“Oh? This person is even prettier than Junior Brother?”

Turning his head to glance at Xu Xian beside him, Ye Wen then carefully scrutinized the person opposite him a few more times. He finally concluded with certainty that it was a man, yet his appearance was even more beautiful than Xu Xian’s, making him seem even less like a man.

Because of this realization, he barely noticed the feather held in the person’s hand. It was Xu Xian who spotted the feather immediately—one clearly belonging to a peacock.

“Senior Brother, in your memory, which peacock was the most formidable?”

“This…”

Ye Wen instantly knew the answer. After all, the prestige of the creature reputed to be the first peacock between heaven and earth was so immense it could not be ignored. Ye Wen could only offer a wry smile.

The devastatingly beautiful man opposite merely glanced at Ye Wen and Xu Xian before turning his body away, acting as if the two did not exist, paying them no further mind. Instead, he focused on the figure slowly retreating, clearly fearful of making any sound that might draw attention.

This strange individual, completely wrapped up with only a pair of eyes visible, froze his retreat the moment his movements were noticed by the other party. He gripped the curved saber tighter, but the slight tremble of the blade betrayed the fear churning within him.

“At this point, you think you can still escape?”

In perfect sync with his stunning appearance, the voice of the feather-wielder was exquisitely pleasant, as if such a tone was the only thing that could naturally fit his demonic beauty.

Upon hearing this, Ye Wen commented to Xu Xian, “His voice is much better than yours…”

“…” Xu Xian was speechless for a moment, managing only to interject, “Isn't now a rather inappropriate time for such comparisons?”

Ye Wen, unconcerned, merely shrugged. “The situation is quite clear now. That fellow, clearly from the Western Buddhist Kingdom, intends to strike down that other person of unknown origin, and he doesn't want us involved. We two just need to watch the show!”

The only issue troubling him was why his own Buddha Power and the Buddhist Wheel gifted to him by Wuzhen had suddenly exhibited anomalies. Earlier, he suspected the strange man was Wuzhen reincarnated, but after seeing that individual, he couldn't help but link the matter to the Western Buddhist Kingdom.

Since Wuzhen cultivated Buddha Power, his Dharma treasure would naturally be a Buddhist artifact. It was understandable that something unusual might occur in the presence of this mighty Buddhist figure.

Unfortunately, things were never that simple. Ye Wen intended to stay out of it. Given his current strength and the situation of the Shu Mountain Sect, antagonizing the Western Buddhist Kingdom was ill-advised. However, the matter was not up to Ye Wen. Just as he prepared to step aside, signaling he was merely an unrelated passerby whom they should ignore while proceeding with their business—

The Dharma Wheel obtained from Wuzhen aggressively intervened, shattering the atmosphere. After circling once, it bypassed the Buddhist powerhouse blocking the strange man and instantly flew to the front of the shrouded figure.

Seeing this, the Buddhist master turned back, fixing his gaze upon Ye Wen: “You… insist on interfering?”

“Actually… I have little connection to this matter. That Dharma treasure was merely entrusted to me by someone else!”

Since the other party had addressed him, Ye Wen could only offer a perfunctory reply, subtly channeling some essence of his Primordial Purple Qi. A few wisps of purple mist floated around him, signaling to the master that his cultivation technique was entirely different from his own path.

Indeed, the moment he acted this way, the man paused slightly, then pressed his palms together in a salute: “So, you are a cultivator from the Eastern Immortal Continent. I am Kong Xuan, the Dharma-Protecting Bright King of the Western Buddhist Realm. I am here today for certain matters; please forgive any inconvenience caused by my presence!”

“So, it really is this fellow?”

Both men thought the same thing. They also noted that although Kong Xuan performed the ritual, it was merely a display of expected courtesy. There was absolutely no reverence or humility, perhaps even a hint of arrogance.

It made sense. Kong Xuan was inherently a powerful figure. Even after joining the Buddhist Realm, he remained one of its top-tier entities, a formidable force among the Buddhist powers. His perspective was naturally lofty. Initially, seeing that Ye Wen used a Buddhist Dharma artifact, he likely mistook him for some junior disciple and rightly chose to ignore him.

It was conceivable that if they were not cultivators from the Eastern Immortal Continent, with whom the Western Buddhist Kingdom maintained relatively good relations, Kong Xuan might not have even offered that single gesture.

Meanwhile, during this exchange, a change occurred over there. Kong Xuan’s expression shifted abruptly, and he snapped his head around to look. He saw the Buddhist Wheel rotating erratically around the strange person, emitting surging Buddha Power. That golden Buddha light, almost tangible, continuously cascaded onto the strange person, vanishing into nothingness upon contact.

The scene resembled the person bathing in and being cleansed by the Buddha light, as if his body were absorbing the surging Buddha Power.

“This is… a reincarnation passing on the lineage?”

Hearing this, Ye Wen immediately realized his earlier suspicion was correct: the anomaly in the Buddhist Wheel was indeed due to Wuzhen’s reincarnation appearing. However, he never imagined Wuzhen’s reincarnation would manifest in this manner.

He had considered countless possibilities: his child being Wuzhen reincarnated, encountering a distinguished disciple in the Immortal Realm who was Wuzhen reincarnated, or even the possibility that the Buddhist Wheel would sense the reincarnation immediately upon birth and guide him to retrieve them.

He had never considered this scenario—the strange person was clearly not aligned with Kong Xuan, perhaps even an enemy of the Western Buddhist Realm, yet this person was the reincarnation of Wuzhen, who specialized in Buddhist divine arts? This situation made Ye Wen feel as if Heaven was deliberately playing a cruel joke.

But upon closer inspection, Kong Xuan’s expression seemed even more dramatic than his own, like someone who had just won millions only to discover at the payout counter that the prize money was unobtainable.

“What exactly is going on?” Xu Xian was now thoroughly confused. He had heard Ye Wen mention the Buddhist Wheel, but he didn't understand reincarnation, nor the connection between the fully shrouded strange person and this rebirth.

Ye Wen explained his speculation. Xu Xian reacted with great surprise: “No way?” Then he began to speculate: “If that really is the reincarnation of that monk named Wuzhen, will things stop here today?”

Although unclear what was transpiring between Kong Xuan and the strange person, the preceding moments clearly indicated a hostile situation; it looked more like Kong Xuan was pursuing the strange person.

But now that the strange person was a reincarnated Buddhist disciple, having regained memories of his past life dedicated to Buddhist practice, he was, to some extent, one of their own. Kong Xuan should perhaps take this person back to the Buddhist Realm for instruction? As for past grievances, they might very well be dropped.

“After all, the Buddhist saying goes: ‘Lay down the butcher’s knife and attain Buddhahood instantly!’ Since they are one of us now, there is no need to raise the knife; and if they have achieved Buddhahood, where else can they go but the Buddhist Realm?”

Ye Wen found this guess highly plausible, believing the matter would conclude here. But things did not end. In a moment, the anomaly of the Buddhist Wheel vanished, and the brilliant Buddha light illuminating the surroundings gradually dimmed, leaving only a faint residual glow on the wheel, barely illuminating the area.

Then, Kong Xuan sighed softly, “A pity for a reincarnated disciple!” He then raised his right hand; a flash of light appeared at his fingertip, suddenly producing a feather. As light flowed over the feather, it burst forth with brilliant radiance, even obscuring the light from the Buddhist Wheel. The world instantly turned as bright as day.

“Ah!”

Amidst this sudden flash of light, a delicate cry suddenly rang out, followed by a flash of blade light that seemed to descend from the sky like a crescent moon touching the earth, drawing everyone’s gaze.

“Oh?”

Kong Xuan appeared slightly astonished. He hadn't even noticed that his own spell had been cleaved apart by the blade light, merely staring intently at the approaching blade energy. Only when the energy rushed close did he lightly flick his finger. In front of him, a five-colored stream of light suddenly materialized. Immediately afterward, the blade energy vanished as if it had never existed.

“Is that the Five-Colored Divine Light?” Ye Wen, watching from the side, saw it most clearly. He discerned the almost imperceptible flash of light and, recalling Kong Xuan’s signature technique, surmised that the glow was indeed the Five-Colored Divine Light. However, compared to the version he knew, the one wielded by Kong Xuan appeared more bizarre, and Kong Xuan controlled it with greater mastery, making its power naturally far more formidable.

“Oh? A girl?” While Ye Wen was focused on Kong Xuan’s Divine Light, Xu Xian was looking at the strange person. Though the strange person’s robes remained undamaged, the headscarf and mask covering most of their face had fallen away, revealing the features hidden beneath.

The appearance was clearly not that of someone from the Central Lands, and the age seemed quite young.

“A girl?” Ye Wen was stunned. His first reaction was disbelief; after all, Wuzhen was a genuine monk, how could he be a woman? But then he recalled this was only a reincarnation. Since they had already been reborn as a 'foreigner,' there was no established rule that gender had to remain the same.

Xu Xian wasn't thinking so deeply, merely examining her features: “This appearance, it seems to be the ethnic type from the Arabian regions?”

This statement made Ye Wen instantly understand why Kong Xuan wanted to kill this woman. Compared to the relative peace among various faiths on Earth, this Immortal Realm seemed far more ruthless. When a severe power imbalance existed between two sides, the weaker party was seemingly destined for annihilation.

The Arabian ethnicity likely followed Islam? Whatever the faith, it definitely wasn't Buddhism. So, this was essentially a national conflict?

Ye Wen felt the water growing muddier. It was no longer a matter of him staying uninvolved; the Shu Mountain Sect simply lacked the standing to interfere. Yet, the sect seemed destined to be entangled in this trouble.

After deflecting Kong Xuan’s spell with a single slash, the woman seemed to lose all strength and immediately sank to the ground, appearing utterly weak. In this state, she couldn't possibly withstand Kong Xuan’s subsequent attack; even leaving her here might result in her body being untraceable by the next day.

Ye Wen also thought the incident was over, but then the woman turned, smiled at him, and cried out sweetly: “Master!”

The voice was melodious. Although the pronunciation was slightly odd, the meaning was clearly conveyed. Yet, this single sentence was like a fatal spell, freezing Ye Wen where he stood.

“Master?”

Xu Xian turned to look at Ye Wen, puzzled as to when his senior brother had acquired another disciple. Then he remembered the person was a reincarnation who seemed to have awakened past-life memories due to the Buddhist Wheel—perhaps this was the reason?

Ye Wen cursed inwardly: When did I become the master of this bald donkey? Stop shouting, people might die! Before he could speak, the girl closed her eyes, leaned back, and collapsed with a thud, fainting clean away.

“…”

Seeing Kong Xuan’s gaze shift toward him, Ye Wen could only let out a helpless, long sigh: “Trouble has found us again!” “No wonder my subordinates reported she was continuously fleeing eastward; so that’s why…”

In reality, Kong Xuan was also somewhat bewildered by the situation. But he was certain this girl was the target he had come out to kill. The current circumstances suggested these two Eastern cultivators were her elders. If so, the matter involved much wider implications.

He couldn’t understand why this girl was a reincarnated Buddhist disciple, nor why these two cultivators, clearly wielding Daoist techniques, possessed a reincarnated Buddhist disciple—and one of foreign descent at that?

But if she was his disciple, why did this person initially act as if he wanted to remain uninvolved? His demeanor suggested he wanted nothing to do with the affair and wished to avoid trouble.

The only plausible explanation he could conceive was that this person’s disciple had been reincarnated into a foreign body, and upon awakening some memories, sought to return to her master’s sect. Even so, many questions remained unanswered.

There were simply too many doubts, so many that Kong Xuan felt too lazy to inquire. Since the girl had recovered her past-life memories and called this man Master, it meant that if he wanted to kill her, he first had to eliminate these two.

“Since we have to fight anyway, let’s keep it simple!” Kong Xuan’s expression had remained largely unchanged throughout, and only those with extremely keen observation could detect subtle shifts. But even Ye Wen, possessing the Glazed Pupils, couldn’t discern Kong Xuan’s exact thoughts. The only certainty was that the profound killing intent emanating from this Buddhist powerhouse was genuine.

Ye Wen, however, was unaware that Kong Xuan was currently thinking: I’ll test this person’s strength first. If he’s not capable, killing him is inconsequential…

While the Immortal Realm possessed some semblance of order, such order held little restraint over those wielding immense power. In many ways, it remained a world where the strong preyed upon the weak!

If the person before him held no remarkable distinction, even if he were killed, the Eastern Immortal Continent would not risk a complete rupture with the Western Buddhist Realm over such an individual. In essence, a weakling lacked the standing to provoke conflict between major powers; they were negligible in the eyes of everyone involved.

But if the opponent proved powerful…

Kong Xuan made his decision. Without any visible movement of his right hand, a Vajra Pestle suddenly appeared. The pestle was less than thirty centimeters long, with a grip in the middle and slender, diamond-shaped spikes at both ends. Holding it, Kong Xuan could employ boxing techniques or fluidly use hooking, sweeping, pointing, and stabbing motions. Some uniquely structured ones could even lock an opponent’s weapon, making it a simple yet versatile odd weapon.

This type of weapon was quite common in the Buddhist Realm, carried by nearly all Arhats and Bodhisattvas, so Kong Xuan possessing one was unsurprising. As a Dharma-Protecting Bright King primarily responsible for combat, though also a Bodhisattva, he carried various weapons. Without any preamble, he brought out his weapon and threw a direct punch.

Ye Wen was about to say something, but realized this Comrade Kong Xuan was an action-oriented individual who believed in acting rather than talking. In the time it took to open his mouth, the punch was already near.

The might of this punch reminded him of Yang Jian’s strike in the great hall that day—it looked utterly ordinary yet was nearly impossible to evade, possessing terrifying power.

Ye Wen reacted the moment he felt the fist wind approach, but by the time he completed his defensive maneuvers, the punch was already before him.

By slightly shifting his body, he narrowly avoided the blow, but Ye Wen forgot that Kong Xuan held the Vajra Pestle. The sides of the fist were flanked by sharp spikes. Had his protective innate energy not activated, his face might have been disfigured by the strike.

“That ruthless!” he cursed inwardly, his movements quickening. His already raised left arm flicked, releasing the Dark Chaos Qi in conjunction with the Soft Palm technique. He twisted and guided the blow, causing Kong Xuan’s punch to gradually deviate from its original trajectory, rendering it harmless to him.

His evasion and block were executed in one smooth motion, leaving Kong Xuan little time to react. He only felt that after launching his punch, the person dodged aside, followed by a strange surge of energy against his arm that instantly diverted the force of his blow in another direction, making it subtly beyond his control.

Furthermore, Kong Xuan felt that his glancing blow had caused no injury whatsoever. Logically, even if the opponent had blocked it, the terrifying force should have caused him some discomfort. Yet, this residual force that entered the man’s body seemed like a stone sinking into the sea—it vanished without a trace.

“What cultivation technique is this?”

He asked casually, not expecting an answer, and Ye Wen certainly wasn't stopping to chat. Instead, Ye Wen smoothly unleashed a move from the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. His right palm, fully charged, was wreathed in dragon-shaped cold air, simultaneously channeling the essence of the Azure Snow Ice.