The heavy rain poured down, forming dense curtains that blurred the whole world. The raindrops fell on the green bricks, tables, and chairs. As they hit hundreds of people, a layer of fog started to form as a result.
The rain was timely. It was like a bucket of cold water, acting as a wet blanket to everyone.
"You dare to kill?" Wu Qilin took a step back subconsciously, fear and anger in his slightly trembling voice.
"You dare to kill people in front of Buddha?" Chen Bingliang pulled out his knife from behind his back and smashed the green brick with his knife. He raised his arm and shouted, "War Spirit Wushuang is going back on her promise and killing people! Today, despite being in the Buddha"s presence, she is showing her unrestrained behaviour. This will surely become a calamity in the future. We pledge to fight her to the end and ask Buddha to seek recourse for us."
This was a true echo that even the Buddhist people could not bear. Previously, because the Buddha Head"s stand wasn"t clear, the monks in the temples remained silent and waited. However, this was on sacred Buddhist grounds, Lianghua Temple was the leading place of Buddhism. War Spirit Wushuang killed people in front of Daxiong Great Hall, which was highly undesirable.
A few people felt strange inside. Hadn"t her powers been sealed? The blow just now was so bizarre yet powerful, such that no one could see it clearly.
"Don"t be afraid," Shen Kuo said angrily. "She is merely bluffing. Buddha Head, please seek recourse for us and punish this war spirit severely."
Emei Mountain stood tall from afar, as dark clouds gathered, causing a rainstorm to pour. Thousands of people faced her with their knives brandished. She seemed to see the scene of that year again, which had been implanted vividly into her memories.
In the endless voice of criticism, in the downpour rainstorm, the girl in front of the temple rose slowly, as high as the plaque, as high as the ridge of the temple, before finally stepping on everything under her feet. She stood in the drizzling rain and declared, "I never cared about whether all of you lived or died. All of you are just like ants in my eyes: insignificant."
Her scarlet eyes lit up and swept through the rain as she scanned the crowd.
Hundreds of people present felt a chill in their hearts almost at the same time, as the hairs on their backs stood on end.
Ding, ding!
There were several sounds of metal clanking. Beams of holy light started to emanate from the monks who were exponents.
That chill in the heart was not a psychological illusion, but an invisible and immaterial evil aura, which was formed by those who walked out of the sea of dead bodies. The Buddhist and Taoist methods specialized in suppressing these auras. However, under the eyes of War Spirit Wushuang, the rays of lights were in danger of being crushed anytime.
"I was born to kill. I blossom amidst the ma.s.sacres. Any life in the world can be destroyed by me." Great-Grandma"s voice was not very loud, but it was clear to everyone present.
"I did not come to this symposium to discuss anything with you. Nor did I hope to resolve any feuds with all of you. From the beginning to the end, I did not intend to listen to your opinions. There are two alternatives for you now. Compromise, or die."
"How arrogant!" Wu Qilin said sharply. "Do you still respect Buddha Head, Baoze and the heroes of the world in your eyes…"
As he spoke, Wu Qilin"s body suddenly stiffened. Her gaze locked onto him.
It was like being stared at by the archaic monster across time and s.p.a.ce…
This was Wu Qilin"s last thought in his life. The next moment, he exploded into blood foam and followed in the footsteps of the Shen family"s descendant.
She still dared to kill?! Was she going to be the enemy of the whole world?
The faces of all the people present changed.
"Fourth Master!"
There was a cry of sadness and anger from the people of the Wu family.
"Buddha Head, are you really going to remain indifferent?" Chen Bingliang pulled out his knife and laid it across his body.
"Every time you kill one more person today, you will have one more sin on yourself. These sins will be repaid as karma on the descendant of the Li family. War Spirit Li, do you really dare to burn bridges with all the big families?"
He did not believe that War Spirit Wushuang, who had alternatives, would smash her own pearl.
Shen Kuo shouted, "Buddha Head, you are the leader of Buddhism and the leader of the orthodox! Why are you letting this demoness stain Buddha"s temple and his name with blood?"
He could not let the demon descendant go rampant. She needed to be extinguished. Otherwise, he would not know what would befall the other big families. The Shen family would definitely be doomed. Shen Meng had wrongfully murdered Li Xianyu that day; War Spirit Wushuang was bound to repay that debt.
The only solution at present was to implicate Buddha Head. Coupled with the unity of the other forces, they would then have a chance against War Spirit Wushuang.
The crowd responded in succession: "Buddha Head, please strike out!"
"This arrogant demoness! As a leader of the orthodox, are you just going to watch her kill people?"
"If this matter is spread out, your reputation will surely be greatly affected. How can Lianghua Temple gain a foothold in the pugilistic world in future?"
"Today"s symposium was held at Lianghua Temple. Didn"t you guarantee everyone"s safety?"
The reason why people dared to come to this symposium was precisely because it was held at Lianghua Temple. Buddha Head, being the leader of the orthodox, provided an indestructible barrier.
"Amitabha…" Buddha Head sighed softly. "Benefactor Li, Buddha"s grounds are sacred. No lives are to be hurt. Please take the big picture into consideration"
"Old bald donkey, if you hadn"t kept looking at the big picture back then, you and I would have joined hands, and Li Wuxiang would not have died. If you dare to stop me today, I will destroy Lianghua Temple."
Buddha Head glared angrily. "Stubborn demoness!"
War Spirit Wushuang declared murderously, "Bald donkey, you don"t know your boundaries."
Buddha Head roared loudly, "Demoness, eat my blows!"
As his robes danced in mid-air, a ray of golden light lit up the dark sky, forming a big Buddha"s palm. It rose into the sky, and rushed towards Great-Grandma.
War Spirit Wushuang snorted coldly, clenched her right fist and swung downwards with a punch.
Boom!
A high-pitched, pleasant sound echoed out across the landscape.
The Buddha"s palm was broken in an instant. The force of the blow penetrated through it, and landed right in his chest.
"Pfft!" Buddha Head spit out a mouthful of blood as his chair was smashed to smithereens. He flew tens of meters horizontally across the ground.
The white-clothed monk, Jie Se, rushed forward as he screamed anxiously, "Master, Master…"
Buddha Head lay in Jie Se"s embrace and reached out using his quivering hand, pointing at War Spirit Wushuang. His mouth trembled. "This woman is so terrifying…"
The hand fell, his head tilted, and he fainted.
The entire Daxiong Great Hall fell silent.
As the rain continued to pour, drenching everyone, all hope was lost.
After a long while, someone muttered, "Buddha… Buddha Head lost?!"
"No, it"s impossible. He couldn"t stop even one move?" Someone hugged his head and screamed.
"What did Buddha Head say just now?"
"As if to say… This woman is so terrifying?!"
"Buddha Head is the number one exponent in the world. He is a great master. He can"t lose."
"But War Spirit Wushuang is also a top exponent. She"s the cream of the crop."
Boom! A streak of blood-red lightning flashed across the sky. War Spirit Wushuang remained silent, as she continued to use her blood-red pupils to scan the crowd.
Shen Kuo"s heart turned cold. It wasn"t only him, but everyone in his family.
Finally, people recalled the history of War Spirit Wushuang, which had been written in the paper media. Nearly a century and a half had pa.s.sed. It had been forgotten by many people.
People only remembered her as the war spirit of the Li family, but forgot her true origin.
She was born in the year 1900. In that year, a significant event happened in China. Eight vicious robbers used guns and sh.e.l.ls to smash the last shreds of dignity of China and crushed the national backbone.
She was born in this tumultuous age, as she bore the hope of many people. She was a war machine born for killing. She was the devil, killing both the enemy and the friendly army. She was the ultimate creation in modern history. War Spirit Wushuang, revered up until today.
The sky had completely darkened without anyone noticing. This only added to the tense and dark atmosphere. Cold raindrops fell on everyone"s bodies as everyone felt a deep chill.
"A few days ago, the Shen family killed my great-grandson. Today, an eye for an eye."
War Spirit Wushuang raised her palm and gently pressed it into the ground. More than ten members of the Shen family, including Shen Kuo, exploded into blood foam.
The square was instantly stained red with blood, and the rain spewed the blood everywhere.
After the defeat of Buddha Head, the whole Shen family was annihilated. War Spirit Wushuang"s aura of intimidation was extremely suffocating.
n.o.body dared to speak out anymore.
Great-Grandma"s eyes swept across the representatives of several families, across the leaders of Taoism, and fell on Chen Bingliang, who was the most vociferous. The latter trembled non-stop as he held his knife in his hand, as if he had fallen into an ice creva.s.se.
As a master of swords, it was his last dignity that his knife was still in his hand.
War Spirit Wushuang declared again, "Once again, this symposium was never a discussion. It"s my one-sided speech. You listen, that"s all. Do you think I"m a toothless tiger without the descendant of the Li family? Despite me not being at the peak of my powers, how difficult is it to kill a group of ants like all of you? In the demon descendants community, survival of the fittest is the way to go. I obey this rule. Li Wuxiang"s death was due to the fact that he wasn"t skilled enough. In my eyes, you are like fish meat to me, ready to be dissected apart anytime."
No one responded.
"You have two paths, compromise, or…" Great-Grandma stared at Chen Bingliang, without hiding her intention to murder. However, after she looked at Buddha Head, she scattered the air in her palm and murmured, "Die."
After a moment of silence…
"The Shentus agree."
"The Wus agree."
"The Zhaos agree."
"Huang Yunguan agrees."
"Wo Niuguan agrees."
"Longji Dao Guan agrees."
"Jiangsu Sanxiu Union agrees."
"Jianggan District Sanxiu Union agrees."
Hundreds of people bowed their heads and did not dare to object.
Great-Grandma looked at everyone with her eyes that were still red. She smiled and said, "Oh, sensible."
On the steps, lying in his disciple"s arms, Buddha Head quietly opened one eye and scanned the crowd in the distance. Then, he quickly closed his eyes.
Jie Se, who took notice of his master"s movements, used his resolve to prevent himself from losing it. He smiled lightly twice.
He remembered the scene in Daxiong Great Hall not long ago.
"Human desire, the reliance of prosperity, the cause of death. Heaven"s opportunity is the reciprocating cause of all living beings, and the end of the world arises because of it.
"What Benefactor says is very reasonable."
"Give me less flattery, Buddha Head. Do you know the child"s present predicament?"
"Wolves are waiting to swoop on him."
"Yes, a pack of wolves. Li Wuxiang wants to die, and I have nothing to say. You can ignore your relations with him, as well as the child"s life and death, but you can not ignore the rest of the people. Are you sure you can stop me when I"ve smashed my own pearl?"
"What does Benefactor Li want me to do?"
"Give me half of your essence and play by ear with me."
"Okay, benefactor." Buddha Head bargained.
"Can you kill less people, us Buddhists have dignity too."
"Decisive."
With a deep sigh, Jie Se embraced his master defiantly, and gestured for everyone, as well as the acolytes to take their leave. He then headed into Daxiong Great Hall alone.