With a thunderous boom, a pillar of lightning streaked with crimson shot up instantly. I stared in shock at the scene before me—Grandmaster Mingde wore a faint, pained smile, and one of his arms was already gone.
"Earthly Soul, have you caused enough trouble yet?"
The Golden Howler had already carried Master Lucian far away. Master Lucian looked at me in terror, while in my hand I held an arm that was turning to dust.
"Grandmaster Mingde."
I spoke in a muffled voice. Grandmaster Mingde pressed his left hand to the blackened stump of his right arm. After a moment, the cursed energy faded away. He closed his eyes, sweat streaming down his face as he forced the bleeding to stop, then looked at me in pain.
"Amitabha, Benefactor Zhang, you need not worry. This was a decision I made myself."
For a moment, I didn't know what to do. Faced with such patience and humility from another, much of the anger in my body dissipated.
"There's no need to be polite with him any longer, Mingde—do it!"
Master Lucian shouted from behind. At this moment, Grandmaster Mingde's face was pale, yet he still looked at me kindly, shaking his head again and again.
"Lucian, when the Buddha once fed an eagle with his own flesh, it was only a piece of meat. I've merely lost an arm. I hope that from now on, you will ignore all worldly distractions and devote yourself to the true path of Buddhism."
I looked at Grandmaster Mingde, and he seemed to notice as well—the trace of wickedness still lingering in Lucian's heart.
With a whoosh, the Golden Howler leapt to my side, landing right in front of me.
"You can't kill Lucian, Earthly Soul. If you do, it will cause serious trouble."
I sneered coldly and waved my hand. Grandmaster Mingde's hand turned into a wisp of black smoke and vanished. Just now, I used curse power fused with my Endbringer's Power, allowing me to easily pierce Lucian's defenses. What I hadn't expected was for Mingde to grab it barehanded, taking the curse and Endbringer's Power upon himself. Though he decisively severed his own arm, he was already gravely wounded.
Things couldn't go on any longer, and now the Golden Howler seemed ready to explain the reason. I sat down; opposite me, Grandmaster Mingde's face was deathly pale, eyes closed, saying nothing.
"If you can convince me, I'll leave and never interfere again."
I stared quietly at the Golden Howler as his form gradually shrank. Lucian slid down from his back, eyes blazing with anger as he glared at me.
"Hmph, Earthly Soul, don't be so arrogant. The reason I sent my disciples to negotiate with the Hades Circle was truly to save Rachel Lan's life. But if you won't accept my goodwill, then so be it."
I sneered at Lucian. No matter what he said, I suspected he was thinking something else. Now, none of it mattered. I tilted my head back, glanced again at Grandmaster Mingde, and finally let go of the urge to kill Lucian.
"This time, consider it repaying a favor for Ethan Zhang, Grandmaster Mingde."
As I spoke, Grandmaster Mingde smiled faintly, nodded, and bowed.
"Amitabha, Benefactor Zhang, in truth, there is nothing in this world that cannot be resolved—the key lies in whether one can unravel it."
Though I was still a bit indignant, there was truly nothing I could do now.
"Let me put it this way, Earthly Soul—Lucian is an extraordinary talent, the likes of which appear only once in a thousand years. He has already grasped many truths, and now he bears a great responsibility."
I stared coldly at the Golden Howler.
"Grasped? Hmph."
Then Grandmaster Mingde began to speak.
Now the Sixfold Cycle has stabilized. The power of Buddhism and Taoism, using Ethan Zhang as a medium, has escaped from that darkness and entered Divine Law, becoming part of this world's Divine Law. Thus, the Sixfold Cycle has regained its original function and mechanism.
However, this doesn't mean things will remain peaceful. If it continues, the power of Buddhism and Taoism will keep flowing in due to faith, causing Divine Law to expand. The Sixfold Cycle is only temporarily stable, but once the power of Buddhism and Taoism expands enough, Divine Law will become a burden to the Sixfold Cycle, and history could easily repeat itself.
To prevent this, Lucian must, after attaining enlightenment, act as a medium to stabilize Divine Law. The Taoist side also needs someone to act as a medium, channeling excess power into the Human Path, which can then be returned to the living world.
Back in that darkness, the power of Buddhism and Taoism could expand without limit. But once it entered the Sixfold Cycle, there were both advantages and drawbacks. For now, the benefits outweigh the risks, so there's no need to worry about big problems yet. But with time, this power will surely become a burden to the Sixfold Cycle.
"The principle is simple: take from here, use for here. Benefactor Zhang, I hope you understand."
I quietly stared at Lucian.
"You're just going to agree so willingly?"
I asked, probing for his real intentions. Lucian stared back at me, then sat down.
"This is my own decision. There's no need to discuss anything with you, Earthly Soul."
At that moment, golden motes of light began to spread across the ground. Grandmaster Mingde looked at me, and I stood up, retracting my spiritual domain with a thought.
Gradually, I saw rocks and a large number of monks emerging nearby. In no time, we were back on the rear mountain of Universal Temple.
Suddenly, countless angry eyes turned toward me. Everyone saw that Grandmaster Mingde was missing his left arm, but he quickly smiled and said:
"Amitabha. Things have come to this due to fate, and what's done is done. There's no need to mention it again. Now, we must discuss the matters raised by our guests from the Underworld Court. Please, do not let anger cloud your minds."
Lucas Dao and Judge Cui teleported over, both eyeing me with suspicion.
"Earthly Soul, at a time like this..."
I waved my hand, then found a spot and sat down beside the vegetable patch, in a clump of grass. The atmosphere was heavy.
I didn't plan to argue anymore, just intended to wait until the negotiations were over before leaving.
"Just as I said earlier, Grandmaster Mingde, the Hell Judges hope your side can join this war. So you must make your position clear before the Buddhist assembly ends."
Lucas Dao spoke as I glanced around at the monks. Clearly, they were unwilling to take part in the war between Old Hell and the Underworld Court.
"The Taoist Order has already agreed. Now it's just your Buddhist faction left."
Judge Cui added, but everyone was watching Grandmaster Mingde, waiting for his decision—after all, he was now the most senior monk in the Buddhist faction.
"Let this humble monk go with you, then. Amitabha. I wish to meet the Saint of the Underworld in person."
Lucas Dao and Judge Cui both nodded. A flash of red light appeared, and suddenly a taxi materialized. Lin Rui sat inside, poking his head out and smiling at me.