Aiden Starr, as always, carried his box on his back. He still wore the guise of a white-clothed youth, looking as sunny and youthful as when Quinn Shepherd first met him in the Heavenly Saint Academy's orchard. Yet, the Starr before him now looked nothing like the one Quinn had met then; it was as if he were a completely different person.
Quinn's heart gave a jolt. In this world, if there was anyone he truly feared, aside from the Imperial Preceptor, it was Aiden Starr.
The Imperial Preceptor is a sage; he acts by his own principles and will remove anyone who stands in his way. As long as you don't block his path, he might even become your friend. Yet, if a friend stands in his way, he will turn on them without hesitation.
Aiden Starr, however, operates by a different creed.
He only cares about collecting.
Collecting the bodies of those who have reached godhood in some aspect!
His hobby is taking whatever part he wants from your body—not killing you, but letting you go, hoping for another harvest in the future.
The problem is, he’s terrifyingly powerful. Back then, the Heavenly Saint Academy wasn’t even called that yet, but it had already gathered the most formidable experts in the world—nearly half of Everpeace’s powerhouses, plus a dozen Divine Bridge–realm flood dragons. Even so, he beat them all soundly. In the end, they only won thanks to the restorative medicine Quinn crafted.
Even so, the previous Heavenly Demon Cult Master, Li Tianxing, died in battle, making way for Granny Sue.
After that fight, the wounded lay bedridden for over ten days.
Aiden Starr’s combat power was unlike anything Quinn had ever seen.
Not only that, Starr was prodigiously talented, his grasp of all kinds of divine arts and dao methods reaching extraordinary heights. His Creation Art came from Ben Coates, yet even Quinn couldn’t match him at that level!
A being like that was simply terrifying.
Quinn glanced back at the Golden Summit, where Buddha light shot skyward. On the surrounding peaks, monster-monks of all shapes and sizes sat, stood, or reclined—some balanced on one leg, some with wings unfurled—each channeling Buddhist arts. Together with Little Tathagata and other experts atop the Golden Summit, they were working to convert and suppress the Ghost-Ear Witch God.
Above the Golden Summit, Buddha light condensed into something tangible, like a golden tide forming a radiant lotus platform. On that lotus, twenty layers of heaven appeared, with Buddhas and gods of all sizes faintly visible, dignified and profound. The Buddhist power was vast and awe-inspiring, the Buddha sound thunderous and unending!
‘Such magnificent, imposing Buddhist power—yet before Aiden Starr, it wouldn’t stand a chance,’ Quinn thought.
Right now, all the experts of Little Thunderclap Temple were busy suppressing and converting the Ghost-Ear Witch God. They probably had no time to spare for Starr, and even if they did, none could hope to match him.
Little Thunderclap Temple might have a few Cult Master–level monster overlords, but against someone as fearsome as Starr, the most they could do would be to stall for a little while. And judging by Little Tathagata’s temperament, he might not even help me.
Quinn steadied himself, thinking, ‘Right now, I can only rely on myself. Poison, Creation Art—could they possibly work against him…?’
He really had no confidence in his heart.
Victor Bloom and the Demon Ape also sensed trouble and hurried over.
“Who’s the one with the box on his back?”
Victor’s heart tightened. He whispered, “What overwhelming strength! Is he a god?”
Quinn’s expression was grim. “He’s even harder to deal with than a god. Every part of his body is at the god-realm—his blood, his Primordial Spirit, his vital qi. And I still can’t find his origin…"
Victor was startled. “A true god?”
“Not quite, but close enough,” Quinn said through clenched teeth.
Starr, box on his back, climbed the mountain at a steady pace. Ben Coates landed behind him, quickly staunching the blood vessels in his legs, then dashed through the forest to catch up.
As for those two deer legs, he didn’t bother picking them up.
“Brother Starr, you see now I wasn’t lying to you, right?”
Ben Coates grinned, “I sensed all the way here—these bald monks must have stolen my master’s Primordial Spirit. Look at that Buddha light! They’re about to refine my master for sure.”
Starr shook his head, “They’re not trying to refine him—they want to convert him. Little Tathagata of Little Thunderclap Temple is no ordinary master; he’s as renowned as Jasper Ling. I once chased Jasper, hoping to collect his divine blood, but he told me Little Tathagata had already cultivated godlike vital qi. I thought Little Tathagata would be worth collecting too, but my body was already showing signs of trouble, so I didn’t make a move.”
Ben Coates crawled along behind him. Starr’s steps looked slow, but he moved so quickly that Ben was left scrambling to keep up.
Ben Coates forced a smile. “Once you get my master’s Primordial Spirit, and avenge yourself by killing Quinn the Divine Doctor, will you keep your promise?”
Starr replied calmly, “Don’t worry. What I promised you, I’ll deliver.”
His gaze was strange. Inwardly, he thought, ‘Once he reattaches those two legs, I’ll just cut them off again. That way, I’m not breaking my promise.’
Suddenly, Buddha light burst forth atop the Golden Summit. The lotus formed from Buddha light seemed to be lifted by a tremendous force, and the light beneath the lotus throne surged outward like a tide, roaring against the cliffs like crashing waves—deafening!
“Baldies, there’s a powerhouse coming up the mountain—I’m done wasting time with you!”
Beneath the lotus throne, the Ghost-Ear Witch God’s voice thundered as black demon qi surged up, scattering the Buddha light. The lotus covering the Golden Summit shook violently, and above it, the twenty layers of heaven wavered too. The shadowy Buddhas and gods flickered, on the verge of vanishing.
“Hold the formation!”
Little Tathagata’s voice rang out. Beneath the lotus, the monster-monks of Little Thunderclap Temple chanted even louder, their Buddha light growing more intense.
Buddha light gathered behind them, forming a halo that streamed toward the golden lotus in the sky. Each ray of Buddha light looked like a lotus root, drifting from the Golden Summit and other peaks.
The Ghost-Ear Witch God roared furiously, uttering arcane, mysterious demon sounds—harsh yet strangely rhythmic. Quinn was startled: "This isn’t the demon language I’ve learned, but its syllables resemble Youdu speech! Could the Witch God really be from Youdu?"
He didn’t know much about Youdu speech—he’d only learned one phrase, taught to him by the Dutian Demon King. Whether the Witch God was really speaking Youdu, Quinn couldn’t be sure.
The demon sounds grew louder and more sinister. Suddenly, a portal appeared beside the lotus throne, surrounded by waves of black light, opposing the twenty heavens above.
Creak.
A piercing sound rang out—the portal cracked open a sliver, but was immediately slammed shut by the Buddha sound.
Boom—
The Witch God’s body suddenly swelled, rising out of the golden bowl and lifting the lotus throne, roaring: "If my treacherous disciple hadn’t ambushed me, separating my body and Primordial Spirit, you baldies would never have suppressed me!"
The struggle continued. Little Tathagata shouted, and a relic flew from his brow, hovering above the lotus and plunging into the shadows of the twenty heavens.
The twenty heavens above the lotus were only shadows, but as the relic entered them, it seemed to travel a great distance.
Within those shadowy heavens, a Buddha phantom suddenly reached for the relic, grasped it, then released it. The relic floated in midair, and under its radiance, the lotus throne and the twenty heavens seemed almost to solidify.
The Buddha sound from the twenty heavens grew thunderous, forcing the Witch God to his knees.
Starr’s eyes lit up, his breath quickening. He praised, "Grand Venerable, your master is truly extraordinary. That Primordial Spirit is superb—such high quality, I want it! These monks aren’t bad either. It seems Little Tathagata’s vital qi really has reached god-realm, just as Jasper Ling said. His Buddhist arts are so powerful, he’s almost able to open the twenty heavens."
Ben Coates was shaken. “Brother Starr, do you mean Little Tathagata can almost open the Buddha Realm?”
I once stormed Great Thunderclap Temple, trying to capture Old Tathagata and seize the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda. Many of the Tathagata bodies within are already at the god-realm.
Starr reached the Golden Summit, ignoring Quinn, Victor Bloom, and the Demon Ape. He gazed up at the lotus throne and Witch God, saying, “Old Tathagata wasn’t my match, but he used Buddhist resonance to activate all the past Tathagata bodies in the pagoda and forcibly open the Buddha Realm’s twenty heavens. Impressive—I barely escaped. Great Thunderclap Temple and Dao Gate are both formidable, with deep foundations. Little Tathagata’s cultivation is high, but without the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda, he can’t fully open the twenty heavens. Still, he can send a relic into the Buddha Realm and summon true Buddha power. Not easy at all.”
Quinn saluted Starr, surprised. “Great Thunderclap Temple has such methods?”
Starr slowly waved his hand, severing the rays of Buddha light beneath the lotus. The lotus immediately withered, and the twenty heavens faded into shadows and vanished.
Little Tathagata and the monks were startled, turning to look at Starr. Little Tathagata rose and signaled the monks not to act rashly, then walked over.
Starr didn’t mind, turning to salute Quinn. “Yes, Doctor Quinn.”
Though the enmity between him and Quinn ran deep, Starr remained courteous. Even Quinn admired this.
Ben Coates arrived at the Golden Summit, propping himself up and smiling at Quinn. “Brother Quinn, all well?”
“Thanks to you, I’m doing fine.”
Quinn saluted. “Grand Venerable, your master the Witch God is right here. Many of his soul worms have been refined. Aren’t you afraid your master will resent you when enemies meet?”
Ben Coates, standing on his two broken legs, saluted in return and laughed. “How could a master bow to his disciple? Isn’t that right, Master?”
The Witch God ground his teeth audibly.
Little Tathagata approached, and Starr saluted. “Starr greets Yuanding Tathagata.”
Little Tathagata’s expression changed slightly. He returned the salute. “Brother Starr, are you here to take my life?”
Starr beamed. “No. I’m here for Doctor Quinn’s life, the Witch God’s Primordial Spirit, and Yuanding Tathagata’s vital qi cultivation. I rarely kill—except this kid must die. As long as everyone else doesn’t resist, they can live.”
Quinn said nothing, sulking.