Li Yundong hadn't expected that just as Xu Ling and Xu Kong had fled, Qing Lamu would fix her gaze upon him. Startled, he instantly turned his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

But even with his eyes closed, Li Yundong could still clearly "see" Qing Lamu’s Eye of Death staring intently at him, and numerous undead swarming from the skull-staff in her wrist surged toward him.

Li Yundong’s heart tightened. Just as he braced himself to counter with a powerful hand seal, he heard Duoji Danzeng roar from the side: "True Man Li, you are the King of the Bright Wisdom Kings, the incarnation of Acala, the foremost among them, and the embodiment of the Buddha's wrathful power! Only you, in this world, can subdue and oppose Bandalam! Do not strike—Meiduo will die! Awaken her with the true mantra!"

Li Yundong's heart stirred. He abruptly projected his Yang Shen (Primal Spirit), and the formidable form of Acala, with three heads and six arms, instantly materialized before him.

This manifestation of Acala suddenly appeared, its six hands simultaneously forming three fundamental mudras: the Acala Fundamental Seal, the Amitabha Fundamental Seal, and the Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) Fundamental Seal!

The moment these three fundamental seals were formed, a golden barrier instantly appeared before Li Yundong’s Wisdom King manifestation. Qing Lamu’s released undead struck this golden barrier with a deafening boom, shaking the sacred Mount Kari so violently that the black horde of undead seemed like a chaotic torrent, instantly scattering everywhere, swirling and howling between heaven and earth.

Although Qing Lamu's power was immense, being the power of the undead representing death, it was inherently suppressed by the holy spiritual power of Acala. Furthermore, since Qing Lamu and Acala belonged to the same order of celestial beings, when their powers collided, Qing Lamu immediately shuddered. A flicker of bewildered confusion crossed her furious eyes, as if she couldn't comprehend why this person before her could not be bound by her power.

Seeing the fury in Meiduo’s eyes momentarily pause, Li Yundong immediately formed another great hand seal with both hands—the Thunder Sound Tathagata Great Hand Seal—and roared the true mantra aloud: "Namo! Samanta-buddhanām! Hām! Svāhā!"

The Thunder Sound Tathagata is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas of the Womb Realm, specifically meant to awaken all sentient beings with the roar of thunder, startling them out of delusion so they do not stray or fall into demonic snares.

Li Yundong’s furious roar caused Qing Lamu’s entire body to tremble, and the savage glint in her eyes grew noticeably fainter.

At this moment, Meiduo felt adrift in an endless, boundless darkness, surrounded everywhere by boiling, scorching heat, as if trapped in volcanic lava.

While she felt utterly lost, she suddenly heard a sound echoing faintly from the distant, dark firmament, like the resonance of a morning bell and evening drum, instantly drawing all her attention.

Meiduo looked up towards the direction of the sound in the dark sky, and saw thin threads of light on the distant horizon. Though this light was faint, it brought Meiduo a sensation of coolness and profound peace, chilling her entire body and releasing her from the scorching torment of intense flame she had endured before.

Seeing the malevolence in Qing Lamu's eyes dimming, Li Yundong felt his spirit instantly revive and he shouted loudly: "Meiduo, can you hear me? Meiduo!"

As Li Yundong continued to call out, the terrifying aura of death surrounding Qing Lamu faded further. The undead she had released slowly retreated back into the skull-staff, and the bloody, black water that had polluted the sacred Mount Kari slowly flowed back into the skull-bowl. The terrifying Eye of Death between her eyebrows slowly closed.

Gradually, Qing Lamu’s towering crimson hair settled down, transforming back into smooth, dark locks. Her dark complexion softened, regaining the fair, delicate features of the beautiful Meiduo.

Li Yundong watched as Meiduo gradually recovered. She stood still, eyes closed, her long lashes trembling slightly, like a lotus bud about to bloom.

Overwhelmed with joy and relief, Li Yundong retracted his Yang Shen manifestation, hurried forward, and whispered, "Meiduo? Wake up!"

Meiduo's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. This time, there was no terrifying aura of death within them, only a gaze that was pure and crystal clear.

Meiduo looked at Li Yundong with a slight hesitation, as if dazed. Gazing at him with deep affection, she tentatively asked, "Brother Han, am I... am I still alive?"

Li Yundong was overjoyed, throwing his head back in hearty laughter. He grabbed both of Meiduo’s arms and laughed, "Of course, you are perfectly well!"

As soon as he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and quickly turned to look at Duoji Danzeng beside him. He saw Duoji Danzeng collapsed on the ground, struggling to prop himself up, his chest covered in blood, yet his face held the smile of one who had narrowly escaped death.

Li Yundong immediately rushed to him, his fingers swiftly tapping his chest to stop the bleeding as he carefully examined the wound.

Duoji Danzeng clutched his chest with one hand and chuckled, "It’s nothing, it’s far from the heart; I won't die."

Li Yundong checked and found that the wound passed neatly between the two lobes of his lung, missing the vital organs—it was merely a flesh wound. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, the vital spots weren't hit!"

Duoji Danzeng laughed heartily, "I told you I wouldn't die!" His laugh jarred his wound, causing him to cough up more blood.

Meiduo also leaned over anxiously and concernedly, speaking with a touch of reproach, "Duoji Danzeng, stop talking!"

Duoji Danzeng glanced at Meiduo, his eyes full of reverence. He struggled to move, seeming to attempt to turn over and prostrate himself on the ground. Meiduo immediately placed both hands on his shoulders, exclaiming, "What are you doing? You want to move with an injury like that?"

Duoji Danzeng gasped, managing a weak smile, "Bandalam, I cannot speak to you with such disrespect; this is great irreverence."

Meiduo insisted urgently, "What are you saying? Without you, I would already be dead!"

Duoji Danzeng stubbornly shook his head, saying, "No, my life was long ago dedicated to the Buddha. Protecting you is my duty, and reverence for the divine is even more my responsibility."

Saying this, he tried to turn over again, and a fresh flow of blood spilled from his chest with the movement.

Li Yundong placed one hand on Duoji Danzeng's chest and said sternly, "Master Duoji Danzeng, you are wrong about that! Since you say reverence for the divine is your duty, shouldn't you obey Bandalam when she tells you not to move?"

Duoji Danzeng started: "But..."

Li Yundong continued, "If you feel that Bandalam alone doesn't carry enough weight, then tell me—since you claim I am the reincarnation of Acala—what if I also told you not to move?"

Duoji Danzeng fell silent. He sighed, stopped moving, brought his palms together in prayer, closed his eyes, and began silently chanting scripture.

Seeing that he had persuaded Duoji Danzeng, Li Yundong let out a breath of relief. He looked towards Meiduo and happened to catch her looking back at him. Their gazes met, and they shared a smile.

Meiduo cast a longing glance at Li Yundong, then suddenly averted her eyes with a hint of shyness. Her gaze landed on the bloody corpses of the mountain-guarding Vajras scattered in the snow, and her expression immediately turned sorrowful. She knelt down devoutly, brought her palms together, and began chanting Buddhist scriptures in a low voice.

Li Yundong stood by silently, accompanying her. Only after she finished chanting and stood up did he softly sigh, "They have achieved their desire; they have entered the cycle of reincarnation. I trust they will have a very good next life."

Meiduo’s eyes held a glimmer of sanctity and sorrow. She turned towards the west and whispered softly, "I hope they find happiness in their next lives."

Li Yundong stood beside Meiduo, silent for a moment, before finally asking softly, "Why were you here?"

Meiduo spoke quietly, "After the Celestial Mother made her journey, the Living Buddha returned to the palace to perform the Nine-Section Empowerments of the Vajra Realm and the Womb Realm for me. Then he instructed me to travel to Mount Kari to receive the confirmation of the celestial beings and the divine power of Bandalam. So, I came with the mountain-guarding Vajras."

As she spoke, Meiduo looked sadly at the dead Vajras, sighing, "But I never expected that as soon as we arrived on the mountain, we would encounter those two evil Daoists. They immediately asked where the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus was. Duoji Danzeng told them the Snow Lotus was a sacred treasure of Esoteric Buddhism and they could not take it. Words failed, and a fight broke out."

Li Yundong sighed upon hearing this, "If you hadn't transformed into Qing Lamu, perhaps those two Daoists wouldn't have been driven away... The Golden Body Realm is truly terrifying!"

Meiduo turned her head, her gaze fixed brightly on Li Yundong. She suddenly smiled slightly, like a water lily unfolding, instantly dazzlingly radiant: "The moment I saw you arrive, I felt safe. I knew you could save me."

Hearing this, Li Yundong secretly felt a pang of shame. He thought to himself: It was you who saved me! I really must find a way to obtain the Terrestrial Spirit Elixir, otherwise facing a master of the Golden Body Realm is almost a guaranteed defeat. While the Immeasurable Life Buddha Fundamental Seal is astonishingly powerful, no matter how great the strength, it must actually strike the target! If Qing Lamu hadn't restrained Xu Ling, I never would have been able to hit the incredibly fast Xu Ling.

Li Yundong sighed, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Meiduo, do you know that you... are actually not the true Bandalam?"

Meiduo smiled faintly and whispered, "I know..."

Li Yundong was stunned, "You know? How did you know?"

Meiduo smiled softly, "When the Living Buddha performed the Nine-Section Empowerments of the Vajra and Womb Realms for me, he told me everything."

Li Yundong exclaimed, "But you are clearly not Bandalam, so why would the Living Buddha grant you such profound empowerment?"

Meiduo looked at Li Yundong, her eyes sparkling. For a moment, she instinctively reached out one hand to grasp Li Yundong’s, while placing the other hand over his chest, and whispered softly, "Brother Han, do you know? When I was on the Celestial Dance journey, hearing your voice call me made my heart nearly fly out of happiness. But... but... soon after, the prayer wheel in my arms began to ring..."

Saying this, Meiduo withdrew the hand resting on Li Yundong's chest and touched the prayer wheel at her breast. She softly continued, "I know this is my mission. Since my own people accept me as Bandalam, then I am Bandalam, and I must do something for my people."

Hearing this, Li Yundong couldn't help but feel a rush of emotion: "No wonder some say public opinion is heaven's will! When the people believe you are a god, then regardless of your true identity, you become a god! It was the same for Tsangyang Gyatso; he was originally just a young, ordinary boy, but once he was chosen as the Sixth Dalai Lama, his path was destined to be extraordinary! But, Meiduo..."

Li Yundong looked at Meiduo with great pity and said softly, "Are you truly confident you can walk this path well?"

Meiduo gazed at Li Yundong with devotion and whispered, "At the most unexpected moments of my life, I always seem to encounter you... Brother Han, don't worry, I will certainly walk it well. Because I know that whenever I am in danger, you will appear, won't you?"

Li Yundong couldn't help but sigh internally, thinking: Since ancient times, the concept of 'love' has been the most torturous; it seems this is truly the case now!

Li Yundong smiled and said softly, "Silly girl! You almost threw your precious life away just now! Don't be so quick to risk your life for others anymore, understand?"

This was the first time Meiduo had seen Li Yundong actively show concern for her, and she was moved beyond words. She smiled sweetly and was about to speak when a ray of sunlight suddenly pierced through the overcast, rolling sky.

This shaft of sunlight was incredibly conspicuous against the gloomy heavens. Meiduo looked and immediately froze, then, eyes wide with surprise and joy, she grabbed Li Yundong’s arm and shouted, "Look! Look quickly!"

Li Yundong followed her gaze and saw, illuminated by the sunlight, a snow lotus gently swaying in a crevice of the icy cliff. It was guarded by a few green leaves, its petals entirely white, crystal clear, and exquisitely pure.