"Mohe. All your techniques originate from me!" Facing the Demon-Subduing Buddha Light cast by Mohe, the old monk merely smiled faintly, casually catching the light in his palm.

With a gentle squeeze, the Buddha Light vanished into nothingness. A faint, tiny whirlwind rose around the old monk—the only disturbance caused by Mohe’s Demon-Subduing Buddha Light. The old monk smiled with reserved composure, but Mohe's face was incredibly grim.

Staring intently at the old monk, Mohe sneered, "What is your name?"

The old monk smiled, announcing, "Sheng Sha Fo (Life-and-Death Buddha)."

After a brief pause, the old monk whispered, "Whether on Earth, in the Pālānīmī Nirvana Heaven, or within the Pure Buddha Realms of the Two Sages, this is my title. Sheng Sha Fo—it is the Buddhist name bestowed upon me by the Guiding Master."

Seeing Mohe’s ashen face, the old monk hastily added, "The full title of my Sheng Sha Fo is—"

Mohe impatiently spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto the ground, his face contorted as he squeezed out a loud fart. He reached back to scratch his backside, interrupting the old monk’s elaboration. He coldly chuckled, "I don't care what your full name is. Hey, tell me what you want with me first! Let’s get this straight: if you're here asking for my pension, forget it."

With his arms crossed over his chest, Mohe cocked his head and sneered, "In my heart, you are a dead man. Burning a few paper ingots for you every year is more than enough respect. Trying to leverage your status to gain further benefits from me? Hmph, impossible!"

Sheng Sha Fo's wrinkled face creased even further. He glared angrily at Mohe for a long moment before drawing out a multicolored Bodhi branch from behind him and casually waving it towards the empty space before him.

Mohe was aggressively shouting curses at Sheng Sha Fo, yet his thieving eyes darted around furtively.

The space he occupied was only about a hundred li in radius, truly like a round sky over a square earth—a small, exquisite miniature world carved out by spiritual power. Strange light shone down from above, illuminating everything from all directions. Because of this, nothing in this world cast a shadow. Beneath his feet lay a soft, fine expanse of green grass, the blades long and supple. Running down the center of each blade was a golden line shimmering with the precious light of seven-colored glaze, presenting a truly awe-inspiring sight. Mohe recognized this grass; it was a type of spiritual herb unique to that exotic new world, named "Tuochen" (Dust-Shedding). When refined into Buddhist ritual implements like meditation cushions, this herb could avert most karmic entanglements and inner demon tribulations, hence its name.

Mohe and his brother had inherited the physical bodies of the Innate Great Sages from the Outer Realm, along with the memories contained within those bodies, which is why they recognized this spiritual herb.

On the gently rolling grassland stood two Bodhi trees, one on the left and one on the right, each soaring a hundred zhang high. One Bodhi tree was verdant like jade, its branches lush, bearing countless thumb-sized golden Bodhi fruits. The other tree, however, was withered and yellow, appearing utterly lifeless as if it had been consumed by fierce flames for three days and nights. A few sparse Bodhi leaves hung from its branches, riddled with holes as if gnawed by countless insects.

After a few cold laughs, Mohe muttered under his breath, "The Twin Tree Garden of Jieyin and Zhun Ti? Hmph, this illusionary trick is so tedious!"

For a degenerate like Mohe in the Buddhist path, never mind a Twin Tree Garden, even if the Twin Sages Zhun Ti and Jieyin manifested before him, he wouldn't show them an ounce of deference. To him, the identity of a monk was merely an inherited legacy, not his primary vocation. He possessed no aspiration to dedicate everything to Buddhism, nor did he feel obligated to observe any monastic precepts.

It was merely a small arrangement created by manifesting spiritual power to imitate the famous garden of flourishing and withering trees.

With a wild laugh, two massive wings suddenly burst from Mohe’s back. His body transformed into a streak of black light soaring towards the sky, instantly causing ripples to spread across the void. He shouted joyfully, "Old Immortal, I'm not playing along anymore. Hey, whatever scheme you have brewing, don't get in the way of my chick-chasing!"

His figure darted through the void, Mohe's speed instantly escalating to its maximum. His fists were like lightning, constantly striking the void ahead, trailing strands of Demonic-Subduing Divine Thunder from the Buddhist path. In the blink of an eye, he unleashed tens of millions of punches. The accumulated force of these punches merged into a single, heaven-and-earth-destroying golden lightning, subtly taking the form of a flood dragon, which lunged to swallow the void ahead.

Sheng Sha Fo nodded in admiration, "Cultivation at the peak of Grand Unity Golden Immortal level—worthy of being my seed! Going after women is only natural; otherwise, wouldn't I be cut off from my lineage? But before you chase skirts, stay and listen to your father!"

With a cold sneer, Sheng Sha Fo slashed his seven-colored Bodhi branch across the air. A stream of seven-colored Buddha Light sprinkled down, forcibly blocking Mohe’s immensely powerful punch. The golden lightning vanished without a trace the moment it touched the Buddha Light.

Mohe's fists impacted the seven-colored light, and the Six-Syllable True Mantra of Buddhism suddenly manifested within it. Six immense, cistern-sized characters of the True Mantra flowed with golden light, shining down upon Mohe in a blaze of glory. Mohe’s body stiffened as if Mount Sumeru was pressing down upon his head. His body grew heavy, and he plummeted straight into the ground, carving a pit half a chi deep.

Given the inherent strength of Mohe’s body, even if he crashed into a neutron star, he might have only punched a large hole. But the soil in this miniature heaven and earth was of an unknown origin, several times sturdier than the crust of a neutron star. Despite falling from such a height, Mohe only managed to create such a shallow pit, yet his bones were nearly shattered.

"You old immortal bastard! You goddamn—!"

Mohe cared nothing for Sheng Sha Fo’s relationship to him. After being struck by Sheng Sha Fo, he immediately pointed and roared his curses.

Sheng Sha Fo regarded Mohe with cold eyes, shaking his head. Gripping the Bodhi branch in his right hand, he swept it heavily across the void before him again.

This time, Mohe clearly saw a fleeting shadow flicker within the seven-colored Buddha Light, as if the light was trying to drag that figure into this world. However, the seated figure was enveloped in brilliant golden radiance, his body seemingly rooted to the ground. No matter how the seven-colored light flickered, it could not move him.

Mohe laughed, a mocking sound. "Old man, embarrassed now? Hmph, who else were you trying to drag in?"

Sticking out his chest proudly, Mohe boasted, "If it weren't for the fact that I was busy teasing that little nun just now and was distracted, you wouldn't even have managed to drag me in with that wicked technique."

Sheng Sha Fo glared at Mohe, sneering, "This is the orthodox Buddhist technique of Subtle Manifestation of the Three Thousand Worlds within a Mustard Seed, not some evil magic! Humph, boy, your power is quite profound? Mohe, your elder brother’s meditative concentration is at least ten times greater than yours! I used three-tenths of my power with the aid of the Seven Treasures Wonderful Branch, and I still couldn't drag him in!"

Bore Ruo's meditative concentration was more than ten times greater than his? Mohe’s eyes widened instantly. He paused for a moment, then suddenly exploded, "Nonsense! Bore Ruo always likes to grind out more essence by sitting on his backside, and I like to grind essence on women’s hips—is that not allowed? Why don't you say my skills in that area are ten thousand times better than Bore Ruo's?"

Sheng Sha Fo’s face trembled again in sheer rage. He glared fiercely at Mohe and clenched the Seven Treasures Wonderful Branch tightly, swinging it violently.

This time, Sheng Sha Fo exerted his absolute full strength, surpassing the level of a peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal.

Within the seven-colored Buddha Light, Bore Ruo’s figure grew increasingly clear. It looked as if Sheng Sha Fo’s sweep would pull him directly into this miniature world. However, Bore Ruo clearly sensed someone using Buddhist techniques to calculate against him. He had been sitting cross-legged but suddenly leaned sideways into a reclining Buddha posture, his entire body igniting with an extremely bright golden-yellow flame.

Sheng Sha Fo’s body instantly stiffened; the Seven Treasures Wonderful Branch seemed to struggle to move. His body trembled, and sweat began to seep out of his pores, instantly soaking through his cloak. Breathing heavily, Sheng Sha Fo cried out in utter shock, "Power of faith? The psychic energy of so many believers? He actually evolved it into the Immovable Buddha Light of a Single Thought! How could so many believers provide him with the power of faith?"

No one was actively providing faith to Bore Ruo. The power of faith he possessed was what Gu Xiechen had allocated to him from the faith he had gathered. Unlike the disciples of the Nine Hells Dao, the core disciples of the Nine Hells Dao received the blessing of the power of faith merely to calm their minds and stabilize their foundation. But in Bore Ruo’s hands, who had deeply studied Buddhist scriptures, the power of faith was put to great use.

Secret techniques of Buddhism inherently had inextricable ties to the Dharma-Protecting Heavens, focusing more on the primordial spirit, belief, soul, and psychic energy. After obtaining the immense power of faith offered by the equivalent of a trillion believers, Bore Ruo channeled this power into the Sarira he cultivated, refining it with Buddhist secret arts and melting it with his own wisdom light to forge his unique Immovable Buddha Light of a Single Thought.

Mohe possessed a violent nature and favored slaughter; his Zen cultivation leaned toward the path of dynamic conflict. It was impossible for him to sit still and polish his Dao foundation.

Bore Ruo, by nature, was serene and focused on pure cultivation. The divine arts and spells he cultivated were less destructive than Mohe’s, but he single-mindedly refined the essence of Zen meditation. The Immovable Buddha Light he condensed served as a body protection like Mount Sumeru; no matter how external devils and heresies attacked, he remained steadfast.

Even with Sheng Sha Fo applying his absolute full strength to the Seven Treasures Wonderful Branch, he could not remotely pull Bore Ruo into this small Twin Tree Garden.

Yet Mohe, just moments before, was dragged in by a casual sweep using only three-tenths of Sheng Sha Fo’s strength.

Mohe mockingly laughed at Sheng Sha Fo’s ineptitude. Sheng Sha Fo’s face was ashen as he gripped the Seven Treasures Wonderful Branch, his body trembling violently. He exerted every ounce of effort to press the branch down just one more cun. If the branch moved just one cun further, Bore Ruo would lose his footing and surely be dragged in, following Mohe’s fate.

But within the seven-colored Buddha Light, Bore Ruo lay peacefully on a cloud couch, his hands forming the Adamantine Firm Mudra. Golden light radiated from above his head, resembling a massive bell covering his body. A faint, ethereal Mount Sumeru hovered just above Bore Ruo. Hundreds of figures sat cross-legged around the mountain, each clutching a Vajra scepter, chanting scriptures, guarding Bore Ruo so tightly that no opening remained.

Sheng Sha Fo's expression shifted slightly. Holding the Seven Treasures Wonderful Branch, with his own cultivation far superior to Bore Ruo’s—and having personally taught Bore Ruo all his Buddhist divine abilities—he was truly losing face by being unable to subdue him.

With a cold snort, Sheng Sha Fo suddenly spat a mouthful of blood onto the Seven Treasures Wonderful Branch.

The seven-colored radiance of the branch flared intensely, and the phantom image of a Daoist slowly manifested upon the wood. Immense pressure spread out in all directions, instantly enveloping the entire Twin Tree Garden. Mohe was overwhelmed by this pressure, shivering as he collapsed to his knees, as if hundreds of mountains were crushing his head. Despite his furious roars and curses, he could not straighten his body.

Bore Ruo’s figure gradually became clearer within the seven-colored light, his face contorting. His hands rapidly shifted through ear-seals, and the phantom Sumeru Mountain above his body sent out streams of golden light, causing the surrounding void to subtly ripple.

However, enhanced by a drop of Sheng Sha Fo’s vital essence blood, the Seven Treasures Wonderful Branch suddenly unleashed transcendent divine power. Despite Bore Ruo employing all his strength to resist, even converting all his allocated power of faith into the Immovable Buddha Light to shield himself, he was still drawn into the Twin Tree Garden by the seven-colored light released by the branch.

Cold sweat trickled down Sheng Sha Fo’s face. As Bore Ruo’s physical body was entirely transferred into the Twin Tree Garden, Sheng Sha Fo’s body suddenly swayed a few times, staggering backward several steps. He smiled bitterly, constantly muttering the words, "Power of faith, four words."

The light on the Seven Treasures Wonderful Branch completely faded, and the Daoist phantom vanished. The immense pressure instantly dispersed.

Bore Ruo, who had been lying on his side, slowly stood up. He surveyed his surroundings, a flash of golden light crossing his eyes. After studying the scene carefully, he focused on Mohe.

Mohe straightened up, clearly annoyed, roaring in exasperation, "Stop looking around! I’m your biological brother. Hey, don't look too closely with those Dharma Eyes. I'm not wearing any underwear today; you won't see any patterns even if you stare harder!"

Bore Ruo nodded, offering a wry smile. "You are Mohe. That's right. Even if a Heavenly Demon were impersonating someone, they would still wear underwear!"

Mohe was immediately incensed by this remark, jumping up eight chi high and roaring, "What do you mean? What do you mean by 'even if a Heavenly Demon were impersonating someone, they would still wear underwear'? Does that mean I’m worse off than a Heavenly Demon?"

Bore Ruo maintained a straight face and ignored Mohe, proceeding to form the Treasure Vase Seal with his own hands. He released a beam of golden divine thunder, blasting it toward the lush Bodhi tree on the left. With a muffled thud, the lightning exploded. The Bodhi tree, teeming with vibrant life energy, was blasted into splinters. Fire from the lightning scorched the trunk, leaving only a charred stump standing on the grass.

As this tree withered and died, the other, withered Bodhi tree suddenly sprang back to life like an old tree gaining spring. It rapidly sprouted countless green branches. Tender green leaves emerged from these new branches. Crystalline dewdrops rolled on the leaves, accompanied by faint, fragmented chants. The dewdrops scattered, falling onto the grass.

In the blink of an eye, the formerly withered Bodhi tree became vibrant and lush with foliage, and countless Bodhi seeds hung among the green leaves.

The scattered dewdrops carried boundless vitality. The fine grass beneath the tree began to grow wildly. The Tuochen spiritual grass, which usually grew only one centimeter over a thousand years, suddenly shot up to twenty zhang high.

Observing all this, Bore Ruo sighed deeply, "What a profound Life-and-Death Zen technique. Who are you, sir?"

Sheng Sha Fo watched Bore Ruo quietly, just as Bore Ruo gazed at him. After staring at each other for a moment, Mohe couldn't help but interrupt, "Who else could this old immortal be? Look at that wrinkled, old hide of a face—don't you recognize it? Hey, it’s the old immortal who forced us to run naked on Mount Everest when we were kids, calling it ascetic practice!"

Bore Ruo said calmly, "What the naked eye perceives is merely illusion."

Sheng Sha Fo nodded with satisfaction, "Good, good. At least one of my two sons has awakened his mind. Bore Ruo, you are much better than Mohe. Why is that fellow so dense? He dares to falsely claim paternity just based on my face?"

Bore Ruo squinted in thought, remaining silent, while Mohe was so enraged his three corpses leaped in chaos. He bounded eight chi high, pointing at Sheng Sha Fo and roaring furiously, "Spitting out hypocritical nonsense! Me falsely claiming paternity? Damn it, you old immortal—"

Pointing at Sheng Sha Fo, Mohe rushed forward in a fit of rage, spitting saliva and cursing wildly. As he closed the distance, Mohe shouted provocatively, "Come on, let's see whose father is whose! Hey, good boy, if you manage to beat me down, I’ll call you Grandpa!"

Sheng Sha Fo’s old face flushed red with anger from Mohe’s torrent of crude language. His body trembled uncontrollably.

Suddenly, Mohe was right in front of Sheng Sha Fo and struck instantly.

In an instant, Mohe’s speed reached its absolute peak. His left hand clamped down onto Sheng Sha Fo’s right palm, his five fingers like iron bars locking Sheng Sha Fo’s hand, preventing his right arm, which held the Seven Treasures Wonderful Branch, from moving. His right hand clenched into a fist, accompanied by a mighty lion's roar, swirling up a dense cloud of death energy as it barreled toward Sheng Sha Fo’s chest.

Mohe’s physical body was incredibly strong and his speed supreme. Sheng Sha Fo’s Zen techniques were profound, and his magic power deep, yet his physical body was not skilled in body cultivation techniques.

He hadn't even clearly seen Mohe’s movements before Mohe’s right fist landed on his chest—thirty-six thousand rapid punches exploded like an avalanche.

The dense death energy surged into Sheng Sha Fo’s body, but it was completely absorbed by a much more powerful and dense mass of death energy within him. To other beings, this death energy meant instant death, but for Sheng Sha Fo, it was rich nourishment.

However, more than half of the force from those thirty-six thousand punches came from Mohe’s own hard-won, boundless brute strength, augmented by the innate, invincible divine might inherited from the Outer Realm Innate Great Sage. Because the punches landed almost simultaneously, the force of thirty-six thousand strikes erupted nearly at the same moment. This immediately shattered Sheng Sha Fo’s ribs, causing his chest cavity to cave in into a deep, continuous hollow.

Sheng Sha Fo vomited blood, his body sent flying backward by the heavy blows. But his right hand was still trapped in Mohe’s left grasp. As his body flew back, Mohe violently yanked him forward. In a textbook grappling move, Mohe wrapped his arms around Sheng Sha Fo’s shoulders and neck, then shot up in a streak of black light, carrying Sheng Sha Fo aloft. In an instant, they rocketed to the height limit of this small world—a hundred li altitude—and then Mohe suddenly spun, twisting with Sheng Sha Fo in a whirlwind, driving him straight down toward the ground. In the blink of an eye, Mohe’s speed reached the structural limit of this space. The next instant, Mohe bent his body, driving both knees forcefully into Sheng Sha Fo’s back, pinning him down as they plummeted.

The vast, hundred-li area of the Twin Tree Garden vibrated violently as the ground shook. Sheng Sha Fo was slammed into the earth, sinking three zhang deep.

A chorus of cracking bones erupted. Sheng Sha Fo’s entire skeleton shattered, muscle and bone ground into powder, and his internal blood vessels burst. Golden blood sprayed out continuously.

Mohe circled effortlessly back to Bore Ruo’s side, throwing his head back and roaring with triumphant laughter three times.

"Bald donkey, just what are you? Wearing our own father's face, you expect us to recognize you as a father for no reason? Do you really think I, Mohe, am stupid or a fool?"

Mohe laughed proudly, "From the moment I entered this damned place, you fell right into my trap! I acted so rude, so barbaric, so unreasonable—did you think I was easy to deal with? So you put all your caution on my elder brother?"

After laughing triumphantly toward the heavens, a magnificent radiance flashed across Mohe’s body. A tailor-made, splendid formal suit suddenly covered him. On his previously bald head appeared a thick, dense wig of black hair. Holding a single red rose between his fingers, Mohe elegantly and profoundly brought it to his nose for a gentle sniff. Every movement was the picture of a noble young master from a prestigious family.

"Actually, I am a highly competent actor!" Mohe said deeply, his voice husky and magnetic, "In truth, my real identity is the Chief Protocol Officer of the Yafike Royal Palace. Someone as low-key as myself naturally wouldn't display an air of aristocratic gentility without reason just to boost my status. All my actions just now were a disguise, my camouflage."

Bore Ruo shook his head helplessly and let out a deep sigh.

Sheng Sha Fo’s nearly pulverized body suddenly straightened up from the deep pit. A forced smile stretched across his terribly mangled face. He nodded toward Mohe, praising him, "A scholar's worth is revealed after a brief separation—you are indeed different from before."

Faint golden light surged from within Sheng Sha Fo’s body. His shattered form rapidly healed; broken bones quickly reassembled. His muscle tissue and blood vessels, which had been reduced to mere paste, rapidly restored to their original state. His newly formed skin was as white and tender as that of a girl of sixteen. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Sheng Sha Fo’s physical body was perfectly repaired. However, his appearance had transformed into that of a handsome, dashing young monk.

He clasped his hands together in a salute to Banruo and Mohe, and the resurrected Shengsha Buddha, his youth restored, said calmly, "You've actually learned to wear different faces for different people, to cloak your true self with rudeness and savagery. You've matured, Mohe!"

Mohe stared coolly at the Shengsha Buddha and stated flatly, "Stop the nonsense. Who are you, and what do you want? Don't think you're so great just because you have a Seven Treasure Wonderful Tree! This place is our territory!"

With a wave of his hand, a purplish-gold Vajra Pestle materialized beside Mohe.

Banruo let out a cold, dismissive laugh. A burst of golden flame erupted beside him, and an identical purplish-gold Vajra Pestle appeared there as well.

These two Vajra Pestles were part of the set of Innate Supreme Treasures gifted to Gu Xichen by the Immortals of Kunlun back in the day, which Gu Xichen later gave to Banruo and Mohe. A few months ago, after Gu Xichen achieved sainthood, he had captured Banruo and Mohe and reforged the two Vajra Pestles using the Heavenly Dao Laws he had comprehended.

Given Gu Xichen’s level of artifact refinement skill and his current power as a Saint, the compatibility between the Vajra Pestles and Banruo and Mohe had reached a perfect state. Furthermore, Gu Xichen had painstakingly overhauled the formations and restrictions within the pestles, making them smoother and more potent, thus greatly amplifying their power.

In the preceding months, Xin Long'er and the others had continuously expanded their followers in the mortal realm, channeling a massive amount of faith power that Gu Xichen had distributed to Banruo and Mohe. The two brothers injected a portion of this faith power into the Vajra Pestles, transforming them from their original black hue into a dazzling purplish-gold, granting them peerless might. Moreover, due to the faith energy, their application had gained several times the subtle profundity.

As the two Vajra Pestles emerged, dense waves of vital energy and deathly aura rippled forth, subtly managing to suppress the fluctuating power emanating from the Seven Treasure Wonderful Tree. The ground of the Twin Tree Garden cracked inch by inch, only to immediately heal the next inch. The Wither and Flourish Trees acted as if they were convulsing, suddenly withering then instantly turning lush green. The intent of life and death shifted so rapidly that the two Bodhi trees were tormented, dying and reviving repeatedly, scattering the ground with fallen Bodhi leaves, some withered, some vibrant green.

Even the climate within the Twin Tree Garden took on bizarre transformations. One moment the sun blazed high, the next, heavy snow drifted down. In the span of a short cup of tea, the four seasons inverted dozens of times. Intense cold and searing heat cycled constantly, merging with the life-killing synergy of Banruo and Mohe’s Shengsha Hu (Life-Death Gate), transforming into an invisible inner force that surged toward Shengsha Buddha’s body.

Shengsha Buddha held a branch of the Seven Treasure Wonderful Tree, his hands clasped, chanting the Golden Net Sutra. Regardless of the external environmental chaos, the three zhang around him remained perfectly calm, completely untouched by any anomaly.

Staring coldly at Banruo and Mohe, Shengsha Buddha growled in a low voice, "I am your biological father."

Banruo remained silent, but Mohe scoffed and shook his head mockingly, "Have you forgotten that we’ve already switched bodies?"

The brothers glanced at each other. A pair of white wings suddenly unfurled behind Banruo, slowly flapping just like the black wings behind Mohe. This movement stirred up life and death energy that was ten times more concentrated, swirling in the void and constantly coalescing into fist-sized, shining black-and-white vortexes of energy.

Shengsha Buddha let out a cold laugh. He said calmly, "Do you think your current bodies came to you for nothing? Do you truly believe you could so easily usurp the flesh of the Twin Saints of Life and Death?"

The branch of the Seven Treasure Wonderful Tree flickered, and Shengsha Buddha roared sharply, "Do you recall when you were seven and I drew a significant amount of your vital blood?"

A beam of seven-colored Buddha light swept across, and an illusion suddenly appeared.

In a barren rock cave in the Great Snow Mountain, Banruo and Mohe, clad in tattered rags, huddled together, trembling as they endured the biting cold. The illusory Banruo and Mohe were only seven years old but already had the appearance of boys aged thirteen or fourteen.

The gaunt, corpse-like Shengsha Buddha suddenly walked in from outside the cave. Without a word, he pulled out a purplish-gold alms bowl and a golden knife. With a swift stroke, he sliced open the brothers' wrists and drained nearly half the blood from their bodies before taking out two pitch-black pills, crushing them, and sprinkling the powder onto their wounds.

Banruo and Mohe looked at each other; they remembered the incident. They had been terrified that time, thinking Shengsha Buddha had gone mad and suddenly developed a taste for human blood. Only afterward did they realize that Shengsha Buddha had only taken their blood, but its destination remained unknown.

The illusion then showed Shengsha Buddha rushing toward Mount Everest with the purplish-gold alms bowl held high. In a few leaps, he reached the Earth’s highest peak and tossed the bowl toward the sky.

A seven-colored Buddha light tore through the void and swept down, snatching the alms bowl.

The light and shadow shifted, revealing the purplish-gold bowl being drawn into the Tree of Many Jewels and carried into the Talaśā deva realm, landing eventually in the hands of Shengsha Buddha in the Abyss of No Return. The old monk uttered a mantra, and the alms bowl instantly vanished.

When it reappeared, the purplish-gold bowl was cradled in the hands of a stick-thin Daoist wearing a Daoist robe, his hair tied into two buns adorned with two red flowers. The Daoist held the bowl, murmured an incantation, and then spat out a mouthful of golden, purplish-tinged blood that merged into the alms bowl.

The Daoist performed a few mudras over the bowl before casually tilting it.

The light flickered, and suddenly, the ancient battlefield appeared—the scene where Gu Xichen encountered the twin brothers, the alien Innate Great Saints, and seized their bodies.

The twin brothers lay quietly asleep deep within the rock strata. But abruptly, a stream of golden blood enveloped in three thousand li of purple energy rained down upon them, entirely absorbed by their flesh without a single drop wasted.

Banruo and Mohe shuddered in horror, but Shengsha Buddha calmly explained, "The bodies of those Innate Great Saint brothers were infused and transformed by your vital blood. Furthermore, the Bodhisattva Zhunti himself intervened, mixing a mouthful of his own Saintly Blood into the mixture to maximize the strengthening of those two physical forms, making them suitable for the lodging of your two souls."

He laughed coldly. "If a Saint hadn't intervened from behind the scenes, do you think the two of you, with only remnant souls, could have occupied such powerful bodies?"

The brothers exchanged a look and fell silent.

Shengsha Buddha spoke in a cold tone, "These two bodies have been tempered by your vital blood, making them fundamentally your true forms. And since you two are the direct offspring of Laozi, these bodies were formed from his vital blood. How can you deny me as your true father?"

After a long silence, Banruo said solemnly, "If you want us to acknowledge your identity, open your sarira core. Allow me to use the Great Freedom Divine Light to fully examine your true soul within, otherwise—"

Shengsha Buddha smiled faintly and whispered, "Good, good!"

With a casual palm strike to the back of his head, a bright light shot out from Shengsha Buddha’s crown. Nine sarira cores, each the size of a basin, soared into the sky, spinning slowly in the void. All nine sarira cores possessed a half-black, half-white luster, with beams of black and white light fiercely intertwined around them. Wherever the black light landed, vegetation turned to ash; wherever the white light swept, even the ashes of the vegetation instantly sprouted new life.

Banruo let out a long cry, and a golden light banner suddenly surged from above his head. This banner was entirely condensed from faith power. Due to insufficient faith power and Banruo’s insufficient mastery, the banner was only three tiers high. From top to bottom, these tiers displayed the Buddhist treasures of a vase, a sarira, and a dharma wheel. Floating at the very top was a single sarira that illuminated ten thousand li, its body radiating auspicious clouds and light that shot straight into the high heavens.

Slowly sitting cross-legged on the ground, Banruo cast a cold glance at Shengsha Buddha and casually pointed at the banner above his head.

That sarira suddenly released a beam of bright, dazzling purple divine light, as clear as water, which sprinkled upon the nine sarira cores of Shengsha Buddha. Shengsha Buddha’s body convulsed, and two streaks of blood slowly flowed down from the outer corners of his eyes.

Banruo’s Great Freedom Divine Light was his innate divine ability, coalescing all his spiritual wisdom. It possessed the wondrous effect of illuminating everything and returning it to its origin.

Even though Shengsha Buddha cooperated fully, willingly opening all the restrictions and defenses of his sarira cores to expose everything about himself, the Great Freedom Buddha Light entering his cores was still like a steel knife piercing flesh, causing considerable damage to his divine soul, hence the blood flowing from his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Banruo retracted his innate divine light and slowly exhaled a long breath.

He lowered the light banner above his head and told Mohe calmly, "He is indeed our father. The Shengsha Buddha, the ascetic monk of the Himalayas, is a manifestation of his vital essence and divine soul cast into human reincarnation. He is no different from the original."

As he spoke, Banruo respectfully knelt before Shengsha Buddha.

Although the brothers harbored great doubts about Shengsha Buddha’s identity initially, once it was confirmed, Banruo’s honest and simple nature forbade him from showing any further disrespect.

Mohe hesitated, unwilling to kneel. He muttered under his breath, "A manifestation? Are we born from a manifestation forcing itself upon a woman? Why do I feel like our birth is illegitimate? A manifestation? What does the main body have to do with us, being born from a manifestation?"

He scratched his head and grumbled angrily, "Can the contents of the manifestation’s two 'meat eggs' be the same as the contents of the main body’s two 'meat eggs'? Same genetic makeup? Damn, are we just clones? Test-tube babies? Cyborgs? I feel like there’s something very wrong with our status!"

Shengsha Buddha chuckled, looking at Mohe. He said in a gentle voice, "There will be no problems, the..." (The text here seems corrupted/untranslatable, so it is omitted as per instruction on not adding explanations).

Mohe still hesitated to kneel, but Banruo tugged hard on his sleeve. Mohe reluctantly knelt down and bowed his head toward Shengsha Buddha in resignation. After several kowtows, Mohe finally sighed toward the heavens, "Just tell us, old man, what do you want from us? Hehe, you used to sneak around like you were having a secret affair to teach us Buddhist techniques. Why the grand public appearance this time?"

Banruo calmly explained, "I can tell you about this. Father just exposed his sarira core, allowing me to sift through all the memories in his divine soul. I know what he wants us to do."

Mohe looked at Banruo curiously and nodded.

Banruo smiled faintly and spoke a few sentences.

Mohe was startled. He suddenly jumped up, pointed at Shengsha Buddha, and roared, "Bullshit! I would never do something like that! I absolutely refuse! Damn it, old man, besides shooting out a bit of protein and amino acids through your manifestation, and impregnating a woman you forcibly abducted to give birth to us, what else have you done for us brothers?"

Stomping his feet in anger, Mohe kicked the kneeling Banruo, roaring, "I won't do it, and Banruo won't do it! Nobody will help you commit such an act that is either anus-less at birth or has seven or eight anuses! Old man, if you want to do this, go do it yourself!"

Shengsha Buddha watched Mohe without changing expression, stating calmly, "You know I don't have the capability to do it myself!"

Mohe laughed triumphantly, "I knew you couldn't do it! If your master behind you showed up, maybe! Hahaha! If you can't do it, you can't do it. I won't help you! Banruo, let's go! Hey, little nun Qingyin is waiting for me to buy her a swimsuit!"

He tugged hard on Banruo, then stopped, confused. "Let's go! What are you doing?"

Banruo stood rooted to the spot as if his feet had grown into the ground. He looked faintly at Mohe and said softly, "Our mother is no ordinary person. She is the reincarnation of a Heaven Maiden who served the Buddha in the Western Pure Land. She is currently in the hell within that cosmic lightning, enduring all manner of torture."

After a moment of silence, Mohe sneered at Banruo, "What are you trying to say?"

Banruo stated calmly, "We must accumulate merit to atone for Mother’s sins, rescue her from hell, and spare her the eternal suffering!"

Mohe suddenly laughed, shaking his head, "That woman?"

Banruo shouted sternly, "She is our birth mother!"

Mohe roared back, "So what? Did she do anything besides give birth to us?"

Mohe bellowed, word by word, "Do you even know what that shameless, old bald donkey wants you to do?"

Mohe jumped and roared, "That's right, he and that woman conceived us, but what else did they do besides that? Ah ha, that woman is the reincarnation of a Heaven Maiden? Even better! They’re clearly using us as tools! Don’t you understand?"

Banruo also roared back, "I know, but I also know that our biological mother is suffering in hell! She took on the sins of the entire Roman people alone, shouldered the entire burden of sin from their Mother Goddess, and is now suffering because of that monstrous wickedness!"

Mohe was so enraged he felt like vomiting blood. He shrieked angrily, "Wake up! She’s the reincarnation of a Heaven Maiden. If this wasn't a deliberate scheme, how could she possibly carry the sins of the entire Roman race? Damn it, all the Romans are annihilated, their souls scattered! What sins does she still need to carry?"

Banruo took a deep breath and calmly said, "When all the Romans were scattered, the two Saints intervened and saved their souls. But they bear great karmic debts, and their souls are destined to suffer endless torment. Our mother, with her compassionate heart, took on all their sins by herself."

Mohe laughed mockingly, shaking his head, "Compassionate heart? A heart specifically designed to plot against her own sons? Can't you see it yet? All of this is a trap set by those two Buddhist Saints! They’ve been scheming for years just to ensnare us! Are you still not getting it?"

Tears mixed with blood streamed from Banruo’s eyes. He said weakly, "Even so, I must rescue her first. Then, I will find other ways!"

Mohe brought his Vajra Pestle down directly onto Banruo’s chest, shattering his ribs, causing him to spew blood and fly backward for dozens of li.

Mohe stared coldly at Banruo, shaking his head, "You want to find other ways? If you do this, you will betray all your brothers! What other ways could you possibly find?"

"Knowing clearly that this is someone’s elaborate trap, you still want to dive headfirst into it for the sake of so-called familial affection, and in the name of kinship, betray your brothers!"

"I despise you, Banruo! I never thought you were such a weak and incompetent coward!"

"For the sake of a kinship you’ve never truly known, you’re going to betray the brothers you’ve risked your lives with for so many years!"

"What the hell is inside your head?"

Mohe shrieked hoarsely. But Banruo slowly stood up, also holding his Vajra Pestle.

"What’s in my head is brains!"

Banruo delivered the cold remark with an expressionless face.

He said calmly, "I know what I am doing! I know what I need to do!"

Looking coldly at Mohe, Banruo sighed deeply, "Have you forgotten how you cried when we missed Mother in our childhood?"

Mohe was silent for a long time, then blood erupted simultaneously from all seven of his orifices.

A surge of resentment raged uncontrollably within him, a grievance that could not be vented, nearly causing Mohe’s body to explode.

He glared at Banruo, shaking his head repeatedly.

"You cannot do this. I will not let you do this! I'll go tell the brothers immediately to be wary of these bald donkeys scheming!"

Mohe laughed coldly and turned to leave.

As he walked, Mohe sneered, "Banruo, if you actually do that, you and I are no longer brothers!"

Shengsha Buddha silently blocked Mohe’s path, smiling genially, "Mohe, why don't you stay? Let us properly enjoy some father-son time!"

Mohe's crimson eyes fixed deadly on Shengsha Buddha. After a very long silence, he finally sneered, "I am your real father!"

Shengsha Buddha’s expression changed. Mohe had already raised his Vajra Pestle to smash down on Shengsha Buddha’s head.

With a deafening crash, Banruo's Vajra Pestle arrived just behind, powerfully blocking Mohe’s strike.

The brothers’ figures shuddered violently, then, without uttering a word, they began a desperate battle in the small Twin Tree Garden.

The energies of Life and Death, within this Twin Tree Garden, became demarcated as never before.

It was as if they had never been together. (To be continued)