Shan Ren, Shan Nian, and Shan Jue’s expressions shifted as they all fixed their gaze on Ye Yu.
They had lived countless ages, and in their youth had ventured into the Underworld more than once—but never had they encountered a ghost whose behavior was so strange!
Was he merely using the guise of preaching Dharma to torment Ru Kong?
And why such elaborate indirectness? Why not simply strike directly? At the very least, destroy Ru Kong’s Golden Body and let him fall forever in the Underworld—wouldn’t that be simpler?
Instead, he allowed Ru Kong to send a distress signal for aid. Was that truly what this ghost wanted most to see?
Questions swirled in their minds.
After a moment’s thought, Shan Ren Buddha stepped forward and asked directly, “What is your intention in doing this?”
Perhaps it was the natural interplay of all things. The golden Buddha-light that had descended with the Buddhas and Arhats made Ye Yu deeply uncomfortable—and even somewhat irritable.
He growled, “All along, you monks of the Buddha Realm have come to the Underworld under the banner of ‘deliverance,’ slaughtering at will. I once hoped ghosts and monks might coexist without bloodshed, but that proved impossible. So why not switch roles? Let us ghosts deliver you, the monks of the Buddha ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Realm!”
At his words, the Golden-Body Arhats cried out, “Bold ghosts! Blind to heaven and earth, speaking such madness—you deserve death! Execute him! Execute him!”
Their heavy voices, magnified by the Buddha-light, struck toward Ye Yu like powerful blows.
Though an invisible barrier of ghost-qi held them back, it was obvious it could not last long.
Shan Ren quietly waved his sleeve, halting the enraged Arhats. They cupped their hands, retreated half a step, and bowed their heads in silence.
Shan Ren then spoke softly, “In truth, we find you, this ghost, most intriguing. Ever since the theory of Buddhist resistance to ghost-qi emerged, I have found it fascinating. That is why I and junior brother Shan Le discussed sending Ru Kong to investigate. Though you are fierce in nature, I still sense a connection between you and the Buddha Realm. If you can choose to abandon resistance and truly join the Buddha Realm, I am willing to spare your life. What say you?”
At the sound of “junior brother Shan Le,” Ru Kong’s eyes flickered—that was his master’s name. But why had he not come?
He was curious, but did not dwell on it. In his heart, his master dealt in matters of great consequence; if he did not arrive, it meant he was occupied with even greater affairs.
As for Ye Yu, what luck! To be so esteemed by Shan Ren—if he had the wisdom to join the Buddha Realm, perhaps one day there might be a Buddha-Ghost like no other.
But how could Ru Kong live alongside him thereafter?
He could still feel the chill behind him—such profound humiliation made peaceful coexistence impossible.
Ru Kong stared fixedly at Ye Yu, eager for him to refuse the proposition.
As Ru Kong imagined, Ye Yu only scoffed in response.
“You high monks always speak lofty, impractical nonsense. You say I have a bond with the Buddha Realm? I say you have a bond with the Underworld! Why not remain here? I’ll grant you splendid futures.”
At these words, Shan Ren’s face turned cold. “Stubborn fool. Very well—deliverance, then!”
With that, Shan Ren Buddha turned slightly away. Perhaps in his view, dealing with a ghost like Ye Yu did not require the Buddhas themselves; the Arhats alone could annihilate him.
Hidden ghosts around them fell into turmoil. From what they had witnessed, they understood—Ye Yu was not the madman of the Underworld, but had used Ru Kong as bait to draw more monks into a deadly snare!
Such cunning would benefit the entire Underworld. As ghosts themselves, they should come to aid!
Yet the Buddha Realm’s lineup was far too formidable. Without at least two Ghost-Emperor–level ghosts intervening, they had no hope of surviving, let alone stopping these monks.
Should they die for a righteous cause, or cling on in despair? It was a tormenting dilemma.
Ye Yu, by contrast, acted decisively. Without another word, he unleashed his Flying Waterfall Three Thousand Feet!
His aim was clear: he had summoned these Buddha-Realm elites only to harvest their negative-emotion points.
Now that they were all present, what was there to hesitate?
In an instant, the twenty-seven Arhats—about to strike—stood frozen, their faces twisted in shock.
The numbers above their heads began skyrocketing!
Ye Yu’s heart leapt with joy.
Yet the true heavyweight had not yet appeared.
The three Buddhas remained calm; their Buddha-light rippled gently, and nothing else happened.
Frowning slightly, Ye Yu wondered—could the Buddhas themselves negate this demonic-immortal art?
Perhaps it was not impossible. After all, the Buddhas were equivalent to Ghost-Emperors; ordinary immortal arts would not affect them.
Though novel, Flying Waterfall Three Thousand Feet was relatively low in prowess—that was its greatest flaw.
Shan Ren Buddha noticed the Arhats’ strange state and used his fingers to calculate.
Upon reaching the result, his face changed drastically.
“Ah, you ghost! You wield such... depraved arts! How detestable!”
Ye Yu retorted, “Silence—you three are innocent, so how can you call this depraved? It isn’t even aimed at you!”
The loss of the Arhats’ negative-emotion points left him displeased. But after a quick count, he determined he had enough points regardless.
With a wave of his sleeve, Shan Ren Buddha empowered the twenty-seven Arhats with new kasaya. Countless golden dhāraṇī scripts appeared, forming a golden barrier that now defended against Ye Yu’s Flying Waterfall Three Thousand Feet.
