Chapter 1262: Rampage Unrestrained

The voice within the painting was clearly struggling to suppress its rage.The words were tinged with the fire of fury, wavering slightly: "Does Suspended Temple truly wish to be enemies with my Great Jing? Have you consulted your abbot on this matter?"

Ku Jue’s eyes widened. "This is a private matter between my good disciple, Zhao Xuanyang, and myself! What concern is it of Suspended Temple? I should be the one asking you, if I now go to rescue my disciple, will you stand against me, Ku Jue?"

The voice in the painting, brimming with anger, said, "I hold Suspended Temple in respect. This matter involves two sides, and the consequences are immense. It is not for you alone to decide. You had best consult your abbot!"Clearly, the speaker knew full well that Suspended Temple would never make a big fuss over a single Jiang Wang. Ku Jue’s crossing of the border today was likely a personal act. As for a mere individual, even a True Person of this era, what did Ku Jue matter to the State of Jing?

Yet, despite this understanding, Ku Jue’s identity was bound to Suspended Temple, a connection impossible to bypass. The speaker could only use Suspended Temple to remind Ku Jue, to bring the old monk to his senses.

But Ku Jue bellowed, "I simply will not ask!"

The voice in the painting was speechless for a moment. At his cultivation level, at this realm, when had he ever encountered such childish, petulant dialogue? Usually, a few words exchanged carried infinite meaning. A brief, veiled conversation would leave everyone fully aware. If one wished to display might or break ties, it was typically a decision made after weighing pros and cons, after careful deliberation. These were peerless experts of the world; who would engage in such childish antics with you? Truly, a novel experience!

After a moment of silence, the voice in the painting lost patience. "It seems you are excessively confident in yourself, and utterly lacking in reverence for my Great Jing. Since you speak thus, old monk, proceed forward. But bear in mind, life and death rest solely upon your own head!"

"Threatening me? Am I, Ku Jue, afraid?" The old monk Ku Jue jabbed his thumb at himself. "Go inquire! Ask who the next abbot of Suspended Temple will be, who the future Pure Land Buddha shall be!"After spewing this fierce declaration, he added, full of righteous indignation, "I refuse to believe that if I die in the State of Jing today, those bald donkeys truly won’t lift a finger!"

Had he not added the latter sentence, this monk might have been described as unyielding. Adding the latter sentence… he was using his old face and his old life to act shamelessly! You ask him if this journey represents Suspended Temple, and he says it is a personal matter, unrelated to the sect. You say, since it is a personal matter, then so be it. And he says, try to kill me, Suspended Temple will never sit idly by.

How did such a person cultivate to become a True Person of this era? He is simply a disgrace to True Persons!

The voice in the painting said coldly, "Ku Jue, you have walked a narrow path."

Ku Jue glanced at the distant sky. His usual indifferent expression suddenly turned somewhat profound. "Perhaps… I had no path to begin with…"

"What did you say?" the voice in the painting asked. It was not that he hadn’t heard clearly, but rather he was asking Ku Jue the meaning of those words.

"I said…" Ku Jue shifted his gaze back, staring directly at the painting. "You have delayed me long enough. If you do not intend to show yourself and stop me, then take this broken painting and begone!" He suddenly became agitated, unleashing a torrent of curses. "Damn your mother! You turtle bastard, old ox-nose, rotten cucumber!!"

"Good, good, Ku Jue!" The voice in the painting was enraged beyond measure. "You..."

Ku Jue’s smelly foot had already stomped down once more. This time, golden light swirled, and Buddhist chanting arose, grand and mighty as a collapsing sky! The painting had time only to ripple once before being trampled through, losing its spiritual light. Ku Jue casually tore off the painting and tossed it aside, flying westward. Clad in plain cloth and straw sandals, with a wrinkled, sallow face, he nonetheless possessed an aura of reckless abandon, and was soon far in the distance. Only a tattered painting remained, drifting and spinning in the air.

"You just let him go?" a cold voice asked from the void.

"Otherwise?" the ancient voice that had conversed with Ku Jue responded. "He is going to rescue his disciple, and he knows the limits; he will not harm Xuanyang. Can we truly kill him over this matter?"

"He says he is his disciple, so he is his disciple?" the cold voice said. "Fu Dongxu, you have presided over the Mirror World Platform for so many years. I do not recall you being so lenient."

The person named Fu Dongxu replied, "This old monk is indeed different. Zuo Guanglie was also a disciple he unilaterally recognized, and later he searched for Tai Yu for a long time. Although I don't know why he is so concerned, he is indeed very concerned."

The cold voice said, "Perhaps it is related to his cultivation?"

"Who knows?" Fu Dongxu continued. "Moreover, this old monk has no official position or rank in Suspended Temple, but his seniority is undeniable. Killing him would have little effect but cause great trouble. This time, Jiang Shu's reaction was also unexpected. It seems the Kingdom of Equality did not cause them much trouble, and His Majesty needs to re-examine the situation in the Eastern Region... At this moment, it is really not suitable to antagonize Suspended Temple again."

"Even if you don't kill him, it is not difficult for you to step forward and stop him," the cold voice said. "That old bald donkey is truly foul-mouthed and irritating, making one’s hands itch."

Fu Dongxu simply asked, "Why do you think Jiang Shu would rather use the power behind the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, and dispatch Shi Mingcheng and Ji Zhaonan, instead of directly allowing Jiang Mengxiong to cross the border? That Divine Marshal of Great Qi has always been extremely arrogant."

The cold voice said, "Our State of Jing is not the State of Xia. He may come, but he may not be able to return!"

"That is the logic," Fu Dongxu said. "But the most important thing is to limit the level of conflict. If Jiang Mengxiong came, this war between nations would have to be fought, whether we wanted to or not. But now, what necessity do we have to go to war with Qi? They send a few True Persons, and we will meet them with a few True Persons. There is no need to escalate the situation beforehand. If I were to act, Qi would inevitably send more people, and the situation would escalate indefinitely."

The cold voice said, "Then this Ku Jue..."

"Ku Jue is Ku Jue, a factor outside the situation, and does not represent the power of Qi. We should observe Qi's reaction, not Suspended Temple's reaction. We must not exert pressure that would push Suspended Temple and Qi together."

"Your meaning is, just wait for him to take that Inner Mansion cultivator away?" the cold voice asked.

"That depends on Zhao Xuanyang's methods," Fu Dongxu smiled. "Jiang Wang escaped from his grasp for over a day, nearly returning to Qi. Now, let's see if he can, while being pursued by a True Person of this era, take the target to Jade Capital Mountain."

"Once he is on Jade Capital Mountain, ten Ku Jues cannot cause a ripple. If he cannot reach Jade Capital Mountain... then it matters little if Ku Jue takes the person away. We are not showing respect to Qi, but to Suspended Temple. If Ku Jue fails to catch him, Suspended Temple has no reason to support him. If Ku Jue succeeds, Jiang Shu might even wonder if this is a trap set by us in league with Suspended Temple, to help them win the heart of a Qi prodigy?"

Fu Dongxu continued, "Furthermore, we have a sufficient explanation for the heavy gift from Zhuang Gaoxian." A True Person and two Divine Abodes have already taken action, and the prodigy Zhao Xuanyang is being forced to flee desperately under the pursuit of a True Person of this era. No one can say that they were not concerned with the matter of slaying the demon.

"One final question," the cold voice said. "He cursed you like that, and you are not angry?"

Fu Dongxu burst into laughter. "I cannot act against him now, what is there to be angry about?"

The cold voice fell silent. Because he knew full well what Fu Dongxu was like when he *could* act.