Meiduo stared at the Snow Lotus that had suddenly appeared, her eyes filled with surprise. Joyfully, she exclaimed, "Is this the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus? It's the first time I've ever seen one!"

With that, she hurried to the Snow Lotus, gently crouching down, and touched its petals with her hand. She turned her head, beaming at Li Yundong, and said, "I've heard the elders say many times that the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus is the sacred treasure protecting the holy mountain, but no one has ever actually seen it. To see one today is truly a marvel."

Li Yundong gazed steadily at the swaying Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, noticing the snow around it was stained with blood, as if the lotus had bloomed with exceptional, dazzling brilliance after absorbing human life.

Li Yundong sighed deeply, "Many people have died for this Thousand-Year Snow Lotus!"

Meiduo stood up as well, pressed her palms together in prayer, and recited a quiet scripture. She let out a soft breath and murmured, "Indeed. The elders always said that although the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus is a sacred object, it is also an ominous one; every time it appears, it stirs up a storm of bloodshed."

Li Yundong remained silent. Recalling the events that had just transpired, a wave of lingering fear washed over him. If not for a series of fortunate coincidences, he might well have fallen to the machinations of the Lingkong Dual Daoists. Moreover, while Daoist Xuling seemed arrogant and reckless, his strength was no joke; it was the first time Li Yundong had truly comprehended the terrifying might of the Golden Body Realm.

Although he was unmatched in the Yang Spirit Realm, masters of the Golden Body Realm were far beyond his current capability to confront. In a direct clash, setting aside magical artifacts and techniques, a Golden Body master, relying solely on their formidable protective golden shell, was guaranteed an unassailable position.

As the saying goes in warfare, strategy demands one consider defeat before victory. When a Golden Body master faces a Yang Spirit master, there is simply no need to contemplate failure, because no matter how powerful the Yang Spirit master is, they cannot breach the protective golden body of the Golden Body master!

In such a confrontation, one side is hampered by caution, dreading even a single blow landing, while the other acts without restraint, charging headlong. How could the former possibly win?

The Yang Spirit and Golden Body Realms are separated by only a single tier, yet the gulf between them is immense!

Ever since Su Chan was taken from him by Ao Wushuang last time, Li Yundong had felt his own weakness, insufficient to protect those around him. Yet, as his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds, advancing like a thousand miles in a day, he had been victorious in every battle, even overcoming opponents stronger than himself through cunning.

But once a cultivator ascends to the Golden Body Realm, defeating a superior opponent becomes an unattainable myth. Once the gap between the Yang Spirit and Golden Body is established, it becomes an impassable chasm, a gulf no artifact or spell can bridge.

This is the principle of overwhelming force overcoming all finesse!

"I must reach the Golden Body Realm..." Li Yundong murmured to himself, especially when he recalled how Xukong, upon his final escape, would rather blind himself than let his senior martial brother be captured. Such decisive, almost brutal resolve displayed by an enemy was profoundly unsettling.

Thinking of this, Li Yundong’s mind drifted to Yan Fang, and a knot of worry tightened in his chest. The enemies multiply. Before, having just one hidden threat like Yan Fang lurking in the shadows was enough to cause sleepless nights. Now, with the Lingkong Dual Daoists of the Vacuum Cult added to the fray—and one of them a Golden Body master! I wonder how severe Xuling's injuries are. How badly did my Great Hand Seal damage him? If he's hurt, that's some solace; at least it shows a way to deal with a Golden Body master. If he’s unharmed, that is truly terrifying; none of my spells could harm him. I must reach the Golden Body Realm immediately!

As Li Yundong pondered, Meiduo turned her head slightly, observing his deeply contemplative face.

By this time, Xuling, who had manifested his Golden Body, had departed Mount Karyl. Meiduo had also reverted from her Qinglam form to her true shape. Mount Karyl gradually returned to its quiet tranquility, and the thick, swirling dark clouds overhead slowly dissipated. More and more sunlight pierced through the thinning layers, washing over Li Yundong's cheek, accentuating the striking angles of his handsome, lean face. Especially when Li Yundong turned his head, Meiduo suddenly felt that even though the light shone against him, he seemed to shimmer with a golden aura, as if draped in a golden cassock.

Meiduo's heart fluttered wildly. She thought to herself: No wonder the Living Buddha said the Han brother is the reincarnation of the Ming King. He truly is magnificent... I certainly haven't misjudged my affection!

Li Yundong, oblivious to Meiduo's burgeoning girlish feelings, was deeply preoccupied, agonizing over how to broach the subject of asking for the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus. However, the perceptive Meiduo, having noticed Li Yundong’s gaze linger on the lotus without him speaking, instantly understood. With a bright smile, she crouched down, plucked the Snow Lotus, and held it cradled in her hands before Li Yundong, saying cheerfully, "Han Brother, for you!"

Li Yundong was momentarily stunned. All the eloquent speeches he had prepared vanished without a single word uttered. Even the usually silver-tongued man stammered, "Meiduo, this..."

Meiduo looked at him curiously and laughed, "What's wrong? Isn't this why you came? The Living Buddha said you traveled here specifically for this."

Li Yundong sighed inwardly. He had been afraid that revealing his true motive would upset Meiduo, which made him hesitant to speak. Seeing her cleverness and grace in proactively offering the Snow Lotus filled him with gratitude and emotion. He didn't feign modesty; he carefully accepted the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus with both hands, preparing to tuck it inside his robes. Just as he was about to do so, Meiduo suddenly called out to him.

Meiduo exclaimed, retrieved a snow-white kerchief from her bosom, and gently wrapped the Snow Lotus in it within Li Yundong's palm before smiling, "There, that’s better. This is a treasure of our holy mountain; don't damage it."

Li Yundong looked steadily at Meiduo and couldn't help but ask, "Meiduo, aren't you going to ask me what I need this Thousand-Year Snow Lotus for?"

Meiduo shook her head and smiled, "Why should I know? You certainly won't use such a treasure for evil deeds like those two wicked daoists."

Li Yundong nodded slightly. He said no more, concealing the Snow Lotus within his robes. He then said to Meiduo, "Then let's go. I'll escort you back to Lhasa, alright?"

Meiduo’s face brightened, and she was about to agree, but the words caught in her throat. She glanced at the Guardian Vajra lying on the ground and softly whispered, "I can't. I still need to perform the sky burial rites for the deceased Vajra. It might take a day or two."

Li Yundong hesitated. He had calculated that a round trip to Tibet would take at most two days. But already, three days had passed. With internal turmoil and external threats facing the Fox and Buddha Sect, and having just provoked two such formidable fiends, delaying another day or two, being away for so long, truly made him uneasy!

Meiduo, perceptive of his mood, noticed the lingering worry etched on his brow. She smiled and said, "Han Brother, if you have matters to attend to, you should go ahead. It's alright."

Although Li Yundong felt a degree of relief at Meiduo's understanding, a faint discomfort remained, as if he had committed some transgression. He sighed inwardly and told Meiduo, "Then, Meiduo... I will come back to see you when I have time in the future... alright?"

Though Meiduo outwardly urged Li Yundong to leave, her heart desperately wished he would stay. Hearing him speak of departure caused a sharp pang of pain; she felt close to tears, staring blankly at him, though her face remained smiling. She managed, "Alright, Han Brother. In the future... you must come visit me!"

Li Yundong nodded. After a moment of thought, he added, "Meiduo, if... I mean hypothetically, if one day you were no longer the Bandara... what would you plan to do?"

Meiduo’s heart stirred. Her eyes flickered as she looked at Li Yundong. A bold statement nearly escaped her lips, but she stopped herself. After a moment of hesitation, she ultimately replied with a smile, "If I were no longer the Bandara... well, we can talk about it when you return then."

Li Yundong missed the subtle nuance of her girlish hope. He smiled faintly and said, "Very well then. I must leave now. I will return to see you after a while." With that, he nodded to Meiduo and Dorje Tenzin, then swiftly transformed into a streak of azure light and departed.

Meiduo watched his silhouette vanish into the horizon in an instant. Her body stiffened, and instinctively she reached out a hand, as if to hold onto him, but her hand froze mid-air, becoming rigid, standing there like a statue.

After a long silence, Meiduo's eyes, fixed on the distant sky, began to mist over with tears. Suddenly, she cried out toward the direction Li Yundong had flown, her voice ringing out, "Han Brother, I wanted you to stay! If one day I am no longer the Bandara, I will seek you out—will you keep me?"

Meiduo's shout echoed between Mount Karyl and the heavens. Li Yundong was long gone, and no one could answer her. Only the sky remained cold and silent; the earth, heavy and still.

Dorje Tenzin, standing nearby, sighed quietly to himself, pressing his palms together, murmuring softly, "Amitabha!"

After a long while, Meiduo turned back, wiping away her tears, and forced a smile. "Master Dorje Tenzin, let us go down the mountain."

Just as Meiduo and Dorje Tenzin began their descent, not far from Mount Karyl, Xukong and Xuling were hiding at the foot of a remote peak, tending to their wounds in secret.

Xukong had blinded himself. Though the pain was excruciating, as an accomplished practitioner and a Yang Spirit master, he managed to project his spirit outward, guiding his own paralyzed senior martial brother to an inconspicuous location.

Xuling, after escaping the death gaze of Qinglam, remained rigidly immobilized for a long period. Especially after being struck by Li Yundong’s Immeasurable Life Buddha Primordial Seal, his physical body was severely damaged, leaving him barely able to move.

However, as Xuling gradually shook off the shackles of the death energy, though his flesh was wounded, his meridians and internal organs remained undamaged, and critically, his vital energy continued to flow normally.

Xuling slowly regulated his breath. After some internal adjustment, his bones ground together in a flurry of sound, reminiscent of a marrow cleansing. After about several hours, his form slowly began to revert to its previous short and stout appearance.

After completing his final cycle of energy regulation, Xuling suddenly sprang up and anxiously looked toward his junior martial brother, Xukong.

Although he had been paralyzed by Qinglam’s power, his consciousness had remained clear. He remembered everything that had happened, especially the sight of his junior brother deliberately blinding himself to save him, which filled him with anguish and fury.

Xuling seized Xukong’s shoulder, his gaze filled with rage and shock as he stared at the two bloody, empty sockets where Xukong's eyes had been. He roared, "Junior Brother, I swear I will avenge you!"

After securing a safe spot, Xukong had hidden his Yang Spirit, carefully suppressing his aura, terrified that enemies might find them. Hearing Xuling’s voice, he knew his senior brother had recovered. He cracked a smile and leaned close to Xuling’s ear, whispering a few words.

Xuling instantly exploded in fury. "How can that be allowed! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! I must have this revenge!"

Xukong looked distressed and spoke a few more words into Xuling’s ear.

Xuling’s expression of rage faltered. He suppressed his anger and said, "Then what should we do? Should we just swallow this bitter insult? Humph, that Qinglam creature is terrifying, but that little brat is a soft target. Once I recover my power, I'll gouge out his eyes for you!"

Xukong shook his head and whispered a few more sentences in Xuling's ear.

Xuling paused, then said, "They are allies? Hmm! That’s plausible; it does seem like those people are connected! Damn it! So what if they are allied with the Esoteric Sect? When has our Vacuum Cult ever feared the Esoteric Sect!"

Saying this, Xuling seemed to have a sudden realization, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Junior Brother, why don't we just find the current leader of the Vacuum Cult and kill him? Then we can reorganize the cult ourselves. Then we won't have to fear the Esoteric Sect or Qinglam, and we can finally avenge your blinded eyes!"

================================ Ah, I got home very late, so I quickly scribbled out a chapter. When I tried to upload it, the site had login issues! Also, since I got back so late, I probably won't be able to make up for the missed chapter from yesterday, so regretfully, I've broken my promise... I apologize to every reader. I will strive to make it up tomorrow! Additionally, there will be another chapter later; that will be today's normal second update.