Chapter 234: Rather Betray Friends Than Die Myself

Translator: 549690339

Cultivators continued to trickle into the square, and the number in front of the Thousand Buddha Temple grew more and more. After a day and a night, the crowd was close to reaching ten thousand.

All were waiting for Monk Liaowang’s public execution.

Li Xiaobai sneaked over to a group of people and listened to their conversation with an ear cocked.

These righteous individuals spoke in hushed tones, seemingly conscious of preventing eavesdropping. Li Xiaobai had exchanged for a hearing aid from the marketplace and wore it in his ear, listening intently.

“Brother Luan, do you really think Monk Liaowang is a Demon Monk?”

“Does it matter? We are the righteous path. If we say he is, then he is. If we say he isn’t, then he isn’t. He has now crossed some people’s interests and has been set up by them, so it’s just his bad luck.”

“What a pity for such a talent. But who would’ve thought that little chick from the Hehuan Sect would actually fall for a monk, I really didn’t see that coming.”

“Indeed, we tried so hard back then but couldn’t get our hands on her. It’s that monk who got lucky. But this time, it’s uncertain. Demonic Women from the Demon Path deserve to be punished by everyone; even the Western Desert can’t protect her. After this matter is settled, Su Mei’er will ultimately have to fall into the hands of us, the righteous individuals.”

“Hehehe, when the time comes, she will be ours to harvest. I’ve long yearned for that seductive fox.”

“Watch what you say. Even if we want to harvest, it’ll be the big sects who go first. We can only hope for a sip of the soup at best.”

“I’m fine even with just the soup. That figure, that face, just thinking about it excites me!”

This group of cultivators was full of foul and indecent language; their words were full of desecration, as though Su Mei’er was nothing more than an object for their amusement in their eyes.

After continuing to eavesdrop on several groups of cultivators, the content was more or less the same. Li Xiaobai shook his head secretly. It seemed that Liu Jinshui was right; those who came here today were just a bunch of pretenders, no different from the righteous cultivators he met in the caves of the mini-world.

Under the banner of righteousness, they engaged in deeds that could not see the light of day.

Making use of the pretext of subduing demons to play with the Hehuan Sect’s saintess, the righteous ones present were more scandalous and sleazy in their actions than those on the Demon Path.

Among the crowd, Li Xiaobai spotted a familiar figure with a fierce face and a scar, who was keeping his eyes closed tightly—it was none other than Yu Sanbian.

After several days, Yu Sanbian’s cultivation level had also entered the Nascent Soul Stage. Such a pace could be considered talented, but it seemed slow compared to the small circle he was currently interacting with.

At that moment, Yu Sanbian seemed to be preoccupied with heavy thoughts.

“Brother Yu, I’m here.”

Li Xiaobai took out a pack of Huazi and handed it over.

Yu Sanbian’s eyes lit up; he lit a Huazi and took a deep drag, his face relaxing with relief.

“Brother Li, you’ve finally come. If you were any later, Liaowang would have been done for.”

“What do you mean?”

Li Xiaobai was startled.

“Did you know that the Thousand Buddha Temple is planning to use the Golden Light Mirror to publicly test Liaowang’s heart nature?” Yu Sanbian asked.

“I know. With Liaowang’s determination and cultivation level, he should be able to safely get through it, right?” Li Xiaobai said with a frown.

“If it were the regular procedure, naturally there would be no problem. But yesterday, the righteous individuals captured that Su Mei’er and requested to add a new twist during the Golden Light Mirror’s test of heart nature.”

“What kind of twist?”

“The Golden Light Mirror’s heart nature test constructs a world filled with various scenarios and desires. The tested individual’s Primordial Spirit is cast into it to experience this world within the mirror.”

“If one’s heart is not steadfast, they will lose themselves in it. This time, the leading orthodox cultivators from the Central Province’s Cangtian Sect have demanded Su Mei’er and Monk Liaowang to participate in the test together, and the world created within the Golden Light Mirror must be manipulated by them.”

“In other words, the heart nature test this time is completely controlled by these orthodox cultivators, leaving the Buddhist Sect as mere onlookers.”

Yu Sanbian spoke slowly.

Hiss!

Li Xiaobai gasped in shock. The cultivators who had come today were not truly honest individuals. With control over the Golden Light Mirror, they were bound to make things extremely difficult for Monk Liaowang and Su Mei’er.

No one is perfect; everyone has weaknesses, and even Monk Liaowang is no exception. These orthodox cultivators would be able to test and unearth Monk Liaowang’s inner weaknesses one world at a time, which could prove very dangerous when the time comes.

It’s no wonder Yu Sanbian said that Monk Liaowang was in grave danger. Looking at it this way, it indeed seemed to be a thorny issue.

“What does Brother Yu plan to do?”

“Although the cultivators here today are mostly after fame and reputation, their cultivation levels are top-notch. Among the cultivators from the Cangtian Sect, there are even experts in the Mahayana Realm. My own cultivation level is not capable of causing a stir, so the matter of rescue must rely more on Brother Li’s efforts,”

“I am acquainted with an ancient Buddha from the Western Desert, and I plan to request his assistance.”

Yu Sanbian said, his own cultivation being only at the Nascent Soul Stage. Nearly all the cultivators who had come today were at least at the Divinity Transformation Stage, so his insignificant cultivation was of no use; he had no choice but to seek help.

He hoped that the ancient Buddha would lend his aid.

“That’s a good plan. Brother Yu, go ahead with peace of mind. I will take extra care with Monk Liaowang’s matter,” Li Xiaobai nodded with assurance.

His primary purpose in coming here was wealth, and whether to rescue someone depended on Monk Liaowang’s intentions. Yu Sanbian was too close to the situation to see clearly; Monk Liaowang was not imprisoned, he simply did not wish to leave.

He wanted to prove his enlightenment and Buddha-nature to the world.

This stubborn monk would not leave until he had revealed his true nature, and Li Xiaobai was sure that even if the Western Desert was turned upside down, he would not budge.

After mingling among the cultivators for a while longer, Li Xiaobai returned to the resting area, took out a copy of the Immortal Spirit Daily, and summoned Elder Tianji’s Primordial Spirit clone.

Several sensational reports sprawled across the pages.

“Shocking: The true nature of the orthodox cultivators gathered at the Thousand Buddha Temple in the Western Desert revealed behind closed doors!”

“Those who claim to rid the world of demons may themselves be demons. I, Liu Jinshui, am in the Western Desert, exposing the true faces of the orthodox cultivators!”

“Monk Liaowang soon to be publicly executed in the Western Desert, why is Li Xiaobai not showing up? Could it be he is afraid?”

Elder Tianji was quite satisfied with these articles. The kind of reporting that exposed secrets was pleasing to the masses, and even in the Cultivation World, everyone had a gossip-loving heart.

Li Xiaobai instructed to hold the news for now and release it as the front-page headline in a couple of days.

The information was not suitable for Liu Jinshui to see too soon.

Stealing the Space Rings of ten thousand cultivators was a significant matter that could cause a seismic shock if published. To avoid endless pursuit in the future, it was best to direct the blame towards Liu Jinshui. The Immortal Spirit Daily was an absolute authority; no one would doubt the authenticity of Elder Tianwu’s news.

Clean himself of any blame and let his Senior Brother Liu take the fall—”better that friends die than I.” Senior Brother Liu had his secrets, and it was believed he could turn danger into safety.