Although the cultivators on this mission were numerous, compared to the vast breadth of the Western Ox Continent, it was still far from enough.
Even emergency operations had to be carried out in stages. First, they would go to the most urgent areas to stabilize the situation, then gradually push forward when conditions allowed.
If this were simply a demonic beast disaster, the three great sects working together would naturally sweep through everything in their path.
But the situation clearly involved someone scheming in the shadows, so the operation couldn't be carried out hastily.
Moreover, among so many cultivators, there were also many who weren't disciples of the Eighteen Immortal Sects.
Golden Radiance Mountain was the assembly point after the first stage of the operation, serving as the preset gathering location for the vanguard of the first phase.
Whether for support or urgent advance, this location was an excellent choice.
Li Yingling had early on led several squads to complete their elimination tasks, so she had arrived at Golden Radiance Mountain ahead of time. According to the operational guidelines, she was to wait— if any team needed support, Li Yingling would have to go to their aid.
But after waiting for so long, instead of receiving any calls for support, she was greeted by the return of her second junior brother who had dismantled the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple.
Compared to her own modest task of merely clearing out demonic beast gathering grounds—a duty with no waves or excitement—her second junior brother's venture to tear down the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple was certainly far more flavorful.
She heard that he had apparently said quite a few remarkable things at the front lines. She never expected that her motormouth of a second junior brother would also be corrupted by their master without even realizing it.
Thinking of it that way—this second junior brother who supposedly kept his distance from women might one day end up just like their master, with sweet talk flowing everywhere. It wasn't out of the question.
Therefore!
Teasing! She absolutely had to thoroughly tease her junior brother!
Li Yingling saw Li Xingtian's expression turning red with indignation yet somehow still looking wronged, so she decided to leave it at that.
Lin Luoyu descended on her flying sword, landing smoothly before recalling her blade.
She first greeted the Eldest Senior Sister, then glanced at the Second Senior Brother whose expression looked somewhat... peculiar. However, she didn't ask whether he was feeling unwell.
Having spent so much time together, Lin Luoyu could tell at a glance—Second Senior Brother had been put in his place by Eldest Senior Sister again.
Lin Luoyu composed herself and simply greeted her second senior brother:
"Second Senior Brother, did everything go smoothly?"
Li Xingtian gave a slight nod and replied:
"Fairly smooth. And you?"
Lin Luoyu smiled and answered, "Thanks to the care of many fellow Daoists, it went quite smoothly."
Li Yingling's gaze swept around before she asked:
"Cui Hao doesn't seem to be far from you."
"Why hasn't he finished his tasks yet? Is he off doing something unnecessary again?"
Lin Luoyu fell silent for a moment.
Before coming here, she had indeed stopped by Cui Hao's area.
Although Cui Hao liked to run his mouth, he handled matters reliably enough. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood out during the sect's grand assembly.
She herself had gotten everything right, while Cui Hao probably missed one or two questions at most.
After all, with so many people, only a handful were selected in the hall.
Cui Hao had done his tasks well—both in pacifying the people and clearing out demonic beasts. By all rights, he should have returned earlier.
But when Lin Luoyu visited, she found Cui Hao lecturing Buddhist believers on the natural Dao... teaching them how ordinary people should live a correct and happy life.
Faced with Lin Luoyu's puzzled questioning.
Cui Hao waved his hand grandly and declared:
"The Buddhist sect cultivates the next life, but they can't even live this life satisfactorily."
"They chant sutras and sing praises to the Buddha, never stopping to consider whether the Buddha even needs it."
"Today I'm going to teach them properly—being good to yourself, that's what's truly good!"
"After we clear out the demonic beasts today and leave, the Buddhist sect will make a comeback, and these believers will still offer up their finest rice and oil—things they can barely bring themselves to consume, yet they donate it all."
"Mutual aid is fine, but you need to keep your eyes open about who you're helping."
"Only by making them understand will they be prepared for the next time, or for other natural disasters and calamities. Then they'll have stored grain to survive on."
"I can't teach everyone, but these are the seeds I'm planting. If all goes well, they'll eventually spread across the entire Western Ox Continent."
Lin Luoyu heard this and wasn't sure whether Cui Hao's gift of gab had evolved under their master's influence, or what—but at the very least, it sounded reasonable to her.
It also suited her temperament at least.
"Cui Hao is still wrapping things up over there. I went and checked—he's doing well."
Lin Luoyu vouched for Cui Hao. He had done well, and as for what Cui Hao was actually doing, the Eldest Senior Sister would learn of it in the future.
This sentiment belonged to Cui Hao alone.
Li Yingling naturally trusted her Fourth Junior Sister from Haoran and didn't press further. Instead, she sighed:
"Cui Hao is truly slow at getting things done."
Lin Luoyu smiled and hummed in agreement. Perhaps Cui Hao should give the Eldest Senior Sister a pleasant surprise and refresh her impression of him. Then she changed the subject:
"What about Third Senior Sister?"
"She seems to still be at the Righteous Sound Dharma Temple."
Li Yingling's expression showed a hint of concern. "I don't know—the temple was demolished long ago. I'm not sure what else she's doing there."
Lin Luoyu gently reassured her:
"With Daoist Yuyang there, Third Senior Sister's safety shouldn't be an issue."
"Tch, if she hasn't shown up in a few days, I'll go check on her myself."
Li Yingling waved her hand and put on a smile again.
——————————
Righteous Sound Dharma Temple.
Daoist Yuyang looked at the nearly leveled Righteous Sound Dharma Temple, watching the monks struggling to clear the remnants of the temple. An indescribable feeling rose in his heart. He couldn't help but turn his gaze to Chen Baiqing beside him, whose expression remained as calm as ever.
When he first came here, he hadn't come with the intention of tearing down the temple.
After all, the Righteous Sound Dharma Temple was the Buddhist sect's greatest face in the Western Ox Continent.
It had been dismantled once before by Bai Xuanling, and it was said that the Buddhist sect had applied immense pressure on the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect and the Tianyan Sect at that time.
But the Buddhist sect hadn't made a grand spectacle of it, and the reason was the Buddha suppressed beneath the Righteous Sound Dharma Temple.
However, that Buddha was no longer present. The constraint that weighed on the Buddhist sect's heart had dissolved. Dismantling it now carried a completely different significance.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, exerting pressure should come first.
At least, that was what Daoist Yuyang initially thought.
But the course of events had unfolded entirely differently—or rather, he had been completely pushed along by some of Chen Baiqing's actions.
Daoist Yuyang had originally thought that since Chen Baiqing was always by Chu Xingchen's side brewing tea, appearing serene and showing Chu Xingchen utmost respect, she seemed like a caring and considerate disciple.
When she was young, she was adorable. As she grew up, though her demeanor grew cooler, she spoke with propriety and her words were pleasant—at the very least, far better than whatever Chu Xingchen privately spewed from his mouth.
No matter how you looked at it, or what first impressions suggested, Chen Baiqing should have been the type who was obedient, handled matters with measured propriety—not striving for excellence, only for stability.
Daoist Yuyang didn't want to admit it, but it was clear he had misjudged Chen Baiqing's true nature.
Chen Baiqing was probably only a considerate disciple to one specific person. Put her in front of outsiders, and saying she was covered in thorns would be an understatement.
And her methods were just as unorthodox as Chu Xingchen's—inconspicuously drawing people into her rhythm.
As if sensing his gaze, Chen Baiqing turned and looked at Daoist Yuyang as well. A perfectly measured faint smile appeared on her face:
"Daoist Uncle Yuyang, is something the matter?"
Daoist Yuyang gave a light cough. He suddenly had the vague realization that this address of "Daoist Uncle Yuyang" was probably also a consideration of his friendship with Chu Xingchen.
"Nothing... I'm just marveling at what a good disciple Brother Chu has taught."
"You're too kind, Daoist Uncle. I'm hardly a good disciple—I just want to save my master some trouble."
Chen Baiqing withdrew her gaze, her eyes now fixed on that group of monks:
"Only by tearing down the Righteous Sound Dharma Temple will the Buddhist sect realize we have no bottom line. Only then will these monks have leverage value."
"Those Buddhas are destined to cross the Pudu River. Having cards in hand will allow my master to maneuver more freely."
Daoist Yuyang pressed his lips together.
"How do you know the Buddhas will cross the Pudu River? Did your master tell you that?"
Chen Baiqing paused, looking at Daoist Yuyang. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether this core disciple was deliberately performing an IQ deficit—wasn't this obvious at a glance?
Facing Chen Baiqing's somewhat stunned expression, Daoist Yuyang naturally understood that his intelligence was being questioned.
He gave a light cough and said:
"Never mind... you've done well."
No wonder Chu Xingchen kept Chen Baiqing by his side. If no one was watching her, she'd certainly deliver surprises at every turn...
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