511 Three Scores to Settle

"Little guy, it's your turn."

After dealing with Ice and Ember, Xu Xiaoshou strolled over to the little monk.

This guy who appeared out of nowhere had two Buddhist supreme treasures in his hands.

That monk's knife and that magic staff were obviously extraordinary items.

If he didn't deal with this kind of person with an astonishing background, he might really get involved in karma.

Therefore, finding an excuse to send him out of Yuan Mansion was the best choice.

"Name," Xu Xiaoshou said indifferently and unsealed the Little Monk.

"Feared, Passive Points, +1."

"Bu, Bu Le..."

"Bu Bu Le? Is it 'Le' or 'Bu Le'?" Xu Xiaoshou crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Bu Le, Bu Le."

The little monk timidly avoided his gaze. "My dharma name is Bu Le. It's not Bu Bu Le."

"Don't be nervous. I won't eat you up." Xu Xiaoshou revealed a kind smile and patted the Little Monk's head.

Bu Le became even more flustered.

He had witnessed with his own eyes how this guy effortlessly took down those two Sovereigns at the peak state.

His life was naturally not important.

However, if he had to submit like the White Skeletons, he would definitely not do it.

"I will not hand over my soul origin to you!" The Little Monk's gaze was filled with stubbornness.

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. "Then you should know what this place is, right?"

"Your, your Yuan Mansion?" Bu Le probed.

"Yes."

"So, so?"

"So, your life is now in my hands!"

As Xu Xiaoshou spoke, he smiled and narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He said coldly, "You wanted to kill my Junior Sister for no reason. This is a very serious crime."

"Do you think I should kill you on the spot, or... imprison you in this space for a lifetime?"

"Feared, Passive Points, +1."

Panic flashed through the eyes of the Little Monk, and his expression immediately turned bitter.

"It's not like that, it's not like that..."

"I only saw the devilish energy on the female benefactor's body and wanted to help purify her. I wasn't trying to kill your Junior Sister!"

He was about to cry.

In the Yuan Mansion space of others, it was equivalent to entering the Sovereign bounded domains.

Under the suppression of space, even if he had any more tricks up his sleeves, he wouldn't be able to use them.

With just a thought from the other party, he wouldn't be able to use them at all.

Furthermore, even if he could ambush and knock out this Xu Xiaoshou in front of him...

Behind him...

That Ice and Ember were still eyeing him like tigers eyeing their prey!

If he took another ten thousand steps back, Ice and Ember would be defeated by him as he wished...

How could he get out?

With his current strength, he could break through space and enter the spatial fragment flow.

But without the power of a Sovereign to control the Way of the Heavens, how could he get out?

At most, he would only be able to enter the spatial fragment flow from the Yuan Mansion and be lost in it for the rest of his life -- he would just have to wait for death in another place!

"Devilish energy... purification?"

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the Little Monk and frowned as he glanced at his Junior Sister behind him.

To tell the truth.

He also felt that his Junior Sister was getting more and more strange lately.

But since when did it become someone else's business to purify his Junior Sister?

"Monks don't lie. There is such a saying, right?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"Yes, yes." The Little Monk nodded his head vigorously.

"Okay, then I'll ask you."

Xu Xiaoshou paused for a moment and said, "You said that my Junior Sister has devilish energy in her body and you were trying to purify it. Then, what happens after the purification? Can this thing be eradicated? Will she die?"

"It can be eradicated!"

Bu Le nodded like he was pounding garlic.

"And then?"

Xu Xiaoshou sneered. "You haven't answered my second question! Will she die?"

"This..."

Bu Le was instantly embarrassed. A hesitant look appeared on his face as he said in a mosquito-like voice, "Yes, it's possible..."

"It's possible to die?" Xu Xiaoshou's voice immediately became louder.

"No." The Little Monk looked away embarrassedly. "It is possible to survive..."

He was shocked.

It turned out that the consequence of purifying and eradicating the devilish energy wasn't that you might die, but that you might live?

What kind of weird concept was this?

Even if it was the former, he wouldn't allow you to act recklessly, alright?!

"What are you purifying the devilish energy for?" Xu Xiaoshou suppressed the anger in his heart and sneered. "It can't be for the so-called 'justice', right?"

When Bu Le heard this, his face immediately became solemn like a pilgrimage.

He put his hands together and said piously, "Half of it is for the stability of the world, and the other half is also for cultivation."

"Oh?"

"Cultivation?"

The Little Monk nodded. "Yes, I must work hard in cultivation to save my master."

"My Master..."

Tears suddenly welled up in his eyes. "My Master, he... he's definitely not dead!"

Who told you to be sentimental?

What does your master's death have to do with me?

He lowered his voice and said, "So, the reason you're doing this is that you want to cultivate and save your master. So, you want to purify every person who is suspected to have devilish energy?"

"It's not 'suspected'!" Bu Le confirmed, "It's 'certain'!"

"Certain?" Xu Xiaoshou snorted. "You're so sure?"

"Yes!"

"What if you're wrong?"

"I can't be wrong!"

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou was surprised and suddenly said angrily, "You might be wrong, but you can start a massacre with just one look?"

"What's the difference between such a behavior and the Devil Path, which is greedy for quick cultivation?"

Xu Xiaoshou had already asked about Mu Zixi's incident.

He also knew that this Little Monk in front of him had only met his Junior Sister by chance and started to pursue her relentlessly.

He didn't have any deductions and was trying to "purify" her?

If it wasn't for the fact that Aje happened to be by Mu Zixi's side.

Perhaps, what he saw at this moment was only the corpse of his Junior Sister who had been purified.

"I am not a devil!" Bu Le's eyes were filled with anger as he raised his head and said.

"Not a devil..."

"Ha!"

Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes.

"Whether you are a devil or not, it doesn't depend on your words, but on your actions."

"Attacking out of nowhere, without even asking the reason..."

"Have you ever thought about whether the person you want to purify is actually innocent?"

"In other words, how could a little fellow like you see through the person you think has devilish energy?"

"This..." the expression of the Monk Bu Le froze, and he lowered his head. "I have my own judgment, you won't understand."

When Xu Xiaoshou saw the monk's reaction, he knew that the other party was still too young.

What 'having his own judgment'...

Wasn't this an excuse to deceive himself and others?

"Little fellow, you have an obsession. You're about to become a devil."

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head and said earnestly, "Perhaps your motive is good. It's to save your master."

"But the process is too extreme."

"What do you know? You don't know anything, and you want to teach me a lesson?" The Little Monk suddenly raised his head angrily.

Also...

Xu Xiaoshou was keenly aware of this word, but he didn't care.

He put his hands behind his back and looked at the Little Monk's somewhat angry eyes. He paced in circles and slowly said,

"Although I've never practiced Buddhism, I know a thing or two about it."

"Let me talk about it. Would you like to hear it?"

"Humph, then tell me." Bu Le pouted. He didn't believe that Xu Xiaoshou would say anything decent.

Buddhism debate?

How could he, an authentic disciple of Buddhism, lose to this layman?

"Sigh."

Xu Xiaoshou saw his reaction and could only sigh. "Then I won't say anything superficial. I guess you're tired of listening to it."

He stopped and stared at the little monk in front of him with a burning gaze.

"First of all, I can see that you should be a brilliant disciple. Otherwise, you wouldn't have such cultivation and strength."

"However, for the so-called goal of saving your master, in essence, you're already trapped by yourself."

"Buddha talks about enlightenment. The state of mind is not high, just like you can't see through the true Great Path of this world."

"You can purify the devilish energy and cultivate it quickly, but at most, it will allow you to break through to the peak of the Upper Spiritual Level."

"What happens after that?"

"When you reach a state where you need to comprehend the Way of the Heavens, your cultivation will only stagnate, or perhaps, it will be difficult to advance even an inch..."

Xu Xiaoshou bent over and smiled. "Do you feel that it is very compatible with your current state?"

Bu Le was stunned.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes!"

"Deceived, Passive Points, +1."

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled.

As expected.

Even if one were to cultivate Buddhism, it was impossible to say that one could increase one's cultivation speed just by purifying devilish energy.

This was just like an ordinary spiritual cultivator.

If one could become a Master or a Sovereign by taking drugs, what was the point of comprehending the Way of the Heavens?

The only thing that Bu Le lacked was his temperament.

"Blindly pursuing the so-called cultivation speed will only sink you deeper and it will backfire!"

"What purification of devilish energy, what saving your master..."

"You're wrong!"

Xu Xiaoshou's words and his voice were like a loud bell that struck the Little Monk's heart.

"Even I, a layman of the Buddhist path, know about your current obsession. This is called 'greed'!"

"You've committed 'greed', do you understand?!"

"I..." Bu Le's face immediately turned pale.

His senior uncles had said this before.

But at that time, he wasn't that persistent, so it wasn't obvious, and he didn't want to admit it.

But now...

The devilish energy had been purified more than before, but the speed of his cultivation had decreased...

"I..."

"You what?"

Xu Xiaoshou frowned and interrupted, "You should be called 'poor monk'. Don't panic, calm your mind. I still have something to say!"

Bu Le raised his head, and his pale face was filled with fear.

"What do you have to say..." he muttered unconsciously.

"You said 'also' earlier, right?"

Xu Xiaoshou smiled calmly and said, "If my guess is correct, the seniors of your Buddhist sect should have already seen through my words and explained it to you in detail."

"But!"

"Even though you already know everything, you are still obsessed with the so-called 'purifying devilish energy' and saving your own master."

"You even stole the Buddhist supreme treasures of your own sect and left the sect on your own to pursue the so-called cultivation..."

"I didn't steal them!" Bu Le interrupted and said angrily, "This 'Buddha Slaying Blade' and 'Empty Hell Magic Staff' were left to me by my master. I took them out openly!"

"Oh."

Xu Xiaoshou nodded. So they were your master's...

"So, you can only refute this point of mine?"

He smiled and said, "What about the others?"

"Your senior uncles and masters have cleared the fog for you. Are you going to leave the sect by yourself in response to the warning they gave you?"

"I..." Bu Le's angry expression froze, and he couldn't speak anymore.

"Ha!"

Xu Xiaoshou sneered, "For the so-called cultivation, you have already fallen into it, but you don't realize it!"

"Meeting my Junior Sister..."

He pointed at Mu Zixi and continued, "My Junior Sister has already taught you a lesson. She even took your magic wand as a punishment, yet you still don't want to repent."

"You're so impulsive and don't listen to advice. You only want to use your own method to solve the problem, yet you're still muddled by adversity."

"Look at you now..."

Xu Xiaoshou pointed at the Yuan Mansion space and said, "You're so down and out that you've been imprisoned by me. Do you understand?"

"Abstinence. Little Brother, you've broken the precepts again. Do you understand?"

He took a few steps back and was immediately forced to retreat.

He tried his best to raise his head in disbelief.

"You, how do you know so much..."

"This is called know so much?"

Xu Xiaoshou laughed loudly. His voice was as loud as thunder and was unbridled.

"You don't understand the reason and can't distinguish right from wrong. You invert good and evil and confuse black and white!"

"You don't even investigate. Whenever you see devilish energy, all you think about is 'purification'."

"How many years have you practiced Buddhism? You left the sect and no one warned you. Have you completely forgotten your roots?"

"Idiot!"

Xu Xiaoshou slapped his thigh and pointed at the Little Monk with a sorrowful expression.

"The three precepts of Buddhism -- greed, anger, and idiocy. You've violated all of them."

"Why are you still cultivating Buddhism?"

"Just kill yourself!"

"I..." The Little Monk fell to the ground with a thud.

He felt that something was blocking his heart. For a moment, he couldn't even breathe properly.

"Pu!"

In the next second, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

A faint black mist suddenly surged out of the body of a Little Monk who was originally soft and tender.

Xu Xiaoshou was startled.

"Devilish energy?"

"Has this fellow entered a demonic state?"

He was momentarily at a loss for words.

Just like that?

He didn't seem to have gone too far!

How did he got possessed by a devil?

Speaking of which, wasn't it a big problem for this little fellow to die here...

Thinking of the two supreme Buddhist treasures, Xu Xiaoshou panicked for a moment.

It was a big problem!

"Hey, hey, hey, are you alright? Hang in there, little brother!"

"I..."

Monk Bu Le closed his eyes in pain. In an instant, devilish energy had already been tattooed on his face.

He immediately pressed his palms together, his entire body emitting golden Buddhist light.

Following that, the illusory image of a Buddha that was hundreds of feet tall appeared behind him.

This Buddha had his brows and eyes lowered. He was imposing without being angry. He pointed at the sky with one hand and the ground with the other.

As soon as he appeared, the small space in his Yuan Mansion began to crack.

"Darn... illusory image?"

Xu Xiaoshou was completely stunned.

Wasn't this power the "virtual image power" that he had seen on Zhang Taiying?

He still remembered the three-headed and six-armed Empress Virtual Image. Even though he and Xin Gugu had gone berserk at the same time, they had not been able to hurt it at all.

If not for Aje's kick in the air, perhaps the outcome of the City Lord Mansion would have been different.

This Little Monk...

Also, had it?

"It's over, his background is truly awesome!"

Xu Xiaoshou was no longer that so-called rookie from back then.

He knew that the virtual image power was bestowed either by the Higher Void or a Demi-saint.

Monk Bu Le could so formally conjure this Buddha virtual image behind him. There was at least a Higher Void force behind it!

"Calm down, don't panic. Big Brother will save you."

Xu Xiaoshou pounced forward, took out the Aje stone, and imprinted it.

"Absorb..."

He had only said one word when his entire body was sent flying by the Buddha's light.

Even the stone in his hand was shot into the chaotic mist.

"Ma Ma..."

Aje transformed into his human form after suffering the pain and charged out of the mist.

However, he was also stunned when he saw the virtual image in front of him.

"Crack crack crack --"

Cracks appeared in the void. It was likely that the entire Yuan Mansion would split apart in a short while.

"What should I do?"

"What should I do!"

Xu Xiaoshou's mind began to spin rapidly.

Under the virtual image power, he was unable to come into contact with Monk Bu Le at all.

"Ma Ma?"

Aje appeared beside him in an instant and slowly lifted his leg.

"You can't do it, you can't do it..."

Xu Xiaoshou was so frightened that he immediately pressed his leg down.

If he were to kick him, the other party would be dead.

Then the incident that could have been said to be the other party's problem would have turned into intentional murder!

"The one who unties the bell must be the one who unties it!"

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the Buddha statue, and his heart calmed down. He also pressed his palms together.

"Amitabha."

"Young benefactor, the sea of bitterness is boundless. Turning back is the shore. Only when one's obsession becomes empty can one give up!"

What should have been a joke-like attempt to say something?

But when it fell into Bu Le's ears, it actually caused his body to tremble.

The Sea of bitterness is boundless, turning back is the shore...

Bu Le's brows were tightly locked together.

At this moment, the words of Xu Xiaoshou were not the only thing that reverberated in his mind.

There were also the painstaking efforts of the various senior uncles and masters to persuade him.

It was the same eight words.

But...

Turning back?

What would happen to Master?

A struggle emerged on his face, and the devil veins deepened.

Xu Xiaoshou's head began to ache. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, and he said, "Would your master be happy to see you in this state?"

"He became like that for you. Are you using bedevilment to repay him?"

Xu Xiaoshou himself didn't know what state he had become.

But this Little Monk was so determined to save his master. There must be a story behind it.

There was no need to say it out loud.

It was enough to enlighten him.

As expected.

When the words "Master" were mentioned, the surging devilish energy on the Little Monk's body froze.

His conflicted expression relaxed.

Hot tears also flowed out of his tightly shut eyes.

"Master..."

With a murmur, Bu Le fell to the ground and the devilish energy dissipated.

"It's fine, it's fine."

Only then did Xu Xiaoshou dare to rush over and help the little guy up.

"You're still young. It's normal for you to slip up for a moment. How can a person not go astray? You're not me, so you can't be so thorough, right?"

The Little Monk's tears stopped, and his body stiffened.

"Belittled, Passive Points, +3."

"Received Gratitude, Passive Points, +1."

"Thank you..."

In the end, he still said softly, "Benefactor Xu, I have learned my lesson."

"It's good that you can accept it, it's good that you can accept it."

Xu Xiaoshou said with lingering fear.

He swore that he would never meddle in other people's business again.

Even if you want to die, you can't die in the Yuan Mansion space!

Virtual image...

Higher Void power...

What the heck is this? Why did they all come to the White Cave?

"Are you feeling better?"

Supporting the Little Monk up, Xu Xiaoshou took out a jar of honey. "Have a taste?"

"Uh, there's no need."

Bu Le's face turned red and he immediately turned his head away. "I'm not a child anymore."

"Ahem, this is a spiritual medicine, not candy!"

"UH, there's no need."

Bu Le still refused. He formed a seal with both hands and Golden Will Power entered his body, instantly expelling the remaining devilish energy in his body.

Xu Xiaoshou was surprised, but he did not ask any more questions.

What he was even more curious about at that moment was...

"Who is your master?"

What kind of person could train a child who was still underage to such an extent?

And what kind of person could make such a young fellow who did not know the affairs of the world risk his life to do this, even if he was almost possessed by the devil!

"Master..."

A look of reminiscence flashed across Bu Le's eyes as he muttered, "There's a You Yuan Buddha. My Master's Buddhist title is 'You Yuan'."

You Yuan...

Bu Le...

Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes secretly. What was this? He had never heard of it before.

"Alright."

He patted the Little Monk's butt and straightened himself up. "Now that there's nothing else, it's time to settle the score between the two of us."

"What score?" The Little Monk was stunned.

"The score of you chasing after my Junior Sister!"

Xu Xiaoshou spread out his hands.

He wasn't someone who would submit just because the other party had a background.

"For no reason, you almost took my Junior Sister's life before you could figure out what's going on. Tell me, how should we settle this score?"

"This..."

The Little Monk's expression turned awkward. "I don't have money."

"Hehe."

Xu Xiaoshou was amused. "I'm not greedy for money. You chased after my Junior Sister, and My Junior Sister took your magic wand as a warning. Let's forget about this matter altogether?"

"Huh?"

Bu Le raised his head in disbelief. "How can this be mixed together?"

"Then how are you going to talk about it? You don't have money either. I can't possibly strip you of your clothes and feed you to the dogs, right?" Xu Xiaoshou's expression turned stiff.

"You..."

The Little Monk choked.

He thought of the situation where the other party explained to him just now.

If it weren't for Xu Xiaoshou, he would have no choice but to use the Empty Hell Magic Staff. His entire body would have fallen into it.

"Okay."

He closed his eyes in grief and Bu Le chose to nod.

This was repayment!

He kept comforting himself. This was repayment, repayment!

"Okay, then the first debt is over. Let's settle the second debt." Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his hands.

"There's more?"

Bu Le's eyes were wide open, and his pink cheeks were filled with shock.

"That's right!"

Xu Xiaoshou said matter-of-factly, "Including the big explosion earlier, I saved you once."

"There was also the painstaking advice to persuade you to become enlightened and escape the control of the Devil Path. It was the second time."

"When you are about to return to the Devil Path, I used a few words to enlighten you and make your temperament soar. I completely cut off the root of the scourge of falling into the Devil Path. Once again."

"These three times, that's three things added up..."

Xu Xiaoshou took out the Buddha Slaying Blade that was shining with Buddhist light and said, "It's not too much to ask for a blade from you, right?"

"This..."

"How can this be?"

"I've already given you my magic wand. This is my last blade!" His face was flushed red.

"Sigh."

"Little brother, you still haven't realized it!"

"The four realms are all empty, the four realms are all empty..."

"What do you mean by the four realms are all empty?"

Xu Xiaoshou's expression was solemn as he said sincerely, "I'm doing this out of kindness to make you completely give up on the three precepts!"

"Look at me..."

He pointed at his own face. "Just by looking at this face, I can recall what I said just now. Do I look like the kind of person who would harm you?"

"Acknowledged, Passive Points, +1."

Putting down his hand, Xu Xiaoshou held the blade horizontally and shook his head speechlessly. "So, even now, you still can't understand it?"

"It's already so late, and you're still thinking about this saber?"

"Greed!"

"Did you forget about the 'greed' I just told you about?"

"Do you have a pig's brain? You must be very stupid! No wonder your senior uncles and masters can't figure you out!"

Xu Xiaoshou's face was filled with disappointment.

"I..."

Bu Le was confused.

He looked at the blade and then glanced at Xu Xiaoshou. He felt as though he had been tricked into a trap, but he couldn't figure out what was going on.

"Can this be considered 'greed'?"

"If it's not 'greed', can it be 'lust'?" Xu Xiaoshou asked back.

Bu Le was speechless.

"Good."

"Good, that's good. Very good." Xu Xiaoshou put away the blade and bent down with a smile. He looked like a demon as he said, "Now, let's settle the third debt."

"There... there's more?"

The Little Monk slammed into the floor with a thud.

"Doubted, Passive Points, +1."

"That's right!"

Xu Xiaojie pointed at the sky above his Yuan Mansion and said, "Strictly speaking, you have been imprisoned because you offended me previously."

"However, when I saw your repentance, I also felt a surge of kindness."

He tilted his head and said with a smile, "Now, I want to let you out, but Karma keeps repeating itself. Even if it's a good thing, I don't want to have a good relationship with you."

"Tell me, what price can you pay?"