Buddha‑Heart Buddha‑Child let out a turbid breath. Back then, he too had broken through four heaven realms in succession, reaching the mental state of the Sun Palace Prince. When he got to the Marici Heaven Court, he failed to master it, but even so, he was already worthy of being called a Buddha‑Child.
Doesn’t this mean Quinn Shepherd also possesses Buddha-heart, equal to his own?
If Quinn keeps advancing and breaks through the Marici Heaven realm, wouldn’t that mean this demon’s Buddha-heart and Buddha-nature surpass his own?
How could a demon possess more Buddha-nature than a true Buddhist?
They arrived at the Marici Heaven Court. Quinn listened to the sermon, and before long, radiant light began to flicker from his body.
Buddha‑Heart’s mind thundered, leaving him dazed. Quinn, the demon among demons, had actually cultivated all the way to the fifth heaven in one breath—showing the same talent and Buddha-heart as King Ma!
How is that possible?
He’s a demon—a true demon! Demons aren’t supposed to be able to master the Grand Buddha Mahayana Scripture!
Buddha‑Heart Buddha‑Child steadied himself. He was already the highest‑talented, most insightful, and purest Buddha-heart monk Great Thunderclap Temple had seen in a century—yet now, he’d been outdone by a demon.
The group reached the Ghost-Mother Heaven Court. Here, Quinn was finally blocked—he failed to master the sixth heaven of the Grand Buddha Mahayana Scripture.
Buddha‑Heart was utterly shaken—Quinn had pushed straight through to the fifth heaven, a feat worthy of the World‑Honored One himself!
"If he converted to Buddhism, Master would probably choose him as the next World‑Honored One..."
A surge of anxiety and jealousy rose in his heart: "I can't let him become the World‑Honored One’s disciple. The next World‑Honored One must be me!"
Once that thought appeared, it couldn’t be suppressed.
"Buddha‑Child, I heard the Imperial Preceptor of the Everpeace Empire once came here. How many heavens did he master?" Quinn suddenly asked.
Buddha‑Heart Buddha‑Child composed himself and replied, "The Preceptor visited about a century or two ago. The elders here said the World‑Honored One accompanied him, and the Imperial Preceptor comprehended seven heavens in a very short time."
Quinn was startled and shook his head. "No wonder he's a once‑in‑five‑centuries prodigy. I can't compare to that."
Grandpa Mark was also amazed. "The Imperial Preceptor could comprehend seven heavens in one go? Incredible. If he joined Buddhism, he'd be the World‑Honored One; if he joined Dao Gate, he'd be Dao Lord; if he joined your Heavenly Saint Cult, he'd be Holy Cult Master! That kind of talent is truly rare in any age!"
Grandpa Blind couldn’t help but praise, "No wonder Crippled Joe lost a leg to him—he really wasn’t wronged."
Grandpa Mark and Grandpa Blind led them all the way to the top floor of the Tower of the Twenty Mahayana Heavens. Unknowingly, two or three days had passed. Quinn had listened through all twenty heaven realms of the Grand Buddha Mahayana Scripture and had to admit its brilliance—it was no less profound than the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra.
He had no intention of actually cultivating the Grand Buddha Mahayana Scripture, but as the saying goes, stones from other hills can polish jade—the scripture offered him valuable reference.
Buddha‑Heart glanced at Quinn, his eyes flickering. "Cult Master Quinn’s talent isn’t lacking either. Cult Master, I’ve shown you our Grand Buddha Mahayana Scripture—may I, as a humble monk, consult your Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra?"
Quinn pulled out a ball of thread from his Glutton Dragon Pouch and said generously, "Why not? In my cult, anyone can study the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra—even outsiders, it’s no secret."
He pinched the end of the thread and gave it a gentle tug; instantly, countless words surged out, rolling through the air.
Quinn made no attempt to hide anything—he displayed the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra to Buddha‑Heart without reservation.
Buddha‑Heart read the very first line and his face changed dramatically—it clashed completely with Buddhist ideals. As he continued on and reached the Seven Creation Chapters, he frowned again and again. "This is truly a demonic scripture—there’s not a shred of kindness, only evil methods! Cult Master, please put it away; I can't bear to look at this!"
Quinn was surprised, but put the sutra away—it returned to a ball of thread.
Just then, a monk hurried over and whispered something in Buddha‑Heart’s ear. Buddha‑Heart was startled, but quickly regained composure and bowed. "It’s late, sirs. Please return to your meditation chambers and rest."
Grandpa Blind yawned. "We’re guests, so we’ll follow the host’s lead. Quinn, Old Mark, let’s go rest."
The three of them left the tower. Suddenly Grandpa Blind said, "That monk just told Buddha‑Heart—the Crown Prince of the Everpeace Empire has arrived, seeking audience with the World‑Honored One."
Quinn’s heart gave a jolt. The Crown Prince of Everpeace?
Why would the Crown Prince come to Great Thunderclap Temple at a time like this?
He’s seeking audience with the World‑Honored One—what’s his agenda?
Grandpa Blind’s ears twitched. "Buddha‑Heart had a monk escort the Crown Prince to the Grand Buddha Hall, then went to the Thousand‑Buddha Pagoda himself to notify the World‑Honored One. Once inside, I couldn’t hear or see what happened. The World‑Honored One came out and told the monks to do their best—chant mantras and suppress Tyson Li in the pagoda."
Grandpa Mark’s face changed. "How could those monks possibly suppress Tyson Li with just their Buddhist arts? The World‑Honored One is being careless—the thousand Buddhas in the pagoda are dead! Even if the monks use mantras to activate the Buddha bodies, they can’t hold Tyson Li down! Hurry to the Thousand‑Buddha Pagoda, before he escapes!"
The three of them rushed toward the Golden Summit. Quinn lagged behind, passing by his own room and spotting Dragon‑Qilin still snoring away, with an old monk chanting scriptures beside him.
"Fat Dragon!"
Quinn called out, and Dragon‑Qilin instantly woke up, dashing over and leaving the old monk behind. The old monk shouted angrily, "Wretched beast! Not a trace of wisdom in you!"
Quinn leapt onto Dragon‑Qilin’s back. "Top speed! Head for the Golden Summit!"
Dragon‑Qilin grumbled, "Cult Master, you haven’t come back for days. You still owe me a meal."
Quinn shouted, "Get to the Golden Summit—double rations for you!"
Dragon‑Qilin perked up and charged madly toward the Golden Summit.
At the Thousand‑Buddha Pagoda atop the Golden Summit, the preserved bodies of generations of World‑Honored Ones stood within. Outside, monks sat at the eaves, rooftop, and doors, chanting Buddhist mantras to awaken the Buddha‑nature in those bodies.
Inside each body, the mantras took visible form—words like great dragons weaving through the pagoda, pouring into Granny Sue’s brow to suppress and refine Tyson Li’s heart demon.
For days, the World‑Honored One had personally led the monks, using the Buddha‑nature hidden in the bodies of past World‑Honored Ones to suppress and refine Tyson Li. It was working—Tyson Li’s primordial spirit had weakened, and Granny Sue was waking up more and more often.
That’s why he felt safe leaving it to the monks—the pagoda was guarded by so many bodies of past World‑Honored Ones.
But just then, Granny Sue’s eyes turned pitch black. She gave a sinister laugh, and a seductive voice echoed from the pagoda—like a lover’s whisper, it slipped into the monks’ ears and hearts. Instantly, their Buddha‑hearts were thrown into chaos, and demons began to sprout within.
"Hold fast!"
An old monk shouted sternly, "Don’t listen to her voice!"
No sooner had he spoken than a beautiful face peeked out from the pagoda, giving him a lovesick smile. Instantly, a heavenly demon sprouted in the old monk’s Buddha‑heart; the halo behind his head dimmed and he fell from the pagoda.
"This is bad!"
Another old monk chanted a Buddhist name, then—determined not to look at Granny Sue’s face—dug out his own eyes with two fingers. But the seductive laughter still wormed into his ears, scratching at his Buddha‑heart.
Gritting his teeth, the old monk stabbed his fingers into his ears, rupturing his eardrums so he couldn’t hear her voice.
Blood streamed down his head and face as he loudly recited Buddhist scriptures, stirring the bodies of past World‑Honored Ones in the pagoda. Deaf and blind, he neither saw the monks falling nor heard their bodies hit the ground.
Suddenly, he felt a soft, delicate hand—just the right warmth—gently stroking his face and bald head.
The old monk trembled; the Buddha‑light behind his head shattered, and he fell from the Thousand‑Buddha Pagoda.
Quinn urged Dragon‑Qilin onward to the Golden Summit, just in time to see monks tumbling from the pagoda, scattered everywhere. Grandpa Mark and Grandpa Blind shot into the sky, chasing after Granny Sue, who had broken free of the pagoda’s suppression.
The three of them moved so fast they vanished in a blink—even Dragon‑Qilin was left far behind.
Quinn stared blankly. "You guys..."
The Golden Summit was a mess. Grandpa Mark and Grandpa Blind were gone, leaving Quinn alone atop Dragon‑Qilin.
The young man sat dazed for a moment, then muttered, "I wonder if Great Thunderclap Temple will let a Heavenly Demon Cult Master like me leave. Going alone into enemy territory feels awful—no elders to back me up..."
The World‑Honored One had just sat down in the Grand Buddha Hall, barely able to exchange a few words with the Crown Prince, when a monk rushed in: "World‑Honored One, Tyson Li has escaped!"
The World‑Honored One was taken aback, then shook his head. "I underestimated him. I thought a dignified demon cult master would disdain seductive arts—but he had a trick up his sleeve. Since I failed to suppress and refine him, let the Heavenly Demon Cult Master go down the mountain."
The Crown Prince was astonished. "The Heavenly Demon Cult Master is at Great Thunderclap Temple? Is he my court’s Palace Gentleman for Dispersed Affairs, Quinn?"
The World‑Honored One nodded. "It is indeed him."
The Crown Prince was overjoyed. "World‑Honored One, this man is the Heavenly Demon Cult Master—a scourge upon the land! You mustn’t let him go. Why not rid the world of this evil right here on the mountain?"
The World‑Honored One shook his head. "He came seeking my help, so I kept him here. Now that I’ve failed his request, I must let him go—no one may stop him. Great Thunderclap Temple cannot act like a demon."
The Crown Prince wanted to protest, but Buddha‑Heart Buddha‑Child quickly rose. "World‑Honored One, I’ll escort Cult Master Quinn down the mountain."
The World‑Honored One nodded and turned to the Crown Prince. "Prince, I know your purpose here and what you seek. Since your concern touches upon the fate of all people, I hurried to meet you—allowing Tyson Li to take advantage of the moment. Master Qiong and the others must have met you already?"
The Crown Prince nodded. "They can’t do anything about my father, so they’re begging you, World‑Honored One, to intervene."
The World‑Honored One smiled. "His Majesty’s Nine‑Dragon Emperor’s Art has reached perfection. Few in the world can do anything about His Majesty—I am one of them."
Just then, Buddha‑Heart Buddha‑Child came to see Quinn, his eyes flickering. "Cult Master Quinn, the World‑Honored One has ordered me to escort you down the mountain."