Chapter 372 - 201: The Significance of Strength! The Iron Sword Sect Bows Its Head

Chapter 372: Chapter 201: The Significance of Strength! The Iron Sword Sect Bows Its Head

Golden Spring Temple, the seventeenth level at the bottom of the Demon Suppression Tower.

A cage forged from black iron was submerged in near-eternal gloom and dead silence.

The air was thick with the old smell of rust, the faint scent of blood, and a chill that seeped deep into the bones.

In a corner, a burly figure was bound by layer upon layer of thick, heavy chains.

Faint golden light occasionally pulsed from the dense Buddhist Sect runes etched upon the chains, as if silently suppressing the burly figure.

SHH... SHH...

The faint yet distinct sound of footsteps, drawing nearer from a distance, shattered the dead silence of the underground.

The figure in the corner abruptly lifted his head.

Beneath a tangled mess of graying hair, a pair of eyes snapped open, suddenly glowing with a horrifying, crimson light that pierced the gloom of the cage.

Killing intent, brutality, and an extreme coldness honed by long imprisonment intertwined within those blood-red eyes.

Outside the cell door, four figures in deep red kasayas appeared without a sound.

They were Kongjian, First Seat of the Precepts Institute; Xuanming, First Seat of the Arhat Hall; Xuanbei, First Seat of the Prajna Hall; and Xuan Ku, First Seat of the Bodhi Institute.

The four eminent monks had profound auras and solemn, dignified appearances, a stark contrast to the filth and oppression within the cell.

"Chu Kuangfeng." ℯℯ𝑙.

Monk Kongjian spoke. His voice was calm and flat, yet it echoed strangely in the enclosed space.

"Heh..."

A hoarse, grating laugh escaped the prisoner’s throat, dripping with sarcasm.

"What? After six years of chanting scriptures, have you finally gotten tired of it? Are you here to send your grandpa on his way?"

"You carry the legacy of the Buddhist Sect’s Vajra Demon Suppression Skill, yet your heart fell to the Demon Dao. You have slaughtered countless people and committed grave sins. Imprisoned at the bottom of this tower for six years, listening daily to the sound of Buddhist chants to cleanse your Heart Demon, have you felt even the slightest bit of remorse?"

Monk Kongjian’s eyelids drooped slightly, his tone as placid as an old well.

"Remorse my ass!"

Chu Kuangfeng struggled violently. The chains rattled, and the golden light of the Restriction flared, scorching his flesh with a SIZZLING sound.

But he seemed not to feel it, roaring furiously:

"The ones I killed deserved to die! You bunch of bald donkeys are experts at framing people! If I hadn’t believed your bullshit back then and practiced this damn broken skill, letting you secretly leave a back door to suppress it, how could the four of you filthy curs have ever been worthy of capturing me?!"

"Stubbornly unrepentant!"

Monk Xuanbei’s face darkened, and a true word burst from his lips: "Om!"

The single-word mantra boomed like a great bell, exploding within the small cell.

The Buddhist Sect Restrictions on the walls, floor, and chains lit up in response. The Golden Light flared and suddenly tightened.

Chu Kuangfeng’s muscles bulged all over his body, veins popping on his skin. His face twisted into a ferocious mask of extreme pain, but he clenched his teeth, letting out only a beast-like growl from deep in his throat, refusing to utter a single scream.

"Enough."

Monk Kongjian raised a hand and pressed down on the air, and the Golden Light dimmed slightly.

Xuanbei snorted coldly and withdrew the pressure of his mantra.

Chu Kuangfeng gasped for breath, sweat mixed with blood trickling from his temples onto the cold floor.

He lifted his head, his crimson eyes locked on the monks outside the cell. He grinned, baring blood-stained teeth in a ferocious smile. "If you have the guts... then kill me! You want your grandpa to be your dog...? Dream on!"

"Donor Chu,"

Monk Kongjian said slowly, his voice carrying a strange, soothing power:

"You carry the orthodox legacy of our Buddhist Sect and should have had a bright and glorious future. Alas, your Heart Demon is deeply rooted, leading to your current predicament. Golden Spring Temple has imprisoned you here not to humiliate you, but because we could not bear to see a man of your fine caliber fall into the abyss.

Once you see through your delusions and cleanse your demonic heart, your future path of cultivation will be smooth and open."

Here, Kongjian’s tone shifted slightly, taking on a hint of pity.

"Considering that in all your years of imprisonment, you have also contributed a portion of your Qi and Blood Power to suppressing the thing at the bottom of the tower... This poor monk is willing to give you a chance today to atone for your crimes and regain your freedom."

Chu Kuangfeng sneered and simply closed his eyes, not even deigning to give them another look.

’These bald donkeys’ bullshit... he might have believed it six years ago, but now he was sick of hearing it.’

’Freedom?’

’It’s just swapping these Shackles for a more respectable, more permanent set.’

"As long as Donor Chu is willing to eliminate a Demon who is about to unleash a storm of blood upon the people of Ning’an, then after the deed is done, this poor monk will promise, in my name as the First Seat of Golden Spring Temple’s Precepts Institute, to grant you your freedom."

Monk Kongjian’s voice was not loud, but every word was crystal clear.

Chu Kuangfeng remained silent, his eyelids not even twitching.

Monk Xuanming, who had been standing to the side, suddenly spoke, his voice gentle:

"Donor Chu, even if not for yourself, you should think of your childhood friend at the Cihang Institute. She prays and chants scriptures for you every day. Her devotion is plain to see..."

"You dogs! Bald donkeys!"

Chu Kuangfeng’s eyes snapped open, so crimson they looked as if they might drip blood. He thrashed against his chains, making them CLANG violently.

"Don’t you prattle on about compassion every single day?! Using such despicable tactics, aren’t you afraid the Buddha will send down a bolt of lightning to strike you hypocritical bald donkeys down?!"

Monk Xuanbei’s face took on its usual smile of pity for all living things:

"Amitabha Buddha. Donor Chu misunderstands. That female donor was grateful for my Buddha’s compassion and voluntarily took refuge, staying at the Cihang Institute for quiet cultivation. She once said that if Donor Chu remained obstinately unenlightened...

...she would be willing to follow the great compassion of the Buddha who fed his body to a tiger. She would perform an act of ’almsgiving,’ using her own merit to reduce your karmic obstacles. With such a heart devoted to the Buddha, we poor monks... find it difficult to forcefully stand in her way."

"You—!!"

Chu Kuangfeng’s chest heaved violently, his rampant killing intent almost bursting through the Restriction. He bit down so hard his gums bled, and a hoarse voice squeezed through his clenched teeth:

"Who... do you want me to kill?"

Monk Kongjian lifted his gaze and said slowly:

"From the Jingwu Bureau, Chen Sheng."