For centuries, the Thousand Road mountain had managed the religious doctrines of Dongli, and just like the two other vassal sects, the Nameless Sword mountain and Albizia court, the monks of the Thousand Roads built their headquarters in the mountain ranges of the Xihai Prefecture—deep in the most luxurious part of Dongli. There, they received donations of all kinds from the millions of devout citizens, but as all Xihai-based faction had to indulge in criminal activities, the Thousand Road mountains also specialized in money laundering for various black market tycoons.
Through his Dark Chamber of Commerce, Guang Fanghu got his cut, so the White Immortal sect didn't prevent the corruption. Better, they used Xihai to stain the royal family's prestige, lock down any attempt at centralization, and prevent the Shui from expanding their authority. Still, the White Immortal sect remained wary of all its vassals, and using the recent invasion as an excuse, dispatched inspectors to examine and balance the factions.
This state of affairs made Abbot Thousand Roads grumble incessantly. A fan of gold and gals, the old monk mostly spent his time between accumulating treasures and spending his donors' coins in the Bliss Halls of the Albizia court—using disguises and cloaking arrangements set up by both parties to preserve the "integrity" of the Thousand Roads mountain. But now that inspectors followed him daily, Abbot Thousand Road could no longer partake in his favorite activity, and had to spend his days in his temple, praying a Lotus that he didn't give a damn about.
'Hateful! The White Immortal sect is bullying me intolerably. Just you wait! When our preparations…' As Abbot Thousand Road's thoughts reached this point, a blaring roar reverberated throughout the Thousand Road mountain, making men and buildings alike vacillate as a humongous shadow covered the sky.
The Armored Lion King appeared, staring at the temples and monks with steaming eyes.
"Bastard monks! This King has already made clear to the world that he dislikes monks the most, yet your faction had the audacity to gather hundreds of saffron-wearing crystal balls on this mountain. Did you think that by having your silky smooth bald heads reflect the sun, you could suppress This King?" The Armored Lion King's words rumbled, and the pressure that followed them forced all monks to gather at the main temple—Abbot Thousand road included.
Alas, none of the monks could understand the lion's rant—and some even felt that its brain must have been kicked by donkeys. Still, faced with an aura so tyrannical that they couldn't even appraise the beast's rank, the monks broke into a cold sweat and kowtowed immediately.
"We…don't understand what you're saying. Senior, if we've offended you in any way, we humbly apologize, and are willing to bring you all the mortals in the vicinity as a show of good will." Abbot Thousand roads reviewed his priorities—and realized that he'd rather give up mortals than his treasure stash. In any case, this mighty beast wouldn't care for his treasures, right?
Some monks looked at the abbot with their faces twisting in disgust. No wonder he'd cultivated for centuries, yet couldn't approach the gate of enlightenment. Other monks, however, understood their leader's difficulties, and bowed in silence. A pity that they'd underestimated the situation.
"You even dare to make fun of me? Good! Today, This King will enforce evil on behalf of Hell, and send you all to the reincarnation cycle!" The Armored Lion King said, and his cultivation base erupted in full force, bringing alongside it clouds of Evil Qi that assembled in the sky.
"E…EVIL QI!"
"Dem…it's a demon? AAAARGH, HELP!" The Thousand Road mountain's monks panicked. Most ran for their lives. But a scant few believed that this was a test sent by the Golden Lotus to open the gates of Enlightenment. So they sat in meditation and faced the Lion King's wrath.
'Brother Renyi, my Thousand Roads mountain is facing an unexpected tribulation. How should we handle this?' Faced with this unreasonable beast, Abbot Thousand Roads panicked as well, and contacted Bai Renyi, master of the Nameless Sword Mountain. Alas…a cold silence shattered his hopes.
'Brother Renyi! Bai Renyi! Damn it, in times of hardship, you can only count on yourself!' Abbot Thousand Roads cursed this unreliable ally, and fled for his life—a futile move. The Armored Lion King's hill-sized foot fell—smashing through temples, men and mountain, and bringing the Thousand Roads to extinction.
Of the 800 mountain disciples, not one survived.
Armored Lion King opened its metallic mouth, activating the Swallowing Skill to store the souls and remains of the deceased in its body. Evil Qi flew upward, feeding his demonic heart. "Hehehe, I bet the infernal master didn't expect me to present all these souls as gifts. This King is so smart, it's almost sad for all these fools to be born in This King's era!" The Armored Lion King burst into laughter before turning into a jet of dark-red light—now aiming for Burning Spear supercity.
…
Meanwhile, news of Xinzi's expulsion by Abbot Qingxin shook the Dongli capital. None could understand why, right after cementing his position as number one of the junior generation and accomplishing several earthshaking feats, Xinzi got disowned by his master. Some argued that the Clear Heart monastery's doctrines didn't allow dual cultivation, and that the ever-righteous Qingxin wouldn't tolerate his disciple's transgressions—no matter how gifted.
Others thought the same, and the rumors that it was Xinzi and not the White Immortal sect that destroyed the Soaring Crane mountain, further fueled this theory. A scant few wondered if Qingxin didn't feel threatened by his disciple's meteoric rise, but the majority didn't allow such thoughts. Debates filled the streets, and even as he returned to the White Immortal sect, Xinzi's image among the capital's faithfuls had taken a dive.
Our monk didn't care, and wine gourd in hand, rode a cloud of magenta flames: the Metamorphic Flames that now filled his Void Spiritual Root. These new flames could not only shift into any type of flame under the heavens, but they could also incorporate the principles of the Five Elements, thereby enabling Xinzi to mirror Xiao Hu's flying ability without a Pulse Condensation cultivation base.
Xinzi was already nearing the White Immortal sect's gates when the Armored Lion King appeared above the Thousand Roads mountain. In other circumstances, our monk have thrown a fit, cursed the Heavens, then changed his plans to save the situation. But now, trapped by melancholic memories, Xinzi set the Lion matter aside.
'Master! Master! I can sense that the Armored Lion King's cultivation level has risen exponentially. The Enslavement Gu binding him to me is gone as well. Should I…' Tusha's mental message interrupted our monk's reverie, forcing him to address the matter.
'I already know what's going on. The Armored Lion King hijacked the plan and received the demonic transformation meant for another. Never mind. Take Xue Yuanshao and go into hiding. For the next couple days, the two of you should disappear from Dongli. As for the Armored Lion King, let him have his fun. His presence will lure the Demon Slaying hall into Dongli. This might yet prove to be an opportunity to harvest massive benefits. And if need be, I will make him disappear.'
The calm with which Xinzi said the last three words made Tusha clutch at her robe and shiver uncontrollably.
