At that moment, a long, resonant Buddhist chant rang through the air:
"Amitabha!"
Master Liaoyin of Shaolin stepped forward slowly with palms joined. His expression was compassionate. With a long sigh and a bitter smile, he said, "The Buddha is merciful and delivers all sentient beings. The Buddhist teaching says: The sea of suffering is boundless; turn back, and there is the shore. Lay down the butcher's knife, and one may become a Buddha at once. Brothers of the greenwood, the Martial Demon's return to the jianghu will surely stir up another storm of blood and violence. This matter does not concern you. If you do not wish to invite disaster upon yourselves, you would do well to leave at once."
Master Liaoyin spoke with utmost sincerity. None of the orthodox factions truly wished to bear the stain of excessive slaughter. After all, Heaven cherishes life, and Earth bears all things with generosity. If the martial world were to sink once more into endless strife, it would only deepen old hatreds and make the jianghu still bloodier and more chaotic.
Yet no sooner had his words fallen than the Ageless Heavenly Demon let out a cold, eerie laugh that echoed across the field like the cry of some restless spirit.
"Hahahaha… I am the Ageless Heavenly Demon—my surname is Zu, my given name is Zong. I fear neither Heaven nor Earth. I am your ancestor!"
His savage eyes swept across the crowd as he declared loudly, "My greenwood brothers survive in the jianghu by their fists. If any fool believed your honeyed words and laid down his butcher's knife, he would likely be paying his respects to Buddha in the Western Heaven before sunrise! The jianghu is a cruel place—how can your Buddhist mercy possibly solve anything?"
His voice turned even colder as he continued, "Today Shaolin mouths 'Amitabha' and recites sutras, but have you forgotten that when the Buddha walked the Bodhisattva path, he once cut his own flesh to feed an eagle and offered his body to a starving tiger? Since you claim to be eminent monks of the Buddhist way, why can you not show tolerance toward the Martial Demon? Or is your so-called compassion nothing more than a hypocritical mask?"
These words sent a shock through the entire gathering. Voices rose at once in debate. Among the greenwood outlaws, some nodded in agreement, while others frowned in silence. It was true enough: those who walked the jianghu survived by strength and ruthlessness, not by Buddhist doctrines of mercy. Whoever rashly trusted in the phrase lay down the butcher's knife might well lose his life before the day was out.
Master Liaoyin remained calm. He inclined his head slightly and said, "What you say is not without reason. Yet Buddhism's salvation of all beings does not mean blind indulgence. In those days, the Martial Demon slaughtered innocents and stirred up bloody turmoil across the jianghu, bringing misery upon countless lives. Should we simply pretend nothing happened? If we do not stop him today, then tomorrow the martial world will once again descend into endless slaughter. Have you considered that this, too, would be a form of cruelty—one far greater than the mercy you accuse us of lacking?"
The Ageless Heavenly Demon gave a cold snort. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Shaolin always speaks in lofty principles. Unfortunately, the jianghu does not run on principles—it runs on strength!"
With a shake of his hand, dozens of outlaws behind him roared in unison:
"Alliance of Justice! Alliance of Justice!"
The standoff between righteous and wicked had now reached the point of a drawn sword and a bent bow. Neither side was willing to yield even half a step.
The Ageless Heavenly Demon's true name was Gu Changming, but he styled himself "Zu Zong"—Ancestor himself. In doing so, he not only mocked the eminent monks of Shaolin, but also cited the Buddha's former acts upon the Bodhisattva path—cutting flesh to feed the eagle, offering his body to the tiger—to ridicule Shaolin's so-called compassion, which could not even tolerate the Martial Demon. The moment he said this, the outlaws erupted in thunderous approval. Many among them had, in one way or another, suffered losses at the hands of self-styled righteous men. Hearing his words, they felt a fierce satisfaction and thought to themselves, If Buddhism preaches mercy, why is it only the Martial Demon who cannot be spared? Had we not stood up today, the Primal Chaos True Lord, the Martial Demon, would surely have been cut down by this pack of sects who call themselves righteous!
Master Liaoyin slowly shook his head and said, "If killers are allowed to live without consequence, how can that be the proper order of the world? Among the monks of Shaolin as well, many have died at the Martial Demon's hands. Such a sea of blood and hatred—how can it be lightly set aside?"
Though his voice was calm, the pain and bitterness within his words were impossible to miss.
The Ageless Heavenly Demon smiled faintly. "Master, Buddhism teaches compassion. One should let go of hatred and walk the Bodhisattva path, repaying enmity with virtue. Why, then, do you remain so entangled in the grievances of bygone years?"
His words were keen and relentless, each sentence pressing harder than the last. Master Liaoyin's face remained composed, yet inwardly his anger had already flared. His eyes narrowed, and suddenly he barked coldly, "Since you speak in defense of the Martial Demon, you clearly rely on your own strength. The enmity between us is not yet settled. There is only one way left—to discuss it through martial arts. Today, let me experience your skill for myself!"
The words had barely left his mouth when he leapt forward, already striking with Arhat Fist.
Arhat Fist was Shaolin's foundational boxing art, based on the postures of the Eighteen Arhats. It was fierce and forceful, with agile footwork and an emphasis on speed, precision, and ruthless efficiency, often enough to subdue an enemy in a single move. Since Shaolin venerated Shakyamuni, the fist style had been created in the image of Arhat forms, with exquisite methods that balanced offense and defense alike.
But the Ageless Heavenly Demon was no ordinary man. His feet shifted lightly, his body drifting like a ghost, his movements strange and unpredictable. In the blink of an eye, he had slipped clear of the attack. Master Liaoyin followed with a move called "Black Tiger Snatches the Heart," suddenly changing fist into claw. Like a tiger springing upon its prey, his two hands shot forward like lightning toward his opponent's chest.
The Ageless Heavenly Demon gave a cold laugh, sank his shoulders, drew in his body, and chopped out with a single palm. The palm wind was sharp, its force hard and cutting like an axe, aimed directly at Master Liaoyin. Yet this strike carried neither obvious surging inner force nor any howling gust of air. It seemed plain and unremarkable—yet it left the opponent with no easy path of evasion.
Seeing this, Master Liaoyin's expression shifted slightly. At once he circulated his inner energy, brought both palms together, and suddenly thrust out a strike.
"Prajna Meditation Palm!"
The Ageless Heavenly Demon cried out in surprise, "So it is truly one of Shaolin's supreme sect arts!"
The gathered heroes were all shaken. Prajna Meditation Palm was one of Shaolin's most profound palm arts, said to have been founded by Bodhidharma himself. Its power blended hardness and softness, while its inner force was deep and unending. The longer one cultivated it, the more unfathomable its strength became. Even within Shaolin, only those of the highest enlightenment could grasp its true essence.
Master Liaoyin's expression was solemn as he said in a deep voice, "So—you do possess some discernment. This is indeed the Buddhist art of Prajna Meditation Palm!"
The two palm forces crashed together. Violent energies clashed, and the gale they stirred swept outward in all directions. Even the onlookers standing several zhang away felt an invisible pressure descend upon them.
Inwardly, the Ageless Heavenly Demon praised him: What a divine skill! To cross hands with the Master today is the fortune of a lifetime!
Master Liaoyin's gaze blazed as he replied, "Likewise!"
The Ageless Heavenly Demon suddenly said, "Master, let go of hatred and walk the Bodhisattva path!"
Master Liaoyin answered coldly, "Who will repay the blood debt the Martial Demon incurred in years past? Can you bear such a burden?"
The Ageless Heavenly Demon's eyes darkened, and in a sinister tone he said, "If that is so, then I have no choice but to fight with all I have. Do not blame me if my hand shows no mercy!"
Master Liaoyin softly intoned a Buddhist chant. "Since ancient times, righteousness and evil cannot coexist. If I do not descend into hell, who will?"
The moment the words fell, his palm force exploded outward, and with a single movement he unleashed Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm.
This was one of Shaolin's Seventy-Two Supreme Arts, a palm technique of endless transformations. Palm shadows filled the sky, dazzling the eye and bewildering the senses. The force of the attack was overwhelmingly fierce, as though a thousand-handed Buddha had descended into the mortal world. With that single display, the entire field was shaken.
As Master Liaoyin consecutively displayed one supreme technique after another, morale on Shaolin's side rose sharply, while the momentum of the Alliance of Justice faltered somewhat.
The Ageless Heavenly Demon exclaimed in surprise, "Master, you are a transcendent sage beyond the dust of the world. Why can you not see through this mortal realm?"
Master Liaoyin's gaze was bright as torches. "Now the demons and crooked paths run rampant, and they even dare scheme to establish an 'Alliance of Justice.' If this can be endured, what cannot?"
Master Liaoyin was already advanced in years, and his seniority even surpassed that of the Shaolin abbot. Though he possessed peerless arts, he had spent many years in secluded cultivation, taking little notice even of Shaolin's internal affairs. Yet when he heard that the Martial Demon had re-emerged in the jianghu—and even sought to establish an "Alliance of Justice"—his fury was immense, and so he personally came down from the mountain.
Now, facing the Ageless Heavenly Demon, the two stood as supreme masters of their age. Their attacks were swift, their palm winds surged and clashed, and truly it was as the saying goes:
When evenly matched opponents meet, neither dares claim victory with ease;when a great general encounters worthy talent, he dares not be arrogant.