"Buddhist Sect ascetic monks?" Marx murmured to himself.

He was no stranger to these widely renowned people from the Buddhist Sect. Back when the Demon Path was thriving, it was these monks who recklessly meddled too much.

Who knows how many notorious demon heads had been killed by ascetic monks.

These people would temper their bodies with hardship on ordinary days, appearing incredibly calm in the Mortal World, but when they faced demon heads, they would become abnormally frenzied and totally disregard life and death.

Marx still remembered the scene of those ascetic monks madly rushing towards him, and it was this scene that sparked his deep interest in the Buddhist Sect.

So much so that his karma became entangled with Buddha’s till today.

"Those annoying fellows are still not dead? I thought they had already left this world long ago." Marx said with a hint of sarcasm.

He didn’t see these people at Mount Ling, most likely they had been ostracized from Mount Ling. Thinking of this, a mocking smile appeared on Marx’s face.

It also made him feel much better inside.

The Divine Exorcist Great Saint watched the changes in Marx’s expression and, clever as he was, quickly guessed Marx’s thoughts. However, he didn’t correct him; after all, it was Marx who would be at a loss.

"Thank you for the information, I hope we can cooperate again in the future," Marx said with a smile.

Then, he turned into a wisp of black smoke and vanished from the spot.

The Divine Exorcist Great Saint watched his retreating figure, a smile on his face, and then flew towards the Heavenly Court.

Returning to his Exorcist Great Saint Residence, a group of people clad in black soon emerged from the shadows, kneeling respectfully on the ground.

They were the Hidden Guards of the Heavenly Court, the shadows of All Immortals, playing an irreplaceable role in places unknown to others.

Gouchen’s rebellion, the resurgence of the Demon Clan, and this Buddhist catastrophe all had their involvement.

Silently, they were guiding the changes within the Three Realms, serving as the sharpest and most hidden blade in the hands of the Jade Emperor.

And the Divine Exorcist Great Saint was their leader, their guide.

Since his return to the Heavenly Court, this force hidden in darkness had become incredibly powerful, abandoning its past methods and gradually becoming a dreaded existence in the Heavenly Court.

Some Immortals even said that if these people were willing, they could know in excruciating detail even if they blinked a few times.

Such changes also made the Divine Exorcist Great Saint the idol of those hiding in the dark.

Seeing their leader return, all of their eyes were filled with eager light, a look of adoration.

"Issue the command to withdraw everyone from the Xiniu Continent," the Divine Exorcist Great Saint said softly.

His words, however, surprised everyone.

"My lord, why is this? The intelligence network in Xiniu Continent is not easy to set up. Withdrawing now would be to forsake all our previous efforts," someone hastily inquired.

One should know that the eyes of the Heavenly Court’s Hidden Guard had always been fixed on Luzhou in the North. It was difficult to make progress in Xiniu Continent, which was the Buddhist Sect’s territory and had a strong presence of faith, making it hard to stay undercover.

Not until the Divine Exorcist Great Sage returned to the Heavenly Court did the conflict between the Buddhist Sect and the Heavenly Court intensify, forcing the Heavenly Court to shift their focus to the West. It was during this time that the Divine Exorcist Great Sage, with his methods, continuously infiltrated the Xiniu Continent.

Only then did we reach the situation of today, where we could arrange things calmly, making the Buddhist Sect suffer such a major loss.

However, now we are asking everyone to withdraw from the Xiniu Continent, which means all the previous hard work is about to be destroyed in an instant. These were all the outcomes of the Hidden Guards’ painstaking efforts.

"Can’t figure it out?" the Divine Exorcist Great Sage asked softly.

Seeing everyone nod, the Great Saint rarely showed a smile and said, "Do you know what the most important thing about our job is?"

"It’s caution. Our work often dances on the edge of a knife, and a single slip can lead to an irredeemable disaster. This also means we have to be extremely careful."

"Although Mount Ling has been severely damaged thanks to our arrangements, a centipede dies but never falls down. The vast Buddhist Sect, having suffered such a great loss, will not just let it go. The thunderous retaliation will soon follow, and if we don’t retreat now, are we sending our brothers to die."

"Moreover, Marx has already broken free. With his methods, he is more than capable of causing headaches for the Buddhist Sect. Now he’s preparing to madly expand his forces, and I certainly don’t want my people to inadvertently become Demon Heads because of carelessness."

After hearing the words of the Divine Exorcist Great Sage, the people finally understood their leader’s painstaking efforts.

"Go and execute the orders. Don’t delay too long, otherwise we’ll face the retaliation from the Buddhist Sect."

After arranging these matters, the once Great Sage of the Demon Race set off for the Lingxiao Treasured Palace to report the situation to the Jade Emperor.

In the Lingxiao Treasured Palace, it was now past the time for the morning court, so the vast palace appeared empty.

The Jade Emperor sat alone on his throne, draped in an Auspicious Cloud, looking extraordinarily sacred.

This Supreme of the Three Realms sat by himself, as if facing The Common People, exuding a power that came from years of accumulation.

"Your Majesty!" the Divine Exorcist Great Sage entered the Lingxiao Treasured Palace. However, he did not kneel to the Jade Emperor but simply looked up at him and began to speak.

"Little monkey, you’re back. It seems things are going smoothly." The Jade Emperor said softly, his tone lacking the authority and sanctity he had when facing all immortals, but rather had a touch of intimacy.

"Everything has transpired as Your Majesty predicted. Marx has severely damaged the Buddhist Sect and successfully escaped from Mount Ling. He seems to have gained control of a new type of Demon Head that can ignore Buddhist Law, which is very peculiar."

"Is that so? It’s to be expected. Back then, Marx’s fate was intertwined with the Buddhist Sect’s, and Buddha keenly seized the opportunity, using his immense mana to seal Marx atop Mount Ling, leveraging Marx’s karmic fate to strengthen the Buddhist Sect."

"That’s what led to the Buddhist Sect rapidly emerging with talent, sailing with the wind, becoming one of the Three Realms’ top forces in just a few short years."

"However, every cause has its effect, and when Buddha transcended and left, the Buddhist Sect had to face the backlash from Marx. And since the Buddhist Sect grew by leveraging Marx’s karmic fate, naturally a Demon Head appeared that could restrain the Buddhist Sect, tied by that very karma."

The Jade Emperor spoke softly, his gaze seemingly piercing through vast space, observing the chaos on Mount Ling.

The power of this Supreme was far from the ineptitude spoken of by many; he was like the seemingly calm sea, yet beneath the surface, the waves were tumultuous.

"The Ascetic Monks of Mount Ling have returned. They have vowed to expel the Demon Head and restore peace to the Xiniu Continent," the Divine Exorcist Great Sage continued his report.

"Ascetic Monks, eh!" murmured the Jade Emperor.

He was also very wary of this group. Despite the many Bodhisattvas and Buddhas that sat upon Mount Ling, the real foundation of the Buddhist Sect was actually these monks.