The Golden Three-Eyed Beast looked at Zhang Yang in disbelief. It knew that its husband had already achieved the Great Perfection stage, meaning he must have formed an inner core, and combined with his vital blood essence, his entire body was a treasure. Yet, Zhang Yang spoke of helping him be interred, which meant Zhang Yang was completely giving up on obtaining the vital blood essence and inner core from the Three-Eyed Beast, allowing it a whole corpse. This undoubtedly brought considerable solace to its heart.

Zhang Yang nodded. It was not easy for this grey-white Three-Eyed Beast to reach the Great Perfection stage, and its devotion in protecting the Golden Three-Eyed Beast had already moved him. He truly had no intention of taking anything from this Great Perfection Three-Eyed Beast.

"Roar..."

With a low growl, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast seemed to offer a bitter smile. It took one last, lingering look at the grey-white Three-Eyed Beast, which stood protectively before it even in death. It extended its tongue and meticulously licked the bloodstains from the other's face. Finally, it suddenly bit down upon the forehead of the grey-white Three-Eyed Beast.

"What is it doing!"

Master Shiming was startled by this sight; the Golden Three-Eyed Beast's intention was painfully clear.

Zhang Pinglu gazed at the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, falling into silence.

Zhang Yang merely shook his head watching it, and even the Three Great Spirit Beasts—Shadowless Lightning, Swift Wind—turned their heads away, unable to bear watching further.

When the Golden Three-Eyed Beast withdrew from the grey-white Three-Eyed Beast, the third eye on the latter's forehead had become a bloody cavity; its third eye was now in the mouth of the Golden Three-Eyed Beast.

"Human, since I promised to give you our third eye, I will never go back on my word. I believe my husband, even if alive, would act similarly. You can rest assured, this eye will not lose its efficacy while in my possession. When you need it, I will naturally hand it over to you."

The Golden Three-Eyed Beast slowly retreated to the side. It turned its head, and a surge of energy entered Zhang Yang's mind, conveying its message.

Zhang Yang himself understood that to concoct the Three-Eyed Elixir, one had to immediately carve out the third eye upon killing a Three-Eyed Beast and begin preparing the medicine instantly. After fifteen minutes, the medicinal properties of that eye would dissipate, rendering the resulting Elixir useless.

But now, this Golden Three-Eyed Beast actually possessed a method to preserve the efficacy of the third eye—which was, naturally, the best possible outcome.

Nodding to the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, Zhang Yang made no excuses. Then, with the assistance of the Elder Zhang Pinglu and Master Shiming, he dug a large pit beside the underground lake and buried the grey-white Three-Eyed Beast, allowing it to rest in peace.

Afterward, Master Shiming specifically chanted the Sutra of Rebirth once more before the grave of the grey-white Three-Eyed Beast.

Having completed all this, Master Shiming pressed his palms together, uttered a Buddhist invocation, and turned to Zhang Yang, asking, "Benefactor Zhang, what are your plans now?"

Zhang Yang looked up at the golden, inverted peach tree above. The cyan fruit among the branches showed signs of premature ripening due to the earlier battle, but it was still unripe and not ready for picking.

"Benefactor Zhang, I think you have misunderstood. Our Shaolin Temple is also willing to forgo the contention for the Ten-Thousand-Year Flat Peach this time."

Seeing Zhang Yang gaze toward the Ten-Thousand-Year Flat Peach, Master Shiming immediately spoke up.

"Forgo?"

Zhang Pinglu overheard this and found it hard to believe. The attraction of the Ten-Thousand-Year Flat Peach was the same for all Great Perfection cultivators. Li Jianyi and Hua Feitian had given up on it purely out of necessity. Now, the only ones qualified to contest it with the Medical Sage Zhang Family were Master Shiming; yet, Master Shiming was voluntarily abandoning it, which completely baffled him.

Master Shiming nodded. He understood clearly that the Medical Sage Zhang Family had suffered such a great loss and would not give up on this mature Ten-Thousand-Year Flat Peach.

Once the Zhang Family obtained the peach, it was foreseeable that Zhang Yang would become the first cultivator in China in several hundred years to ascend to the fifth layer. Since Shaolin could not oppose him, they must forge an even closer bond with him before he reached that level, leaving no room for any lingering doubts.

"Master Shiming's willingness to let go of the Ten-Thousand-Year Flat Peach earns my admiration. I thank you again, Master Shiming," Zhang Yang said, cupping his hands in a salute. The gloom that had long shadowed his face finally broke into a smile. Since Master Shiming was so magnanimous, the slight resentment Zhang Yang had felt over his bystander status during the battle vanished along with it.

Watching Zhang Yang smile, Master Shiming suddenly felt a brief moment of disorientation.

Let go?

Master Shiming involuntarily recalled Li Jianyi of the Li Family (Great Perfection), Hua Feitian of the Hua Family (Great Perfection), Zhang Hefeng of Wudang (Great Perfection), Zhou Gu of the Zhou Family (Great Perfection), and Di Wanfang of the Demonic Sect (Great Perfection). Were the fates they met not precisely because they could not relinquish their desire for this Ten-Thousand-Year Flat Peach, nor their underlying selfish urges?

They were Great Perfection experts, Guardians, possessing immense power, but they also bore tremendous responsibility. No Great Perfection master could afford any mishap. Given their current plight, how would they protect their families and sects in the future?

And Zhang Yang, was he not rewarded precisely because he chose to relinquish the benefits of taking from the Great Perfection Three-Eyed Beast? Instead, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast voluntarily offered to remove and preserve its husband's third eye for him, solving the problem of its efficacy fading.

Upon realizing this, Master Shiming broke into a peaceful, gentle smile and reaffirmed his statement to Zhang Yang and Zhang Pinglu.

"Indeed, our Shaolin Temple will also forgo contending with the Medical Sage Zhang Family for the Ten-Thousand-Year Flat Peach this time."

This statement came from the depths of his heart; he had truly cast aside the temptation of the peach and completely abandoned the pursuit.

"Master Shiming, do you truly represent Shaolin in giving up the fight for this Ten-Thousand-Year Flat Peach?"

Even Zhang Pinglu couldn't help but ask again. At this moment, both he and Zhang Yang were severely weakened, while Master Shiming was the most powerful person present. If he truly desired the peach, no one here could stop him.

"Yes, I relinquish, I let go," Master Shiming affirmed with a gentle smile, believing he had never been clearer about his own words than at this moment.

After saying this, Master Shiming suddenly stood perfectly still. The smile on his face appeared profoundly serene. If previously Master Shiming gave the impression of a Maitreya Buddha, now, he felt as if he was the Maitreya Buddha.

The difference between these two states was vast.

Buddhism teaches: Lay down the butcher's knife, and become a Buddha instantly. Does this not speak precisely to the principle of 'letting go to gain'? In all things, one must first yield to obtain; one cannot always focus on acquiring first. Perhaps many times, if you abandon your obsession, you might receive a greater reward. This was precisely what Master Shiming felt now; by sacrificing external possessions, he had gained this opportunity for spiritual sublimation.

"Master Shiming!"

"Master Shiming!"

Zhang Yang and Zhang Pinglu both looked towards him, their expressions filled with astonishment.

Master Shiming's eyes narrowed into slits, his smile peaceful, standing motionless. A mass of energy was continuously condensing around him. In the suffocating underground space, a strong wind suddenly rose, swirling around him.

"Enlightenment!"

Zhang Yang and Zhang Pinglu exchanged a glance, realizing what was happening to Master Shiming. By forsaking the Ten-Thousand-Year Flat Peach and resisting the temptation of that extraordinary treasure, Master Shiming had grasped another profound truth of Buddhist dharma, triggering this current phenomenon!

Time passed quickly. The wind whipping around Master Shiming grew stronger, and the energy condensed more and more densely. Faint white specks began to appear around him. Though these specks were transparent and few, they had manifested nonetheless.

However, after the faint white specks appeared, they quickly faded back into invisibility. Then, the fierce wind that had been raging gradually subsided, and the energy condensing near Master Shiming diminished as well.

A moment later, everything around Master Shiming returned to normal. It seemed the effect of this enlightenment was far less dramatic than the breakthrough achieved by Zhang Pinglu's previous realization.

"Amitabha!"

Master Shiming recovered from his Maitreya Buddha-like state and immediately looked towards Zhang Yang, bowing deeply in a grand salute.

At this moment, there was no spirit of competition in him; the mere fact of achieving a breakthrough brought him immense joy.

"Master, what is this for!" Zhang Yang was startled and quickly moved to support Master Shiming. After all, Master Shiming was a senior figure of the same generation as Elder Zhang Pinglu, and such a deep bow could not be accepted lightly.

"Thank you, Benefactor Zhang, for allowing my old monk to deepen my understanding of the Dharma. This bow, Benefactor Zhang, you deserve," Master Shiming said, straightening up with a chuckle.

The cultivation of Buddhism always emphasizes cause and effect and karmic affinity. Today, his insight into the Dharma was entirely due to a single comment from Zhang Yang. Master Shiming naturally believed Zhang Yang was worthy of his reverent bow.

"Congratulations, Master Shiming," Zhang Pinglu stepped forward, cupping his hands to congratulate him. They already shared a close personal relationship, and now that Master Shiming had given up the fight for the Ten-Thousand-Year Flat Peach, Zhang Pinglu sincerely wished him well on his breakthrough.

"Benefactor Zhang, mutual joy," Master Shiming replied to Zhang Pinglu with a smile. He then glanced at Zhang Yang, his meaning perfectly clear: Zhang Yang, having secured the Ten-Thousand-Year Flat Peach, was bound to become the youngest fifth-layer expert in China. In that case, he and Zhang Pinglu shared joy, though his was a small joy, while Zhang Pinglu's was great.

"Hahahaha!"

Zhang Pinglu became excited, realizing the day Zhang Yang would break through to the fifth layer was imminent, seemingly forgetting his own unhealed severe injuries.

"Elder, Master Shiming, for now, we should first return to the Long Family Plain to recuperate and regain our strength."

Zhang Yang looked at the Elder. The Elder's excitement had made him forget his injuries, but Zhang Yang had not. Furthermore, they still needed to help the Golden Three-Eyed Beast protect the small Three-Eyed Beast within her before the peach matured; all of this required returning to the Long Family Plain to prepare the necessary elixirs.