Legend Management Bureau Chapter 360

[ … words ]

The Ghosts within the Soul-Summoning Banner seemed to understand Xie Bi’an’s intentions. They intensified their biting and gnawing, subjecting Sariputra to an agonizing, living hell.

If he could have simply fainted from the pain, it would have been a relief.

But his flesh and blood possessed the ability to regenerate. Every time he was chewed apart, new “fodder” would grow back to supply the Ghosts for their feast.

This endless, agonizing torment made Sariputra desperate to just pass out.

“I… I understand!” Sariputra cried out. “Whatever you want to ask, I will tell you the truth…”

“Very good.” The White Impermanence nodded. “Your attitude has changed, but my question remains the same. Tell me, what is your true purpose in coming here? If you wanted to purge the entire Immortal Realm, shouldn’t you have made your move when Old He was undercover? Why wait until now?”

Sariputra had not expected Xie Bi’an to be so fixated on this question. With a bitter expression, he shook his head and replied, “I truly do not know our real purpose… We only follow the orders of Mahakala…”

Xie Bi’an’s expression instantly turned icy as he declared sternly, “Grandmaster, I told you already. I do not want to hear that kind of answer.”

Intimidated by Xie Bi’an’s terrifying aura, Sariputra hastily added, “I really don’t know…! I only vaguely heard that there is someone else ‘above’ Mahakala, and this whole affair seems to be a transaction…”

At a time like this, it was unlikely that Sariputra was lying. If there truly was an “employer” above Mahakala, it certainly wouldn’t be something known to all the monks.

But who was this “employer”?

What was the “purpose”?

And what exactly was the “transaction”?

The White Impermanence made a bold deduction. The current Underworld was essentially no different from the Underworld during Old He’s time. From any perspective, the “difficulty of invasion” was exactly the same.

No, to be precise, when Old He was undercover here, the difficulty of invading would have been even lower.

After all, Old He’s acting skills had been outstanding; he had never shown any flaws over a long period. They could have launched a Coordinated Attack, catching the Underworld and the entire Immortal Realm completely off guard.

So why did they choose to launch a massive invasion now, at a time that was far from optimal?

Even after discovering that the entire Immortal Realm was fully prepared for war, they showed no intention of retreating.

This could only mean one thing—there was something here that they absolutely had to do.

Thinking up to this point, Xie Bi’an could only cast his gaze toward Du Yu.

He knew there was a very high possibility that the “target” was Du Yu.

Yet Xie Bi’an still couldn’t understand. If the “target” was Du Yu, what would Mahakala gain by killing him?

What kind of price had the person making the transaction with him offered?

Xie Bi’an gave a bitter smile and murmured, “Little Du, oh Little Du, just what kind of terrifying individual have you provoked?”

Seeing Xie Bi’an fall into deep thought, Sariputra attempted to struggle once more. However, he found that the Soul-Summoning Banner seemed to have a life of its own. Even without Xie Bi’an channeling his Magical Power, it remained completely indestructible.

“Xie Bi’an! I’ve already answered you! Hurry up and let me go!”

Xie Bi’an finally remembered the bizarre monk right in front of him. Turning back around, he asked, “Grandmaster, I have one final question. As long as your answer satisfies me this time, I absolutely will not make things difficult for you again.”

“Ask it!”

“You all…” Xie Bi’an extended a slender finger, pointing toward the strange monks gathered in the sky like dark storm clouds. “How did all of you attain your current levels of cultivation?”

“I…” Sariputra froze, appearing to hesitate. “Xie Bi’an, why are you asking this?”

Hearing this, Xie Bi’an furrowed his brows slightly and said, “Did I say you could ask questions?”

Forced to swallow his grievance, Sariputra could only sigh and reply, “Offering Suffering, becoming a Buddha on the spot.”

“Becoming a Buddha on the spot?” Xie Bi’an paused. “Are you saying that all of you up there in the sky… became Buddhas ‘on the spot’?!”

Sariputra’s eyes darted around for a long time before he slowly said, “Even if you know, so what? You have no ‘Dao’ in your heart, no ‘Ultimate Darkness’ within you. Mahakala will not offer you salvation, and you will never be able to hold the positions of the Ten Great Disciples!”

“Oh…” Xie Bi’an nodded. “So the reason you didn’t want to tell me… is because you were afraid I would steal your position?”

“Is that not the case?” Sariputra retorted. “For Immortal Beings like you, if you could possess an incredibly high realm of cultivation in an instant and save vast amounts of your lifespan, why wouldn’t you jump at the chance?!”

“Now I finally understand…” Xie Bi’an remarked with a sigh. “No wonder I felt like you were all just Paper Tigers. To think a Great Luo Golden Immortal could actually be captured by a minor True Immortal like me. So it turns out you all obtained your cultivation in an instant…”

“So what!?” Sariputra demanded. “Am I not a Great Luo Golden Immortal? Is my Magical Power not stronger than that of ordinary people?”

Xie Bi’an let out a chuckle and replied, “How can your cultivation of False Prosperity ever compare to the cultivation that Old Eight forged strike by strike, battle by battle? Hearing you say this suddenly gives me a surge of confidence. You cannot win this war.”

Xie Bi’an knew that if the Ten Great Disciples, who were second only to Mahakala, only possessed this level of cultivation, then someone like the Western Queen Mother could probably sweep them all away by herself.

If they played the trump card duo of the Demon-Sweeping Heavenly Venerate and Great Emperor Gouchen, they could probably even kill Mahakala in passing.

“We cannot win?” Sariputra sneered. “Xie Bi’an, you are thinking too simply. As long as Mahakala himself descends, there is no battle in this world that cannot be won.”

“Then I will wait and see,” Xie Bi’an said, turning around to search for the figures of Ox Head and Horse Face.

“Hey!” Sariputra called out in panic. “Where are you going? Didn’t you say you would let me go?”

“Me?” Xie Bi’an asked, sounding a bit puzzled. “When did I ever say I was going to let you go?”

Sariputra had never imagined that Xie Bi’an would be such a scoundrel.

“You said it yourself! You said that if my answer satisfied you, you would no longer make things difficult for me!”

Xie Bi’an nodded. “Oh, you’re right. ‘I’ am indeed no longer making things difficult for you. But what about those Ghosts…?”

“Xie Bi’an! You tricked me?!”

“No, no, no, no…” Xie Bi’an waved his hand. “I didn’t trick you at all. However, our Underworld has regulations that mandate we must respect the autonomy of every Soul. In other words, if they genuinely want to eat you from the bottom of their hearts, I have no authority to interfere. If you have any objections, you can give your feedback to my superior, the Eastern Emperor. Take some time to write a letter of complaint. If the Leader signs and approves it, we will process it according to procedure. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Sariputra was rendered completely speechless. He couldn’t run, and he couldn’t fight.

He could only leave himself to the mercy of those Ghosts as they slithered and tore through his flesh. His vital energy and Spiritual Energy were draining away at a frighteningly rapid pace.

His agonizing screams echoed endlessly through the air.

Unable to bear watching any longer, Xie Bi’an gently clenched his left fist. The Souls immediately fell into a frenzy, tearing Sariputra to bloody shreds in an instant.

He waved his hand again, putting away the Soul-Summoning Banner, and spoke to the gruesome fragments raining from the sky, “Honored Souls, if you were satisfied with your dining service today, please be sure to leave a five-star review before you Reincarnate.”