The causes and effects of this situation are too complex for anyone to clearly define.
However, undoubtedly, it was the Golden Vajra Monk who not only caused a heavy loss for the North Zen Sect, but also indirectly resulted in the loss of a disciple representing the world's number one.
The hatred between the two parties is as deep as the sea. Consequently, how could Master Jie Tan, who is currently serving as the abbot of the North Zen Sect, not be enraged?
Pei Xuanjing, watching the two bickering, mused silently. He himself has a connection with the Golden Vajra Monk; the Dragon Elephant Art he cultivated was obtained from the Diamond Gate, passed down from the monk.
The likelihood of the True Martial Sect possessing the seventh and eighth levels of the Dragon Elephant Art could be traced back to the time when the sect ascended Taihe Mountain, and seized them.
"Esoteric Sect's Bahe Siba is here today on Taihe Mountain, I request the presence of Master Sanfeng!"
The Grand Sorcerer of the Great Yuan was standing there, slowly speaking up.
His voice echoed through Taihe Mountain, but there was no response whatsoever.
Li Qingxiu took a step forward, bowed and said, "Junior Li Qingxiu from the True Martial Sect greets the Grand Sorcerer. My master is in seclusion and cannot meet you. I ask for your understanding." His words were polite and balanced, neither servile nor overbearing.
However, the Grand Sorcerer obviously didn't believe him. He returned half of the formalities, and said indifferently, "I have long admired the renowned Master Sanfeng. I travelled all the way from the Western Regions hoping to have a Taoist discussion with him. Am I not even worthy of meeting him in person? I beseech you to pass this message on: Bahe Siba of the Esoteric Sect is here, he requests Master Sanfeng to end his seclusion."
The thunderous voice rang out, the Grand Sorcerer did not hide his intent. Although his tone was calm, it carried an undeniable will.
As the lord of the Western Regions and the Grand Sorcerer of the Great Yuan, Bahe Siba was not only a martial artist but also a ruler, naturally possessing an aura of authority.
Unmoved, Li Qingxiu, as the disciple of the number one martial artist of the Central Plains, though humble and polite, carried a certain degree of pride.
Now confronted with someone treating him thus, with their words hinting disrespect for his master, he was not at ease.
As he was on the verge of flying into a rage, a person behind lightly stepped forward, held his shoulder, and quietly voiced out.
"Since the Grand Sorcerer has travelled from afar to engage in martial arts competition, why not try your hand with me?"
The speaker was Zhang Zhizhan, the current Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain.
Originating in the era of the Divine Han, the Heavenly Master's Tao was established after the first Heavenly Master was granted the three authentic laws by the heavens. The Zhengyi Alliance's prestige has been maintained over thousands of years, unaffected by the rise and fall of empires.
Only someone with the last name Zhang can become the Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain. Even if they were not born into the Zhang family, they would change their surname to Zhang after taking up the title of Heavenly Master, as a sign of respect.
Pei Xuanjing even speculated that there must be many records about the cultivation methods prior to the catastrophe during the Tang Dynasty within Dragon Tiger Mountain.
Sadly, faced with such an ancient lineage and profound power, even he dared not act recklessly.
"So it'S the current Heavenly Master." The Grand Sorcerer nodded lightly and smiled, then shook his head and said, "Regrettably, the Heavenly Master is not my match." Although his words were plain, the content was rather provocative.
If anyone else had said this, they would be viewed as conceited.
Who was he talking about? The current Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, whose strength is acknowledged as being among the top ten in the martial arts world, yet he speaks of him as not being a match for himself.
And yet, when these words came from the Grand Sorcerer's mouth, many people felt it was indeed the case, and found it hard to dispute.
Whoosh…
The mountain wind blew, making Zhang Zhizhan's Daoist robe billow soundly.
Although he Imew he was not Bahe Siba's match, hearing the latter speak so disrespectfully still made him slightly angry.
"Then allow me, Zhang, to experience the Grand Sorcerer's superior skills?" Able to be a Heavenly
Master, Zhang Zhizhan was no small-minded person. Quickly dispersing his anger, he spoke slowly.
Bahe Siba looked at Zhang Zhizhan and clearly had a certain degree of praise for Zhang Zhizhan's ability to remain unmoved by honour or disgrace.
In the world of martial arts, being unmatched is not shameful. One only needs to persist in hard cultivation to catch up.
However, he had met many people who, once exposed by him, became angry from embarrassment, which he found contemptible.
"Hahaha, besides Master Sanfeng, everyone else on Taihe Mountain are just mediocre people. You all rabble, dare to stop the Grand Sorcerer?"
The Golden Vajra Monk suddenly laughed coldly, considering all the heroes gathered on Taihe Mountain as insignificant, exceedingly arrogant.
As the trusted confidant of the Grand Sorcerer of the Great Yuan, he naturally knew that Bahe Siba holds a great fear for Master Sanfeng, considering him the greatest enemy he's encountered in his life. Even when he is certain to win, he doesn't have confidence in his victory.
Therefore, he saw through their plotting, guessing that they intend to make the first move to wear out Bahe Siba, to pave the way for Master Sanfeng's victory.
So he could not tolerate such a thing happening and decided to clear these obstacles for Bahe Siba to conserve his strength.
"Insolent thief!"
Facing the Golden Vajra Monk's wild words, the heroes were all seething with anger.
Although Bahe Siba's aura had terrified many, making them feel they were no match for him, it certainly wasn't enough to intimidate them into submission by a mere Golden Vajra Monk.
In an instant, numerous formidable killing intents emerged, practically materializing as they rushed towards the Golden Vajra Monk.
Boom!
Facing the threats of so many powerful figures, anyone else might have to think twice.
However, he was naturally an obstinate and arrogant person, so instead of being afraid, a haughty
smile surfaced on his face..
"Ha ha ha!"
The Vajra Monk laughed heartily, stepped forward, his tremendous wave of power encompassing all around him. His voice echoed like thunder, with the concentrated horror of martial arts spreading around, resembling huge tidal waves, undefeatable.
"The ancestors stand here, who will dare to challenge? The ancestors will gladly entertain!"
When they heard his arrogant language and felt the terrifying power emanating from him, there was silence atop Taihe Mountain.
The being they faced was a horrifying expert, very few of the many here could be confident in overcoming him.
Zhang Zhizhan, the Heavenly Master, looked cold. He knew he may not be as good as Ba He Si Ba, but he also was not someone the Vajra Monk could provoke.
Although the opponent was powerful, to Zhang Zhizhan, defeating him would not prove difficult.
Just as he was preparing to take action, he heard a soft Buddhist chant from behind, "Amitabha, would you like to give this opportunity to our Zen Sect?"
Seeing Master Jie Tan speaking out, Zhang Zhizhan set aside his thoughts of taking action.
The two sides had some confrontations, but at the moment they shared a common enemy. She was acquainted with the grievances and disputes between the Vajra Monk and the Zen Sect, so even more so than before, she couldn't offend the other side.
Master Jie Tan of the Zen sect spoke up, with their old scores in mind, his words were legitimate and polite. Even if there were experts who wanted to take action, they naturally paused their thoughts for the time being.
Master Jie Tan smiled at everyone indicating his thanks, then turned to his fellow student, "Monk Jie Fa, how about you take on this fight?"
The monk referred to as Jie Fa was Master Jie Tan's fellow student and the current head of the Dharma Institute.
Initially, the Vajra Monk had killed the former head of the Dharma Institute during a competition and fled. Now, letting the current head of the monastery take action made the intention clear.
In truth, Pei Xuanjing also had the urge to fight the Vajra Monk when he saw him come out to battle. He wanted to test whether the Dragon Elephant Art that his opponent practiced was stronger, or his own improved Dragon Elephant Art.
However, Danyang Zi next to him seemed to notice Pei Xuanjing's thoughts, and gently shook her head, pointing towards the direction of the Zen Sect.
And sure enough, someone from the Zen Sect stepped forward.
Pei Xuanjing nodded, temporarily suppressing his thoughts of taking action.
However, he didn't hold much confidence about this Dharma Institute's Master Jie Fa. This time, the Zen sect may not only fail to regain their dignity, but could also potentially lose face.
"I am a poor monk called Jie Fa, the current head of the Dharma Institute of the Zen Sect. Today, let me settle the grudges of the past!" Monk Jie Fa spoke coldly.
The matter of the Vajra Monk was a black history for the Zen sect. As for the Dharma Institute, it was an inerasable shame.
Since this beast appeared today, he would cast off his vow of non-killing and eradicate this beast, washing away the shame of the past.
"The head of the Dharma institute? It'S been a long time since I heard that title, how nostalgic!" The Vajra Monk was stunned, and seemed momentarily dazed, then spoke with a stern tone, "It seems another head of the Dharma institute is going to die in my hands today."
For him, the decade-long life in the North Zen Sect was an unforgettable painful experience. His hatred for the Zen Sect, has never faded for even an iota.
"Die, you thief!" Master Jie Fa became furious at his words, with five fingers spinning, he gathered True Qi and shot towards the Vajra Monk.
Formless Finger, taken from the Buddhism's concept of formlessness, is one of the unique skills exclusive to Dharma Institute.
Even if Monk Jie Fa did not cultivate to the level of formlessness, he still had some degree of proficiency, and it possessed great power and significant lethality.
"Petty tricks!" Vajra Monk sneered.
He naturally recognized this martial art, and it showed a look of disdain on his face, then pointed in kind.
Vajra Finger, it was originally a secret martial art called Vajra Palm from the Zen Sect which he had stolen. However, because the techniques he learned were incomplete, he luckily found another path and transformed it into a finger technique.
He pointed out, and the power was astonishing, as if he was poking a hole in the air in front of him. This was in no way inferior to Monk Jie Fa t s Formless Finger.
Bang!
The two of them had a quick exchange of blows and retreated a few steps each.
"Not bad! You are even stronger than the one before!" laughed Vajra Monk.
His words made Monk Jie Fa even angrier. He quickly changed directions, and his robe moved along with his body, generating a gust of wind.
Kasaya Subduing Demon Art, one of the unique skills of the Zen Sect, can help turn the True Qi into a pervasive weapon all over the Kasaya, possessing unusual power.
Vajra Monk was not afraid and directly threw a punch!
Arhat Fist, although only a beginner's martial art of the Zen Sect, when taken to an advanced level, even the most ordinary fist can become a formidable martial skill. It embodies the ancient wisdom of "great wisdom seems stupid, there's no tranquil without haste."
The fierce fist wind, the real martial arts intention was a surprise to Monk Jie Fa.
Boom!
The sounds of constant explosions echoed like thunder.
This punch was extremely tyrannical, with blood and True Qi intertwined, it had the power to destroy the earth.
Splat!
The Kasaya on Monk Jie Fa was shattered and turned into countless pieces.
He stood still about one yard away from where he was before, horrified.
The other guy's punch was too strong. If he hadn't used the Zen Sect's unique Great Movement Skill to dodge this punch, he feared it would have been fatal.
However even so, his Kasaya Demon Subduing Art was broken, Kasaya was ruined and he himself was wounded by the opponent's fierce and tyrannical punch. He no longer had the strength to fight again.
"Just as expected!"
Pei Xuanjing watched the whole process clearly. The monk had also used the Dragon Elephant Art when he used the Arhat Fist, hence it held such a tremendous force.
If not for that, even at the epitome of Arhat Fist's refinement, it wouldn't have such power.
Seeing that the long-famous head of the North Zen Sect's Dharma Institute was easily defeated by the notorious Vajra Monk, everyone present became a little more wary of him.
"You're lucky I'm sparing your life!" Vajra Monk sneered at the retreating Monk Jie Fa.
He turned around and spoke to the rest of the heroes, "Who else wants to challenge me? If you're not afraid to die, bring it on!"
Initially, there were quite a few people ready to take action. However, some people secretly weighed the matter. They knew that even the slightly stronger Monk Jie Fa was easily defeated by the Vajra Monk and had been defeated severely.
Then, if they were to take action, would there be an opportunity, or would it cost them their lives?
Just when several people were hesitating and tangled on whether to take action or not, a young voice came out:
"I'll go!"