To the eye, there was nothing out of the ordinary within the nunnery grounds. Yet, as Indra charged in upon his white elephant, he was met by an infinite surge of violet mist, the air faintly scented with sandalwood and the fresh aroma of the Bodhi tree. From the void, the murmur of sutras drifted down—the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, a text Indra knew far too well, having been forced to recite it countless times over the past eons.

In the vast, blank whiteness of the sky, the ethereal silhouettes of one hundred and eight Arhats, each a hundred miles tall, slowly materialized. These golden figures held ritual implements—vajras, vajrakīlas, upāya-karmas, Dharma wheels, lassos, fire lances, flying knives, and javelins. Their left hands uniformly clutched copies of the Vajra Sutra, which they chanted in voices that thundered like actual thunderclaps.

Furthermore, these golden Arhats did not chant in unison. The first Arhat would utter a single character, and only when he began the second character would the second Arhat start on the first. This pattern continued down the line, with all one hundred and eight voices offset in their recitation. The hundred and eight overlapping sounds rose and fell, each distinct yet merging into a rolling thunder that made Indra dizzy.

The white elephant beneath him proved utterly useless. As soon as the golden Arhats appeared, the sound of the sutras knocked it unconscious.

Indra staggered, nearly crushed by the collapsing elephant beneath him. Enraged, Indra wildly brandished his lotus staff towards the sky and roared, “I am Indra, the Heavenly Emperor! You dare trap me with an array? You shall surely face heavenly retribution today!”

A cold, expressionless but clear and melodious voice drifted from afar: “Heretical arts trespass upon the purified grounds of the Buddha’s domain. Today you shall receive the Buddha’s salvation; how dare you prattle of heavenly retribution?”

A nun, clad in sable robes, appeared out of thin air in the void. Her beauty was unparalleled, possessing the endless grace of a jade willow beside the Eight Merit Pools. She held a golden alms bowl from which specks of golden sand continuously poured, merging into the bodies of the golden Arhats floating in the void, all while she fixed her beautiful eyes upon Indra. The nun’s face was flushed with fiery anger; it was clear she harbored the deepest hatred for Indra.

Indra, however, was utterly undone. The moment he saw the nun, a warmth shot straight to his head, his lower abdomen burning, making him almost drool. He hastily shouted, “Beautiful one, if you consent to spend one passionate night with me, I shall make you my secondary consort!”

Poor Indra, consumed by lust, failed to notice that this nun possessed the cultivation of a High-Grade Grand Golden Immortal—her actual power was a grade above his. Moreover, already ensnared deep within the Buddha Array orchestrated by her, to still be lewdly attempting to gain favor—was he simply courting death?

The nun’s expression turned glacial. With a casual gesture, she sent a bolt of golden lightning hurtling down, striking precisely on Indra’s crown. The lightning exploded, releasing three fist-sized orbs—‘One Thought Subtle Sound Divine Thunder Seeds,’ refined over a thousand years by the nun from concentrated Buddhist faith power and the primordial winds and lightning from the Ninth Heaven. These struck Indra’s head in rapid succession, blasting away nearly half of his skull, shattering all his armor and ornaments into dust. With just one miserable wail, Indra was blasted into a severe, immobilized heap on the ground.

At this point, the Eight Winds Unmoved Vajra Zen Array had not even been fully activated. The nun had defeated Indra using only her innate divine powers.

Even the nun herself was stunned. She stared blankly at Indra and asked a question she knew was redundant, “Why did you not dodge?”

Indra’s face was now smeared with blood. He merely grunted and groaned, making it impossible to discern the expression beneath.

The dignified Heavenly Emperor, rendered weak-kneed and lax by lust, had forgotten he was on a battlefield. The result was a direct hit from the nun. If this news spread, it would not only be humiliating, but it would also spark a hurricane of jealousy among his harem. Remembering his wife, the Celestial Empress Shezhi, Indra’s pained cries grew even louder.

In the void, several golden Arhats slowly descended. They bound Indra with ropes woven from flame, securing him like a great hairy crab ready for market. They then erected a thousand-foot-tall flagpole and hoisted Indra upon it.

A peal of thunder sounded over Lichen Nunnery, and suddenly the wind and clouds shifted dramatically, revealing a golden flagpole upon which Indra, stripped completely bare, was dangling. The one hundred and eight golden Arhats sat cross-legged around him, silently chanting the Vajra Sutra. The immense fluctuation of their magical power enveloped Indra, capable of crushing him to dust at any moment.

The heavenly soldiers and generals surrounding Lichen Nunnery instantly panicked. They glanced at one another, hastily abandoned Indra, and fled in disarray back toward the Third Connection City. Inside the city, countless Heavenly Gods, Asuras, Rakshasas, and Yakshas slammed their mouths shut. Only the Heavenly Gods remained silent; while some of the kinder Yakshas kept their lips sealed, and the attendant races of the Gods bowed their heads, the rest—the Asuras, Rakshasas, and others—erupted in curses, furiously denouncing the disgraceful Heavenly Emperor Indra. Great Heavenly Gods like Kubera exchanged glances, all drooping their heads in mute embarrassment.

Especially among the Heavenly Gods, an Asura beauty, surrounded by a cluster of lovely celestial maidens, stamped her foot in fury. She shrieked, “Incompetent Indra! What ravishing beauty did he encounter in that nunnery to surrender so willingly?”

This Asura beauty—Indra’s wife, the Celestial Empress Shezhi—cried out fiercely, “Are you not going to save him? Yama! Where is your power of death? Fan You! Where is your flame? Kubera! Where is your power that dominates the Three Realms? Hurry and bring that damned fellow back! How long must he be made an object of ridicule?”

Shezhi’s curses silenced the Heavenly Gods, forcing them to lower their heads. Having lost their accompanying Innate Sacred Artifacts, the strength of these Gods was severely diminished. Even though their current power surpassed Indra’s, the difference wasn't vast. If they attacked Lichen Nunnery, they risked ending up just as disgraced.

Sighing bitterly, Kubera called out loudly, “Oh, Shezhi, our noble Celestial Empress… the Emperor’s safety is paramount. Until we can rescue him, we must refrain from using violence!”

While the Heavenly Gods were helpless, the Rakshasas and Asuras below had cursed until their mouths were dry, and the Asura and Rakshasa Demon Kings were laughing so hard their bellies ached.

Although they failed to make Indra a sacrifice, witnessing this useless Emperor’s humiliation was a deeply satisfying spectacle.

Even Vimalakirti, who was currently engaged in battle with the nuns inside the palace, rushed out excitedly. He stood utterly naked, gazing towards Indra, who was equally naked and suspended tens of thousands of miles away on the flagpole.

The Asura Demon Kings were overjoyed. They quickly summoned their attendants and guards, bringing forth vast quantities of fine wine and delicacies. They sat atop the ramparts of the Black Iron City, drinking freely and laughing loudly, enjoying the magnificent scenery of the Great Snow Mountains while admiring the spectacular sight of Indra dangling from the pole—boundless pleasure indeed.

Not a single Asura, even those known for their extreme cruelty, dared to charge out and provoke those Buddhist cultivators. To see Indra disgraced was such a rare opportunity; even the most foolish Asura would never consider running out to bail him out now.

The Heavenly Gods were anxious and sorrowful; the demons were excited and thrilled. Meanwhile, within a grand residence in one district of Silver City, Gu Wuchen was laughing so hard he nearly suffered a cultivation deviation. While analyzing the law wheel of devout faith, Gu Wuchen watched the entire episode of the unfortunate Indra being captured alive and well by the nun. Unable to contain his boundless joy, Gu Xiechen burst into open laughter.

With one burst of laughter, the Chaos Sacred Power within him, which he had not yet managed to fully integrate, suddenly lacked one meridian, almost shattering Gu Wuchen’s heart—which, relative to the Chaos Sacred Power, was as fragile as tofu pudding. The sharp pain in his chest nearly made Gu Wuchen faint. He quickly forced himself to concentrate, finally managing to guide the errant thread of Chaos Sacred Power back into the proper meridian.

Letting out a long breath, Gu Wuchen murmured, “You nearly killed me. Hmm, Indra… wait, what are they doing?”

Just as the Chaos Sacred Power had faltered, as Gu Wuchen was drawing in and regulating the energy within, a wisp of the power integrated into his newly formed Wheel of Wisdom, causing Gu Xiechen’s spiritual perception frequency to rapidly increase by nearly ten thousand times. Gu Xiechen’s divine sense already covered the entirety of Boronimiprajñāloka; now, with the sudden surge in frequency, some extremely minute, subtle details instantly snapped into his view. The frequency of divine sense was like the mesh size of a fishing net; the higher the frequency, the finer the mesh.

For a net of the same size, a finer mesh catches more fish. Not just fish, but also shrimp, pebbles, sand, and even the tiniest single-celled algae—anything whose size was smaller than the mesh could be captured by this large net. Thus, the higher a cultivator’s divine sense frequency, the more effectively they could probe into intricate details.

A higher divine sense frequency also made it easier to discover weaknesses and loopholes in spells and restrictions, allowing one to perceive things normally hidden from a standard frequency.

By accidentally stimulating the Wheel of Wisdom, Gu Wuchen’s divine sense frequency spiked by over ten thousand times. He immediately detected two extremely faint, minuscule points above the Great Snow Mountains, emitting barely perceptible fluctuations of Zen power.

He swept his Eye of Dharma over the two points and Gu Xiechen instantly recognized them as entrances to Minor Heaven Worlds, created via the Buddhist technique of Sumeru in a Mustard Seed. However, the auras emanating from the two points were distinct: one felt older and more remote, the other more changeable and lively. But both auras were equally pure and unfathomably profound.

Both being forms of Buddhist Zen restraint techniques, the construction of these two Minor Heaven Worlds inherited two distinct Buddhist lineages.

One was more ancient and aligned with the fundamental source of Buddhism, while the other had clearly evolved from the first system, incorporating its own interpretations and improvements, making it easier to cultivate and offering greater variation, though its power was not significantly diminished.

Gu Xiechen smiled, nodding internally. The older, more remote aura must belong to the orthodox lineage of the Two Buddhist Sages; the more agile and varied aura likely derived from Amitabha Buddha’s divine powers.

Equipped with the Buddhist scriptures transmitted by the Monkey, Gu Wuchen understood the various divine abilities of the Buddhist sect quite clearly. His divine sense instantly simulated the aura fluctuations released by the two points and cautiously slipped into both Minor Heaven Worlds.

Before Gu Xiechen had comprehended the Wheel of Wisdom, while he could simulate the aura of Buddhist Zen techniques, he could never achieve such perfection; there would always be two or three parts that were unsatisfactory. But now, with the assistance of the Wheel of Wisdom, he was like a true native of the Buddhist path—he had effectively become the Buddhist cultivator who constructed these Minor Heaven Worlds, simulating the aura of these realms perfectly as he submerged himself within them.

Both Minor Heaven Worlds appeared temporary in structure and were small, only about a thousand zhang across. Inside each was a small thatched hut, within which sat three old monks.

The three old monks sitting in the Minor Heaven World that inherited the orthodox lineage of the Two Buddhist Sages were precisely the three monks from that island in Deep Measurement Lake.

The mysterious old monk, still completely wrapped up, was diligently crushing and eating walnuts. Before the other two old monks floated a lotus flower, upon which rested a cloud mirror several zhang wide. They were using the Heavenly Eye divine ability of Buddhism to observe every move on the Great Snow Mountains.

In the other Minor Heaven World, Moon-Light Bodhisattva and the Two Arhats Subduing Dragons and Taming Tigers, disciples under Amitabha Buddha, also sat cross-legged in the hut. Moon-Light Bodhisattva was happily engrossed in reading a ‘Vegetarian Cuisine Recipe Book’ published by some obscure wilderness Zen monastery from a minor civilization in the mortal realm. Before the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Arhats floated a purplish-gold alms bowl, from which a cloud of vapor emerged, also observing the battle situation on the Great Snow Mountains.

All six great monks in the two Minor Heaven Worlds remained silent, each adopting an inscrutable, profound demeanor.

Gu Xiechen suddenly recognized the auras of Moon-Light Bodhisattva and the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Arhats. Back when he had first returned to the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths from the Chaos Space, someone had been secretly spying on him, and he had beaten the intruders until they vanished without a trace. It turned out three of them were present. Looking at their sanctimonious appearances now, it seemed their injuries had completely recovered. “Next time, I’ll strike a bit harder,” Gu Xiechen muttered to himself.

Moon-Light Bodhisattva suddenly trembled; he instinctively sensed something was amiss. He cautiously looked around and hastily began calculating with his fingers.

Alas, Gu Wuchen’s Taoist attainment was far superior to his, and his cultivation depth was incalculably greater. He could never calculate that Gu Xiechen had already resolved to teach him a lesson. “I truly detest the smug expressions of you chess players!”

Gu Xiechen smiled coldly. He genuinely loathed these figures who saw themselves as masters of strategy, especially those who treated him as just another piece on the board.

Now that his attainment and cultivation surpassed Moon-Light Bodhisattva and the others, if he didn’t carefully calculate a way to make them treat him as a player rather than a pawn a few times, how could Gu Wuchen suppress his anger?

His divine sense instantly pierced beyond Boronimiprajñāloka, sweeping across the Three Realms and the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths. Gu Wuchen smoothly located the Grand Master Xuandu and others who were preaching the Great Dao to a host of Grand Golden Immortals in a certain blessed grotto-heaven within Dongyuan Huayingsheng Heaven.

Looking at those Grand Golden Immortals, Gu Xiechen nodded secretly. The Nine Nether Dao had forcibly subdued many leaders of powers in the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths. Over the years, these Immortals had stealthily infiltrated the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths, leading large contingents of followers to the Mortal Realm, all joining the Nine Nether Dao.

Excluding the supreme overlords of the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths who cooperated with the Protector Heavens, about thirty percent of the Immortals and their followers from various factions in those realms had vanished without a trace. Now it seemed these Immortals had been recruited by Grand Master Xuandu and his group.

After all, they were the orthodox lineage of the Three Pure Ones, direct disciples of the Three Sages. Simply invoking the banner of the Three Pure Ones made recruiting Immortals easy. Grand Master Xuandu and his cohort were accumulating power in secret here. What were they planning?

With a few cold laughs, Gu Xiechen released his divine sense, instantly throwing the heavenly secrets above that grotto-heaven into utter chaos. No matter how high their cultivation reached—the pinnacle of Grand Golden Immortals—Grand Master Xuandu and the others could no longer calculate anything or perceive the external changes occurring.

Then, a thread of divine sense pierced straight into the Chaos Space, easily binding nearly a hundred exceptionally fierce and violent Chaos Beasts. He dragged them over and forcibly arrayed them around the spiritual nexus points of the major mountains and rivers surrounding that famous peak.

Next, he drew a large quantity of Chaos Spiritual Qi from the Chaos Space and condensed it into Chaos Heaven-Opening Divine Thunder. He buried millions of these thunderbolts densely around the hidden grotto-heaven where Grand Master Xuandu and the others were hiding. Gu Xiechen’s preparations were thorough; the number of divine thunders buried totaled over a million. If so many divine thunders detonated simultaneously, it would be enough to blast nearly half of Dongyuan Huayingsheng Heaven into chaotic nothingness. “I am the butcher, and they are the meat. I enjoy this feeling; I truly enjoy it!”

Gu Xiechen chuckled inwardly. The Protector Heavens intended to plunder other celestial realms after conquering Boronimiprajñāloka. He was simply waiting for the Protector Heavens to meet Grand Master Xuandu’s faction.

Of course, given the cautious nature of those three old schemers, they would not confront the Protector Heavens head-on. Thus, Gu Xiechen would force them into a confrontation. After all, their newly recruited disciples were all killed—how could Grand Master Xuandu’s group not be enraged?

Having set his ambush, Gu Xiechen retracted his divine sense, continuing to observe the battle on the Great Snow Mountains while carefully delving into the Law Wheel of Devout Faith. He had deciphered some of the mysteries of these Law Wheels; it seemed the fundamental basis for the Sages establishing their sects lay within these wheels.

It was not only the Sages establishing religions to enlighten sentient beings; the reasons why Angels and the Sun Gods established their sects to absorb various forms of faith power also seemed traceable to these Law Wheels.

Faith power, the power of intention—it appeared to be a remarkable force fundamentally linked to the transformations of the Primordial Spirit.

While diligent cultivation could make one’s Primordial Spirit transformation extremely powerful, faith power seemed capable of promoting the Primordial Spirit to harmonize with the Heavenly Dao faster and better, thereby enhancing its cultivation more rapidly.

The path of cultivation was an immeasurable ocean, and faith power seemed to be a small boat drifting upon that ocean. Though the boat might be small, it allowed one to save a great deal of time and effort during cultivation. Navigating the boundless ocean alone versus sailing in a small boat was naturally much easier.

The ocean also contained countless ferocious fish constantly ready to attack those crossing the sea—just as Heavenly Demons were always prepared to assail cultivators.

But with this boat, the sea creatures found it harder to harm the cultivator. As faith power grew stronger, the boat would expand, making it impossible for even giant sea whales to smash the cultivator aboard.

Of course, there were hurricanes and tsunamis upon the sea, but having a boat was always better than having none. If the boat grew large enough, it could even withstand hurricanes and tsunamis.

More importantly, this boat could hold not just one person, but many.

The larger the boat, the more people it could accommodate, and the stronger their collective resistance became against the invasion of sea creatures and the assaults of the waves.

The Boat of Faith accumulated by the Two Buddhist Sages was likely large enough to allow all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to stand upon it. That was why the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of Buddhism could enjoy purity and were said to be indestructible through myriad tribulations.

But for the Vajras, Arhats, Heavenly Kings, Bhikshus, and others—aside from a few disciples with particularly deep cultivation who were favored by the Buddhas—who else could step onto that boat? After all, the Boat of Faith was not yet large enough!

Therefore, in order to forge an ever-larger boat, and to ensure more disciples no longer feared the various calamities of the boundless cultivation journey, increasingly vast amounts of faith power were required, necessitating ever-growing numbers of believers! This was why sectarian strife existed! This was why the struggle for karmic fortune erupted!

The conflicts between Buddhism and the Three Pure Ones, and even within the structure of the Three Pure Ones, were inevitable… After all, the Three Realms were only so large, and the total number of believers was finite!

Consequently, Nuwa abandoned the path of establishing a sect. She only desired a single boat large enough to hold herself, choosing to drift alone upon it, thereby avoiding the struggles of sectarian rivalry and transcending the terrifying scheming and bloodshed. This was why she could attain tranquility.

A clear stream washed down from above, making Gu Xiechen’s mind instantly clear. He finally understood the true meaning behind the struggles for orthodox traditions and sectarian dominance. The so-called incense offering and the so-called believers—this was their purpose!

It made sense. If the contention between believers and disciples was merely about saving face, then given Gu Xiechen's temperament, he wouldn't even care for empty fame, let alone those who had already attained sainthood long ago? They fought for destiny, for orthodoxy, for the resources to establish a religion; ultimately, it all boiled down to seizing the power of faith, constantly reinforcing that Ark of Belief.

The Master of the Heavens Once Intercepted had a truly enormous ship, but his intention was to have all his disciples crammed onto that single vessel. The ship was too small, the people too numerous; the destiny was diluted, leading inevitably to the ship sinking, lives lost, and the orthodoxy almost completely annihilated into dust. Spiritual light flickered in his eyes, and Gu Wuchen's understanding of the so-called Heavenly Dao deepened once more. His comprehension of the so-called incense offerings and the so-called orthodoxy grew increasingly profound.

No wonder that as soon as the new universe was discovered, they rushed over in such a hurry. It wasn't just about the scarcity of spiritual energy and sources; it was also about orthodoxy. How many people were there in this Three Realms in total? How many could it accommodate?

The population limit of this universe world was finite; the believers they could develop, after expending countless energies, were limited. But that new universe world was vast beyond measure, trillions of times larger than this one, and the potential number of believers was also trillions of times greater. To not fight for that universe world would truly be bizarre!

The Wheel of Wisdom continuously emitted a faint radiance, and Gu Xiechen gained a clearer understanding of the cause and effect of many matters.

As these realizations deepened, Gu Xiechen's cultivation level soared higher and higher. His entire being was enveloped by an invisible, colorless Holy Power of Chaos; his body was gradually becoming indistinct, on the verge of merging with this void. The entire Three-Linked City remained under the control of Da Fantian and the others, but in essence, Gu Wuchen held sway over the whole place.

Da Fantian and the others controlled every movement within the Three-Linked City; they managed this magnificent metropolis from an observational standpoint.

But Gu Xiechen controlled the city from the very root of its existence. Everything within the city was within his complete grasp. As his thoughts moved, if he willed the city to exist, it existed; if he willed it to be destroyed, the Three-Linked City, along with everything inside it, would cease to be.

The Wheel of the Heavenly Dao slowly materialized infinitely far ahead of Gu Wuchen. The great wheel rotated gently, echoing remotely with the Wheel of Balance and the Wheel of Wisdom within Gu Xiechen's body. With a slight turn of the great wheel, Gu Wuchen ceased to resemble a human and transformed into a hazy breath.

The Wheel of Pious Faith began to spin faster, and wisps of Yin Source Qi continuously flowed into it. As the probing divine sense of Gu Xiechen permeated his body, a minuscule new entity, identical in every structure to the original, began to form within him.

"Faith."

"Believers."

"Speaking of believers... those dark creatures and angels are most suitable."

Gu Xiechen let out a few low chuckles and closed his eyes, concentrating ninety-nine percent of his consciousness on the Wheel of the Law of Pious Faith, while the remaining small portion focused on the leaders of the Dharma Protectors, such as Da Fantian.

Inside the main control core of the Three-Linked City, Da Fantian, Shifa, and Vishnu surrounded the soul of the Three-Linked City—a crystal ball about a hundred li in diameter, condensed using Brahmanical demonic arts—which hovered in the void in a perfect equilateral triangle.

Every movement within the Three-Linked City was under the control of this crystal ball, which managed the city's vast energies. Originally, Da Fantian and the others had to expend immense mental effort to control the Three-Linked City, but now, with Dukat and Xiao Xiao, who was bonded to Dukat's soul, the task had become much easier. Xiao Xiao had merged with this primary control crystal. When Da Fantian and the others needed to do something, they only needed to issue a command to Xiao Xiao, and the task would be handled perfectly.

Of course, only a joint command issued by all three of them was valid; any one or two of them could not issue an effective order. At this moment, the crystal ball displayed shifting, beautiful phenomena, offering a clear view of the battle situation on the Great Snow Mountain.

Indra, stripped naked, was hung upon a flagpole. Countless celestial beings wanted to rush out of the Three-Linked City to rescue Indra but were afraid of endangering his life. The celestials hesitated, not daring to advance, while the demons roared with laughter.

With half his head blown apart, Indra hung limply in mid-air, gazing weakly at the massive Three-Linked City, his eyes filled with humiliation and pleading. Well, there wasn't much humiliation left in his gaze—the pleading was far more intense.

As the Heavenly Emperor, being captured was not a first or second experience; Indra possessed a sufficiently robust spirit to endure all such setbacks. However, as the Heavenly Emperor, he had boundless fortune to enjoy, countless beauties waiting for his favor, and his beloved Soma wine he hadn't drunk enough of yet. Thus, he didn't want to die, especially not at the hands of these Buddhist cultivators from the Great Snow Mountain, whom he considered utterly weak.

So he pleaded with his celestial brothers, pleaded with those damned Demon Lords—whoever could save him, he was willing to pay any price. "Even if it's the demons, if they save me, I would even marry my princess to them."

Indra mumbled indistinctly, knowing that those Great Demon Lords could surely hear his quiet mutterings. Surely some Asura or Celestial, or some other eager youngling coveting the beauty of the Heavenly Emperor's princess, would come to his rescue.

The female ascetic beside him also heard Indra’s low mumble, and without hesitation, she slapped him twice, making Indra's mouth spray blood, nearly knocking him unconscious.

The female ascetic shouted sharply, "Stop the nonsense! Listen well, you demonic progeny! Quickly withdraw from the Pāramitā-Aparā-Vīrya-Rama Heaven, hand over the Buddha's children you abducted, and surrender the main culprits of this invasion of our Pāramitā-Aparā-Vīrya-Rama Heaven for us to deal with, and you might yet have a path to life."

With a cold laugh, the female ascetic lifted her head and declared quite arrogantly, "If you do not retreat, this humble nun will execute Indra immediately!" The celestials were stunned, while the demons cheered wildly.

Pāśūna suddenly leaped out of the Three-Linked City, transforming his body to a height of ten thousand li. He gathered his breath and roared, "Little nun, hurry up and kill Indra! This king is willing to offer himself in marriage, hahaha! I'll have a grand three-year battle with you in the bedroom as repayment! Quick, quick, kill Indra!" The host of demons roared with maniacal laughter, leaning back and forth until they nearly laughed themselves breathless.

Da Fantian's voice suddenly spread throughout the Three-Linked City: "Enough! In this state, how can you speak of ruling the Three Realms? Asuras and Danavas, if we cannot cooperate wholeheartedly, the strength of us Dharma Protectors will be weakened several times over. Can we still accomplish our predetermined goals?"

Shifa’s voice chimed in: "Enough, Pāśūna, Rāvaṇa, you Demon Lords! Prepare for slaughter. Prepare the sacrificial fires; you can use these bald donkeys of the Buddhist sect as offerings to gain even greater power!"

Vishnu's laughter shook the Three-Linked City faintly. The massive city trembled, causing the very earth to heave up and down. The immense tremors spread continuously, and the Great Snow Mountain gradually collapsed and was destroyed amidst Vishnu's laughter.

Vishnu laughed loudly, "Within this Great Snow Mountain are trillions of Buddhist thieves! Sacrifice them all, and we shall gain endless power. Whether it is the warriors of the Celestials, the sons of the Asuras, the heroes of the Yakshas, or the brave Rakshasas—you, prepare for battle!"

When Da Fantian, Shifa, and Vishnu disagreed, the Dharma Protectors dared to ignore their words, knowing that after offending one giant, they could seek refuge with another. But when the three giants issued a command in unison, the Dharma Protectors, from the Heavenly Emperor down to the weakest demonic soldier, dared not disobey in the slightest.

The troops of the heavens began to assemble. Countless celestial soldiers and generals formed neat formations. They beat war drums, blew horns, and roared the war cries of their respective clans, charging out of the Three-Linked City with laughter.

The situation was as if the heavens and earth were splitting apart, from which vast swathes of dark clouds surged. The dense layers of clouds gradually spread out, obscuring the light from above with hundreds of layers, plunging the ground into darkness.

A magnificent seven-colored rainbow light erupted from the main control core of the Three-Linked City. Lakshmi, holding a golden vase and wearing a lofty smile, flew directly into the Great Snow Mountain, walking straight into the Avidyā-Vinivāraṇā-Ārama (Retreat Hermitage), and lightly stepping into the Acala-Vajra-Dhyāna Formation, casually plucking Indra from the flagpole.

The female ascetic who had captured Indra let out a cry of panic. She casually unleashed dozens of golden light thunderbolts, containing hundreds of Yīniàn Qīngyīn Divine Thunder Seeds, smashing them headlong towards Lakshmi.

The golden vase in Lakshmi's palm spat out a rainbow light, easily drawing in the golden thunderbolts and the Divine Thunder Seeds, dissolving them into boundless spiritual energy that merged with the precious vase with just a single tremor. She smiled at the female ascetic and, in return, struck the Aṣṭa-Pravāda-Vajra-Dhyāna Formation with a beam of precious light.

The powerful meditation formation dissolved in the beam of light. Lakshmi's innate divine ability could destroy worldly seals and prohibitions; the formation’s eye was instantly damaged by Lakshmi's strike, the accumulated meditative power and spiritual energy vanishing into thin air, and the one hundred and eight Vajras turning to naught.

The army of the Heavens, led by great celestial leaders like Yama, Soma, Varuna, and Vāyu, poured into the Great Snow Mountain from the center.

Led by the great Demon Lord Pāśūna, who was tens of thousands of li tall and covered in countless arms of infinite might, the Asura army, along with the forces of several vassal races, charged into the Great Snow Mountain from the right.

Led by the God of Wealth, Kubera, countless Yakshas from the Yaksha Kingdom roared loudly, riding clouds of bloody sea across the sky from the left, charging into the Great Snow Mountain.

With Viśvakarman personally seated at the helm, surrounded by numerous ascetic immortals, they led the tribes of the Dharma Protectors—Gandharvas, Kimnaras, Mahoragas, and the Dragon race—transforming into a vast, menacing cloud of malevolent energy that tore across the high sky, ready to support the three armies below at any moment.

Lakshmi returned to the main Celestial formation with Indra. Numerous celestials rushed forward to welcome their Heavenly Emperor's return. Countless hymns were sung to Lakshmi; the celestials enthusiastically praised her as the greatest, most powerful goddess in the world.

The moment the words "greatest, most powerful goddess in the world" left the mouth of a flattering celestial, he was smashed into pieces by a heavy scepter, barely retaining a residual soul that fled back to the Three-Linked City.

Boundless flames erupted from the void. Durgā appeared from the firelight, seated upon a black lotus pedestal. She looked down upon Lakshmi and roared with laughter, "The greatest, most powerful goddess in the world! Are you willing to join Durgā to spar with those bald donkeys?"

Three rays of light flashed above Durgā's head. The black Goddess of Subduing Demons, the white Goddess of the Snow Mountains, and the crimson Goddess of Bloodlust stepped out from the radiance, laughing. They simultaneously executed Brahmanical demonic arts, conjuring countless bizarre scenes that danced across the sky, all challenging Lakshmi. Lakshmi dropped Indra, merely smiling and bowing her head to Durgā, then transformed into a seven-colored precious light and rushed back into the Three-Linked City.

Durgā’s face darkened. She stared at Lakshmi's retreating back and coldly cursed, "A woman with no backbone, no substance, only good at showing off her wretched charms."

Lakshmi heard Durgā's words but paid her no mind, returning to the Three-Linked City with a face full of smiles.

Durgā seemed to have gained an immense advantage. Seeing no response to her curses from Lakshmi, she let out a long, satisfied sigh, leading her three avatar goddesses and countless divine soldiers toward the Great Snow Mountain. The three strong forces of the Dharma Protectors charged into the Great Snow Mountain, instantly turning it into a hellscape of blood.

The Buddhist divine arts studied by the countless Buddhist cultivators within the Great Snow Mountain were well-known to these Celestial soldiers and Demon Lords of the Dharma Protectors. The Dharma Protectors had served as Buddhist protectors since ancient times, and their status and cultivation within the Buddhist sect were far higher than these cultivators.

In terms of cultivation, magical power, wartime experience, and even the will to fight, the Buddhist monks of the Great Snow Mountain were far inferior to the Dharma Protectors.

Faced with the butcher's knife raised by the Dharma Protectors, the only thing the Buddhist cultivators could do was hold their necks high, the straighter the better, to allow the weapons of the Dharma Protectors to send their heads flying high.

Screams rang out continuously as temple groves were burned to ruins, valleys leveled, and famous peaks turned into dust under the monstrous demonic flames.

Pāśūna and the other Great Demon Lords directed numerous Asura priests to ignite countless sacrificial fires along the way, throwing large numbers of Buddhist cultivators into the flames to be reduced to ashes. These cultivators were offered as sacrifices to the demonic gods worshipped by the Dharma Protectors, in exchange for immense power flowing into the bodies of the Dharma Protectors. The beautiful, attractive female ascetics were pinned to the ground by the Celestials and demons and subjected to their desires.

The handsome, sturdy male monks were pinned down and subjected to the will of the ugliest women from the Rakshasa clan.

Under the terrifying demonic arts, the minds of these female ascetics and monks were confused, and they reacted intensely to the evil deeds of the Dharma Protectors. The Dharma Protectors gleefully enjoyed their prey; after satisfying their contemptible desires, they threw these victims into the sacrificial fires. Piercing screams shot toward the heavens, and boundless resentment permeated the sky above the Great Snow Mountain.

The strength of the attacking Dharma Protectors this time surpassed that of the Nine Nether Dao from the past. They were proficient in the vast majority of Buddhist techniques, and even more so in countless demonic secret arts specifically designed to counter Buddhist meditation arts. Under the assault of these Dharma Protectors, the monks of the Great Snow Mountain were utterly routed and defeated.

In just two or three days, the front line of the Dharma Protectors advanced by over thirty thousand li; millions of monks perished under their swords.

If the Dharma Protectors had not been busy enjoying their prey and plundering all the rare treasures and precious artifacts they encountered, they would have conquered the entire Great Snow Mountain long ago. The meager power of the Buddhist cultivators was truly no match for them.

Of course, a few high-ranking Buddhist monks managed to display genuinely powerful orthodox Buddhist meditation arts to resist the Dharma Protectors' attacks, but these monks were utterly defeated by Durgā’s frenzied assaults. Durgā used the Brahmanic Sacrificial Demonic Art to transform them into pure energy to supplement herself. Durgā's power grew ever stronger, while the courage of the Buddhist cultivators waned.

Gu Xiechen noticed that the six old monks in those two minor chiliocosms in the void finally made a move.

The old monk, completely covered by a cloak, uttered a low command: "The bitter sea is boundless, the Buddhist gate is the shore. Devoutly submit and chant the names of the Saints who guide the Western Pure Land, the Sage Jieyin and the Sage Zhunzi. Worship devoutly and prostrate yourselves, and you shall transcend the demonic tribulation and be free from demonic disturbance!"

As soon as these words were spoken, sixty percent of the Buddhist cultivators in the Great Snow Mountain immediately knelt down. They chanted the dharma titles of Daoist Jieyin and Daoist Zhunzi in unison, reciting the Zhunzi Mantra and the Jieyin Incantation, wholeheartedly throwing themselves into the worship of the two Great Sages.

The Wheel of Pious Faith, forming within Gu Xiechen, rotated slowly, and he sensed a colossal power of faith taking shape in the void.

That mysterious old monk suddenly waved a seven-colored branch. As soon as the branch appeared, a seven-colored precious light swept across heaven and earth, instantly illuminating the entire Great Snow Mountain.

Endless power of faith continuously poured into the seven-colored branch. Soon, a Daoist figure, indistinct and hazy, shot out from the branch.

Gu Xiechen was greatly alarmed. Could that branch be Daoist Zhunzi's Seven-Jeweled Wonderful Tree? And that Daoist figure was clearly a wisp of divine thought left in the Seven-Jeweled Wonderful Tree by Daoist Zhunzi, now nurtured and manifested through the added power of faith.

With a cold laugh, Gu Xiechen moved his divine sense. The small chiliocosm suddenly shattered like a balloon pierced by a needle. The three old monks were clumsily transferred into the Chaos Space. Dozens of Chaos Heavenly Thunders roared down, battering the three old monks until they were disoriented, smoking all over, and passed out.

The Seven-Jeweled Wonderful Tree lost the control of the mysterious old monk, its light naturally extinguished, and it could no longer absorb external faith power. The Daoist figure that had just shown itself suddenly dimmed and quickly vanished without a trace. Moon-Luminous Bodhisattva, Arhat Nāga-Vanquisher, and Arhat Tiger-Subduer also made their move.

Moon-Luminous Bodhisattva held aloft a Seven-Jeweled Sarira Pagoda. He uttered a faint, light cry: "The bitter sea is boundless, salvation lies in the Pure Land. Why do you not devoutly surrender to our Buddha, Amitābha? When will you do so? Quickly chant the Precious Sutra of the Tathagata's Blessing, and you can ensure your safety!"

But this time, it was more direct. Before the monks on the Great Snow Mountain could recite any sutras, a Chaos Heavenly Thunder crashed down upon them. Moon-Luminous Bodhisattva and the two Arhats also rolled their eyes and fainted. Deciding to finish the job, Gu Xiechen tossed the three old monks into the Chaos Space, placing them right alongside the three mysterious old monks.

Fearing they might wake up and turn back, Gu Wuchen’s vast divine sense swirled through the void, locating a piece of 'Kuiyin Crystal Iron' renowned as the toughest in the Three Realms. He forged several thin, fine chains, shackling the six old monks haphazardly together. Their hands were connected, their feet linked, and their buttocks pressed tightly together—a display of intimacy that defied description.

The Buddhist cultivators of the Great Snow Mountain lost their last shred of hope. They had intended to display great divine abilities and immense power to save these cultivators from peril, ultimately reaping their tremendous faith power at the moment of their narrow escape. But now, those six monks were secretly dealt with by Gu Xiechen. These cultivators could only rely on their own strength to resist the invasion of the Dharma Protectors. But how could they possibly match the Dharma Protectors? Vats of sacrificial fire burned everywhere on the Great Snow Mountain, and countless monks were thrown into the flames. Gu Xiechen watched this, nodding coldly.

The consequence of the cause today. The day they schemed against Fu Ya—today, Gu Wuchen schemed against them.

In the past, most of Gu Xiechen’s Nine Nether Dao dark creatures were killed by these Buddhist cultivators; today, an equal number of lives were required to sacrifice for them! Gu Xiechen smiled faintly. The Great Snow Mountain had completely fallen. Chapter One: One hundred and six thousand-plus characters; Chapter Two will be updated later if possible...

The speed of the QiDian backend... I'm tongue-tied...