A life-and-death battle unfolded within the space of the Glazed Glass Tower Department, yet the Great Inspirational King, being a ruler of a region himself as a Demon King, spared no expense in using his mana. Suddenly, huge waves appeared out of thin air, altering the environment and creating a lake within the space.

Regrettably, the space remained chaotic, and the water he summoned only dwindled with time. The Demon King dove into the water, but the Beast of Calamity, not skilled in swimming, could only quietly guard the perimeter.

The mysterious forces within the space constantly eroded their powers, preventing either side from entangling too deeply. As time passed, both sides lowered their flags and ceased drumming, silently protecting their own territories.

Several days later, thousands of miles north of the Tongtian River, in a forest, a young Daoist priest with delicate features staggered out of the thicket, looking around before letting out a sigh of relief.

"I was careless, after all. Such a mighty being has found my trail," Lin Fang murmured to himself as he gently removed the leaves and twigs from his hair.

In these times, his life had been utterly bleak, relentlessly pursued by the Buddhist Sect with no place in heaven or on earth to hide, surviving only through numerous brushes with death. If not for his quick wits, by now he might have already been captured and taken back to Mount Ling.

As the power of his soul surged, Lin Fang finally breathed a sigh of relief—the connection through karma had already been shielded by the Shariputra. This time, they would surely not find his trail so easily.

"I’m still lacking in experience. At that moment, I only thought to shield against divinations, neglecting the Buddhist Sect’s expertise in the ways of karma. They tracked me down through the karmic connections. It’s fortunate that I’m not well-known; only ordinary Garlans and Monk Faming came after me, otherwise, that would’ve been the end of me."

The mere thought filled Lin Fang with dread. His mind swept through the Glazed Glass Tower, and he saw that several little monsters and the White Ape each bore injuries. During the most critical moment, these beings had risked their lives to protect him. Though their efforts were like a drop in the bucket, they prevented Lin Fang from feeling isolated and desperate.

Now that the most dangerous moment had passed, his group could finally catch their breath.

Transforming into a bird, he soared freely through the forest, making Lin Fang wish he could produce a speaker and play a song to express his joy.

Soon after he left, a pair of Buddhist Soldiers arrived at the place, led by a Dharma Protector Garlan and Monk Faming, who had made a name for himself in the Chechi Kingdom. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"The connection through karma has been severed. What a cunning thief!" The Dharma Protector Garlan studied the area with his magic artifact but found nothing, cursing in anger.

This fugitive was too slippery, seemingly oblivious to dignity, exhausting them with his evasions and repeatedly escaping their encirclement. Now that he had slipped into this vast sea of green, with his ability to change form, it would likely be very difficult to capture him again.

"Amitabha Buddha, this monster is elusive, and now that he has shielded his karma, it will probably be harder to find him again," Monk Faming sighed softly.

This pursuit was, in fact, an opportunity given by his own master for Faming to redeem himself and bring the perpetrator who damaged the Buddhist Treasure to justice, an endeavor more challenging than imagined.

"We can’t just give up now, or we will become a joke in Mount Ling," the Dharma Protector Garlan said sternly, his eyes seemingly ablaze.

Ever since the Buddhist Sect began to expand its influence, he had been at the forefront. Consequently, his reputation soared within Mount Ling, gradually becoming a rising star. However, as the saying goes, "The tall tree catches the most wind." His sudden rise to a high position naturally provoked jealousy, with many waiting for him to make a mistake.

The pursuit operation was on the verge of failure, and he could already imagine the disgusted faces of those despicable individuals upon his return to Mount Ling. Therefore, he was absolutely unwilling to give up until the very last moment.

Faming sighed softly, as he didn’t share the same obsession as Galan; however, after being toyed with by Lin Fang time and again, he did feel somewhat indignant. Thus, he agreed to continue the search in the dense forest with a group of Buddhist Soldiers.

Not far from them, there was a large tree with a silent, crystal-clear Glazed Glass Tower nestled in a hole in the trunk.

At that moment, Lin Fang was resting inside the first layer of the tower, surrounded by several little monsters that were completely exhausted.

"We finally managed to fool those guys!" Bashan Tiger said with some lingering fear.

But soon he became excited and, clutching Yi Hailong’s hand, said, "I couldn’t have imagined a day like this for me, Bashan Tiger. Now I can say that I have battled with the Buddhist Sect and even managed to escape."

After all, the Buddhist Sect was one of the top powers in the Three Realms. Being able to achieve this was definitely a mark of strength within the Demon Clan, and for a little demon who dreamt of becoming a Demon King, this was a dream start.

"Don’t shake so hard; my arm is still injured. What’s there to be so surprised about? If our leader hadn’t taken the forefront, you wouldn’t have had the chance to act. You only took down a few Buddhist Soldiers. What’s there to be proud of? I, on the other hand, landed a blow on the Dharma Protector Galan," Yi Hailong said as he gestured with his hand.

Hearing this, Lin Fang’s lips curled into a smile. The battle was not as easy as the two of them made it sound. Their group had nearly met their end, with Bashan Tiger battered to a breath’s span of life and Yi Hailong almost losing an arm. Only by exerting all his strength and employing every tactic had he barely managed to carve out a path to survival.

"Where is the White Ape?" Lin Fang curiously asked the silent little Fox beside him.

"In the second layer!" the little Fox replied softly, though she seemed somewhat sullen and dispirited.

Lin Fang ruffled her hair, knowing her behavior was due to having seen a Fox Demon among the Buddhist Soldiers, who had been completely turned into a puppet of the Buddhist Sect, which reminded her of her grandmother.

"Don’t worry, one day, we will save your grandmother," Lin Fang solemnly said.

The little Fox gave a slight nod, but she was well aware of the difficulty. The Buddhist Sect had displayed only the tip of its power, and they had been forced to flee in disarray. To rescue her grandmother from among Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on Mount Ling was far from easy.

After offering some consolation, Lin Fang went up to the second floor. The knot in the little Fox’s heart had to be untied by herself, as there was nothing anyone else could do.

The second floor was exceptionally spacious, with a golden Relic venerated on the altar table, shining with a golden brilliance. The White Ape, in human form, sat cross-legged in front of the Relic, with his beloved treasured sword on his lap, seemingly meditating with closed eyes.

If the support of the little monsters for Lin Fang was only of a spiritual nature, then the White Ape’s support was in actual combat strength. Ever since he had grasped the way of the Sword Immortal, his cultivation level had skyrocketed at an incredible rate, his swordsmanship being terrifyingly sharp. Countless Buddhist Soldiers had died by his sword along the way, and even the Dharma Protector Galan had been wounded by his stroke.