, a deafening silence had descended over the cliff edge. The Divine Fist—no, Hong Gao was silent with his back turned away from the cliff.

"You crazy bastard!" Zhou Xuchuan roared, "YOU'RE A LUNATIC AND AN IDIOT, YOU CRAZY BASTARD!"

He had no idea what to say and could only curse. A disciple had just killed his master. Moreover, the disciple was a Buddhist monk. A monk had killed his master.

A great man respected by many martial artists, the Divine Monk, was killed by his disciple without fighting back.

"Great Hero Sword Dragon! What the hell is going on here?!" someone shouted, and they came running from behind upon hearing the commotion.

The newcomer was Poison Dragon Tang Mingren, and the depth of his gaze seemed incongruous with his age.

"The Hundred Paces Fist Monk, Hong Gao is no longer a monk!" Zhou Xuchuan's sword trembled in anger. "Blinded and driven to madness by revenge, he slew his own master to become an apostate! I'll deal with that bastard, so please help me!"

"..."

"Quick! We have…" Zhou Xuchuan trailed off.

"That's strange." Tang Mingren frowned. "He has the Thousand Poisons Immunity, but why is it that the Extreme Formless Poison is taking too long to take hold? Wait, has he received the Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity?"

Zhou Xuchuan froze. His mouth fluttered open as he tried to speak, but he stopped to deal with what was wreaking havoc inside him.

"It's nice to meet you," Tang Mingren said calmly, "They call me Avaricious Wolf."

1. Remember, Mount Tai Northern Point is just what they call the greatest. ☜

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